PLANET IN PERIL

Manitoba Co-Operator Four new barns will be built in 2016. Story here. This is how many factory barns there were in southeastern Manitoba in 2007. That's when the Clean Environment Commission warned that more industry growth would lead to "a significant increase" in the production of nitrogen and phosphorous, nutrients which contribute to the pollution of waterways. So....just how many are too many?

Common Dreams U.S. communities are shifting toward keeping their water infrastructure public, and that’s a good thing. But stopping water privatization is only the first step. Details here.

the guardian Studies have estimated there are now five trillion pieces of plastic in the world’s oceans. These include microplastics, which form as larger pieces break down.   Story here .

NATIONAL OBSERVER The pink salmon runs in Aniva Bay, once among the largest largest in the world, collapsed after Shell built its LNG facility on the Russian island of Sakhalin in the late 90s. Story here.

Greenpeace Canada In the days just prior to the Paris climate summit, the Quebec government quietly posted a devastating report on the ongoing ecological impacts from the oil spilt during the Lac Mégantic disaster. Entitled Train tragedy in Lac-Mégantic: Impact on fish communities of residual petroleum contamination of the Chaudière River , it details the ongoing impact of the oil that is still in the river system. Story here.

CBC News Magnitude 4.8 quake rattles area, but no injuries or damage reported, energy regulator says. Story here. RELATED:  "Is the "Dubious Duo" of Fracking & Earthquakes More Common in Canada Than we Know? PinP Wonders..."