Thursday, January 19, 2017

The Guardian view on Trump and global warming: the right fight - Editorial

Historic flood - Red River Valley, Manitoba., 1997. Gov't. of MB photo.
The president-elect should understand that America needs to shoulder global responsibilities, and that in doing so America will benefit by owning the technologies of the future. Story here.

Ontario Stops Nestlé in its Tracks

+SumOfUs

Larry,
Huge news -- the government in Ontario, Canada just issued a moratorium to block Nestlé 
from sucking up water from a small community experiencing drought conditions! Thanks 
to tireless work from grassroots groups and with support from over 168,000 SumOfUs members 
who spoke out, submitted public comments and donated to blanket the airwaves with radio ads, 
corporate giant Nestlé has been stopped in its tracks. 

But the fight to stop Nestlé from bullying local communities isn’t over.
The state of Michigan is weeks away from deciding on a plan to charge Nestlé just $200 
for a permit to double the amount of groundwater it can take to bottle and sell at a 
massive profit. Residents in Evart, Michigan need your help to stand up to Nestlé once again.

Our original email from last month:
Nestlé's at it again. This time, it 
wants to suck up 100M gallons of 
groundwater in a tiny U.S. town 
for just $200.
How can the government hand 
over its water for pennies so a giant corporation can profit? Tell 
the state of Michigan to reject 
this ridiculous deal.
Larry,
Nestlé's about to lock down another massive corporate giveaway of precious fresh water -- unless we can pressure the U.S. state of Michigan to stand up to the water bottling behemoth.
Only miles away from Flint, Michigan -- where the local government switched the water supply and poisoned the community's water to save a few bucks -- the Michigan water authority is considering letting Nestlé double the amount of groundwater it takes to bottle and sell for profit.
The cost to Nestlé? $200 a year.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

A Foundation Controlled by a Wealthy Religious Leader Gets Millions of Taxpayer Dollars From Canadians.


by Larry Powell

Am I missing something? Or is it not just as scandalous that the Aga Khan Foundation gets our tax money, as it is that Trudeau has no ethics? (Justin is a politician. That's what politicians do.) But why in the world should a rich, religious leader born in Switzerland and who lives, God-knows-where, get welfare from we ordinary Canadians? The policy of separating affairs of state from affairs of religion is a sensible, time-honoured tradition which seems to have been thrown out the window here. Does anyone know just what Nizari Ismailism is anyway? The Foundation bills itself as a non-profit group which helps the poor. Fair enough.

His Highness, Aga Kahn 1V

But why does His Highness need a foundation (more importantly, why do we) when he could be turning over his personal riches directly to the less fortunate himself? I would personally feel more comfortable if we were to help our own poor, without filtering our tax money through a third party as non-transparent as this one, thanks very much.

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Are the billionaire American Koch brothers playing climate politics in Alberta?

NATIONAL
OBSERVER

It’s a well-known fact that Charles and David Koch — owners of the second-largest private company in America — have been funding climate change denial in the U.S. for decades. Story here.

World’s Last Intact Forests Are Becoming Increasingly Fragmented

WORLD
RESOURCES
INSTITUTE
Clearing in the boreal forest, Canada. PinP photo.
Intact forest landscapes (IFLs), or vast stretches of unbroken forest wilderness, are some of the most important ecosystems in the world. And they are under threat. Story here.

Acclaimed Canadian author lays out dirty back story of fossil fuel industry and government

NATIONAL OBSERVER
Jessica Ernst, the biologist who on Friday, lost a split decision in the Supreme Court of Canada over suing the Alberta Energy Regulator, is no ordinary person. Story here.

Monday, January 16, 2017

Two richest Canadians have wealth equal to 11 million poorest


David Thomson (l.) and Galen Weston Sr. (r.) are as wealthy as the poorest 30 per cent of Canadians, combined, Oxfam calculates. Story here.