PLANET IN PERIL

Friends, We’ve said before that the oil price shock could lead to profound shifts, and last night Canada got its first real taste of what that could look like.

PinP Below is a series of letters   to the editor  (in chronological order)  in the weekly newspaper, the Neepawa (Manitoba) Banner. They swirl around the always stormy issue of factory hog barns. John Fefchak has been a long-time critic of these industries, mainly due to their impact on water resources  (and a regular contributor to the "comments" section of this blog) . He began the exchange with this first letter, which appeared in the Banner earlier this spring. Then, this response. Dear Editor, I’d like to respond to the letter “Look at the Facts,” printed in the Banner on Apr. 24th.  It claims John Fefchak hates hog producers. I’ve known John for several years now. Sure, he gets passionate about things. Those who put dollars ahead of clean air, water, soil, healthy people and a healthy planet upset him. B

THEWESTERN PRODUCER Chinese-grown herbs are a potential safety risk for Canadian manufacturers and consumers. Story here.

World Wildlife Fund WWF-Canada and the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW) have begun an exciting new project that aims to help an historic northern Newfoundland cod fishery return to health. Story here.

Laura Rance - Manitoba Co-Operator Topsoil on the wind. Video credit - the Co-Operator. Soil erosion still alive and (not) well in Manitoba. Details here.

By Ed O'Keefe - -Washington Post If Jeb Bush is elected president, the United States won’t be on speaking terms with Cuba and will partner more closely with Israel. He’ll tighten sanctions on Iran and urge NATO to deploy more troops in Eastern Europe to counter Vladimir Putin. And he’ll order the U.S. military to root out “barbarians” and “evildoers” around the globe. Far from running from or playing down the views once expressed by his brother George W. Bush, Jeb Bush is embracing them — and emphasizing them.

Larry, We’re buzzing: Lowe’s, one of the world’s biggest home and garden retailers, just announced it’s no longer going to sell bee-killing "neonic" pesticides. There’s no way Lowe’s would have done this without you and almost a million other SumOfUs members. Together with Friends of the Earth, SumOfUs members have been pushing Lowe’s to save the bees for almost two years -- and it worked! We’re at a critical moment in the fight to stop the mass bee die-off  -- with this move, we can push other big retailers and governments to save the bees as well. Here are three easy ways you can help right now: 1. Make a donation to keep the momentum up -- your gift will supercharge the Save the Bees campaign! 2. Share this image on your Facebook wall celebrating this huge victory for the bees! 3. Forward this email to five of your friends and show them that people power works.

by Tony Mitra Kate is an organic farmer based in Manitoba. She is also the Agriculture critic of the Green Party and an aspiring politician that is standing for the coming federal and provincial elections, hoping to be either an MP or an MLA. Story here.

Below are some samples of comments submitted to the Guardian by Canadians. Among Canadian family physicians, there is a growing recognition that climate change is a medical issue, both locally (with increasing heat waves and severe winter weather in Canada), and for those of us involved in international healthcare projects abroad. Dr Chetan Mehta physician in Toronto, Canada ========= Pollinators are indicator species to the health status of the environment. Their decline in abundance and species diversity are warning signals of the environment being under stress. To deny that the release of billions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere has no impact on climate borders on the absurd. The true impact of our collective failure will be experienced by those not yet born. Paul van Westendorp provincial apiculturist at British Columbia, Canada ========= Too much pseudo-science funded by vested industrial interests; too few governments able to think for themselves

TheGuardian The Church of England has pulled its money out of two of the most polluting fossil fuels as part of what it calls its moral responsibility to protect the world’s poor from the impact of global warming. Story here.

Bob McDonald - CBC News. Acting on Climate Change suggests way to sustainable future. Story here.