News. Jasper National Park development derailed Parks Canada and environmental petition at odds over skywalk By Dylan Hackett, News Editor rewster Travel Canada’s intentions to B build a 400-metre skywalk overlooking Jasper National Park’s Columbia Icefields have become a cause of concern among environmentalist factions, giving rise to a petition, “Save Jasper Park,” rallying against the proposal for private development on the famous national park. The construction plans are currently waiting for an independent environmental assessment on the structure’s potential impact on the park’s ecosystem. Parks Canada’s Ottawa office defends the proposal saying, “like most national parks worldwide, protected areas provide economic benefits to local communities and businesses while ensuring that these special places are protected for future generations. Brewster Travel Canada started operating in Banff National Park in 1892, welcomes more than 1.5 million tourists annually, and employs 300 annually. The head office is located in Banff, with satellite offices in Lake Louise, Jasper and Calgary.” The Avaaz.com petition targets Park Superintendent Greg Fenton’s ability to delay the proposal and presents itself as a petition of collective voices to counteract the lobbying pressure Fenton may face. “In days, the Harper Government could privatise a section of Jasper National Park and let an American-owned company blast a 300[-metre] metal walkway into our World Heritage mountains—but Jasper’s Superintendent has the power to stop them,” says the Avaaz petition. A recent Parks Canada press release that addresses the Avaaz petition disputes many of the its claims, including the alleged privatization. “All lands in Jasper National Park remain under the ownership of the people of Canada, through Parks Canada, as enshrined in law through the Canadian National Parks Act,” rebutts the press release. “For more than a century, Parks Canada has been working with a range of partners to offer memorable visitor experiences while respecting the ecological and cultural integrity of the national parks and World Heritage Site in which it exists.” The petition goes on to claim “the plan would not only spur development, but would give an American company the right to charge each of us for entry into parts of Jasper park. Greg Fenton, a local Jasperite, has the ability to stop the privatisation of the park he grew up in and loves—but the company’s lobbying effort means he will face pressure to sell out this = natural wonder. Let’s send hima tidal wave of support and give him the strength he needs to stand up to corporate power and save our Rocky Mountain sanctuary.” The Parks Canada press release responded to the charge of American profiteering on the park’s land by misquoting the petition, claiming that Avaaz published that Brewster Travel Canada wants to charge Canadians entry into the whole of Jasper Park. The petition aims to draw 150,000 online signatures. r Red meat linked to cancers New study compiles further evidence for cancers related to red meat By Dylan Hackett, News Editor study recently published by Ak British Journal of Cancer hows a strong link between the consumption of red and processed meats and pancreatic cancer, especially in men. “A positive association between processed meat consumption and risk of pancreatic cancer is biologically plausible,” said study authors, who revealed that daily consumption of 50 gram servings of red meat led to a 19 per cent increased risk for pancreatic cancer compared to non-meat eaters. “Processed meats are usually preserved with nitrite and may also contain N-nitroso compounds. N-nitroso compounds can further be formed endogenously in the stomach from nitrite and ingested amides in foods of animal origin. N-nitroso compounds reach the pancreas via the bloodstream and are potent carcinogens that have been shown to induce pancreatic cancer in animal models,” said the study, which used the research of 11 studies of over 6,000 pancreatic cancer patients. N-nitroso compounds, commonly used as preservatives in processed deli meats, are also ingested by humans by means of tobacco smoke, a well-documented carcinogen. Canadians, on average, eat 74 grams of meat per day and thus may be at risk for the many other known health complications related to red meat consumption. Red meat and the overconsumption of it specifically have been linked to increased risks of other cancers including breast, lung, stomach, bladder, and prostate cancer. Cardiovascular disease and diabetes have also has been linked to excessive consumption of red meat. Another recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition examining the health detriments of red meat consumption recommends different meat cooking methods to cut down on risk. The AJCN study suggests broiling and baking meat to reduce the exposure to carcinogenic chemicals introduced to food during grilling and barbequing red meats—putting a damper on those who enjoy summertime steaks.