CPAWS has invited people to leave comments about 100 years Parks Canada. There's one from Judy Gibson pointing out very well what we all should know by now and that is that the new government sucks. They only think about economical growth, specifically through the exploiting or contaminating Canada's natural resources. She writes: "...but I am extremely worried that a number of new MPs have no real understanding of the enormous responsibilities awaiting them. They will need to be trained to think as responsible adults who care about social and environmental concerns, .... Much focus has been on ‘the economy’ as though it were not itself driven by a balanced and responsible management of the environment, and social programs, and ethical business practices."
David Suzuki writes in his recent blog Science Matters that it's not our right to leave the world's devastated environment to our children and expect them to clean up. He also reports on a speech of his daughter that left world leaders speechless and on a boy who started at 13 his own organization to raise awareness of climate change. This boy wants children to ask their parents and leaders, "Do I matter to you?" ... For many adults, the honest answer would have to be, "No, we're more concerned about cheap gas, the economy, profits for the fossil fuel industry, and having more stuff."
Richard Louv in Last Child in the Woods certainly has similar phrases in his books. There is far too much focus on the economy and one's own wealth than on the environment. Obviously, that's got to do with our lost connection to the environment and the scarce knowledge that we have about it makes us not care.
Something in our economic model also seems to trigger a thinking that care for the environment and economic growth can't go hand in hand. I actually find it odd, but good, that our electricity provider, EPCOR, promotes ways on how to safe energy. Maybe they hope nobody listens. Any way, those two E's are not opposites like hate and love but it surely needs a will to make them run smoothly together.
That reminds me of a brochure my daughter picked up today. It advocates to stop animal cruelty by becoming vegan! But you don't have to be vegan to protect animals and assure them a happy life. If you are concerned about feed lots and inhumane slaughter methods, you could find out where your animal products come from and chose those that allow you to eat them with a clear conscience. Honestly, we would not keep cattle, pigs and hens just for cuddles if nobody was to consume their products (meat, eggs, milk). If the whole world turned vegan there's no need to keep livestock. So this can't be the goal of vegans and vegetarians. Returning them to the wild is impossible. Besides, we are not capable any more to live with wild animals around us, near us. It's scares the hell out of most of us to think of a bear in the backyard.
Interestingly, Louv mentions that we are disconnected from the sources of our food too; that lots of people dislike hunting and think children shouldn't play shooting at birds. But we are hunters & gatherers! In my opinion there's nothing wrong with hunting or fishing as long as the animal gets used well, e.g. eating - eat more than just the filet or steak, turn the hide into clothing, make a pillow from the feathers, ..... Compared to this, killing an elephant to get the ivory and then leave the carcass to rot is plain wasteful and stupid and unacceptable.
We don't have to go to the extreme ends of options. But our priorities certainly need a makeover and reordering.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Anne of Green Gables and other great books
Have you read the Anne- series from Lucy Maud Montgomery? It's awesome for somebody like me tired of long winters. I started a couple of months ago and am almost done. There is 7 or 8 books to the series. They have the most amazing descriptions of nature in them and because every 250-300 pages book covers 3-4 years of Ann's life the season change frequently, with spring and summer receiving the most glorious descriptions. I watched a few episodes of the film series too and I hope the did not manicure the landscape too much but it looked great. I bet P.E.I. a hundred years ago was still nicer than it is supposed to be today - apart from those pesticide-laden potato fields. I did not like the fact that for the film series they made stories up, especially the part where Ann & Gilbert get involved in WW I. That's not in the books! Any how, the characters in the books are awesome too. So it is to read about life and values a century ago. Lots has changed and it keeps changing even faster.
I have also read in between Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv, a book about children growing up alienated from nature. It's a sad book because it so true. It's about the situation in the USA in particular with lots and lots of studies done in the US. And even though I like to pretend everything bad is worse in the US I bet it's not too far off from Canada and other developed countries (some exceptions become obvious in the book, such as the Scandinavian countries). Alone the quotations in the book from parents and children about nature are worth reading. When gardening is boring because tools have not improved, when playing indoors is better because all the electrical outlets are there, when more and more people consider themselves shy because of growing stranger-danger fear, when people don't make the connection between riding ATVs in the desert or forest and harm caused by motorised vehicles in natural environments, when children learn more about the rain forest than about the plants and animals outside their window then something is wrong. The next generation is growing up with a lack of nature and this books picks it out every single reason and discusses it. It also presents solutions and shows off where change is taking place for the better. Even if you don't have a kid it's a great read.
