EnviroNewsandIssues Newsletter - Edition 13

May 27, 2005

Manley promotes closer U.S. ties - Toronto Star

Security issue key, ex-minister says Canadians who want easy access to the United States but balk at closer security ties with Canada's southern neighbour because of sovereignty concerns "can't have it both ways," former deputy prime minister John Manley says.

"We want to sell to the United States ... we want to be able to get through that border line without having to wait but if they ask for us to do some things on the side of security, our sovereignty is being compromised," Manley said.

"Well, you can't have it both ways," Manley told a conference on security sponsored by the Conference Board of Canada.

Liberal by-election victory not all it seems - Toronto Star

It would be a mistake to simply file away the Newfoundland federal riding of Labrador as a haven of Liberal calm in the recent political storm.

Earlier this week, Paul Martin's candidate Todd Russell sailed to a decisive by-election victory in Labrador, providing the minority government with a welcome additional body to ward off future attempts to topple it.

The result was predictable; the riding has been Liberal for most of its existence. But everything else about the by-election had precious little to do with business as usual in Labrador.

One of the reasons by-elections have a reputation for quirky results is their traditionally low turnouts. But in Labrador this week voters bucked the trend: 54 per cent cast a ballot, a 10-point increase from last June.

Toronto, Chicago mayors back Manitoba on water diversion project - Canadian Press

QUEBEC (CP) - A powerful big-city U.S. mayor and a Canadian counterpart have thrown their weight behind Manitoba's fight to block a water diversion project in the United States.
Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago and Toronto's David Miller called on the U.S. government to put a stop to a North Dakota project that will send water northward into the Red River from Devils Lake, a growing body of water that frequently floods.

"If we lose the battle of Devils Lake, it sets a precedent that could allow the diversion of the Great Lakes," Miller said.

An international meeting of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River mayors adopted a resolution Thursday asking for a proper environmental assessment by the International Joint Commission.

Why the boom in homelessness? - Edmonton Journal

If it seems like you're being hit up for spare change more often, in more places, by more insistent panhandlers these days, you're probably right.

Because despite the city and the province's booming economies, homelessness is a pervasive problem that is spreading beyond the traditional downtown core. And with a consistent shortage of services to help what are known as the chronically homeless -- that subgroup of people whose problems can't simply be fixed with a cheap apartment and a trip to the thrift store -- the problem is only likely to worsen.

May 26, 2005

Time To Change The Way We Think Of Politics - Parry Sound North Star

The events of the last few weeks have troubled me greatly. There is no shortage of challenges facing Canada But, rather than setting aside partisan politics, the old-line parties choose to exchange pre-election rhetoric that did nothing more than turn off an increasing number of Canadians from the politic process.

Coalition governments exist quite successfully in many countries around the world where political parties recognize that public debate allows for and recognizes differences in ideas and vision. Politicians work together and act with integrity to enact policies that are good for the country. However, it appears that in our country, the good of the populace takes a back seat to the needs of the current sitting political parties and we all lose out in the end.

It is time for a change and not just from one party to another, but in the way we conduct politics in this country. The events of the last few weeks have only served to solidify my commitment to the Green party and my belief that we need a change from the old-line parties.

Our leader, Jim Harris said, "The Green party is prepared to present a vision to Canada which will restore our trust in government. Honesty, integrity and justice are values that we all share. Our hope is that we can build a country that once again recognizes these values in all of our institutions." As your candidate for the Green Party, I support and applaud this statement.

An interview with Green Party leader Jim Harris Blowing off some Green steam - Ottawa XPress

Jim Harris attacks Canada's Kyoto plan and the impending death of life as we know itElections narrowly avoided, it looks like Jim Harris can step quietly off the campaign trail. But a couple of weeks ago it wasn't so certain. The federal Green Party leader was making the rounds, and with offices just one floor above XPress, Harris spared us half an hour to talk about why we really do (or did) need an election. It has refreshingly little to do with corruption.

"There was a report in the last month called the Millennium Assessment, and it was 1,364 scientists around the world working for four years under the UN, and ... the bottom line is that two thirds of the world's ecosystems face collapse unless we have substantial change," Harris told me, quite calmly.

"So here we see this distraction of the Gomery inquiry and so on as rearranging the chairs on the Titanic as it's sinking. That's not to say it's acceptable [this kind of corruption] but it's taking our attention off things that are going to make a huge difference for our children and our children's children."

Should we reform the way we vote? - Prince Edward Island Guardian

Prince Edward Islanders will soon hear what the province’s Commission on P.E.I.’s Electoral Future has in mind for reforming the electoral system. But after hearing what it is, it’ll be up to voters to learn as much as possible about it before they actually vote for or against it. When it comes to something as fundamental to our democracy as the electoral system, all voters need to educate themselves before accepting or rejecting change.

The commission, headed by Leonard Russell, has researched models of electoral reform and will present the model it deems suitable for Prince Edward Island this Friday at a press conference.

It’s this model that Islanders will eventually vote on after a public education program scheduled for this fall.

So far, public involvement in this matter hasn’t been impressive. Norman Carruthers, head of a commission that conducted hearings on electoral reform two years ago for the Binns government, himself commented on the lack of attendance at public hearings at that time.

A wake-up call on environment - Toronto Star

Canadians tend to think of this vast country as one of the world's cleanest places. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, many of us cling to a clichéd image of Canada as the pristine Great White North.

Great though Canada may be, it isn't all that pristine and the environment is hardly snow white.

Consider the environmental news reports for just one day this week.

First, the environmental commission for North America, which was established when Canada, the United States and Mexico opened their borders to free trade, reported Monday that the average release of dangerous air pollutants from facilities in Canada was more than one-third higher than in the U.S.

Stronach in her own words - Toronto Star

"Dear Friends and Neighbours:
"Like many of you, I am deeply disappointed by the revelations of the Gomery inquiry into government corruption and abuse of taxpayers' dollars. The people of Canada deserve better.
"Fortunately, we have a strong Opposition in the House that is ready to govern this country and is willing to clean up the corruption and manage the finances of the nation more responsibly.
"I have also recently spoken out in the media and in the House of Commons on the issue of how much money the federal government transfers to the province of Ontario, the economic engine of Canada.
"Ontario taxpayers give Ottawa a lot of money but do not get back their fair share in the form of government services. That's not good for Ontario, and it's not good for Canada.
"The recently announced agreement between Ottawa and Ontario is too little and too late. The fact is, continued underfunding by the Liberal government is compromising the quality of health care and other services available to residents. While our province generates more than 40% of this country's wealth, we rank ninth out of 10 provinces in federal funding for health care.
"Residents in our riding have been waiting for nearly a year now for an announcement regarding funding for a badly needed cancer care facility at Southlake Regional Health Centre.
"The people of Aurora-Newmarket and Ontario are proud of the role they play in helping to build a strong Canada. All we ask for is fair treatment from the federal government.
"As your Member of Parliament, I welcome your views on this and other issues that are important to you. Please feel free to drop by the constituency office or call us at 905-836-7722 if we may assist in any way.
"And thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you in Ottawa!
"Signed, Belinda Stronach."

