August 31, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Today,
Thursday, August 31st: Farm Centre Farmers' Market, 4-8PM, Farm Centre, University Avenue. ---------------- Brad Trivers (Progressive Conservative leadership candidate) Live on Facebook, 8-9PM, details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/310749302727669/ -------------------------------A very introspective article about Climate Change and Hurricane Harvey: https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/8/28/16213268/harvey-climate-change Climate Change Did Not "Cause" Harvey, But It's A Huge Part of the Story by David Roberts Tuesday, August 29th, 2017 on Vox.com <snip from the end of the article, but the whole thing is worth reading> Everything human beings do, we do in a climate (except hang out on the space station, I suppose). Our climate has been in a rough temperature equilibrium for about 10,000 years, while we developed agriculture and advanced civilization and Netflix. Now our climate is about to rocket out of that equilibrium, in what is, geologically speaking, the blink of an eye. We’re not sure exactly what’s going to happen, but we have a decent idea, and we know it’s going to be weird. With more heat energy in the system, everything’s going to get crazier — more heat waves, more giant rainstorms, more droughts, more floods. That means climate change is part of every story now. The climate we live in shapes agriculture, it shapes cities and economies and trade, it shapes culture and learning, it shapes human conflict. It is a background condition of all these stories, and its changes are reflected in them. So we’ve got to get past this “did climate change cause it?” argument. A story like Harvey is primarily a set of local narratives, about the lives immediately affected. But it is also part of a larger narrative, one developing over decades and centuries, with potentially existential stakes. We’ve got to find a way to weave those narratives together while respecting and doing justice to both. <snip> -------------------------------- Paul Stamets is the author of Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World, TED Talk speaker, and founder and managing director of Fungi Perfecti. He writes the August 31st Global Chorus essay. We are fully engaged in 6x – the sixth greatest extinction of life on this planet known thus far. There are an estimated 8.3 million species on Earth. We are losing nearly 30,000 species per year and may lose ~3,000,000 over the next century. Unlike previous celestial cataclysms, however, this extinction is uniquely caused by an organism – Us. Loss of biodiversity directly threatens our environmental health. Fungi and algae first marched onto land around a billion years ago. Some 300 million years later, “higher life forms” surged onto land, made possible by a holy union between the roots of plants and fungi. Then, ~250 million years ago and again ~65 million years ago, two great extinction level cataclysms impacted the biosphere. The Earth was shrouded in dust, sunlight was cut off, the majority of plants and animals died … and fungi inherited the Earth. Those organisms pairing with fungi (whose mycelial networks do not need light) had better chances for survival. With the passing of each generation of life, fungi built lenses of soils by decomposing the deceased, creating the foundation of the food webs for descendants. The lessons of evolution have repeatedly shown that alliances with fungi can help us survive. Putting into practice ecologically rational myco-remedies can help make the course change needed to prevent 6x. Myco Practices for Protecting our Biospheres: 1. Mushroom cultivation centers should be located in every community for recycling debris and reinvented as environmental healing arts centers. Link all of these centers (“I.A.M.S” – “Institutes of Applied Mycology”) through www.fungi.net. 2. Grow mushrooms and mycelium as fungal foods for people and livestock. 3. Use the leftover mycelium from growing mushrooms, to filter water of pathogens (such as E. coli, cholera and listeria), phosphates, fertilizers, endocrine disruptors, heavy metals and petroleum-based toxins. 4. Use mycelium and commensal bacteria for biofuels, enzymes, mycoattractants and medicines. 5. Integrate fungal platforms for Permaculture, no-till farming, forestry and aquaculture practices. 6. row mycelial mats that service bees by providing essential myconutrients, enhancing bees’ host defences of immunity to prevent colony collapse disorder (CCD). We must muster the courage to chart a new course. The solutions are literally underneath our feet. Please find more information in what is below. — Paul Stamets August 30, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
The
Farmers' Markets are open in Charlottetown (9AM-2PM) and Stanley Bridge
(9AM-1PM). "Thursday evening from 8-9 I am going FB LIVE to answer all of your questions! I believe in 'Getting Back to Basics" in a new, innovative and progressive way. FB LIVE offers us this opportunity to have direct, free and open conversations with each other that are easily accessible, open and absolutely transparent. So please tune in, I am looking forward to your questions, especially the tough ones! Let's Get Back To Basics." Facebook
event link Her commitment to making PEI a better place for everyone has
been massive. Hey, we know this guy! Peter Bevan-Baker wrote the essay used for the August 30th entry in Global Chorus: 365 Voices on the Future of the Planet, edited by Todd E. MacLean. He was listed as "Green Party candidate" and that does show how times change.
When I was young I didn’t think much about the meaning of my life; I was
more concerned with learning and growing. I stopped growing physically some
time ago, but the learning has continued; I am still growing intellectually and
spiritually. August 29, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Today: The UPEI Office of
Recruitment and International Relations wishes to extend an invitation to the
campus community from Global Affairs Canada to a North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA) town hall meeting. Hosted by the Honourable Andrew Leslie,
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada-U.S.
Relations), the town hall meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 29, 2017 from 4:00 pm to
5:00 pm at the Rodd Royalty Hotel, Crowbush Room, 14 Capital Drive,
Charlottetown. More info: Federally, there will may other public meetings planned, but certainly this one has just been advertised to the UPEI campus communications. Meetings with the Eastern Premiers and Governors in the past days have included business representatives from places like Cavendish Farms and Irving Oil. There have been no other provincially organized public meetings on NAFTA and its effects on communities -- not just big businesses (that I am aware of). ------------------------------- 25 years ago historian Francis Fukuyama wrote a book called “The End of History.” In it he suggested that with the advent of Western liberal democracy, we had all that was needed to ensure sustained prosperity, peace and good government for the entire world forever and a day. We had reached, as the author puts it: “…the end point of mankind’s ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government.” History has shown that those who feel with utter confidence that a final understanding has been reached on any weighty matter are inevitably proved wrong. The world and how humans live on it continue to present endlessly confounding and marvellous new challenges, and – dare I say it – I have no doubt will continue to do so as long as we strut and fret upon this stage. Canada is a young country. Confederated in 1867, we are a jurisdictional baby in global terms, but our geological and human history stretch back far, far longer than the 150th anniversary we are celebrating this year. Though “founded by two peoples”, Canada was initially essentially a British country, governed by the British North American Act and ruled in the image of Westminster. The Quiet Revolution in the 1960s and 70s had a profound impact on the Canadian federation, when those empowered and emboldened by the rise of Quebec separatism shone a light on the accepted notion of “two founding nations”, and as Quebec asserted itself, our understanding of what Canada is changed dramatically. Today another community in Canada is finally starting to fully assert itself, and the question is, are we at a similarly seismic moment in Canadian history, this time recognizing that the story of Canada involves more than two peoples? With the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action, and a renewed commitment from our federal government, are we finally going to Re-Confederate Canada to include all Indigenous Peoples and recognize their rightful place on this land? I believe we stand at a turning point in how we understand our history and our future. I see this turning point in the response of ordinary Canadians to the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; I see it in the ambivalence expressed by many during our recent Canada 150 celebrations; and I see it in the vigorous and sometimes divisive debates over how history should be commemorated. When the Prime Minister speaks of a new nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous peoples, I feel hope. And when elders share traditional knowledge on caring for the environment, the importance of community, and the spiritual connection that all Creation has with Mother Earth, I realize we must learn from the wisdom of people who successfully lived on this land for millennia. If I try to identify the source of this turning point, I would say it is a longing for reconciliation: a deep yearning to recognize the harms of the past, support the need to mourn and heal, and build the foundations for a new relationship between Indigenous peoples and settler peoples. I won’t pretend that reconciliation will be easy: we cannot simply wipe the slate clean and start over again. We will need to question many of our assumptions about the Western world-view and recognize that we must not only respect other worldviews, but also be willing to learn from and adapt to their wisdom. We are at the beginning of our journey and have taken only a few small steps on the road to reconciliation. This will be a new and hard path for many of us, as we learn new ways of understanding this nation and our place in it. I hope it is a journey that we can all take together; that we can all share in a better future and fulfill the potential and promise of this great land. -Peter --------------------------------Belvie Rooks is an educator and co-founder of Growing a Global Heart, and wrote the August 29th essay for the anthology Global Chorus. On a recent early morning walk, I found myself stopping frequently and marvelling at the majesty and beauty of the San Francisco Bay. As I stopped, I noticed a young white crane nearby. Half an hour later, I noticed, what I thought was, the same white crane. Curious, I decided to be sure. I walked quickly ahead and stopped suddenly. A few seconds, my new friend arrived and perched on a nearby bench. I stood silently for a moment and looked around and realized there were no other cranes in sight. Ironically, a couple of days earlier, I had seen a 50-year-old photograph of this same estuary in which there appeared to be hundreds of cranes – a whole community of cranes. I was now conscious of the noisy freeway nearby; the profusion of overhead electrical wires; and the danger signs warming about a recent sewage spill. None of this would have existed 50 years ago. I eased slowly onto the bench next to my new friend and closed my eyes. I had, of course, seen all of this many times before, but now, I was seeing it as if for the first time from my small companion’s perspective. From that perspective, of habitat destruction, the surrounding view was a heartbreaking one. I slowly opened my eyes and my small friend was not only still there but her head was cocked slightly to one side observing me intently. Our eyes locked and it was as if she spoke directly to the very depths of my soul, “Now that you know, will you remember to tell my story too?” What was hopeful about the encounter, for me, was that I was fully present to the message being delivered. Thank you for showing up and I promise to remember! — Belvie Rooks August 28, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Today: Where's the plan for affordable housing? asks P.E.I.'s NDP - CBC News online article by Natalia GoodwinMike Redmond says all levels of government need to work together
Posted on August 25th, 2017, on-line CBC
I was a physicist and suffered from cancer in 1984. I transformed, and
have been free of metastasized kidney cancer for more than 25 years. I tell the
story of the recovery from cancer with cello-playing, confessing how I loved my
cancer instead of fighting it. I changed to a vegetarian “macrobiotic” diet,
drinking selected good mineral water, and most importantly, I watched the
sunrise every day in the morning. It was in front of the morning sun that I
made an exciting discovery. I found I was becoming very positive, very relaxed,
and healing energy was entering my heart chakra, first through my heart and
then to all seven chakras. I began to practise cello again after a long
absence. These things were done harmoniously by my intuition and not by
instruction. August 27, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Much going on today: Food
and Crafts: The 17th annual Lennox Island Powwow takes place this weekend
starting with breakfast served on the powwow grounds from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. both
Saturday and Sunday.
