January 31, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Some
things today: Canadian
Blood Services workers strike update: There
are a few issues the MacLauchlan government is said to be "moving forward
together", so the slogan says. The challenge is to expand and maintain a sense of place - The Eastern Graphic article by Allan RankinPublished on Wednesday, January 27th, 2016, in The Graphic publications The Federation of Prince Edward Island
Municipalities wants to make it easier for local communities to expand their
boundaries, amalgamate with neighboring communities and to rationalize and make
more efficient the provision of local services. I am not so sure about that. Municipal amalgamation is nothing new on Prince
Edward Island. I vividly recall then Minister of Municipal
Reform, Jeannie Lea, bravely walking into a raucous meeting in St. Eleanors,
where residents of that old and proud community on the edges of Summerside were
prepared to string her up. The apostles of municipal amalgamation will
argue that local history and identity are just romantic and indulgent ideas and
that bigger is always better. In 2009, Premier Robert Ghiz tasked late former
Justice Ralph Thompson to review provincial land use policies and local
governance. That’s a stiff litmus test. Thompson then went on to recommend carving up
the Island into 24 “sustainable” municipal units from west to east. Clearly, Prince Edward Island must change in many respects to better its chances for economic and jurisdictional survival. We need a new Island vision for the future, one built around quality education, respect for the land and entrepreneurship among other things. We need a move away from the present industrial agricultural model and we desperately need greater environmental stewardship and more effective provincial land use policies. We also need rural re-population and economic development. But I am doubtful if wholesale municipal government reform can bring about any of this desired change. The latest boundary expanding initiative proposes the amalgamation of Brudenell, Cardigan, Georgetown, Lorne Valley, Lower Montague, Montague, and Valleyfield, an amalgamation that advocates say will create the fourth largest municipality in the province and strengthen the rural political voice in eastern Prince Edward Island. Such a proposed coming together of local communities with their
own histories and identities, most of which presently do not share geographical
boundaries, will be a hard sell. In a small province such as ours, we can’t afford to lose local diversity and sense of place. Recasting boundaries and creating new communities in name and function destroys that local character and I believe takes us further down the road to jurisdictional unsustainability and irrelevance. We cannot afford culturally to let our local communities disappear. In my opinion, we need a more fundamental and comprehensive review of governance, one that goes well beyond municipal amalgamations and empire building. How many springs does it really take to wind a watch? Perhaps we should consider a political landscape that begins with a smaller Provincial Legislature, three county governments, two cities and precious little else. There is a little book on my shelf that rings
out a particular truth. Moore’s Point? There are two of them. Campbell’s Creek, Toronto, Suffolk and Milburn. There are two of these as well. Elliotvale, Kingston, Red House, Donaldson and Southampton. Can you close your eyes and locate them? In a galaxy not that far away, an Island premier once sarcastically and dismissively remarked that Hunter River is just a way to get to Summerside, it doesn’t really matter in the larger scheme of things. It’s that kind of thinking we need to guard against in our efforts to rationalize, consolidate, amalgamate and make everything bigger. The Global Chorus for January 31st is by Alanna Mitchell, a journalist and author of the book Sea Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis Here is an excerpt: <snip> "(W)hat if we quite fiercely choose hope and then zero that hope in on the task of rewriting the story’s end? It will take sacrifice, loss. We will have to relinquish some of our fear, a lot of our anger and blame and guilt and despair about the state our species has put the planet in. But those emotions are the stuff of paralysis anyway. They suck up good energy, driving it into a black hole of helplessness." <snip> -- Alanna Mitchell January 30, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Three interesting things: Today: The workers from the Canadian Blood Services have been on strike for weeks, with one of their demands is some guaranteed hours of work each week. There is a really planned today at 1PM, gathering inside at the Cabot Room of the Best Western on Grafton Street, and marching to Province House for the rally. Elizabeth
May wrote
this lucid piece about these recent multi-country mega-deal trade agreements
not being about trade. Definitely worth reading if you have some time when not
shoveling today. When is a trade agreement not a trade agreement? - Elizabeth May website article originally published in EmbassyBy
Elizabeth May, MP for Sanich-Gulf Islands and federal Green Party Leader, The question is neither hypothetical nor esoteric. It is immediate and urgent as governments around the world commit to so-called “trade deals” that have little to do with trade. A trade deal, as conventionally understood, sets out an agreed commitment to reduce and/or eliminate barriers to trade rated by protectionist impulses of governments. Trade deals open up sectors of one country’s economy for investments by other countries. Trade deals, in essence, are about trade in goods and services. On the other hand, agreements to convey to foreign corporations rights and privileges not available to domestic corporations are not about trade. Such investor-state agreements, or foreign investor protection and promotion agreements (FIPAs), travel alongside trade agreements (as in Chapter 11 of NAFTA) or sometimes masquerade as trade agreements (as in Canada’s FIPA with China), but they are not trade agreements. As Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz pointed out in his damning New York Times critique of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, deals such as the TPP are more about managing trade in the interests of foreign corporations than they are about trade. Understanding the difference between an investor state agreement and a trade deal is critical. Note that the Investor-State agreements have a number of acronym descriptors – ISDS, FIPAs, Investor-State. This alphabet soup may not have intentionally further disguised this stealth attack on national sovereignty, but disguised it unquestionably is. Canada has lost, or caved and settled rather than lose, more environmentally premised attacks through the ISDS of Chapter 11 of NAFTA than any other country. We have considerable experience in this area, yet little awareness that such is the case. Canadians, in particular, need to understand that our losing track record under Chapter 11 is not because our government, federal or various provincial governments, have behaved in ways that were rooted in trade discrimination. To lose when taken to Chapter 11 arbitration does not require that our actions were unreasonable, discriminatory, trade disruptive or unsupported by science. All we have to have done is act to reduce a foreign corporation’s expectation of profits. In the most recent Chapter 11 loss, a US corporation ignored its right to pursue its complaint in our federal courts. This was an unprecedented move to opt for a secret arbitration tribunal instead of open courts. US mining company, Bilcon of Delaware, asked a secret NAFTA arbitration panel for $300 million in damages against Canada. No Canadian corporation in similar circumstances could have sought this amount, nor accessed a private tribunal. Bilcon’s proposal for a basalt quarry in Digby Neck, Nova Scotia had been rejected by a joint Federal-Provincial Environmental Assessment Panel back in 2007. The panel found the proposal to be so seriously damaging to the environment that no mitigation was possible. Transiting shipments of basalt through the Bay of Fundy to build highways in New Jersey threatened the survival of the most endangered whale species on the planet – the North Atlantic Right Whale. It threatened existing economic activity in tourism and the lobster fishery. It offended community values. Based on the panel’s recommendations, the project was rejected by Progressive Conservative Nova Scotia Environment Minister Mark Parent and federal Conservative Environment Minister John Baird. Then Bilcon opted for Chapter 11 of NAFTA. The local community had no access to the secret proceedings. Neither did the Canadian environmental law community. In spring of 2015, two out of three arbitrators found for Bilcon. The dissent by the only Canadian arbitrator, Prof Don McRae of University of Ottawa Law School, outlined the outrageous nature of the ruling. McRae noted that the Bilcon Chapter 11 ruling does unprecedented damage to Canadian sovereignty and to the integrity of the environmental assessment process. Thankfully, the previous government filed an appeal to the ruling. It is hoped the new government will vigorously pursue the appeal. Still, NAFTA Chapter 11 cases are virtually impossible to win on appeal. (Someday perhaps Murray Rankin, MP for Victoria, may explain his service to Bilcon, testifying against Canada in the secret tribunal while a sitting MP). As damaging as Canadian experience has been with Chapter 11 of NAFTA, even graver threats to our sovereignty are posed by the Canada-China Investment Agreement. The Canada China FIPA was ratified by the previous Cabinet, without any hearings in Parliament, without any vote in Parliament. Osgoode Hall Law professor Gus Van Harten has done all Canadians a service by writing “Sold down the Yangtze: Canada’s lopsided investment deal with China.” We are locked into that deal until at least 2045, unless Beijing agrees to renegotiate. And now the TPP presents the threat of another nine countries with the right to take Canada to arbitration. It is time to shine a light on these investor-state agreements. It is time for a multi-lateral review and re-negotiation of the lot of them to an agreed upon international template to fairly protect investors without undermining national sovereignty, as well as domestic health, labour and environmental laws. Originally published in Embassy January 29, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
As you may have heard, the Winter Woodlot Tour scheduled for Saturday, January 30th in Rustico has been postponed for a week, until next Saturday, February 6th. The government released the schedule for the next round of
public meetings with the Special Committee on Legislative Renewal.
The purpose is to discuss options for electoral reform as the Committee works
on a plebiscite question to present to the provincial Legislative Assembly
during the Spring Sitting. They open and close in Charlottetown at the
Murphy Community Centre (Tuesday, February 9th and Tuesday, March 1st).