I have also read in between Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv, a book about children growing up alienated from nature. It's a sad book because it so true. It's about the situation in the USA in particular with lots and lots of studies done in the US. And even though I like to pretend everything bad is worse in the US I bet it's not too far off from Canada and other developed countries (some exceptions become obvious in the book, such as the Scandinavian countries). Alone the quotations in the book from parents and children about nature are worth reading. When gardening is boring because tools have not improved, when playing indoors is better because all the electrical outlets are there, when more and more people consider themselves shy because of growing stranger-danger fear, when people don't make the connection between riding ATVs in the desert or forest and harm caused by motorised vehicles in natural environments, when children learn more about the rain forest than about the plants and animals outside their window then something is wrong. The next generation is growing up with a lack of nature and this books picks it out every single reason and discusses it. It also presents solutions and shows off where change is taking place for the better. Even if you don't have a kid it's a great read.
My view of Alberta
After I spent last week getting to know Alberta a little better I decided there is landscape-wise not much to it apart from the Rockies. Back in 2006 I made it all the way from Jasper through Banff down to Waterton National Park and back. The Rockies are like a paradise, surely a bit rough but soooo beautiful. Lakes, rivers, mountains, wildlife, trees.
From Calgary I drove through the prairie to Drumheller and visited coal mines, hoodoos and crazily carved sandstone canyons in the Red Deer River valley. This river and what has developed around it after the last ice age is truly amazing but it's located right in the middle of the Alberta prairie, not quite as flat as Manitoba & Saskatchewan but not exciting either. The wind last week was unfortunately very fierce and literally blew our hats off our heads while the sun was burning stubbornly from the big blue sky. Not my kind of weather. The carved out river valley, called the Badlands for a reason, appears rather hostile and from what I found out does not have much wildlife in it. I understand that it is worth protecting and there are several provincial parks for that reason (and to make the collection of the plentiful fossils illegal it seemed), but there's little appeal for outdoor enthusiasts like me. Often a parking lot and a picnic area made up all the "amenities". No hiking trails whatsoever. Driving back to Edmonton from Drumheller seemed a never-ending journey through endless prairie landscape again, with oil & gas wells scattered about!
One of the last weekends we spent in Elk Island National Park, 30 min east of Edmonton, and although this was a nice change to the city it was a little disappointing. Elk Island encompasses the Beaver Hills, 50-60 metres high sticking out from the prairie. Originally founded to protect a herd of Elk it later became home to plain bison and then wood bison. Today it counts 700 bison! That's lots considering the size of this, in Canada the only fenced-in, park. Of course we saw the bison. We also saw lots of birds including a bald eagle, frogs, waterfowl, a beaver, two coyotes, and lots of gophers. I was surprised by the number of bogs, swamp and ponds. Elk Island also features lakes with picturesque islands and I longed to go canoeing. The forest is boreal forest, yes, it's a boreal island in the prairie, definitely worth protecting! But the forest was also my disappointment - the trees are so little. Most actually had there tops chopped off, from storm, not from human hands. The forest obviously had not seen a fire in a long time although controlled fires are applied in the park to prevent meadows from overgrowing. I know that in the north trees grow slower and with long winters growing season is short and the dry climate of the last decade certainly did not help but I am missing big, tall trees. I mean Germany does not have big trees compared to B.C.'s rainforest but they are majestic compared to the stalks here. Where is the shelter from the sun that makes summers more pleasant?
It's interesting. I never thought I am so keen on the landscapes I grew up with but not having them leaves me a little empty too. Like in Spain or Mexico I admired the palm trees but even they did feel wrong somehow. Luckily, we have some nicely grown trees right out of our apartment (which we will not stay in because the management company and landlord suck).