On August 12, 1971, hundreds of PEI farmers
boarded their tractors and proceeded to bring traffic to a halt on the
province’s major roadways. Held during the peak of the tourism season, the
demonstration continued for ten days. This talk examines the highway
demonstration’s inspiration, context and consequences. Ryan’s PhD is in Canadian
history, with expertise in the history of environmental activism in Canada and
the United States. Macphail Woods Festival of Forests, 2-6PM, Macphail Woods, Orwell. Our second annual Festival of Forests will be a family-friendly
event, with children’s activities, guided walks, local music, food and
micro-workshops. Everyone is invited to join the staff and friends of
Macphail Woods in the celebration.
"The Good-Time
Gospel is the ultimate in ecumenical worship, where we sing the praises of
everything that is, where all are welcome, and the only currency is love.
Good-Time Gospel is best served with food, preferably brunch and the soul
purpose is to gather together for a good time. We Sing. You Eat. Praise Be.”
Performers include our
special musical guests: -------------------------------
THE
VIEW FROM THIS BRANCH The Fate of the Timid - by David WealePublished on Saturday, August 26th, 2017
The first thing I would like to express this morning is my admiration for those Islanders willing to speak out openly about the alarming things happening within our society. The second thing I would like to express is my concern about the much larger number of Islanders who, for one reason or another, are afraid to speak openly about what is going on. The third thing is that for the last decade or more (and much longer actually) politicians have been able to count on the fact that when it comes to speaking openly and critically Islanders are astonishingly timid. Dear God, we practically invented political correctness. The fourth thing is that it is the timid, and the afraid, who are most likely to become the victims of exploitation, manipulation, bullying and profiteering, and we’ve seen a lot of that these last few years. It’s why I am unwilling to stop speaking about the reprehensible way the three female whistle-blowers were treated. They were shamed publicly by Robert Ghiz, (without a word of protest from his colleagues) and then shamed again by premier MacLauchlan when he simply dismissed it as an issue of no import. And why did they behave so dishonourably? Because they wanted to send a clear message that they were in charge and should not be questioned. It was a bully-boy tactic, and on PEI it seems to work. That silencing was a terrible moment in our public life. Islanders’ long- standing belief that it doesn’t pay to voice concern was reinforced powerfully. The culture of timidity deepened, both in the public realm, and within the public service. Ominous things are happening in the province presently, and the only way the will ever be addressed openly is for Islanders to realize that the risk of silence is, in the long run, much greater than the risk of speaking out. The silence of the lambs is very empowering to the wolves, and presently we are wolf-infested. [We are also aware that the reason some Islanders are so silent is because they, or those close to them, are profiting personally from the sell-off. Big money buys a lot of silence]. -------------------------------John Vlahides is a travel journalist and television producer and personality. He wrote a short essay for the August 27th Global Chorus anthology. I’ve travelled the world, known princes and stars, yet the wisest words I’ve ever heard spoken came not from a statesman or celebrity, but from a humble mystic yogi in San Francisco, who told me, “The best thing any of us can do is to sweeten the psychic atmosphere.” Our hope lies in the pursuit of spiritual values. We must expand our consciousness. Excelsior! To find the way forward, go within: meditate. — John A. Vlahides August 26, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Word of the sudden death out west of the son of Cindy Richards has many wondering what they can do. Cindy is a main force in the PEI Food Exchange, a leader in the environmental rights movement on P.E.I., and was a public environmental monitor during the Plan B highway construction and current Citizens' Alliance Board member. A fund is being set up by her friends to help with expenses at this time. People can donate:
Farmers' markets are open in all the usual places today: Bloomfield (8:30AM-noon) O'Leary(9AM-noon), O'Leary Legion Hall Summerside (9AM-1PM) Stanley Bridge (9AM-1PM) New Glasgow, The Mill Restaurant parking lot (8AM-1PM) Charlottetown (9AM-2PM) Cardigan (10AM-2PM) Murray Harbour (9AM-noon) Today: Market on the Plaza, 11AM-8:30PM, Confederation Centre of the Arts concourse. Facebook event details Art in the Open, 4-8PM, various locations. Website An Evening with Elizabeth May, 7-9PM, Farm Centre. All welcome -- she is a fantastic orator. Facebook event details Tomorrow, Sunday, August 27th: Festival of Forests, 2-6PM, Macphail Woods. Facebook event details ------------------ Steven C. Rockefeller is "fourth-generation member of the Rockefeller family, former dean of Middlebury College in Vermont, and philanthropist who focuses on education, Planned Parenthood, human rights and environmental causes." (Wikipedia biography) He wrote the August 26th Global Chorus essay.
The students sitting in a circle outdoors were looking dejected when the
flap of wings startled them. A raven landed in their midst. “Hey,” he croaked,
“put that UN report on the state of the world away and listen up. The last
thing anyone, including all the birds, needs right now is for you to fall into
a state of despair.” August 25, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Today,
the Cardigan Farmers' Market is open from 10AM to 2PM. Come visit the
Elections PEI Facebook page Friday afternoon at 3pm. We'd like to share some
information with you that we have received a lot of phone calls on over the
past several months. David Suzuki, broadcaster an proponent of environmental rights, writes the August 25th Global Chorus essay:
When asked what the chances are that humanity will survive to the end
of this century, Sir Martin Rees, Royal Astronomer in the UK replied, “Fifty
fifty!” James Lovelock, who named the web of life on Earth “Gaia,” predicts
billions of people will die in this century, reducing global population to 10
per cent, while Australian eco-philosopher Clive Hamilton’s book Requiem for a
Species is about our demise. August 24, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
The Farm
Centre Market is open today from 4-8PM, Farm Centre, 420 University Avenue. FRESH PRODUCE: Garlic; Beets; Celery; Carrots; White Carrots; Red Leaf Lettuce; Romaine Lettuce; Green Cabbage; Broccoli; Kale; Red Onions; Yellow Onions; ; Kohlrabi; Zucchini; Green Peppers, Cucumbers; Sweet Banana Peppers; Acorn Squash; Butternut Squash; Swiss Chard and hand-picked wild PEI blueberries. PRESERVES: Blueberry Jam; Pickled Beets; Mustard Pickles; Salsa; Red Pepper Jelly; Green Pepper Jelly; Rhubarb Jam; Grape Jam; Pickled Garlic Scapes; and Green Tomato Chow. And
there are many others, and wonderful crafts and other goods. In Bobcaygeon I saw the Amalgamation -By Richard N Stacy TomsAugust 21st, 2017 When I was 5 years old my family bought a cottage in Bobcaygeon, Ontario. Yes, the Bobcaygeon that the Tragically Hip made famous in their song. It is a small community of a few thousand people in the heart of cottage country Ontario. A place dotted with fresh water lakes, a place that booms in summer with tourism and cottagers and lies fallow through the winter. It is a beautiful place, a place that has a lot of similarities with Prince Edward Island. My father and mother retired to Bobcaygeon and on retiring built a house there. In the 1990’s there was a huge incentive by the Ontario Provincial government to amalgamate smaller communities into more manageable municipal governments. Despite two plebiscites that revealed the communities were against amalgamation. The Provincial government forced them to amalgamate anyway, through new legislation. They said the advantages of amalgamation would be a larger tax base, and efficiencies and saving through cooperative and combined services and infrastructure. Sound familiar? Ask my Father what happened. He lives on Richmond Street in Georgetown, PE now. He will tell you first-hand how successful this amalgamation was for Bobcaygeon. · It centralized government and government services to a more distant community making it harder to access, especially for an older demographic. · It created a larger government that was less responsive to issues in his community. (Just try to get a road paved). · It created a more expensive government and more bureaucracy to handle the larger extended geographic area of the new municipality. · It created a larger tax base, but any additional revenue was swallowed up by the larger municipal government through increased wages, expanded staff and additional infrastructure and services required by the larger community. · It centralized services including water and utilities and these services were more expensive. · It raised his taxes. The result- there was no net advantages or gains for his community. He paid more taxes, he paid more for services, local government was less responsive, his community was not better off under amalgamation. Despite an extensive Fraser Institute Study showing the systemic and widespread failure of amalgamation in Ontario to address the real concerns of small, rural communities- the provincial and local governments on the Island are trying to convince you they will somehow make this same process work. Forgive me if I’m skeptical. By a narrow margin, the citizens of Kawartha Lakes voted to de-amalgamate in a November 2003 local plebiscite, but the provincial and municipal governments have not taken any steps since the vote to initiate de-amalgamation --------------------------------------------Claire Boucher, aka “Grimes” is a Canadian singer-songwriter , producer and visual artist Her website is here. I don’t know if we’ll be able to reverse the damage we’ve already done, but I do believe we can slow it significantly. I think there are two key hurdles that, if overcome, will have a domino effect with regards to solving our environmental problems. First is education, and particularly the education of women globally. Our growing population is a huge problem and women who are educated have less children and are better equipped to care for them. I also think a broader “environmental education” initiative could yield a lot of positive change. When I was on tour in Asia, many countries had radio commercials encouraging people to unplug lights at night to reduce electricity use. Cities like Singapore and Jakarta would be very dark at night (despite being massive cities) due to people turning off all the lights in their closed businesses. I feel like this kind of government-funded public education is crucial and effective. There was very noticeable pollution in Asia, but there was also a more concerted effort to stop it than I have ever seen elsewhere, and a far more acute public understanding of the dangers of pollution. The other key issue is lobbying. I think the only way we can save our planet is if there is a complete ban of all lobbying or industry involvement in government decisions. Canada, for example, is completely run by the oil industry and no matter how many people show up and protest, pipelines are always approved, fracking is always approved. This is one of the largest issues facing the world today. Governments need to recognize this, and stop giving dangerous industries control over their policies. — Claire Boucher, aka “Grimes,” August 23, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
The Farmers' Markets are open in Charlottetown and in Stanley Bridge. Legislative Standing Committee on Public Accounts, 10AM -12noon, J.
