May 31, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Some
Sunday morning reading: This
blog by a central Canadian comments on federal concerns with interesting
essays: Pipeline Company Rushes To Contain Oil Spill To Small Section Of Media - The Onion articleby Onion staff writers, published on-line on Thursday,
May 21st, 2015 Global
Chorus for
today is a poem by Zero Mile Diet author Carolyn Herriot: https://www.facebook.com/events/1830639387161341/ May 30, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Here
is a reprinting of these events over the next few days: A
farewell and best wishes to Gary MacDougall, who is retiring as managing editor
of The Guardian this week. He will continue to write an occasional
column. (The staff must have been preoccupied as today's paper has a
couple of gaffes likes switched headlines (page A2) and stories ran twice under
the same headline (page A4).) Tina Mundy a Big Loss to Cabinet - The Guardian Letter to the Editor
Published on Wednesday, May 27th, 2015
I find it to be a very sad situation when a financially-struggling single mom is forced to step out of cabinet. If Tina Mundy had been able to stay, then the cabinet would better reflect the diversity of the Island's population — we aren't all rich men in stable homes. Maybe she could have been a voice for the disadvantaged, brought a little more compassion to her party’s decisions, and brought in the often-marginalized perspective of a single mother. It’s a shame that Premier MacLauchlan considers that to be “a compromised position” unworthy of cabinet. After all, her resignation statement said she is taking the appropriate steps to address the matter. Being out of money doesn't mean you should be excluded from public decision-making. A potential conflict of interest could have been declared, and like in the private sector, she could have stood aside for decisions relevant to that conflict, instead of feeling the need to resign her cabinet position entirely. It would have been better if the news was out in the open during the campaign. I wish she hadn't felt like this was something shameful she needed to hide. Being short on cash is a reality for many, no shame in that. Her sudden departure from cabinet sends a clear and unfortunate message to the young, the disadvantaged, the poor and the struggling: your voice is not welcome in politics. This game is for rich folks only. Don't even try. Anna Keenan, Hunter River And on the very common pesticide, Round-Up: Glyphosate Cause for Concern - The Guardian Letter to the Editor
Published on Thursday, May 28th, 2015
in The Guardian Through
the past winter's blizzards there has been a parade of experts snowing
Islanders with the good news that pesticides don't hurt the environment
and offer little risk. Speaking with the confidence of statistic, the authority of science and the certainty of propagandist, the experts were far from convincing. Their favourite pesticide was always glyphosate. Now, to rain on the parade, a panel of 17
scientists working for the International Agency for Research on Cancer has
concluded that there is sufficient evidence to classify glyphosate as a
class-2A carcinogen. Dr. Stephanie Seneff of MIT has studied the
effects of glyphosate on bacterial populations in the human intestine. A video
interview of Dr. Seneff by Jeffery Smith on YouTube addresses the connections
between gut bacteria, glyphosate, the brain/gut axis, and a GMO diet. The lymphatic system and liver must filter glyphosate out once it enters our bloodstream. Pigs fed GMO feed, by definition sprayed with glyphosate, when slaughtered, have enlarged discoloured livers which have a horrible smell. All the foregoing diseases are unintended consequences of a risky technology out of control with immense cost, especially if you are a casualty. Citing public health, Health Canada must act to protect Canadians. Tony Lloyd, Mount Stewart "<snip> Physics reveals that all things are interconnected, from the galactic level to the sub-atomic. And psychology shows connection is the essential ingredient for a sense of belonging and a sense of purpose. We know connection to the Earth inspires wonder and awe. It is the connection that drives many of us to do the work we do.
In the words of Rachel Carson,
'Those who contemplate the beauty of the Earth
find reserves of strength that will endure as long as
life lasts.' As more and more people feel a deep sense
of connection to this planet, solutions to the ecological
crisis will become limitless."-- Melanie Fitzpatrick, author, climate
educator May 29, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Here
are some good letters to the editor recently: Ethics Objectivity May Be Lacking - The Guardian Letter to the Editor
published on Saturday, May 23rd, 2015, in The Guardian We recognize that Premier MacLauchlan might be sincere and well intentioned in his recent appointment of an ethics commissioner, but it does raise an obvious question. How can a bureaucratic insider, hand-picked by the premier, appointed by the premier, and reporting to the premier, be expected to bring objective judgment to the task of assessing the ethical tenor of the premier and his ministers? Further, in announcing the appointment of the new commissioner the premier spoke with almost mind-numbing obscurity about the move. He said he saw recent changes, “as a confirmation of the professionalism, talent and ethical standards that have been practised in government over time,” then added, “this is really making clear things that have already been in place and have been well practised.” One can only hope that the premier isn’t actually saying what it sounds like he might be saying - that the appointment of an ethics commissioner is entirely consistent with the ethical manner in which recent governments have been acting all along. One also hopes that this type of "spin" is not to be an ongoing feature of the premier’s communication with the public. David Weale, Vision P.E.I. Strong argument for transparency - The Guardian Letter to the EditorPublished on Monday, May 25th, 2015, in The Guardian Re: Loan transparency double standard. In his opinion piece concerning loan transparency, dated May 21 2015, Kevin Arsenault makes a strong and persuasive argument for increased transparency when risking taxpayer dollars on business ventures. Beyond questioning whether government should be in the lending business, Mr. Arsenault’s article made me question why the government would publish the names of those who have fallen behind in their property taxes and yet do everything in their power to avoid disclosing who is defaulting on business loans. This is especially puzzling when you consider the size of these loans when compared to the size of individual property tax arrears. The government seems to be taking the position that privacy and confidentiality of businesses are more important than those of individual taxpayers – a troubling attitude, to say the least. Don Carroll, Rice Point Global
Chorus today
is by Joel Bakan, a Canadian jazz musician and law professor,
author of books about corporate behaviour, http://www.joelbakan.com/
and who writes: May 28, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Events:
From this week's Graphic newspapers, Allan Rankin's column.
Bolding is mine but the whole article is very interesting: Why the Liberals Lost the Potato Belt - The Graphic newspapers column by Allan Rankin
Published on Wednesday, May 27th, 2015 It’s a region often referred to as the potato belt. If you lay an electoral map over this part of the province, you will discover it’s comprised of four contiguous districts, adjacent to one another, and in the recent provincial election the ruling Liberals lost all four of those districts. The Liberals lost the potato belt. In fact, I can’t recall an Island political party losing all of those rural seats and still forming a government. It was a stunning defeat for a Liberal government whose policies were heavily influenced by potato farmers and their industry. I believe it was a strong message to the new administration of Premier Wade MacLauchlan that unsustainable, dangerous farming practices are unacceptable to the majority of Island voters. Islanders will live with the growing and processing of potatoes, however, they are now insisting clean air and water, and healthy rivers and streams, are of utmost importance to their families and communities. The potato belt districts were all won by
sizable margins. Next door in Kelly’s Cross-Cumberland, Minister
of Community Services and Seniors Valerie Docherty, was crushed by Green Party
Leader Peter Bevan-Baker, whose platform included a new and more
environmentally sustainable vision for Island agriculture. In the district of Kensington-Malpeque, where
the Cavendish Farms processing plant employs hundreds, Liberal candidate James
Montgomery failed to hold the seat vacated by former Minister of Finance Wes
Sheridan. But it was in the district of Rustico-Emerald
where the potato industry establishment suffered its strongest rebuke, and
where future influence around the Cabinet table by the potato industry was
denied. Bertha Campbell, an award winning farmer and staunch defender of
current farming practices, was defeated by Conservative Brad Trivers. When he assumed leadership of the Liberal Party a few months ago, MacLauchlan spoke about the 10 lenses through which he would view policy options. In other words, the criteria for defining sound and appropriate government decisions and action. To the surprise and dismay of many Islanders, environmental sustainability and protection were not among those policy lenses, and during the recent election campaign, MacLauchlan tiptoed around environmental issues. In the televised debates, he outlined a lengthy and vague process for the adoption of a provincial Water Act, and the premier appears open to lifting the present moratorium on deep water wells, if science supports such action. Unfortunately, current technologies don’t allow us to map the sources or movement of fresh water underground and therefore, at best, the science government musters will be dubious. The potato industry contributes hundreds of millions to the Island economy each year, and no one should disregard that economic impact, or the livelihood of potato farmers. But in this age of mechanization and larger acreages, the demographic reality is farmers now constitute a small part of the rural population, and their voting power is far weaker than it once was. I hope our new Liberal government does the political
calculus here. But it may be that losing the four potato belt districts for the Liberals had something to do with government policy, that until now, has favoured the potato industry, at the expense of farming practices that are both unsustainable and environmentally destructive. It may have had something to do with Islanders’ fear that someday there will be potatoes in the pot to boil, but no water to boil them in, or even worse, no water from the tap that’s fit to drink. One of Rob Lantz’s finest moments during the recent campaign was his decisive commitment not to license further deep well irrigation systems. When our three new potato belt Conservative MLAs join their caucus, and take their seats in the legislature, they will have an opportunity to give their leader’s position some meaning. The fourth potato belt member, Mr Bevan-Baker, put forward the most rationale and sophisticated plan for the future of Island agriculture of all the party leaders, and after all, he is Green. Premier MacLauchlan urgently needs to find an environmental lens, and put it to use, before the Million Acre Farm begins to resemble an industrial wasteland. American biologist E.O. Wilson has been discovered so much about the natural world in his long, long career, most notably about ants and their behaviour, and is a champion of biodiversity. He writes for today's Global Chorus essay: "Humanity is in a strange period at the present time (2013), which I hope will prove to be only a brief interval. We’ve awakened to the critical state of Earth's environment in general, but by for the larger part of public and scientific attention is focused on the physical part, for example, on climate change, pollution and resource shortage, as opposed to biodiversity -- Earth's variety of ecosystems, species and genes. In a phrase we are destroying much of the rest of life, a unique and precious part of our natural heritage. Forever." -- Edward O. Wilson May 27, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
There was energy in the room at the FairVote/Leadnow meeting
last night, with people of all ages discussing the recent provincial election,
areas of potential voter reform, and the upcoming federal election this
fall. Sounds like there will be several opportunities for public
information and discussion sessions over the coming months. Stay tuned. Alan
Holman's Guardian column from Saturday, regarding MLA Tina Mundy being
removed from Cabinet the day after being appointed:
A Lesson in Prince Edward Island Politics 101- The Guardian column by Alan Holman
