Alaska-Canada Rail Link Economic Benefits

Construction of the 1,740 km Alaska-Canada Rail Link (ACRL) between Fort Nelson, BC and Delta Junction, Alaska to join the North American rail system to the Alaska Railroad will result in tremendous economic benefits for Canada and the US. The ACRL will provide valuable additional east-west rail capacity and tidewater access to the Pacific, hugely benefitting not only the Yukon and Eastern Alaska regions, into which it will introduce rail transport for the first time, but throughout both countries. The economic benefits of ACRL construction are consistent with Canadian government’s desire to promote Northern development and comparable in significance to those of Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1880’s and the St. Lawrence Seaway in the 1950’s. Construction of the ACRL alone will bring unprecedented economic stimulus to the region in terms of job creation, wages and income tax revenue over multiple years. Table 7-1 below summarizes the benefits from ACRL construction for the Yukon, BC and Canada as a whole. However, these estimates are conservative as they exclude benefits associated with pre-construction activities, railway operation post-construction, sales taxes and corporate taxes as well as all such benefits that will accrue to Alaska and the US

The Composition of Business Establishment in Smaller and Larger Communities in Canada

Between 1993 and 1996 there was a large number of business establishment starts in smaller and larger communities in Canada, indicating significant business establishment development in the post recessionary period of the 1990s. Between 1993 and 1996 smaller communities had a larger ratio of smaller establishments (under 10 employees) to population than larger communities. In today's economy, new establishments tend to have fewer employees (under 10 employees) and are located in the service and construction sectors of the economy.Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Commodity Profile Series #1: Crude Oil in the Delaware Valley

This brochure has been developed by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) as part of a series of commodity profiles that seek to illustrate the supply chain of select commodities. This series is meant to help municipalities and the general public better understand a specific commodity's: history in the region; impact on economic development and employment; key facilities and modal distribution; and trends and transportation planning implications. The first part in this series explores crude oil, historically one of the highest-volume commodities to be imported into the region. Crude oil was identified by regional private-sector partners participating in the Delaware Valley Goods Movement Task Force, DVRPC's freight advisory committee, as a key commodity to consider in planning due to recent changes in the regional supply chain

Unconventional gas: potential energy market impacts in the European Union

In the interest of effective policymaking, this report seeks to clarify certain controversies and identify key gaps in the evidence-base relating to unconventional gas. The scope of this report is restricted to the economic impact of unconventional gas on energy markets. As such, it principally addresses such issues as the energy mix, energy prices, supplies, consumption, and trade flows. Whilst this study touches on coal bed methane and tight gas, its predominant focus is on shale gas, which the evidence at this time suggests will be the form of unconventional gas with the most growth potential in the short- to medium-term. This report considers the prospects for the indigenous production of shale gas within the EU-27 Member States. It evaluates the available evidence on resource size, extractive technology, resource access and market access. This report also considers the implications for the EU of large-scale unconventional gas production in other parts of the world. This acknowledges the fact that many changes in the dynamics of energy supply can only be understood in the broader global context. It also acknowledges that the EU is a major importer of energy, and that it is therefore heavily affected by developments in global energy markets that are largely out of its control.JRC.F.3-Energy securit

Rural and Small Town Employment: Structure by Industry

Community/Rural/Urban Development, Labor and Human Capital,

Calling All Funders: The Role of Philanthropy in Fighting Climate Change

This is the fourth in a series of CEGN briefing papers providing an overview of key Canadian environmental issues, intended to provide background information on the issue and serve as a starting point for discussion on strategic approaches and collaboration on environmental grantmaking

Petrology and depositional environment of the Foord seam, Pictou Coalfield, Nova Scotia