Angus MacLean Building (across from Province House at the corner of Great
George Street and Richmond Streets). "The committee will continue its review of the Report of the Auditor
General to the Legislative Assembly, dated March 10, 2017. Auditor General B.
Jane MacAdam will be in attendance." Public Accounts committee has PC leadership contender James Aylward as chair, with members Leader of the Third Party Peter Bevan-Baker; Jordan Brown, Kathleen Casey, Bush Dumville, Chris Palmer and Hal Perry as government members, and Darlene Compton as the other Official Opposition member. All are welcome to sit in the comfy chairs that constitute the Gallery, and you can come and go as time allows. More details: https://www.facebook.com/events/685164301677058/ ------------------------------- Thousands of Atlantic salmon have escaped into Pacific waters
east of Victoria after nets containing an estimated 305,000 fish were
damaged at a U.S. fish farm in the San Juan Islands on Saturday. ------------------------------ When in doubt appoint another council - The Eastern Graphic article by Paul MacNeillPublished on Wednesday, August 9th, 2017 Wade MacLauchlan calls them Regional Economic Development Councils. They could just as easily be called the white flag of surrender because rather than show strength, the appointed councils magnify all of what is perceived wrong with the Liberal government. The premier announced their creation earlier this year, notably during a polling period when Liberals publicly put a premium on releasing good news. He rushed to name the chairpeople who accepted their role without benefit of seeing terms of reference for their work. Last week, committee rosters were filled and for the most part consist of a stellar group of individuals with long track records of service. This is no criticism of council members. Don’t confuse individual success with the necessity to create a new level of bureaucracy that only serves to raise more questions than it answers. And don’t believe government’s spin that committee members are random individuals who happened to throw their name in the hat at Engage PEI. This is a group that is, by and large, handpicked by the premier’s office. It shows. Appointees include a defeated Liberal candidate from the last election who the premier considered a star candidate in Ramona Roberts. The Western Regional council is chaired by a senior executive of McCain Produce, which would not normally raise an eyebrow unless you remember that it was just three years ago that a sister company, McCain Foods, closed a plant in Borden and threw 121 people out of work. Did no one in the premier’s office think of the optics? Apparently not. The eastern council includes supporters of the premier in former members of the short-lived Nova Scotia ferry task force, Scott Annear and Ray Keenan. Fully three members of the council sat on that task force, which shows the 5th floor is drawing from a very limited pool. While there is a definite
Liberal tinge to appointees, in fairness, the central PEI council includes
Jennifer Dunn, who moved the leadership nomination for former PC leader Rob
Lantz. The answer is nothing. The Liberals have been in office since 2007. Wade MacLauchlan became premier two years ago and appointed the Board of Economic Advisors to the Premier. When was the last time you heard from this group? We have a Department of Innovation and a Department of Workforce and Advanced Learning. When rural communities once again raised their voice in anger, the premier did what he said he wouldn’t and expanded cabinet to create a make work position for Pat Murphy, who is now Minister of Rural and Regional Development. It’s a department created without budget, staff or authority to do anything of substance. But still the premier promised Murphy would deliver. We have 27 MLAs whose
constituencies are among the smallest in the country and a legislature that
sits for among the fewest days a year in the country. Our MLAs have plenty of
time to be local experts. And the problem is the premier’s fondness for unelected appointed boards is based on a miserably failed model. Councils were supposed to redefine our education system. Instead they elevated mistrust, been manipulated by government, lack transparency and accountability and most importantly done nothing to bring excellence to our classrooms. Why would anyone want to repeat that record of lack of achievement? Is there any chance the eastern council will demand government reverse attempts to force a multimillion wind project down the throat of Eastern Kings without adequately compensating the community? Of course not. Government doesn’t really want these councils to act, as much as it wants them to act in ways it supports. This is the history of education councils. In reality creation of these councils probably has more to do with government’s agenda to dismantle both the Charlottetown Area Development Corporation and the Summerside and Area Development Corporation. Once again, rather than deal with the real issue, government confuses it. From a political perspective this effort with not stop the growing public perception of underwhelming leadership. The premier expects recommendations by the end of the year on ‘strategic opportunities’ for each region as well as general advice to government. He talks as if PEI is the size of Ontario rather than a province that takes 2.5 hours to drive tip to tip. Islanders look at the councils and say ‘This is it? This is all you’ve got?’ After 10 plus years in office this is the great idea? Even if they deliver a mysterious, never thought of before thunderbolt, credit won’t go to the guy who needs it most – Premier Wade MacLauchlan. He needs a win and this won’t do it because it is not broad based input. It is selective. To change government’s downward trajectory the premier must deliver the bold leadership Islanders are starved for and expected of him. It means real action and real change now because the patience of Islanders for more idle chatter is whisper thin. --Paul MacNeill is Publisher of Island Press Limited. He can be contacted at paul@peicanada.com --------------------------------Doug McKenzie-Mohr is an environmental psychologist, and author of Fostering Sustainable Behaviour. He writes the essay for the August 23rd Global Chorus anthology.
Humanity will make the transition to a sustainable future. Nature bats
last and, ultimately, will dictate that we fully embrace sustainability. While
we have no choice regarding whether we make this transition, we do have a
choice regarding how gracefully we do so. August 22, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA NewsThis morning is the last of
the Summer Breakfast Seminar Series with former MP David MacDonald: August 21, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA NewsIn case you are near a
computer and can't get out to see the bit of the solar eclipse today we
get to see here, Carlo Hengst has kindly shared a super-duper list of
livestreams he found: August 20, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
The Downtown Farmers' Market will be from 11AM-4PM today, lower Queen Street. Morell Farmers' Market is also open (9AM -1PM). Apparently, Blum's sweet corn will be there, too (until it runs out), along with blueberries, and many other vegetable, bakery and other vendors. ------------------------------- Solar
Eclipse Monday, August 21st: Another number to keep in mind is how many times our premier
Wade MacLauchlan addressed us. That number is 0. I spent my time here on PEI in
Stanhope, where our premier lives. I've walked at sunset along the same marshes
that our premier posts pictures of sea lavender and lupins and I've walked by
his home many times. A small body of water, Covehead Bay, seperates our two
properties. But his silence on this issue made that bay seem like the Atlantic
Ocean. To be fair- he did send his health minister in his place to our rally.
But for me that fell far short of the response acceptable for a premier on an
issue that is a crisis in the province. Especially when it turns out that he
instead chose to attend an event one block from our rally. It was very tough to
be so close geographically to our premier, but to feel like I was living on a
separate planet when it came to leadership in our mental healthcare system. I
urge all of you to remember at our next election that our premier chose to
ignore the fact that mentally ill individuals were being failed by the system
we pay for with our taxes. That when young mothers were being killed by their
illness our premier remained silent. In 100 days he has never once spoken to me
or to our 100 families who wrote letters to him. We usually rely on our premier
to lead the direction our province. It is clear from this campaign that the
premier does not value equitable healthcare for all islanders, he doesn't step
forward and lead in a crisis and he did nothing to intervene when he became
aware of major failures in our mental healthcare system. -------------------- Tanya Ha is an Australian science journalist, a behaviour-change researcher, and author of Greeniology 2020 andGreen Stuff for Kids. For me, it started with the gentle kicks of my unborn child. I had always loved Nature and had an interest in environmental issues, but the birth of my child extended this into my very soul. Suddenly, the vague, nebulous Future became her Future. I also found a new connection to the millions of other mothers in the world, the overwhelming majority of whom I will never meet. But I know they’re there, with the same love for their children. I am one of the lucky ones to be born in Australia, with its high quality of life. Today we live in such a specialized and complicated world; it’s all too easy to disconnect from the consequences of our choices. We don’t necessarily live near the land that grew our food, see the labour conditions of factories that make our gadgets, or breathe the air polluted by power plants. But other mothers and fathers, and brothers and sisters do; their children breathe that polluted air. John F. Kennedy once said, “Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.” I remember this in my work teaching greener living to householders. The people I work with don’t always understand “carbon sequestration” or “environmental flows,” but they do understand fresh air, family and love. I have choices that many other mothers in the world don’t have. We need to have the courage and compassion to make better choices and remember those who have so few. If you live and if you love, you have enough reasons to look after the planet. Our shared future depends on it. — Tanya Ha August 19, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Farmers'
Markets today: Anyone interested in
native plants, wildlife enhancement or Acadian forests is encouraged to
attend. The plantings will be used in
our educational activities for young and old.
