Margo McDiarmid

The Canadian government is set to bring in a new law to make oil companies pay more if they have a spill during offshore drilling.

Last month, Canada's environment ministry laid off 60 scientists and researchers. The Canadian government has long been a pre-eminent international ozone and atmospheric research institution.

More than 760 environmental workers are waiting to hear about their jobs, including scientists who helped discover a yawning ozone hole over the Arctic.