Mike De Souza
National Observer
Ottawa, ON, Canada
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Past articles by Mike:
New Liberal star recruit explains what Trudeau told him about Trans Mountain
A prominent Quebec environmentalist Steven Guilbeault said he respects both the New Democrats and Greens but that his concerns about seeing the Conservatives return to power are what prompted him to join Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals. → Read More
Canada approves Trans Mountain pipeline expansion for second time
If completed, the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project would triple the capacity of an existing pipeline, allowing it to transport up to 890,000 barrels per day of bitumen and other petroleum products from Alberta's oilpatch, to a marine terminal in Burnaby, B.C. → Read More
Jason Kenney warns of Alberta separation over Trudeau's environmental legislation
Premier Jason Kenney, a former federal cabinet minister in the Stephen Harper government, insisted that he was a “proud Canadian” and not advocating Alberta separatism, but federal ministers suggested his claims were false and irresponsible, provoking polarization. → Read More
Kenney recommends lower property taxes for oilpatch after company abandons 4,700 wells
As Alberta Premier Jason Kenney pushed the federal government to keep its proposed environmental laws out of the oilpatch's business in Ottawa on Thursday, back home the provincial energy regulator scrambled to assess the safety of 4,400 licenced well sites abandoned by a company that ran out of money. → Read More
How Alberta kept Fort McKay First Nation in the dark about a toxic cloud from the oilsands
The Fort McKay First Nation was initially kept in the dark about a toxic cloud from the oilsands that struck their community after companies restarted operations that had been temporarily disrupted by the Fort McMurray wildfires. Internal records show that the incident occurred after industry pressured the provincial regulator to rapidly restart their operations despite risks to public health. → Read More
Canadian Fisheries Department and border agency are ill-prepared for aquatic invasion
The federal government is doing a poor job of preventing an invasion of aquatic species that could wreak havoc with Canada’s economy and ecosystems, says a new audit released on Tuesday by Parliament’s environment watchdog. → Read More
Supreme Court says bankruptcy is no excuse ‘to ignore rules’ in Canadian oilpatch
The Supreme Court of Canada delivered its long-anticipated decision, with important implications for the oilpatch, in Ottawa on Jan. 31, 2019. → Read More
After backlash, Doug Ford offers olive branch to Franco-Ontarians
Following a chorus of outrage over plans to eliminate the office of a French-languages commissionner and cancel plans for a French-language university, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has offered an olive branch to the province's francophones, announcing a new ministry and proposing amendments to controversial legislation. → Read More
Climate change, oilsands and the carbon tax are at the heart of Alberta's 2019 battleground
Will a price on carbon be a central issue in Alberta's 2019 election? With opinion polls that show Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party has a wide lead over Premier Rachel Notley's NDP, and signs that oilpatch leaders are undermining the government's approach to pollution, the pressure is on for Notley's team to show their work on the economy, climate change and renewable energy issues. → Read More
Alberta regulator apologizes for spooking public with $260-billion cleanup cost estimate
The Alberta Energy Regulator is apologizing for a “staggering” presentation, made last February by one of its highest-ranking officials, warning the province’s oilpatch that it could be sitting on an estimated $260 billion in financial liabilities. → Read More
Quebec's François Legault wants to sell some energy to Doug Ford's Ontario
Quebec's new premier designate, François Legault, says he told Ontario Premier Doug Ford he wanted to chat with him soon about selling some of the French-speaking Canadian province's hydroelectric power as part of its efforts to take care of the environment. → Read More
'I would read them the riot act,' says Lisa Raitt in new book about doomed Energy East pipeline
After following the evolution of the Energy East pipeline project proposal for years, I thought I had documented a large part of this epic political saga, writes National Observer managing editor Mike De Souza. But then I read Jacques Poitras’s riveting account of the story in his new book, Pipe Dreams: The Fight for Canada's Energy Future. → Read More
How I unwrapped the Kinder Morgan saga
Take a behind-the-scenes peek at the investigation by Mike De Souza and National Observer's team into the Kinder Morgan saga. → Read More
Court quashes Trudeau’s approval of Trans Mountain pipeline
The Federal Court of Appeal has quashed the federal government’s approval of the troubled Trans Mountain expansion project, after concluding that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet made its decision without considering all of the evidence. → Read More
Five Kinder Morgan executives can cash out millions in stock options and bonuses
The early cash-out of millions of dollars in stock options is being offered on top of about $3.9 million in bonuses offered to three of the top executives from Kinder Morgan Canada, the company said in a proxy document submitted to the U.S. securities regulator. → Read More
Kinder Morgan just told its shareholders how it persuaded the Trudeau government to pay billions for a pipeline no one else wanted to buy
The secret overtures offering a financial backstop to Kinder Morgan began in March, even though the Canadian government had made it clear, during its early negotiations with the Texas multinational, that it didn't want to buy the pipeline expansion project, says a new document filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. → Read More
Trudeau to promote public servant who oversaw approval of Trans Mountain pipeline expansion
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will promote a high-ranking public servant who helped oversee consultations with First Nations prior to the government's 2016 approval of Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project. → Read More
BP Canada spews thousands of litres of toxic mud during offshore drilling incident near Halifax
BP Canada has reported spilling about 136,000 litres of toxic drilling mud from a pipe about 30 metres below sea level, a federal regulator said in a news bulletin. → Read More
Leaked letter: Kinder Morgan broke rules for months during Trans Mountain Pipeline construction
Kinder Morgan has been endangering marine wildlife and breaking underwater sound thresholds, says federal letter. → Read More
Coldwater Indian Band alleges someone 'tampered' with Kinder Morgan report
The Coldwater Indian Band alleges that someone tampered with evidence submitted by Kinder Morgan to Canada’s pipeline regulator to avoid a costly route change on the company's Trans Mountain expansion project. → Read More