3 Scientists on Research They Couldn’t Discuss With Media Under Harper

"In the scientific community, Max Bothwell is regarded as the go-to guy on 'rock snot,' an unsightly but amusingly nicknamed invasive algae that grows in streams and riverbeds. He’s been an Environment Canada scientist for 36 years, studied the slimy blooms for 22 of those and has published considerable literature on the subject.

So when rock snot – also known by its less fun name of Didymosphenia geminata, or just didymo – grew to be problematic and media interest piqued, Nanaimo-based Dr. Bothwell should have been the go-to expert to explain the phenomenon. Instead, he was told to keep quiet.

Under Stephen Harper’s Conservative government, media access to federal scientists like Dr. Bothwell was tightly controlled."

Andrea Woo reports for the Toronto Globe and Mail November 13, 2015.