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Faunus Terra (June 14, 1980 - ) is a Canadian environmental activist, inventor, and wanted criminal. Terra’s stints under the alias Protectar (pron.: /prəˈtektär ) have garnered international media attention. Faunus Terra will be played by actress Blake Lively in the upcoming biographical film Protectar: The Quest to Save Canada’s Environment.

Names

Faunus Terra (Birthname)

In ancient Roman religion and myth, Faunus was the horned god of the forest, plains and fields. He came to be equated in literature with the Greek god Pan, the god of the wild. Terra on the other hand, is latin for Earth – which comes to be the land which Protectar devotes herself to protecting. Terra is also a genus of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. Protectar’s journey has been similar to that of a butterfly. She has transformed from an esteemed businesswoman to a successful heroine, alike the evolution of a caterpillar into a butterfly. Protectar learns to spread her wings and pursue a path she is passionate about – helping the environment.

Protectar (Alias)

A portmanteau of the words “Protect” and “Tar”, Terra's chosen alias name Protectar is a succinct summary of her mission. She seeks to protect the tar sands and its surrounding areas from industrialization and big businesses.

“I thought to myself, what is it I’m trying to do? Protect the tar sands. Protect the tar. Protectar.”

Early Life

Terra was born on June 14, 1980, in Calgary, Alberta. Her father, Milton Terra, was a professor of environmental science at the University of Calgary. He is perhaps best known for his publications disproving the original estimates of environmental damage provided by Exxon Shipping Co. after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in 1989. Her mother, Jeanne Terra (née Funnypock) is a partner at the corporate law firm Carson LLP. Her parents divorced when Terra was 13 and the fight for custody of Terra lasted 10 months. Terra spent her adolescence with her mother and maintained very little contact with her father until her early 20s.

Education

Terra was granted a full scholarship to Dartmouth University, where she became the vice-president of the Business Leaders of Tomorrow Association. She majored in computer science and graduated summa cum laude. In 2002, Terra earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Harvard University.

Corporate Career

Early Corporate Career

Terra started her corporate career at Scotiabank as a project manager. She quickly worked her way up the Information Technology (IT) Department and was widely known in the field for her inventiveness in the fields of social media and communications technology. Colleagues throughout different departments of the company admired Terra's innovative ideas and hard work ethic. In 2000, Terra earned the recognition as Scotiabank Applause's Best of the Best, both as an individual and team. In 2002 she resigned from her job at Scotiabank to become Vice President of Hanjin Shipping Holdings Ltd., a global shipping and logistics company.

Cosco Busan Oil Spill

On 7 November 2004, the container ship Cosco Busan struck the Delta Tower in thick fog. All of the over 53 thousand gallons of heavy fuel oil it was carrying spilled into the San Francisco Bay. Terra was appointed spokesperson of Hanjin Shipping Holdings Ltd to address the onslaught of questions were raised about the design of the tanker. Hanjin Shipping Holdings Ltd maintained that their vessels utilized the newest technology to contain damage in the case of collision, but donated 14 million US dollars to the clean-up effort. Their donation was referred to as “hush money” by Rachel Maddow of MSNBC and “pocket change for Hanjin Shipping Holdings Ltd” by Wolf Blitzer of CNN.

Public Meltdown

Five months after the spill, a report released by the Engineers of America concluded that the damage from the collision would have been substantially lessened if Hanjin Shipping Holdings Ltd utilized the compartmental design favoured by most other manufactures. The report went on to quote all the preventable animal casualties and environmental damage. This report was quoted by Anderson Cooper during a string of hard-hitting questions directed at Terra during a large, international broadcast. Record numbers of viewers tuned in to the interview. Presumably due to the pressure, Terra began stumbling over her words and eventually began to openly cry. This was considered a public acceptance of guilt, and media worldwide swarmed Terra and her mother in their shared New York Apartment. With nowhere else to turn, Terra returned to Canada to live with her father (who she had not seen since early childhood). During her stay there, Terra resigned from her job at Hanjin Shipping Holdings Ltd and assumed the identity of Protectar.

On her website, Terra describes her stay at her fathers Athabasca home as “both necessary and enlightening”. Terra arrived at the cottage wearing the stress and strain of the months of guilt-induced insomnia paired with daily interviews and being constantly stalked by the paparazzi. The kind people of Athabasca and the nature surrounding her helped to nurture and eventually heal her. During this time Terra noticed many of her neighbors falling sick. Upon further investigation she saw a rising trend in respiratory diseases in the areas surrounding the tar sands. She noted similar trends with animal populations. When she started asking about the tar sand operations, she realized that the damage caused by the drilling companies wasn’t limited to the environment. The sudden presence of large oil companies was wreaking havoc on Albertan society. Terra began to join activist groups and protests but soon saw that the change they garnered was too little and too slow. There was little organizational hierarchy and discipline in the members. Terra decided to take justice into her own hands by creating the identity of Protectar.

