PLANET IN PERIL

Letter to the Editor: As I read "The province wants public thoughts on environmental plan" in the Free Press, I can’t help, but think that Lake Winnipeg is already green, far too green, in fact. This is a man-made situation. Lake Winnipeg is not polluting itself. We, the people are the cause for allowing the abuse and pollution to these waters. It is apparent that respect and gratitude is not a requirement in to-day’s society and how to take care of water that sustains all life.  We are not alone. There are neighbouring provinces and the United States that also make their contributions of pollution. An action often referred to, as ‘out of sight, out of mind’. I am skeptical of yet another plan for "Think Saving Lake Winnipeg", and here’s why. On June 2, of 2011, Premier Selinger presented his Plan to Save Lake Winnipeg. In that plan there was to be an International Summit that would bring together the stakeholders and levels of government t

14/04/2012 1:00 AM |     Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION Maple Leaf and government policy is to blame for the continued loss of hog producers and a risk to “thousands of jobs” at the Brandon slaughter plant. Manitoba Pork Council general manager Andrew Dickson would have us believe that the province-wide hog production ban and new manure treatment regulations are the culprits. Does Dickson forget that the loss of most independent hog farmers started when the Maple Leaf, Hy-Tek and Puratone corporations set up their pyramid scheme-like operations and the conservative Filmon government removed single-desk marketing protection in the late 1990s? Well before a moratorium and phosphorus regulation was put in place. Further details here.

Dear Editor,  I've been struck by the irony of recent, published pictures of my Member of Parliament, Robert Sopick. Smiling broadly, he is shown in one, presenting trophies to the winners of a fishing derby and, in the other, in beaming attendance at a sport fishing banquet (below) .  A few days later, the government Mr. Sopuck represents, rammed through the all-purpose budget bill which included the gutting of the Fisheries Act. Now, all the Act will allegedly "protect" are those fish that are part of "a commercial, recreational or aboriginal fishery." The old Act protected all fisheries, presumably because fish don't always stop abruptly at the boundaries they have been designated. How naive! As a recent article from a Canadian professor of environmental law suggests, if the fish don't "obey" the new rules imposed by Harper, they could find themselves in mortal danger of strip mines, oil spills, clear cuts and the other hazards

Dear Editor, I guess only time will tell whether my local government, the RM of Shell River, will opt to build another earthen sewage lagoon, this one in the country west of Roblin, or turn to more modern technology for the treatment of human waste.          (Read earlier story here.)       A Manitoba company called Blue Diamond Technologies, Ltd., briefed the Council last week on its own, more modern system which is already treating hog waste right here in this province. Three company officials presented details of their technology to the last RM meeting. They explained they are already testing their system on sewage in the Town of Carman. They maintain their way is not only more eco-friendly but likely cheaper than a lagoon, as well. The Reeve and Councillors gave them a fair hearing and asked questions to get more information. I've certainly read and heard enough to know, I think, that there are many drawbacks with the old-style lagoons. Given this fact, and based

Wpg Free Press May 2 '12 (Fort McMurray, Alberta)....this former small northern town is perhaps the most polluted and.... Details here.

Dear Editor, I'd like to extend a challenge to my local government, the Rural Municipality of Shell River.  (Please read earlier story here.) I'd like you to prove to myself and my community that you are living in the 21st century and determined to be the best that you can be. So far, you've been moving quietly ahead with plans to build a major, new, earthen sewage lagoon, using technology that is, at least, decades-old. An expert in the field of waste treatment and water pollution, Prof. Bill Paton of Brandon University, says such lagoons "Do not perform well in Manitoba's climate. I have not found any Manitoba lagoons that meet effluent license requirements. Many of them also leak to groundwater!" And a former potato farmer I have talked to, Al Baron, says he had to abandon his farm near Carberry years ago when expansion of a nearby lagoon contaminated his land, making it unfit to carry on as a producer. You didn't

On the chopping block to save money, but not a murmur about the gold-plated Pension Plan that the MP’s have saved for themselves. Well, it's apparent that Gerry Ritz, born in 1951, never had to deal with the dry and wind years of the 1930’s, when never-ending dust clouds,  grasshoppers, and no rain settled on the prairies.  The settlers of those years knew if they were to survive,  changes had to be taken in their farming  methods and stop their land base from being blown  away.  The tree and shrub belts were a beginning, but  also a challenge, as the scarcity of water, even for themselves and livestock, resulted in many  failures and setbacks. But eventually, conditions improved and the trees and shelter belts began  to flourish. And they were successful.  For not only to help prevent the loss of precious topsoil, shelter belts became a refuge and a haven for wildlife, a nesting area and food for birds. Yes, with modern farming methods and  large machinery, the