From Calgary I drove through the prairie to Drumheller and visited coal mines, hoodoos and crazily carved sandstone canyons in the Red Deer River valley. This river and what has developed around it after the last ice age is truly amazing but it's located right in the middle of the Alberta prairie, not quite as flat as Manitoba & Saskatchewan but not exciting either. The wind last week was unfortunately very fierce and literally blew our hats off our heads while the sun was burning stubbornly from the big blue sky. Not my kind of weather. The carved out river valley, called the Badlands for a reason, appears rather hostile and from what I found out does not have much wildlife in it. I understand that it is worth protecting and there are several provincial parks for that reason (and to make the collection of the plentiful fossils illegal it seemed), but there's little appeal for outdoor enthusiasts like me. Often a parking lot and a picnic area made up all the "amenities". No hiking trails whatsoever. Driving back to Edmonton from Drumheller seemed a never-ending journey through endless prairie landscape again, with oil & gas wells scattered about!
One of the last weekends we spent in Elk Island National Park, 30 min east of Edmonton, and although this was a nice change to the city it was a little disappointing. Elk Island encompasses the Beaver Hills, 50-60 metres high sticking out from the prairie. Originally founded to protect a herd of Elk it later became home to plain bison and then wood bison. Today it counts 700 bison! That's lots considering the size of this, in Canada the only fenced-in, park. Of course we saw the bison. We also saw lots of birds including a bald eagle, frogs, waterfowl, a beaver, two coyotes, and lots of gophers. I was surprised by the number of bogs, swamp and ponds. Elk Island also features lakes with picturesque islands and I longed to go canoeing. The forest is boreal forest, yes, it's a boreal island in the prairie, definitely worth protecting! But the forest was also my disappointment - the trees are so little. Most actually had there tops chopped off, from storm, not from human hands. The forest obviously had not seen a fire in a long time although controlled fires are applied in the park to prevent meadows from overgrowing. I know that in the north trees grow slower and with long winters growing season is short and the dry climate of the last decade certainly did not help but I am missing big, tall trees. I mean Germany does not have big trees compared to B.C.'s rainforest but they are majestic compared to the stalks here. Where is the shelter from the sun that makes summers more pleasant?
It's interesting. I never thought I am so keen on the landscapes I grew up with but not having them leaves me a little empty too. Like in Spain or Mexico I admired the palm trees but even they did feel wrong somehow. Luckily, we have some nicely grown trees right out of our apartment (which we will not stay in because the management company and landlord suck).
Suburbia live
Last week I visited a friend in Cochrane near Calgary. She lives in a new development on the outskirts of the town with a gorgeous view to the Rockies. Apart from the view there was not much to this development. Far away from anything you depend on your car. My friend admitted that if she was to walk shopping she'd have to carry her groceries uphill for 40 minutes. You better be a fitness-fanatic to do so. The houses were large but close to each other because gardens were practically non-existent. Since all houses are on dead-end streets there's no through traffic and therefore no sidewalks. It seems safe to walk on the street but how am I going to teach my child not to do it? For being a large house it had only 3 smallish bedrooms. Even the wardrobe between the living area and the garage was bigger than the bedrooms. Unless you host dozens of people regularly I don't see why you would want extremely spacious living roomS.
It was my first trip from Edmonton to Calgary and luckily I did not have to go right into Calgary as Cochrane is located Northwest of it. I drove Stony Trail though, a new road around the outskirts of Calgary that helps you avoid going through the city. At the moment the road is surrounded by barren, of nature cleared land but soon there will be neighbourhoods everywhere as beginnings can already be seen. It's not looking beautiful. I said to my husband, in Alberta the population must be expected to double very soon or who is going to live in all those houses? I would not want to. Despite the fact that Calgary has an apparently pretty good LRT (Light Railway Transit) system these new neighbourhoods will not be connected right away. There's a Park & Ride (in driving terms) nearby but even those massive (ugly and space-consuming if built as a single level) parking lots can only take so many cars. In Edmonton Park & Rides opened last year in the two locations where new stations were opened and residents still complain that unless you are there at 7 AM you can't get a spot until 3 PM when the first commuters go home again. So Albertans will keep driving for many years to come - don't complain about gas prices!
