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TuesdayNovember1820143ENVIRONMENTFRACKINGBULLYINGAWARENESSWEEKNOVEMBER16-22Hon.JacksonLaffertyMinisterEducationCultureandEmploymentIntheNorthwestTerritorieswevebeenworkingtocreatelegislationthatsupportssafeandcaringschoolsandtopromotebullyingpreventionprogramsthathelpstudentstodevelophealthyrelationshipskills.Wevemadegreatprogresswithbullyingpreventioneffortsintheterritorythisyear-offeringexcellentnewresourcestoresidentsincludingaFacebookpageandinformativewebsitewithtipsandresourcesforstudentsteachersandfamilies.Besuretospendsomeextratimethisweekwiththoseclosetoyousupportthemandletthemknowthatyouwillstandupandhelpstopbullying.Formoreinformationvisitstopbullyingnwt.ca.StudylinksfrackingtoearthquakesinAlbertaByDALICARMICHAELOnegroupofgeophysicistsfromAlbertabelievetheyhavefoundevidencelinkingfrackingtoseismicactivityinnorthernpartsoftheprovince.UniversityofAlbertaprofessorJeffGualongwithhiscolleaguesfromtheAlbertaGeologicalSurveyVirginiaSternandRyanSchultzclaimedinarecentlypublishedar-ticleintheJournalofGeophysicalResearchthattheyhavefoundacorrelationbetweentheresourcedevelopmentmethodandearth-quakesinthearea.Theexactmechanismsremaintobefullyunderstoodbutthereisagenerallyacceptedorfavouredviewthatbyinjectinglargevol-umesofwastewaterintothegrounditwillchangethestressorincommontermspres-sureintheundergroundGusaidinanin-terviewwithTheJournal.Inadditiontheresheavywateranduidsintherethathaveatendencytolubricatepre-existingfaultsorcracksinthegivenareasohavingmorepressureandpotentiallyuidsandlubricationmaytriggerorfacilitatetheearthquakes.Heclariedthatitisnotthefrackingit-selfthatiscausingtheearthquakesbutitsaftermath.Frackingorhydraulicfracturingisanunconventionalmethodofdrillingforshaleoilandgasbyinjectingwatersandandchemicalsundergroundathighpressurestofracturetheshalebed.Wastewaterthatre-turnstothesurfaceisoftentheninjectedbackundergroundasadisposalmethod.Iwouldbecautiousinusingthetermfrackinginthiscasebecausewhatweareac-tuallycorrelatingspecicallyisthewastewa-tercomingfromprocessessuchasfrackingandinjectionanddisposalofthewastewaterGusaid.Thisisactuallynotdirectlyrelatedtothefrackingoperationitself.GuandhisteammadethecorrelationwhileconductingaseismicmappingprojectintheprovincewheretheyinstalledaseismographnetworkcalledCRANECanadianRockiesandAlbertaNetworkthatisco-ownedbyAlbertaGeologicalSurveyandtheUniversityofAlberta.Sinceinitiatingtheirstudyin2006Guandhiscolleagueshaverecordedhundredsofearthquakesthoughmostregisterbelowalevelthreemagnitudemeaningthatpeoplecannotusuallyperceivethem.Ifyouexceedamagnitudethreeinarangewherepeopleareveryclosetothehypercen-trestheycanpotentiallyfeelitGusaid.Theycouldmaybefeelajoltalittleshak-inghereandtherebutthatsdenitelynotdamagingbyanymeans.Itsonlywhenitgetstoamagnitudeveorabovethatyoustarttoseedamages.Theresearchteamisnowconductingre-searchwhereAlbertaborderstheU.S.andinregionsnortheastofEdmontonwheresimilaractivityseemstobeoccurring.TheyarealsolookingtoEuropeandsouthoftheborderwherestudieshaveshownsimilarseismicactivityasaresultofresourceextraction.InCaliforniawheretheyndthegeother-maleldstheextractionofthehotwaterfromtheundergroundappearstocauseshakingGusaid.TheseismicityratesinpartsofCaliforniaseemtobequitecorrelatedwiththeextractionrates.Theresbasicallyauiddischargeorextractionfromtheearthitselfthatcansignicantlychangethepressurere-gimeandpotentiallyleadtoearthquakes.TherearestillsomeanswersGuandhisteamneedtouncover.HowlargecantheseeventsactuallygetCanthisbeverylargemagnitudeveorsixandpotentiallyverydamagingorarethesejustablipontheradarthatwontcausealotofdamageWedonthaveaconclusiveanswertothathesaid.Hestressedthatpeopleshouldnotpanicoverthediscoverybutshouldbemindfulofitespeciallythoseintheoilextractionindustry.Ithinkthebestcourseistopayattentiontoitandperhapshavemoremonitoringsys-temsinplace-havingmoreseismometersgettingabetterdeterminationoftheloca-tionshavinggeologistshelpingustoidentifythesiteswheretheremaybepreviousslipsortheremaybeexistingfaults-maybewetrytoavoidthoseareashesaid.Andonesthatindustrialactivitiestakeplaceinshouldhavemonitoringsystemsinplacetohope-fullymitigatepotentialhazards.GNWToptimisticitcanadapttomarketforcesgrowpopulationContinuedfrompage1.UndeterredbydauntingcircumstancesMiltenbergerandcompanyseemedoptimis-ticastheydiscussedthefutureknowingthattheywouldhavetobevigilantaboutwatch-ingandadaptingtomarketforces.AccordingtoBlucktheGNWThasastrat-egyinplacetogrowthepopulationby2000peopleinaboutveyearstime.AndassupportedbyMiltenbergertheGNWTwillcontinuetoinvestininfrastruc-tureprojectsinanefforttobolsterrevenuesliketheMackenzieValleyFiberLineandthehighwayfromInuviktoTuktoyaktuk.Com-ingoffthelatestenergycharrettearenewedfocusonimplementingalternativeenergieswillbeatoppriorityaswell.TheGNWTisinnegotiationstoraisethefed-eralborrowinglimitadealthatwasthrownofftrackwiththeresignationandthenpassingofthelatefederalnancialministerJimFlaherty.FinallyasaresultofdevolutiontheGNWTandAboriginalgovernmentsareexpectingtoreceivetheirrstresourceroyaltypaymentswithinthenextmonthorso.Whentheygettheirpayouttheyareexpectingtoputanywherefrom8to9millionintotheHeritageFundabenetsetupsothatfuturegenerationscanbenetfromcurrentresourcedevelopment.Eventhoughwehaveaconservativeex-pansiongrowthtargetourbudgetisnotsus-tainableoverthelongtermBlucksaid-athoughtthatnodoubtwilldrivediscussionsforthe2015-2016territorialbudget.POLITICSFINANCEPhotoDaliCarmichaelUniversityofAlbertaseismologistJeffGurightconductsseismictestingwithtwoPhDstudentsYuanyinZhangfrontandYunfengChen.HeretheyareconductingseismicmappingatastationnearSwanHillsAlta.partoftheCanadianRockiesandAlbertaNetworkCRANE.PhotocourtesyofJeffGuFinanceMinisterMichaelMiltenbergerleftalongwithdirectorofscalpolicyKellyBluckanddirectorofcorporateservicesOlinLovelytakequestionsfromFortSmithresidentAdamBatheatabudgetdialoguemeetingNov.12.