Published on Saturday, May 23rd, 2015 Poor Tina, she didn’t even make it to Monday. Flying high on Wednesday as the newly-minted minister of education, Tina Mundy crashed to earth on Thursday when it became known she has financial problems serious enough for her to start down the path to personal bankruptcy. The question that must be asked is, who’s at fault in this kind of a debacle? Is it Tina Mundy for not coming clean about her financial health? Was she even asked any questions about her capacity to accept a position of public trust. Tina Mundy, no matter what else anyone may say about her, certainly has a lot of chutzpah. Her financial problems didn’t begin this week or even this month. You need a lot of brass to be in her situation and still go door to door, charming the people of Summerside into voting for you. She won with a credible 244 vote margin. No coin toss needed for her to claim her seat. And it’s also clear she charmed Wade MacLauchlan. He was prepared to pass over five other MLAs from Prince County in order to give her a seat at the cabinet table. While the premier bears the responsibility for this mess, one has to ask, who are his political advisors? Or is he doing it all on his own? And what about the people in his office? His chief of staff, principal secretary, or whatever title Robert Vessey carries. Did he not do any checks on the people selected? Was there any kind of a vetting process in place? Serious concerns are being expressed about Wade MacLauchlan’s political judgement. The campaign he just completed was a lacklustre effort that resulted in a government elected with the lowest percentage of the popular vote in the history of the Island. Only west of Summerside did Liberals win with more than 50 per cent of the vote. The lacklustre campaign was followed by the appointment of what appears to be a lacklustre cabinet. Hopefully this will prove to be otherwise. As always when the premier creates a cabinet he also creates some very disappointed people. But on Wednesday he also created a very disappointed region. People in the region euphemistically referred to as being ‘west of the bullrush curtain,’ an area that voted Liberal in spades, found out they didn’t have a cabinet minister. In addition to having MLAs upset for not getting into cabinet, Premier MacLauchlan, in his role as leader of the Liberal Party, may have inadvertently snubbed a huge portion of the Liberal membership. There are more card carrying Liberals in West Prince than any other region of the province. And by Wednesday evening they were all irate. West Prince is somewhat isolated from the centre of the province, and this gives it a sense of cohesiveness not found, or readily understood, in the rest of the Island. The region is accustomed to having strong representatives in the cabinet. People like Bob Campbell, Allison Ellis, George Henderson, Bobby Morrissey and Keith Milligan. And, as former cabinet minister Neil Leclair found out, West Prince gets rid of those who are perceived to be Charlottetown’s man in the region, instead of the region’s man in Charlottetown. By replacing Tina Mundy with Hal Perry from Tignish, the premier may think he has assuaged the bruised feelings of the people in West Prince. But, he should know they will not soon forget the original slight of ignoring them in the first place. The province is small and should be relatively easy to govern, but Island politics are nuanced, and playing politics here is more art than science. To be a scientist you have to have intelligence, to be an artist you have to have talent. We know the premier is smart, we’ve yet to see if he has the political talent to get the job done. - Alan Holman is a freelance journalist living in Charlottetown. He can be reached at: acholman@pei.eastlink.ca Erin Schrode is a self-titled "ecoRenaissance woman" and encourages young people to work on sustainability issues. She writes in today's Global Chorus: "The opportunities for discovery and impact are limitless – and the need for action by individuals, corporations, government, all actors on both local and global scales is critical. When a person makes the conscious choice to not stand apathetically in the face of injustice or wrongdoing, he or she changes the future of our world."-- Erin Schrode May 26, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Roger
Gordon, who has been working against cosmetic pesticides and lives in
Stratford, wrote that is does not matter whether people live in Charlottetown
because what Charlottetown does other municipalities will emulate as they are
working on a common bylaw. You may not be aware of this, but when the City of Charlottetown passed first reading of its proposed bylaw on cosmetic pesticides, it slipped in an amendment that would allow people to spray their lawns with the same old chemicals that concern us in the event of an "infestation." Pesticide Free PEI feels this is an unnecessary and potentially dangerous provision that, in effect, could allow spraying to go on as usual. True, the clauses contain specific conditions under which permission for this may be granted, but I have lived around here long enough to know that these will be circumvented due to the cronyism that persists within the close knit community in which we live. Here is how I (and Pesticide Free PEI) see it: * There are no circumstances under which the condition of a lawn should supersede human health and the environment. *There are plenty of organic alternatives to ridding a lawn of dandelions and pest insects if that is the aim of the activity. *Halifax HRM does not contain such a provision and this is what Council seems to be modelling its legislation upon. HRM's "exceptions" to the lawn spraying ban revolve around damage to property (structure of the home) whereas communities here have only been granted authority to regulate what happens on lawns. * Councillor Doiron is on record as saying that he has to look after the desires of those constituents who want to spray. He does not. True leadership means doing the right thing. *Whatever Ch'tn does, other municipalities will follow and this amendment will become part of a broader set of bylaws. If you can see your way to emailing or otherwise contacting Councillors and even sending a letter to the Editor of The Guardian, that would be greatly appreciated. Council will be giving second reading to the bylaw in early June and its important that they ditch these amendments. I attach them (3.4, 6.1d). Best regards, Roger
"A recent discussion with an eminent climate scientist gave me hope. He said that extreme climate change scenarios predicted a few years ago are now less likely in the short to medium term. Phew! The problem is still enormous but maybe our climate system is more resilient than first feared. So let’s take this undeserved reprieve and have a new culture to reflect a new era; where the majority of our (reduced) consumption is sustainable with any environmental impacts either avoided or properly mitigated. This is the approach I try and work with in my own industry of wind farming. Generating electricity from the wind is sustainable, but there are impacts, real and perceived, and addressing them provides wonderful opportunities for all kinds of creativity: like the creation and enhancement of large-scale wildlife habitats around the wind farm that otherwise would not have happened and community and educational initiatives which build upon what the local community really values long-term. Applying a sustainable approach to business does mean less financial profit and a consumer base that begins to pay the real cost for goods. It is not likely without multilateral regulation. But to get to this point, we need to start as individuals who make good choices and understand that happiness and well-being are not inextricably linked to material wealth. We must recognize that our population is excessive, and know that biodiversity is essential for our survival and our happiness.
We could socialize, shop, travel, have babies and
even do Christmas differently! his is activism in
our own homes. By communicating, demonstrating,
lobbying and voting we can change things. I have
hope that there is a majority of people out there who
would be quite prepared to rid themselves of a lot
of their consumerist paraphernalia in exchange for a
more balanced, happy and healthier life and planet." -- Piers Guy May 25, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Some
e-mail addresses kept bouncing messages back, so if you didn't get the
Citizens' Alliance News Sunday, May 24th, it is here:
This was passed my way, by marine biologist Irene Novaczek (among other
wonderful titles), to purchase seaweed flakes from Island business North
Atlantic Organics, up at North Cape: http://www.naorganics.com is Joe's website with info. The offer of $30 a bag (30 kg or about 50 lb bag) is a reduced / local price relative to the list price on the website. The flakes are a mix of kelp, rockweed, Irish moss and Furcellaria. Also suitable for feeding pets and other animals, especially the elderly or immune compromised and any beast with cancer. In the garden the flakes are super easy and convenient to use. Sow in furrow when planting seeds, place in holes before transplants to strengthen root and shoot development. Top dress through the growing season or soak in water to make a foliar feed to improve fruit set, leaf and flower development, flavour; deter aphids ; improve resistance to fungal diseases, retain soil moisture during drought, raise micro-nutrient content, keep worms happy." Orders can be placed with Irene Novaczek (inovaczek@upei.ca) for a potential Summerside delivery
this Saturday, or Pauline Howard through Facebook for potential delivery in Charlottetown
at the Farm Centre (I'll have been contact details tomorrow), or by calling Joe
Dorgan directly at (902) 853-6394. The company's website and the four minute video of the process is very informative. It also reminded me of how important it is to protect our beautiful Island coastline. Today's
Global Chorus is good to read in its entirely:
All too often, people speak of 'global citizenship,'
but fail to talk of citizenship structures for: Many peace and ecology advocates look at the UN and see only its failings. They don’t realize that earlier peace advocates, like Jane Addams, worked long and hard to create global democratic structures to enhance the lives of all people on Earth. Many people think the UN and global co-operation have achieved nothing. They are wrong. We have created treaties that have eliminated atmospheric nuclear testing, and have just about done away with any nuclear tests since 1996. The nations of the world agreed in 1968 to negotiate seriously for nuclear disarmament. We need a renewed global chorus of voices to call for disarmament and a conversion to a global peace economy. One crucial element of a global peace economy is the elimination of the extreme poverty affecting the poorest one billion people – one seventh – of the planet. Through the UN Millennium Development goals process of 2000–2015, we have continued to substantially reduce illiteracy, deaths of children under 5 and deaths from hunger and malnutrition. Smallpox has been eliminated, and polio has been reduced by 99 per cent since 1988, with entire continents polio-free. In 2015 we need to renew and extend these objectives into the Sustainable Development Goals. We need to complete the previous goals and add new ones to deal with the looming ecological and resource crisis, as well as include goals on nuclear weapons and reducing arms and conflict. But we should go beyond this, and talk of stronger global law, openly arrived at, and a global parliament, directly elected. Let’s take a pause from singing so that we can get
on the same page with a common song. And when
we get there, let’s sing as loudly as we can – a song by,
of and for all of us on our planet." -- Jim Barton, Smith Mill
Creek Institute May 24, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Just
a reminder that the:
 screenshot from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_standings_in_the_Canadian_Senate I am assuming that Independent seat in P.E.I. is for Mike Duffy, one of three who is listed as suspended, remaining senators but unpaid and unable to debate or vote. A