Protectar (2005 - )

Identity

Protectar is an environmental vigilante who performs drastic actions to stop the tar sands industry and end the industrialization of Indigenous territories, forests and wetlands in northern Alberta. She fights for the rights of the indigenous people living in the area surrounding the tar sands and for the environment that is destroyed by the mining.

“I am tired of watching business say “Jump”, and expecting people to say “How High?”. It is unfair to expect families to change their lives and uproot themselves so that billionaires can become trillionaires.”

Highly intuitive with a will of steel, there is nothing Protectar cannot do once she puts her mind to it. She refuses to shy away from making her voice heard and her name known preferring to make headlines rather than work in the shadows. “I am what I do, not what I say.” Her high profile past in business allow her connections and exposure that many other superheroes are unable to access.

Protectar has been known to sabotage trades deals, interrupt national broadcasts, assault prominent figures, and vandalize property.

City of Operation

Athabasca, Alberta – particularly in the region of the Athabasca oil sands, located in the northeastern portion of the Canadian province of Alberta, near the city of Fort McMurray.

Costume

To ensure maximum success, Protectar designs a new costume for every mission. For missions involving corporate espionage, Protectar is likely to don a form-fitting suit in one of her signature bright colours. Her suits help her easily blend into a corporate environment. Her suits are rumoured to contain over a hundred pockets to hold her mini-computer, recorder and weapons. Protectar generally prefers pants to skirts as they do not hinder her movement. Protectar has patented a Heel-Flat shoe design which at the press of a button converts high heeled shoes into flats. This has proven to be very useful in high-speed chases.

For missions involving remote computer hacking, Protectar wears a combination of a cardigan, sweatpants and Uggs. The Ugg boots are able to regulate foot temperature year long and the thickness of the sweatpants and cardigan can be adjusted to fit the room temperature. This costume was designed with comfort in mind, so that Protectar can easily hack for days at a stretch. This costume is versatile - it can be worn both outdoors and in bed.

Powers

Engineering

Terra has over 100 patents in her name - most notably, the Heel-Flat shoe design which at the press of a button converts high heeled shoes into flats.

Computer hacking

Terra has a profound understanding of many technologies and is able to manipulate computer programs to suit her needs.

Public relations

Her public speaking and debating skills were honed during her Harvard MBA program and subsequent stint as spokesperson for Hanjin Shipping Holdings Ltd. Terra has the unique ability to win the affections of nearly any audience.

Networking

Her past as a corporate executive has introduced her to many powerful people. Terra has been known to call upon her old poker buddies for favours now and then. Terra’s network stretches across most of North America and parts of Asia.

Knowledge

Terra holds degrees in business and computer science. She is considered an expert in the field of communications technology.

Type of Speech Bubble

“The time for passive activism is over.”

Tree

• Her fight for the environment
• Her first name “Faunus” (god of the forests) and surname “Terra” meaning Earth

Branches

• The challenges she must face in preventing companies from continuing their mining in the tar sands – the increasing number of mining operations, trade deals, pipelines etc.
• The jagged edges of her personality – the unconventional, “take action” methods she uses to draw attention

Bird’s Nest

• Rebirth as a super heroine
• Hope for the future: the possibility of helping the environment and the native people

Notable Events

April 12, 2005

Two days before an agreement between PetroChina Company Limited and Enbridge Inc. was signed to build the Gateway Pipeline, Protectar made her point of view extremely clear by splashing key members on Enbridge’s board of directors with black paint.

James J. Blanchard was hit with the paint entering Enbridge’s corporate headquarters in Calgary, Alberta. Blanchard has been a director since January 25, 1999. He is chair of the Corporate Social Responsibility committee.

Maureen Kempstor Darkes, a director since November 2, 2010, was splashed with paint exiting her car outside Stanley Park. Her front tires were also subsequently slashed. She is a member of the Corporate Social Responsibility and Human Resources & Compensation committees.

Both J. Lorne Braithwaite and Charles E. Shultz, directors of Enbridge as of May 3, 1989 and December 1, 2004 respectively, were splashed with paint dining together at the 7 Seas Seafood & Grill Restaurant. Braithwaite and Shultz are both members of the Human Resources & Compensation committee. Shultz is also a member of the Audit, Finance & Risk committee.

Speaking with CBC Television, Protectar stated, “Enbridge says their values are to take the time to understand the perspective of others and do the right thing, yet they are doing neither. The construction and operation of the proposed pipeline would be destructive to the environment and surrounding communities. Its construction violates commitments that the Government of Canada has made through various Treaties and the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. I am not standing idly by while they preach false values; I am going to make them honour their words. I am going to make them listen to us.”