Unfortunately, the first one is also the same night as ECOPEI's annual general
meeting. Morell, Hunter River and Tignish get evening meetings,
Summerside on a Saturday afternoon. The Special Committee on Democratic Renewal of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island is starting its next phase of consultations, which will focus on the plebiscite question. There will be a series of community forums starting on February 9th and concluding on March 1st dedicated to this topic: Feb. 9 (7 pm) Murphy's Commmunity Centre in Charlottetown; Feb. 11 (7 pm) Morell Regional High School in Morell; Feb. 23 (7 pm) Central Queens United Church in Hunter River; Feb. 25 (7 pm) Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 6 in Tignish; Feb. 27 (2 pm) Loyalist Lakeview Resort in Summerside; and March 1 (7 pm) Murphy's Community Centre in Charlottetown. The format will be engaging, and will feature discussions among those in attendance and an exchange of ideas. A video with some information on various electoral system options will be shown to start the conversation. You will see advertisements in this Saturday's Guardian and Journal Pioneer newspapers; and next Wednesday's editions of La voix acadienne, West Prince Graphic and Eastern Graphic. <attached and printed, above> The Special Committee hopes that you will be able to join them at one of the upcoming meetings. There is no need to register. All are welcome! ------------------------- The schedule is not exactly "mid-January to mid-March" as described in the November 2015 report to the P.E.I. Legislature, and the five locations chosen ignore anything east of Morell, or the southwest of the Island, but it's a good start. The government chose the timing of the release of these dates on a day already busy with releases such as the Education restructuring and a couple of major health announcements; but here they are. We can all help spread the news via e-mail and other electronic media, too. Robert
Bateman is the Canadian naturalist and painter, and wrote the January 28th Global
Chorus essay, and here is an excerpt: "We need a critical mass of people to pay attention to issues. Too many people bury their heads in the sand and don’t want to hear about issues. We prefer, as Neil Postman says, to 'amuse ourselves to death.' To this end we need almost total transparency of the actions of people on top. What forces are behind the scenes? What are the lobbies? Where is the money? Financial transactions should be transparent. Government and corporate scientists should be allowed to be open about their work and their conclusions. No more muzzling of scientists or the media. Lack of transparency is the hallmark of tyranny such as the regimes of Hitler, Stalin or Mugabe." <snip> -- Robert Bateman January 28, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Ellie
Reddin doesn't just report the one-year extension, as the headline suggests,
she speaks for the Save Our Seas and Shores (PEI) group by calling for the
removal of the NL Board's mandate: Corridor Resources gets one-year extension on Gulf exploration licence - The Guardian Guest Opinion by Ellie ReddinPublished on Wednesday, January 27th, 2016 (Map from The Guardian's on-line publication of the opinion piece)For the third time in the past four years, the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board has granted a one-year extension to Corridor Resources exploration licence on the Old Harry prospect in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and waived the $1 million deposit required for a licence extension. This extension was granted because the board has not conducted the public and Aboriginal consultations required as part of the environmental assessment for this project. For the past two years, the NL Board has dragged its heels despite numerous inquiries asking when and how these consultations will be carried out. The NL Board says it will announce plans for consultations “at a later date,” not sometime soon. Does the Board intend to keep on delaying the consultations indefinitely and continue to give Corridor Resources free licence extensions? The current licence extension for Corridor Resources is just one in a series of irresponsible, biased actions and decisions on the part of the NL Board. In 2012, the board contracted with AMEC to update the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the Newfoundland portion of the Gulf. The purpose of the SEA was to assist the board “in determining whether further exploration rights should be offered in whole or in part for the Western NL Offshore Area.” While the SEA was being conducted, the NL Board issued a call for bids, including for licences within the Gulf. Clearly, the Board assumed that further exploration rights would be offered in the Gulf, regardless of the findings of the SEA. The SEA update report from AMEC discussed: numerous risks to marine species and the fisheries and tourism industries, the presence of many sensitive areas and endangered species, important data gaps, lack of social acceptability, and the complex and deteriorating state of the Gulf. The logical conclusion would have been that the kn Only two of the five Gulf provinces have set up Offshore Petroleum Boards: Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. The Nova Scotia Board ceased any activity in the Gulf in 1999. If the NL Board did not have a pro-petroleum industry bias, it would also cease all activity in the Gulf. The roles of the NL Board include facilitating hydrocarbon resource development in the NL Offshore and protecting the environment. As noted in the Wells Report of 2010, these are conflicting mandates. Clearly, the NL Board shows by its actions and decisions that protecting the Gulf ecosystem is not a priority. The federal and NL governments have abrogated their responsibilities to oversee the decisions of this appointed body. Decisions such as the recent free extension of Corridor Resources licence have been rubber-stamped by the federal and NL ministers of Natural Resources. Meanwhile, the protection of marine species and the rights of the First Nations, fishers, and other residents to protect the Gulf and pursue their livelihoods are being ignored. own risks outweigh the potential benefits. Although the authors of a report normally write the conclusions, the NL Board decided to write the conclusions itself. Predictably, the NL Board concluded that “petroleum exploration activities generally can be undertaken in the Western NL area…” Given the failure of the NL Board to act in a responsible manner, Save Our Seas and Shores P.E.I. is calling on the federal and NL governments to remove the board’s mandate pertaining to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Ellie Reddin of Cornwall is Past-Chair, Save Our Seas and Shores-PEI Chapter (SOSS P.E.I.) The David Suzuki Foundation not too long ago published a more clear map and an
article about how an oil spill would affect the region: January 27, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Sad news that P.E.I. farmer Steven MacKinnon passed away
suddenly Monday night in his home in New Argyle. He was 53 and had just been
outside chopping wood. Steven was very active in the National Farmers
Union, and the Coalition for the Protection of PEI Water. He spoke on the
importance of local food, and protecting our soil and water. You may
remember him from the panel with Maude Barlow at the Council of Canadian's
forum this Fall at the Rodd Hotel.
This is from Robert Reich, a former U.S. Secretary of Labour in the 1990s,
about the Trans Pacific Trade deal: U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman will travel to New Zealand Feb. 4 to join 11 other trade ministers in a formal signing ceremony for the Trans Pacific Partnership. After that, it’s up to Congress to pass it. The Obama administration wants a majority vote before Election Day. Today the nonpartisan Peterson Institute for International Economics issued the most comprehensive analysis to date on the likely consequences of the deal. It finds that the TPP will boost American exports by 9 percent a year and increase overall economic growth. But it will not increase the number of jobs in the U.S., and could force 50,000 U.S. workers each year to find new jobs. Those displaced workers “may experience serious transition costs including lasting wage cuts and unemployment,” according to the report. So, do we want to grow the economy and add to the nation’s overall wealth (presumably, mostly at the top), but cause a significant number of Americans whose wages are already dropping to face even lower wages and more job cuts? That’s the direction we’ve been going for the past 35 years. The Trans Pacific Partnership will only hasten it. Food for thought. Lauren Bush Lauren, world traveler, philanthropist and new mother, wrote the January 27th Global Chorus essay. Wikipedia article on Lauren Bush Lauren. Here is an excerpt: <snip>" Ultimately, I believe the foundation for real and lasting global change is universal empathy. If our world is connected through a shared Earth, it must also be connected through a shared compassion and common sense of human dignity. It really boils down to the Golden Rule: 'treat others as you would like to be treated.' If the world could abide by that simple rule, many of the daunting challenges we face today would go away. But in the meantime, it is up to each of us to come up with our own ideas and solutions." <snip> -- Lauren Bush Lauren January 26, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
A
Tuesday mixed-bag: The P.E.I. Legislature released its *2014* Report of the
Legislative Assembly, with a lot of information about how it works and many
events of the year. The link is mentioned on this page in the
right-hand sidebar of their website: Chef and food activist Jamie Oliver wrote the Global Chorus for January 26th: "True, sustainable, radical transformation of individuals, families or communities doesn’t come from one action – everything has to change, everyone has to contribute and everyone needs to be openminded to change, which makes it tough. But that doesn’t mean people can’t lead the way, set examples and give people hope. Of course governments should step up and big, responsible organizations should set an example, but there’s no reason why change and making better choices can’t start with individuals and be fun. "I believe that even the best governments can only think short-term – as far as the next election or, at best, the one after. Big problems that will take decades to solve are overwhelming, and the likelihood is that by the time things get REALLY bad, the other guy will be in power. So I’m pretty sure a lot of them think that big solutions can wait. They can’t. It’s not too late to make a difference. " <snip> -- Jamie Oliver January 25, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
A
few events later this week and next: Here
is a link to Rosalyn Riddlington Abbott's petition with the very basic, very
important, request for the Town of Cornwall -- which is both "town and
country" -- to reconsider allowing some backyard agriculture like a few
hens and small dairy goats. More info here with this link to: Speaking of ecological, family-driven, agriculture, here is part of the background and a link to a recent article on Indian environmentalist and sustainable agriculture educator Vandana Shiva: Dr. Vandana Shiva’s work around seed sovereignty and organic agriculture is perhaps best known in India. But she influences and inspires on a global scale. With special thanks to, and permission from Acres U.S.A., North America’s monthly magazine of ecological agriculture, we reprint the following introduction and in-depth interview with Dr. Shiva. Americans who visit India often come back more or less overwhelmed by its vast size and complexity, and if they are not stunned into silence they are at least much less willing to engage in generalities. Timeless beauty, explosive economic growth, persistent poverty and about a billion people all make for an intense experience if you’re used to the predictable movements of cars and shoppers. The
one-page background on the article is here: Finally,
related to part of what Vandana Shiva is struggling against in India (Monsanto
and its "Round-up" glyphosate herbicide), Tony Lloyd wrote this
