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No More Free Pass for the Mining Industry

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ecojusticecanada Canadians finally have the right to know whether mines are threatening their water with arsenic, mercury & other dangerous pollutants! All mines - including mines & Alberta's tarsands - must now tell Canadians about the pollution they cause, thanks to a lawsuit by Ecojustice on behalf of MiningWatch & Great Lakes United. The free "reveal-nothing" pass these industries enjoyed is finally over, & citizens will now have a powerful tool to hold mining companies accountable. "This is an incredible win that empowers people in every corner of the country," says lawyer Marlene Cachin. "Knowing where pollution occurs is absolutely key in planning for possible mining & tailings pond disasters. Without it, decision-makers, along with those who will suffer the consequences of these incidents, are left in the dark." When information is published later this year, the public can learn exactly which chemicals are being left behin

CFIA won't quarantine hogs for H1N1

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Staff - Manitoba Co-Operator - 7/27/2009 Any Canadian hog herds that come down with the pandemic strain of H1N1 won't face the same quarantines as one of the few herds in the world known to have caught the virus. Click headline for full story. Kichiro Sato

Warming Climate Threatens California Fruit And Nut Production

Science News ScienceDaily (July 22, 2009) — Winter chill, a vital climatic trigger for many tree crops, is likely to decrease by more than 50 percent during this century as global climate warms, making California no longer suitable for growing... Click headline here.

US Car Manufacturers Plough a Lonely Furrow on Biofuels

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by George Monbiot, the Guardian, UK The US Environmental Protection Agency wants to boost the ethanol blend in fuels in a misguided bid to cut emissions. Click headline for more. Also read "Bursting the Ethanol Bubble" here. A field of wheat, a main feedstock for ethanol in Canada.Photo by L.P.

Gonzo Gastronomy: How the Food Industry Has Made Bacon a Weapon of Mass Destruction

By Arun Gupta, AlterNet. Posted July 23, 2009. The confluence of factory farming, the boom in fast food and manipulation of consumer taste created processed foods that can hook us like drugs. Click headline for more.

Suburban Sprawl at Heart of Water Debate

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2009 - by James Beddome, Leader, Green Party of Manitoba. Winnipeg, and the surrounding communities, are presently beholden to the same old game of staged ideological political chicken between the city and the province, and unfortunately our water supply (imagine a barrel of water) is set to collide in between. James speaks at a pro-water rally on the steps of city hall on the eve of the disastrous council vote. More pics, below .

Organic Agriculture More Than Doubled Since 2000

by Alice McKeown/ July 23, 2009 - Worldwatch Institute Click headline for full story.

Chemical-Makers go on the Offensive in Agriculture

Jul 22, '09 - By ERNEST SCHEYDER - AP Energy Writer. Click headline for more ====== Eds. Note - World hunger grows as the Dows of the world scurry off into the night with ever bigger bags full of money, l.p.

Winnipeg Council Goes Ahead With Controversial New Utility

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By: Bartley Kives - Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION Decision doesn't come easy during gruelling session. Read related article here.

Small Fry - Big Problem. Global Warming Brings Smaller Fish

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CHICAGO, July 20, 2009 (AFP) - Fish have lost half their average body mass and smaller species are making up a larger proportion of European fish stocks as a result of global warming, a study published Monday has found. Rendering by FotoSearch.

Battle in the Boreal. Rekindling the Air Quality Debate

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An update - by Larry Powell   Public meetings in Swan River, Manitoba later this month, will revisit the explosive issue of pollution controls at a big wood products plant in the Swan Valley. Just as they were in the mid-'90s, battle lines are drawn between citizens, environmentalists, the US-based Louisiana Pacific Corporation (LP) and the Government of Manitoba. That's because LP wants to permanently shut down the devices which control most toxic emissions from its plant, called "regenerative thermal oxidizers" or RTOs. LP emissions, as seen from the nearby countryside.  (Photos by PinP ) Manitoba's Minister of Conservation, Stan Struthers, quietly gave it permission to do so, temporarily, last January. Struthers has since instructed the Clean Environment Commission (CEC), an arms-length advisory agency, to determine whether a permanent shutdown is justified. Whether temporary or permanent, members of the environmental group, "Concerned Citizens of th