Canada’s aggressive pursuit of reso

Canada’s aggressive pursuit of resource development is exposing the country to heightened environmental and financial risks that are not being properly handled by federal regulators, a new audit says.

In his final report to Parliament after five years on the job, Scott Vaughan — Canada’s commissioner of the environment and sustainable development — said government is not keeping sufficient tabs on mining in the North, offshore drilling in the Atlantic and hydraulic fracturing in hundreds of thousands of shale gas wells sprouting up across the country.

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Nor are regulators adequately equipped to deal with major oil spills or an expected 300 per cent increase in tanker traffic off the West Coast, the report states.

Coupled with previous reports that question oversight of pipelines and the oilsands, “you end up with a portrait where there are some serious questions about the federal capacity to safeguard Canada’s environment,” Vaughan said.