Speaking tour in 8 Ontarian cities to engage protection of Great Lakes

The tour, Great Lakes Need Great Friends: Protecting The Great Lakes Forever, will visit Toronto (May 15), Hamilton (May 16), Thunder Bay (May 17), Kingston (May 22), Sarnia (May 24), Township of Tiny (May 28), Owen Sound (May 29), and London (May 30).

“The Great Lakes of North America are in serious trouble,” says Barlow. “Industrial pollution, climate change, over-extraction, invasive species, and wetland loss are all taking their toll on the watershed that provides life and livelihood to more than 40 million people and thousands of species that live around it.”

“On this tour to Great Lakes Basin communities, we’ll be discussing an exciting new proposal to designate the lakes and their tributary waters as a lived Commons, to be shared, protected, carefully managed and enjoyed by all who live around them,” adds Barlow. “A Great Lakes Basin Commons would recognize that water is a human right. It would recognize the ecological rights of the watershed, that private interests are subordinate to community rights, that governments have an affirmative obligation to manage and protect the Great Lakes, and that First Nations/American Indian tribes should be involved in the decision-making process. Public participation is key to the Great Lakes Basin Commons.”

The Council of Canadians is demanding that these commons and public trust principles be included in the Ontario government’s upcoming Great Lakes Protection Act.

Emma Lui, Water Campaigner for the Council of Canadians, says the tour will help:

• “Foster connections along the Great Lakes by making the links between current fights against threats such as fracking, bottled water withdrawals, invasive species, and nuclear waste storage and shipments.
• “Cultivate a Great Lakes stewardship by encouraging people to recognize they not only have a right, but a responsibility to protect the Great Lakes’ waters.
• “Invite community involvement and encourage inspiring actions that will help shift the current market economy priorities that govern the Great Lakes to priorities based on commons and public trust principles.”

Full details about the speaking tour and local speakers are available at: www.canadians.org/greatlakes.

PDF tour poster

We, the undersigned, call on the Government of Canada to cease official reference to itself as the “Harper Government”.

This is not just Stephen Harper’s government. It is the government of the Canadian people.

Our country is not Stephen Harper’s Canada. It is a democratic Canada.

I am not Stephen Harper’s Canadian. I am Canadian.

We demand that all official references to the Canadian government continue to use “Government of Canada”. Any official reference to “Harper Government” should be immediately ceased.

Sign the petition here: http://www.gopetition.com/petition/43549.html

This page is updated regularly during the campaigns.

CELA Challenges Licenses

CELA (Canadian Environmental Law Association) and Sierra Club Canada through CELA counsel filed in Federal Court two Applications for Judicial Review of the licenses issued by CNSC (Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission) to ship 16 radioactive steam generators.

Author insert a music with WS Audio Player.
Download (Interview with CELA Executive Director Theresa McClenaghan).

From statement on CELA website:

These Judicial Review Applications challenge the legality of the Licences, on the basis of non-compliance with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, which the CNSC stated it did not have to apply, as well as on the basis of failure to follow the rules of natural justice in the case of the export licence, and the inadequacy or absence of the CNSC’s reasons for its decisions.

Bruce Power heard by federal Commons Committee

March 8th -Standing Committee on Natural Resources, RNNR, will hear today from Bruce Power and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, and will meet with other invitees Thursday regarding the shipment of 16 steam generators to Sweden for recycling, and the return of radioactive waste. Ross Lamont, Bruce Power Community and Government Relations Manager, provided a short list of the others, which contains little opposition. Mike Smith, Warden of Bruce County, is attending and maintains Bruce Power is a valued employer and emphasises on their safety record. Huron-Kinloss Mayor Mitch Twolan, a member of shipment-opposed Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, will attend in favour of the shipment. Dr. Hazel Lynn, Grey Bruce Medical Officer of Health, is also expected to be heard from the Committee.

Mike Smith, Bruce County Warden
Mayor Saugeen Shores
mayor@saugeenshores.ca
519-832-2008

Mitch Twolan
Mayor Huron-Kinloss
mitch.twolan@remax-lx.ca
519-395-0717

Dr. Hazel Lynn
Grey-Bruce Medical Officer of Health
h.lynn@publichealthgreybruce.on.ca
519 376-9420 Ext 1224

Lamont only mentioned a few fellow supporters, however the committee will hear Thursday from Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) of Akwesasne, Kahnawake, and Tyendinaga; the Union of Ontario Indians, and other opposing groups.

