Shell Oil, Canada, Alternative Energies, and You....

Just when we thought that Canada might be our salvation, we begin to learn that they are as much as the mercy of corporate interests as we are here in amerika.... stupid shit is happening all over the planet.

Yesterday, as I was driving home, it had just stopped raining. I looked up in the sky at the clouds and they were a very angry red. In fact, a reddish-purple pallor was cast upon everything in sight. Folks, this ain't normal. It's pollution. And it's killing you and it's killing me and it's killing everything else on the planet. We need to change our ways and very fast. But shit like the following story makes me lose hope....


NCC sorry for nixing Corn Cob Bob from Canada Day
Last updated Jul 5 2005 09:00 AM EDT
CBC News

CBC NEWS – The National Capital Commission has apologized for banning an alternative-fuel mascot from its Canada Day celebrations at the request of a major oil company.

Corn Cob Bob is the front man for the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, a not-for-profit group that promotes clean energy.

The association had secured an information booth at Major's Hill Park through the NCC, which had even offered a 50-per-cent discount on the usual fees.

But last Wednesday, the commission called to cancel the arrangement after pressure from Shell Canada, a key sponsor for the Canada Day celebrations in the capital.

Kory Teneycke, the executive director of Canadian Renewable Fuel Association, was surprised by the call.

"They said they were very sorry but they said one of their major sponsors had indicated there was a conflict between the message that we were promoting and their company's interests," he said.

Teneycke says the NCC shouldn't be in the business of caving into corporate pressures and curbing free speech.

NCC spokesperson Guy Laflamme says the decision to cancel Corn Cob Bob was not approved by senior management.

"We will make sure this doesn't happen in the future. But once again, we are committed to promoting alternative sources of energy," said Laflamme.

The NCC called Monday afternoon to apologize to the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, and invited the group to attend next year's Canada Day celebrations.

A Shell spokesperson said the company's arrangement with organizers meant it had exclusive rights when it came to fuel products.

Shell produces more than three per cent of the world's oil and gas. On its website's Environment and Society page, the company states, "We have an essential role in finding new ways to meet present and future energy needs in environmentally and socially responsible ways."