very good letter from ethicist Kevin Arsenault: P.E.I. government's lending must be transparent - The Guardian Guest opinion by Kevin J. ArsenaultPublished on Thursday, May 21st, 2015 An open letter to Premier Wade MacLauchlan: Dear Premier: My sincere congratulations on your recent election victory becoming premier elect of a majority Liberal government! I am writing this letter on behalf of all Islanders who trust that you were sincere in your promise to govern with the highest degree of accountability and transparency. With this in mind, I am asking that you take immediate action regarding how the government handles the matter of writing off and/or cancelling government debts. The Auditor General recently provided insightful information in her 2015 Annual report concerning the lack of transparency and accountability with how the provincial government either writes off or cancels debts. Although the Auditor General is required to report the total amount of debt cancelled by the provincial government, she was unable to disclose all these amounts because government is keeping this information secret. The Financial Administration Act gives the Lieutenant Governor in Council authorization to either write off or cancel debts. A write off simply removes a debt from the books while the borrower remains legally obligated to repay; a “cancelled” debt removes the obligation to repay the debt. When a Lieutenant Governor in Council approval for debt cancellation is sought, an Order in Council is issued and becomes part of the public record. And herein lies the problem: many government debts are being cancelled illegally without approval from the Lieutenant Governor in Council and are never made public. Prior to the 2005-06 fiscal year, government departments and crown corporations consistently sought approval of the Lieutenant Governor in Council for all debt write-offs and cancellations. Until 2002-03, these requests contained the names of the debtors, but since 2002-03 the names of the debtors have not been included in requests. Since 2006-07, government lending organizations have not sought approval from the Lieutenant Governor in Council for any debt write-offs or cancellations. So, for more than a decade, Islanders have been kept in the dark concerning the cancellation of many government debts while there has been nearly a doubling of the amount of government money loaned: from $228 million in 2003-04 to $443 million in 2013-14, an increase of 94 per cent. Although the former P.E.I. Lending Agency (now Finance P.E.I.) was delegated the authority to write off debts for accounting purposes, no specific delegation of authority to cancel debts has ever been enacted. Approval of the Lieutenant Governor in Council is therefore still legally required for debt cancellation. But this is not happening. For the 2013-14 fiscal year, the board of directors of Finance P.E.I. authorized the cancellation of 3.7 million of debt, which means that this is taxpayer's money owed to the government that can never be recovered. Think about it: in just one year 3.7 million of taxpayer's money was given to a select number of people as a free-and-clear gift and under the current illegal practice of debt cancellation there is absolutely no way for any of us, not even the Auditor General, to find out why these debts were forgiven or who the debtors are! Premier, given your promise that your government will be accountable and transparent, will you please do the following: 1. Clarify in law that all debt cancellation by government departments and crown corporations must be done through application to the Lieutenant Governor in Council and must include the names of the debtors so this information will be made part of the public record available to the Auditor General and all Islanders, and; 2. Compile and make public a report containing the names and amounts of all cancelled government debts (which have so far been kept secret) for all debts forgiven by the P.E.I. government from 2006-07 to the present. I look forward to seeing positive changes being made with this important issue of government debt cancellation as well as many other improvements to government I am sure you will make as premier of our province. Kevin J. Arsenault of Fort Augustus obtained his PhD in Ethics from McGill University Ricken Patel writes for today's Global Chorus; he is the executive director of Avaaz http://www.avaaz.org/en/ , which is a global civics organization hosting petitions and other calls for action. "Even more than hope, we have good sense, and I believe that a clear-eyed look at our past and present tells us not only that we have a very strong probability of surviving, but that many signs point to a tremendous awakening and acceleration of our wisdom as we meet the real challenges we face." --Ricken Patel May 23, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Today:  from the series by Island artist and writer JoDee Samuelson, taken from Facebook, with thanks. Women's Institute Roadside Cleanup -- various locations and times. Join any group you see working, or get some bags and do a bit by your home or special place. Bags available today at the Town of Cornwall offices, Bonshaw Post Office, etc. and can be left on the roadside from now until May 29th. There will be some in Bonshaw at the "Greens, Blooms and Plant Sale" from 9AM to 1PM in front of theBonshaw Community Centre. Farm Centre Legacy Garden Cleanup Day #3, 12noon - 6PM, behind Farm Centre at 420 University Avenue. "There's still work to do! ....New gardeners are especially encouraged to attend. All garden plots will be assigned." https://www.facebook.com/events/418541034973695/ Tonight: Concert with "Ten Strings and a Goatskin" for Nepal Relief, 7PM, Carrefour Theatre, admission $12 adults, $9 students. More details: https://www.facebook.com/events/433399403498704/ A
long list of appointments of senior officials to the government of Prince
Edward Island was announced late yesterday by Premier MacLauchlan. The Premier announced the following senior management team:• Brian Douglas, Clerk of Executive Council• Paul Ledwell, Deputy Minister of Policy and Priorities. This new role combines two senior positions as it replaces the role of Principal Secretary and also serves as the Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Affairs (effective June 1);• John Jamieson, Deputy Minister of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (effective May 25);• Susan Willis, Deputy Minister of the Department of Education, Early Learning and Culture (effective July 2);• Kim Horrelt, CEO of the PEI Energy Commission• Steve MacLean, Deputy Minister of the Department of Communities, Land and Environment;• Neil Stewart, Deputy Minister of the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, Chief Executive Officer of Tourism PEI;• David Arsenault, Deputy Minister of the Department of Finance;• Teresa Hennebery, Deputy Minister of the Department of Family and Human Services (effective June 15, 2015);• Michelle Dorsey, Deputy Minister of the Department of Justice and Public Safety;• John MacQuarrie, Deputy Minister of the Department of Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy;• Alexander “Sandy” MacDonald, Deputy Minister of the Department of Workforce and Advanced Learning;• Michael Mayne, Deputy Minister of the Department of Health and Wellness
That's quite a Baker's dozen of senior management people on a team. Some are new to government administration, and some have been on a roundabout getting off in various departments and then back on and switched to another for the last several years. Mr. MacLean, who will be the Deputy Minister (DM) in charge of Communities, Land and Environment, was just Clerk of the Executive Council, and before that, DM of Transportation. That's as far as I remember. "Stewardship of the land and environment" is listed as one of the five priorities for this government. Being
Saturday, many of us shop for food for our families, and here is recent column
in the bi-weekly Island Farmer, from the clear-voiced Ian Petrie: Organic: What Does It Mean Now? - The Island Farmer article by Ian PetriePublished on Wednesday, May 13th, 2015 It was simpler forty years ago. The word organic was only used by two groups: the serious followers of scientists like Sir Albert Howard or Rudolf Steiner, and “back to the landers,” who brought enthusiasm and a strong cultural belief that industrial farming was bad for the body and the planet. If you wanted to eat organic food, you had to grow it yourself, go to a health food store, or belong to a food co-op. Now the word springs up in almost every aisle of the big supermarkets, as much about marketing as saving the earth. Here on PEI, the word organic has less meaning than in some other provinces. Last year, New Brunswick joined Quebec and Manitoba with provincial regulations to clearly define what organic means. It’s time PEI did the same. This isn’t a question of promoting organic farming-- that will be determined by consumers, and land use and environmental challenges. It’s an issue of fairness for the 39 members of what’s called the “PEI Certified Organic Producers Co-operative.” That’s almost twice the number of farmers from a year ago, and the number keeps growing. It’s the word “certified” that makes this group unique. There is a list of practices and products that organic farmers can use, and certified growers pay money to an inspector to assure consumers they’re following the rules. With no provincial regulations, vegetables and meat produced and sold within PEI could be called organic when it’s not. If it crosses provincial boundaries, then federal organic regulations kick in. It only seems fair to consumers, and certified organic producers, that these rules be harmonized. Like many groups. the organic producers co-op is facing financial challenges. The province has been helping by repaying the certification fees for farmers who join the co-op. It also offered core funding to the group three years ago, which allowed for an executive director, but that funding dropped by 50% a year, and has now disappeared. The group has tapped into federal funding, the Growing Forward program, for research projects, including variety trials for non-GMO soybeans. The Federation of Agriculture has also helped by providing office space, and the two groups will share in research projects on crop rotations and soil fertility. The fact Federation Executive Director John Jamieson** could come to the annual meeting of certified organic farmers last month without wearing a disguise is a good sign. Consumers of organics can be loud and stubborn, but amongst many farmers anyway, organic farming is increasingly not seen as a threatening moral crusade. Organic farmers face the same challenges of pests, diseases, weather and have decided to deal with them differently. The pesticides that are used are derived from natural sources, and break down more safely, and sufficient fertility from livestock manure, compost, and cover crops is an ongoing challenge. They also sell into a market that’s rapidly changing, growing exponentially each year, but so called “industrial organic,” and promises by big retailers like Walmart to get rid of the “organic premium” means there are opportunities but no guarantees. Many organic producers enjoy the face to face relationship with consumers through farm markets, and community supported agriculture. There’s no question that what drives organic farmers is their concern, their passion, for the health of the soil. They’ll tell you that if you can get that right, everything from healthy livestock to productive crops will follow. That’s a message that’s badly needed on PEI right now. The use of cash crops rather than plow downs in crop rotations has badly depleted soils on many farms, adding to the need for irrigation, the risk of nitrates leaching into aquifers, and synthetic pesticides not breaking down properly. Nothing will be more important in the next few years than at least maintaining, and then increasing, organic matter by all farmers. The leader’s debates in the days before the provincial election also showed a change, a maturity, in how organic farming is discussed. It was spoken of seriously by the Greens and NDP, but with some understanding that debt and brutal commodity markets have boxed conventional farmers into a tight corner. There wasn’t any of the “farmers are poisoning us to death” rhetoric we’ve seen in the past. It’s still there amongst many in the public, but politicians tried to present the business case for organic farming, and in the end, that may have a bigger impact, and push organic farming to the next level. Perhaps the real sign of change are the handful of sons and daughters who grew up on conventional farms and say they’ll keep farming, but only by transitioning to organic. I think these will be the people who will establish organic farming finally as something both promising and normal. I don’t think PEI will ever be the “organic” Island, but I’m hoping organic farmers will be respected for what they’re trying to do. They’re basically just good farmers, who have to think their way through problems, rather than just grabbing something out of the chemical catalogue. It’s not going back to the 1940’s, but using modern techniques and equipment to try to model nature rather than overwhelm it. Nothing will highlight the difference between
organic and conventional farming than the fight against wireworm. This pest has
cost both conventional and organic farmers dearly. Some farmers await new
chemicals to fumigate the soil. Others, including organic farmers, are using
bio fumigants like mustard to limit the wireworm damage. I don’t want to see
PEI farmers become dependent on wide scale fumigation. The risks to groundwater
supplies, and the people who have to apply the fumigants, are just too serious.