The Pictou Coalfield is one of several coal deposits in the northern Appalachians. This coalfield is of particular interest because: (1) it is restricted to a synsedimentary, pull-apart graben. (2) the coals are in a late Westphalian lacustrine - deltaic sequence with minor fluvial deposits, (3) it also contains numerous organic-rich shales, and (4) in spite of its small size and long history of mining it remains among the most important coal reserves in the region. The Foord seam is the most importantof several seams that have been mined. In contrast with typical (fluvial basin) Appalachian coals, the Pictou coals are characterized by microbanding, comparatively high rank, low sulphur, and relatively high ash content. Macroscopic appearance and relative proportions of maceral groups (vitrinite > inertinite > liptinite) indicate broad petrographic uniformity within the Foord seam, but the proportions of individual macerals vary widely, reflecting environmental and diagenetic changes. Specific maceral ratios confirm evidence from lithotype studies for cylic development of wet forest swamp, fen, and limnic conditions in response to alternate flooding and drying trends during peat accumulation. Although secular coal facies variations within the Foord seam can be correlated laterally, differences in maceral distribution indicate that depositional and diagenetic conditions must have been locally variable. RÉSUMÉ Le bassin houiller de Pictou est Tun des gisements de charbon du nord des Appalaches. Il présente un intérés particulier car: (1) il est confiné à un graben rhomboélrique synséotimentaire, (2) les charbons font paitie d'une série lacustro-deltaique tardi-westphalierme incorporant de faiblcs dépôts fluviatiles, (3) on y rencontre plusieurs shales riches en matiere organique, et (4) en dépit de sa faible dimension et d'une exploitation prolongée, ce bassin demeure Tune des plus importantes réserves de charbon de la région. Le faisceau charbonneux de Foord est le plus important à avoir été exploité Contrairement aux charbons appalachiens typiques des bassins fluviatiles, les charbons de Pictou sont caractérisés par une microlamination, une classe assez haute, une teneur faible en soufre et relativement élevée en cendres. L'allure macroscopique et la proportion relative des différents groupes de maceraux (vitrinite > inertinite > liptinite) indiquent une uniformity pétrographique générale au sein du faisceau de Foord. Cependant la proportion de chaque macéral varie fortement, ce qui reflète des changements dans le milieu et la diagénèse. Les rapports specifiques des macéraux confirment les arguments qu'apportent les études des lithotypes en faveur d'un développement cyclique de conditions de marécages de foret humide, de fens et de conditions limniques en réponse à des tendances alternant entre les inondations et les assèchements durant l’accumulation de la tourbe. Quoiqu'on puisse corréler latéralement les variations seculaires des faciès charbormeux au sein du faisceau de Foord, la distribution différente des macéraux démontre que les conditions diagénéiques et de dépôt devaient varier localement [Traduit par le journal

North Slope Borough water study: a background for planning

The Planning and Research Section of Alaska Dept. of Natural Resources initiated this pilot water study with the North Slope Borough and the University of Alaska's Arctic Environmental Information and Data Center and Institute of Water Resources. Traditional and present water uses in the eight North Slope Borough villages are examined to assist in evaluating and planning for present and future water use, treatment, and disposal requirements.Prepared for Alaska Department of Natural Resources Planning and Research Sectio

The Australian Experience With Resources, Infrastructure Corridors and Supply Chains

The North of Canada and the North of Australia are both resource-rich, but have underdeveloped infrastructure, small, scattered populations and high proportions of inhabitants who are Indigenous. The experiences of developing Australia’s North hold lessons for Canada. Experience from development of iron ore mining and gas production in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, and with coal and gas development in the Central Queensland coalfields region, can be applied usefully to development of resources and infrastructure in Canada’s North, as well as in other resource-rich regions of the world. Supply chains that provide efficient transport, handling and processing of mineral and energy products in the two Australian regions, and goods and services inputs to production, have been critical to their success in becoming world-leading resources exporters. Governments and industries in the Pilbara and Central Queensland have followed contrasting pathways to developing infrastructure and supply chains. Each initial pathway had advantages and disadvantages. Approaches by governments and project operators have changed over the 60 years of resources development, in light of experience, in response to big increases in scale of production, to the need to increase efficiency, experience of existing approaches and to accommodate new industries and entrants. Governments have key roles to play in resources regions through their control of land allocation for development, and environmental and social protection. Governments also have responsibilities and unique abilities for co-ordination of development. While discussion in this paper focuses primarily on supply chains for transport of outputs and inputs, another important consideration is infrastructure for people, without which resources projects cannot be developed and operated

Report of the Nova Scotia Independent Panel on Hydraulic Fracturing

On August 28, 2013, the Province of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Department of Energy signed an agreement with the Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment at Cape Breton University to conduct an external review on the environmental, socio-economic, and health impacts of hydraulic fracturing. Simultaneously, Dr. David Wheeler, President and Vice Chancellor of Cape Breton University, was asked to convene and Chair the review and expert panel on a voluntary and unpaid basis.1 The mandate for the review was to: create a panel of technical experts based on input from the public and hire technical consultant(s) to facilitate the work of the panel; hire a part-time project administrator; conduct public consultations on the process of hydraulic fracturing with online tools and face-to-face meetings with stakeholders; and conduct a literature review on the health and socio-economic impacts of hydraulic fracturing. These activities would result in a final report to the Government of Nova Scotia with recommendations on the potential of hydraulic fracturing to develop unconventional gas and oil resources in the Province. The scope of work included, but was not limited to, the following areas of research: effects on groundwater - including both water quality and quantity issues; effects on surface water; impacts on land; management of additives to hydraulic fracturing fluids; waste management; site restoration; requirements for hydraulic fracturing design including chemicals used; and the engineered design and financial security considerations that operators are required prior to conducting activity in the Province. The intended outcome for the project was for the Province of Nova Scotia to be able to make an informed decision on the future of hydraulic fracturing activity in Nova Scotia, based on input from technical experts and the public on environmental, health, and socio-economic impacts. The original end date for the review was June 30, 2014, but the deadline was extended until August 31, 2014