oil spill

An oil spill in the Amazon rainforest, and poor water quality in Canada's native reservations

An oil spill in the Amazon rainforest, and poor water quality in Canada's native reservations

A weekly news show produced with photos, videos and personal accounts from FRANCE 24 Observers around the world – all checked by our staff here in Paris. This week on The Observers, we go to Ecuador, where more than a million litres of oil spilled in the Amazon rainforest after a pipeline ruptured on January 28. The company that manages the pipeline said it was damaged by falling rocks, brought down by erosion and heavy rain, claiming that the incident "could not have been foreseen", but our Observer says that's not the whole story.

Heating oil drains into Ottawa River after spill in downtown Gatineau, Que.

Heating oil drains into Ottawa River after spill in downtown Gatineau, Que.

An undetermined amount of heating oil has ended up in the Ottawa River after a spill in downtown Gatineau, Que., near the offices of the provincial environment ministry. The spill happened at 170 rue de l'Hôtel de Ville during a delivery Friday, according to an email from ministry spokesperson Alexandre Ouellet, the regional director of the Outaouais Environmental Control Center.