This is one page in the organic handbook I hope gets used by all farmers. "We do not need much more research – only to accelerate our investments in energy efficiency, renewable solar, wind, ocean, hydro and geothermal sources – while ending our wasteful subsidies, 95 per cent of which go to fossil fuels and nuclear power. With this level playing field, even the 5 per cent of subsidies to solar and efficient use of renewable energy will be cheaper than polluting dangerous fossil and nuclear power. This crossover has already made solar and wind power cheaper than nuclear. -- Hazel Henderson, of Ethical Markets Technology Our new CEO of PEI Energy Commission should know about Hazel's work. https://hazelhenderson.com/ May 22, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
A
reminder that tomorrow, Saturday, May 23rd, is the Provincial Women's
Institute Roadside Cleanup Day. Even though a lot of WI branches use this
date to organize their members to go out and pick trash, it's not limited to
this date nor just to WI members. In Bonshaw, for instance, we will have
bags available at the "Greens, Blooms & Plants Sale" at the
Bonshaw Community Centre from 9AM to 1PM, and people will be encouraged to take
a bag and pickup some trash by their roads or elsewhere. (All are welcome to
get transplants and seeds and fresh greens for eating now at the Sale,
too.) Rain or shine. From
yesterday's Guardian: PR a political Nightmare
Nothing Particularly Wrong with P.E.I.'s Electoral System - The Guardian Guest Opinion by David BulgerPublished on Thursday, May 14th, 2015 To Wayne Young: It’s not time. Proportional representation is a European import. It is the political equivalent of another European import, namely, Dutch Elm Disease. In 1924, PR was the means by which the National
Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) managed to acquire the legitimacy
attaching to membership in the Reichstag. Between 1945 and 1993, proportional
representation sent Italians to the polls 53 times, or slightly more than once
a year. The political insanity that is the Israeli Knesset is due entirely to
PR. Those who dislike this system are those who have
not managed to convince large numbers of voters to support them. But rather
than have to make a convincing case and acquire a real mandate, what they want
to do is to slip in the back door as list members and achieve a legitimacy that
they could not otherwise win. Let them stop trying to place a thumb on the
electoral scales and work at making the kind of case that will give them seats.
That they don’t have seats may be due, not to the system, but to their ideas
and platforms. What makes this system problematic is the relatively complex
mechanism of determining preference, which makes it harder to explain and sell.
(And, of course, preferences are likely not to be for fringe parties, so those
groups are not likely to want it introduced into the discussion). Now, for that discussion, it’s past time. David M. Bulger is Adjunct Professor
(retired) at the University of Prince Edward Island Electorate’s wishes rarely come true - The Guardian Letter to the EditorPublished on Wednesday, May 20th, 2015 David Bulger presents a skewed argument against proportional representation (PR) in his opinion piece 'PR' a political nightmare’ (Guardian, May 14th, 2015). The piece is accompanied by an illustration, from a war gaming-promotion e-magazine, of the German Parliament building (Reichstag) in flames from a 1933 arson attack; fanning the flames, so to speak, that PR caused the rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. It was probably more complicated than that. Mr. Bulger goes on to cite PR experiences in Italy and Israel as "political insanity." What he doesn't mention is that these countries have adjusted their electoral systems; many varieties of proportional electoral systems are in place throughout the world that result in stable, collaborative governments. In past thoughtful opinion pieces, Mr. Bulger has focused on electoral reform: MLA term limits, recall and referendum legislation, and in this piece he mentions other electoral systems that allow for accurate representation by voters (preferential or ranking systems). He also states his concerns with the domineering power of political parties. These all need to be part of our Island discussion on electoral reform. Our current system of first-past-the-post often produces legislatures that bear little resemblance to the wishes of the electorate; our most recent provincial election surely delivered this. Islanders deserve an electoral system that truly represents their voting intentions. Let's set the framework and be ready for the 2019 provincial election. Chris Ortenburger, Jeff
Gailus, who writes today's Global Chorus, is a "father, writer,
educator, lecturer, environmental advocate, author of The Grizzly Manifesto and Little Black Lies."
He sings in a slightly different key than most other choristers have sung in: May 21, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Some
events:
----------- Global Chorus' essay today is by environmental journalist Sarah Backhouse, who writes: "To get humans to engage, we need to humanize climate change. We need to share powerful stories about the thousands of lives it’s affecting everyday. Sobering stories about families in Los Angeles whose children suffer from asthma. Tragic stories about victims of weather events like hurricanes Katrina and Sandy in the U.S. and savage wildfires in Australia and about ecological refugees in Bangladesh and Africa. Inspiring stories about the innovators who are working tirelessly to develop clean-energy solutions, design better products and create new business models that encourage sharing and responsible use of resources." -- Sarah Backhouse May 20, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
The
recount for District 5 Vernon River - Stratford was held yesterday, and as you
likely heard, one vote was counted for Mary Ellen MacInnis, thus a tie, which
was broken by a coin toss that McIsaac won. Let's put "Coin toss to
deal with ties?!" on the list to discuss with an electoral review in this
coming year. An event tonight:  More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/1470686879889295/ Yesterday,
in Ireland, Prince Charles shook hands with Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, continuing
a healing process on the conflict in Northern Ireland that claimed Charles's
uncle, and many, many others. He also visited an organic farm along the
Atlantic Coast in County Clare and discussed projects aimed at farming
sustainably in the unique conditions.  The Prince's trail in Bonshaw, from May 2014. It's a bit overgrown now. ----- Some local people, including a few of the oldest residents of the area, were fenced *out* of the event last year, while crews of media took photos of the Prince with then-Premier Ghiz and then-MLAs Vessey and Docherty and invited guests. It was presumed at the time that the photos would all be in campaign literature for their re-election. This was not the case. Old coverage from last year (CBC): http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/pr may 21stince-edward-island/new-provincial-park-gets-royal-visit-1.2648736 And for more mildly bitter commentary from last year ;-) , see the Citizens' Alliance News from then: http://www.stopplanb.org/monthly-stuff/2014-monthly-overviews/may-2014#TOC-May-20-2014 Olivier
Oullier is a French behaviourist and environmentalist who writes in today's Global
Chorus: more info: https://oullier.wordpress.com/ May 19, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
An
event this afternoon: Visitation
and funeral plans for Jacqueline "Jack" Tuplin are in full here: I
think (hope!) the last word on Elizabeth May's humour skit at the press gallery
dinner comes from the veteran CBC journalist Michael Enright: Decades ago, in another movie, I was reporting on Question Period one day from the Press Gallery in Queen's Park. A minister in the Conservative government of John Robarts was on his feet going on about something or other. On his feet, unsteadily and swaying a bit. Suddenly a rogue NDP member named Morton Shulman screamed across the floor, "He's drunk. The minister's drunk. Look at him. He's drunk!" The interjection certainly stirred the afternoon somnolence of the dreary chamber. And gave me a good story. I wrote a short piece about the exchange, it ran deep inside the paper and was quickly forgotten, a one day story. I remembered the incident right after the Elizabeth May story broke over last weekend. As everybody by now knows, Ms. May, leader of the Green Party, made a shambolic, almost incoherent speech during the annual Parliamentary Press Gallery dinner. After a few cringe-making minutes, she was gently escorted off the stage by Transport Minister Lisa Raitt. Ms. May later explained that she had had little sleep, was jet-lagged and was experimenting with some kind of edgy humour that went awry. She said she had had a glass of wine but was not drunk. And we should take her at her word. What I found astonishing was the press coverage,
print and electronic, of the event. Given the sheer tonnage of the
reporting, one would be forgiven for thinking that Ms. May had set fire to
her hair after stabbing the emcee in the eye with a fish fork. It was the
top news item on hourly newscasts all day last Sunday. Then again,
beginning the day on Monday morning. All four Toronto papers covered the
event like a five-alarm fire. There were think pieces stretching to the
horizon. Every paper tried to capture the essence of the story in an editorial
cartoon. It was called a rant, a train wreck, a disaster, a
meltdown. The evening would haunt her, the pundits wrote. The
political panels piled on. Just to set the context. The Parliamentary Press Gallery annual dinner is a huge event in Ottawa's social calendar. Reporters bring a guest, usually a politician or senior civil servant. It's supposed to be a time when political and journalistic knives are sheathed, guns are checked at the door and everybody is friends with everybody else. The jokes are cornball, everybody drinks as much as possible and hilarity reigns. It has about the same amount of charm and pizzazz as the Toyota Salesman of the Year Awards Night. During one dinner years ago, a fabled cabinet minister threw up in the men's room, narrowly missing my nearly new pair of Johnson and Murphy shoes. Why the mountain of coverage, nearly all of it unsympathetic? Was it because she was appearing before a roomful of journalists? Would the story have disappeared if she had been speaking to environmentalists? Was it because she sometimes has seemed to be holier than thou? Was it because she is a woman? Whatever the reason, Ms. May was mugged by the media. The sanhedrin came to judgement, and were almost unanimous. May's conduct was so abhorrent that it probably doomed her party. But a couple of days later, a CBC poll showed that more than 80 per cent of Canadians feel her behaviour would not cripple the Green Party in the least. And we wonder why we in the media are held in such low public esteem. James Howard Kunstler is the author of several
books, mostly dealing with possible scenarios regarding the End of Oil. I
found The Long Emergency plausible, and frightening. This essay is