July 12, 2007

20 dump trucks owned by Suncor Energy Inc. were vandalized over night at their Steepbank project location. They were graffitied and had their tires slashed and windshields smashed to pieces. Suncor is a Canadian integrated energy company based in Calgary, Alberta specializing in the production of synthetic crude from oil sands. Suncor currently has three projects ongoing or applied for in relation to the tar sands.

Two weeks later, Syncrude experienced the same destruction on a smaller scale to ten of their dump trucks at their Mildred Lake & Aurora project area.

Protectar has taken responsibility for both of these incidents.

October 4, 2007

An apartment suite at the Hotel Le Germain Calgary was broken into at approximately 3:00 pm on October 4th. The suite belonged to Jorma Ollila, chairman of Royal Dutch Shell. He had arrived in Calgary two nights before and according to hotel staff, left early on the morning of the 4th to make the eight hour drive to visit the Muskeg River Mine project 75 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, Alberta.

The suite was covered in black paint and feathers, representing the wildlife that tar sand mining affects. A note left on the door to the room read, “I’m just getting started.” signed by Protectar.

Albian Sands Energy Inc. is the operator of the Muskeg River Mine. It is a joint venture between Shell Canada (60%), Marathon Oil Canada (20%) and Chevron Canada (20%). The company's legal headquarters are located in the Shell Tower in Calgary, Alberta.

Unofficial Biography

An unofficial biography of Terra was released in 2013 by New York Post columnist Ward Eagle. In it, he suggests that the identity of Protectar is a reflection of Terra’s character and background.

“One of the main reasons behind Protectars’s success is her charisma and exceptional public speaking ability. This is, of course, reminiscent of Terra’s days as spokesperson for Hanjin Shipping Holdings Ltd.”

“Milton Terra was a brave and outspoken individual who challenged a large corporation and won. He was pressured to discontinue his work on his paper exposing Exxon Shipping Co. by his university but persevered nonetheless to do what he believed was right and honourable. This steely will... this righteousness... this bravery... is seen so clearly in Protectar. Protectar is fighting what many call an impossible battle against multinational corporations to shut down a multi-billion dollar industry...”

“...the incredible work ethic that got a girl, who was raised in a single-parent household, a full-scholarship to Dartmouth University is visible in Protectar’s intricate hackings of databases which are rumoured to require over 90 hours of work...”

Reflection on Society

The tar sands are huge deposits of bitumen, a tar-like substance that’s turned into oil through complex and energy-intensive processes that cause widespread environmental damage. These processes pollute the Athabasca River, lace the air with toxins and convert farmland into wasteland. Large areas of the Boreal forest are clear-cut to make way for development in the tar sands, the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.

Health and the Environment

The main health concerns related to the tar sands are associated with air and water pollution. In addition to carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, tar sands operations also emit other substances into the atmosphere, most notably nitrogen oxide, sulphur oxide, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds.

Breathing in nitrogen oxide and sulphur oxide often leads to respiratory problems, and particulate matter has been linked to diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and various forms of heart disease. Volatile organic compounds can cause even more serious problems, from cancer to brain damage.

The presence of toxic chemicals or heavy metals in lakes and rivers affects drinking water, as well as the health of animals and fish that drink from the water, or live in it. Studies have shown that hundreds to thousands of birds each year die due to the affects of tailing ponds. Bizarre mutations, tumours and deformed fish species have begun to appear in the river as toxins from tar sand mining accumulate. The Alberta Cancer Board published research of the cancer rates of those living in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta in 2009. While many companies argue that there are not enough chemicals and toxic material in the water due to the development of the oil sands, this report indicates that there is coincidentally a significantly higher rate of cancer within this community.

Social

The pace of tar sands development has exceeded the ability of anyone to deal with the social consequences.

Economically, Albertans are finding times tougher than ever. Thousands of workers are being brought in by oil companies, causing inflation and housing dilemmas in the towns of Northern Alberta. Basic needs like housing and healthcare are becoming unaffordable and inaccessible as demand surpasses supply. Homelessness in Edmonton increased by 19% in 2006 as there is not enough infrastructure or social services in Alberta to accommodate the increased population. Services by skilled tradespeople (mechanics, plumbers, etc.) are expensive and hard to find as many skilled workers are working on tar sands projects. Even traffic is worsening as commute times, gas prices and accident rates increase.

While workers in the tar sands are well paid, they are forced to work long hours in abusive situations. They live in poor accommodations in remote locations with a lack of job security. Worker safety is often compromised as drilling rigs and mine sites are some of the most dangerous work environments. Alberta’s industrial accident rate increased by 17% between 2004 and 2006.

Communities are also being destroyed by the economic changes with increased substance abuse, gambling and family violence in towns near tar sands projects.