RNNR Committee:
Leon Benoit, Chair
Conservative, Alberta
Benoit.L@parl.gc.ca
(613) 992-4171

Nathan Cullen, Vice-Chair
NDP, British Columbia
Cullen.N@parl.gc.ca
(613) 993-6654

Alan Tonks, Vice-Chair
Liberal, Ontario
Tonks.A@parl.gc.ca
(613) 995-0777

Audio interview with Peter Tabuns, MPP

Author insert a music with WS Audio Player.
Download (Interview with New Democrat MPP Peter Tabuns).

Peter Tabuns & Ernie Hilts

Ontario Minister of Energy
Brad Duguid, Scarborough Centre
bduguid.mpp@liberal.ola.org
416-327-6758

Ontario Minster of Environment
Helena Jaczek, Oak Ridges–Markham
hjaczek.mpp@liberal.ola.org
416-325-0737

Ontario Minister of Transportation
Amrit Mangat, Mississauga–Brampton South
amangat.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
416-325-1050

Council of Canadians Campaign

March 2nd, Council of Canadians sent out this “action allert” to “demand that Ontario refuse permission for radioactive shipments on the Great Lakes.” Sign and send a letter with the click of a button to the Ontario Government.

An excerpt from the call to action:

On arrival in Sweden, the steam generators will be melted down into scrap metal and sold in consumer markets to be made into household and other items.

There has been widespread opposition to this shipment from First Nation communities, city mayors, US senators, environmental groups, social justice organizations. Organizations in Europe have also expressed opposition including the Swedish Environmental Movement’s Nuclear Waste Secretariat, Nuclear Free Local Authorities (UK and Ireland), Friends of the Earth Norway and Sortie du nucléaire (France).

Bruce Power must still obtain permits from municipalities along the travel route, as well as the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Transport Canada and the US Department of Transport. Bruce Power must also obtain approval from the UK, Denmark and Norway to pass through their waters.

Nov. 8, 2010 Roots Broadcast

This broadcast includes an interview with Maude Barlow on the shipment.

Author insert a music with WS Audio Player.
(Download) this music.

CETA Rally speakers list: Peggy Nash, CAW; Terry Boehm, National Farmers Union; Maude Barlow, Council of Canadians; Dave Coles, Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union; Roxanne Dubois, Canadian Federation of Students; Clayton Thomas-Muller, Indigenous Environmental Network; Daniel Légère, Canadian Union of Public Employees; Denis Lemelin, Canadian Union of Postal Workers; Claude Vaillancourt, ATTAC-Quebec; and Hassan Yussuff, Canadian Labour Congress.

Peggy Nash, CAW

Full Version – High Quality:

Author insert a music with WS Audio Player.
(Download) this music.

Terry Boehm, National Farmers Union

Recordings of Speakers:

1. Peggy Nash – CAW
   
   Author insert a music with WS Audio Player.
   (Download) this music.
2. Terry Boehm – National Farmers Union
   
   Author insert a music with WS Audio Player.
   (Download) this music.
3. Maude Barlow – Council of Canadians
   
   

   Maude Barlow, Council of Canadians

   
   
   Author insert a music with WS Audio Player.
   (Download) this music.
4. Dave Coles – CEP
   
   Author insert a music with WS Audio Player.
   (Download) this music.
5. Roxanne Dubois – Canadian Federation of Students
   
   Author insert a music with WS Audio Player.
   (Download) this music.
6. Clayton Thomas-Muller – Indigenous Environmental Network
   

   Dave Coles, CEP

   
   
   Author insert a music with WS Audio Player.
   (Download) this music.
7. Daniel Légère – CUPE
   
   Author insert a music with WS Audio Player.
   (Download) this music.
8. Denis Lemelin – Canadian Union of Postal Workers
   
   Author insert a music with WS Audio Player.
   (Download) this music.


Clayton Thomas-Muller, Indigenous Environmental Network

9. Claude Vaillancourt – ATTAC-Quebec
   
   Author insert a music with WS Audio Player.
   (Download) this music.
10. Hassan Yussuff – Canadian Labour Congress
    
    Author insert a music with WS Audio Player.
    (Download) this music.