letter published in Friday's Guardian: Glyphosates pose threat to health - The Guardian Letter to the EditorPublished on Friday, January 22nd, 2016 Last fall, Dr. Eilish Cleary, New Brunswick’s chief medical officer, was studying the effects of glyphosate on public health when she was placed on leave. We now hear that Dr. Cleary has reached a settlement? In the U.S.A., glyphosate is sprayed on sugarcane before harvesting to increase its sucrose content by up to 15 per cent. Such spraying is referred to as ‘ripening.’ The standard application rate of glyphosate is 90 grams per acre but results are inconsistent so farmers spray larger amounts; multiple applications also increases yield. The maximum permissible residue of glyphosate for cane sugar is 2.0 milligrams per kilogram (2 parts per million (PPM)); molasses 30 PPM; carrots 5 PPM; canola 40 PPM; peppermint tops 200 PPM. Glyphosate is used for weed control on cereal and oilseed crops. These crops are also sprayed before harvest to boost yield. Trace amounts of glyphosate are found in downwind soil, air and rain; we are all bystanders: bats, birds, worms, snakes, insects, the unborn, the young, the old. Gut bacteria account for 80 per cent of human immune function. The human gut is an organ which bidirectionally communicates with our brain. Our gut is now being called our ‘second brain’ and our ‘window on the world.’ Dr. Stephanie Seneff of MIT has identified biochemical pathways in the gut disrupted by glyphosate for the following diseases: obesity, mood and behavior disorders, autoimmune dysfunction, ulcerative colitis, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, Parkinson’s, dementia, Alzheimer’s and autism. Puppet scientists continue their propaganda campaigns in an attempt to lobotomize and silence the Canadian people about glyphosate. The externalized costs of declining public health and declining biodiversity become increasingly apparent. The foregoing disease and casualty lists are consequences of a tradition of biological and chemical warfare by the military industrial complex. Tony Lloyd, Mount Stewart January 24, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Journalist Ian Petrie can be a tough read when he is carefully describing a
contentious issue, especially one many of us have strong feelings about; but
his depth of experience, analysis and comments are very important. This
is his latest column in Island Farmer newspaper, which is published
every other week by Paul MacNeill's PEICanada Press. A more honest discussion on a difficult topic - Island Farmer article by Ian PetriePpublished in Island Farmer newspaper on Wednesday, January 20th, 2016 And
while on hearing what we may not want to hear ;-) with thanks to
Tony Reddin for originally sharing it. Meeting People Where They’re At - Briarpatch online article by Tracey MitchellFour tips for activists Published on August 25th,
2015, on-line in Briarpatch magazine
When I was a university student, I had two distinct sets of friends – there were the people that I lived with and partied alongside in residence, and there were those with whom I did social justice and environmental organizing. I was excited when a group I was involved with, the Sierra Youth Coalition, held a beer night fundraiser because it provided an opportunity to bring my two sets of friends together. “All-you-can-drink beer for five dollars?” my friends in residence asked. “What’s the catch?” “No catch,” I said, “and you’ll be raising money for a good cause.” A few weeks later, one of the friends I had brought along to the beer night was leading chants over a megaphone at a political rally. However, after a few more weeks of spending time with my “activist friends,” she and another friend told me they didn’t want to go to an upcoming gathering with the other activists. “We feel like they’re always judging us and like we’ll never be good enough,” they said. There wasn’t enough cheap beer in the world – or at least not in Saskatoon – to help my friends feel like they belonged among the “granolier-than-thou” crowd, and I felt caught in the middle. This story is just one example of how people who actually agree with us on issues and relate to our values are often turned off by the ways that we behave as activists. Changing this is critical if we hope to have more hands on deck to work on the issues we care about. In the 15 years since my failed attempt to bridge the gap between my dorm-mates and my activist friends, I haven’t developed a fail-safe approach to meeting people where they’re at, but I have a few principles that I try to practise. 1) Listen and Relate Similarly, I don’t know how many events I’ve been to (or organized) where at no point in the event is anything said about how people can continue to be involved or what the next step is in a strategy. Whenever possible, building in specific “asks,” both of the whole group and of individuals directly, should be a key part of an event-organizing checklist if we want our movements to grow. 3) Be affirming and encouraging Furthermore, when new people get involved in something we are organizing, noticing their contributions is extremely important. Often, what seems like a small contribution by someone new to our group has actually taken a lot of effort and has required the person to step outside their comfort zone. Feeling appreciated and valued is key to making someone want to continue to be involved in our organizing. 4) Seek common ground As activists, we often agree about 99 per cent of things but spend much more than one per cent of our energy fighting about where we disagree – frequently in ways that are damaging to our movements. It’s important to seek common ground when we can. If I know that someone agrees with me on an issue and is kind and likable, I’m much more likely to seriously consider their view on a subject where we disagree, and they are likely to do the same. Finding common ground isn’t just a good idea because I might be able to win someone over on other issues; it’s also a good idea because the common ground we find may lead to entirely new possibilities and ideas. Tracey Mitchell coordinates Next Up Saskatchewan and also coordinates a mental health peer support program in Saskatoon. She is a member of the national board of the Council of Canadians and a founding member of the public transit advocacy group Bus Riders of Saskatoon. And more advice from Carl Honere, a supporter of the Slow-Food Movement in Italy, from the January 24th Global Chorus selection: "There is always hope. If we work together and channel our better angels, we can fix this mess. "The first step is to forge a radically new definition of success. Consuming more should cease to be the measure of a good life. Instead, we must build a culture that prizes meaning and connection, that places on a pedestal those who make the world a better place. "The most powerful way to bring about this cultural revolution is to slow down. When we live in fast forward, we struggle to look beyond our own selfish, short-term desires. Decelerating can help us see the big picture. When we take time to live each moment fully, we start to notice and cherish other people and everything else around us. "Bottom line: the only way to save this fast world is to slow down." — Carl Honoré January 23, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Farmers' Markets open today in Summerside and Charlottetown,
and some grocery stores have local food. "It's
not about the price of cauliflower....it's about not planning for the future.
It's about missed opportunities to ensure our provincial food security. Food security doesn't work by election cycles....it works if
there is long term planning in place. Related to the excerpt from discussions yesterday regarding
the Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Energy -- here is there report
submitted to the Legislature last December with their recommendations: While
we are waiting for the Special Committee on Democratic Renewal to post its
schedule for winter public meetings (I am afraid there won't be much time
between when the meetings are announced and the first one :-/ --- Blog: Getting the best result from electoral reform by Peter Bevan-BakerWith the second round of democratic renewal public consultations about to get under way, I thought it might be a good time to talk about the unique opportunity that PEI has to shape national affairs. Since its birth, Canada has used the “First-Past-The-Post” system to elect governments at the federal and provincial levels. Prime Minister Trudeau has stated that from now on that won’t be the case federally. The next federal election will use something different to elect our House of Commons. Meanwhile here on Prince Edward Island, the process of reviewing our electoral system was already well under way before the Liberals assumed power in Ottawa. In July of this year, Premier MacLauchlan launched a special committee to consult with Islanders and to bring forward a question (or questions) for a plebiscite on the issue of democratic reform. I have had the pleasure and privilege of serving on this committee. We have heard from Islanders all across PEI, and received hundreds of written submissions on the topic. As a member of the committee, I have put aside my own preferences and listened openly as Islanders expressed their inclinations for our electoral future. While I understand that discussions on democratic reform don’t necessarily get the heart fluttering, I remain convinced that how we elect our representatives has profound implications when it comes to the nature and quality of governance. So rather than advocate for a particular electoral system, how about we look at what we want to get from an election outcome? Or put another way, how can we craft the electoral system that will optimise governance on Prince Edward Island? I believe there are several features of such a system, and they are.
Rather than championing one particular option, how about we agree on the outcomes we would prefer, and then go looking for the system that is most likely to produce it? So I ask the questions: Do you agree with my criteria? Is there anything missing from the above list? If we can agree on what we want, then we can have a useful debate about how the various options before us – status quo, preferential ballot, proportional representation, etc. – fit the bill. It may be that whatever we choose here on PEI is scalable for the whole country, or it may not. Either way, the eyes of the nation will be on our deliberations here, and we have a chance to be pioneers in electoral reform, to modernize our system and improve how we elect our representatives, and more importantly, the governance they provide. -Peter <snip> "Ecologies don’t talk about hope; they demonstrate it. So can we humans. Our actions will inspire and support others. We can exercise the will, we can make conscious choices, we can cultivate a sense of efficacy in ourselves and others – especially in children and youth – and we can create a positive, healthy and life-sustaining future.<snip>" -- Cheryl Charles http://www.childrenandnature.org/ January 22, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Not
sure how I forgot to mention this before - -anyone thinking of going over to
it? There is a new running tally of P.E.I.'s interest payment on our debt, which is, in a word, nauseating (see arrow): Screenshot from: http://bradtrivers.com The arrow is mine. (Note that the amount has gone up almost $200, 000 since I took that screenshot last night.) Besides the interest calculator, Trivers' featured article is a summary of the Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Energy's last meeting. I do not think Brad is assigned to this Committee (latest transcript from the meeting and membership here), but it's an important one and it's good for people to hear about its plans for this year. <snip> Committee members reviewed the agenda and approved the list of witnesses and groups that has been suggested for each topic of discussion. Thus far the committee will be discussing:
New Business The Committee noted that they had wanted to discuss the issue of infrastructure as it relates to the provision of High Speed Internet and noted that the Education and Innovation Committee was going to tackle that subject – they requested that they get notification and an invitation to that committee’s meeting with Bell Aliant on that subject. Members seemed to feel that the subject should be under their committee and noted that if they wanted to discuss it themselves, they could bring it to the agenda at a later date. <snip> A previous post on money in and out of government is here: "We are looking to brands for poetry and for
spirituality, because we're not getting those things from our communities or
from each other." January 21, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Tonight
is the Institute of Island Studies Symposium, 7PM, free: This
parent and the others have been working with the system for years; MLA and
Opposition Health Critic James Aylward has been advocating
for this, it unanimously passed in the Spring 2015 sitting of the P.E.I.
