Tar Sands Civil Disobedience Action on Parliament Hill, Sept. 26

By Brent Patterson, Council of Canadians - Se 15th, 2011

On Monday September 26, people from across Canada will be gathering on Parliament Hill in a large demonstration and non-violent civil disobedience action calling for an end to the destruction caused by the tar sands.

Victory! Canada's Minister of the Environment, Peter Kent says, Maxim Coal Won't be Allowed to Skirt the Rules

Climate Action Network Canada -  Sept. 15'11

 Environment Minister Peter Kent gave an interview last week in which he pointedly stated that he is going to close the loophole in new federal coal regulations that would allow Maxim Power to build a new, unregulated coal plant. This is wonderful news for everyone who sent messages to Kent voicing their outrage over the coal plant! We made ourselves heard, but the fight isn't over yet. Canada still needs to eliminate all coal-fired electricity if we want to stop catastrophic climate change. Stay tuned for more action alerts so we can make sure Minister Kent stays true to his word. 

Related story here.

Canada's Agriculture Minister Ignores Farmers

By Simon Enoch, The Leader-Post September 14, 2011

With the results of the Canadian Wheat Board's plebiscite now in, farmers have given the single-desk for wheat a rousing endorsement...Details here.

Texas Drought and Wildfire Losses Continue to Mount

Manitoba Co-Operator Sept 14'11

About 5,500 miles of fence and 2.6 million acres of pasture have been lost. Details here.

PLT: So how are the prayer vigils going, Gov. Perry? Let's face it, Sir. You've got nothin'!

Photo courtesy of PortableFarm

Climate Change Deniers Can't Refute "24 Hours of Reality"

David Suzuki - Huffington Post
Most reality TV has little to do with the real world. But here's an online show that will reflect what is happening in and to our world: Details here.

Give Farmers the Vote

Bruce Johnstone, Regina Leader-Post 910/11

Regardless of the results of the Canadian Wheat Board's plebiscite, which are expected Monday, the federal government says it will ignore them and….Details here.

"The House" Apologizes Over an Interview on the Keystone Pipeline

by Larry Powell

This morning,"The House" apologized over an interview done on that CBC Radio program on July 23rd. In the interview, Derek Burney, once Canada's ambassador to the US, sung the praises of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline and attacked critics in the environmental movement as "emotional" and even "violent."

In the process of responding to that interview, I discovered Burney is a Director of TransCanadaPipelines, the company building the project. He did not disclose this in the course of the interview.

After complaining twice to the CBC ombudsman, I received an apology from "The House," yesterday, saying it was unaware of Burney's vested interest at the time. It ran this clarification on its program this morning (Sept 10th).

"On July 23rd we aired a conversation with former ambassadors Derek Burney & Gordon Giffin about Canada-US relations. Part of the discussion was about the Keystone XL pipeline project. We failed to inform you that Derek Burney sits on the board of Trans Canada, the company behind the project. We apologize for that."

And below is a copy of the response I received yesterday from the senior producer of "The House" &, in turn, my answer to him.

Extreme Wildfires & Drought Strike Texas, a Stronghold of Climate-Deniers

Zachary Shahan - Planetsave - Sept. - '11
If you haven’t heard, Texas has been fighting massive wildfires this week. Details here.



A Texas National Guard helicopter flies 
through smoke this week near Bastrop. 
Photo by Staff Sgt. Malcolm McClendon
http://wildfiretoday.com/

EU Court Puts Limits on Modified Honey

ABC News

Honey that contains traces of pollen from genetically modified crops needs special authorization before it can be sold, the European Union's top court said Tuesday, Details here.

PLT honeybee photo

Al Gore: Obama Isn't "Relying on Science"

CBS News

Al Gore has posted a note entitled "confronting disappointment" in which he takes President Obama to task for "[bowing] to pressure from polluters" in ordering the Environmental Protection Agency not to seek a tightening of air-quality standards. Details here.

A Canadian pulp mill
PLT photo

Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Urge Obama: Reject Keystone XL Tar Sands Oil Pipeline

Nobel Women's Initiative

Archbishop Tutu and the Dalai Lama call on President to build clean energy legacy. Details here.

Courtesy; Climate Action News