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Showing posts with the label Bad Government

Danielle Smith drops ‘uncertainty bomb’ on Alberta’s clean energy future

CANADA'S National Observer By John Woodside | News, Energy, Politics | February 29th 2024 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announces new measures for renewable energy development. Alberta’s seven-month pause on renewable energy development is coming to an end, but new rules promise to restrict the sector even further, experts say. Among the new rules Premier Danielle Smith announced Wednesday is a ban on new wind projects within a 35-kilometre buffer zone of protected areas and other “pristine viewscapes” chosen by the province. Other projects in the buffer zone could be subjected to a “visual impact assessment” before securing approval. Smith also said the Alberta Utilities Commission, which regulates energy projects, will take an “agriculture first” approach, meaning crops and livestock will take priority over renewable energy proposals unless it can be demonstrated that the project can coexist with agricultural uses. Renewable energy developers will also be required to put money a

"Planet in Peril" blogger accuses Manitoba’s Minister of Agriculture of lying.

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Since the individual Minister at the heart of this story is back in his job after an absence of a dozen-or-so years, I feel it appropriate to re-post my blog story from 2014. After all it's now been well over a decade, not just a couple of years, since he made me the promise he never kept.  by Larry Powell   Manitoba's Minister of Agriculture, Ron Kostyshyn, (below), lies . Way back in September of 2012  (now more than 1 1 years ago) , Kostyshyn  promised he would read a peer-reviewed article I had co-authored.  Entitled   "Field of Nightmares,"  i t appeared in the well-respected Canadian journal "Alternatives - Canada's Environmental Voice." It documented much of the research which has been done, linking the popular herbicide "Roundup" to adverse effects on the health of livestock, wildlife, crops and even humans. It also placed the official position of the Government of Canada on the record, which was ,  it was "aware of the research, b

THE HIGH-MAINTENANCE POLLUTING PORK INDUSTRY BELLIES UP to THE TAXPAYER TROUGH ONCE AGAIN.

 Manitoba/Canada News Release GOVERNMENTS INVEST IN "INNOVATION" TO "HELP INCREASE  COMPETITIVENESS AND SUSTAINABILITY OF PORK PRODUCERS" The governments of Canada and Manitoba are investing $2.2 million in three agricultural research projects, to be conducted by Topigs Norsvin Canada (TN), that will enhance the competitiveness of Manitoba pork producers by improving the precision feeding of sows and promoting higher animal welfare standards, Federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Ralph Eichler announced today. "These innovative projects will give the pork industry more tools in their sustainability toolbox," said Bibeau. "They will help to improve feeding and housing for the pigs, which leads to better resource efficiency and a reduced environmental footprint for producers. Topigs Norsvin plays a big role in making Canada a global leader in swine genetics, and we are p

The Fate of the Canadian Rockies May Rest on This Decision

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The Tyee                                 Bighorn country, eastern slopes, AB. Photo by Aerin Jacob Approving the Grassy Mountain Coal Project will surely spell nothing less than the industrialization of Alberta’s sensitive eastern slopes.  Story here.

Health Canada approves another product known to be deadly to beneficial organisms.

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The Western Producer Members of the "neonic" family are known mass-killers, esp. of pollinators such as honeybees. "Karen" holds dead bees at Hayes Valley Farm. Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency has announced that neonicotinoid insecticides are not a threat to aquatic insects when used as a seed treatment on canola and in many other instances. Details here.

Of pandemics and politicians. (Opinion)

by Larry Powell Politicians need to be judged, not by their words, but their actions. Ontario Premier, Doug Ford has been generally well-received for his press conferences during the pandemic. Sounding good. Saying the right things. But it was under his watch, after all, that inspections of Ontario's personal care homes were slashed to save money. And we all know how tragic and deadly the situation has become within such homes in Ontario and elsewhere. Sadly, Ford's actions are consistent with a neo-liberal agenda that   has dominated the world, notably since the Reagan/Thatcher era. Cut, slash. Get governments "out of the way," Contract out. Lay off. Throw your jurisdictions "open for business" while shrinking public services like education and health. Let the market rule! (Music to the ears of the likes of Mike Harris, former Tory premier of ON. He seems to have done alright assuming the helm of one of the for-profit, private home-care companies in tha

End park mining in Manitoba. (Video)

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The Wilderness Committee

Peace River Frack-Up

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PolicyNote (CCPA - the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives) Part 1 of a report on how fracking poses risks to BC Hydro’s Peace River dams, British Columbia, Canada. Story here. The site c dam, BC in an early stage of construction - 2016. Photo by Jeffrey Wynne 

Canada’s reindeer ‘at risk of extinction’

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T he Narwhal As governments drag their feet on caribou habitat protections, the iconic species engraved on the Canadian quarter is winking out across the country. The year 2019 saw alarming declines and local extinctions of a species Indigenous peoples hold sacred. Story here. "Santa's reindeer" flee a logging truck, somewhere in the boreal forests of Canada.  Please read my own, related story and watch my video, below... Larry Powell. Even our national bird - the Canada jay - is not immune from the ravages of manmade climate change. Save the Wilderness. A music video by Eric Bogle and Larry Powell.

Don't let the forces of "anti-science" win Canada over. Please help!

