jsheppard
Globe and Mail Update Published on Friday, Feb. 01, 2008 9:15AM EST Last updated on Monday, Mar. 30, 2009 2:57PM EDT
Wayne Groot, a third-generation potato farmer, lives in the midst of what's come to be called Upgrader Alley, northeast of Edmonton.
Over the next few years, as producers attempt to cash in on the world's prodigious appetite for oil, as many as 10 new upgrader plants will be constructed in the area.
Mr. Groot, like other farmers and residents living nearby, worries about the environmental toll these operations will have on the region's valuable farmland.
He believes that the oil sands development is moving too quickly, without considering the environmental and social impacts. 'We're exploiting this province way too fast,' he says.
Join the Discussion: