Calgary | Traditional, Unceded Territory of the Mohkinstsis People | November 26, 2024 – In response to Premier Danielle Smith’s announcement that the Province of Alberta will challenge the federal pollution cap on the oil and gas industry using Alberta’s Sovereignty Act, Dr. Joe Vipond, a Calgary-based emergency physician and Past President of CAPE, said:

“Premier Danielle Smith’s actions fly in the face of what the people of Alberta and beyond want and need. The majority of Albertans, six out of ten, want stricter oil and gas emission regulations. The oil and gas industry is the biggest greenhouse gas polluter in Canada. While the rest of us are working hard to reduce our emissions, the oil and gas sector’s emissions are growing.

“The oil and gas industry’s emissions create harmful air pollution and contribute to climate change. Here in Alberta, we are seeing the devastating impacts of a warming climate, including annual summer wildfires that cloak our cities in smoke and burned down Jasper. As an emergency physician, I am witnessing an escalation in health complications from climate-induced illnesses in the ER. Reducing climate pollution is crucial for protecting public health, and implementing an emissions cap on oil and gas is an essential strategy to achieve this.”

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For more information, please contact:
Reykia Fick, Communications Director, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), 647-762-9168, media@cape.ca