Legislation Assembly; but it appears stalled, and you can feel their
frustration: Ground to a Halt - The Journal Pioneer Letter to the Editor
On P.E.I., child physiotherapy and
occupational therapy stops being served around the age of six – even though
many require ongoing treatment. The political scandals, 'red tape' and generous layers of bureaucracy are burning through public resources - making it difficult to provide therapy. Health P.E.I. has targeted special needs children as a priority in their strategic plan, but so far the solution has been to increase the spend by roughly 0.06 per cent of the Health P.E.I. budget. We know P.E.I. needs more physiotherapists and occupational therapists. We know it's wrong to stop providing rehabilitation when children turn six. We know P.E.I. has enough to provide the services children require – without breaking the bank. We also know that newly appointed Health Minister Robert Henderson stood with the Premier, cabinet ministers and all voting MLAs to unanimously support our motion [no. 30] in the P.E.I. Legislative Assembly to correct this. The prayers of the motion are clear: (The full motion is available online.) HERE THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this assembly urge government to officially respond as soon as possible to the petition and commit itself to improving access to children’s physical services for the benefit of Island children aged 0-18; [NOTE: There are no rules or legislative process in place to facilitate tabled public petition responses.] THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Assembly encourage government to commit to an aggressive timetable for these access improvements ... Robert Henderson, alone, can end this multigenerational systematic discrimination and improve the mobility and lives of PEI Children as stated clearly in the Public Health Act of P.E.I. Excerpt from the Public Health Act: 3. (1) The Minister shall establish, and may amend, a provincial health plan, which shall include (c) the health services to be provided or made available in the province and the health facilities to be operated by Health P.E.I.; Will Robert Henderson be a true leader and resolve this issue or continue to allow the system to discriminate against children on P.E.I.? I'd love to know. Jeff Matheson, Hartsville Mike
Holmes, the building guy, writes the January 21st essay for Global
Chorus. Here is part of it: "I have hope because we know how to build a healthy home. We know how to build a house that respects the environment and uses it to its advantage. And the more homes we build this way, the more we will be building and sustaining our environment. It’s all connected. "How we live today will impact how we will live tomorrow. And I’m seeing more and more people realize this and do something about it. " -- Mike Holmes January 20, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Coming
soon -- from: http://www.assembly.pe.ca/democraticrenewal/ OK, we will be waiting! --------------------- In the letter the Citizens' Alliance sent to the Special Committee at the end of December 2015, we suggested that for the next series of meetings/public consultations, the Committee:
We also asked the Committee to consider how they wish to receive comments on other (unrelated to voting systems) aspects of government, such as financing, the structure of the Legislative Assembly schedule, etc. The final thing we mentioned was Premier MacLauchlan's comment in a year-end interview that he was "not a believer in proportional representation" and how we hoped that he, like all Islanders, would keep an open mind and see what information the Special Committee was going to offer on other options. Again,
this website should have an update when it's posted: Other
comments in time: Here
is an interesting article on wind energy: Wind turbines are as ubiquitous as clogs, Legos, and tall people in Denmark. Unlike the latter three, though, Denmark’s wind turbines were busy setting a world record in 2015. According to Energinet, Denmark’s electric utility, the country’s turbines accounted for the equivalent of 42 percent of all electricity produced for the year. It’s the highest proportion for any country — breaking a record the country set just last year — and represents more than a doubling compared to just 10 years ago. There are other countries that generate more wind energy each year, but Denmark gets the largest chunk of its energy from wind by far. The government has committed to generating 50 percent of its energy from wind by 2020 and 84 percent by 2035. Denmark is part of the European Union, which committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 at the recent Paris climate talks.<snip> “The fact is that no species has ever had such wholesale control over everything on earth, living or dead, as we now have. That lays upon us, whether we like it or not, an awesome responsibility. In our hands now lies not only our own future, but that of all other living creatures with whom we share the earth.” -- David Attenborough, British naturalist, television producer and host January 19, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
The
following is from a new blog called "100-by-2050", meaning reaching
the goal of being powered by 100% renewable energy by the year 2050. Energy efficiency, or providing the same energy services using less energy also fits within the context of clean energy. By being systematic in reviewing options available it is possible to make better choices and decide the cleanest ways to provide energy for all. Much work has been done by scientists <here at the Solutions Project: http://thesolutionsproject.org/ > and fully clean energy is not only technically possible but economically beneficial. Why 100% by 2050? It turns out transitioning to a completely clean energy economy could help the world narrowly avoid a rise in temperature of 1.5 degrees Celsius in post-industrial time. This is very important, both for humanity and countless species we share Earth with. Global warming and air pollution problems are so serious, plus viable alternatives to business-as-usual exist; such that we can and must achieve 80% clean energy in all-sectors by 2030 and 100% by 2050. That gives society and political leaders about 15 and 35 years, respectively, to make the big changes necessary. Energy security is vital. People often see fossil fuels as inevitably necessary for example to keep our economy humming along into the future. This blog will help dispel such notions, showing 100% clean energy in all-sectors by 2050 would actually have huge net benefits. Thanks for checking out this new blog. Stay tuned for more. https://100by2050.wordpress.com/2016/01/15/welcome-to-100-by-2050/ A
reminder about the LEAP Manifesto set out a vision for Canada to fight climate change in a way that changes our country for the better – achieving meaningful justice for First Nations, creating more and better jobs, restoring and expanding our social safety net, reducing economic, racial and gender inequalities, as well as welcoming many more migrants and refugees. Organizations
can join as signatories, which the Citizens' Alliance has done, and you are
welcome to sign on as individuals. Tonight,
Tuesday, January 19th, 7PM: So you want to go to Iceland . . . . In the past several years, travel by Islanders to Iceland has grown from a rarity to a phenomenon. “So you want to go to Iceland…” is a guide for both the never-been-there-yet set, and for experienced travellers looking for new ways to scratch their Iceland itch. The program includes Icelandic basics, a sample itinerary, a chance to question veteran Icelandic trippers, and a showcase of Iceland photos, submitted by the public. Send up to eight of your best shots to davidkcairns@gmail.com, and let him know if you want to do an oral commentary about your own adventure in Iceland. And if you don’t want to talk in the formal part of the evening, come anyway! There’ll be an opportunity for informal discussion and travel-tip-sharing during the intermission and afterward. The event takes place in the Faculty Lounge in UPEI's Main Building, at 7 pm on January 19. Sponsors are the Vinland Society of PEI and the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI. Admission is free and donations are welcome. This is the first in a series of an Island Studies Winter/Spring Lecture Series. Watch for details for another lecture about islands – near and far – February 23! For more information, please contact Laurie at iis@upei.ca or (902) 894-2881. Musician and children's entertainer Fred Penner wrote the
essay that is placed in the January 19th Global Chorus spot, which fits
nicely with the 100 by 2050 and LEAP Manifesto ideas above. "We are resilient and adaptable human beings, there is no doubt, and we have proven this time and time again over the centuries. That doesn’t make the challenges we face now any easier, but it should give us some sense of optimism. Trust and belief in one another is where it starts. My perspective is blessed and specific to the generation raised with my music.<snip>" --Fred Prenner January 18, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Here
are some notes from part of the Watershed Alliance AGM which was held on
Saturday, from Andrew Lush, with thanks: Some
interesting things coming up: The EduTOX Video Challenge is a national, bilingual video contest that aims to give youth a voice to promote awareness and action on toxins – and a chance to be nationally recognized for their leadership. We are looking for youth aged 14-22 to make creative and compelling short videos that will get people thinking about and taking action on the toxins that we all encounter in our day-to-day lives. The EduTOX Video Challenge is being conducted in partnership with some of Canada’s most respected environmental, health, youth and educational organizations including The Sandbox Project and the David Suzuki Foundation. Prizes will be awarded to the best French and English-language entries – they include scholarships, electronics and much more. Please take a look at our website http://sandboxproject.ca/eduTOX#!/ for more information about the EduTOX Video Challenge, and for ideas about how participants can get started. Questions can be directed to: info@edutox.ca More
info: http://sandboxproject.ca/eduTOX#!/ Thursday,
January 21st, 7PM: There will be three featured speakers, beginning with Dr. Jim Randall, a geographer by training and a professor in the Island Studies program at UPEI. He is also Chair of the Institute of Island Studies and Co-ordinator of the Master of Arts in Island Studies. He will provide an overview of the major population changes taking place on PEI from a “small islands” perspective. Katie Mazer is a PhD Candidate in Geography at the University of Toronto researching the movement of workers between the Maritimes and natural resource industries 'out west'. Katie's presentation will focus on Islanders going west and migrant workers coming into the province through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Looking at government policies and economic forces that pressure people to leave home for work, her presentation asks: Why do so many workers have to go so far to make a living? The third speaker will be Tony Wallbank, a retired business owner and draft-horse enthusiast who has spearheaded the upcoming migration of two communities of Amish farmers from southern Ontario to eastern Prince Edward Island. The first Amish settlers will arrive next spring. He will tell us about the Amish, explain why they find rural PEI attractive, and review some of the challenges in this process of community resettlement. For further information, contact Laurie Brinklow, Co-ordinator, Institute of Island Studies at brinklow@upei.ca or 902-894-2881. Wednesday, February 3rd, 6:30PM: “Find your place on the planet. Dig in, and take responsibility from there.”-- Gary Synder, American poet and essayist January 17, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
