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Federal Tax Relief Program for Some Cattle Producers in Western Canada - Another Price to Pay For Climate Change Inaction?

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By: The Canadian Press PinP photo. EDMONTON - The federal government is giving some livestock producers in Western Canada a bit of tax relief.  Producers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and B.C. who faced forage shortfalls due to extreme weather will be allowed to defer tax on their cattle sales for 2014.     Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says eligible producers in designated areas can defer income tax on the sale of their breeding livestock for one year in order to help replenish that stock.

Pope Francis’s Edict on Climate Change Will Anger Deniers and US Churches

The Guardian Pontiff hopes to inspire action at UN meeting in Paris in December after visits to Philippines and New York. Story here.

Important Coming Event - Please Attend if You Can!

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"Gunslinging" Canadian MP Tries to Soften Gun Rules Even Further - With Remarkably Bad Timing.

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Dear Editor , A tragic thing happened in my province on Christmas eve. A Winnipeg woman was shot with a pellet gun and suffered,  according to police,  a "life-altering injury." A pellet gun is a weapon my Member of Parliament, Robert Sopuck (CPC - Dauphin/Swan River/Marquette - above) is convinced is "literally, not a firearm." Scant weeks before this unfortunate incident, Mr. Sopuck had introduced a private members bill to amend the Criminal Code. Its purpose - " to clarify that low-velocity rifles such as BB guns and air rifles should not be considered firearms.”  And a bit before that, the Supreme Court had declared that  they were so, firearms! 

A Canadian City Once Eliminated Poverty And Nearly Everyone Forgot About It

Huffington Post On a December afternoon, Frances Amy Richardson took a break from her quilting class to reflect on a groundbreaking experiment she took part in 40 years earlier. Story here. Related: A Town in Manitoba, Canada Without Poverty. An Experiment With Basic Income (Video)

Global Warming Will Cut Wheat Yields, Research Shows

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the guardian Combining wheat in Manitoba, Canada.  Larry Powell PinP photo. Production of wheat – one of the world’s most important staple crops – is set to fall by 6% for every 1C rise in temperature, say scientists. Story here.

Fracking Fumes: Where There's a Well, All is Not Well

Inside Climate News After analyzing 24 scientific studies, the Natural Resources Defence Council finds plenty to worry about, from birth defects to deadly effects. Story here. Related: Fracking Dealt Another Setback by Quebec Report

Global Efforts Needed to Stop Deadly Banana Disease

UN News Centre Without global efforts to respond to a fungal disease affecting banana production, the $36 billion global industry, which provides a source of income or food to some 400 million people around the world, is under threat, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO ). Story here.

Canada's Arctic Could be Free or Summer Sea-Ice in Just Six Years.

The Star As sea ice in the far north shrinks, experts say the Arctic could be free of ice by as early as the summer of 2020. Story here.

Tell Canada to Respect the Rights of Migrant Mexican Workers! PLEASE SIGN!

care2 petitions Mexican migrant workers have been coming to work in Canada for 40 years under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP). However, there have been several reports that these workers have been discriminated against.  Despite this, Canada is turning a blind eye. Go here to sign.

A Town in Manitoba, Canada Without Poverty. An Experiment With Basic Income (Video)