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Are Pesticide Regulators on theTake?

Canadian Authorities Refuse to Protect Precious Pollinators From Known Toxins. Is Something Crooked Going on Here? by Larry Powell Nothing smacks of collusion between government officials and the agro-chemical industry, quite like the current crisis facing the world’s pollinators. For years, scientific research teams both far and near, have been documenting dwindling numbers, even extinctions, of several populations of pollinators like honey bees and bumble bees. Scores of reputable groups, including The Canadian Pollination Institute (CANPOLIN) , the Xerces Society and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in the ‘States, are all sounding the same alarm; “The diversity and abundance of insect pollinators are in a global state of decline. This decline represents a serious threat to the integrity of natural ecosystems and the production of many crops.” Xerces has been devoted to preser

Alta. County Calls Disaster as Storms Kill Calves

Manitoba Co-Operator - Staff - 5/13/2010 What began as a....

Sobeys to Play Local Card in Discount Food Market

Co-Operator - staff - May 12-2010 Grocery chain Sobeys plans to...

The Great Debate Over Air Quality in the Swan Valley Reaches a Climax

by Larry Powell (This story also appears in the current issue of Canadian Dimension magazine.) Bill Blaikie is about to go through a bit of a “baptism by fire” as Manitoba's new Minister of Conservation. He will soon need to decide whether to order Louisiana Pacific Canada Ltd. (LP) to restart the pollution control devices it shut down at its wood products plant near Minitonas , in the Swan Valley over a year ago. If he does that, he will be throwing down the gauntlet to LP to make good on its threat to shut the whole plant down, dealing a body blow to the local economy. Or he could grant the corporation’s request for a permanent decommissioning of the devices. If he does that, it could mean more harmful industrial pollutants will continue to be released into the atmosphere than at any time since the plant opened, with the controls operating, in 1996. Not only that, he would almost certainly incur the renewed wrath of individual citizens and environmental groups who be

Mother Earth Can Live Without Us, But We Cannot Live Without Her

Posted by Judy Rebick on April 26th 2010 We, the Indigenous Peoples, nations and...

Growing Danger of Oil Slick Reaching the Gulf Stream

by Emily Gertz May 10, 2010 OnEarth Right now, the northern Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida panhandle is bracing...

"Paths Less Travelled" Blogger Wins Award

I am honoured to announce that one of my in-depth articles on declining populations of plant pollinators has won an award. The Manitoba Community Newspapers Associaton cited "Plight of the Humble Bee," published in the Roblin Review this winter, as first runner-up in the category of environmental journalism. The first-place award in the category went to Shane Gibson for a story published in the Stonewall Argus and Teulon Times. The awards were announced at the 91st Annual MCNA Convention and Better Newspapers Competition Awards in Winnipeg in April. I'm also pleased to announce that I have had my first story (also about plant pollinators) posted recently on AlterNet, an award-winning news magazine and online community. Much to my delight, it has prompted a huge amount of comment and debate. AlterNet creates "original journalism and amplifies the best of hundreds of other independent media sources. Its aim is to inspire action and advocacy on th