They will also improve wildlife habitat, increase biodiversity and
provide future seed sources for both rare and common native plants. I assume this will go ahead rain or shine but call if you are
concerned. An Expensive Betrayal - The Guardian Opinion piece by Laurent Beaulieu
Charlottetown's Water Front Master Plan will be nothing more than exercise
in futility Some years ago the City of Charlottetown developed, with the help of consultations with citizens, a Water Front Master Plan which was to be the way forward in opening up park land and access to the Hillsborough River. It was to highlight our heritage as Birthplace of Confederation.The land targeted for re-development was the old railway yards and dock area from Weymouth to Queen Street. The idea was to enhance Charlottetown with pleasing park-like settings following the urban development plans adopted globally by so many cities on major waterways. The citizens of Charlottetown spoke clearly; they wanted a vast park and easy access to the river, with promenade and activities. This is all in the records. Founder’s Hall was re-habilitated and turned into a museum at a multi-million dollar cost. The City of Quebec was involved in the Confederation Landing Park project to mark its participation in the Conferences of 1864. The old potato warehouse was transformed into a modern cruise ship terminal. There was great hope; yes things were moving in the right direction, that was the adopted plan in 2012. Then, in the winter of 2015-16, suddenly the museum at Founder’s Hall closed without much fanfare. The building and surrounding parkland were put up for sale. The Round House Park and adjacent Founder’s Hall were sold at a discount price. The developer announced great plans in the spring of 2017; however that was not to be. Suddenly in June, “lots for sale” signs appeared on Round House Park. The possibility of building a seven-floor building is now very real. The current (July 2017) Water Front Master Plan clearly identifies Round House Park as a park now and for the future, not a building site. This is all too ominous. Parkland giving us access to the river for our enjoyment, being turned into yet another condo and creating other urban problems. No city on a major waterway in the world would consider doing this. Does Charlottetown still wish to promote its history and lifestyle? Why is this taking place in secrecy, ignoring the established Master Plan, without consultations? We need to hear what the Mayor and City Council really thinks and what action they intend to take to protect our parks and riverfront. Otherwise the Water Front Master Plan will be nothing more than an exercise in futility, and an expensive betrayal of the wishes of taxpayers. Charlottetown will have lost a major opportunity. - Laurent Beaulieu of Charlottetown is Docent at Government House, and at the Art Gallery of the Confederation Centre and a former diplomat of the Canadian Foreign Service ------------------------------- Don Gayton , who writes the August 19th Global Chorus essay, is an ecologist and author of works including Man Facing West, Interwoven Wild and Kokanee. He was a visiting writer-in-residence at UPEI in 2014 for a short period. Here is an archive of an interview he did with Karen Mair on Mainstreet, with a recording of their conversation. I could not get the player to work correctly but perhaps you will have better luck. http://www.cbc.ca/mainstreetpei/authorwriter/2014/02/06/writer---don-gayton/ Here in North America, we revel in unlimited and nearly free access to energy and automobiles. Right from the 1950s, it has been a rollicking fun trip. Without realizing it, we became addicted; people, business, governments, society. But the initial high has now worn off, and our petroleum drug of choice is getting expensive. A grim list of unpleasant side effects are kicking in. Who knew that cars and their fossil fuels could melt glaciers, ruin cities and change climates? Getting off drugs is profoundly difficult, but at least the individual user is surrounded by an unaddicted population. With petroleum, we are all junkies. Our governments and businesses pimp the addiction. We now fracture the Earth, scrape buried tar sands and weld enormous injectable pipelines to support our habit. We happily deal our drug to other countries. The refineries are tucked away, and the actual product is cleverly hidden. We don’t ever see or touch or feel the actual substance, only the side effects. A climate is sacrificed on the altar of a massively selfish consumption quest, one which delivers less satisfaction with each coming day. As nations we are drug-addicted teenagers, willing to throw our planet away for the sake of that momentary energy rush. We kill agriculture to build soulless suburbs and then perform high-speed commutes through carbon-enhanced air in 300-horse gas pigs on endless high-maintenance asphalt ribbons to clog cities with dead parkades and angry gridlock. Who can stand and acknowledge this? Who can stand at all? — Don Gayton August 18, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA NewsToday: August 17, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Everyone
is welcome to stop by the Farm Centre Market, 4-8PM, at 420 University Avenue,
tonight. Monsanto Was Its Own Ghostwriter for Some Safety Reviews - Bloomberg online article by Peter Waldman, Tiffany Stecker and Joel Reosenblatt
Published on Wednesday, August 9th, 2017, on-line at Blomberg.com Excerpt: Lamberto Zannier, former secretary general of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, writes the August 17th Global Chorus essay. The world has changed dramatically in recent decades. At the same time that traditional threats persist – most prominently poverty and armed conflict – we have seen a re-emergence of dividing lines along ideologies and religions and the rise of new global challenges. Confronting the impact of climate change, managing limited natural resources, addressing population growth and reducing the impact of human activities on wildlife and biodiversity – to name just a few interlinked challenges – are all issues that require global solutions. Important ethical considerations come to mind. Though we have reached an unprecedented level of development, the benefits of progress are unevenly shared across nations and within states. Environmental and social concerns, coupled with the global financial crisis, have revived calls to make development sustainable and to address growing inequalities in the distribution of wealth and resources. Today, leadership is needed to look beyond short-term political agendas and address difficult global issues for which no silver bullet exists. As people claim their right to play a role in decisions that affect their future and that of their children, global leaders must meet their expectations by adopting participatory and inclusive processes that ensure their voices are heard. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) offers a vehicle for finding common ground and a platform for dialogue not only among States but also with civil society, academia and youth. Although our 57 participating states have different perspectives and sometimes conflicting priorities, by engaging constructively in the OSCE, their leaders can demonstrate their readiness to work together to deliver what was promised to their citizens in the Helsinki Final Act in 1975 – peace, security and justice. The OSCE experience provides a hopeful example of the fruitfulness of political courage. In the midst of the Cold War, leaders of states with profound ideological differences dared to sit together at the same table and engaged in a dialogue to prevent a new war. The same spirit is needed today, leaving zero-sum games aside, in facing urgent challenges that threaten our security and possibly even our survival. — Lamberto Zannier August 16, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Hello, everyone, Tonight: There's been a lot of talk about next year's municipal
elections here on PEI! If you're interested in municipal government, municipal
politics, running as a candidate or working on a campaign, this meeting may be
a helpful place to share, learn, and ask questions. Co-hosted and supported by the PEI Coalition for Women in
Government, this get-together aims to give space for folks to share their
thoughts, concerns, and experiences re: municipal politics. We'll then
try to take those thoughts and move forward with some visioning - what SHOULD
municipal politics look like? What COULD our municipalities accomplish with
more diverse representation in its council? Where do we all go from here?
We hope to identify barriers and challenges, but also forge connections and
find ways to address those barriers together. <snip> Facebook event details IRAC has a mandate to follow - The Eastern Graphic Letter to the EditorPublished on Wednesday, August 9th, 2017 In your editorial in the August 2nd Graphic “Where are the Big Ideas?”, I wish to dispute your statement- “that many farms were growing over have been purchased by new Islanders taking advantage of the fact that Islanders were not rushing to buy them.” I am aware of several farms in the local area which were sold without being advertised as I understand is the law. I am also aware of some local farmers who were wishing to purchase these farms, but before they even knew they were on the market they were bought by off-Island people. One large parcel of land not far from you was purchased, but the buyer did not adhere to the regulation of residing on the Island. It is quite evident to me, as well as to the farming community, that the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC) does not follow the rules as laid out in its mandate. It is clearly stated under the Land Protection Act that a non-resident or corporation must include in their application details of recent advertising of the land by the local real estate market. Hope this first hand information is of interest to you, as this practise is very detrimental to an already struggling agriculture industry. Sincerely, Arnold MacLeod a life time farmer Vernon ----------------------------------------------------- Jamie Henn is the co-founder and strategic communications director of 350.org, and writes the August 15th Global Chorus essay. The 350.org website has so much information. Here is a photo of Jamie Henn and friends from the 2009 Youth Conference in Denmark as part of the COP15. Photo by Robert Van Waarden and used with permission. Robert is an Islander and internationally-acclaimed photographer documenting climate change and profiling people affected by it. http://vanwaardenphoto.com/  Four years ago, a group of college friends and I helped co-found the international climate campaign 350.org with author and environmentalist Bill McKibben. Our dream was to unite a new type of global campaign to solve the climate crisis – an “open-source” movement that could involve people from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, no matter their class, gender or religious affiliation. We decided to name our effort after the number 350 because according to the latest science, 350 parts per million is the safe upper limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (right now, the atmosphere contains over 392 ppm). The figure 350 was a clear line in the sand, a north star that we could only reach if we united as a global community. On October 24, 2009, our network came together for the first time in a massive, global day of climate action that connected over 5,200 events in 182 countries. CNN called it “the most widespread day of political action in the planet’s history.” The events ranged from more than 10,000 schoolchildren marching in the streets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to one lone woman holding a 350 banner in Babylon, Iraq. Together, we’ve gone on to organize more than 15,000 demonstrations worldwide. Our movement to solve the climate crisis will never have the money of the fossil fuel industry that stands in our way, so we’ll have to find a different currency to work in. At 350.org, that currency has been our creativity, spirit and unwavering commitment to a sustainable future. From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, a movement is beginning to be born. — Jamie Henn August 15, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Some events today: Breakfast
