PLANET IN PERIL

Common Dreams In historic shake-up, Canadian voters overwhelming back party that promised higher corporate taxes and less support for pipelines. Story here.

CBS News An oil train derailed and caught fire early Wednesday in a rural area of central North Dakota, prompting the evacuation of a nearby town where about 20 people live. Story here.

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.