Northern Science

IN THE 1970S THE MACKENZIE VALLEY PIPELINE INQUIRY HEADED BY JUSTICE TOM BERGER AND THE LAND CLAIM CASES LAUNCHED BY THE QUEBEC CREE INDIANS (AGAINST THE MASSIVE JAMES BAY HYDRO-ELECTRIC DAM PROJECTS ON THE LA GRANDE RIVER) HIGHLIGHTED THE SHOCKINGLY THIN DATA BASE AVAILABLE TO PREDICT THE ECOLOGICAL, SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF MASSIVE DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS IN NORTHERN CANADA. MANY CANADIANS BECAME AWARE OF THE FACT THAT CANADIANS HAD A VERY TENUOUS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ARCTIC REGION. IN PART, THIS LED TO THE COMMISSIONING OF A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PREPARED BY DR. TOM SYMONS, THE FOUNDING OF PRESIDENT OF TRENT UNIVERSITY. HIS REPORT, "TO KNOW OURSELVES" PUBLISHED IN 1976, REMAINS AS THE MOST SYSTEMATIC AND DEFINITIVE ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH IN CANADA PRIOR TO THE MID 1970S. THIS REPORT WAS PREPARED IN 1982 FOR THE PRESIDENT'S ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF YORK UNIVERSITY IN TORONTO, ONTARIO AND PROFESSOR SYMONS. IT WAS A FOLLOW-UP ON SYMONS' PATH-BREAKING 1976 REPORT. DAVID S. MCROBERT IS AN ONTARIO-BASED ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY LAWYER. BETWEEN 1994 AND 2010, HE WAS IN-HOUSE COUNSEL AT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONER OF ONTARIO AND WAS INVOLVED IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE. DAVID HAS A B.SC. IN BIOLOGY FROM TRENT UNIVERSITY (1980), A MASTER'S DEGREE (MES) FROM YORK UNIVERSITY (1984), AND AN LL.B. DEGREE FROM OSGOODE HALL LAW SCHOOL (1987). HE TAUGHT ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AT YORK UNIVERSITY BETWEEN 1994 AND 2009 AND HAS NUMEROUS PREVIOUS PUBLICATIONS. MCROBERT'S YORK 1984 MES DEGREE EXAMINED WHETHER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS AS APPLIED BY SOUTHERN WILDLIFE MANAGERS ARE EXOTIC IDEOLOGIES AND DESTINED TO WREAK ECOLOGICAL HAVOC.