Mine Proposed in a Manitoba, Canada Park

Manitoba Wildlands

The Manitoba government is reviewing a new copper mine in Grass River   Provincial Park. An environmental license has not been granted. Forest   in the project area has been cleared, and work on the mineshaft already   commenced before the public comment period even began. The public has   until February 19, 2013 to provide comments. Details here. Moose in a SK park. PLT photo PLT: I know at least one NDP "insider" who is dumbfounded because his party and other "progressives" like the Greens have so much in common, yet can't seem to get together in some sort of union. Perhaps this story will help explain why! Interestingly, a recent Manitoba Wildands poll shows 100% of those asked, want no mines at all in our provincial parks. So who does our provincial government represent? Rich mining interests or the people?

North Dakota Went Boom

New York Times Magazine

It’s hard to think of what oil hasn’t done to life in the small communities of western North Dakota, good and bad. It has minted millionaires, paid off mortgages, created businesses; it has raised rents, stressed roads, vexed planners and overwhelmed schools; it has polluted streams, spoiled fields and boosted crime. Full story here.

US Energy Secretary Steven Chu Resigns, Chastises Climate Deniers And Clean-Energy Critics

Huffington Post

In a wide-ranging and sometimes defiant letter to staff announcing his resignation on Friday, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, while highlighting his agency's achievements over the last four years, blasted critics of the administration's investment in the renewable energy market, suggesting that opponents were living in the "Stone Age." Details here.

Harper Names Top Adviser!

Paths Less Traveled would like to congratulate Wiarton Willy on his appointement as Stephen Harper's Chief Advisor on Climate Change!

 PLT photo

EU Stands Strong Against Canadian Tar Sands Lobbying

Climate Action Network Canada

The European Commission's plan to label dirty fuel could throw a curve ball in Canada's mission to diversify tar sands exports. Full story here. 

State Waters Might See More Oil-Tanker Traffic

Seattle Times

Oil-tanker traffic is expected to increase in Washington waters under an expansion proposal by a Canadian pipeline company. Full story here.

PLT: It just never stops, does it? The oil creeps continue to spread their poison like a deadly cancer. Do they ever sleep?

Could Hockey Become an Endangered Sport?

by David Suzuki

Photo Credit: kris krüg

One benefit of the National Hockey League strike: it gave people time to play outside on real ice! But outdoor skating could face the same difficulties as the NHL – a drastically shorter season or outright cancellation. Research from Montreal’s McGill and Concordia universities shows global warming is already having an effect on outdoor rinks in Canada

“Many locations across the country have seen significant decreases in the length of the OSS [outdoor skating season], as measured by the number of cold winter days conducive to the creation of rink ice,” their study states. “This is particularly true across the Prairies, and in Southwest Canada, which showed the largest (and most statistically significant) decreases in the calculated OSS length between 1951 and 2005.”

Diesel Fumes More Damaging to Health Than Petrol Engines

The Observer - UK

Ministry report says 'green' cars contribute significantly to air pollution and lung diseases. Details here.

Patrons of Community Pastures on the Eastern Prairies Have Their First Meeting

Trevor Herriot's Blog. 

PLT photo

Manitoba Pasture-Users band together to keep pastures under public ownership. 

Details here.

Please also read: "Pasture News of the Week" for more background.

Canadian Approach to Water Desalination Holds Great Potential

Toronto Star

Canada, the land of abundant fresh water, has little need for desalination technologies to quench the thirst of its citizens. This makes it all the more amazing that Canadians are behind some of the most innovative new approaches to taking salt out of seawater, the need for which is expected to rise substantially over the coming years. Details here.

From Walden Pond to the White House

Huffington Post - If you could do it nonstop, it would take you six days to walk from Henry David Thoreau's Walden Pond to President Barack Obama's White House. For the Sierra Club, that journey has taken much longer. For 120 years, we have remained committed to using every "lawful means" to achieve our objectives. Now, for the first time in our history, we are prepared to go further. Full story here.

PLT: It's about time!