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Index of Subjects Current events remind me of Germany circa 1939 from what I have read in History books. Gary Murray Beaverbank NS ---- Rick Whitman <dendroica.caerulescens@gmail.com> wrote: > Renowned N.S. oil spill expert given job notice > CBC News Posted: May 28, 2012 9:07 PM AT Last Updated: May 28, 2012 11:12 PM AT > > An internationally respected Nova Scotia-based scientist working for > the federal government has been told his job is in danger, CBC News > has learned. > > Kenneth Lee — an oil spill expert and the executive director of the > Centre for Offshore Oil, Gas and Energy Research at the Bedford > Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth — recently received a workforce > adjustment letter informing him that his position is being eliminated. > > Lee confirmed he received the notice and his research centre is being > eliminated, but declined an interview with CBC News on Monday. > > Others scientists are speaking out. > > "I'm no longer surprised but I'm increasingly angry and I'm also > extremely wary of what the future means for Canada," said Jeff > Hutchings, a biology professor at Dalhousie University. > > "The government's decisions lately are reducing our governmental > scientific capacity and what that means is that it's reducing or > seriously compromising the ability of science to contribute > effectively to those decisions that affect the well being, the safety > and the health of Canadians and their environment." > > According to affected unions, more than 1,000 workers with Fisheries > and Oceans Canada have received notices across the country that their > jobs could be affected by pending cuts. > > A spokesman for the department told CBC News in an email on Monday > that only about 400 jobs are actually being eliminated. They declined > to speak about Lee's case. > > In 2010, Lee joined experts trying to contain the BP oil spill in the > Gulf of Mexico and provided scientific and technical expertise in the > spill response operations. > > "Dr. Lee is a leading expert on the use of chemical dispersants to > clean up oil spills," Fisheries and Oceans Canada wrote on its > website. > > "The oil spill response operations in the Gulf of Mexico have provided > new insights for development of international guidelines on the use of > chemical oil dispersants." > > Now that Lee's position is disappearing, it's not clear whether he > will continue to be in the federal government's employ. > > "It's a huge deal. I think Canadians seriously need to wake up to the > fact that this isn't simply about scientists or researchers losing > their jobs, but it's about the fact that Canada — over the last > half-century — has built up an extremely impressive scientific > capacity to deal with all sorts of different forms of scientific > research," said Hutchings. > > "By cutting back and reducing and eliminating those positions, we are > not only affecting those individuals but we are affecting us as a > society and we are seriously affecting our government's ability to > make wise decisions on our behalf."
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