Pesticide 'Contaminating' Prairie Wetlands in Canada: Scientist

CBC News
Researcher suggests pesticide may be linked to insect, bird declines. Details here.

Please also read: "Pollinator Protection - Europe Shows Us How It's Done" (letter)

Concerns About A New Pesticide In Saskatchewan

CBC Radio - Regina

University of Saskatchewan Biologist Christy Morrissey is raising some early flags about Neonicotinoids, a controversial family of pesticide used for crops like canola and wheat. She shares her findings with Sheila Coles of CBC Regina. Full story here.

In 2 1/2 Minutes, a Child Shows Us Why We Should "Go Organic!" (Video)

UpInspire

This 3rd grader shocked everyone with her experiment that shows the difference between organic and conventional. It changed my mind forever. Watch video here.

Two Big Names Perform For First Nations Beset With "Big Oil" Misery

Neil Young has announced that he will perform  four benefit shows in his native Canada to raise  money for the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation  (ACFN) Legal Defense Fund. The “Honour The Treaties”  Very Special Guest, Diana Krall will also perform. The ACFN refer to themselves as K'ai Taile  Dene, meaning "people of the land of the willow.”   A Legal Defense fund was set up to support the ACFN’s legal challenges against oil companies and government that are obstructingtheir traditional lands and rights. As people of the land theACFN have used andoccupied their traditional lands in the Athabasca region for thousands of years,hunting, trapping, fishing and gathering to sustain themselves and continue spiritualcultural rights passed down through generations. The ACFN’s legal challenges will ensure the protection of their traditional lands, eco-systems and unique rightsguaranteed by Treaty 8, the last and largest of the nineteenth century land agreementsmade between First Nations and the Government of Canada, are upheld for the benefitof future generations.For more info on the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, please visit: http://www.acfn.com/.

Fate of Exxon's Burst Pegasus Pipeline to Be Decided in 2014

Inside Climate News

Several other major pipelines intended to transport diluted bitumen from Canada's tar sands could be affected by the Pegasus outcome. Details here.

Canadian Approval of GE Salmon Egg Production Draws Criticism From US Safety Watchdog

Center for Food Safety

The Center for Food Safety has denounced the Canadian government’s decision to approve commercial production of genetically modified (GM) salmon eggs on Prince Edward’s Island (PEI). Full story here.

The Silence of the Labs - The Fifth Estate - CBC TV

In the past few years, the government of Canada has cut funding to hundreds of renowned research institutes and programs. Ottawa has dismissed more than 2,000 federal scientists and researchers and has drastically cut or ended programs that monitored smoke stack emissions, food inspections, oil spills, water quality and climate change. Now some scientists have become unlikely radicals, denouncing what they call is a politically-driven war on knowledge. In 'Silence of the Labs', Linden MacIntyre tells the story of scientists - and what is at stake for Canadians - from Nova Scotia to the B.C. Pacific Coast to the far Arctic Circle. Go here to watch video.

PLT: This episode will air on January 10th.