Wind Energy: Nova Scotia's First Wind Farm Opens

PUBNICO, NOVA SCOTIA, May 26 - Clean and renewable energy is now flowing from Atlantic Wind Power Corporation's 30.6-megawatt wind farm atPubnico Point in southwest Nova Scotia. Today, the Honourable Robert Thibault, Member of Parliament for West Nova (on behalf of the Honourable R. JohnEfford, Minister of Natural Resources Canada), the Honourable Chris d'Entremont, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Argyle (on behalf of the Honourable Cecil Clarke, Nova Scotia Minister of Energy) and Aldric d'Entremont, the Warden for the Municipality of Argyle, joined executives fromEmera, Nova Scotia Power and the wind farm in Pubnico to celebrate the grand opening of the state-of-the-art facility, the largest in Atlantic Canada.

Pubnico Point wind farm was first conceived in 2001. Nova Scotia resident owners of Atlantic Wind Power Corporation spearheaded years of development work to bring the project to a reality. The Government of Canada will provide $8.8 million in funding over 10 years to the $50 million project through the Wind Power Production Initiative (WPPI).

"Nova Scotians - and all Canadians - want to protect our environment andaddress climate change. At the same time, they want our country to lead the world in the development and use of renewable energy technologies," said Mr. Thibault. "Atlantic Wind Power's Pubnico facility reflects that desire, and I congratulate all the partners for their vision to lead us into a new era for energy."

"The Nova Scotia government's energy strategy, along with Nova Scotia Power's voluntary efforts to procure renewable energy sources and the diligent work of the Municipality of Argyle, helped open the door for this development," said Charles Demond, President of the operating company, Pubnico Point Wind Farm Inc., and Vice President of Atlantic Wind Power Corporation.

"Further, the WPPI played an important role in closing the inherent cost gap between renewable energy and traditional forms of electricity generation."

The Pubnico Point wind farm consists of seventeen V80 wind turbines (manufactured by Vestas), each with a nameplate generating capacity of 1,800 kilowatts (30.6 megawatts in total). It is estimated that the wind farm will produce 100 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year - enough to service up to 13,000 average households. This equates to a reduction of approximately 90,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year.

The wind farm is owned by Atlantic Wind Power Corporation Ltd. and certain funds managed by Creststreet Capital of Toronto. The day-to-day operator of the wind farm is also Atlantic Wind Power Corporation.

The Government of Canada's approach to climate change is focused on making the right choices for Canada. This will ensure that the actions taken produce long-term and enduring results while maintaining a strong and growing economy.

Native group aims to save a language shared only by few hundred <--- Imagine this is in a wired world National Post

Every Tuesday night on the Pacific Ocean side of Vancouver Island, aboriginal elder Carrie Little invites more than a dozen locals into her living room to teach them a native language first uttered along Canada's West Coast 5,000 years ago.

Nuuchahnulth is the original tongue of 14 tribes there, the only place in the world where this language is spoken.

But today only a few hundred people understand these ancient dialects, and Nuuchahnulth (noo-CHA-noolth) is at risk of disappearing in one generation's time.

U.S. seeks review of B.C. coal-mine proposal - Globe and Mail

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been asked to have the International Joint Commission review a Canadian company's proposal to mine millions of tonnes of coal in British Columbia's Flathead Valley.

In a letter to Ms. Rice, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer says the proposed mine, together with possible coal bed methane gas projects in the area, could pollute the Flathead River, which runs south into Montana in a region known for its wild and scenic parks.

May 25, 2005

Took the day off. Mental health day

May 24, 2005

Canada not helping to clear the air: study - Globe and Mail

Canada accounts for 42 per cent of all lead air pollution in North America, a new study from the Commission for Environmental Co-operation said in an annual report.Further, the study, which looked at data it received from nearly 25,000 facilities in both countries, said that although Canada has far fewer factories using lead and lead compounds than the United States, Canada pumped out 13 times more lead into the air on a per facility average basis.Overall though, the United States still produces more lead air pollution, a spokesman for the CEC said.

"Lead pollution is still a threat to human and environmental health and further progress is necessary," said William Kennedy, executive director of the CEC, an international body created by Canada, Mexico and the United States under the North American Agreement on Environmental Co-operation to track and address environmental concerns related to the three countries.

Canadian government urged to stop genetically engineered (GE) Canola contamination in Japan

TOKYO/MONTREAL, May 24 Greenpeace and Japanese consumer, environmental and farmer organizations today appealed to the Canadian government to stop contamination of food products and the environment by exporting only non-GE canola in future.

The Japan National Institute for Environmental Studies found GE canola growing wild around five ports and investigations by citizens groups found the GE canola growing wild around a further three ports. In all GE canola has been found at eight of the 10 main ports importing Canadian canola, It was growing wild beside rice fields, on riverbanks and on grass verges as a result of seed spillages during transportation, including for example on a transport route thirty kms away from the Kashima port. The organizations delivered a strongly worded letter to the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, addressed to the Minister of the Environment and the Canadian Minister of Agriculture, informing them of the contamination.

Eighty percent of the two million tons of imported canola comes from Canada, of which 80% is estimated to be genetically engineered. GE canola seeds are produced mainly by two chemical companies, Monsanto and Bayer, and are genetically engineered so that they can survive increased doses of the herbicides glyphosate and glufosinate which these companies also sell. Canola seeds are crushed to use as cooking oil and in the production of margarine and mayonnaise, and also for use as animal feed and fertilizer.

Consumer groups are already concerned that GE canola oil is being used as cooking oil and for other food production in Japan without any consumer choice because they are not labelled as GE. Now the GE canola has also been found spreading wild in the environment adding new concerns. In Chiba port, citizens reportedly filled a small truck with Roundup-Ready GE canola that was growing wild.

This spillage of GE canola threatens to spread GE genes into the seeds and food crops of related food plants growing in Japan such as cabbage, Chinese cabbage, deacon radish and turnip. It also threatens to create genetically engineered 'super-weeds' which can lead to further use of extra toxic chemicals. Steve Shallhorn a Canadian working with Greenpeace in Japan joined the delegation of NGOs in Tokyo: 'The Canadian Government has a responsibility to the people of Japan, who are a good customer of Canada, to stop exporting this GE canola.'

To highlight the concerns of Japanese consumers about eating GE food the representatives also took with them bottles of canola oil products in which this GE canola is being used, unlabelled, as an example of the type of product that Japanese consumers may choose to avoid buying if the GE canola imports and contamination continue.

The NGOs delivered their message the day before the first working group negotiation session on liability for damage caused by genetically modified organisms (GMOs) under the Biosafety Protocol, 25-27 May. Akiko Frid a Japanese representative of Greenpeace will be in Montreal attending the session and also the second full meeting of the Biosafety Protocol starting afew days later on 30th May. Frid said: 'The contamination caused by GE canola imports to Japan is a good example of why strict liability laws are needed for GMOs.

The question is; who pays for the damage caused when genetically engineered seeds contaminate our food and environment?'

Greenpeace Canada took this opportunity to invite Environment Minister Stéphane Dion, to meet with them at the opening of the Biosafety Protocol meetings on Monday the 30th of May and collect a specimen of Canadian GE canola found growing in Japan.