A couple of weeks ago, UPEI professor Ron Srigley wrote an
unflinching review of the state of university education in North America for
the Los Angeles Review of Books, here: Electoral
Reform: Premier MacLauchlan now cool to electoral reform? - The Guardian Letter to the EditorPublished on Friday, January 15th, 2016 As promised in his inaugural throne speech, the
premier has initiated the process toward electoral reform. A special committee on democratic renewal was
struck. This committee was to be consensus- based as much as possible. From
October 14 to Nov. 16, nine public meetings were held across the island and 112
presentations were made to this committee. If the premier had shown as much interest in this process as he did in promoting live-bottomed trailers, many more Islanders likely would have been engaged. The Special Committee on Democratic Renewal tabled its initial report on Nov. 27. It recommended a second series of public consultations from mid-January to mid-March, 2016. It recommended that a public education campaign on electoral systems is required prior to a plebiscite taking place. It also noted that: “the system most advocated was proportional representation.” In the premier’s year-end interview with the CBC, he stated: “I’m not a believer in proportional representation.” He also said: “We shouldn’t be trying to upset the apple cart.” As of today there is no mention of further public meetings on the democratic renewal website. In the Nov. 12 Guardian editorial “the premier says he’s all for discussion and debate but there comes a time to make a decision.” The countless hours dedicated to this process by the committee members and the people who presented to it, were of little value, it seems, to the premier. His decision was made before the process began. Boyd Allen, Any announcements regarding Democratic Renewal should be here on the Legislative Assembly website: http://www.assembly.pe.ca/democraticrenewal/ On the Federal side, articles have been in the local papers from syndicated columnists about how wonderful the First Past the Post system is, and have pointed out that for any changes to voting system, a referendum should be held. Lots of interesting discussion. This article compares two voices: from the Globe and Mail, and from Columnist Andrew Coyne: Discussion from the website press progress. Ian
Skelly is a British writer and broadcaster and adviser to Prince Charles.
Here is an excerpt from the January 17th Global Chorus essay: "Shift your perception. Move from seeing yourself 'apart' from Nature, but also away from the notion that we are 'part' of Nature. The truth is, we are Nature. Nature is not a machine made up of parts, but a harmonic, dynamic whole. <snip>" -- Ian Skelly January 16, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
This morning is the Watershed Alliance AGM, featuring remarks by Communities, Land and Environment Minister Robert Mitchell, an update on the water act by executive director of Environment Todd Dupuis, and some presentations by Dr. Mike van den Heuval from UPEI (on Northumberland Strait monitoring), Scott Taylor about the Abegweit fish hathcery, and Garry Gregory on a "nature tracker phone app". Hunter River Community Centre, 9AM to 12:30PM. Poster is here:
The Summerside and Charlottetown Farmers' Markets are open
today. http://www.patriciachuey.com/eating-enough-veggies-when-cauliflower-is-7-a-head/ Ten Ways To Still Eat Enough Veggies When
Cauliflower Is $7 A Head - by Patricia Cheuy
January 14, 2016 Aiming to eat at least 5 daily servings of vegetables and fruit all year long helps ensure we get the disease-fighting nutrients they offer. In cold and flu season (on now), this remains super important. Ideally, we eat more like 8 servings a day. So how do we cope when fresh cauliflower (and other vegetables) are so incredibly expensive? I felt compelled to share a few tricks from our home. If you’re an adventurous cook and the kind of person who gets excited by creative, waste-reducing food ideas, you’ll love these. Note that 1 serving of vegetables equals 1 cup of fresh leafy greens or just half a cup of cooked vegetables…so it can be easier than it sounds to get in your 5-8 servings.
If you live where you have available garden space, start
thinking about what you might be able to grow this spring and summer to
later stock in your freezer for the winter. Margaret Prouse also writes wonderfully entertaining weekly
columns for which are published in The Guardian, full of lots of tips on
food. Here is a recent one: More about here here: Wikipedia article on Sheherazade Goldsmith January 15, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
The
"Currents: Regional Perspectives on Water" was a good event,
and many folks came to it, despite the wind and chill. Eliza Starchild
Knockwood described the spirituality of water, biologist Mike van Den Heuvel
about problems and pressures on our water supply, and Jocelyn Rankin of the
Ecology Action Centre in Nova Scotia discussed what other water policies look
like in Canada and current challenges. The
January 15th Global Chorus essay is by Rachel Parent, a young Canadian
who made news for her work to get GMOs labeled in food. "The corporate mentality of profit and growth at all costs is having a devastating impact on our planet, from the dying of of our marine life, bee colony collapse, the melting of our glaciers, the deforestation of our rainforests and dislocation of natives, the contamination of our water and soil, and even the loss of control of our seeds and safe food supply. he magnitude of the destruction can be overwhelming! "But I believe we’re living in a time of historical change, a time of transformation where people finally realize they have the power to make change and bring about positive solutions for our planet and for our very survival." <snip> -- Rachel Parent Here website is excellent website, for kids and not-just kids: "I’m excited to join WWF-Canada because they understand that you can’t conserve nature or succeed in protecting our environment unless community is part of that conversation. They have been leaders in ensuring that the economic and social needs of communities are met while working toward sustainable conservation gains for nature." <snip> And I suspect she will make a difference there! January 14, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Event tonight: Tomorrow,
Friday, January 15th,
is the last day to comment to the Environmental Advisory Council about the
water act. Saturday, January 16th:
“Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life
depends, have become global garbage cans.” January 13, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
For
January 13th, Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote this essay for Global Chorus:
365 Voices on the Future of the Planet, edited by Todd E. MacLean. "For instance, look at the whole question of slavery.
There must have been a time when people believed
firmly that this was a social system that was
totally unchangeable. But we’ve massively diminished
slavery. We in South Africa have been able to overcome
apartheid and racism. All the wars, conflict,
gender/equality issues and even genocide of
the past century, we have endured and overcome. So,
it is clear that we have the capacity. What we often lack is the political will. "Take our incapacity to feed everyone on Earth, for example. We have got the means. We can feed every single person on Earth. But we do not have the appropriate political will to do so. With regards to the whole question of the environment, people are campaigning very, very powerfully for us to adopt ways of life that are sustainable. But even though politicians buckle to certain pressures, they are beginning more and more to realize that it is far better to be looking for renewable ways of producing energy. And many people are beginning to see that it is not just healthier, it is the one way in which our Earth home is going to be preserved. If we don’t wake up to our responsibility, we won’t have a second chance. This is the only home we have. If we destroy it, we’re done for. "A person is a person through other persons. None of us can survive just as solitary individuals. We are made for togetherness, we are made for co-operation, and we ultimately exist in a delicate network of interdependence. None of us comes fully formed into the world. In the same way, even the most powerful nation in the world depends ultimately on interconnectedness. You can’t just live within yourself; no country can do it, no community can do it, no person can do it. Our world must heed this truth to harmoniously move forward." — Archbishop Dessmond Tutu, South African human rights activist January 12, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Last week's provincial cabinet shuffle is likely to have
other, less obvious effects, including the make-up of some legislative standing
committees, as Ministers are usually not on these committees. As of last
week, the two new cabinet ministers (Tina Mundy and Robert Henderson) sat on
several. Of the nine Legislative Committees: “Earth is ancient now, but all knowledge is stored up in her. She keeps a record of everything that has happened since time began. Of time before time, she says little, and in a language that no one has yet understood. Through time, her secret codes have gradually been broken. Her mud and lava is a message from the past. Of time to come, she says much, but who listens?” -- Jeanette Winterson, author January 11, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Three
water-act related announcements:
3) Another water act-related event in a couple of weeks: Mark
Boyle is author of The Moneyless Manifesto, and his January 11th essay
in Global Chorus is inspiring. "This will involve billions of people doing billions of different things. We need everyone courageously following their calling, and sharing their unique gift with the world as passionately as they dare. There is no one right way to act, no prescription. Simply do what you love and be of service to life."<snip> -- Mark Boyle January 10, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Back
in the fall sitting of the P.E.I. Legislature, which started out so robust, the
Opposition tabled Motion No. 46, "Prince Edward Island Infrastructure
Summit", calling on the province to "convene a Prince Edward Island
Infrastructure Summit at the earliest opportunity to bring together
representatives from the Island municipalities and communities, as well as key
stakeholders in the economic and environmental sectors..." and that Summit
be charged with a "...specific mandate to collaboratively identify
priorities and projects that can be the basis...." Full Motion No. 46 here. Some
Bonshaw area events: Reclaim-Reuse-Recycle -- Free Upcycling Furniture Project with Fred MacKenzie The
Argyle Shore W.I. is hosting a LEAP project for people 50 years and older
starting Tuesday, January 19th, 1-3PM, and continuing January 26th, February
2nd and 16th, at the Argyle Shore Community Centre.
