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U.S. Court Rejects Genetically Modified Sugar Beets - so What About Canada?

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Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer - Se. 23, '09 The (US) government illegally approved a genetically modified, herbicide-resistant strain of sugar beets without adequately considering the chance it will contaminate... Sugar beet at harvest time (Flickr photo by grabe) Editor's Note: GM sugar beets are now being grown in Alberta. Is this the same Frankenfood that the American court has now ruled on? Let's boycott Roger's Sugar 'til this is cleared up! l.p.

Canada’s Sickest Lake

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by Nancy Macdonald Summer, 2009 _ Macleans Magazine Living, toxic goo is killing lakes the world over. It may be too late for Lake Winnipeg. Please also read; "Phosphorus Levels Spike...." & "Lake of the Prairies, the New Lake Winnipeg?

Another Succesful Harvest Moon Festival - but is Bigger Always Better?

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Reminding Manitobans of the Value of the Land - by Larry Powell This year, more people than ever descended on Clearwater, not far from the US border, transforming the tiny community into a teeming centre of live entertainment and education. It was the 8th annual event of its kind, during the weekend of Sept. 18th. While attendance figures aren't available, an organizer, Robert Guildford, (r.) told me, the first day was the biggest Friday ever for the festival. The yearly event is organized by the Harvest Moon Society, a non-profit organization. Its mission is to build awareness of the contributions of farmers and farmlands to the development of vibrant rural and urban cultures. A father enjoys the music with his child. An important component is education. The Society conducts classes and workshops out of the old Clearwater School on topics such as eco-agriculture. It also hopes to develop an action plan for long-term rural sustainability, both environmental and

Support Greepeace - Oppose the Tar Sands!

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UPDATE: GREENPEACE Int'l.-Se. 21 '09 Stop the tar sands. Greenpeace activists stop climate crime in the tar sands . On September 15th 25 activists entered the Albian mining operation in the tar sands of northern Alberta, Canada and staged a 31 hour occupation - successfully shutting down the entire operation. They were there because developing the tar sands - one of largest remaining deposits of unconventional oil in the world - is pushing us towards runaway climate change. Learn more and support our campaign to stop the tar sands.

WTO Takes Aim at the Canadian Wheat Board

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MB Co-Operator - Staff 9/18/2009 World Trade Organization talks resuming this week in Switzerland include a proposal to eliminate the Canadian Wheat Board’s .... l.p. photo

Mine to Turn Alaskan Lake Into a Dump

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September 18, 2009 - by Lori Pottinger • From September 2009 World Rivers Review Recent federal rulings permitting a gold mining company to dump toxic waste into a pristine mountain lake in Alaska could have widespread ramifications... Eds. note: Might the U.S. mining industry be taking its cue from Canada? Here, Harper and his gang gave approval some time ago for the same kind of deplorable practice! l.p. A Manitoba lake, unaffected by tailings (yet)! l.p. photo

Why Did Monsanto's Latest GM Foods Get a Free Pass Into Canada?

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By Lucy Sharratt - Se. 10 '09 - Rabble.ca Health Canada has begun permitting genetically modified foods onto the market without... Please also read "Many Farmers Don't Want GM Wheat." This GM "rogue" canola has spread as a weed onto an organic acreage. It's now a huge & expensive headache for western farmers because it is resistant to Roundup . (l.p. photo)

Population Growth Steady in the Face of a Changing Climate

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Se. 18 - '09 Worldwatch Institute. The human population is growing somewhat more rapidly than demographers had expected--pointing to uncertainty in the commonly cited U.N. projection of 9.1 billion by 2050--amid a convergence of trends that include decreased funding for family planning services, fertility levels well above replacement level in many countries, and improvements in life expectancy for people living with HIV. According to the latest Vital Signs, population projections also fail to account for the impacts of global climate change, which are expected to most adversely affect people in developing countries. Read: Population Growth Steady in Recent Years by Robert Engelman (l.) Children take refuge in a cyclone shelter in Bangladesh/BBC World Service Bangladesh Boat Not More People, But More for All People "...those who bear children should be the ones, more than anyone else, to decide when to do so. The rest will work itself out... Wanting not more people, but more

Consumers Pay More, Farmers Get Less

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By: Laura Rance - Winnipeg Free Press - 12/09/2009 Move to buy local can be beneficial to both.... Farmers' Market in Regina, SK. Photo by L.P.

Listeria Report Leads to $75M for Food Safety

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Staff - MB Co-Operator -9/13/2009 Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq on Friday pledged $75 million for investments in Canada's food safety system. A woman works to sterilize meat processing and packaging equipment at the Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto in a file photo. Photograph by: Mark Blinch, Reuters

Clean Water Laws Are Neglected, at a Cost in Suffering

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By CHARLES DUHIGG - NY Times - Se. 12, 2009 Toxic Waters Jennifer Hall-Massey's youngest son has scabs on his arms, legs and chest...