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, It’s on.  Jason Kenney launched his anti-environmentalist “War Room” this week because he thinks 2020 is going to be the year Alberta starts doubling its oilsands emissions. He’s going to spend $30 million in taxpayer dollars this year to fill the airwaves with  ads to promote the oil industry. We got a taste of what his spin doctors have prescribed with a two-minute video launched on YouTube. It’s ugly — within 20 seconds, it implies babies depend on bitumen sales to live happy lives. You can count on Dogwood  to be a strong voice standing up against Kenney’s propaganda machine, but we need every penny to fight back.  Donate $5, $50, or even $500 today — your gift will make a difference . Jason Kenney is putting the full weight of his government behind this smear campaign. His War Room team wants to  erode the work we’ve done together  building organized opposition to oil tankers for a decade now — and they have $30 million to do it. Don’t let Jason Kenney foo

Wexit and climate pollution: a tale of two Canadas

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National Observer This PinP photo was taken along a highway construction project in SK. There are already two Canadas when it comes to climate pollution, and they've been heading in opposite directions for years. A successful "Wexit" would split them into two separate countries: One would become the world's most climate polluting country per person, with an economy twice as dirty as China's. Story here.

End the criminalization of land rights defenders. (Video)

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In Alberta, a shocking abuse of political power to protect the oil industry

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NATIONAL OBSERVER This story is part of "Covering Climate Now," a global collaboration of more than 220 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story: --> The Government of Alberta has created the new “Energy War Room” (with an annual budget of $30 million) to combat environmental NGOs, specifically those who have been campaigning against the oil sector.  This may come as a surprise to taxpayers wondering why a billion-dollar industry needs such government-subsidized assistance in the first place. Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage provided an answer of sorts, offering the following as the higher purpose of the Energy War Room: More here. An aerial photo believed to depict a dump site near the Muskeg River mine, Alberta tar sands. A "Beautiful Destruction" photo.

Amazon deforestation accelerating towards unrecoverable 'tipping point'

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The Guardian Data confirms fears that Jair Bolsonaro’s policy encourages illegal logging in Brazil.  Story here. The Amazon rainforest near Manaus, capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas (largely untouched by human hands, so far).Photo by Neil Palmer/ CIAT.

It’s feared that a disease deadly to hogs, “PEDv,” will return to the rampant stage it reached in Manitoba in 2017.

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FARMSCAPE "Manitoba Pork" reports 50 cases in the province already this year, and calls for stepped up efforts to combat it. Story here. Piglets with PEDv develop severe diarrhea and vomiting. Almost all die within a few days of birth. A Manitoba Pork photo. RELATED:  Another 2017 for PEDv ? “IN HOGS WE TRUST”  Part 111 - From Malaysia to Manitoba - the global magnitude of livestock diseases.

Manitoba's "Protein Advantage"

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A few months ago, the Government of Manitoba invited input from the public on a proposal to expand production of protein-rich food, whether plant or animal-based, in this province. It claims, meeting this fast-growing global demand offers much bigger opportunities than those which have existed before, for both farmers and investors. The province has embarked on a massive expansion of its industrial pork industry by relaxing both health and environmental regulations and obviously hopes through this new initiative,  to make it even bigger. In this in-depth article, long-time farm activist and livestock producer, Ruth Pryzer, offers many valuable insights into why this all needs to be taken with several grains of salt. PinP

Nunavut's ill-advised hunting proposal

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Science A polar bear and her two cubs. Photo by Alastair Rae. The government of one of Canada’s northern territories may soon adopt a recommendation which may well threaten the ability of the polar bear to reproduce. Story here.

Fungicides move into the headlines. And not in a good way. Letter.

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Dear Editor, A chlorothalonil molecule. Image by Jynto. A month ago, the European Union announced it would ban the widely-used fungicide,  chlorothalonil.    Why?  B ecause experts in its own Food Safety Agency  suspected it was carcinogenic - or cancer-causing.  It just so happens, that very same product is also used right here in Canada, and apparently in no small amounts, either! Yet our own Canadian "regulator," the PMRA, re-assessed the chemical less than a year ago.  While it imposed some restrictions, it will still allow its main use as a treatment for mold, mildew and blight in food crops, to continue. Fast forward to today. The New York Times is now reporting that a new and deadly  fungal infection , Candida aurus,   is moving across the globe, with "numerous cases" reported in many countries, including Canada. The fungus is claiming many lives and proving to be well-nigh indestructible.  Why?  According to experts in the field of anti

The Trump Administration Has Thrown Out Protections for Migratory Birds

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truthout A great egret . One of the many birds that migrate between Canada and the U.S. A PinP photo. Under Republican and Democratic presidents from Nixon through Obama, killing migratory birds, even inadvertently, was a crime, with fines for violations ranging from $250 to $100 million. The power to prosecute created a deterrent that protected birds and enabled government to hold companies to account for environmental disasters.  But in part due to President Donald Trump’s interior secretary nominee… more here. RELATED:   New Studies Show Farm Chemicals Are Affecting More Than Bees. Bird Populations are Declining, Too. Is modern agriculture's hold on nature becoming a death grip?

Frack sand mine in Manitoba, Canada endangers climate and First Nation (Video)

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