and big questions
(this week is about racism) with David MacDonald, 8AM, UPEI building on
University Avenue. Free Time to tell the true facts - The Eastern Graphic article by Alan MacPheePublished on Wednesday, August 9th, 2017, in The East Prince Graphic By the general direction of government it appears leadership doesn’t want to let the facts get in the way of a good story. The unofficial, yet official, directive by provincial government leadership to only communicate ‘good news’ is most disturbing. This is a deliberate effort to leave out facts that do not fit a desired narrative. It is a deliberate attempt to ignore certain inconvenient truths. It is an effort to mislead. It is fake news, in a word – it is deceit. Though deceit has been part of political behaviour ever since there has been politics, when leaders issue a directive and that directive is promoted by government functionaries, it is in a realm beyond being slippery; this behaviour undermines the love of truth which is a cornerstone of democratic principles, of justice and of religious and ethical observance. Government functionaries promoting such fakery, deserve our pity but certainly not our subservience. We must refuse this polyanna of deceit of half news and insist as in Anne of Green Gables for ‘the facts, the facts, the facts.” For instance, Health PEI tells us and expects us to believe PEI ranks as one of the best in the country with 85 per cent of people having a doctor versus 75 per cent in Canada. Yep, its good news if you say it often enough however, it is not true. Health PEI fails to tell you that PEI has consistently had the lowest number of doctors per 1000 patients in the country, which leads to being among the worst wait times to see a doctor. Instead of hiring more doctors, the province is assigning nurse practitioners, who though valuable, have a limited capability. Health PEI doesn’t tell you that it is limiting patient visitation to doctors or that mental health resources are grossly inadequate or that Health PEI is continually losing specialists and key medical directors because the administration system is broken. Health PEI doesn’t tell you that it has an administration cost three times the national average yet PEI has the lowest per capita spending on healthcare in Canada. Health PEI tells us there are only 4500 people on the patient registry and that it is meaningful and working. However, there is more than double the amount of people waiting for a doctor but Health PEI has ‘parked’ them instead of listing them so they do not count. It is a sleight of fact that only Health PEI or an imaginative four-year-old could concoct. By their own admission, Health PEI patient registry reports have over double the people listed as needing a doctor. The registry is beyond fake news, it is just fake, yet Health PEI management insists on painting its picture with these half truths. The provincial government will eventually be confronted by Abe Lincoln’s “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” Leadership and management must change its approach to reporting facts or we must change our leadership and management. If not our souls, then at the very least, our society depends upon it. In this instance, not only we can do better, we must do better. -- Alan E.MacPhee, Chairman, Islandwide Hospital Access --------------------------------Maren and Jan Enkelmann are the authors of Happiness: How the World Keeps Smiling
Why it is more likely to live a happy and fulfilled life after surviving
a life-threatening accident than after winning the lottery? In either case you
are facing circumstances you hadn’t and weren’t prepared for. However, those
who almost lost their lives are much more likely to reassess what’s truly
important to them and pour all their energy into it. The lucky winners who
should be able to realize all their wildest dreams often lose sight of the
essentials as life suddenly gets a lot more complicated. August 14, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
A
few events coming up this week: I adore our little Island paradise home. In every season I love capturing the light and glory of nature's bounty. Please join me in celebrating PEI's beauty at The Guild on August 16th, from 7-9pm for a viewing of my photography. All proceeds of sales will benefit the Dr. Jane Goodall Grove, at Stratford Elementary School. The show runs from August 16th, until the 27th. All photos and installations are for sale. Facebook event details How we move forward cannot depend on one spiritual tradition,
economy, or political system, but rather should depend on who we feel we are,
both personally and socially. What is the nature of humans and society? In this
light, human nature is the most important global issue. We can reconnect with this basic goodness by reflecting on our own humanity, our human experience, right now. Slow down, soften and touch our aliveness. Appreciate that we can see, hear sounds, smell, taste and touch our world. Awaken to our humanity. It’s simple and profound. It doesn’t matter what you believe or don’t believe, being human is our common experience. Slow down, soften and touch. Because human nature is basically good, I think that humanity has a very good chance to find its way through our current crises. But it is not guaranteed. We can help create the conditions we need to survive on this planet now, in this “every” moment, by awakening to our humanity. What would this look like? It would look like the Global Chorus. It would look like what so many people are already doing: investing creativity, energy, vision and money into innovation and international communication between people. It would look like networks of people aware of themselves and their interconnectivity with everything else, networks of connectivity working together. It would look like a society whose foremost principle is bringing forth the basic goodness of humanity. — Moh Hardin August 13, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Today: 
An excerpt from a recent posting by the group's founder, Sarah Stewart-Clark, in response to government press releases and ads citing new doctors:
An inappropriate for Sunday -- but typical of his humour -- comic from the
archives of The Far Side, by Gary Larson. PEI recruited the most doctors in 2017 - only 1 of them was in psychiatry. Our province hit an all time low with the psychiatrist numbers dropping to 10 for most of the year. We now sit at 11. We do not have a child psychiatrist in Charlottetown. The Canadian Medical Association recommends that based on our population size we should have 17 psychiatrists in the province. So the government is bragging that they recruited the most ever doctors in 2017. Where's the graphic for losing the most psychiatrists ever as a province? Also
from the Group: 1.We need more nurses with psychiatric training
in the ERs in PEI You
can request to join the Facebook group, link here: Lee Gerdes is the author of Limitless You: The Infinite Possibilities of a Balanced Brain, and founder and former CEO of Brain State Technologies He writes this very relevant Global Chorus essay.
Trauma
is not individually experienced today. In fact, horrendous trauma is shared
with millions of people worldwide as soon as it happens. Whether experienced
personally, vicariously though a close friend, or even experienced remotely via
a news report – every trauma adds a drop of stress to our system. Our
brains are reservoirs for trauma. In a world more connected, more immediate and
more open than ever, the downpour of trauma into our brains is torrential. August 12, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Farmers'
Markets today: Join us to alert
people they may unknowingly be eating GM salmon. We'll be at the corner of
Queen Street and Water Street with a banner and leaflets to hand out on the
sidewalk. It was just discovered that the US company AquaBounty sold
almost 5 tonnes of unlabelled GM salmon to unsuspecting Canadians, with no
public notification or product announcement. Canadians are now the first people
in the world to have eaten a GM animal commercially produced for human
consumption. The eggs for this GM salmon are produced in PEI and AquaBounty
wants to build a GM fish factory in Rollo Bay, PEI. https://www.facebook.com/events/669596393250932/ Small farming on a commercial scale - Island Farmer article by Andy WalkerPublished on Wednesday, August 9th, 2017 The first impression of Heart Beet Organics can be deceptive. With two greenhouses and a wide variety of plants under cultivation, it has to be bigger than an acre and a half. However, Amy Smith and Verena Varga have learned to make the most of every available centimeter of space since they set up their operation in Darlington back in 2010. Their vegetable farm was one of the stops on a tour recently organized by the PEI Organic Producers Cooperative. Small scale agriculture is a growing trend in the country but the owners of Heart Beet Organics don't consider themselves trendsetters. Their goal from day one was to be successful farmers, not just environmentally and socially but also economically. "We grow almost every vegetable you can grow in this climate," Amy said. "Some, like ginger, are grown in the greenhouse." That is no idle boast. They have over 40 different kinds of vegetables under production, with over 200 varieties including heirloom vegetables which are uniquely coloured. They offer veggie pick-up at the farm and also sell their products at the Charlottetown Farmers Market. The farm uses insect netting and plastic barriers to protect the crops and Verena noted they used raised beds to help with the soil structure. Amy adds it has been a learning curve, noting "the first year we lost all our tomatoes to blight." That curve also extended to what the marketplace wants, joking "we didn't grow yellow beans the first year and we never made that mistake again." "We are too small to get crop insurance so our insurance is to grow as diverse a crop as possible," Amy said. For example, they have learned the key to controlling blight is to make sure the foliage is kept relatively dry. Amy noted a couple of the years ago, a conventional potato grower nearby had blight but it did not impact their farm. They both noted the rise in small farming across the country means there are a number of tools (most of them hand held although they do have a small gas power machine with some attachments to perform a number of farm tasks.)"I would estimate that about 95 per cent of the tomatoes we grow, we save our own seed for," Verena said. One of their most popular products is proving to be Kombucha, a fermented tea drink that has been popular in Asia for centuries but is now just starting to catch on in North America. They sell the tea at the Charlottetown Farmers Market, as well as at My Plum My Duck and Timothy’s World Coffee in Charlottetown. They make the tea in stainless steel