Dear Editor, I recently learned I may be getting a new "neighbour" -  a sewage lagoon.  The municipal plow prepares a way to the site for the drill truck. (l.)              The grader and truck on the site.(below)   The drilling begins. PinP photos The Rural Municipality of Shell River sent in a drill truck a week or two ago to sink holes less than a mile upwind of my retirement home in the country, north and west of Roblin. The test results will determine whether the site is suitable for such a project. Apparently, it could cost millions of dollars, especially if a liner has to be installed to prevent leakage.* Turns out, the "quarter" is owned by the Reeve, Albert Nabe. It's also within a couple of miles of some six farm homes nearby, mostly downwind as well. I was disappointed that no one from the RM council had given me a "heads-up" about this. I heard about it, instead, from a private individual at a social even

Dear Editor,                      The sad reality for hundreds of thousands of sows is that the cost of getting rid of gestation crates (sow stalls) is being used as an excuse to prolong the cruel practice.   Market conditions for raising pigs in a factory setting are changing as Laura Rance pointed out in her February 23, 2012 editorial “The economics of animal welfare.”  People are increasingly less prepared to tolerate the inhumane way pregnant gilts and sows are confined in 2 foot by 7 foot crates on concrete slatted floors most of their lives.   The Manitoba Pork Council says producers are willing to adjust to changing market conditions.  But not until 2025, claiming that it will cost $1 million per existing operation to convert from sow stalls to group housing.    Manitoba Agriculture and Food web-posted 2010 cost of production figures for a 500 sow farrow to finish operation show that a new gestation building costs $23.10 per square foot. Total building cost

Dear Editor, I see the powerful tentacles of Big Oil are tightening around us again. The "grassroots" group known as EthicalOil.org is reaching out through a compliant media, to spread its fear campaign that "foreign hordes," not Canadians, are going to decide whether the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline will be approved. Grassroots, my ass!  The talented, dedicated group of researchers who publishes * DESMOGBLOG.COM has exposed "EthicalOil.org" for what it is; "A small industry front group with secretive funding sources." As DESMOG explains, EthicalOil's message is being amplified through an "echo chamber" of powerful allies, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Sun Media ("Fox News North") to which Harper has close connections. (Not to mention Harper minions like Joe Oliver, whose earlier, infamous letter accused pipeline opponents of being a bunch of "radicals.") The EthicalOil message? Fo

Dear Editor, I think the Government of Manitoba has some explaining to do.  With Lake Winnipeg's water quality getting progressively worse through the years, why has Premier Selinger done away with the Ministry of Water Stewardship? Former Premier Gary Doer created the Department almost a decade ago. Since then, the government has bragged about it being "the first in Canada," suggesting it was needed to deal with mounting problems such as floods, agricultural and industrial impacts, eutrophication, excessive algae bloom, climate change and a growing population.  Then, with the stroke of a pen last week, the Premier has reduced Water Stewardship to a branch of the Department of Conservation. Why? It seems to me that the stewardship of Manitoba waters was the beginning of a life line for the survival of Lake Winnipeg. Now it has been taken away. At no time in Manitoba's history has there been such a need for a Department of Water Stewardship as the

If you like this blog, please consider making a donation. Thanks! Larry Dear Editor, It's sometimes referred to as "the people's corporation." I don't believe the CBC deserves that endearing title any longer. Just last night, we were treated to another spectacle on "The National." Each member of the high-profile "At-Issue" Panel, to one degree or another, pooh-poohed almost every question posed by viewers as part of a year-end special. No, they chimed, there is no serious gap between the rich and poor in this country. On the contrary, Andrew Coyne informed us, huge progress is being made in reducing poverty in Canada.  Rex Murphy seconded the motion, reminding us, we've actually never had it so good! (Rex seldom opens his mouth but to change feet!)  No, the Occupy Movement has had no real impact. (No one offered, of course, that this might be because blind, narrow and stupid politicians refuse to recognize good, new

If you like my blog, please consider a donation. Thanks! Larry Dear Editor, If Stephen Harper is so keen on becoming a "law and order" Prime Minister, why does he seem to have so little regard for the law, himself? Since coming to power about six years ago, his government has been riddled with a litany of dirty tricks, domestic and international crimes. The most recent is his scandalous decision to withdraw from the Kyoto Accord, a legally binding, international agreement to limit human emissions of greenhouse gases, which are causing catastrophic climate change. (Have you noticed Manitoba's tragic and terrible flooding lately?) Even China put Canada to shame at the recent climate talks in Durban, showing a willingness to "step up" and show some environmental leadership while Harper showed none. His "operative" at the talks, Peter Kent (who I now refer to as our "Minister of Environmental Destruction"), once again proved, neither o

