PLANET IN PERIL

CBC News Restrictions on beekeeping getting in the way of Fort Garry Hotel's plans for 5 rooftop hives, hotel says. Story here.

Larry, We’re buzzing: Lowe’s, one of the world’s biggest home and garden retailers, just announced it’s no longer going to sell bee-killing "neonic" pesticides. There’s no way Lowe’s would have done this without you and almost a million other SumOfUs members. Together with Friends of the Earth, SumOfUs members have been pushing Lowe’s to save the bees for almost two years -- and it worked! We’re at a critical moment in the fight to stop the mass bee die-off  -- with this move, we can push other big retailers and governments to save the bees as well. Here are three easy ways you can help right now: 1. Make a donation to keep the momentum up -- your gift will supercharge the Save the Bees campaign! 2. Share this image on your Facebook wall celebrating this huge victory for the bees! 3. Forward this email to five of your friends and show them that people power works.

Western Producer Agriculture Canada and the crop protection industry are developing a plan to wean canola growers off neonicotinoid seed treatments. Story here.

Sum    of + us Honeybee. PinP photo. We've just received a letter from a major corporate agribusiness firm threatening legal action unless we stop our campaign to save the bees.  The letter came from a contractor for Bayer, one of the biggest producers of bee-killing pesticides in the world-- which means we could be facing a long, drawn out legal fight against corporations with incredibly deep pockets. PLEASE HELP!   CONTRIBUTE HERE !

ClimateProgress Residents of developing nations may soon be struggling with yet another challenge -malnutrition fueled by the decline of pollinators around the world. Details here. Bumblebees on chives. PinP photo.

by Larry Powell Tim Wendell, above, his wife Isabel and a seasonal staff of about 30 tend to over 3,000 hives in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, south of the Town of Roblin. A PinP photo. A veteran Canadian beekeeper whose operations produce almost half-a-million kilograms of honey per year, Tim Wendell, has learned the hard way, just how big a threat "neonicotinoids" pose to operations like his. "Neonics" are now the most widely used group of insecticides in the world. They are either sprayed on crops such as corn, soybeans and canola, or used to treat their seeds.  On a recent speaking engagement, he told audiences in Neepawa, MB, he lost one "bee yard" himself in 2012. It was next to a field which had been planted 4 or 5 years straight to corn treated with "neonics."  He estimates, of the 40 thousand bees in that colony, perhaps only 5 thousand were left. And they were "very disorganized - no longer a community."  He says governm

David Suzuki Foundation On November 25, the  Ontario government   became the first government in North America  to announce a plan for regulations to restrict  the use of seeds treated with neonicotinoid pesticides.  Story here.

The Sierra Club Canada Foundation will be undertaking a cross-country speaking tour as part of our #SaveTheBees campaign.How can you help? Find out here.

The Sierra Club TORONTO – The global campaign to ban neonicotinoid pesticides took a big step forward in the province of Ontario today. The provincial government -- using its own pesticide control legislation -- will reduce the use of neonicotinoid pesticides by 80%. Details here. Honeybee hive.  Larry Powell PinP photo. Related: " PinP Declares Manitoba's Minister of Agriculture a Liar."

Sustainable Pulse A disposal site for pesticide containers in Manitoba, Canada. Larry Powell PinP photo. The World’s Largest Study on GMO and Pesticide Safety has been launched by Factor GMO in London, UK. Story here. Related: CBC TV SCIENCE |  Pesticide poses DDT-like threat -  Neonicotinoid pesticides may be killing off bees and affecting our air, water and food chain.

Today at 8:43  AM OTTAWA – More than 110,000 people have told Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) not to register flupyradifurone, Bayer's latest bee-killing pesticide. Over the past three weeks, Sierra Club Canada Foundation, David Suzuki Foundation and SumOfUs.org spearheaded a campaign to inform the public of the opportunity to submit formal comments to the PMRA. "We shared the facts about flupyradifurone, and the response has been incredible," said Paul Ferris, of SumOfUs.org. “Over 110,000 Canadians sent a clear message to PMRA: Protect the bees.” The PMRA proposed approving flupyradifurone in September, initiating a mandatory comment period that ended November 3, 2014. Flupyradifurone has the same “mode of action” as bee-killing neonicotinoids: both types of pesticides attack the nervous systems of insects. 

Pesticide giant  Bayer wants to introduce ANOTHER bee-killing pesticide  into Canada. We have just one week to convince Health Canada to stand up for the bees. Tell them not to approve this new pesticide! Add your voice Larry -- Pesticide giant Bayer wants our government to approve ANOTHER new bee-killing pesticide  -- and we have just one week to convince Health Canada to stand up for the bees.  If approved, this new pesticide will likely wreak further havoc on our bees, which are already dying in record numbers .  Last winter,  almost 30 percent of Canada's bee colonies were devastated , and strikingly, we lost over half of our bee colonies in Ontario alone. Judging by Bayer's deadly track record, this new pesticide could speed up the complete decimation of the local bee population, which would have catastrophic effects on Canada's food supplies.  The final decision lies in Health Canada's hands, and we have until November 1 to make our voice hear

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Since last Nov., John Bennett of the Sierra Club has been raising the alarm.... Story here. Studies show chemicals which some of  Croplife's  member companies peddle,  contribute to the decline of  insect-eating birds.  (r.) An insectivorous bird, the purple  martin, which is in decline.   P in P  photo.  Please also read: " Blogger Responds to Accusations from CropLife Canada"                            

Avaaz.org Manitoba bee hive. P in P photo. We only have days -- send a quick message to the heads of the environment and agriculture departments that President Obama has tasked to come up with a plan for bees. Details here.

Manitoba Co-Operator Bee mortality in Manitoba varied greatly from region to region last winter, but most honey producers saw improvements. Story here. P in P photo.

CBC News Class action lawsuit seeks $400 million in damages. Story here. Honeybee hive. PinP photo. Please also read:   " Are Canada's Pesticide Regulators on the Take? Canadian authorities refuse to protect precious pollinators from known toxins. Is something crooked going on here? " "P in P" Promotes Canada's CHIEF BEE-KILLER - Ted Menzies, to CHIEF BIRD KILLER, as Well!

Sum    Of + Us Help Mexico's Beekeepers Stand up to Monsanto. Story here.

The Manitoba Co-Operator CNS Canada – The number of Prairie canola acres makes the region a great place for honeybees to thrive — but given increasing winterkill rates, canola growers must make sure they take the precautions needed to maintain that relationship. Full story 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?"

by Larry Powell THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Menzies (above) was a Conservative MP for about 10 years before being appointed early this year as President and CEO (AKA CBK) of Croplife Canada, an industry organization representing chemical giants like Bayer. Bayer makes "Neonicotinoids," the world's worst family of bee-killing pesticides.  CropLife is in the midst of a major lobbying and public relations campaign to prevent Canada from adopting a ban on the pesticides, action the European Union took more than a year ago. Dear old Ted will be based in Ottawa, where lobbying his old government buddies will come easy. This will help ensure that both the already fat bottom lines of the "Agri-Biz" corporations he now represents and the slaughter of our precious pollinators will continue!  Meanwhile, the Sierra Club Canada Foundation has asked the Ethics Commissioner to examine Menzies' appointment under the Conflict of Interest Act . According