wine vats and Verena said the demand is growing steadily. The drink claims a number of health benefits including boosting the immune system, better digestion and high levels of vitamins B and C. ----------------------------------------Dr. Nancy Knowlton writes the August 12th Global Chorus entry. Here is a great biography of her from from the Smithsonian Institution Ocean Portal website: (She) is the Sant Chair for Marine Science at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and a scientific leader of the Census of Marine Life. She wrote the book Citizens of the Sea, to celebrate the ten years of the Census. She founded the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the University of California, San Diego. Knowlton has devoted her life to studying, celebrating, and striving to protect the multitude of life-forms that call the sea home. She lives with her family in Washington, D.C. Half-way between Tahiti and Hawaii lie the Southern Line Islands. Too remote to be a commercially viable destination, and too small or harsh to support self-sustaining human settlements on land, they teem below the surface of the waves with sharks, snappers and turtles swimming amongst a profusion of living coral. To go there, as I did recently, is to travel back in time, to a planet only lightly touched by people. Yes, the water is both warmer and more acidic, but these communities still thrive because they are protected from the day-to-day traumas of habitat demolition, rapacious harvesting and sickening pollution. The message is simple – it is not, yet, too late. It can be hard to remember that there is still hope for this damaged but far from dead planet that we share with millions of other life forms. In years past, my husband and I, jokingly referred to as Drs. Doom and Gloom, trained our students, future doctors of the planet, to write ever more refined obituaries of Nature. Yet human medicine, despite the fact that in the end there is always an obituary, is underpinned by hope. And so began a search for ocean success stories. In fact, there are many, and not just in wealthy countries with resources to spare. Yet, most conservation practitioners we met initially seemed unaware that progress was being made. We were once even told that a day-long program focused on ocean success stories would be impossible to fill. But that is changing. Most success stories begin with one or a few individuals unwilling to take “No” for an answer. They energize others to band together to establish protected areas, manage resources sustainably, restore devastated seascapes and reduce the flow of damaging chemicals into the ocean. Some use the power of art to inspire action. In the end, these efforts promote not just healthy oceans, but also human well-being. Conservation successes make compelling stories because they are centred on people rather than tables or graphs. They need to be told, so that success can breed more success. So when someone asks you if there is hope, share this African proverb: “If you think you are too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent the night with a mosquito.” — Nancy Knowlton August 11, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
The Cardigan
Farmers' Market is open today from 10AM-2PM. There's been a lot of talk about next
year's municipal elections here on PEI! If you're interested in municipal
government, municipal politics, running as a candidate or working on a
campaign, this meeting may be a helpful place to share, learn, and ask
questions. Environmental Rights: David Suzuki writes a column on the significance of the federal Standing Committee's report recommending the federal government formalize the right to a healthy environment. The whole column is here. His team has created a webpage with a form you can enter your postal code and have a message of support sent to your MP. The straightforward action: http://action2.davidsuzuki.org/FEBR ------------------------------ Dr. Exequiel Ezcurra is an Argentinian conservationist and plant ecologist who currently is a professor at University of California and Director of the UC Institute for Mexico and the United States. He writes the August 11th Global Chorus essay. My lifelong friend Enriqueta Velarde spends every spring studying seabirds in Isla Rasa, a small flat island in the Gulf of California. Single-handedly, alone in the remote island, she has done that for over thirty years. Through her research, she has restored the health of the island and saved two species, the Elegant Tern and the Heermann’s Gull, from almost certain extinction. She is a hero. Fifteen years ago, analyzing her painstakingly collected data set, we found that when the equatorial currents slow down, marine productivity collapses and the birds cannot find enough sardines to feed their chicks, which die tragically in their own nests. The fact that the speed of ocean currents twelve thousand miles away could predict the fate of a million seabird chicks was for me an epiphany, a sudden revelation of the deep intricate nature of the biosphere. The complex ecological processes that drive life in our planet were much more connected than I had ever realized before. I understood vividly that the Earth has processes that bin d all life together, and in the small Isla Rasa we could fathom the pulse of the biosphere. Since then, my research changed, and so did my view of life. I became much more interested in understanding the enigmatic connections between the land and the sea, and devoted much more of my time and efforts to advancing conservation science; because, how can we allow Nature to be destroyed if we don’t even know the impact this destruction will have on the continuity of life on Earth? — Exequiel Ezcurra August 10, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
The
Farm Centre Market is open today, 4-8PM, Farm Centre at 420 University
Avenue. Much Island goodness to be had. Canada OKs Idaho Company's Genetically Engineered Potatoes - Associated Press article by Ketih Ridler
Published in early August 2017, various media sources Unless you’re doing a little wilderness
camping today, you’ll find yourself inside of a building. You’ll wake up in
your home, then stop at the coffee shop for your latte. You’ll escort your kids
into a school building and then you’ll sit down at your desk on a corporate
campus or in a skyscraper or in a Main Street storefront. Maybe you have
the day off, and you’ll head to the mall, or the zoo. Our buildings and communities define our
lives. They are habitat. Shelter. Places for assembly or sanctuary. But they
are also our first line of defence in battling climate change and the final
piece of a complex puzzle in how we create communities that enhance our lives,
not compromise them. The walls around you and the floor beneath your feet, the
sidewalks and bike paths that are increasingly linking us together all factor
into how we are reimagining our lives and our economy. And the fact that so
many of us have undertaken this quest for a sustainable future is what gives me
great hope. There are hundreds of thousands of people around the world who are undertaking this important work. They are engineers, architects and building facility managers. They are teachers, lawyers, scientists, business owners, manufacturers and writers. But for reasons unfathomable, not everyone is on board. Our hardest job it seems isn’t figuring out how to build green, it’s to convince the naysayers that it matters. That it works. That it is a singularly powerful path forward to bringing our world through these times. Green building is not just about market transformation. It’s about human transformation. And we’ll get there if we convince everyone to pack up their small tents of special interest and join us in the big tent of collaboration and common purpose. That’s how we’ll achieve the sustainable future that we owe our children and the generations to come. — Rick Fedrizzi August 9, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA NewsMarkets today:  You may find some nice bags and containers (don't forget ceramics!) at the markets or local shops today. ----------------------------- Dave Toycen is past-president and CEO of World Vision Canada, and wrote the August 9th Global Chorus essay.
During the conflict in Kosovo, I interviewed a ten-year-old boy named
Liridan who had fled with his parents from the conflict to neighbouring
Albania. While boarding a farm wagon in his village to escape the invading
soldiers, he was struck in the arm by a rifle butt. His arm was broken and over
the course of a harrowing three-day journey, Liridan lost consciousness. But in
the end, he made it to freedom. Now Liridan and his family were crowded
together in a broken-down gymnasium with scores of other refugee families.
There was little privacy, a shortage of water and putrid, overcrowded latrines.
His mother wept as she described the terror of their ordeal, especially the
fear that the soldiers would kill Liridan. As the interview was coming to an
end, I noticed a small package of tinfoil in Liridan’s good hand. Earlier, one
of the church groups had distributed small presents for the children, most of
whom owned nothing now August 8, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
This
morning:
The Legislative Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Energy should consider being caught up on the most recent trends in electric vehicles and climate change mitigation during the meeting time before the Fall Sitting of the P.E.I. Legislature. They could go further than the P.E.I. Energy Strategy (link here) and make some clear recommendations to their colleagues. The other thing besides incentives for electric vehicles would be - the other have of their committee title -- the infrastructure part of it, that is to say the infrastructure that will be needed to charge these vehicles. Are Holland College and UPEI planning for more than a token charging station or two for their students, faculty, staff, and guests? Government buildings and others (like the hospitals) and such? What about the ferries -- if there was ever a place for an easy time to car recharging (and appealing to tourists), it would be the ferry rides to and from the Island. The effiencyPEI EV Tour yesterday undoubtedly drove on the TCH right by the Bonshaw Post Office nestled in the fine Bonshaw Hall. Building charging stations and renewable energy into post offices locations is a proposal in The Leap Manifesto. Leap Manifesto website And many good, clear, sensible energy recommendations are contained in the the 2016 "Charlottetown Initiative", found here https://ecologyaction.ca/charlottetowninitiative made by people who know what is happening (see Temple's comments, below). ----------------------------- Temple Grandin is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, and an advocate for those with autism. Her website She writes the August 8th Global Chorus essay.
To solve big problems will require people to work together.
Unfortunately, adversity is often required to motivate people to collaborate as
a team. When Hurricane Sandy flooded the New York subway system, petty labour
squabbles and politics were set aside to get the subway working again so
quickly. A certain amount of adversity can have a great motivating effect but
an overwhelming adversity may cause people to give up. The subway was
repairable and it got fixed, but the earthquake in Haiti was so devastating
that the people have not recovered. There are increasing problems with
dwindling water supplies, drought and worse weather events. Ways to remedy
these problems will range from high technology to simpler back to basics.