The new federal government just looks stupid to ask oil companies why petroleum prices are high. It's a free market, you can do it as long as somebody pays the price. Besides, the oil industry is highly supported and subsidised by exactly this Conservative government - so shut the f*** up!
It was my first trip from Edmonton to Calgary and luckily I did not have to go right into Calgary as Cochrane is located Northwest of it. I drove Stony Trail though, a new road around the outskirts of Calgary that helps you avoid going through the city. At the moment the road is surrounded by barren, of nature cleared land but soon there will be neighbourhoods everywhere as beginnings can already be seen. It's not looking beautiful. I said to my husband, in Alberta the population must be expected to double very soon or who is going to live in all those houses? I would not want to. Despite the fact that Calgary has an apparently pretty good LRT (Light Railway Transit) system these new neighbourhoods will not be connected right away. There's a Park & Ride (in driving terms) nearby but even those massive (ugly and space-consuming if built as a single level) parking lots can only take so many cars. In Edmonton Park & Rides opened last year in the two locations where new stations were opened and residents still complain that unless you are there at 7 AM you can't get a spot until 3 PM when the first commuters go home again. So Albertans will keep driving for many years to come - don't complain about gas prices!
The new federal government just looks stupid to ask oil companies why petroleum prices are high. It's a free market, you can do it as long as somebody pays the price. Besides, the oil industry is highly supported and subsidised by exactly this Conservative government - so shut the f*** up!
Gardening season has started
The grass is finally green, the sun is out, and the last weekend of May is coming up and so does the planting season in Edmonton. Of course I have already seen the first people wasting drinkable, clean tap water on their lawns. And I am waiting to see all those signs spring up again when people hire a "Green something"-company to treat their lawns with fertilizers and herbicides. Since every gardening company's goal is to make your garden look green and flourishing they represent this in their company's name. But I doubt that many of these companies apply biodegradable "green" substances to the lawns. The fact that they put signs up advising passers-by to keep off the lawn after the substance has been applied makes me personally suspicious. For those of you who do not hire help - well done, because gardening is good for you, especially if you don't use poisons - it's time to think about exactly what to throw on your beds and grass. Native plants are never wrong, vegetables will feed you and if you have children you should not even care about how green or yellow your grass looks, it's being run over frequently any way, hopefully. Children need nature and a garden is a great start. More about this, in another post.
By the way, you might end up fitter leaving all those motor-powered garden tools in the shed and doing one or the other job manually.
By the way, you might end up fitter leaving all those motor-powered garden tools in the shed and doing one or the other job manually.
Edmonton's river valley
is definitely the part I like most of this city, from the few things I like here. I took my baby into my favourite park today which has a pedestrian bridge across the river from where more trails spread, some of them into ravines, some of them make up the dog off leash park, some lead to the zoo, and one is so hidden it's quiet and peaceful. I found that latter one today when I was wanting to explore a ravine. The ravine was not exciting because the city had put sewer pipes into the ground last autumn and the trail still has holes in it and looks, well abused by machinery. So that other trail actually builds a connection to another park, a connection that I had suspected before because I found it odd there was not meant to be one. It's a trodden path, somewhat unofficial but then again there are staircases from two residential streets that lead down to it. It's definitely not maintained and that kind of wild touch makes it so wonderful. You finally don't walk a manicured city parks path but you don't have to get out of the city! There were some ups and downs and a few wet spots with planks and washed out parts, just how I like hikes most. Baby slept peacefully on my back. As I returned from the ravine to the trail along the river I saw a large owl! That was beautiful. It did not seem to mind me much as I could slowly move pretty close to it. I did not see the coyote that is suspected to live in the area. Next time I have to take my husband along but before baby and I got more paths to explore.
If only every city had a river valley packed with trails.
If only every city had a river valley packed with trails.
Just a comment on plugging your ears
With reference to my last post I must say that even in cities it annoys me to see everyone walking around with their ears plugged listening to something from their ipods or talking on the phone. As a cyclist I have to pass pedestrians frequently and a bell often will not do the job of warning them of my approach. Yelling at the pedestrian does work mostly but that does not make me a pleasant companion on the trails. Admittedly, I had a time where I'd go jogging with plugs in my ears but I eventually came to the conclusion that it is much nicer to just listen to nature. Sure, walking around a city and even on some of the river valley trails in Edmonton there is not much nature to hear because the road is right there along the trail or sidewalk. Still, for safety's sake it's no good to pull yourself out of your immediate environment by listening to music while walking, or worse cycling.