Where CETA is being negotiated.

Andrea Horwath

In front of the Ontario legislative building, at Queen’s Park, on Monday was a “Rally 4 Accountability” to have an Ombudsman oversee the Children’s Aid Society. Andrea Horwath, MPP and leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party, introduced Bill 93 in 2008 to provide external investigations of allegations against the Children’s Aid Society.

The Ombudsman will be able to investigate the publicly funded system, where child abuse and misuse of funding is said to be ramped.

RELATED STORIES:
• Families share stories
• Families visit Minister of Children and Youth Services
• Call for cross-country film

Many spoke out against the C.A.S. describing their own horror-filled stories. From an Archbishop’s children being held hostage between the truth of his case and the credibility of the C.A.S.; to the story of a 17 year-old youth having to take care of other foster children while the foster parents are out spending funding on dinners for themselves, instead of providing proper food and adequate winter clothing for the children. Another youth described the neglect he endured when needing a hip replacement.

In an audio recording a mother describes her daughter being sexually abused by a boy who shares the same bedroom. (Click here to listen to this audio recording and hear other stories.)

Many of the people there are being sued by the Children’s Aid Society for defamation. Watch the videos and listen to the broken families, then decide for yourself how credible the Children’s Aid Society is.

After the rally, some of the group walked to the office of the Minister of Children and Youth Services. RootsMedia.ca was there for part of the meeting, and hopes to obtain the following audio recording.

Tuesday, the day following the rally, Deb Matthews resigned as Minister of Children Youth Services. The group who walked into the office did not meet with Matthews herself, but met with a couple from communications and also the policy advisor.

The former Minister’s workers listened, and stressed that they need to have continued input from the families.

View raw video of speeches, and the spontaneous surprise visit to the Minister’s office, on RootsMedia.ca’s YouTube channel; don’t forget to subscribe! The video is uploading, come back to this post for links to videos, and how you can get involved.

Links:

• Facebook Group
• Rally 4 Accountability
• Bill 93

“Until now, Canada’s Internet has been an open network — and a level playing field for free speech, innovation, and free market competition. All that is now under threat.

A handful of companies are threatening to change the way Canada’s Internet works. They want to replace the open network Canadians enjoy today with a discriminatory or “gatekeeper network” — where they decide which content and services get the fastest access to our homes.

These companies have been caught:
- throttling or slowing Internet traffic to businesses and consumers;
- blocking access to web sites that criticized them;
- crippling consumer devices and applications.

This threatens Canada’s free speech and economic competitiveness.

SaveOurNet.ca is a coalition of citizens, businesses, and public interest groups fighting to protect our Internet’s level playing field. We’re calling on lawmakers and industry to protect openness, choice, and access for ALL Canadians — and stopping lobbyists and special interests from ruining Canada’s Internet.”

Maude Barlow, Founder

 

The Blue Planet Project, founded by Maude Barlow, believes “access to water is a fundamental human right.”

From the the website:

The Friends of the Right to Water is promoting a two-tiered strategy. We are encouraging our international partners to work with the UN to adopt a convention or treaty on the right to water. We are also encouraging local groups to push their governments and courts to recognize the human right to water. This ‘inside-outside’ strategy will be the most effective way to accomplish our goals.

Become a Friend of the Right to Water: http://www.blueplanetproject.net/Involvement/index.html

Andrea Horwath, leader of the ONDP

“Dalton McGuinty’s new HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) will hurt thousands of Ontarians already paying more than their fair share of taxes.”

Andrea Horwath, the new leader of the Ontario NDP, is standing up for the people of Ontario by leading the fight against the HST. Dalton McGuinty, leader of the Liberal Party, signed for this new raise to start in July 2010. Holding provincial funding hostage, Jim Flaherty says other provinces can get their share of federal funding if they too introduce HST.

What does HST mean to the average person? It means each cup of coffee is going to go up 8%. Not a coffee drinker? You’re on the internet now; you can expect your access fees to go up 8% too. From gasoline to hair cuts, landscaping to funeral costs; if this tax goes through, the citizens of Ontario will be paying more every day. 

For more information, and to join the campaign to stop HST in Ontario, visit: http://unfairtaxgrab.com/facts.html