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woodsideful.bsky.social
John Woodside
@woodsideful.bsky.social
5K followers 530 following 510 posts
Ottawa Bureau Chief with @nationalobserver.com. Covering the money and politics fuelling the climate crisis.
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woodsideful.bsky.social
John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 2h
Beyond uncovering the spread of targeted, AI-powered climate disinformation used to pressure local governments, the tool has also unearthed backlash from municipalities against Ford’s Bill 5, and assisted with reporting on topics ranging from AI to hail to oil giants.
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 2h
We've been testing it internally for months, and it has facilitated important work. Like this one: www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/08/i...
How Canada's National Observer tracked a climate misinfo group going 'under the radar'
As KICLEI's campaign moves into the shadows, Canada’s National Observer has developed an unprecedented new tool: Civic Searchlight. To build it, we assembled a database of council meetings in more tha...
www.nationalobserver.com
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woodsideful.bsky.social
John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 2h
Today we're launching a new, powerful tool for public accountability created by @rorywh.bsky.social.

Civic Searchlight compiles hundreds of municipalities' public meetings and makes them searchable for the first time. It's free to use and we hope you journalists and researchers put it to work.
Canada’s National Observer unveils a powerful tool for fighting disinformation
Civic Searchlight brings together municipal meeting transcripts from across Canada into a searchable database for the first time. It has already been used to fight disinformation, report on impact, di...
www.nationalobserver.com
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woodsideful.bsky.social
John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 2h
NWT Premier RJ Simpson came to Ottawa with a crystal clear message for the Carney government: “The North is ready. Indigenous governments are ready. Our projects are ready. We've talked about the North long enough; it's time to start building it." via @natashabulowski.bsky.social
Leaders urge Ottawa to build the North with next major projects
A delegation of Indigenous leaders and politicians from the Northwest Territories are in Ottawa this week, lobbying the federal government for consideration in its next tranche of major projects — and...
www.nationalobserver.com
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woodsideful.bsky.social
John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 2h
Join us tomorrow! Should be a very interesting conversation on Canada and the EU working together to fight wildfires. www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/06/n...
Partnering in the fight against wildfires: Canada and the EU
The Delegation of the EU to Canada, in partnership with Canada’s National Observer, invites you to join a panel discussion event on the fight against wildfires hosted by CNO’s David McKie on Thursday,...
www.nationalobserver.com
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woodsideful.bsky.social
John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 5d
Not exactly surprising, but Danielle Smith was pretty deceptive with her pipeline stunt this week. Here are just a few of the ways she justified her new proposal.
www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/03/a...
Breaking down the justification behind Danielle Smith’s ‘pipeline to nowhere’
Oil production in Canada hit record highs last year, the Trans Mountain expansion pipeline is in operation, and more fossil fuel infrastructure keeps getting built, yet in Alberta Premier Danielle Smi...
www.nationalobserver.com
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Reposted by John Woodside
sethdklein.bsky.social
Seth Klein @sethdklein.bsky.social · 5d
Great takedown of Danielle Smith’s pro pipeline arguments here by @woodsideful.bsky.social www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/03/a...
Breaking down the justification behind Danielle Smith’s ‘pipeline to nowhere’
Oil production in Canada hit record highs last year, the Trans Mountain expansion pipeline is in operation, and more fossil fuel infrastructure keeps getting built, yet in Alberta Premier Danielle Smi...
www.nationalobserver.com
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Reposted by John Woodside
nationalobserver.com
Canada's National Observer @nationalobserver.com · 5d
David Suzuki counts Jane Goodall among his top inspirations, but he isn't grieving her death.