May 23, 2005

Vote-reform supporters vow to continue STV fight - Vancouver Sun

Supporters of the single transferrable vote, or STV, will regroup this week for the first time since Tuesday's referendum loss.

Their biggest challenge could be winning over Carole James. The NDP leader, who voted against STV, said she wants a mixed proportional system, under which only a portion of the MLA's are elected proportionally.

But STV supporters say other electoral systems aren't on the table.

"I don't see anything procedure-wise that's putting mixed proportional back on the stage at this point," said Julian West, one of the leaders of the YES campaign. "Nobody went out and campaigned on the basis that a [referendum] result like this would be a mandate to do that.

McGuinty backtracking on clean water? - Ottawa Citizen

Fearful the Liberal government is dragging its feet when it comes to protecting Ontario's drinking-water sources, more than a dozen groups are urging Premier Dalton McGuinty to move forward with legislation promised this spring.

In letters obtained by The Canadian Press, conservation authorities, environmental and municipal groups tell McGuinty they fear the issue is slipping from the government's agenda.

"The apparent absence of clear movement on source-water-protection legislation or appropriate funding in thebudget . . .sends a strong and troubling signal that the government's commitment to protecting Ontario's drinking water appears to have significantly diminished," says one of the letters.

Liberals look to Labrador - St. John's Telegram

For a federal government whose survival came down to a single vote, the upcoming by-election in Labrador is more than a test of its performance so far.

Independent Ern Condon wants Labrador to separate from Newfoundland, New Democrat Frances Fry is the co-ordinator of the Labrador West Status of Women Council, and Jason Crummey, the Green Party candidate, doesn’t live in the region.

While the Klein government dithers on infrastructure, Albertans die - Canoe.ca

This is the weekend that the fruits of the Alberta boom can finally be enjoyed. Or at least put to use. Let the RVs roll. And the quads. And the fifth-wheel trailers.

Sadly for several Alberta families, Victoria Day holiday 2005 will be remembered forever as a time of deep sorrow and great tragedy.

Death in the ditch by Highway 28. Thursday will go down as a day of infamy. All this, so 44 guys could make money to feed their families and pay their taxes.

Hopefully, it will act as a call to arms to force the Alberta Tories to get off their smug butts and finally come to terms with Highway 63 and the other antiquated and dangerous roads that lead from the capital to the oilsands.

Activists fear back-pedalling on water protection - Globe and Mail

Fearful that the Liberal government is dragging its feet when it comes to protecting Ontario's drinking-water sources, more than a dozen groups are urging Premier Dalton McGuinty to move forward with legislation promised this spring.

In letters obtained by The Canadian Press, conservation authorities, environmental and municipal groups tell Mr. McGuinty that they fear the issue is slipping from the government's agenda.

“The apparent absence of clear movement on source-water-protection legislation or appropriate funding in the budget ... sends a strong and troubling signal that the government's commitment to protecting Ontario's drinking water appears to have significantly diminished,” says one of the letters.

May 21/22, 2005

Taking Doctor Ellie prescribed ' experiential field work on "wilderness policy" time.' Nothing much in the papers except for the same same old.

Mistruths and bragging

While eating my Wheaties this morning, I open my grey old Calgary Herald to see the latest mistruths being thinly veiled as promotion or bragging.

Bragging is great, but only if you have something to brag about. I guess you could selectively brag.

It is also rather telling or coincidental that I also for the Canadian Press feed telling me that, “Time Warner Inc., the world’s largest media company, is paying $300 million US to settle fraud charges... for overstating online advertising revenues and the number of its Internet subscribers.”

I wondered to myself what would happen if the same sort of investigation was launched into how our media companies in Canada tell all those who will listen, how well their circulation has grown, or that their listener ship numbers and viewer count is the best, the greatest, and the most.

In Calgary we have the Herald, grey and boring.

They state their readership is now at 275,000 readers, and that is 68% of the local newspaper readers. That is not the population of Calgary but only those that pick up a newspaper, a daily newspaper. It discounts the reality of Calgary in that we have more printed media than that, let alone on-line and on the airwaves. This does keep the gene pool awfully small in which to use your numbers to boost the shallow egos of the media sales people, and does allow hairs to be split in case anyone ever calls them on their boasting.

In fact the 275,000 readers of the Calgary Herald only represent 34% based on the total population of Calgary (Calgary census zone), not the 68% horn they toot in the add. Shouldn’t the bragging be based on reality? Base them on the reach your media channel has, not only those reading a daily newspaper. That gives a false sense of reality to any that read the advertisement. You can bet this page was the cause for the weight in the briefcases of the eager clean cut advertising salespeople for Canwest first thing this morning.

It also brings to question how the people at Cameron Strategy or NADBank actually compute their numbers.

The former being the people to come up with the boasting numbers for today’s particular ad in the Calgary Herald. Peter Menzies the general manager of the Herald tells me the numbers for those people who read the paper “yesterday,” and are only for adults 18 years old plus, but does not include readers in satellite areas and the total circulation zone. Peter goes on to state “these numbers do not represent people who may have read it once in the past three days, once in the past five days, once in the past seven days,” etc., despite the fact that there is a small tag line below the bragging piece that states the source of the information is a period between April 2004 and January 2005. This is not really “yesterday,” but a yesterday sometime in that nine-month period.

How do they figure out who reads the newspaper, because they do not ask the responder what they read, or did they read the entire newspaper, or did they actually read more than the front page?

The issue I have with this sort of self-promotion is that any other advertiser caught producing an advertisement like this would be found in contravention of most of the false or misleading advertising laws in the country. Is there a different manure shovel law for the newspaper industry in Canada?

There are two things that make my Wheaties go limp now.

One is the incessant bragging of all of the major daily newspapers about their meagre readership gains that do not even meet the growth in population in Canada, and the over use of the meaningless new marketing term “branding.”

Being that Ralph Klein now endorses Bishop of Calgary

Being that Ralph Klein now endorses Bishop of Calgary's plea for the use of the States coercive powers to prevent same sex marriage and protect the sanctity of traditional marriage, what are the limits the Premier would put on those powers?

Since the Premier has shown he is prepared to bar the media from public enquiries, does he think that barring same sex couples from other rights the average Canadian is entitled to under Section 15 of the Charter of Rights, namely the right to being treated equal under the law.

As he is prepared to ignore one of the fundamental rights any person of any democracy must expect to be upheld by a government, what security do they have against other sections of the Charter of Rights should we fear to be next? Especially, when this same government is prepared to put in to law a law like Bill 24 entitled the Fatalities Enquiries Act, that will allow the Minister to decide whether the report is released to the media.

What sort of coercive powers is the Premier planning to use, despite being told by his Minister of Justice that there are none at his disposal?

If the Premier goes ahead with this action, who will pay for the legal costs of the Province when it is overturned in the Supreme Court of Canada?
If the Premier is prepared to use his coercive powers on this minority group, which others are next?

Despite what columnists and commentators are saying recently

Despite what columnists and commentators are saying recently, my complaint is not about freedom of speech. I could really careless about hearing the Catholic or 'Byfield,' doctrine on what sin is.