timely, considering there is yet a new "Mad Max" movie. "The master task at hand for the human race is managing the contraction of an industrial economy that has reached its limits. The human race has no experience with this, and for the moment we are in thrall to wishful thinking in the hope that some techno rescue remedy will allow us to keep that system going – shale oil, hydrogen, electric cars, thorium reactors, methane clathrates, etc. We’re wasting our time wishing for these things. We need to downscale and relocalize all the activities of daily life: agriculture, commerce, capital finance, governance, education, healthcare. "It is important to remember that reality has mandates of its own and will compel us to behave differently whether we get with the program, or not – it just depends on how disorderly we want the transition to be. "I attempted to depict such a successful transition in a series of two (soon to be three) recent novels set in the post-petroleum American future: World Made by Hand and The Witch of Hebron, if anyone is interested in an imagined outcome that is not in the Mad Max mould. It’s not utopia but it shows people managing to remain civilized under conditions of relative hardship. Farming has come back to the centre of their economy, they work shoulder to shoulder with their neighbours on things that matter, and they make music together. It’s a start. It’s also still recognizably American culture." -- James Howard Kunstler Let's consider adding "North American Culture":-) May 18, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Very,
very sad news of the passing of Jacqueline Tuplin of Lennox Island
yesterday. Jacqueline ran for the NDP in District 23 Tyne
Valley-Linkletter in this election, and endured racist vandalism of her signs
amongst other indignities. She was grace itself. My condolences
to her family and friends.  screenshot Grist.com's coverage of this event, Sunday, May 17h, 2015: http://grist.org/climate-energy/all-eyes-are-on-seattle-as-it-fights-shells-dirty-arctic-plans/ Follow-up
#2, Another Senate/Bill C-51 discussion: more info: http://www.amazonpromise.org/ "My advice is to discover what motivates YOU and get involved in improving our situation. It's easy to be overwhelmed by the immensity of the issues and adopt a complacent, 'get-what-you-can-while-you-can' attitude, but people who take on one problem at a time are overcoming paralysis and having great success all over the world. Their small triumph connects with other small triumphs and together, they become a force. Everyone is part of the solution. Governments are not the change agents. We are." â Patty Webster ---------- Come see great people working for change for the whole by working on one problem at a time, at the Dandelion Festival, 11AM to 3PM, at the Stratford Town Hall, free admission but opportunities to donate to various things and to purchase items. Blue Dot P.E.I. (The Right to a Healthy Environment) will have a booth, along with many others. May 17, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
The
Senate has to vote on Bill C-51, the "Anti-terrorism Bill, or "An Act to enact the Security of Canada Information Sharing Act and the
Secure Air Travel Act" which passed the House of Commons with both
Conservatives and Liberals supporting it. And
from Carl Mathis, a fantastic letter-writer: Pesticide industry blames politics as reason - The Guardian Letter to the EditorPublished on May 9th, 2015 The pesticide industry is hitting back at our municipalities who are making plans to ban cosmetic pesticide. Nigel Armstrong reports their message that such bans are politics. When one's neighbour is to have their lawn sprayed, we get these warning notes in the mailbox (Where will they do it when Canada Post has outlawed the mailbox?), saying that spraying will occur. After spraying, little signs sprout up, like mushrooms, warning kids and dogs to stay away for a day. Alas, neither of my dogs can read and that lawn space is important to them during their visits. If the warnings and signs reflect a true? potential hazard, the pesticide industry is telling fibs. If, as they say, it is politics, the warnings and signs are advertising. Which is true? Carl Mathis, Charlottetown Global Chorus today is a long poem, but beautiful, by Robert Ferrari, but I have only included the last stanza: "Renewal is yours, your task and work and hope.Understand it as a name, and call it. Everything yields. Yesterday’s poems are dead, And the poets have gone of to fish. he temples of Art and Hope are constantly rebuilt, Less so by masters and more by neighbours Seeking shelter from the rains, finding hat the clouds in their lives speak only grey ideas, Or rebuilt by those asking for directions to the theatre, Hearing that the third act has not yet been written, And feeling that their tongue has the courage to speak the lines, And recite the monologue of renewal." -- Robert Ferrari May 16, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
David
Suzuki detected change in the air in his column this week, citing the results
of the P.E.I. election: "It would be more honest if the federal government's emission target were 'Whatever the provinces achieve despite our best efforts.' " -- Paul Wells, May 15th, 2015 Sierra Club's National Program Director critiques it here: OTTAWA - Sierra Club Canada Foundation would be
disappointed with the federal government’s modest new emission reduction target
(of 30% below 2005 levels by 2030) IF there was any likelihood the government
would do anything to reach it. After nearly a decade in office, this government
has made it crystal clear that it's not interested in taking any action
on climate change. Two months ago, when Alberta released its
"framework" on cleaning up the tar sands, which is a bit thin and
rickety, and was criticized by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC);
and they showed their short explanation film on the tar sands. Even if
you have seen it, it is worth watching again. Satish
Kumar is a 78-year old from Rajastan, India, who now lives in England and edits
the bi-monthly magazine Resurgence & Ecologist. In 1962, he
and a friend, worried about a nuclear weapons war, went on a Peace Walk to the
four capitals of countries that had nuclear weapons (London, Washington, D.C.,
Paris and Moscow), meeting with the leaders. 'Look at what realists have done for us. They have led us to war and climate change, poverty on an unimaginable scale, and wholesale ecological destruction. Half of humanity goes to bed hungry because of all the realistic leaders in the world. I tell people who call me "unrealistic" to show me what their realism has done. Realism is an outdated, overplayed and wholly exaggerated concept.' -- Satish Kumar" In today's Global Chorus, he writes:
"Once upon a time,
colonialism and imperialism
were powerful forces, but in the first half of
the 20th century that came to an end. Similarly,
former Soviet satellite states and Eastern European
countries were liberated from the Soviet empire and the
Berlin Wall came down through non-violent means.
After 27 years in jail, Nelson Mandela became the
president of South Africa and the apartheid system
was dissolved. More recently, after 16 years of
house arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi has been elected as
a member of the Myanmar Parliament and there are
good signs of freedom in that country. These examples
give me hope that another world is possible where
sustainability, conservation, an end of hunger and
world peace will prevail." -- Satish Kumar
May 15, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
A
couple of events in these next few beautiful days:  screenshot from the above story about the BC salmon industry, from website sited above, with Conservative Fisheries Minister and Egmont, P.E.I. MP Gail Shea, published May 7th, 2015. A
thank-you as the next stage of work begins: Vote for Future Makes History on P.E.I. - The Guardian Letter to the EditorPublished on Monday, May 11th, 2015, in The Guardian The last few months, and more specifically the last few weeks, have been some of the most exhausting – and most exhilarating - days of my life. Trying to get elected when running for a third party on Prince Edward Island is no small undertaking, but the truth is, elections are not won by individuals. They are won by dedicated teams of selfless people, and they are decided by brave and trusting voters. I have had an opportunity to thank my team for their tireless enthusiasm, and now I would like to express my appreciation to each and every one of the citizens of District 17, who put their faith in me, and to all Islanders across P.E.I. who this week voted for some new politics on Prince Edward Island. You voted for the future, and you made history here in our small province. In the next four years, I will continue to contribute to the idea that politics can be done differently: that it can be engaging, open, and collaborative. I will bring forward new ideas, help to find the best solutions to the many challenges we face on Prince Edward Island, and strive to improve the lives of all Islanders. It is an enormous privilege to have been elected to our Legislature, and I am truly humbled by the opportunity to represent not only the citizens of District 17, but to be the voice of the 22 per cent of Islanders who said with conviction that they are ready for REAL change here on Prince Edward Island. Peter Bevan-Baker, From Peter Sale, professor emeritus at the University of Windsor, in today's Global Chorus: <>>"Evolved to jump out of the way of sabre-tooth cats, but to ignore advancing glaciers, we are slow to respond to the damage we are causing. Cocooned in our civilization, many of us fail to see what we are doing; deluded by our technology, others assume we can invent our way out of this mess. Still others understand the problem and the possible solutions, but we fail to act because the pain is not yet great enough. We need that approaching predator to shock us into action. It might come as a series of extreme weather events, or as a global pandemic, an abrupt rise in sea level as the West Antarctic shelf fails, or continental-scale famine following wide- spread drought. It might appear as a global economic collapse. If it comes soon, and if it is not too vicious, we can still get to a good future. If it does not, I fear we will simply watch and wonder as our civilization collapses. I hope that cat is coming soon."-- Peter Sale May 14, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Some
local news  screenshot of map of area of Arctic where the U.S. government has given Shell leases and permission to drive for oil, from above website The group Avaaz has started a petition to send a message to the Port of Seattle commissioners, who have to approve the passage of Shell's giant boats in their waters as they head off to the Arctic. They are looking for a huge mass of signatures. https://secure.avaaz.org/en/shell_drilling_4/?tEDpjbb And satire from the fake news U.S. publication The Onion on all this: http://www.theonion.com/article/shell-assures-nation-most-arctic-wildlife-go-extin-50408 <<snip>> HOUSTON: Stating that any damage would be limited to just a handful of species that somehow managed to survive that long, officials from the Shell Oil Company assured the public Wednesday that most of the Arctic wildlife living near their proposed drilling site will be extinct well before their next oil spill.>>
Global Chorus
today, by Joanna Rogers Macy, an American environmentalist, Buddhist scholar
and author, is a poem about our future, fitting for Mother's Day time: May 13, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
:-)  Green Party Leader and now District 17 MLA Peter Bevan-Baker hugs NDP candidate for District 14 Gordon McNeilly March 12, 2015, outside the Coles Building on Richmond Street in Charlottetown. Photo tweeted by Kerry Campbell, CBC reporter. In
yesterday's Guardian: Real majority demands change in P.E.I.'s electoral system - The Guardian Letter to the EditorPublished on Tuesday, May 12th, 2015 Vision P.E.I. welcomes the high participation rate in Monday’s election, and hopes both Islanders and Wade MacLauchlan’s Liberals recognize the historic nature of the results. After voter participation slipped in the last couple of elections, Islanders voted with a vengeance again, 86 per cent casting a ballot, back to levels not seen for thirty years. And whom Islanders voted for is just as important. Over 20 percent voted for parties that had no chance to form government, again record levels. In fact there were only five districts where elected MLAs were supported by a majority of voters. It’s clearly not business as usual. Many times Premier Wade MacLauchlan called for engagement. Islanders have done that, and close to 60 per cent said they wanted a government other than the Liberals.