For
further information or to register, please call Diana Lariviere at (902)
675-3221 or e-mail cawlar@bellaliant.net
“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.” -- Henry David Thoreau, Walden January 9, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Farmers'
Markets are today open in Charlottetown and Summerside. Hungry for locally produced food? While most of our diversified small PEI farmers are curled up drooling over their seed catalogues and planning for the 2016 growing season, you may be suffering from withdrawal symptoms for local produce. Here's some ideas where you can get your fix. Just Plate It has a winter CSA. Olde MacKenzie Farm, Crystal Green Farms. Greenhouse tomatoes and cucs from Schurman family Farm (also available at the Charlottetown Farmers' Market). Also look out for http://redsoilorganics.ca/ and http://www.brookfieldgardens.ca/ at a grocery store near you. Lorna
MacPhersson captures what many of us are feeling about Canada Post in this
op-ed piece in yesterday's Guardian (bold is mine). It's Time for Canada Post to Deliver - The Guardian Guest Opinion by Lorna MacPhersonPublished on The Guardian's website on Friday, January 9th, 2016 We should have seen it coming when Canada Post
moved our sorting station from Charlottetown to Halifax. I am left wondering if anyone in Ottawa has
heard the voice of the majority when they either signed a petition, wrote or
phoned their MPs, voted in another party in the federal election and/or
complained as I am doing here about the change of home mail delivery to
community mail boxes! Or, fight it on the basis that we are the only G-8 country that has stopped home delivery in urban centers! Why did we bother to send VIPs to the costly Paris Conference regarding climate change and in our own country several efficient and knowledgeable former letter carriers lost their jobs? In the Charlottetown area alone, 25 service vehicles were purchased to deliver mail to these locked boxes — Canada Post certainly wasn’t thinking about any cost saving, our carbon footprint or the lasting affect of axing so many jobs. Our mailbox has frozen on three occasions now.
Canada Post wants us to supply our own lock de-icer or use a barbecue lighter to
solve their bungled lock purchases. These boxes were not fitted with locks made with our winters in mind but would be more suited to an indoor lobby of a housing complex. Will provincial governments be prepared to pay for yearly repairs to the property owners where cars, stopping to get their mail, have left huge tire gouges? Because the boxes were placed where safety was not taken into consideration, who will be paying for the accidents that will happen when six-foot snow banks block the vision of oncoming vehicles or pedestrians? Will the federal government lower our taxes because we’re getting fewer services than others are receiving? The postal service is a Crown corporation. I believe that in its mandate, the management is to follow the directives given to them by the federal minister. Perhaps it is now time for our new Liberal government to follow up on their election promise to reinstate home delivery service! Failing that, the minister in charge should fire the current CEO and the 10 vice-presidents and hire their replacements with persons who have exhibited some logical thinking brain functions. Even more frustrating, every day on our cablevision is expensive advertisements touting the grandeur management of the post office in small business. These commercials tell us how efficient they are and the program that we are watching is being brought to us by the Canadian Postal Service. Please — someone get me a shovel. Wishing you all a Happy New Year — and a return of our postal service. Lorna MacPherson of Charlottetown is a
former member of a literacy workshop group and an interest in equal postal
access for all citizens. “The earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.” -- Pope John Paul II (Pope from 1978 - 2005) January 8, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
The
news yesterday was about Premier MacLauchlan's Cabinet shuffle. Karen
Mair on CBC said we were all ready to scratch a political itch. I think the
Compass TV political panel discussed this, and the radio panel this morning on
CBC. Perhaps we are scratching this a bit much! In
the news recently is that the TransCanada Corporation (the Calgary energy
infrastructure company) is suing the United States government for President Obama's
rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline project. This brings up a lot of
issues about trade agreements and sovereignty, climate change, and so on. Jason Kowalski, 350.org Policy Director: ---------- "I decided some time ago that I was going to spend no more energy trying to figure out if things were going to come out alright or not. We’re engaged in a civilization-scale wager with enormously high stakes – my role, I think, is to get up every morning and try to change the odds of that wager a little bit, without any guarantee that it will come out okay." -- Bill McKibbon January 7, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
A
water forum in one week: There is about one week and a day left to comment on water on P.E.I. before this phase of the consultation ends. Various places to send comments are here: Government's water act "We want to hear from you" page The title of the page says "...through December 2015" but the Minister extended that until January 15th. A few more written and slide-show presentations are on the provincial water act website "Presentations" page including Darcie Lanthier's presentation, from the last public meeting. Some of that material and more are on the Coalition for the Protection of PEI Water website.
This has absolutely nothing to do with the Citizens' Alliance, but in case you
are a bit of a Star Wars fan, and want to review the past six movies but
are pressed for time, here is a four minute Lego stop-action YouTube video
synopsis, a rollicking ride: Back
to serious stuff. The Global Chorus essay for January 7th is by
Gloria Flora, who worked in the U.S. Forest Service. Her work seems very
timely with what is happening in Oregon recently. (The Guardian (U.K.) article on Oregon
militia in Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.) In 2000, she made national headlines again when she resigned as Forest Supervisor of the largest national forest in the lower 48 states - the Humboldt-Toiyabe - to call attention to antigovernment zealots engaged in the harassment and intimidation of Forest Service employees and destruction of natural resources on public lands. In 2001, she founded and now directs Sustainable Obtainable Solutions, an organization dedicated to the sustainability of public lands and of the plants, animals and communities that depend on them. Flora's continuing work to protect the Rocky Mountain Front has resulted in significant successes such as a permanent ban on future leasing, retirement of many existing leases and a reduction of motorized travel. Part of her essay: January 6, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Here are some future events and their
descriptions, if you have your 2016 calendar handy : Symposium: Island Mobility, Migration and Population Issues UPEI, MacKinnon
Lecture Theatre (Room 242), Don and Marion McDougall Hall The current dynamics of
population change in Prince Edward Island will be the subject of <this>
Public Symposium to be held <snip> Population change has always been at the core of the development of small islands – and it is no different on Prince Edward Island. Every day the public media deliver news about some aspect of population: youth outmigration, rural depopulation, an aging workforce, temporary foreign workers, refugees, wealthy immigrant investors…. The upcoming Public Symposium will provide an opportunity for the public to hear about and contribute to the debate on several of the salient population issues that are crucial to the future of Prince Edward Island. This event is sponsored by UPEI’s Institute of Island Studies, in conjunction with UPEI Research Services. Storm date: Friday, January 22nd Water is a precious necessity that shapes and sustains our lives, yet current and potential watershed problems are a serious challenge both on PEI and globally. The Island is the only Canadian province to rely solely on groundwater for drinking water, and to ensure the continual sustainability and potability of our water, province-wide hearings are currently being held for the Water Act. In a timely visit to PEI, Dr. Rita Wong -- professor at Emily Carr University in Vancouver, watershed researcher/activist, poet, and multi-media artist -- will give a presentation on February 4 at 7:00 p.m. in UPEI’s McDougall Hall Auditorium, Room 242.Dr. Wong’s talk, entitled “Humble Autonomy: Renewing Culture through Participatory Water Ethics,” will be the inaugural UPEI Don Mazer Arts and Science Lecture and is presented by the faculties of Science and Arts. Her talk will focus on Vancouver, with ample time afterward for the audience to discuss parallels with PEI. A reception with refreshments will follow. In addition to research presentations on watershed issues, Dr. Wong, who is remarkably passionate about the issues she investigates, uses poetry -- her primary art form -- to reflect on human relations with water. Her poetry book Undercurrent reminds humanity that “we are water bodies” and that we need to honour this reality. UPEI is honoured, as well, to be hosting Dr. Wong on February 5th at 7:30 p.m. for a public reading of her poetry, in the Dawson Lounge (Room 520) in Main Building. This reading is sponsored by the UPEI faculties of Arts and Sciences, with funding from the Canada Council for the ArtsRita Wong grew up in Calgary. Living and working in Vancouver, she became interested in water ethics because of the surprising lack of above-ground streams. In the earlier part of her career, she was known for her work in Asian Canadian studies and her inter-disciplinary research and multi-media art. For this work, Wong received a major research-creation grant from the Social Sciences and Humanity Research Council of Canada, and once she shifted focus to water issues, she received another SSHRC research-creation grant.She has won the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize and the Asian Canadian Writer’s Workshop Emerging Writer Award, and is renowned for examining relationships among contemporary poetics, social justice, ecology, and decolonization. Dr. Wong’s water talk and poetry reading come at a vital time for development of PEI’s understanding of water ethics and sustainability. As many Islanders work to modernize our water laws, those who want to gain new perspectives on water’s value will have the opportunity to listen to one of Canada’s important inter-disciplinary investigators of participatory water ethics and watershed issues. Josie Baker at the Cooper Institute is organizing Seed Saving opportunities: Seedy Saturdays (Seed Swaps): Saturday, February 20th, 2-4PM, Confederation Centre Public Library -------------- The Global Chorus 365 Voices on the Future
of the Planet essay for January 6th is by Moi Enomenga, a leader of the
Huaorani people in Equador; here is an excerpt: "Here, we don’t have what other people in the
world have: we don’t have televisions or Internet
or cars, and if the cost of having them is that the
world – our world – disappears, then we ask ourselves,
