PLANET IN PERIL

National Observer In the early hours of Dec. 7, 2019, members of the social justice group  Rose’s Law  entered a barn through an unlocked door at the  Porgreg pig breeding facility  in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que. Inside, they  videotaped  vile conditions. Seven hours later, they were arrested. Story here.

 Hogs at the tail end of misguided provincial planning allowing intensive hog operations on flood plains.   “Where is the wisdom allowing these type of operations to be built on flood plains” says Janine Gibson long time member of HOG WATCH who resides among the heaviest concentration of these operations in Southeastern Manitoba.  As a known flood plain, the Red River Valley experienced severe floods in 1997, 2009, 2011 and now again, this year. “What on earth was the province thinking when the moratorium was lifted to allow these massive hog operations to further expand. Now we face increasing amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen into the watershed,” she adds. In 2017 the provincial Conservative government removed key sections in the Environment Act that restricted new hog barn development on known floodplains. Recent aerial photos from HOG WATCH  clearly show hog operations and fields within a vast sea of water covering thousands of acres routinely used for hog manure spread fields. HO

(Winnipeg April 27, 2022) – Hog Watch Manitoba is asking for help for rural residents whose lives are negatively impacted by noxious odours from neighbouring hog barns. Those bad smells are not just a nuisance but can contain toxic gases that have human health impacts. “Hog Watch Manitoba recently purchased a hydrogen sulfide gas monitoring device ACRULOG H2S to measure gases causing foul smells for rural residents” says Vicki Burns, Hog Watch Manitoba spokesperson. “We don’t have any government support like the inspectors who take measurements in the city. The Manitoba government seems to expect rural residents to put up with it as a routine cost of living in the country”. Recent readings from one location near a hog barn have documented high levels of hydrogen sulfide. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) exposure to hydrogen sulfide may cause irritation to the eyes and respiratory system. It can also cause apnea, coma, convulsions; dizziness, headache, weakness, irritab

The Narwhal The huckleberry. A Wikimedia photo. To the forestry industry these plants are pests, but for berry pickers they are important foods and medicine. Story here. RELATED: Contaminants found in traditional berries of First Nations people in Manitoba, but still declared to be safe to eat. (Video).

YAHOO finance CaNickel Mining Limited was ordered to pay $200,000 after pleading guilty in the Provincial Court of Manitoba to two offences, which are violations of the Metal Mining Effluent Regulations made pursuant to the Fisheries Act. The fine will be directed to the Government of Canada's Environmental Damages Fund. Story here.

The Manitoban The bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) A PinP photo We need to rethink the way we regulate noise pollution from oil rigs as the noise from oil drilling can be harmful to prairie songbirds, including species that are at risk. These findings come from a new study authored by Nicola Koper and Patricia Rosa. Koper is a professor at the natural resources institute at the University of Manitoba and Rosa is an assistant professor at St. George’s University. They both study how human activity can interfere with songbird behaviour.  Story here.