An open letter to Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver

Greenpeace - Jan 10-2012

Between 1999 and 2008 Enbridge pipelines spilled oil 610 times. Details here.
A bunch of "radicals" at a Regina 
demo about 2 yrs ago - PLT photo

So Stephen Thinks We're Radicals!

Hi Larry,

Holy smokes! Stephen Harper’s Conservatives entered 2012 with guns blazing, accusing “environmentalists and other radical groups” opposing the Northern Gateway pipeline of having a “radical ideological agenda” in an unprecedented open letter. That’s you and me they’re talking about, Larry.

Since day one of the No Tankers movement, our position has been that British Columbians should have a say in how their air, land and water is managed.  We don’t call that having a radical agenda, we call it democracy. Yet Harper and the oil industry seem increasingly threatened by reasonable citizens expressing reasonable concerns about our country and its resources. That’s why they’ve launched a coordinated American-style attack on opponents of Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline.

What can we do about it? We’ve been striking back in the media, but we’ve got to think bigger. We’re never going to have as much money as them, but what we can do is beat them with our size and our diversity.  The movement to stop oil tankers on the coast is growing, but Harper’s scare tactics prove that big is not good enough … we need to be huge.

Here’s where you come in. Northern Gateway will continue to be all over the news this week. Can you help us capture the national zeitgeist by talking about this issue with 5 people you know? Getting new signatures on our No Tankers petition is the number one way that we can grow our movement. Once people sign, they become a part of our network . And when a massive group of diverse people starts working together in a coordinated way, that’s when Harper and the oil industry start to sweat.

So, who should you talk to? Your friends and family are a good place to start, but you can think broader, too. What about business owners in your community? Talk to them in person, talk to them on Facebook, dust off your old telegraph and break out the morse code … we don’t care! Just let people know that the single most effective thing they can do right now is to sign our petition and join our movement.

We’ll have lots more strategic actions for you to take in the coming months, but right now, let’s just concentrate on getting huge.

For the coast,

Eric, Celine, Emma, Erika & Karl

P.S. If you’re a real keener, download our new Find Allies Action Kit. We estimate it’s about 30 hours work, and it’s a comprehensive way to make a big difference.

https://www.gifttool.com/donations/Donate?ID=1745&AID=1818

Adam Beach is My Hero

If you like my blog, I hope you'll consider a donation. Thanks! Larry

by Larry Powell

I don't spend a lot of my life adulating celebrities. In this case, I'm making an exception.

Adam had a rough life, growing up as a native kid on a Manitoba reserve. Now, he's an established television star. 

But wait, there's more. 

He has a social conscience! 

He's already made his mark as a cop on "Law and Order." Fame-wise, how much further can you go!

Now, he's starring in a new CBC TV series called "Arctic Air." At first, I was leary. The promos hinted at a show all about exploitation of northern resources. So, I watched, with low expectations. 

But Adam's character, an executive of  an aviation company, actually shows a sensitivity for the people there who are being affected by the ravages of climate change. 

(I really liked it when he punched out a mouthy Calgary mining millionaire. The millionaire showed his ugly, racist side, calling Adam's character "Chief" for not selling out a friend on a mining claim the friend had staked.)

But Adam Beach isn't just living out a fantasy on TV.

In real life, he has come out in defense of native communities trying to resist the Northern Gateway pipeline. In this era of ruthless government, hell-bent on making the world safe for multinational corporations, we need "equalizers" like Adam. 


Adam is also a friend of Mark Ruffalo, another amazing actor who has rallied in support of the Occupy Protest Movement!

Go Adam, go! 

Larry

Greens Join Forces With Liberals and Environmental Groups Against NDP’s Plan For Mining In Provincial Parks

"The idea of a peat mine inside a provincial park is simply sickening,” says Beddome
(January 10, 2012)
WINNIPEG – Green Party Leader James Beddome, joined by Liberal Leader Jon Gerrard, Manitoba Wildlands Director Gaile Whelan Enns, and Wilderness Committee Campaign Director Eric Reder spoke out against the NDP allowance of peat mining in provincial parks today at the Manitoba Legislature.  The Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park, adjacent to Lake Winnipeg, may be home to a 531-hectare peat mine if an Environment Act license is granted. 
“Regulations are urgently needed to allow continued, and environmentally sustainable, harvesting of peat for gardens and related purposes,” says Gerrard.  “While there is a place for peat harvesting in Manitoba, there is no place for mining in provincial parks.”
Beddome added that a provincial compost strategy is also needed, because compost can be used as a replacement for peat in gardens.
“Using compost and other alternatives, rather than peat whenever possible, would reduce the need for peat mining, thereby reducing the associated damage and emissions caused by peat mining, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions from landfills,” said Beddome. 
The NDP have had 12 years to develop a peat land management strategy and regulations.  Instead, they have issued a temporary moratorium on peat mining in Manitoba.  Even with the moratorium, a loophole is allowing the NDP to permit new peat mines -- including in provincial parks.  Environmental groups see this as a tactic to get around the moratorium legislated in 2011 and for the NDP to collect revenue through new peat leases and mines, including in parks. 
“The NDP moratorium is in fact not a moratorium, as there are more than 200 pending and granted peat leases in Manitoba right now,” adds Gaile Whelan Enns, with Manitoba Wildlands.  “Rather, it is part of a twisted pattern of the NDP saying they have a moratorium and doing the opposite. This is no way to manage our province.” 
“Peat is a vital tool to preserve the health of our waterways and the temperature of our planet,” says James Beddome.  “Provincial parks are intended to preserve natural landscapes, not to serve as places of industrial development. The idea of a peat mine inside a provincial park is simply sickening.”
-30-
For more information, please contact:
Caitlin McIntyre,
Green Party of Manitoba Press Secretary
204-990-4064
Please also read: "Peat Mines Comment Period Extended."