High-tech methods that could be developed are economical desalination of
seawater and methods for storing electricity from renewable energy sources such
as wind. Local low-tech methods such as improved integration of animal and crop
agriculture could help insure a steady supply of food. Both hightech and
low-tech developers must work together for this common goal. The world needs
both of them. We need
people in the world who do real stuff to improve the world and not just talk
and theorize about it. Many policy-makers have no practical experience with the
things they make policy about. Their policies have become so abstract that when
they are implemented by the people in the field, they may have unintended bad
consequences. Policymakers need to get out of their offices and find out what
really is happening. August 7, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Tomorrow: WAYNE CARVER: Protecting the party and its interests - The Guardian Opinion piece by Wayne CarverThis process would also require that the Attorney General report to the assembly, not the government Many Islanders have come to the realization that the present political system as we now know it, is not democratic or sustainable. There is far too
much cronyism, nepotism and corruption in politics. The secret deals,
giveaways, interference in community affairs and incremental implementation of
controversial or unpopular initiatives against the public’s concerns, are
indicators of just how unresponsive and indifferent our major political parties
have become. Politics is all about the power and the money, not good public
policy. - Wayne Carver of Long Creek is a supporter of electoral reform and comments frequently on social issues ---------------- Paul J. Crutzen: “Mister Anthropocene” - Environment and Society websiteBorn in 1933 in Amsterdam, Crutzen studied engineering before turning to atmospheric science. His research specialties include the ozone hole, nuclear winter, and global environmental change. In the 1970s Crutzen discovered that certain substances cause damage to the ozone layer. He campaigned for a worldwide ban on all substances dangerous to the atmosphere that protects the Earth The Montreal Protocol -- the most successful international environmental treaty to date—is also largely the result of his efforts. Crutzen and his colleagues Mario J. Molina and Frank Sherwood Rowland received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1995 in recognition of their work in protecting the ozone layer. At a conference in Mexico in 2000, Crutzen coined the term “Anthropocene”; the idea has been closely associated with his name ever since. May the Anthropocene in future be guided by the collective wisdom of many generations of intelligent humans, through peace and global co-operation, stimulated by Nature’s beauty.Welcome to the Anthropocene! — Paul J. Crutzen August 6, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Events
today:
It's
Time to Expose Another PNP Scandal - article by Kevin J. ArsenaultAugust 3rd, 2017 NOTE: This is actually an "article" being presented as a Facebook Post...I want to make it available with a video clip of Hon. Sonny Gallants' CBC Compass interview which aired on Wednesday, August 2, on the government's plan to use the Provincial Nominee Program to revitalize rural communities across the Island. Watch the video, then read my article. Compass
from August 2nd, about 39-and-a-half minutes in: I can't remember ever seeing such a misleading explanation for what the provincial government is actually doing with immigration - and “why” they are doing it - than what the Minister of Workforce and Advanced Learning, Hon. Sonny Gallant, gave to Kerry Campbell during a Compass Interview on Wednesday, August 2nd. I'm currently in the process of investigating the PNP program - more precisely, the revamped version of the PNP which began roughly around 2010, after the Federal government changed the regulations shutting down the previous PNP program – and I'm not yet ready to present a comprehensive analysis; but after hearing what Minister Gallant said publicly, I feel compelled to share some of my concerns about the provincial government's "new" rural immigration strategy immediately. In truth, the PNP program is not changing in any substantial way at all, and the promise of more immigrants settling in rural PEI is completely bogus. The MacLauchlan government is certainly not playing the “rural card" to revitalize rural PEI - the PNP is incapable of doing that, given it's current structure and limitations. In order to effect positive change in rural PEI using immigration, the government would need to abandon its deeply-flawed strategy of luring wealthy Chinese entrepreneurs to “buy” Island businesses, and negotiate a completely new PNP agreement with the federal government with new immigration programs designed to bring different classes of immigrants, from different countries, etc. which the government has absolutely no intention of doing. Gallant's response to Kerry's excellent question about why the government is not transitioning more temporary workers to Permanent Resident status through the PNP program was disingenuous and very misleading: there has never been an interest with any PEI government - Conservative or Liberal - to focus on bringing either skilled or unskilled workers to PEI since the time the PNP began nearly two decades ago. In fact, the focus has never been on bringing “immigrants” here who plan to stay....it's always been on bringing in money, not people. In order for the PEI government to continue to collect PNP application fees from immigrant entrepreneurs ($10,000 per applicant) and continue to pocket $200,000 security deposits from immigrant entrepreneurs who are really only interested in buying a Permanent Residency Card into Canada – not living in PEI - the provincial government has had to encourage Islanders to sell their businesses. The government has even set up a matching "tool" that operates like a Real Estate page on their PNP website, where local business “sellers” and immigrant "buyers" can meet. And there is no shortage of Chinese entrepreneurs who are eager and wealthy enough to happily forfeit $200,000 to the PEI government as part of the cost of getting that permanent residency card - immigrants who are also willing to pay exorbitant prices for Island businesses, far above market value, just so they can tick off a box on the PNP application form to meet the most important requirement for PNP nomination. The previous PNP scandal was all about the provincial government pretending that wealthy foreigners from mainly China, Taiwan and South Korea were becoming “entrepreneurs” in PEI when, in fact, the vast majority didn't even know what Island companies they were investing in....they were purely “passive” investors, and most of them had no intention of ever residing in PEI. That scheme resulted in the provincial government accruing millions in administration fees and “failed deposits,” and funneling hundreds of millions to lawyers, accountants and only those Island business owners they personally invited to apply for “PNP immigration units”. There are countless ways the government can ensure that only immigrants wanting to actually live here are “nominated” under the PNP, but such measures have never been put into place, which makes it abundantly clear that immigrant “retention” has never been a goal of PEI's immigration policy, despite frequent claims that efforts were underway to "increase retention of immigrants." The sad fact is that government nominates people who won't stay so it can keep their deposits. When the Federal government changed the terms of the PNP agreement around 2009, making the “purchase” of a business (or starting a new business) an essential requirement for provincial nomination of immigrant entrepreneurs, the PEI government – with it's well established addiction to an easy and lucrative revenue stream – immediately began pushing the sale of Island businesses, regardless of whether those sales were good for the economy, or contributed positively to the social and cultural life of PEI. And we really don't have a clear picture of what's happened on that front over the past few years – there's simply no way to map the phenomenal changes that have taken place in the Island business community. However, my research has revealed an alarming trend: while there was apparently only 14 businesses “purchased” in the 2012-13 fiscal year by PNP Immigrant Entrepreneurs, there has been a steady increase in the rate of purchased Island businesses since then, with a whopping 148 Island businesses having been purchased in the first three months of 2017 alone! What were those 148 businesses? Your guess is as good as mine. But shouldn't we know? Shouldn't all Islanders have access to that information? And now we're hearing stories of businesses that were once vibrant with many employees being more or less “shuttered up,” existing as “businesses” in name only; or of entire clusters of businesses (such as tourism businesses in Cavendish) being acquired by Immigrant Entrepreneurs. But who and where are these new owners? PEI regulations (unlike some other provinces) don't require any directors of Island businesses to reside in Canada, so the new owners may not even live in PEI or Canada. There's also talk of Chinese entrepreneurs buying businesses, then selling those same businesses to other Chinese entrepreneurs once they get their Permanent Resident Cards, so the same “businesses” can, in effect, facilitate the entry of many entrepreneurs, while doing nothing to bolster the Island economy. If that is indeed happening, it would be a clear violation of the “spirit” of the PNP agreement with the federal government, and perhaps even the “letter” of the legal terms and conditions. To be honest, we – the electorate - don't have a clue what's going on with PEI immigration. Despite Wade's promise of being “open and transparent” there's a shroud of secrecy hanging over the entire PNP program. Something I do know, however - having been deeply involved in immigration and settlement of immigrants and refugees for many years – is that the current plan to “move” the PNP program into Rural PEI is very bad news....and I sincerely suspect it's a complete scam. Why is the PEI government announcing this initiative now? Obviously because it creates a positive story by giving the impression that the government is finally taking action to do more to revitalize rural PEI. But I suspect the real reason is to justify enlisting new PNP immigration agents familiar with rural PEI to facilitate the ongoing sale of more Island businesses so the PNP money train will keep chugging along. Minister Gallant said as much in his CBC interview: “These agents will have a knowledge of rural PEI, what exists out there, if there are businesses for sale, what labour shortages there is (sic), and they'll try to get some skilled workers or business people to take over businesses, or start new businesses in rural PEI.” Due to a complete lack of government transparency, it's impossible to know what the real motives are for this recent immigration announcement promising to “settle” more immigrants in rural PEI using the PNP program. If the PEI government was serious about bringing appropriate immigrants and refugees to live in rural PEI; immigrants who are able to fill labour-market gaps and contribute to the rural economy of PEI for many years to come, then it would most definitely NOT be enlisting new agents skilled at identifying rural business owners who they can persuade to sell out to Chinese entrepreneurs! Islanders need to demand answers that will provide the information needed to fully expose the PNP scandal that is secretly unfolding on our fair Isle before it's too late! Will we once again have to wait for the Globe and Mail to do an exposé, as was the case with the previous PNP scandal, to discover the truth? And WHY are our political opposition leaders (Peter Bevan-Baker, Jamie Fox, and Mike Redmond) not screaming from the housetops about this PNP scandal? And perhaps even more importantly, why are the two contenders for the leadership of the PC party (Brad Trivers and James Aylward) not demanding information and answers from the government about the PNP? Will it take a rogue late entrant to the PC leadership race to put this crucial issue on the public agenda? I'll have more to release about the PNP program in the Fall, but for the time being, here's a couple of things to ponder: (1) the revenue that the province has raked in from administration fees and failed deposits with the PNP by facilitating the sale of Island businesses to the super-rich in China for the 6 year period from 2010 – 2016 was over $85 million; (2) although the total amount of administration fees has been increasing significantly since Wade MacLauchlan became Premier – thereby signifying many more entrepreneurs than skilled workers coming through the PNP – the total amount of “failed deposits” being reported has dropped significantly during the same time period. How is that possible? There is no reason to believe that the retention rate of PNP immigrants from China has changed significantly, which strongly suggests that the provincial government is simply not reporting all the failed deposits... has the government “extended” the period for declaring defaults, thereby circumventing legal requirements to report them? If only we had opposition members; political party leaders (and contenders); and media personnel willing to ask these questions and investigate these critically-important issues? If only! --by Kevin J. Arsenault------------------------ John Lundin is a spiritual and environmental writer and activist, author of The New Mandala: Eastern Wisdom for Western Living (written in collaboration with His Holiness the Dalai Lama)
We are living in a time of unprecedented challenge and unprecedented
opportunity. We are on the brink of self-destruction and at the same time
witnessing the dawn of global civilization. For the first time in the history
of human being we have the capacity to destroy our planetary home and also the
ability to restore the planet and the human community to a more perfect whole. August 5, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Many
Farmers' Markets are open today including: Has Ottawa sold out to Big Agro and its toxic chemicals? - The National Observer online article by Bruce LiveseyPublished on-line on Wednesday, July 25th, 2017 The first of a two-part series, "Bureau of Poison" The lengthy and informative article starts with the story of a beekeeper suffering losses of bees and the issue of neonicotinoid insecticides. an excerpt: As pesticides like neonics have generated controversy in recent years, the role of the PMRA has come into sharp relief. Critics of the agency accuse it of being “captured” by the very agrochemical companies - such as Bayer, Syngenta, Dow-Dupont, Monsanto and BASF - that it’s supposed to be regulating. “There is a wide perception they provide cover for allowing industry to carry on," says Dr. Warren Bell, founding president of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) and contributing editorialist to National Observer.<snip> ----------------------------------- We are behaving like yeasts August 4, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Cardigan
Farmers' Market is
open today, 10AM-2PM. "Presented in a talk show style format, 'What's So Funny About...?' pairs a group of comedians with guests from unique fields or careers and tries to find out... what's so funny about it!....Our guest is Adam Fenech, PhD (U of T), Director of the UPEI Climate Lab. Dr. Fenech has worked extensively in the area of climate change since 1988 starting with the IPCC First Assessment Report. He has edited 7 books on climate change, most recently as editor of the international journal on Climate Impacts and Adaptation Science. Dr. Fenech has taught at the University of Toronto since 1998, and lectures regularly at universities across Canada and around the world." Other
Fringe details are here.