Natural disasters & Parks Canada's 100. anniversary
The winter has made its departure even from Edmonton. In fact the last couple of weeks have been sunny and warm (up to 20 degrees C). And it's been so dry that Alberta is fighting its first wave of forest fires. The current extend of the roughly 100 forest fires, a quarter of them out of control, is covering an area equal to the whole area destroyed by fires in the 2010. And the fire season has only started ... The community of Slave Lake, 250 km north Edmonton, will hope to see no more of it since half the town has already been flattened by fires. Meantime Manitoba is being flooded and those who still have dry feet are trying to escape too much water. The USA has seen a huge number of tornadoes; the Mississippi has reached a 500-year-flood level.
I hate to say straight away it's all due to global warming. But no doubt the first months of this year have seen a lot of natural disaster all over the world. At a point where lots of people possibly hate the forces of nature that they have to give in to it's hard to advocate for the protection and conservation of exactly that nature. Mind you, nature has always done its thing, only human beings have never been so numerous and therefore find themselves in nature's way just about anywhere.
Parks Canada is celebrating its 100 anniversary this weekend. But doubts are rising that Parks Canada is not true any more to its original vision of preserving the wonderful landscapes of Canada's national parks. Although visitor numbers in Canada's national parks have remained steady over the last decade, compared to a noticeable decline in US national parks, Parks Canada seems to allow more and more installations in its parks to promote "more fun activities", trying to compete with the virtual worlds that modern gadgets offer. Some of those installations and what comes along with them do in fact threaten some already endangered species even more. People who long to have those installations should find them somewhere else, outside national parks, that's my opinion. If you can't enjoy a hike without blasting music into your ears, stay in the city and walk in the park there. Obviously, Parks Canada raises money through park entrance fees which in the end help to fulfil their duties but honestly, there's no point in wanting to have everybody in for the money's matter. Where people create more damage than good they might as well be kept away. I'm almost glad some of Canada's national parks are pretty much inaccessible, especially for cars.
I hate to say straight away it's all due to global warming. But no doubt the first months of this year have seen a lot of natural disaster all over the world. At a point where lots of people possibly hate the forces of nature that they have to give in to it's hard to advocate for the protection and conservation of exactly that nature. Mind you, nature has always done its thing, only human beings have never been so numerous and therefore find themselves in nature's way just about anywhere.
Parks Canada is celebrating its 100 anniversary this weekend. But doubts are rising that Parks Canada is not true any more to its original vision of preserving the wonderful landscapes of Canada's national parks. Although visitor numbers in Canada's national parks have remained steady over the last decade, compared to a noticeable decline in US national parks, Parks Canada seems to allow more and more installations in its parks to promote "more fun activities", trying to compete with the virtual worlds that modern gadgets offer. Some of those installations and what comes along with them do in fact threaten some already endangered species even more. People who long to have those installations should find them somewhere else, outside national parks, that's my opinion. If you can't enjoy a hike without blasting music into your ears, stay in the city and walk in the park there. Obviously, Parks Canada raises money through park entrance fees which in the end help to fulfil their duties but honestly, there's no point in wanting to have everybody in for the money's matter. Where people create more damage than good they might as well be kept away. I'm almost glad some of Canada's national parks are pretty much inaccessible, especially for cars.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
The big oil spill near our back yard
Did you hear about the latest oil spill right here in Alberta? It's the by far biggest oil spill in Alberta in the past 30 years, the second one in the last week alone (yes, it happened last Friday and only got into the news today!!!!), and it happened "within the traditional territory of the Lubicon Cree, who lead a largely subsistence lifestyle within the pristine ecology of northern Alberta's boreal forest." Reading alone the quote I wonder why on Earth is a pipeline in this area?
