A little while ago, a meme circulated showing a comparison between a lithium mine and an oilsands operation. The point of the meme was supposed to be that oilsands operations are more environmentally friendly than lithium mines, which produce the lithium necessary for the rechargeable batteries used for electric cars and other "green" products. Like many political memes, however, the images chosen and the point this meme made was mostly fake . The image of the “lithium mine” was actually an open pit copper mine, and the image of the oilsands was an in situ process, much more photogenic than the Fort McMurray oilsands which some people have infamously compared to Tolkein's Mordor . The funny thing is, it also turns out our local oilfields are actually one of the best places in the world to find lithium. Just like natural gas used to be, lithium-rich brine is a waste product of Alberta's oil operations. That means mining lithium in Alberta doesn...
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a woman in possession of a leadership position must be in want of a man to explain it to her. At any given time, there is a loud chorus of male politicians (and opinion columnists) generously ready to offer their sage advice on how women in powerful positions should do things, whether or not they themselves have even close to the same education or experience. The difference these days is that powerful women aren't taking it anymore. Just this past week, three important female Canadian leaders dared to speak out despite the mansplainers, and it was glorious. Calling out mansplaining and sexism in general is having a moment, not just in Alberta but across the country, as women dare to name the real nature of the criticisms levelled against them and refuse to back down despite them. Canada's Governor General Julie Payette found herself the beneficiary of the ample generosity of men sharing their dubious wisdom when she dar...