He’s grieving she never got to see the big changes to the political, economic and legal systems that destroy nature and must be reformed.
Jane Goodall died before the world caught up, Suzuki says
David Suzuki counts Jane Goodall among his top inspirations, and said he isn't grieving her death — he's grieving the political, economic and legal systems that destroy nature have not been changed th...
www.nationalobserver.com
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Reposted by John Woodside
influencemap.bsky.social
InfluenceMap @influencemap.bsky.social · 6d
"InfluenceMap found Canada’s big five banks (RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC and Scotiabank) provided US$131 bn to fossil fuel companies in 2024, on average representing 18% of their entire financing portfolios. That’s more than twice than the top US banks, & more than three times their top European peers." 👀👇
woodsideful.bsky.social
John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 9d
Mark Carney's 'Tragedy of the Horizons' speech was a landmark moment for the financial sector to recognize climate change was a severe threat, but a decade later he's flouting his own prophetic warning as climate breakdown rapidly approaches.
A decade later, Carney's climate wake-up call to financiers still falls on deaf ears
Mark Carney's 'Tragedy of the Horizons' speech was a landmark moment for the financial sector to recognize climate breakdown was a severe threat, but a decade later he's flouting his own prophetic war...
www.nationalobserver.com
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woodsideful.bsky.social
John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 6d
Her proposal is built off disinformation. Lies about oil demand growing when it is in fact peaking before the pipeline would be built, lies about Feds blocking oil after nationalizing an oil pipeline to export more, lies about the emissions cap lowering production when forecasts show oil would grow.
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woodsideful.bsky.social
John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 6d
"If we can't build with the collaboration of the federal government and between provinces, and everybody gets to have their products going to market except Alberta, than it's not a country." - Danielle Smith, after the feds built TMX to the tune of $34 billion to get oil to market.
Danielle Smith announces Alberta will be the proponent in a new pipeline application
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced a new proposed pipeline on Wednesday to carry oil from Alberta to the West Coast. The province itself will be the proponent applying to the federal Major Proje...
www.nationalobserver.com
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woodsideful.bsky.social
John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 6d
With today’s news from Smith that she frames as part of a grand bargain (we’ll do pathways ccus if you give us a new pipeline) let’s not forget @cathmckenna.bsky.social ’s key point
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Catherine McKenna @cathmckenna.bsky.social · 13d
“Why does anyone think they'll uphold any of their side of any bargain that is made? They did nothing other than fight every single policy, and there are none of these policies now in any serious way.” My take on oilsands.

@nationalobserver.com www.nationalobserver.com/2025/09/24/n...
Catherine McKenna isn’t buying Carney’s carbon capture grand bargain
In a wide-ranging interview ahead of the launch of her memoir, former climate minister Catherine McKenna warns consequences are coming for the fossil fuel industry, even as the federal government purs...
www.nationalobserver.com
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Reposted by John Woodside
nationalobserver.com
Canada's National Observer @nationalobserver.com · 6d
BREAKING
Danielle Smith says Alberta itself will be the proponent for a new pipeline to the BC coast.
BREAKING: Alberta announces new pipeline application
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced a new proposed pipeline on Wednesday to carry oil from Alberta to the West Coast. The province itself will be the proponent applying to the federal Major Proje...
www.nationalobserver.com
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woodsideful.bsky.social
John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 6d
"Pouring billions more of Canadian taxpayers' dollars into a new tar sands pipeline when Europe and China are leading a global charge away from fossil fuels would be about as smart as investing in Blockbuster video stores when Netflix was on the rise.” - @climatekeith.bsky.social
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 6d
She accused Smith of moving “way outside of jurisdiction” using “backdoor methods” that disrespect Indigenous peoples and British Columbia.

“This behaviour will only divide us ... and it really sets a dangerous precedent for future relationships.”
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 6d
Marilyn Slett, President of Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative and chief councillor of the Heiltsuk Nation said the nations remain firm that their people do not support any new pipeline.
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woodsideful.bsky.social
John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 6d
It "is not a real project and is incredibly alarming to British Columbians including First Nations along the coast."