It's unclear yet how long the clean-up will take. My sarcasm tells me that this is due to the fact that corporations in Canada pay enormous tax rates and it's therefore likely that the culprit oil company has little spare cash to deal with the issue quickly and responsibly! Five days have past and the extend of the incident is unknown - who are you trying to fool?
The suggestion of the David Suzuki Foundation is to get of oil and find alternative energy sources - sorry, but with a strongly oil-addicted leader of this country this seems an overly ambitious suggestion so why don't we keep doing business as usual and ignore what happened while pumping further subsidies into the oil & gas industry. Long live Stephen Harper!
It's unclear yet how long the clean-up will take. My sarcasm tells me that this is due to the fact that corporations in Canada pay enormous tax rates and it's therefore likely that the culprit oil company has little spare cash to deal with the issue quickly and responsibly! Five days have past and the extend of the incident is unknown - who are you trying to fool?
The suggestion of the David Suzuki Foundation is to get of oil and find alternative energy sources - sorry, but with a strongly oil-addicted leader of this country this seems an overly ambitious suggestion so why don't we keep doing business as usual and ignore what happened while pumping further subsidies into the oil & gas industry. Long live Stephen Harper!
Increase in bikes requires change in people's thinking
Montreal (in Quebec!) has Bixi bikes though which have proven to be very popular and will now be offered in Toronto, too. For some reason, the Toronto Bicycle Union thinks that would be great for tourists to go sightseeing. Personally, I don't think any sane tourist will go on a bike ride unless they see a certain number of local cyclists, for me an indicator for how
safe and convenient cycling in this location is.
I do love cycling and I enjoy cycling even in Edmonton, although I mostly cycle in the river valley where I hit no roads. But the comments I hear are surprising, as I would not get those in Europe where walking and cycling is far more wide-spread. Some people just admire me (for being "brave" and fit), others are scared especially about baby's safety in the trailer (what if a car bumps into it? - I know you are poor driver, is that why you freak at the sight of a cyclist on the road?), some people think I'm enduring a lot of hardship living with alternatives to driving a car.Actually, you should feel sorry for yourself for depending on that fossil fuel consuming metal box so much.
An acquaintance reported from her daughter who studies in the Netherlands that she really enjoys it. She can hop on a bike or train and go places so easily. She went to some event by train recently and got all caught up in the festive atmosphere on the train. Surely, that's not going to happen to car drivers stuck in a traffic jam wanting to attend that event.
safe and convenient cycling in this location is.
I do love cycling and I enjoy cycling even in Edmonton, although I mostly cycle in the river valley where I hit no roads. But the comments I hear are surprising, as I would not get those in Europe where walking and cycling is far more wide-spread. Some people just admire me (for being "brave" and fit), others are scared especially about baby's safety in the trailer (what if a car bumps into it? - I know you are poor driver, is that why you freak at the sight of a cyclist on the road?), some people think I'm enduring a lot of hardship living with alternatives to driving a car.Actually, you should feel sorry for yourself for depending on that fossil fuel consuming metal box so much.
An acquaintance reported from her daughter who studies in the Netherlands that she really enjoys it. She can hop on a bike or train and go places so easily. She went to some event by train recently and got all caught up in the festive atmosphere on the train. Surely, that's not going to happen to car drivers stuck in a traffic jam wanting to attend that event.
4.5 years of suffering ahead
I will need a long time to recover from that devastating election on Monday. Still, I dared to look into the paper today, but only the Metro. The first page is sickening already. It reports on Harper's goals for the next term:
— Ongoing cuts to corporate tax rates.
— Ongoing increases to provincial health-care transfers.
— Many more felons behind bars for longer terms, in more prisons.
— An end to the long-gun registry.
— An end to the per-vote taxpayer subsidy of political parties.
— New laws targeting group refugee arrivals by boat.
— Relaxation of rules for the telecom industry and foreign investment.
Reading those goals I wonder what the average Canadian gets out of them - almost nothing!!, unless you are high in the hierarchy of a corporation that will pay even less taxes and stuff the pockets of its high ranking staff even more so. That's why the rich get richer in Canada, and the poor poorer. And where is the environment??? Harper possibly does not even know how to spell this word.
