The new issue of the Journal of New Brunswick Studies examining the promises and risks of shale gas in New Brunswick has been released at www.stu.ca/jnbs.

Journal editor Tony Tremblay, Canada Research Chair in New Brunswick Studies at St. Thomas University, is excited that the journal was able to get an exclusive interview with members of the New Brunswick Commission on Hydraulic Fracturing.

“Commission members are frank and passionate in reflecting on the public consultation process that led to new ways of thinking about both resource extraction and citizen engagement in the province,” said Tremblay. “We would be well advised in New Brunswick to heed their advice.”

Tremblay said that three other articles in the issue—on shale gas royalties, the New Brunswick Energy Institute roundtable, and the new field of blue theology, a field that considers the spiritual dimensions of water connectivity in human and animal ecosystems—each makes a substantial contribution to ongoing discussions about shale gas and resource developments in the province.

In a revealing conversation with Jamie Gillies, assistant professor of communications and public policy at St. Thomas University, members of the Commission on Hydraulic Fracturing reflect on the challenges they faced engaging citizens.

Gillies believes that their work was refre ...