Tar Sands Pipeline Critics Hit Back at 'Radical' Claims

Jan 10'12 CommonDreams.org

Canadian Minister blames environmental, other "radical" groups for blocking Enbridge pipeline. Details here.

Calling All Radicals - Now is the Time for Good Folks Like us to Show Joe Oliver & His Motley Crew What we are Capable Of! Sign the Letter!

Dear Larry , I don't know what it is about today but I'm feeling slightly,  well … radical. How about you? When I wrote before Christmas about an impending government  attack on Canada's environment movement, I wasn't expecting  a formal Declaration of War just 9 days into the New Year. It  came in the form of an "open letter" from Natural Resources  Minister Joe Oliver that’s receiving heavy media coverage all  across the country. The open letter is in response to public hearings into the  Gateway Pipeline that got underway earlier today in BC. The  Gateway project consists of two parallel pipelines between  an inland terminal at Bruderheim, Alberta, and a marine  terminal near Kitimat, British Columbia, each a length of  1,177 kilometers. The plan to build pipelines over mountains to ship Tar Sands  oil to China will put some of our most pristine forests, lakes  and salmon rivers at risk (not to mention the impact of climate  change when the dirty oil is processed and burned). If the scheme  goes ahead, the moratorium on oil tankers off the BC coast  will be lifted. The moratorium has been in place since the  1970s. Successive Liberal, NDP, Conservative and even  Social Credit governments have kept it in place because  the people in BC support it. So, here is a little of what Minister Oliver (read Federal  Cabinet) had to say in his open letter about people like  you and me: “Unfortunately, there are environmental and other radical groups that would seek to block this opportunity to diversify our trade. Their goal is to stop any major project no matter what the cost to Canadian families in lost jobs and economic growth.” “No forestry. No mining. No oil. No gas. No more hydro-electric dams.”“These groups threaten to hijack our regulatory           system to achieve their radical ideological agenda.” Radical ideological agenda? Highjack the system? Do you agree environmental groups and supporters who make  their work possible are "radical?" Are you pushing an ideological agenda when you express  concern over environmental impacts from mega-projects like  Gateway? Is it "radical" to participate in open public hearings  meant to gather input toward a thoroughly studied, transparent  and politically neutral decision? I say if this is the government's operating definition, then  absolutely—I AM A RADICAL. I know the Exxon Valdez story so I know the facts don't support  lifting the moratorium on oil tankers along the BC coastline. I  know there are real, legitimate concerns about moving Tar Sands  bitumen through 1177 kilometers of pristine wilderness and First  Nations territory. And I know investor impatience is no reason to  try to fast-track Mother Nature. So … let's get a little radical! We e think Joe Oliver, Environment  Minister Peter Kent, Prime Minister Harper and Opposition Party  Critics will all appreciate hearing from you! Send them a letter  explaining why you are a radical. Change it around to make it your own. CLICK HERE TO SEND YOUR LETTER

Stop Privatization of Canada's National Parks - Please Sign Petition!

A waterfall along the Icefields Parkway - Jasper Nat'l. Park. PLT photo

 In days, the Harper Government will privatize a section of Jasper National Park and let an American-owned company blast a 300m metal walkway into our World Heritage mountains -- but Jasper's Superintendent has the power to stop them.
Jasper Park's Superintendent Greg Fenton, a local Jasperite, has the ability to stop the privatisation of the park that he grew up in and loves. Fenton is currently bending to the Harper Government's demands, but by sending a strong message of public disapproval to Fenton – he can not only save the park that he loves from corporate ownership but can also ensure that our other treasured National Parks remain publicly-owned and run.
Private international companies should not be profiteering off our national treasures. Click here to ensure our parks stay in public hands -- sign the petition calling on Fenton to save Jasper National Park before it's too late!

PLT: Harper-creep!