If you like my blog, please consider a donation.Thanks!Larry Dear Editor, I think the CBC should change its name from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to the Canadian Business Corporation. Boy, has Big Oil ever found a friend in important branches of our national broadcaster! While there are, mercifully, some notable exceptions (such as "The Current" and "Quirks & Quarks," - radio programs who actually tell the truth about climate change), The National still lags far behind, with its pro-industry bias still out there for all to see.  Lately, the Corporation has found a new "darling" in the likes of David Wilkins, a former US Ambassador to Canada. Wilkins now gets his paycheques from the Canadian oil industry!  David Wilkins, (l.) "ambassdor-for-hire"    But The National didn't see fit to mention that when he led the newscast the other night, spouting his pro-oil, anti-science propaganda. Ironically, the Radio

If you enjoy this blog, please consider  donating to the author to keep it going.  Just click on the link below . Thanks! - Larry                                                                                                        Dear Editor, Well, it looks as if Prime Minister Harper and his government are once again taking Canada's world reputation on a race to the bottom. Many Canadians were already shaking their heads in disbelief when Mr. Harper disgraced this country's good name by turning his back on a binding international agreement to limit greenhouse gases which cause global warming. Now, its asbestos.  A Cdn. asbestos mine. The Prime Minister's newly-minted government has brazenly refused to sign another international treaty which would simply have warned of its dangers. Asbestos causes deadly diseases including lung cancer.    (r.) This 58-year-old Canadian died in 2004 from mesothelioma, a cancer associated with asbestos exposure. (Courtesy Scotla

Dear Editor, Well, it didn't take long for the new Harper government to start showing its true colours. And, if you care about the rights of ordinary workers, it doesn't look good. With the help of his new "Sarah Palin wanna-be" Labour Minister, Harper has, predictably, legislated an end to the postal lockout. In his infinite "wisdom and mercy," he has imposed a wage settlement on the workers which is even lower than Canada Post had been offering. Canada Post's decision to lock out its workers (if indeed that decision was its own) played conveniently into Harper's hands. It allowed him to impose back-to-work legislation, which fit right in, not only with his own mean-spirited, hidebound ideology, but that of Republicans and Tea-Partiers everywhere. Up until the lockout, at least the mail had been getting through. Sadly, it now seems our descent into American-style austerity, which treats working people as the enemy and the rich as our saviours,

By: Josh Brandon - 06/1/2011 Wpg. Free Press The flood season of 2011 is among the worst Manitoba has ever seen. Details here. (Josh Brandon is water caucus co-ordinator at the Manitoba Eco-Network ) Below the Shellmouth Dam.  l.p. photo Please also read "Lake-of-the-Prairies - the next Lake Winnipeg?" Like the article above, it also includes information on the critical role of wetlands.

NOTE; My letter below, now appears in the Winnipeg Free Press online at: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/121825344.html as "Ditches not enough." ======= Dear Editor, It was quite a spectacle. There was Prime Minister Harper, who once called climate change "a Communist plot," blissfully inspecting the devastation it has created in Manitoba before his very eyes. But rather than launching a frontal attack on its root causes, he predictably promised to help Manitoba dig deeper ditches and build higher dikes.   Scientists who know the most about the topic have warned for years that climate change is playing a role in the terrible storms around the world which are getting worse and more frequent. And that, in all likelihood, includes the worst flooding this province has seen in centuries. So, if we hope to protect our earthly home in more meaningful, lasting ways, we need to cut back on the fossil fuels we burn in

Dear Editor,   We put aside this day each year to officially recognize and appreciate our Planet and to honour the sacred elements of Air, Water, Earth and Fire. Some estimate that North Americans alone need five planets, the size of our earth , to sustain their continued and present rate of green house gas emissions. This is very sad and alarming news. Our governments have an important role to play in solving this problem. Unfortunately,however,it is governments that have allowed and encouraged activities that increase emissions and brought us to a place of crisis.   Our governments are supposed to be accountable for their actions, to regulate and make decisions that protect public interest, the environment. Human health and survival depends on a healthy environment. Yet, today's governments are unduly influenced and controlled in too many ways by industry and corporations with their promises of investments,development,technological solutions and globalized trade. I have yet to s