"We won’t let this proposal, with no backer and no money, threaten real jobs for BC’s families." - BC Premier David Eby
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 6d
"This is a test of whether Canada works as a country, because if we can't build with the collaboration of the federal government and between provinces, and everybody gets to have their products going to market except Alberta, than it's not a country," Smith said.
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woodsideful.bsky.social
John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 6d
Smith pitches new West Coast pipeline, setting the stage for huge conflict with Coastal First Nations, the province of BC, and the federal government over environmental regulations and how committed it is to Indigenous consent.
Danielle Smith announces Alberta will be the proponent in a new pipeline application
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced a new proposed pipeline on Wednesday to carry oil from Alberta to the West Coast. The province itself will be the proponent applying to the federal Major Proje...
www.nationalobserver.com
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Reposted by John Woodside
doctorvive.bsky.social
Dr. Genevieve Guenther (she/they) @doctorvive.bsky.social · 7d
tapping the sign
Petro-masculinity: Fossil Fuels and Authoritarian Desire MILLENNIUM Millennium: Journal of International Studies 2018, Vol. 47(1) 25-44 © The Author(s) 2018 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/0305829818775817 journals.sagepub.com/home/mil OSAGE Cara Daggett iD Virginia Tech, USA Abstract As the planet warms, new authoritarian movements in the West are embracing a toxic combination of climate denial, racism and misogyny. Rather than consider these resentments separately, this article interrogates their relationship through the concept of petro-masculinity, which appreciates the historic role of fossil fuel systems in buttressing white patriarchal rule. Petro-masculinity is helpful to understanding how the anxieties aroused by the Anthropocene can augment desires for authoritarianism. The concept of petro-masculinity suggests that fossil fuels mean more than profit; fossil fuels also contribute to making identities, which poses risks for post-carbon energy politics. Moreover, through a psycho-political reading of authoritarianism, I show how fossil fuel use can function as a violent compensatory practice in reaction to gender and climate trouble.
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woodsideful.bsky.social
John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 9d
Mark Carney's 'Tragedy of the Horizons' speech was a landmark moment for the financial sector to recognize climate change was a severe threat, but a decade later he's flouting his own prophetic warning as climate breakdown rapidly approaches.
A decade later, Carney's climate wake-up call to financiers still falls on deaf ears
Mark Carney's 'Tragedy of the Horizons' speech was a landmark moment for the financial sector to recognize climate breakdown was a severe threat, but a decade later he's flouting his own prophetic war...
www.nationalobserver.com
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woodsideful.bsky.social
John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 11d
It's the first landfill proposal in the province selected for fast-tracking under Premier Doug Ford's newly enacted Bill 5 — which makes the project immune to many of the checks and balances it would otherwise face. Great story here from @matinsarfraz.bsky.social
'Town killer': Ontario residents fight Ford’s fast-track landfill project
When Ashley Khouathip left Toronto five years ago, she was looking for clean air for her five children, affordable housing and a slower pace of life. She wanted a place where kids could bike and fish ...
www.nationalobserver.com
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 13d
Reporting from @rochellebaker1.bsky.social
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 13d
One way to read Lowan's victory is that progressives are hungry for bold change. We saw this in New York City, we've now seen this in the BC Greens, and as the federal NDP kicks off its leadership race this is clearly how the political winds are blowing.
www.nationalobserver.com/2025/09/24/n...
Emily Lowan sweeps BC Greens leadership, takes aim at NDP
The new BC Green Leader cast her win as a generational transformation based on energy and optimism from a flood of young party members that will transform politics in the province.
www.nationalobserver.com
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woodsideful.bsky.social
John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 13d
Important deep dive on who sits on the major projects Indigenous Advisory Council from @natashabulowski.bsky.social. Crucial point, Indigenous advisors cannot be a substitution for genuine consultation as Carney pursues his major projects agenda.
www.nationalobserver.com/2025/09/25/n...
Meet Carney's Indigenous Advisory Council
The prime minister's newly appointed council is stacked with business and economic development leaders — as well as one vocal critic of Bill C-5.
www.nationalobserver.com
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