It will take resolve and courage for the Liberals to recognize this, and Vision
P.E.I. hopes strong consideration is given to reforming the electoral system,
so that the engagement the premier called for is genuinely reflected in
legislature. Vision P.E.I. was established to give voice to
Islanders’ deep concern for the economy, the environment, and the soaring
public debt. Ian Petrie, (for Vision P.E.I.) Two
events coming up: Monday, Dandelion Festival, 11AM to 3PM, Stratford Town Hall, free entry but things for sale. Remembering Rachel Carson in today's Global Chorus (in its entirety) by biographer and historian Linda Lear: "Over the course of the last fifty years, many of us, but not enough of us, have understood the extent of the damage that human hubris has inflicted upon the natural world. Some of us tried to ignore the indisputable fact that global pollution was caused by human actions and activities, and not by some invisible malevolent hand. Others simply denied reality. In 1962 the nature writer Rachel Carson (1907– 1964) awakened us to the horrific consequences of human activity on the Earth’s systems in her iconic and still revolutionary book Silent Spring. Carson began her tale of the potential death of Nature with a fable based on the real and terrifying disasters suffered by many American communities where chemical pesticides had been used and misused. 'No witchcraft, no enemy action had silenced the rebirth of new life in this stricken world. The people had done it themselves.' Rachel Carson never knew how prescient her words would be. Her hope was that the potential silencing of spring would spur us to recognize the terrible consequences of putting anything into the natural world before we understood the impact it might have on human and nonhuman nature: on all life. She trusted, perhaps naively, that the next generation would carry forth an inextinguishable “sense of wonder” that would ensure that life would continue and that humans could and would live co-operatively with Nature. Sadly, we have not heeded Carson’s warning well enough, and human destruction of the planet has continued with terrifying speed. But is it really too late to turn around? Carson's hope, and mine too, is based on a belief in our continuing sense of moral responsibility to the future of human and nonhuman life. It is imperative that we be very clear about what we stand for and what we oppose. The continuation of the life support systems of the living Earth – clean water, fresh air, fertile soil and the biodiversity of the species – is our responsibility to the future. We can do it. We simply must do it. And we must do it NOW." --Linda Lear May 12, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Charlottetown
City Council's passed their municipal cosmetic pesticide bylaw at first reading
yesterday. Charlottetown
resident Carl Mathis, a welcome contributor to The Guardian for funny,
snappy letters, writes: Pesticide industry blames politics as reason - The Guardian Letter to the EditorPublished on Saturday, May 9th, 2015 The pesticide industry is hitting back at our municipalities who are making plans to ban cosmetic pesticide. Nigel Armstrong reports their message that such bans are politics. When one's neighbour is to have their lawn sprayed, we get these warning notes in the mailbox (Where will they do it when Canada Post has outlawed the mailbox?), saying that spraying will occur. After spraying, little signs sprout up, like mushrooms, warning kids and dogs to stay away for a day. Alas, neither of my dogs can read and that lawn space is important to them during their visits. If the warnings and signs reflect a true? potential hazard, the pesticide industry is telling fibs. If, as they say, it is politics, the warnings and signs are advertising. Which is true? Carl Mathis, Charlottetown Regarding
the provincial Water Act that is in its beginning stages of being worked
on, I think: P.E.I.'s Water Act requires open, transparent process; mutual trust - The Guardian Guest Opinion by Catherine Ronahan and Maureen LarkinPublished on Monday, May 11, 2015 In 2014, the Select Standing Committee for Agriculture, Environment, Energy and Forestry recommended to the P.E.I. Legislature that the moratorium on deep water wells not be lifted. At that time the government promised to develop a Water Act, which would be the framework for any future policies around water on P.E.I. As well there would be Island-wide public hearings to give everyone a chance for input. This was an important step to take and many watershed and environmental groups were happy with this decision, but our concern is that there be a genuine democratic process with meaningful input from community. We have recent experience of a very different kind of process with Plan B, where the final decision was made before public input was sought. The process used to consult the public is so important. That’s what was heard loud and clear from both the presenters and participants at a recent workshop called “What’s in a Water Act” co-ordinated by the Latin American Mission Program (LAMP). Over 60 people attended the workshop on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Kensington in April. The workshop focused on the kind of process we need to create an effective Water Act for P.E.I.. Gary Schneider, co-chair of the Environmental Coalition of P.E.I. shared ideas on public participation based on the principles of the ‘Public Participation Guide for the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act’ produced by the federal government. “The focus of public participation is usually to share information with, and gather input from, members of the public who may have an interest in a proposed project.” A good process does not have the decision made before listening to the public. It would include meetings across the Island, a draft report with a period of time for public feedback. Ann Wheatley from the Coalition for the Protection of P.E.I. Water, and also a panelist, spoke about the values to be included in a Water Act. ”A meaningful Water Act should be based on a set of values such as water as a human right, the right of people to a healthy environment, and water as a common good. To have any effect, a Water Act needs to be accompanied by well-thought out regulations, and monitoring and enforcement mechanisms. While the creation of a Water Act is essential, it will be for naught unless we articulate firm goals and objectives and develop strategies to achieve them.” Steven MacKinnon from the National Farmers Union (NFU), shared anecdotal evidence on how rivers and streams have changed in his own farm over the past 200 years that his family has been living on it. He spoke of his concern about the lack of research determining the amount of water we have. The panelists and participants were in agreement that we have to get this right. Controlling our water supply is one of the most important things we can do. Once we have infusion of salt water or pollution into the water table it is too late. As Steven MacKinnon succinctly stated, “You can't 'un-ring a bell.’ In developing the Water Act we call on government to have a process that is open and transparent and built upon a mutual trust of citizens and government. Catherine Ronahan and Maureen Larkin are members of the Latin American Mission Program The Global
Chorus essay for today is by environmental philosopher and the author of Ecological
Ethics, Patrick Curry.
When
I look at the world dominated by human beings,
I see (in the words of Max Weber) one of unpunished
injustice, undeserved suffering and hopeless stupidity. So far as I can tell, the future consists of humanity
sliding further into the abyss and continuing to take
much of the natural world with it.<<>> The only thing that prevents despair is that don’t know beyond any doubt that this is the future. By the same token, though, no one else knows for sure that it isn’t. In any case, it is only after fully acknowledging how dire is the situation and the outlook, without indulging in any comforting nostrums or pious evasions, that we are entitled to whatever hope remains. And even if none, we can still resist; you don’t need hope for that. What you need is courage.— Patrick Curry, independent scholar, writer, environmentalist May 11, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
A
break from discussing various aspects of proportional representation -- 5 Things You May Have Missed About Elon Musk’s Tesla Battery Announcement - Ecowatch article by Gina Coplon-NewfieldPublished on-line on Saturday, May 9th, 2015 Elon Musk produced fireworks last week when he announced that Tesla, his company known for its high-end electric cars, will soon start selling batteries to power homes and businesses. The products—which run about $3,500 for Powerwall home systems and about $25,000 for Power Pack business systems—will likely start shipping to customers later this year. The home system will store 10 kilowatt hours of electricity, enough to power a household for several hours. Here are five important things you may not have seen about the Tesla announcement: 1. Consumers will save money on
electricity. 2. It will hasten a widespread switch to
renewable energy. 3. It will allow electric car and solar
customers to drive on more sunshine. 4. It will mean battery prices will drop
even faster. 5. Companies are already raising their
hands to buy and sell these battery systems. Gina Coplon-Newfield is the director of the Electric Vehicles Initiative for the Sierra Club. And closer to home: NB Power looks to small-scale renewable energy - CBC NewsCommunities and First Nations to be invited to set up wind, hydro, biomass generation.
NB Power says as part of its goal to
generate 40 per cent of its in-province sales from renewable sources by
2020, it will encourage locally owned, small-scale green energy.
NB Power says the capacity of the projects will be 75 megawatts. That is just under five per cent of the current level of generation. Renewable energy currently accounts for 31 to 32 per cent of in-province sales, according to Cronkhite. The New Brunswick Department of Energy and Mines is currently reviewing NB Power's Community Energy Program. It's expected to issue guidelines in the fall about how the program should work.
Denmark and Nova Scotia
Denmark is a global leader in community wind power. It made the switch after the 1973 oil crisis and encouraged cooperatives in order to get communities on board."With very little opposition from the communities, because the farmers and the churches and the community groups owned the turbines," says Dick Bakker of the Ottawa Renewable Energy Cooperative. "If all of [renewable energy] was locally-owned there would be more emphasis by the industry on building smaller footprint turbines."
Bakker says when communities own the project
themselves, they can make sure that overly-large or noisy turbines are not
installed too close to residential areas. Today, Denmark produces around 40 per
cent of its energy from wind, compared to just over five percent in New
Brunswick. OK,
just one short political bit:
"In the early 21st
century, humanity sits in a precarious
position. Reams of evidence support a conclusion
that’s hard to comprehend: people are consuming
resources at a rate beyond the Earth’s regenerative
capacity. Like Icarus, humanity is flying too high, ignoring
the warning signs and courting disaster. The main
question, then is how to straighten out and fly right -- what's the
what's the most practical path for achieving the good life on our one
and only planet! May 10, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Happy
Mother's Day to all of you who take care of the people in your life. In such a day, and in times ahead, there will also be despair and sadness. This is part reality and part perception. Even in those moments we can find many good reasons to stand strong. 'Hope?' YES, hope based on real possibility to change the world. The future is what we make it. We can help to heal Nature so it continues to nurture us. We are increasingly interdependent and opting for the good. Technology and simple things like protected areas will make all the difference. What can I do as an individual and influence others to do what is good for Nature and therefore for humans? Every day … every moment …: Inspire: What can I do? Expire: What can we do? This Decalogue shared with students 20 years ago remains pertinent and practical to living and securing a space for Nature and ALL life in the Anthropocene.