The Metro also did a survey and asked readers how they spent election night. The results are as follows:
- watching Dancing with the stars: 0%
- cheering: 22%
- crying: 22%
- planning my emigration: 55% - There's an idea!!!, as the cousin of my mother-in-law would say.
Yip, I fall into that last category, too. Thank goodness, I have a German passport, already, still, forever. My husband and I have been considering moving to Ontario but it just got the blues really badly and I'm now more inclined to join the French-Canadians. Well, not really, but we ought to live in a NDP riding. Unfortunately, that's not the only requirement since I'm pretty damn demanding when it comes to living where I ought to be happy (not complaining). House with garden, quiet location, close to childcare, grocery store, my husband's and my workplace, near countryside (preferably in walking distance - In Dunedin (NZ), Nelson (NZ), Edinburgh (UK), Malaga (Spain), Cozumel (Mexico) I could walk or cycle right from the town into the countryside, no vehicle required). Close means within walking/cycling distance or on a convenient bus route - think we can find that in Canada? Let me know where! I don't think we get away without a car but we don't want to depend on it.
Here a little joke my husband told me. Justin Trudeau was asked if he would run for the leadership of the Liberal party. He replied he did not know if a cute leader would make a difference. My opinion: Yes, it does. Why would so many women otherwise vote for Layton. Not that he's cute (he's too old to be cute) but he was by far the best looking candidate. Surely, Trudeau would certainly bring a few more votes for the Liberals, no matter the policies (which obviously didn't matter to 40% of Canadians who voted) and kick Harper's visage off the front pages.
— Ongoing cuts to corporate tax rates.
— Ongoing increases to provincial health-care transfers.
— Many more felons behind bars for longer terms, in more prisons.
— An end to the long-gun registry.
— An end to the per-vote taxpayer subsidy of political parties.
— New laws targeting group refugee arrivals by boat.
— Relaxation of rules for the telecom industry and foreign investment.
Reading those goals I wonder what the average Canadian gets out of them - almost nothing!!, unless you are high in the hierarchy of a corporation that will pay even less taxes and stuff the pockets of its high ranking staff even more so. That's why the rich get richer in Canada, and the poor poorer. And where is the environment??? Harper possibly does not even know how to spell this word.
The Metro also did a survey and asked readers how they spent election night. The results are as follows:
- watching Dancing with the stars: 0%
- cheering: 22%
- crying: 22%
- planning my emigration: 55% - There's an idea!!!, as the cousin of my mother-in-law would say.
Yip, I fall into that last category, too. Thank goodness, I have a German passport, already, still, forever. My husband and I have been considering moving to Ontario but it just got the blues really badly and I'm now more inclined to join the French-Canadians. Well, not really, but we ought to live in a NDP riding. Unfortunately, that's not the only requirement since I'm pretty damn demanding when it comes to living where I ought to be happy (not complaining). House with garden, quiet location, close to childcare, grocery store, my husband's and my workplace, near countryside (preferably in walking distance - In Dunedin (NZ), Nelson (NZ), Edinburgh (UK), Malaga (Spain), Cozumel (Mexico) I could walk or cycle right from the town into the countryside, no vehicle required). Close means within walking/cycling distance or on a convenient bus route - think we can find that in Canada? Let me know where! I don't think we get away without a car but we don't want to depend on it.
Here a little joke my husband told me. Justin Trudeau was asked if he would run for the leadership of the Liberal party. He replied he did not know if a cute leader would make a difference. My opinion: Yes, it does. Why would so many women otherwise vote for Layton. Not that he's cute (he's too old to be cute) but he was by far the best looking candidate. Surely, Trudeau would certainly bring a few more votes for the Liberals, no matter the policies (which obviously didn't matter to 40% of Canadians who voted) and kick Harper's visage off the front pages.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Caribous or no caribous
The Big Wild referred in its latest newsletter to two articles that kind of aim for opposite goals - one to protect the caribou, the other one to simply not care about caribou for industry's sake.
The first article from Globe and Mail reports on the newly established Boreal Business Forum that will try to ensure that the 21 member companies of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) take actions towards meeting the goals of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement. The (unfortunately only) three-year-agreement was signed last year and aims to protect much needed habitat for caribou and other species as well as to implement more sustainable wood harvesting practices.