They can talk about it all they want.

It is in fact a use of a provincial government 'coercive power,' to have Mr Henry, Bishop of Calgary define his words, in public just as he used the term, ' coercive power.'

It is not a witch hunt by a special interest group, or the dreaded, 'Ottawa Liberals.'

It is one person asking Mr. Henry to define his terms, before we ask the government to do his bidding.

If Mr Henry, wants some sort of protection from 'Mickey Mouse' human rights complaints he then must explain what he wants from the government in the form of, 'coercive powers.'

On Sunday's Global Sunday, safe in the protective custody of the host, Mr. Henry equated his use of the term, 'coercive powers,' with that of a speed zone on a road.

He could have very well compared the term to the coercive powers used by the federal government when it moved Canadian Japanese from the West Coast. Is this the kind of, ' coercive power,' meant?

He could have very well compared the term to the coercive powers used by the federal government's the wide-sweeping powers of the Indian agent, it becomes clear how Indian reserves were vulnerable targets for a government able to use its coercive powers to "persuade" Indians to give up their ceremonial practices and surrender ceremonial objects often for a few dollars to offset hunger. Is this the kind of, ' coercive power,' meant?

Is it Mr. Henry's position that wherever persuasion failed, coercion could be brought to bear? And only the issues determined by the Catholic Church? Or even Mr. Henry himself?

In a democratic country like Canada, laws are the legal embodiment of the opinions of the consensus as to what is right and proper behaviour. And the coercive powers of the police are the physical embodiment of the "or else".

Mr. Henry can teach or preach that homosexual activity is a sin.

Mr. Henry can teach or preach that in the Catholic church, if you are homosexual you are not wanted all he wants.

Don't tell my government that by Mr. Henry's standards we should also put them in jail.

The criminal law power is the state's authority for intervention. It is, however, one of the state's most coercive powers. It allows for behaviour to be defined as criminal and for the establishment of procedures and mechanisms that can deprive an individual of liberties in response to wrongdoing. Is this the kind of, ' coercive power,' meant?

A traditional cost example is the criminal law system, which applies the coercive powers of the State to stop activities that, at any point in time, are viewed as harmful to society, e.g. Prohibition. Is this the kind of, ' coercive power,' meant?

What is the 'or else,' that Mr. Henry wants the federal government to use with their coercive powers?

If it is to keep the meaning of marriage to be that between one man and one woman, then he has reached his goal. Both Prime Minister Paul Martin and Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan have done this, and he should in fact be imploring them to live up to their word.

Mr. Henry says he wants the Federal government to build a fence around his definition of marriage. Is it not logical for Canadians to demand he build a fence around his definition of, ' coercive power?'

If the government turns its coercive powers against the homosexuals for the purposes of appeasing Mr. Henry, what sin is next?
Will it be speeding in a school zone?

Here, here.

I have never seen such a bull’s eye of an editorial published in the Observer, (We Need To Be More Public About Who We Really Are - January 2005) since I started to read it, 32 years ago.

We have communicators standing in the pulpits every Sunday. We have a television station and magazine all of our own. We have a web site that shows the world, ' we get electronic communications.'

We have a Public Relations department, out of a wealth of people working out of the head office.

We do so many things well, communications wise.

This begs the question, ' why do we as a modern church have a problem in getting our message out? '

Could it be the message, its content, or its lack of focus?

We have 2,839,125 Canadians that say they like us on their Census forms.

We need to use the tools, people, and assets god gives us each day, to tell the world of, 'The Good News,' both of Christ and the United Church's 3677 congregations across Canada, going on right now, 7 days a week, 52 weeks of the year, and have been doing so since June 10, 1925.

As a famous commercial says, ' We are Canada.'

Why is it, that a grant of $40 million dollar grant would make or break the development of the Port of Prince Rupert?

The development should be based on sound business principles, and that means it should also either be viable as an investment or it should not. Without government grants.

Obviously the people at Westpac Terminals who are planning to build a $200 million LNG terminal near Prince Rupert feel that way. They see the benefits of building an LNG terminal in a port far away from the congestion in the Port of Vancouver, and build a terminal that is best suited for a sparsely populated area like Prince Rupert, due to the danger involved in handling floating bombs.

Having the Port of Prince Rupert is a good idea, and it would seem that this is an idea that has other followers, like Galveston LNG Inc., who are also planning a $500 million LNG terminal in near by Kitimat.

Yes, the Port of Prince Rupert is well positioned to help alleviate the congestion in the Port of Vancouver, but it is also well situated to help diversify the nature of port business, if it were to be part of a Superport Agency that has all ports on the West Coast under one umbrella. This would mean having a point contact by any shipper in the world, with fewer bureaucrats and more people out selling our ports and more people on the wharfs doing the work, would be a much better way of spending our tax dollars. After all the City of Vancouver has a much higher profile in the world of shipping by sea, that the Port of Prince Rupert will have to spend money to build from a dead stop.

If as Port of Prince Rupert's President, Don Krussel says, the $40 million as a loan would make the port unprofitable, nor the other handouts it has been promised, and people at TSI Terminal Systems think the west coast does not need another container port anytime soon, does this make good business sense for the Canadian taxpayer to put their money on the line? The only reason the Provincial governments sees it as a good idea, is that they have a provincial election around the corner.

This is such an important issue for the area around Prince Rupert they did not even vote Liberal.

Yes, Ralph Klein right to "push the envelope" on Medicare.

Using myths to do so is a time honoured political communications or rhetorical methods to speak in words that say one thing, and might mean another, but are comforting to those on both sides of the issue.

This is exactly Ralph Klein's Modus Operandi, and has been since he won office in 1992.

The problem with the Myth called, 'Real Change Needed For Healthcare,' is that it is multi-sided. Depending on the needs and goals of either side of the issue, the myth is used to encouraged or scare, and thus the current inertia of change and evolution of the health care system we have in Canada.

Keeping our minds and ideas for progress in the past, and using the rear view mirror as many do, especially those who profit from the medical system's status quo, to go forward, means we are mired in that time tested myth of how the current health care system is all right.

It is all right, for those that profit from its current state, and not those that will need it in the future.

Those that are only interested in the status quo of the health care system are the premier myth confectioners.

Thank you for proving my point in your response or attempt to defend the practices of the polling companies in Canada, especially when related to poli

Thank you for proving my point in your response or attempt to defend the practices of the polling companies in Canada, especially when related to political/public opinion sampling.

The facts are, your industry does not apply much in the way of demographic profiling for the calls you make.

And yes, I have been involved in the political opinion polling industry from the political campaign, media and government relations, and political communications side now for 32 years. I have seen changes in the industry, and unfortunately in the majority of cases not for the good.

Your industry may only use French or English, but that does not reflect the reality of Canada. Therefore the results of telephone surveys return bad numbers of data to those wanting to know what the average Canadian voter is thinking.

How can you, when you use less than 3,000 people in a poll to determine what is up in a federal election? Yes, some use a larger number; this does not help when you do not track the change or inertia of the groups’ opinions and intentions for voting.