...(T)he
Water Story Tour...was created as part of the Great Water Challenge, which is a
Canada wide event started by Waterlution. The Water
Story Tour is meant to teach people about where their water comes from and goes
in Charlottetown, and is built with an app called Strollopia, which lets you
view checkpoints when you get close enough to them. You can also view all the
content here: --------------------------------- LUCY SHARRATT: Caught in a tangled net - The Guardian Opinion piece by Lucy SharrattCompany starts construction without federal approval to produce GM salmon at Rollo Bay Published on Wednesday, August 2nd, 2017 The genetically modified (GM) fish company AquaBounty appears to have hit a major snag of its own making. It started construction of the world’s first GM fish factory at Rollo Bay but it doesn’t actually have permission to grow the GM fish there. The company took a $14,000 provincial grant to propose construction, and drew P.E.I.’s Environment Minister into a global controversy over the world’s first GM food animal - all without a green light from the federal government. AquaBounty has approval to grow GM Atlantic salmon at Bay Fortune, not Rollo Bay. This distinction was clarified by the Federal Court and is now confirmed by Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change in response to letters from a coalition of environmental groups. The location of the facility is highly relevant to the question of environmental risk. It was the company’s own request to avoid providing scientific information on GM salmon toxicity and invasiveness that restricted the federal approval to Bay Fortune. In 2013, when the Minister granted AquaBounty a “waiver of information requirements” to skip over this data, the waiver applied to the Bay Fortune facility alone. At that time, the company’s proposal was to produce GM salmon eggs, not fish. Last year, AquaBounty assured the province, “The proposed facility at Rollo Bay West will have no GMO salmon“ but this June it got permission from P.E.I. to build a facility to produce 250 metric tonnes of GM salmon each year. Now, we get confirmation that it doesn’t in fact have federal approval to use or manufacture GM fish at this facility. This may have come as a surprise to the P.E.I. government. AquaBounty has continually changed its plans. First, P.E.I. was going to supply GM salmon eggs for grow-out in Panama. Then, Rollo Bay was going to be the world’s first GM fish factory. Now, AquaBounty has started construction at Rollo Bay, without knowing if GM salmon can be grown there. The irony is that AquaBounty’s success in, so far, avoiding a full scientific risk assessment has led to this situation. For Rollo Bay, the company needs to submit a new notification to the federal government. It is our hope that we will now see a full scientific assessment of the environmental risks of GM salmon production in Canada. - Lucy Sharratt is co-ordinator, Canadian Biotechnology Action Network www.cban.ca/fish Editor's note -- what could be added to the last paragraph -- a full scientific assessment including thorough public consultation....The P.E.I. Environment Minister and Department acted too fast to approve this, and there was no reason to fast-track it in the first place. Or as least no reason ever given.------------------------------------- The August 4th Global Chorus is by Sandra Bessudo Lion, a Colombian marine biologist now at the Ecole Pratique de Hautes Etudes in Paris, former High Presidential Counsel for Environment, Biodiversity, Water and Climate Change of the Republic of Colombia. To speak about real sustainable development implies taking a step back so as to look ahead. As such, current environmental and social crises are a symptom of much deeper problems that afflict society. In the struggle between particular interests and needs, as well as the fight for economic and political power, leaders around the world have forgotten to think about future generations and in our legacy for them, as such forgetting the most basic common links that define our survival as a species, regardless of nationality. Countries need to modify their practices towards development if they really wish to generate changes that give us hope. It is vital for a country like Colombia, for example, to grow in the path of sustainable development, mindful of Nature’s resilience limits, and with a vision that goes beyond shortsighted and fleeting benefits that are commonly disguised as illusions of wealth. Green growth, beyond the mainstream pop cultural conception, actually means to foster economic growth and development while ensuring that natural assets continue to provide the resources and environmental services on which our well-being relies. It goes to the very basis of survival, rather than emphasizing a vision purely focused on wealth at all costs. It redefines the notion of wealth as such, so as to give value to life rather than economy alone. Ocean conservation can be seen as a good example of measures oriented towards true green growth. Oceans are an important source of livelihood for an important part of the world’s population, by means of, amongst others, sustainable fishing activities and ecotourism that provide for the well-being of coastal communities. Furthermore, oceans play a vital role in terms of climate regulation. This is a good scenario to see how proper environmental management contributes to sustainable development. The challenge relies on thinking not only in economic development in terms of GDP but to see it as a much broader concept that includes an improvement in people’s well-being and quality of life. Stakeholders should incorporate environmental criteria into their decisions to ensure sustainable and adequate measures that will really provide for our survival as a species. — Sandra Bessudo Lion August 3, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
This
evening: -------------------------------------- From yesterday's paper, a reminder from the long-sighted: http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/opinion/2017/8/2/tony-reddin--canada-must-say-no.html TONY REDDIN: Canada must say no - The Guardian Opinion piece by Tony ReddinAll Marine Protected Areas must be off limits to oil and gas exploration activity Published on Wednesday, August 2nd, 2017 (edited slightly)  Thank you for your recent editorial regarding oil industry development in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. As you stated, Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced last month that 80 per cent of a new so-called marine protected area (MPA) would be open to oil and gas development. The area in question is the Laurentian Channel, the southeast entryway to the Gulf of St. Lawrence – and a key feeding and migratory pathway for whales - including the mighty right whale - and the endangered leatherback turtle. After
years of consultations, the process for designating the Laurentian Channel MPA
as protected is working its way through the parliamentary system: the proposed
rules and boundaries have been published in the Canada Gazette at: It's clear from what’s laid out there that the lobbying from the oil and gas industry has made its mark: only two small patches of the area will truly be protected. The rest will be open to oil and gas. The region is very important to skates and sharks, too. The area is one of the only known mating grounds for porbeagle sharks, a species designated endangered by the COSEWIC, and habitat for basking sharks, high numbers of smooth skates, and black dogfish. It’s home to high densities and diversity of deep-sea corals, including high concentrations of a fragile type of coral known as a sea pen. The response from Sierra Club and other public interest groups has been rapid and unanimous: no oil and gas in our marine protected areas. Meanwhile, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers Vice President Paul Barnes, was quick to comment, “that the whole area still holds some promise” for oil and gas. The announcement calls into question the government’s commitment to truly protecting 5 per cent of our oceans and coastal areas this year, and 10 per cent by 2020. It came on the heels of a new study demonstrating the devastating impacts of seismic airguns (which are used in oil exploration) on marine plankton, which are the basis of the marine food web. In the lazy days of summer, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans probably did not expect the push back he received to his announcement. But now he seems to be listening. Our members and supporters have sent Minister LeBlanc and other leaders thousands of letters saying they don’t want oil and gas in marine protected areas. Now the Minister needs to
make changes in response to this overwhelming concern. We’ll be watching to see
what the final version of the regulations look like. This area deserves full
protection. And Canadians deserve to know that our commitment to protect key
ocean and coastal seascapes will not be swayed by the lobbying of the oil and
gas industry. Robert (Birdlegs) Caughlan, environmentalist and surfer, writes the August 3rd Global Chorus essay.
There are huge waves on the horizon. We can’t stop them, so we must ride
them. Riding big waves takes strength and courage and good judgment. But the
most important thing a surfer needs is balance. That’s what I think we need.
Balance in politics. Balance with the environment. Balance in life. August 2, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Farmers'
Markets are open today in:  screenshot from the Council of Canadians' webpage (play button won't work ;-) ---- Did you know Leo Broderick is now the national Chairperson of the Council of Canadians? And Nouhad Mourad and Betty Wilcox and keep us connected on P.E.I.? These Islanders give SO much. ----------------------------- Jay Ingram is a science writer and broadcaster, and wrote the August 2nd Global Chorus essay. I worry about the future of the planet, but more about us. For the most part we are just too shortterm in our thinking, too determined to stick to our values (even when they are in direct conflict with a livable future) and too tilted toward optimism to grapple effectively with the idea of environmental ruin. That optimism is the real stickler: humans tend to be optimistic, and many studies have claimed that optimistic people enjoy greater personal and physical well-being than do pessimists. It might even have survival value. So if you tell me you’re optimistic about the future, what are you really saying? Nothing more than “I’m human.” We need to be able to think differently – throw off the cognitive shackles – so here’s a radical suggestion. In an article in the online journal www. boulderpavement.ca, linguist Julie Sedivy points to research showing that because poetry uses language in unfamiliar ways, people keep thinking about the words long after they’ve finished reading. We need to keep thinking about the planet’s future, so I offer this poem “Whistledown,” by Dennis Lee, as a way of triggering that thinking. Whistledown Cold kaddish. In majuscule winter, August 1, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA NewsHappy August!
The creation of a better
PEI and a better planet Along the way they invented electric motors, atomic piles and the first World Wide Web of DNA exchange. Then, in the greatest of all evolutionary ventures, they formed co-operative communities that became nucleated cells. These co-operatives were the later basis for the evolution of multi-celled creatures as co-operatives on a larger scale yet. And eventually they evolved our own hundred-trillion-celled human bodies, which role-model amazingly co-operative living economies. Learning from these newly revealed patterns of problems and solutions in biological evolution, we too are finding out how to survive and even thrive into a better future despite – perhaps because of – our greatest challenges. That is indeed cause for celebration. — Elisabet Sahtouris |
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