These are just some ideas. I challenge you
for even better ones but please … be part of the
solution:
1. Seek, envision, apply and enjoy a lifestyle that
is light on the planet. Repel materialism. May 9, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Today, 2PM, first Garden Meeting and Clean-up Day at the
Farm Centre's community garden location, 420 University Avenue,
Charlottetown. All welcome. More info: Richard
Raiswell's commentary on CBC Radio Mainstreet from Tuesday afternoon about the
election, "Political Renewal" (about 4 minutes) is linked here: From
the on-line Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Paul MacNeill's editorial column in his Graphic newspapers from Wednesday: We thumped the status quo, one vote at a time - The Graphic editorial by Paul MacNeillPublished on Wednesday, May 6th, 2015 Wow, for a non-Islander the results look ordinary: Liberals 18, PCs 8, Green 1. But what happened on Prince Edward Island Monday night is a tectonic shift in Island politics; a massive one-vote-at-a-time rebuke of politics, as usual as practiced for decades by the two old-line parties. The PEI provincial election was a celebration in democracy. It put power behind the notion that ideas and individuals matter more than pundits, spin and advertising. It was a chaotic, nerve-racking, joyous, sad and troubling night. Liberals are returned with a comfortable majority that is actually in line with what many felt the final results would be. But any Liberal who looks at the final tally through the same prism as the past is reading the results wrong. This was a punishing vote against the Liberal government. It is likely if the party had selected any leader other than Wade MacLauchlan, the Liberal government would have been firmly tossed to the curb. This is a victory for Wade MacLauchlan. But it is razor thin. Redistribute 422 votes and PC leader Rob Lantz would have awakened Tuesday morning as premier designate of a PC minority government. That didn’t happen. Instead, Lantz was defeated
provincially and personally in his own riding. His gracious acceptance of the
results is a tribute to the class of the man. But the political reality is the
PC Party now finds itself only marginally ahead of where it was a year ago. The
caucus is larger but the party is now sucked into another leadership vacuum and
the challenge the party faces is to find a leader who can appreciate the new
political reality. Someone noted on social media that all Islanders were smiling because Peter Bevan Baker was elected as the Island’s first Green MLA. Bevan Baker didn’t just win. He trounced cabinet minister Valerie Docherty with the largest margin of victory of the night, a staggering 1,000 plus plurality. Provincially the party earned 8,857 votes, narrowly behind the 8,997 captured by Mike Redmond and the NDP. Redmond deserves immense credit for rebuilding the party from the ground up. He has changed the party mentality from a group happy to debate, to a party ready to win. Extending support to both the Greens and NDP should be high on the premier’s agenda. No Liberal or Tory should quibble with extending third party funding to the Greens now that Bevan Baker is an MLA. Funding allows the party to staff a legislative office, necessary to properly represent the large number of voters who did not vote for either the government or official opposition. But given the overwhelming demand for change,
MacLauchlan should extend some level of funding to the NDP. Premier MacLauchlan is already signalling his
willingness to look at ways of reforming the way we elect MLAs. Let’s hope the message is received because to quote Dylan: The times they are a changing. Paul MacNeill is Publisher of Island Press Limited. He can be contacted at paul@peicanada.com In
this posting this week by the unknown "Keep Them In Line" blogger,
there are tough words and eye-opening stories: More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Dillon_Levin "I have hope because we have come so far. When I was a high school student in the late 1980s, talk of global warming, recycling and eating local was fringe at best, reserved for hippie holdouts and eccentric vegetarian restaurants.
Today these ideas are mainstream,and environmental consciousness is
actually chic. We have proven our ability to change
our most insidious historical practices, and while we
cannot reverse all the damage done, there is ample
time to be better human beings." -- Kate Dillon May 8, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Tomorrow, if you want to go help clean
up a *big* garden: PEI Student Vote 2015  Student Vote 2015 Table of Results by Party (screenshot by above website) ---------------------------  Pie-chart of Seat Count vs. actual Vote Count (Screenshot from about website) ---------- I am not sure if this got very much press -- the results are quite different than what folks 18 and older voted for. :-) Someone wrote and asked the organizer if there was much discussion of Proportional Representation (versus the current First Past the Post" system), and there was no mandatory discussion of particular voting methods. Sounded like a great exercise, though. Accommodations
help in Summerside needed for accommodations for Harbourfront Theatre summer
performers: Please share this with your friends and neighbours. We have a great season planned this year but we can't make it
happen without some help." "<< the next big challenge is systems science for cross-disciplinary and cross-sector leadership and innovation for sustainability. We need this to develop coordinated solutions so that they support each other and together result in societal change at a scale and pace appropriate for sustainability to become a feasible option for the future. To develop and promote this type of science, we have formed an international alliance for strategic sustainable development (www.alliance-ssd.org), aiming at providing ways of putting any specialist discipline in the context of, and to the service of, strategic sustainable development. We invite all who want to contribute to join this alliance." -- Goran Broman more information here: May 7, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
"Prince Edward Island: It's time. We're
ready. Let's work towards proportional representation." Other political parties deserve chance - The Guardian Letter to the EditorPublished on Friday, May 1st, 2015 As we close in on Election Day, we find our newspapers full of Liberal and Conservative ads. Our premier stated on the radio that PNP is in the past, so forget about it, yet all of his ads proclaim the wonderful things the Liberals have accomplished. He cannot have it both ways. What should Islanders think about before voting - introducing the HST, cutting down old growth forest in the Bonshaw area for an unwanted highway, adding over $1 billion to our debt, patronage appointments and broken promises. Where is our new Environmental Ombudsman as promised in 2007? Where are the predictable and stable increases to municipal equalization? Where is the balanced budget? The Conservatives have nothing to gloat about as they had Polar Foods, made millionaires out of friends who started golf courses and they were ripe with patronage. Which party will decrease the HST? The Liberals have indexed every tax and service that we pay for. Which party will index personal income tax to give us a long overdue break? Which party will actually bring in a true energy accord, not like the one we are saddled with at present that guarantees Maritime Electric shareholders receive 9.75 per cent dividends? I live in District 23 (Tyne Valley-Linkletter) which has experienced many setbacks. We lost a unique fall flavour event Appelicious; the apple industry is destined to become a major producer on P.E.I. We lost our hospital but are promised a new manor as compensation. Tyne Valley has usually had two doctors but now we are being promised a nurse practitioner. Same old rhetoric from the same old parties. Other parties deserve a chance. Should they not represent you properly, you can fire them in four years. Gary A.O. MacKay, A
charming piece from Maclean's magazine online yesterday about Peter
Bevan-Baker, leader of the Green Party of PEI and new MLA: Tenth time lucky for the Green Party’s Peter Bevan-Baker - MacLean's Magazine article by Luc RinaldiPeter Bevan-Baker, the man who led the Green Party to a breakthrough in P.E.I. on his tenth try, offers ten political tips Election nights have always been anticlimactic for Peter Bevan-Baker, the leader of the Green Party of Prince Edward Island. After running, and losing, in nine elections across the Island and in Ontario, he was used to defeat. Victory, on the other hand, was new—and nerve-wracking. During P.E.I.’s Monday night election, while his supporters were excitedly playing music and drinking beer, Bevan-Baker watched anxiously as the ballots trickled in for his district, Kellys Cross-Cumberland. “It was the most excruciating hour of my life,” he says. “My heart was pounding out of my chest with the prospect that we might win.” And win he did, making history by becoming the first Green to hold a seat in the two-party province. “We’ve never really had any diversity in the House here,” Bevan-Baker says. “If Greens can win in a place as historically traditional as P.E.I., it shows this is possible in any province at any time.” A Scottish-born dentist, musician and writer, Bevan-Baker founded a local Green group in Brockville, Ont., in the early 1990s. With three young kids to look after, he never intended to be a candidate, but when no one else came forward, he ran by default. “It was not something I set out to do,” he says. Still, it stuck. He ran, unsuccessfully, several more times. Then, intent on living a quiet life—“sit on my deck, drink a glass of wine, read a book and talk to my wife”—he closed his dental practice and moved to Hampton, P.E.I. That plan lasted for awhile, and Bevan-Baker, 52, became a fixture in the local arts community, writing and directing plays and playing trumpet with local symphonies. But when the family converted an old, desanctified church into a dental clinic, café and community hall, he started practising dentistry again. Politics made a comeback, too, when he met with P.E.I.’s then-Green leader, Sharon Labchuk. “She knew about my political history in Ontario and persuaded me to run in a provincial election here,” he says. He lost four more runs (numbers six through nine) before becoming the party’s leader in 2012. “And here I am.” In the legislature, Bevan-Baker says he will focus on electoral reform, fracking and the future of P.E.I.’s potato-farming industry, among other things. Charlottetown, in fact, may feel strangely familiar; it’s new ground for the Greens, but not for Bevan-Baker’s family. His great-great-grandfather is George Brown, a Father of Confederation who participated in the 1864 Charlottetown Conference. “I feel,” he says, “that I’m sort of completing a circle here.” Ten lessons from 10 elections: Peter Bevan-Baker’s political advice
Peter Bevan-Baker summarizes each of his 10 campaigns in one word:
Luc Rinaldi is an assistant editor at Maclean’s, where he assists no one, edits nothing and reports on everything. He’s also written for The Walrus, Toronto Life and Maisonneuve. He wishes this bio included Oxford commas. A few events:
"Our first challenge is to understand how our
limitations and inclinations undermine our chance
to become sustainable. A sustainable future requires
that we change fundamentally in how we think and
act. That step is the most difficult challenge of all." May 6, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Jamie
Larkin, former candidate for Charlottetown City Council, says it perfectly: When
you combine Lego, a camera, some voting information, and a website, you get a
very engaging explanation:  It explains the popular vote and then there are a few panels explaining the problems with First Past the Post:   It visualizes that the 18-8-1-0 seat count should really be 11-10-3-3 if each vote actually counted . "Lego My Vote" is a fun site brought to the Canadian public by a team trying to engage and inform voters.