Apportioning that number out according to the importance in the make up of the House of Commons, and practical electoral strategies is not done. The information returned would not tell you the real mood of an area like Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, an area in the last Federal election that could have put one or the other of the main line federal parties in a secure power position.

Yes, 'pollsters tend to set quotas for various demographic groups,' but ultimately because your callers are paid by the call and answered survey, I doubt the demographic groups are adhered to by the end of the night when a quote is needed to be met. Your statement, 'as the poll progresses and pollsters try to fill their demographic quotas, they will not accept responses from whoever happens to be home, ' is untrue. They will and have, by the very fact that the people who are home and answer the phone will be the ones to answer the questions. Those that are not home and are at work, don't answer the phone when they cannot identify the caller via Caller I.D., are using cell phones, or do not answer the phone because they do not speak English or French, will be missed. In doing so, you skew the results. No matter how many, 'multiple calls,' you make to locate these people.

If you call a home at random in Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, or Surrey in British Columbia you will find out how untrue your statement, ' People who answer calls from pollsters (or the ringing telephone) in Canada usually do speak one of the country’s two official languages,' is.

The 'issue of polling cell phone users,' and the fact your industry does not, means you miss most of the generation under 30 to 35. You quote a number of 50% for the penetration of the cell phone in Canada in 2005. This gives the wrong impression, as it would be more like 80% of the under 35, and 20% to 30% of the over 55 to 65 year old demographic.

It is not that this part of the market remains sufficiently low, it is the fact that most people in the demographic are not home to answer their land line if they have one, but are out and about with their cell phones, not reachable by the surveying industry. This is the reason why so many political campaign strategies do attract 80% them to the voting booth.

Yes, 'political polls do ask people about their levels of political engagement, the likelihood that they will vote, and how strongly they are committed to the opinions they have expressed.' These numbers are not reported and if they were would put a whole new light on the figures referred to.

There are three or four changes to your industry in the area of political polling that you could make that would improve the accuracy of the results, and their usefulness.

One would be to increase the size of that numbers in a polling sampling.

Second, record and track the change of the opinions or solidification of the opinions, of the same people throughout an election period. This would provide far more accurate information to the political strategists than what is now done. If you call 1,500 people today across Canada, that does not represent Canada, and if you call another 1,500 people next week, their opinions may be different than the first 1,500, but you have no idea if that is due to what the political communication's messages are saying, or whether they thought that way from the beginning of the campaign.

You are right that, 'someone expresses an opinion in a telephone interview doesn’t mean that that position will be borne out in a voting booth.' It is vital that a communicator for political campaigns find out if they are getting the results from their strategy to see that person adopt the position of the party asking the questions in the poll. If you can identify enough in a riding that are starting to follow or fall in line with a party's policies, then you can also change tactics and work in the areas of a country that are starting to swing your way.

The questions that should be asked in addition to the mundane are:

Will you be voting in the upcoming election?
If not, why?
What would you need to hear from the candidates or parties to get you to the voting booth?
If you were promised what you want to hear from the candidate would that get you to the voting booth to vote?

Clustering is long over due in Canada and could move the polling industry into the 21st Century if it was implemented properly, as well as properly designed and implemented on-line polling systems and efforts.

Yes, Statistics Canada does conduct all sorts of sample surveys between censuses. They use a far more in-depth method of sampling the proper demographics of the country, and in many instances use the same group to track an issue over time. In fact I spent close to $2,000 in a year on their research products.

Unfortunately using the American political system as an example of how good polling can be in politics, when talking about Canada, is like comparing apples to oranges.

Yes, 'in polling, as in all things, caveat emptor,' but that should not stop the polling industry in Canada from improving so it can compete with foreign companies that have honed their skills in the blood sport known as politics in places like Washington D.C.

I disagree with your statement that, 'people are not mechanical.' They are and are predictable. When you are able to get a good handle on what they are thinking. If they are not, then why survey them? Marketing is all about making educated assumptions based on the information before you, and the better the data, the closer the assumption will be to reality.

Same thing in political campaigning, political communications, and winning the big chair in the P.M.O.

I understand that being the President of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association you do have a certain position you must maintain, and respect that.

I have an idea for a new award. 'The Best Spin By A Newspaper Publisher on their Circulation Figures.'

The spin the newspapers put on their static circulation figures will truly be an award for creative myth confectionary.

The truth is that the battles the newspapers are waging for readers are for the readers they have, not the readers they could have or should have, to show the new creative advertising to.

My award would come right after the awards for creative newspaper advertising is handed out.

Calgary Herald Thursday, January 20, 2005 Editorial Malaise extends beyond economics Canadians crave a new vision that will lift us to greatness

Canadians do crave a new vision that will lift us to greatness. This could be the reason that 50% of Canadians, 50% of Albertans, and 70% of Calgarians did not show up at the voting booth at the respective elections to choose their political leaders.

The status quo for our future is not the answer.

Being satisfied with using a rear view mirror or dithering, for planning our future, and using vision as to where Canada can go is not going to work and should not be an option.

We have the history of innovation, exploration, communications, and compassion to look into the future, and past the horizon for progress in a Century that can be led by Canada and Canadians.
We as a nation should set as goal to find a cure to cancer in the next ten years.

Canada needs to be the country in the world everyone wants to turn to, for help to build or rebuild their countries into a safe homeland where every one is safe from natural disaster, war, famine, illiteracy, and intolerance.

Canadian political leaders should set as a top priority to retake the international spot on the world stage with a modern military designed to take advantage of its unique set of abilities to do the best in the world at building peace and civil structures.

A place we once occupied.

Each Canadian child needs to have access to the high speed Internet before the end of this decade, with access to proper computers, programs, and electronic infrastructure.

Canada can become a place in the world that the creative and innovative researchers in high technology, social sciences, medicine, and the arts want to come and live, to pursue their ideas for the betterment of the world.

The government of Canada should encourage all post-secondary education institutions to waive the tuition fees for all PhD candidates by funding these costs Universities.

Instead of pursuing the arming of space Canada should to the bottom of the oceans and set up operations to clean up the oceans and rebuild the rivers and dead zones in the seas of the world created by man.
With one of the most efficient food production systems, Canada can help the hungry feed themselves, with food from the land and sea.

Our past is made up doing just that around the world.

We have a history of helping people to feed themselves.

Create a government that is fully accessible by Canadians through E-Government, E-Democracy, E-Learning, and E-Literacy.

Make this a centre of excellence with which to show the world how true democracy can be had, without bombs and bullets.

There is no reason the 21st Century cannot have Canada at the front of the parade leading.Canada has the resources, people, and ability to do so much more.

I cannot agree with the premise presented in the editorial titled, 'Civic gay wedding furor unwarranted,' emphatically enough.

If we allow civic officials in Ontario and elsewhere in Canada to refuse to perform same-sex weddings on religious or moral grounds what law will be next?

We hire people for these positions, to uphold, enforce or prosecute a law that has been duly passed, by a duly elected government. This is at the very basis of a democracy, and especially one like Canada that also follows the rule of law.

Where would this permission for selective enforcement, or prosecution of a law or laws stop?

