What were the most significant Canadian news stories for you in 2018? As the year draws to a close, there’s no doubt in my mind that the ongoing Trans Mountain saga remains top of mind and critical for many people. Here are the ones that stood out for me:
It might not be a surprise that senior public servants advised the federal government that the Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion project would be good for the economy. But did you know public servants recommended...
... fast-tracking the federal review in January 2016 to prevent Texas company Kinder Morgan from walking away? It all may have started with a phone call from oil pipeline executive Ian Anderson. Here’s what I reported in April: nationalobserver.com/2018/04/18/new…
One of the key emails quoted in this article was leaked. When I requested it through access to information legislation, the government responded a few months later and censored the entire message thread, claiming it contained cabinet secrets.
As this story was published, Kinder Morgan had given an ultimatum, threatening to abandon its pipeline expansion. Meantime, a bunch of sources pointed me to some behind-the-scenes evidence showing that the government had rigged the review and consultations with First Nations...
The federal government has a legal duty to consult First Nationa about issues that affects their rights. But as I reported in April, it failed to do this, setting the stage for a stunning Federal Court of Appeal ruling that overturned its approval of the TMX project...
Because of this reporting, which started for @NatObserver in 2016, the government would know that if it appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court, it would likely be forced to release evidence documenting how public servants were instructed...
By senior public servants to find a way to approve the pipeline, even though they had not yet finished consulting with First Nations affected by the project and attempting to accommodate them. nationalobserver.com/2018/04/24/kin…
After poring through financial documents, I was able to piece together how Kinder Morgan gained the upper hand in its negotiations to sell the Trans Mountain pipeline and expansion to Canada. This was one of our highest read articles of 2018. nationalobserver.com/2018/08/08/ana…
In case you’re interested in seeing how I managed to unravel this timeline and uncover what went on behind the scenes, here’s a step by step account of the reporting I did, the sources, the obstacles and results. nationalobserver.com/2018/09/01/ana…
Did I mention that we were the first to report that this $4.5 B TMX purchase deal resulted in millions of dollars worth of stock options and bonuses for several Kinder Morgan executives who are now on Canada’s public payroll (working for you) ? nationalobserver.com/2018/08/10/new…
At this point, there is a lot of alarm in the Canadian oilpatch as some people start to realize, perhaps for the first time, that global markets are moving away from fossil fuels...
They are starting with the ones that have the highest production costs and carbon footprints. For Alberta, this creates a dangerous recipe for companies that have growing liabilities with dwindling markets or sources of potential revenues...
I dug into these matters as part of a joint investigation with @CJarvisGlobal @DavidBruser & @EmmaMci to examine how large this liability was. What we found out was shocking...
What the Alberta Energy Regulator was telling the public was quite different from the alarming numbers they were crunching inside their offices. This is something that could wind up costing taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars. nationalobserver.com/2018/11/01/new…
We were the first to report on this “slow speed financial crisis” that now looms over Canada... More than 80 media outlets followed up on our reporting, including a thorough investigation by the Globe and Mail that mapped out these liabilities in the three western provinces.
Reporting like this costs tens of thousands of dollars to produce. It takes months, sometimes years to complete...
And as I often like to say, investigative reporting is not like a swat team that you can deploy in an emergency situation. It takes patience, persistence, dedication and focus to deliver all the facts and evidence that matters to you. If you want this type of work to continue...
I invite you to invest in journalism and join me in my next investigation. Also, it’s Boxing Day! Subscribe now to @NatObserver before our sale ends!! 🕵🏽♂️ nationalobserver.com/subscribe
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And remember... #JournalismMatters happy end of 2018 to all!!!
