BC Business
The University of Alberta has garnered some controversy after Fraser Forbes, dean of the school’s engineering faculty called the planned honorary degree to environmentalist and Order of Canada recipient David Suzuki a betrayal.
“It truly saddens me to know that many of you are, as am I, left feeling that one of Alberta’s most favoured children, the University of Alberta, has betrayed you by choosing to confer this honorary degree,” said Forbes.
Why the reaction to the man who placed fifth in the CBC’s 2004 search for the greatest Canadian?
Well, Suzuki has often singled out Canada’s tar sands for their development’s sizable contributions to the planet’s greenhouse-gas emissions. Needless to say, that’s been off-putting for Alberta, which depends heavily on the oil and gas industry.
The university is aware of the backlash and released a statement.