Posts

Manitoba Honeybees Hit Hard Over Winter

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The  Manitoba Co-Operator Honeybee on flower. Larry Powell P in P photo. Manitoba’s beekeepers are feeling the sting of high winter losses, coupled with the pain and expense of overseas bee imports. Details here. Related:  Are Canada's Pesticide Regulators on the Take?  Canadian Authorities Refuse to Protect Precious Pollinators From Known Toxins. Is Something Crooked Going on Here?

Manitoba's Corn and Honey Producers Try to "Talk Things Out" About Bee Deaths.

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Manitoba Co-Operator Corn harvester in Manitoba.                                                      Beekeepers at the Fort Whyte Centre in  Winnipeg, MB.  PLT photos. Keeping bees at bay when it comes to corn planting isn’t always possible,  but good communication goes a long way. Details here.

Reject Northern Gateway, Scientists Urge Canadian PM in Open Letter

Globe and Mail A letter signed by hundreds of scientists from around the world is urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper to reject a federal panel report recommending approval of the Northern Gateway pipeline. Details here.

Moms to the Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.): Recall Monsanto’s Roundup

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Organic Consumer's Association Hell hath no fury . . . like a mother whose child has been sickened by a toxin that’s almost impossible to avoid. Details here. Related: Field of Nightmares. Canada embraces the widespread use of Roundup by letting corporate seduction trump scientific evidence. PLT photo.

Member of Parliament Plays Both Ends Against the Middle. (Opinion)

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Methinks my Member of Parliament, Robert Sopuck (above), speaks with forked tongue. The Honourable Mr. Sopuck (Conservative, Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette) recently rose in the Commons to brag about his government's multi-million dollar "national conservation plan." The plan, he promised, "will mobilize action across all regions for stewardship and conservation."  But, alas, in his last mail-out to householders, he sings a different song. In it, he once again "cheerleads" for the re-opening of the long-closed Mt. Agassiz ski resort in Riding Mountain National Park.  This would entirely reverse an earlier plan to remove the aging ski-lift infrastructure and return the site to its natural state. And never mind that the re-opening is opposed on several grounds by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. CPAWS is one of our nation's main watchdogs trying to make sure our parks are managed in a way that leaves their natural heritage

Let's Kill Off the Most Criminal Corporation in the World

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Hey wild one, The next issue of  Adbusters , hitting newsstands worldwide in a couple of weeks, is our  CORPO  issue. It asks this one profound question: in the age of Citizens United, can civil society — we, the people — still work up some leverage over corporate power?

Will Free Trade Agreements Allow Chlorinated Canadian Beef to Be Exported to Europe?

EcoWatch The European Union has already banned imports of meat dipped in a bleaching solution which kills all germs and bacteria. Will  the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) allow this same practice - except this time with beef? Details here. Related: Free Trade. Path to Prosperity or Back Road to Corporatism?

This Fracking Zeal Overshadows the Perfect Energy Solution – Solar

TheGuardian The (UK) government ignores the drawbacks to shale gas, while its erratic policies around solar frustrate budding entrepreneurs. Details here.

"Tide is Turning" as Two Oregon Counties Vote Overwhelmingly to Ban GMOs

Common Dreams Ronnie Cummins: "These victories make it clear to agribusiness giants like Monsanto and Dow that the day has come when they can no longer buy and lie their way to victory." Details here.

Coming Clean - Canada to Reduce Unregulated Use of Antibiotics in Farm Animals.

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Manitoba Co-Operator. Laura Rance PLT photo Canadian health and veterinary authorities have been discussing the virtually unregulated and poorly monitored antibiotic use in farm animals since the late 1990s. Full story here.

California Drought Will Cost Thousands of Farm Jobs, Study Says

Sacramento | Reuters – California’s drought will cause thousands of workers to lose their jobs and cost farmers in the state’s Central Valley breadbasket US$1.7 billion, researchers said in the first economic study of what may be the state’s driest year on record. Details here.