A law is a law, is a law. If the person who is legally mandated to obey or execute a law or regulation is allowed to cherry pick the laws and regulations they will enforce, who puts the limits in place to stop any abuse?

The Canadian Labour Congress is right in raising this concern, and the Canadian Labour Congress is right in putting it on the public and political agenda, so that it is discussed and solved, before it becomes a source of abuse.

Just think if we allowed the front line staff to decide what laws to enforce or prosecute. We might have Chinese in the country to build a railroad, and then ask for a head tax and not allow them to vote. All because an immigration officer decided the equal rights provision of the constitution did not agree with them.

Just think we could move the entire Japanese Canadian population from the West Coast.

Or we could treat our First Nations' people with complete disregard for their right to live in dignity.

Oh. I forgot. We already have seen that, and are seeing that.

Do we want to encourage it?

Prime Minister Paul Martin faces more than a test of his leadership

Prime Minister Paul Martin faces more than a test of his leadership from with-in the Liberal Party Wonk Fest this weekend. It is coming from outside of the party. He seems to suffer a lack of vision and intensity from with in himself.

The Prime Minister must put substance to the oratory of his leadership bid and recent election campaigning, to show Canadians he is different, leading a different government, and can truly lead Canada, as Canada needs to be led.

So far he has been a dud on those fronts.

The status quo for our future is not the answer.

Being satisfied with using a rear view mirror for planning our future, to shape the Prime Minister’s vision as to where Canada can go is not going to work and is not an option.

That is the Conservative Party’s milieu.

We have the history of innovation, exploration, communications, and compassion to look into the future, and past the horizon for progress in a Century that can be led by Canada and Canadians.

Despite what Jeffrey Simpson thinks.

As a nation we should set as goal to find a cure to cancer in the next ten years.

Canada needs to be the country in the world everyone wants to turn to, for help to build or rebuild their countries into a safe homeland where every one is safe from natural disaster, war, famine, illiteracy, and intolerance.

Canadian political leaders should set as a top priority to retake the international spot on the world stage with a modern military designed to take advantage of its unique set of abilities to be the best in the world at building peace and civil structures.

A place we once occupied. It is ground a Prime Minister of Canada needs to retake, with vigor.

Each Canadian child must also be a part of this country's economic successes.

Each Canadian child needs to have access to the high speed Internet before the end of this decade, with access to proper computers, programs, and electronic infrastructure.

Canada can become a place in the world that the creative and innovative researchers in high technology, social sciences, medicine, and the arts want to come and live, to pursue their ideas for the betterment of the world.

The government of Canada should encourage all post-secondary education institutions to waive the tuition fees for all PhD candidates by funding those costs.

Instead of pursuing the arming of space Canada should go to the bottom of the oceans and set up operations to clean up the oceans and rebuild the rivers and dead zones in the seas of the world created by man.

With one of the most efficient food production systems, Canada can help the hungry feed themselves, with food from the land and sea.

We have a history of helping people to feed themselves.

Create a government that is fully accessible by Canadians through E-Government, E-Democracy, E-Learning, and E-Literacy.

Make this a centre of excellence with which to show the world how true democracy can be had, without bombs and bullets.

There is no reason the 21st Century cannot have Canada at the front of the parade leading.

Canada has the resources the world need, and should stop our focusing on what the Americans want. The Americans are but 350,000,000, with a world of more than 6,000,000,000 others as our oyster.

Canada has the resources and people, to do so much more.

It is great to see, despite a stagnant circulation, the Calgary Herald is managing to keep up its standard of Cut and Paste Journalism

It is great to see, despite a stagnant circulation, the Calgary Herald is managing to keep up its standard of Cut and Paste Journalism to help in its deep thought on the slaying of the four Mounties in Mayerthorpe.

What is it about the Herald where they are quick to publish a story like 'Gun Registry Under Fire For Lack of Effectiveness,' that criticizes the Federal, 'Ottawa Liberal Government,' but never look at the role the Klein Government has played in the lead up to the killings? Is there no press release to reprint on this issue?

Who administers the funding for the level of policing in rural Alberta?

Who funds and has decimated the Mental Health system, or more rightly the missing Mental Health system, in Alberta?

We know the Minister of Justice, our own 'Minister Dithers,' who will write the mandate for the inquiry to be held into the deaths of the four Mounties. Minister Dithers, will not want to take too close of a look at the contributions of his government through their muddled mental health strategy and how they contributed to these four deaths. Along with the many others in the province, since Ralph closed our mental health system.

This will take more than a Cut and Paste effort, but will be well worth it, and might even attract new and old readers back to the Herald.

It would be called Journalism.

A rare animal in this city indeed.

I agree we need to develop a North American security and economic plan.

I also agree with the idea that NAFTA and FTA are no longer in the best interests of Canada.

To that end, withdraw Canada from both, develop a negotiating team to negotiate with the USA on a sector by sector basis, work with the USA and Mexico to develop a secure perimeter around North America, and demand that anything the USA agrees to in this arrangement is backed up by a $1 billion guarantee they will live up to their word.

Canada's major economic engines are either being decimated by the American's thuggery, or they have been adjudicated by the GATT and found to be working and trading just fine, or done away with. The Auto-Pact is no longer. We do not trade unfairly, despite the whining of the USA farmers, loggers, miners, wheat farmers, and anyone else that has their noses firmly planted in the American Pork Barrelling trough.

On several points Jon Kesselman is right in his submission that we need to replace the GST.

He did not go far enough, and showed his ignorance of how hard it is to do business in this country from West to East.

There are still far too many barriers in Canada to jump over in doing business from Ontario to Quebec or from British Columbia to Alberta.

Kesselman did not go far enough in his suggestions to help improve the trade situation across the USA and Canada board.

Canada needs to pull out of the NAFTA agreement and begin negotiating a sector-by-sector trade agreement package that better addresses the interests of Canada.

There is no longer any need to keep the blinders on when looking at trading arrangements or indeed security.

Security for Canada is the issue of enabling our goods and services to be traded on a level playing field in the USA. and they aren't.

If the Americans do not like our taxation and forest management system, then stop sending the raw logs to them. If we insist on raping the forests then add the GST on to the logs so we can at least pay for the unemployed loggers to find other work.

If the Americans do not want our beef. Fine. Build the Prince Rupert Port up so if can be used to ship our beef around the world.

If the Americans think they are the only country or economy wants a secure source of energy to feed their insatiable and unsustainable economic growth, they are sorely mistaken. They have only 300,000,000 people. There are another 6,000,000,000 people in the world.

Canada has got to stop looking at our trade being north and south, and change it to a vision of trade around the world.

The premise of the writer of the article in today's Ottawa Sun is all wrong.

The public gets the message of the Prime Minister but chooses to let it go out the other ear.

Why?

They probably have no confidence in the basis of truth the message may be based in.

Out here in Calgary, we have the Minister of Justice speaking to a law class at the University of Calgary for one hour, and then appearing at two fund raising events, today on March 29, 2005.

March 30th, Senator Tommy Banks will be announcing a collaboration among the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and a number of Canadian companies to build and operate the first community in North America to use solar heating on a large-scale. All on behalf of the Honourable R. John Efford, Minister of Natural Resources Canada, and the Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of the Environment.