"With the unleashing
of nuclear energy, we have developed
a source of energy for economic growth, but we
also have created nuclear bombs: a technology
that can destroy the Earth and nearly every living
thing on it.
"While the threats to humanity from nuclear
weapons are not over, we are beginning to create
the conditions for our survival, including telling
the truth about the dangers of nuclear technologies;
building networks for communication, especially
with our adversaries; and co-operating with other
countries to dismantle nuclear weapons and relegate
them to the dustbin of history. — Dr. Kennette Benedict,
executive director of Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists May 5, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
The results from last night's provincial election ran the
full range from predictable to crushingly disappointed to sublime. Anyone
who lives in District 17 Kelly's Cross-Cumberland and not a huge fan of
"first past the post" winners is likely pleased a third party
candidate, Peter Bevan-Baker of the the Green Party PEI, won his district *with
the largest margin of any race.* (The "It's a miracle!" clip
playing on radio is funny since it's poking fun at political commentators like
Paul MacNeill who said it would take a miracle for Peter or any third-party
person to win a seat.) It took good planning, and an electorate that
trusted this hardworking man who offers so much more.  (First past the post seats: 1,18,0,8 versus by popular vote: 3,11,3,10) In a 27 seat Legislature, each seat is 3.7% of the popular vote, so the seat total should be something closer to Greens -- 3, Liberals -- 11, NDP -- 3, PCs - 10 Wouldn't that be more representative? I do hope the Tories look long and hard at being the first of the larger parties to pledge to some sort of representative reform, stop these false majorities, and get more voices like Peter's in the Legislature. Richard Raiswell writes that he will talk about the disproportionate representation on CBC Radio Mainstreet after 4PM today. Regular
things: "We must now stop shying away from the truth and hiding in intoxication or busyness from the despair of the human, whose four billion year race is run, whose organic life is a mere hair's breadth from finished. Join in community to publicly embrace this despair and allow it to squeeze and pressure new consciousness into existence." -- John Seed May 4, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Even
though the ground is not dry...  ...today is Election Day, 9AM to 7PM. All the forums, all the door-to-door, all the signs and ads won't mean a thing if people don't get to their polling station and cast a vote. For information: http://www.electionspei.ca/index.php?number=1046802&lang=E Regarding friends and relatives who will say voting doesn't matter, as the candidates are all the same, American writer David Foster Wallace (1962-2008) wrote: "If you are bored and disgusted by politics and don't bother to vote, you are in effect voting for the entrenched Establishments of the two major parties <snip> by all means stay home if you want, but don't bulls**t yourself that you're not voting. In reality, there is not such thing as not voting: you either vote by voting or you vote by staying home and tacitly doubling the value of some Diehard's vote." from
the "Common Questions" page of Elections PEI: Do I get time off from work to vote?There are provisions in the Election Act to provide sufficient
time for eligible electors to vote on Polling Day.
Getting
to the poll:
Traditionally, the candidates offer transportation to the polls for those who
need a ride. This is not supposed to affect your vote, they are not
supposed to offer you incentives, etc.; but one hears of irregularities about
some buses and donuts and other perks related to whom you vote for. Fun in Bonshaw yesterday, at a meet and greet for all
candidates. Kerry Campbell from CBC Radio came by to capture some of the
fun (I should have gotten a photo of him):  Randy Robar and Peter Bevan-Baker entertained us musically, too.  The four candidates for District 17 (Peter Bevan-Baker, GP, Valerie Docherty, Liberal, Randy Robar, PC, and Jesse Reddin Cousins, NDP), Sunday, May 3rd, 2015, Bonsha Party Differences relating to Environment and Democratic Issues (any errors or misinterpretations are mine):
A nicely written blog -- though the author provides little details about him- or herself -- critiquing the balancing act of the Liberal Party of trying to get credit for the useful things done under the Ghiz administrations, but not mentioning the names of Robert Ghiz and Wes Sheridan or criticising it. As another wise friend noted, you don't make progress if you don't review what's been done. Tonight,
the Parties will host parties to watch results and celebrate their
accomplishments, starting just after 7PM.. Global
Chorus today
is by writer David Tracey, and here is an excerpt: May 3, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA NewsFrom
yesterday's Guardian, about the City of Charlottetown's work on their
cosmetic pesticide by-law. Bold is mine: Reasonable exceptions to pesticide bylaw - The Guardian Letter to the EditorPublished on Saturday, May 2nd, 2015 As a member of the Charlottetown Cosmetic Pesticide Ad-hoc Committee and an author of the June 2007 report, I commend the city for developing the Cosmetic Pesticides By-law (available at http://www.city.charlottetown.pe.ca/cosmeticpesticides.php). The draft by-law is clear and straightforward and the exceptions are reasonable. The "Allowable Pesticide" list is in accordance with similar best practice cosmetic pesticide bylaws in other Canadian municipalities. (A few tweaks to the list have been suggested for consideration by the Environmental and Sustainability Officer.) The main drawback to the bylaw is outside the city's control, since the provincial government only gave municipalities the power to regulate non-domestic pesticides - i.e., the City can only regulate commercial-grade pesticides that are applied by lawn care companies. Residents will still be able to buy and use products available on store shelves, even if not on the "Allowable list" in the bylaw. Despite this drawback, it will be a huge step forward to enact this well-crafted bylaw, which can be used by other P.E.I. municipalities as a model. Ultimately, I encourage the province to adopt the bylaw province wide and to broaden it to include domestic pesticides for cosmetic use. It is long past time to deal with this public health issue. I look forward to the bylaw being enacted in a timely manner and strongly urge that a comprehensive educational campaign be started this summer - aimed at reducing the use of cosmetic pesticides - as advance preparation for the by-law coming into effect. Alice Crook, DVM, Charlottetown Back to politics: Tomorrow, Monday, May 4th, Election Day: who compares the openness of improvisational theatre with an approach to the future: "The conditions, then, that are necessary to move through our current reality are to approach it with the same attitude of gift-giving as do improvisers in the theater. When we intentionally practise the principle of saying 'yes, and …' we also create the conditions for inclusion, where there is room for all voices and perspectives to be heard and for all to build on the gifts that we bring to the party."-- Peggy Meyer May 2, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
For your information:
any
inaccuracies are mine and with apologies http://www.electionspei.ca/ivl/findDistrict.php
--------- Islanders Need Honest MLAs -The Guardian Letter to the EditorPpublished on Friday, May 1st, 2015 Regarding your April 30 editorial "NDP, Greens miss chance to co-operate": Many Islanders who are actively involved in the election want to work as much as possible with all our allies on the current issues of ending patronage and corruption, getting democratic reform, and making the restoration and protection of P.E.I.’s natural environment the first consideration in government policy and practice. So we are doing what we can to get good candidates elected, especially in the NDP and the Green Party, who have a clean record and should be given a chance to show how they can bring honesty and integrity to the P.E.I. Legislature. However, as much as we would like to make the campaign easier for our favourite candidates, it is just as important to give all Islanders the chance to make an informed vote for the party of their choice. This is a democratic principle that can't be ignored by "a gentleman's agreement not to run a candidate against the other's leader”. This right to informed choice should be strengthened, for example, by giving public financial support to all parties that meet the minimum to be officially registered (of having ten candidates). There should also be limits on campaign spending. (My pet peeve is the gross wastefulness of campaign signs- how about if each district had only a large public sign or two that listed all the candidates...) The NDP and Greens in District 16 are indeed to be commended for their co-operative gesture, and let's hope for a new Legislative Assembly of Members who will work co-operatively for honest and open government- one that rejects greed, personal ambition and petty squabbling in favour of helping people, protecting nature, promoting good health and building a strong caring economy. Those are the leaders our Island needs. Tony Reddin, Bonshaw "Brazilian legal theorist Roberto Mangabeira Unger once described the fundamental problem inherent to 'social change' in the manner of a conundrum, namely that the goals achievable over a lifetime do not appear worth fighting for, while the goals actually deemed worth fighting for are not achievable over a lifetime. How does one, he asked, ind the will and indeed the means to alter the status quo, when the “future” is not part of our cost-accounting mechanisms?
Part of the answer to Unger’s riddle, I strongly
believe, lies in informed, persistent and innovative
public policy. Part of the answer to humanity’s future
rests on our ability to design holistic approaches –
both tangible and intangible – to tackle the most
pressing realities of our global commons. Part of the
answer to the issue of trans-generational reforms ultimately
remains in the power of our collective institutions
and the unsuspected value that can be unlocked from smart
governance."-- Fahad bin Mohammed Al-Attiya,
executive chairman of the Qatar National Food Security Programme May 1, 2015Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Today
is the final Advance Poll, 9AM to 7PM, for the provincial
election. Each District has one advance polling station (as opposed to
one for each polling division) in each district). List of Districts and
Polling Stations, below. Last
night was the final, final leaders' debate of this campaign, and the debate
format was much more "interactive." If you are like me and not
able to attend or have Eastlink, you may not be able to view it, and the
organizers did not allow any live-streaming. Islander
musician and writer Todd MacLean created his first book last year, Global
Chorus: 365 Voices on the Future of the Planet, and in order to remind
myself to read each day's essay, I'm including an excerpt in each day's
Citizens' Alliance News this year (with Todd's permission). The book with
its complete essays and lovely photos and forward, is available at local
bookstores, on-line, and if you happen to run into the editor. Turn instead to wisdom, vision, courage, justice, ingenuity and self-discipline. These mighty weapons can overcome our indifference, incompetence and greed. Kill our unsustainable legacy at its roots. Our money-first-in-all-things dictum must perish or your world will. Jettison the crippling precept that only humans should count when money and jobs are at stake. In our better moments, we have produced some sustainable technologies for you – sustainable energy is already a significant reality in a few wise countries. Eliminate endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are undermining the nature of life itself, perhaps irreversibly." -- Terrence J. Collins, director of the Institute of Green Science at Carnegie Mellon University |
CA News >