PLANET IN PERIL

Meet the Yellow-banded Bumble Bee. It is one of six wild bee species determined to be “critically at risk” in Canada. Continent-wide, as many as one-third of bumble bee species are in decline.These are important pollinators whose disappearance would not only be a blow to natural biodiversity of species, but to the production of food for us and other living creatures, as well. Want to be part of the solution? Help Friends of the Earth by taking part in “The Great Canadian Bumble Bee Count.” Just click here to find out how. 

Common Dreams "Exxon applied for waiver from sanctions on Russia. Among departments who must approve: State Department, run by company's ex-CEO" Story here.

cbcnews Glacier retreated so much that its meltwater switched course, in an event not documented in modern times. Story here. The Kaskawulsh glacier from which the river in question used to flow - in a different direction. 2014 Photo by  Gstest

Winnipeg Free Press The Pallister government plans to amend regulations governing the safe disposal of hog manure in Manitoba. It released a discussion paper Thursday, kicking off a 45-day public consultation period. Story here.

THE TYEE Highland Valley Copper Mine, Logan Lake, BC Not enough, say critics, who call for a judicial inquiry into the state of mining regulation in BC. Story here. 

+SumOfUs The company responsible for the worst  mining disaster in Canadian history wants to build a new open-pit copper mine   in the heart of the pristine rainforests of Clayoquot Sound. PLEASE SIGN! Clayoquot Sound - Vancouver Island. Photo by  Adam Jones, Ph.D.

climate news network Eastern Greenland. Photo by  Algkalv   Coastal glaciers in terminal decline as Greenland ice runs into the ocean and threatens to raise sea levels by the end of the century. Story here.

by Larry Powell While he has never gotten my vote, Robert Sopuck managed to climb aboard the tide of rural populism in 2010, becoming a loyal team player for Stephen Harper and MP from the Dauphin/Swan River/Neepawa riding, where he remains to this day. He's a member of the Conservative Party of Canada which I've lovingly re-named, "The Cynical Party of Canada." Sopuck's latest transgression (now making the rounds on social media), captures him insulting the Green Party Leader, Elizabeth May in the House by suggesting she can't handle numbers. The Speaker ordered him to apologize (which he did sullenly and reluctantly).  Above is the newspaper ad Sopuck is running at Easter. (So much for separation of church and State.) This is the same MP who:   has supported in the House, the brutal practise of "shark-finning" where sharks (often endangered species) are harvested for their fins only & thrown back alive into the ocea n:  spoken

by Larry Powell A field of durum wheat. (Wikimedia Commons) The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has detected the weedkiller glyphosate in almost thirty percent (29.7%) of food products it tested over the past two years.  The foods were; fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, grains, beverages, beans, peas, lentils, soy beans and children’s food. While small amounts were found in all of the food groups tested, the CFIA concludes, levels were only high enough to be of concern to human health in 1.3 percent, overall. The grain tested  (wheat and barley), had more  Glyphosate above the acceptable standard (3.9%)  than any other food group.  Less than one percent (.2% - .6%) of bean, pea, lentil and juice samples tested above the acceptable limit. While traces of the herbicide were found in all food groups tested, none of the fruits, vegetables, soy products or infant food were found to exceed the acceptable limit.   The agency says, where levels were unacce

UN News Centre A poor rural community in Tanzania after the failure of the rains,  facing drought and food insecurity. Photo - Wikimedia Commons. Nearly 50 per cent of all emergency food assistance to Africa is due to natural disasters, with advancing droughts significantly threatening both livelihoods and economic growth.  Story here.

Los Angeles Times California's climate has long been dominated by cycles of intense dry conditions, followed by heavy rain and snow. But never before in recorded history has the state seen such an extreme drought-to-deluge swing. Details here. Water rages under a bridge in Nevada City, California in January. Photo Credit -  California Department of Water Resources