Cyclist tells people NOT to ride the Trans Canada Trail

treehugger

With much of the trail following the shoulders of busy highways, Edmund Aunger says the trail is dangerous and should not be promoted as a tourist attraction. Story here.

A cyclist take a break on a much safer section of the Trans Canada Trail in Manitoba. PinP photo.

Pipeline leaks more than 70 thousand litres of crude oil onto Oklahoma farmland

Nation of Change

Plains All American Pipeline has been behind at least 25 pipeline incidents in the state of Oklahoma since 2004, with more than half of them due to corrosion. Story here.

Hog Watch Manitoba Revived Following Proposed Expansion of Hog Industry

Portage La Prairie – Hog Watch Manitoba, a group formed in 1999 to monitor the hog industry in the province, is being reconvened due to public concerns. A steering committee has met in Portage La Prairie to make plans for the group’s current work. Many people have expressed alarm at plans by the Pallister government to lift the moratorium on new hog barns, imposed by the previous NDP government in 2006. They fear the Premier’s move to “reduce red tape” will lead to more pollution, threatening our waterways and even human health.

• Will government do away with rules preventing the spreading of manure on fields in the winter? Winter spreading has been shown to result in more waste escaping into surface water. In 2007, the Clean Environment Commission found that hog wastes spread on fields as a nutrient, “constitute the most serious environmental sustainability issues facing the industry.”
•  Hog Watch wants the government to explain what has changed since 2007 that would justify a relaxation of regulations now.
•  Hog Watch will ask for meetings with cabinet ministers most directly involved with the proposed changes and seek assurances that rules protecting the public and the environment will be preserved.

Hog Watch Manitoba was originally formed through a coalition of environmental groups, farmers, friends of animals, social justice advocates, trade unionists and scientists concerned about the industrialization of livestock raising in Manitoba.

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For further information contact:

  Vicki Burns - 204-489-3852 email  vickiburns@mts.net  ,

  Fred Tait – 204-252-2153  or

 Janine Gibson - 204-434-6018

Seeding in jeopardy in parts of Manitoba, Canada

The Western Producer

Farmers in certain areas of southern Manitoba need four to five weeks of ideal weather or they won’t be planting a crop this spring. Story here.

Flooded farm fields near Portage La Prairie,  Manitoba. PinP photo.

A Salute to Heroes

SumOfUs

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Larry, Today, Rodrigo Tot and five other brave people from around the world were awarded the most prestigious environmental award in the world, the Goldman Environmental Prize (aka. the 'Green Nobel'). The award recognizes ordinary people like you who do extraordinary things to stand up to corporate power, often risking everything to keep their local communities and ecosystems safe from harm. In 2016, Peruvian farmer Máxima Acuña won the Goldman Prize for her tireless work stopping extractive giant Newmont Mining from building a gold mine in her backyard. Over 160,000 SumOfUs members have asked Newmont to leave Máxima alone after repeated harassment over the last two years. Together, we raised resources for her support and legal fund. And finally, we all cheered and stood by Máxima as she won the award last year. Given SumOfUs’ mission is to fight for people over profits, we want to be the first to introduce you this year’s winners. Without further ado, here they are. You can click on their photos to learn more or send them a personal message. RODRIGO TOT, Guatemala

First Nations Elder Loses Patience With the Modern Food System.

"Look at this, our food is laced with poison - exactly what we had been saying. Our industrial world is killing us. No wonder people are dying. The cost of doing mass production is our souls and health of our nations."

This is Dave Daniels, Elder on Long Plain First Nation, Manitoba and specialist in wild plants and herbal medicines. 

He was reacting to a recently-released finding by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. In studies conducted in '15 & '16, the federal food watchdog discovered traces of glyphosate, "a probable carcinogen," (World Health Organization) in almost 30% of food samples tested.

To better understand Mr. Daniel's story and his anger, please watch the video, below.