The nine companies that make up the forum are consumers of the FPAC's products. They include newspaper and magazine publishers, office supply retailers, and consumer products companies such as Kimberly-Clark; Lowes, Rona Inc., Office Depot; Axel Springer AG, Time Inc., The Globe and Mail and Hearst Corp.
From the article: The signing of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement “represented a historic milestone in the environment-forestry debate. But like many agreements, signing is not the end point – it’s the start,” said Yalmaz Siddiqui, director of environmental strategy at Office Depot. “As a business that uses forest products from Canada … we look forward to working with [the signatories] to achieve the desired outcomes of the agreement,” Mr. Siddiqui said.
Let's hope for the best.
Meanwhile in Ontario, the Ministry of Natural Resources, lead by the Honourable Linda Jeffrey, announced plans to exempt all industries from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for most of the caribou habitat in Ontario. This proposal, when enacted, would effectively remove all legal protections under the ESA for caribou. The Ministry is jeopardizing the recovery of caribou in Ontario and failing to uphold its North American-leading Endangered Species Act.
There is nothing Honourable about that intention! First of all there should not be any exemptions to this act because it beats its whole purpose. Second, the North American-leading act makes me roll my eyes. I do not know the act in word and detail but it makes it sound to me that it's kept rather vaguely so to ensure no endangered species gets overly protected. Considering North American recklessness with nature - in the name of progress and economic growth of course - I wonder how hard it can be to be leading in any environmental issue in North America. Yes, I'm sarcastic again. This woman ought to be fired. Ontarians will shriek now that they don't need more unemployment and I wonder if this step of the ministry has something to do with getting certain industries back on track. Quote: Ontario has spent the last three years and significant public resources to create massive exemptions for industry instead of implementing the ESA to protect species and using the tools contained in the Act to assist with industry compliance. The Big Wild was therefore so kind as to pre-write a letter to Linda Jeffrey and you should click and sign it, too, now.
The first article from Globe and Mail reports on the newly established Boreal Business Forum that will try to ensure that the 21 member companies of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) take actions towards meeting the goals of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement. The (unfortunately only) three-year-agreement was signed last year and aims to protect much needed habitat for caribou and other species as well as to implement more sustainable wood harvesting practices.
The nine companies that make up the forum are consumers of the FPAC's products. They include newspaper and magazine publishers, office supply retailers, and consumer products companies such as Kimberly-Clark; Lowes, Rona Inc., Office Depot; Axel Springer AG, Time Inc., The Globe and Mail and Hearst Corp.
From the article: The signing of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement “represented a historic milestone in the environment-forestry debate. But like many agreements, signing is not the end point – it’s the start,” said Yalmaz Siddiqui, director of environmental strategy at Office Depot. “As a business that uses forest products from Canada … we look forward to working with [the signatories] to achieve the desired outcomes of the agreement,” Mr. Siddiqui said.
Let's hope for the best.
Meanwhile in Ontario, the Ministry of Natural Resources, lead by the Honourable Linda Jeffrey, announced plans to exempt all industries from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for most of the caribou habitat in Ontario. This proposal, when enacted, would effectively remove all legal protections under the ESA for caribou. The Ministry is jeopardizing the recovery of caribou in Ontario and failing to uphold its North American-leading Endangered Species Act.
There is nothing Honourable about that intention! First of all there should not be any exemptions to this act because it beats its whole purpose. Second, the North American-leading act makes me roll my eyes. I do not know the act in word and detail but it makes it sound to me that it's kept rather vaguely so to ensure no endangered species gets overly protected. Considering North American recklessness with nature - in the name of progress and economic growth of course - I wonder how hard it can be to be leading in any environmental issue in North America. Yes, I'm sarcastic again. This woman ought to be fired. Ontarians will shriek now that they don't need more unemployment and I wonder if this step of the ministry has something to do with getting certain industries back on track. Quote: Ontario has spent the last three years and significant public resources to create massive exemptions for industry instead of implementing the ESA to protect species and using the tools contained in the Act to assist with industry compliance. The Big Wild was therefore so kind as to pre-write a letter to Linda Jeffrey and you should click and sign it, too, now.
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