Blogger takes issue with the official mouthpiece for industrial pork production in Manitoba. (Letter)

 

In pictures: South America's 'lithium fields' reveal the dark side of our electric future

euronews.green

A lithium leach-field in South America.

Demand for lithium-ion batteries is unprecedented - but is 

mining the chemical harmful to the environment? Story here.

Alberta' Premier tells more lies about our climate calamity.

 Here's a dandy quote from the most faithful political puppet the Alberta tar sands mega-corps could have hoped for in their wettest dreams (who also side-hustles as Premier), Danielle Smith; "I cannot build an electricity grid off wind & solar. When the sun goes down at 5 o’clock I can’t just tell people to just suck it up until the sun comes back up at 9 am the next morning." PSST! NEWS FLASH, DANNY! Wind turbines don't shut down at 5! They run on wind, not sun! And, oh by the way, guess you didn't know solar panels power storage batteries which can then be called upon when the sun ain't out! And as Premier, you must have known, one of your own natural gas generators was out of service, another operating at reduced capacity during your brutal cold snap in January. Whatcha gonna do when they come for you, bad girl, bad girl?????? <Wildfires, droughts, heat domes, polar vortexes and atmospheric rivers, that is!>

MANITOBA GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES VIVIAN SAND PROPOSAL WILL NOT MOVE FORWARD

- - - Serious Environmental Concerns Outweigh Uncertain  Economic Benefit: Kinew The Manitoba government has decided to not issue an environmental licence for the Vivian sand extraction project in the Rural Municipality of Springfield, Premier Wab Kinew and Environment and Climate Change Minister Tracy Schmidt announced today. “Our government will always put the health and safety of Manitobans first, and this includes ensuring communities have safe, clean drinking water,” said Kinew. “After taking the time and doing our due diligence, our government has come to the decision that the risks of this proposal outweigh any potential benefits.” The decision made by Schmidt was based on the information and data provided by experts including the report done by the Clean Environment Commission (CEC) as well as consultation with impacted communities and First Nations, noted Kinew. The CEC report identified a number of serious environmental concerns about this project, which would have extracted sand through aquifers that provide drinking water to 100,000 Manitobans, said the premier. “We have a responsibility to ensure we are not endangering Manitobans’ drinking water,” said Schmidt. “This proposal failed to adequately consider long-term impacts including potential aquifer collapse. That’s why we made the decision to not issue a license for the Vivian sand extraction project.” The CEC also heard from hundreds of Manitobans voicing their opposition to this project including the community of Springfield, local leaders, scientists and environmental advocacy groups, noted the minister. - 30 -

Climate Scientist Michael Mann Wins $1M in Defamation Suit

THE ENERGY MIX

A jury on Thursday awarded US$1 million to climate scientist Michael Mann who sued a pair of conservative writers 12 years ago after they compared his depictions of global warming to a convicted sex offender. Story here.

Palm oil supplier to Nestle, Kellogg's & Colgate linked to Peru deforestation in report

REUTERS

 A supplier to brands including Nestle, Kellogg's and Colgate has been farming palm oil on deforested land in one of the best-preserved areas of Peru's Amazon rainforest, an environmental group said in an investigative report, opens new tab released on Wednesday. STORY HERE.

"COMMON GROUND" DOCUMENTARY TRAILER

Oilsands Release Up to 63x More Pollution than Industry Reports, New Study Finds

The Energy Mix

Alberta’s oilsands are releasing potentially hazardous compounds into the atmosphere at rates dozens of times higher than official estimates, newly published research suggests. Story here.

PRISTINE WATERSHED STEPS CLOSER TO PROTECTION FOR POSTERITY.

Canada's National Observer.

The Seal River is pristine and untouched by development with waters clean enough to drink. Now, the remote watershed is one step closer to becoming one of Canada’s first Indigenous-led conservation areas.

Story here.

MISLEADING NEWSPAPER SPREADING IN MANITOBA.

City news interviewed me for this story a few years back. I thought it is worth repeating. And please STAY VIGILANT! L.P. ========

"Planet in Peril" blogger accuses Manitoba’s Minister of Agriculture of lying.

Since the individual Minister at the heart of this story is back in his job after an absence of a dozen-or-so years, I feel it appropriate to re-post my blog story from 2014. After all it's now been well over a decade, not just a couple of years, since he made me the promise he never kept. 

by Larry Powell

 

Manitoba's Minister of Agriculture, Ron Kostyshyn, (below), lies.

Way back in September of 2012 (now more than 1 1 years ago), Kostyshyn promised he would read a peer-reviewed article I had co-authored. Entitled "Field of Nightmares," it appeared in the well-respected Canadian journal "Alternatives - Canada's Environmental Voice." It documented much of the research which has been done, linking the popular herbicide "Roundup" to adverse effects on the health of livestock, wildlife, crops and even humans. It also placed the official position of the Government of Canada on the record, which was, it was "aware of the research, but, it did not raise immediate risk concerns that would have triggered regulatory action.”

So my story concluded that "Ottawa was letting corporate seduction trump the scientific evidence"

Since Roundup is used in oceanic amounts on crops everywhere, including Manitoba, I was naturally curious. Was Mr. Kostyshyn aware of the evidence? If not, why not?

If so, is his inaction due to the fact he simply does not believe the science? If he does why isn't he doing something? It's not as if he were powerless. The Government of Manitoba regulates the sale, use, transportation, storage and disposal of pesticides. 

So I emailed him a link to my story, asking him why nothing is being done. 

No answer.

When I had a chance to interview him later, in person, he said he had been busy and had not seen my email. So I made him promise (on tape) to read my article and get back to me. He said he would! 

Following more weeks of silence, I tried to reach him by 'phone, but was kept from talking to him by a staffer in his office, who gave me a lecture for not following proper protocol for interviewing a Minister.

As a result, after all this time, I still haven't heard from him and feel fully justified in now declaring that he lies. 

For the record, I don't give a damn that it was my byline on the story in question. That's not the point. The story was important because, of the thousands that had been written about Roundup, it was the only one I've seen that summed up in one place the points I've outlined above.

By refusing to answer my questions, Mr. Kostyshyn clearly feels no obligation to be either accountable or transparent to the people of this province. Meanwhile, both Manitoba and Ottawa continue to embrace prodigious Roundup application without bothering to explain why. 

What are we to conclude when a Minister of the Crown so flatly refuses to engage in the least bit of intellectual discussion that might shed some light on where he is coming from? 

Might we conclude that there is collusion of some sort between our elected officials and the huge, rich, ruthless, powerful and unelected Agribusiness corporations who manufacture these products? 

I am not saying there is. What I am saying is, Mr. Minister, if it isn't collusion, then what the Hell would you call it?