A great cause and great story.

Why not have the elected Minister who is in Calgary do it?

Is this just another method of rubbing the collective noses of Calgarians in our own dirt?
What does this say about the promises the Prime Minister made to us in Calgary, and you in the rest of Canada?

Is it really news that Jim Dinning has a life?

The first question that comes to mind, is where do we expect our political leaders to come from, prior to election?

Do we expect our political leaders to come from a cocoon, safe from the realities of the real world? Do we expect our politicians to then learn the world around them from the protected confines of their Legislature offices? We have tried that with Ralph Klein. It doesn’t work.

Laurie Blakeman Liberal health critic missed some critical pieces to her story. It would have had more impact and more meaning to anyone other than herself if she had boned up on the facts.

The fact is that AgeCare bought the Martin family's Beverly Centre here in Calgary.

AgeCare is putting their own money into the expansion of the facility in Midnapore to meet the demands of the growing population of elderly suffering from Alzheimer's as my father does.

This is a demand, that somewhere along the road the current Klein government did not expect, did not plan for, or could careless about.

Hopefully with Dinning’s experience, he will be able to move into the Premiers office with a little more understanding of the reality faced by not only private nursing home operators, but also the families that go with the people who are taken care of by the operators.

The debate over whether the nursing homes should be private, or not, is moot. There have always been private nursing homes, and they for the most part have provided above reproach care.

The questions better asked by the Liberal health critic should have been about the uneven playing field that Dr. Kabir Jivraj, the owner of the Age Care facilities, faces while trying to give the best care he can to my father.

The private nursing homes live by rules set by the Health Region, and provincial government. The private nursing homes funding is set by the regions based on a nefarious one month snap shot of the entire health care needs of the residents in a nursing home.

The health region pays no taxes, and pays no profit to an owner, whether it is to the pockets of the owner or as retained earnings to be reinvested in new or renewed. If Agecare runs a deficit just before an election it probably cannot expect to get bailed out like the Health Regions will.

The private nursing homes must employ nurses, both practical and registered, competing with the health region’s rates of pay. It does not have the deep pockets of the provincial government when the provincial government and nursing unions settle for wage and benefit increases that appear just before an election.

There are more important questions to be asked by the Liberal health critic. All of which would have been more relevant and more important to the average Albertan who has or will have a loved on in a nursing home, private or not.

Opportunities Lost –Martin’s Lost Hope

As Chrétien coasted to his retirement there was or could have been, hope that he would govern Canada by introducing policies and laws because they were right for Canada, and not just right for his or the Liberal Party’s political future hopes.

That was a lost opportunity due to ego and spit.

We then got Martin telling us it was time for Canada to look past the horizon for Canada’s future, yet he too has lost the opportunity by either dithering, showing no leadership, or just plain inertia.

As a Calgarian, and a Liberal, it is lonely at the best of times. To hear great things from Martin during his leadership campaign, and that of the period leading up to the call of the election, one would have assumed Calgary could rightfully gamble on having at least one M.P., sitting at the government caucus table for the Liberals, if not three.

A problem we would love the Prime Minister to have: which MP to select from Calgary to be in the Cabinet.

Instead we get an ill-advised campaign strategy that said it would be smart to bash Ralph Klein.

This from a leadership campaign team that pulled every dirty trick out of the book, from a campaign team that had no idea of what they were doing in Alberta, but would stop at nothing to ensure Martin assented to the throne of Prime Minister. Something he has lusted after for so long.

Despite what Martin says about having put the Canadian economy on a firm footing, and negotiating a new deal with the provinces for health care, a recent poll shows that a majority of 1,811 people surveyed weren't aware of some of Martin's key fiscal initiatives which were designed to show voters that his government is a careful custodian of the public purse.

In Calgary we would have been hopeful for a message that showed some sort of opening of the door to Ottawa’s power structure with the upcoming Senate appointments.

Instead we get slapped not only on one cheek but both.

First we get a list of senate appointments no one wants.

Then on March 30, 2005, one day after the Justice Minister visits Calgary, we get Senator Tommy Banks announcing a collaboration among the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and a number of Canadian companies to build and operate the first community in North America to use solar heating on a large-scale.

Yet to the west of us we see The Honourable Bill Graham, Minister of National Defence and the Honourable David Emerson, Minister of Industry will make an announcement about Contracted Flying Training and Support services for the Canadian Forces.

Have the Prime Minister and his brain trust written Calgary off, or is it just another way to show he really did not, and does not believe what he says to Western Canada?

We in Alberta cannot even converse with our Liberal Party executive without going through Deputy Dithers’ office in Edmonton.
The Martin Liberal Party has obliviously written off Alberta.

It would seem that the American politicians do not like the way Canada manages its forests

It would seem that the American politicians do not like the way Canada manages its forests and thus have deemed it necessary to break international law and levy taxes on our Canadian softwood lumber coming in to the USA.

That is unless it comes in the form of raw logs, or the newsprint the people in upstate New York will find their New York Times printed on. It has been announced that Transcontinental Inc. has won a contract to print copies of the New York Times for the Ontario and upstate New York markets, the media company said Wednesday.

Where does the owner of the New York Times think the newsprint used in this process comes from?

The moon? An American forest somewhere on the eastern seaboard.

No it comes from the very softwood trees that produce 2 by 4's, and plywood that go towards the building of American's homes.

Next thing you are going to tell us is that the hamburgers served in the New York Times' commissary come from a Canadian cow.

I couldn't agree with your editorial on the right of Mr. Henry to speak out about same-sex marriage

I couldn't agree with your editorial on the right of Mr. Henry to speak out about same-sex marriage and how it fits in with the Catholic Church's doctrine and teachings. In fact I would defend Mr. Henry's right to do so with all my effort.

I do disagree with his assertion and public utterance that my government should use its, 'coercive,' powers to curtail the activities of things like homosexuality, adultery, prostitution, and pornography.

If we allow the Catholic Church to advocate for the government to use this power against one group, where does it stop? Do we give Mr. Henry the supreme power to decide which group is next?

Mr. Henry is free to stand in his pulpit, write in his pastoral letters, or speak in public about the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church and guide his parishioners on matters of faith and morals. And as you say, so he should. When he crosses the line in to advocating my government to take special action to use its powers to go after one group that the Catholic Church or Mr. Henry does not happen to like, that is when some punitive action must be taken.

I believe that if Stephen Harper was thinking right

I believe that if Stephen Harper was thinking right, he would take the proposal that Manning and Harris and go across the country to develop a real 10 and 20 year plan for the country's health care plan.

If Stephen Harper were thinking right he would dispatch his MP's across the country to talk to Canadians about our purpose in the world.

If Stephen Harper was thinking right he would dispatch his MP's across the country to talk to Canadians about that party's vision and flip flop on Kyoto.

If Stephen Harper was smart he would let the Gomery inquiry play out, develop some real visionary ideas and policies, sell them to the votes, and then call the election. A 36-day campaign is no place for Harper to really talk to the voters about his vision.

It just won't work.