'What good are they?' We think people can
live more simply and peacefully if they want, but we
don’t know if they want to." — Moi Enomenga January 5, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Biomass -- it's a complicated
fuel source. The report was written by Jamie Simpson, a forester, lawyer and former executive director of East Coast Environmental Law. (If the name is familiar, he has been on the Island as the guest speaker at the ECO-PEI annual general meeting last year, led a workshop on environmental rights the year before, and spoke at a forum on cosmetic pesticide municipal bylaws a couple of months before that.) I haven't read more than the conclusions yet, and Section 5 which is about P.E.I., but from what I have read of his about this issue before in the small but powerful Atlantic Forestry publication (which is printed below with his permission), it's not the best basket to put a lot of a province's energy planning eggs in, especially for electricity generation. It is in the P.E.I. Renewable Energy Act (1988) to try to get to 15% of electricity from renewable sources (including biomass) by 2010. It appears that fortunately the biomass in this equation hasn't been pursued. My understanding is that biomass is used for heating some government institutional buildings, primarily (and of course wood used for heating residential private homes). It's not as "carbon neutral" as we would hope it would be, and the current amount and certainly any expansion should be done with extreme care in our debilitated woods. (And we keep missing the forest for the trees by not working on maximizing energy efficiency first.) Here is the short, older article with some good background on biomass in general: Biomass Energy: Does burning our forests for electricity really reduce carbon emissions? - Atlantic Forestry Review article by Jamie SimpsonOriginally published in Atlantic Forestry Review,(DvL Publishing, Bridgewater, N.S.) May 2015 shared with permission of the author “Burn a tree, grow a tree. It’s simple, Jamie!” So said an exasperated Natural Resources minister to me once. At a conceptual level, his argument sounded sensible. While the burning of fossil fuels results in a one-way flow of carbon into the atmosphere, the carbon released into the atmosphere by burning one tree should be offset by carbon taken up when a new tree grows and takes its place – or so it might seem. Based on this simplistic premise, governments around the world – including Nova Scotia – have introduced policies to encourage biomass energy development, buoyed by the hope of reducing carbon emissions while creating demand for low-value forest products. It's important to note that nowhere in the world is forest biomass electricity development driven by the energy market; the feasibility of these projects so far depends on some manner of government policy support. When representatives for Nova Scotia Power Inc. (NSPI) were asked whether the company would pursue the Point Tupper biomass project if not for the province’s renewable energy requirements, the answer was a definite “no.” Why not? Cost and risk, of course. The government’s regulated targets for increased renewables provided an opportunity for NSPI to shift that extra cost and risk to Nova Scotian rate-payers. Given that forest biomass electricity hinges on government support, it's worth asking what we are getting in return for assuming these costs and risks – not to mention the negative effects on our forests and our value-added hardwood industries. If the government's intention is to reduce our carbon emissions, then we have a right to know whether Point Tupper actually delivers this benefit. As it turns out, the assumption that forest biomass electricity reduces carbon emissions is rather brittle. The dynamics of forest regeneration, carbon emissions, and biomass energy are not as simple as the “burn a tree, grow a tree” argument. Although this is counter-intuitive, burning trees to make electricity can put more carbon into the atmosphere than burning coal, at least for the next few decades. Burning trees to heat buildings, however, may reduce carbon emissions. Yes, it's complicated. LAG TIME There are three key issues at play here. The first thing to consider is the time it takes a forest to soak up carbon from the atmosphere after biomass is harvested and burned, and whether the forest is even able to soak up an equivalent amount of carbon. The lag time between biomass burning and carbon take-up is important, because we need carbon reduction now, not decades down the road. Scientists tell us that if we can’t get a handle on carbon emissions in the near term, future reductions may not provide much benefit. Furthermore, because biomass is often produced by clearcutting stands that would otherwise be uneconomical to harvest, the development of this sector may decrease the average age of our forests. Because older forests contain far more carbon than younger forests, biomass harvesting can result in a one-way flow of carbon from our forests to the atmosphere. A Princeton University scientist named Timothy Searchinger, along with 12 of his colleagues, wrote about this way back in 2009, in an article in the journal Science, titled “Fixing a Critical Climate Accounting Error.” They made the point that land used for biomass fuels may, over the long term, store less carbon per hectare than it did before biomass harvesting. The upshot is that burning forest biomass results in immediate carbon emissions which may or may not be taken up by the forest decades in the future. EFFICIENCY The second part of the biomass energy equation is how efficiently trees are converted to energy. Burning wood to produce heat, for example, can be 80 percent efficient or even a bit higher. Burning wood to generate electricity, on the other hand, is far less efficient, in the neighborhood of 21.5 percent. Some biomass electricity facilities can put waste heat to use, thereby increasing their efficiency. By supplying some thermal energy to Hawkesbury Paper, its pulp mill neighbor, Point Tupper, when operating under its best case scenario, can achieve 36 percent efficiency. In other words, of the 50 truckloads of wood delivered to that plant daily, at least 32 truckloads are wasted, quite literally, up the smokestack. (Of course, the carbon from all 50 truckloads goes into the atmosphere, regardless of how much energy is produced.) Finally, the third issue at play is the carbon intensity of the fuel being replaced by biomass. For example, choosing between biomass and coal is far different from choosing among biomass, coal, and natural gas. Electricity from natural gas is far cleaner than coal, and coal is cleaner than wood, on the basis of carbon released at time of burning per unit of energy produced. A team of forest biomass energy researchers in Massachusetts found that under a best-case scenario (low-impact forest harvesting; use of biomass for heating rather than electricity; and replacing the dirtiest of the fossil fuels), forest biomass can become carbon neutral in as little as 10 to 20 years. However, under a worst-case scenario (clearcutting; burning wood for electricity; and replacing the least dirty of fossil fuels), the researchers found that forest biomass would not become carbon neutral within a century. To put these results in perspective, the researchers offered a snapshot of estimated emission levels in 2050 (assuming that the forest actually does eventually sequester all of the carbon released). Replacing a coal-fired power plant with a biomass electricity plant would result in a three percent net increase in emissions by 2050, and replacing a natural gas power plant with biomass would result in a 110 percent net increase in emissions. Replacing an oil-fired heating system with a biomass heating system, on the other hand, could result in a 25 percent net reduction in emissions by 2050. These are rough numbers, of course, but so far no one has refuted the researchers’ methods. Researchers in Ontario, studying the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forest region, ended up with similar results. Jon McKechnie and his fellow researchers found that replacing coal-fired electricity with forest biomass electricity would increase carbon emissions for some 16 to 35 years. These researchers also investigated converting trees to ethanol to be used as a substitute for gasoline, and they found that this would increase carbon emissions for more than a century. REPEAT HARVESTS Researchers in Norway have taken the biomass energy question to another level. Bjart Holtsmark noted that previous studies had failed to account for the impact of repeated biomass harvests. He found that when multiple biomass harvests on the same piece of land are factored in (based on the forest reaching economic maturity), net carbon emissions from forest biomass electricity remain higher than coal-fired electricity for some 250 years. There is also research pointing to reduced productivity in certain soils following some types of harvesting. Once the productive capacity of soil is compromised, the forest loses some of its capacity to sequester carbon. This appears to be the case in Nova Scotia, according to research commissioned by the provincial Department of Natural Resources. Unfortunately, DNR has yet to release the full results of this study. So far, most governments have clung to their policies that make biomass electricity projects economically viable. Under Nova Scotia's Renewable Energy Standard, biomass electricity still qualifies as renewable, regardless of its actual impact on carbon emissions. But there are signs of a shift. The European Union has recommended that existing biomass energy facilities should emit 35 percent less greenhouse gases than the fossil fuels they replace, and that new facilities release 60 percent less by 2018. The value of these non-binding recommendations is questionable, however, given that the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive and its Biomass Action Plan continue to drive development in this sector. Massachusetts, on the other hand, has actually adjusted its energy policy based on our new understanding of carbon accounting in relation to biomass. The state introduced a minimum efficiency requirement of 50 percent for biomass energy projects, a minimum of 60 percent efficiency for projects to receive full renewable energy subsidies, and the further requirement that a proposed biomass facility will reduce carbon emissions by 50 percent over its first 20 years of operation relative to a new natural gas facility. If such requirements were in place in Nova Scotia, the Point Tupper plant would not qualify for the special treatment which enabled NSPI to build it and have electricity consumers pick up the tab. HARD LOOK What should we be doing differently? Nova Scotia’s Department of Energy needs to take a hard look at the science of forest biomass energy and carbon emissions, and adjust its Renewable Energy Standard accordingly. If Point Tupper cannot meet a 60 percent minimum efficiency requirement, perhaps it should no longer qualify as a source of renewable energy. Small-scale biomass heating projects, on the other hand, should be further explored for their potential to reduce carbon emissions while reducing our reliance on fuel oil and electric heat. Furthermore, Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources should introduce forest harvesting regulations to ensure that carbon storage in Nova Scotia’s forests is increasing over time, rather than decreasing. This would also help avoid the detrimental effects on biodiversity which result from clearcutting for biomass fuel. Given the increasingly apparent negative impacts of forest biomass electricity, it’s time for Nova Scotia to reassess the costs and benefits. We can continue to fool ourselves with simplistic and false assumptions, or we can look at the scientific evidence and start making the difficult but necessary decisions. "It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air, that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit" -- Robert Lewis Stevenson, from Essays of Travel, 1904 January 4, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
