I talk a lot about the oil sands, and how they are a horrible blight on the Canadian landscape, but I don't know that a lot of my American friends always know what I am talking about. I got a link to these two pieces by the national, a CBC new program, so I thought I would post so you could have a better understanding:

Crude Awakening Part One - environmental impact stuff.
Crude Awakenings Part Two - more of the same.

A Town's Toxic Questions - a write up on some of the impact of the oil sands on Fort Chipewyan. This is where my friend ladyiolanthe lives, and I thank her for the links!

There are a lot of social problems cause by the oil sands that aren't covered by this video, though - like the fact that they dropped the legal working age in Alberta because they couldn't find people to fill service industry jobs. Bleh.