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The dean of the University of Alberta engineering faculty has posted a scathing letter on his own school’s website criticizing the decision to grant an honorary doctorate to environmentalist David Suzuki.

“It truly saddens me to know that many of you are, as am I, left feeling that one of Alberta’s most favoured children, the University of Alberta, has betrayed you by choosing to confer this honorary degree,” says the Monday post attributed to Fraser Forbes, which doesn’t mention Suzuki by name.

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“I am not surprised by the level of outrage being expressed across the entire breadth of our engineering community — surely such is to be expected when one’s fundamental values are so directly questioned!”

Suzuki, a scientist, broadcaster and companion of the Order of Canada, is scheduled to receive an honorary doctorate of science during the spring convocation June 7.

The move has attracted outrage from people upset with his position that the oilsands should be shut down and pipeline construction stopped to protect the environment.