There may be more than 100,000 inactive, abandoned or orphaned oil and gas wells in Western Canada. Returning the land to how it looked or was used before is an expensive endeavour and, with the heady days of high oil prices behind us, some of the companies once responsible for the cleanup of these wells have gone bankrupt.

Today in The Conversation Canada Kevin Kemball from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology clears up any confusion over orphan and abandoned wells, and what it takes to clean them up. “Many are on farms, ranches or forests and leaks from aging wells risk contaminating the soil and water,” he writes. “The threat of more wells becoming orphaned is likely to increase.”

Also today:

All the best.

Hannah Hoag

Deputy Editor | Environment + Energy Editor

A decommissioned pumpjack at a well head on an oil and gas installation near Cremona, Alta., October 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

The growing cost to clean up abandoned and orphaned wells

Kevin Kemball, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology

More oil and gas wells risk becoming orphaned given the long-term downward trend in the industry.

Romanian supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theories shout slogans against the government’s measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections, like wearing a face mask, during a rally in Bucharest in August. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Facebook, YouTube moves against QAnon are only a first step in the battle against dangerous conspiracy theories

Marc-André Argentino, Concordia University

Facebook and YouTube have brought in measures to stop the spread of dangerous QAnon conspiracies, but members of the Q community have found new ways to promote false theories on social media.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, parents need support now more than ever — including via universal parental support programs. (Ketus Subiyanto/Pexels)

To build back better after COVID-19, we must support parents

Nina Sokolovic, University of Toronto

Our mental health and economy are suffering from this pandemic. Parent support programs are a proven way to improve both.

The podcast Caliphate explored the war on terror and ISIS on the ground in Syria and Iraq. In this March 12, 2020 photo, a man rides a motorcycle in northwestern Syria the current focus of the 10-year civil war. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

New York Times ‘Caliphate’ podcast controversy challenges brash methods of foreign correspondents

Peter Klein, University of British Columbia

The latest scandal to hit news media involves Rukmini Callimachi, the journalist behind the New York Times podcast "Caliphate." The scandal spotlights the dynamic between reporters and "fixers."

La Conversation Canada

Une femme assiste à une vigile devant l'hôpital où Joyce Echaquan est morte à Joliette, au Québec, le mardi 29 septembre 2020. Le Conseil des Atikamekw a demandé une consultation publique sur l'accès aux soins de santé des Autochtones suivant ce qu'il appelle le Principe de Joyce. LA PRESSE CANADIENNE/Paul Chiasson

Le principe de Joyce : pour une approche de soins sécuritaire et libre de discrimination

Marie-Claude Tremblay, Université Laval

La reconnaissance de l’existence du racisme systémique est nécessaire pour que les Autochtones aient accès à des soins de santé libres de discrimination, tel que le propose le principe de Joyce.

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