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Enterprise, not ­government, solves problems



Critics of Alberta’s oil sands development have been saying for years that it should be scaled down, stopped or at the very least highly taxed and heavily regulated to help contain its effects on the environment.

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A more recent criticism, popularized by the leader of the NDP, Thomas Mulcair, is that the oil sands are harming the manufacturing sectors of Ontario and Quebec by pushing up the value of the dollar — the so-called Dutch disease.

These critics are wrong on both counts.

I recently visited the newly built ­pilot plant of Gradek Energy in Montreal, a small business founded by Quebec entrepreneur Thomas Gradek. He is one of many entrepreneurs and researchers across the country who are working on innovative solutions to deal with the environmental consequences of exploiting the oil sands. Mr. Gradek has invented a reusable bi-polymer bead that removes bitumen from the tailings ponds — the pools of waste created by the extraction process — leaving inoffensive organic matter and water as a byproduct. The recovered bitumen can be refined while the leftover organic matter can be reintroduced into the environment, free from contaminants. Valuable minerals found within the tailings ponds are also recovered. Water, which accounts for 85% of tailings ponds, can be reused in the oil extraction process. Since this water is already warm, this also brings energy savings.