Founded in 2006, DeSmog aims to expose the PR spin that clouds climate science and solutions. Their article on the Fraser Institute highlights the think tank’s potential influence on Canadian Conservative Party climate policies:

“Multiple generations of Fraser Institute staffers and donors and board members have had links to the federal Conservative Party,” says Rick Smith, executive director of the Broadbent Institute, a progressive think tank. “There’s no doubt that the Fraser Institute’s aggressive denial of climate change, you can see resonating in Harper government policy.”

Both the Fraser Institute and Kenneth Green’s positions on climate change are dubious. As DeSmog points out, Green once stated:

“This is not to say that man-made climate change theory is either right or wrong, proven or not proven, looming catastrophe or massive hoax—only that it is not, as various groups have implied, nearing a final verdict.”

When Profit Trumps Science

The Fraser Institute often downplays or disputes conclusions from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an organization whose reports are designed to help governments address the climate crisis — not to justify ongoing environmental exploitation for profit.

Since Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston announced plans to lift the province’s moratorium on fracking, the Fraser Institute wasted no time. Green authored a report titled Hydraulic Fracturing Opportunities for Atlantic Canada, which has been widely circulated. A quick Google search of “fracking Nova Scotia” will bring it right up — part of the industry's broader effort to lure Premier Houston with visions of economic growth, while ignoring the risks to public health and the environment.

Even Green admits fracking poses serious risks:

“Despite massive use of hydraulic fracturing across North America (and globally), hydraulic fracturing remains controversial because it has been shown to come with risks to human health, risks of increasing seismicity (induced earthquakes), risks of groundwater contamination, and risks of groundwater depletion or localized overconsumption.”

His solution? Technology and “mitigation.” But how exactly do you mitigate a rise in cancer rates? The Fraser Institute estimates the value of Nova Scotia’s untapped shale gas to be between C$47 billion and C$190 billion. Are we to believe that “mitigation” includes legal threats, gag orders, and settlements — like Alberta’s use of SLAPP suits and non-disclosure agreements?

Ten Years Later: Are We Still Asking the Same Questions?

It’s been a decade since the Wheeler Report, commissioned by the Nova Scotia government and led by an independent panel at Cape Breton University’s Verschuren Centre. On February 24, 2025, Dr. Wheeler appeared on CBC’s Information Morning – NS to revisit the question: Should Nova Scotia lift the fracking ban?

“You'd need to determine that there was enough gas there to exploit,” Wheeler explained. “That requires some experimental fracking to demonstrate. Otherwise, all the figures the government touts — trillions of cubic feet — are meaningless.”

He added that this testing alone could take 7–10 years.

And then what? Two likely outcomes:

1. Companies discover there’s not enough gas to justify full development.

2. Nova Scotians are left with abandoned wells and no money for cleanup.

It’s not a far-fetched scenario. A Narwhal article titled B.C. left holding massive bill for hundreds of orphan gas wells as frack companies go belly-up shows how this story often ends. Alberta is facing the same issue, staring down a cleanup bill in the billions. Even a $33 billion liability estimate from Alberta regulators has been called “too low.”

Looking Forward, Not Backward

Nova Scotia Power is already aiming to generate 80% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. While natural gas may play a temporary role in that transition, the long-term plan is to switch to hydrogen. Across the province — and the globe — it’s clear we’re moving away from fossil fuels.

So why isn’t Premier Houston seeing the writing on the wall?