I am
always surprised by how quickly things get started once the holidays are over
;-) City School course: Cultivating Community Resilience, a 10 week course for all ages. from their notice: - Where: City Centre School (Colonel Gray High School). - When: Tuesdays, from 7:00-8:30, beginning January 5th. - Fee: $20 ($2 per session). All proceeds go to support the work of City Centre School. Come to Cultivating Community Resilience to learn about and explore how individuals and groups are working together to build more sustainable societies and communities. A wide variety of topics will be discussed from renewable energy ownership and community governance, to sustainable agriculture and alternative economies. All ages and levels of knowledge and experience are welcome! The goal of Cultivating Community Resilience is to build active citizenship at the local level and an awareness of our responsibilities as global citizens. We aim to respond to energy vulnerability, climate change, and democratic participation by communicating and providing access to the knowledge and tools necessary for us to cultivate sustainable lifestyles and resilient communities. Cultivating Community Resilience should be an engaging, educational, and enjoyable experience for everyone involved. *It's completely fine if you aren't able to attend every single session for whatever reason. We're happy to have as many people involved for any number of sessions. - Sign up today at http://citycentreschool.ca and join the Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/communityresilience For more information, please contact Jordan MacPhee on Facebook or at jordanmacphee@live.com. From
the Council of Canadians last week, and with an e-mail address for Canadians to
send comments about the Trans-Pacific Partnership to the Canadian Government. Trudeau offers an e-mail address to hear from you on the TPPPublished on-line on Monday, December 28, 2015by Brent Patterson, Political Director of the Council of Canadians On Oct. 5, during this past federal election, Justin Trudeau issued a statement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) promising, "If the Liberal Party of Canada earns the honour of forming a government after October 19th, we will hold a full and open public debate in Parliament to ensure Canadians are consulted on this historic trade agreement." The Council of Canadians has stated that this should mean a full public review including a comprehensive and independent analysis of the TPP text by the Parliamentary Budget Officer (that would assess the deal’s impact on human rights, health, employment, environment and democracy), public hearings in each province and territory, and separate and meaningful consultations with First Nations. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has highlighted that, "[Trudeau should also inform] TPP partner countries Canada cannot be bound by the agreement as negotiated, and that public input could result in Canadian demands for changes." <snip> the rest of the article and the hyperlinks are here: and the e-mail address is here: The TPP was talked about a little bit in this Fall's Sitting of the P.E.I.
Legislative Assembly, mostly in relation to potato exports and phytosanitary
rules if potato disinfection was discontinued. Agriculture Minister Alan
MacIsaac (a dairy farmer), said they were very excited about opportunities for
the potato industry and other commodities on November 12th, and that they want
to protect supply management commodities. For
today, from "Moss" Cass, who would be very interesting to listen to
in person, I am sure: January 3, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
If you have some time and haven't had a chance to write any thoughts to the Environmental Advisory Council regarding the water act, the deadline is Friday, January 15th. wateract@gov.pe.ca or go to: http://www.gov.pe.ca/wateract/index.php?number=1051824&lang=E The
internet and blogs are great because people with brilliant ideas can easily get
their writings out; in older days it would be harder to be published and
shared, but often essays would be given a coat of polish by an editor. "Over the holidays I was lucky enough to have some spirited discussions with a friend who was visiting, and the subject we kept coming back to was 'economic growth'; not how to achieve it, but how we ever got trapped into believing it was a dire necessity in the first place. The idea is so deeply entwined into the Western psyche that no one ever questions it. Every politician running for anything has to come up with ideas about how they will 'grow the economy' or 'find new markets'. We are consistently told that, however much we may want to protect the environment, we need to balance that protection with 'growing the economy', and it is always the latter that takes precedence. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone on the street who wouldn’t automatically agree with the need to 'grow the economy'. It has become a truism, but an unexamined truism has no efficacy, and examine it we must." <snip> more at the address above This
beautiful two-minute compilation from David Attenborough's many, many hours on
the beauty of this Earth was sent by a very kind person, and is a
"wonderful" way to end this holiday time: To highlight one of his many clear quotes about our Earth: "An understanding of the natural world and what's in it is a source of not only a great curiosity but great fulfillment." -- David Attenborough more on him: short: http://www.britannica.com/biography/David-Attenborough more extensive: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Attenborough January 2, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
The
Charlottetown and Summerside Farmers' Markets are open today, at their usual
times. Screenshot of part of Federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna's tweet from New Year's Eve, where she used a photo taken at the Paris COP21 meetings a month ago. Though the placement of the folks in the photo looks a bit awkward and photoshopped, it apparently isn't, and shows in the front, from left to right: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, British Columbia Premier Christy Clark, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard. In the back: AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair, Conservative environment critic Ed Fast. (Photo: Justin Trudeau/Twitter) Two
Guardian articles: The final question on the electoral reform plebiscite ballot
will be: I had posted this snippet on Facebook and it generated some discussion -- by voicing it this way, were we subconsciously agreeing with it? I value those opinions, and think this cloak of satire lets The Guardian "address" issues it might not otherwise, and brings more light to the issue. There is a lot of political satire in Canada! Guardian #2 (The British one) This is an interesting in-depth
article from 2014 on what may be causing England to be more vulnerable to
floods -- a drainage policy where the goal is to get flowing water out of the
area as soon as possible, causing problems upstream and downstream. The
attitudes and lack of understanding about water is applicable to us, too,
perhaps. So
many of the Global Chorus essays were fantastic, they will be repeated
this year, for certain; there are many thoughtful quotes about Earth that can
be shared. Here is one for today, from Mahatma Gandhi: January 1, 2016Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Happy
New Year, Everyone! Here
is a short list of the "Greenspirations: the top 10 most encouraging
eco stories of 2015" Seeing the politician who shredded this country's enviro regs turfed was undeniably one of the brightest turning points of the year for a long-beleaguered green movement. A newfound optimism was cemented by a key shift in the political landscape: new PM Justin Trudeau brought in a climate-friendly cabinet with an empowering environmental mandate. 3) A New climate justice tide rises In the face of a planet on the brink, a big-tent climate coalition of aboriginal leaders, environmentalists, labour unions, racial justice, women's and poverty groups linked arms to give birth to a broader climate justice movement. In Canada, the celebrity-backed Leap Manifesto spelled out the movement's demands for a transition to a fair, green economy. These were echoed by tens of thousands in marches in Quebec, Toronto, Ottawa and some three quarters of a million people in the streets of 175 countries November 29. 4) Paris throws us a lifeline Yes, the historic climate deal signed by 195 countries falls short and likely won't keep us to 1.5° warming, but they signed it (unlike the Copenhagen fiasco of 09). And as Green Party leader Elizabeth May says "it does more than many of us expected it would when the conference opened... it threw us a lifeline" that may save millions of lives.<snip> 5)
More Arctic Relief
When Royal Dutch Shell got the green light for exploratory drilling in the Alaskan waters of the Chukchi Sea, Greenpeace and friends took to kayaks and canoes and rappelled off bridges to stop the drilling. This fall, Shell announced it would "cease further exploration activity in offshore Alaska for the foreseeable future." More Arctic relief in 2015: Imperial Oil, BP and Chevron all announced they're putting plans to drill in the Beaufort Sea on hold. <snip> 6) Divestment fever hits the big time In its
early days, the divestment movement was just a handful of students pressuring
universities to dump fossil fuel holdings. Then churches and cities got on
board, then billion-dollar investment funds. David Suzuki argues we can all agree that clean air, water and food are essential to our very survival. More than 110 countries have signed an environmental bill of rights, so why not us? That question has sparked 100 municipalities (T.O. included) to sign declarations. The game plan is to get the provinces on board next (Manitoba's already down) and then the feds. If we can embed the right to a healthy environment in the Charter, says Suzuki, "it changes the whole game.” Some
essays from Global Chorus are too good and all or parts can be shared
again: "I am inspired by today’s youth. Once young people are aware of the problems around them and empowered to take action, their energy, determination and commitment are boundless. They are changing the world one problem at a time, encouraging each other, influencing their parents and grandparents. They will be the next doctors, lawyers, politicians and parents, and they know that while we need they know that while we need money to live, we should not live for money. The human spirit is indomitable. We shall not give up." -- Jane Goodall |
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