Row engulfs Canadian oil sands project

Battle lines are drawn as the contentious Frontier project awaits ultimate verdict

A political squabble has broken out over the Canadian federal cabinet’s pending decision on the large-scale Frontier oil sands mine proposed for northern Alberta by Vancouver-based miner Teck Resources.  The cabinet is divided on a final decision, as federal lawmakers attempt to balance the country’s need for natural resource development with its international commitments on climate change. The Alberta provincial government has, in turn, been muttering darkly of dire economic and political consequences if Ottawa says no.  A joint federal-provincial review panel found the C$20.6bn (US$15.5bn) Frontier mine to be in the public interest last July. But that was before Prime Minister Justin Trude