On the other hand he can spend his time talking to real Canadians person to person with out the filters of the mass media, and talk to the majority of Canadians that either don't use the mass media for their political news, or want to hear something different from their political leaders.

On another note, how does one get in touch with David Orchard to see about his availability for a speaking engagement in Calgary?

PBS does need to reivent itself, and stop chasing the same public affairs and commentary that the big three, CNN and Fox do.

Being from Canada, I watch KSPN out of Spokane, and while living in Vancouver watched KSPS.

Generally I do not watch PBS for any sort of news or public affairs. First it is very insular and myopic. Or dated.

Second, being Canadian I have the CBC, BBC, and the internet for news from around the world, without the American media bias and filters.

PBS does need to reivent itself, and stop chasing the same public affairs and commentary that the big three, CNN and Fox do.

That is why your viewership is dropping in the key demographic, and it is why the American and Canadian political system and scene has lost the generations under 35.

Chase the other stories.

When the scrums are here, go there for the story.

While taking my Journalism 101, some 34 years ago, the teached always told us to go for the story that lies beneath the surface, because that is where you will find the truth.

Why PBS is as connected as it is to the White House for its funding, could be why it is a dying presence in the lives of those under 35.

Why not lose that old man that reports on business, and put in someone who is young, and knows where the real growth in business is. Not on Wall Street, but in the ethernet.

The world is our oyster, and being as insular as the PBS is, is only feeding the all too familiar American view of the world. There is more to the world that the USA.

Maybe if you did this, your president would not have made his error, when boasting being the first to march into the Second World War shoulder to shoulder with the British.

Start exposing the Americans to the world.

There is more in the world than the way the White House looks at it.

EnviroNewsandIssues Newsletter - Edition 12

May 20, 2005

Idea to cut rebates panned - Calgary Sun

Axing the province's natural gas rebate would negate the Alberta advantage and condemn low-income citizens to hardship, say critics of the Klein government.

The Sun reported yesterday provincial Energy Minister Greg Melchin was considering the elimination of the wintertime rebate on natural gas bills, with an eye to encouraging conservation.

But Tony Storcer, a seniors' advocate involved in utilities issues, warned the province elderly Albertans, who turn out in droves to vote, would remember any attack on the rebate.

"The government would be in deep trouble if they went in that direction," said Storcer, a former president of the Kerby Centre for seniors.

Canada Council unveils new visual arts grant program - CBC.ca

OTTAWA - After holding cross-country consultations with visual artists, the Canada Council for the Arts has revamped the way it distributes its visual arts grants.

The new $3.5-million program, announced Wednesday, is two-pronged and will provide grants for independent artistic research and creation as well as longer-term support assisting artists to develop their art and careers.

Printmaking pioneer's work lives on - Edmonton Journal

The late George Weber's prints were known for their bright colours and classic compositions.
RETROSPECTIVE

Showing at: Scott Gallery, 10411 124th St.

Until: May 31; opening reception this Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m.
Fine-art fans have an excellent opportunity to reacquaint themselves with printmaking pioneer George Weber via a handsome retrospective show and sale at the Scott Gallery.

"Weber is an important printmaker who needs to be more broadly recognized," gallery owner Marianne Scott says of the influential artist, who was 95 when he died in 2002.

Scott says the show, featuring 30 landscape and cityscape works, coincides with the purchase of
a handful of Weber's vividly coloured prints by Canada's National Gallery.

Senate report slams DFO - Vancouver Sun

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has caused economic and social devastation in small coastal B.C. communities through short-sighted management policies, and shifted control of the salmon fishery to Vancouverites who don't even fish, a Senate committee report stated Thursday.

The committee says the DFO should halt plans to implement a controversial new catch quota system for West Coast salmon fishermen until it consults with communities that will be impacted by the system. And the department must in future "take into consideration the socio-economic impacts of its major decisions."

May 19, 2005

LIBERALS SURVIVE KEY BUDGET VOTE - Globe and Mail

The Liberal government survived a crucial budget vote Thursday night by a sliver, effectively ending the possibility of a snap election and giving the governing minority a bit of breathing room to finish this session of Parliament before the summer break.

By the closest of margins, the Grits, along with the support of the NDP, and Independent MPs Chuck Cadman and Carolyn Parrish, pushed their budget with NDP amendments through, thus surviving a non-confidence motion on Bill C-48 which contained $4.6-billion in concessions for the Democrats. The final result was 152 to 152, with the Speaker breaking the tie for the government.

Women appalled by nasty Stronach rhetoric <--- An insult to Aristotle - Winnipeg CBC.ca

Some women say the language used following Belinda Stronach's move to the Liberal Party was unacceptable.

Stronach said she could no longer work with the Conservatives or its leader, Stephen Harper.
Following the move, the rhetoric turned nasty when she was referred to an "attractive dipstick" and others accused her of "whoring" herself out for power. Newspaper headlines called her move a "Blond Bombshell" and several editorial cartoons depicted her in bed with the Prime Minister.

University of Winnipeg Women's Studies Professor Fiona Green says she's appalled by the coverage.

"It's almost as if she's being reprimanded for not being a good girl," she says.

Single Transferable Voting and Democracy - OhMyNews

British Columbia is replacing its 'first past the post' system with something new

This Tuesday, the citizens of British Columbia, a province in Canada known both for its beauty and its extreme swings of politics, voted on a new system called the "Single Transferable Vote" or STV for short.This system, rare but with a long history, is currently used in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta and parts of Australia and the U.S. It is designed to allow a more representative balance of views and parties in government, and democratically allow for smaller parties to get their voice.

Yes side in proposed electoral system in B.C. want government to implement it - Canadian Press

Proponents of a proposed new way to elect politicians in British Columbia want the government to implement the system because it came so close to passing and making the province the first in Canada to reflect the popular vote.

A referendum question on the ballot in Tuesday's election asked voters to answer Yes or No to a new system of electing MLAs using proportional representation.

Results that were close to being fully counted Wednesday showed that 57 per cent of people want the single transferable vote - or STV - where voters could rank multiple candidates in newly marked ridings with two to seven legislature members.

South Koreans Streamline Cloning of Human Embryos - New York Times

In what scientists say is a stunning leap forward, a team of South Korean researchers has developed a highly efficient recipe for producing human embryos by cloning and then extracting their stem cells.

Writing today in the journal Science, they report that they used their method to produce 11 human stem cells lines that are genetic matches of patients aged 2 to 56.

Previously, the same group, led by Dr. Woo Suk Hwang and Dr. Shin Yong Moon of Seoul National University, produced a single stem cell line from a cloned embryo, but the process was so onerous that scientists said it was not worth trying to repeat it, and some doubted the South Koreans' report was even correct.

Now things have changed.

Climate Signals - New York Times

Hardly a week goes by without somebody telling President Bush that his passive approach to global warming is hopelessly behind the times, that asking industry for voluntary reductions in greenhouse gas emissions won't work and that what's needed is a regulatory regime that asks sacrifices of everyone. He's heard this from his political allies here and abroad - from Tony Blair, George Pataki and Arnold Schwarzenegger, to name three - and now he is hearing it from the heaviest hitters in the business world, including, most recently, Jeffrey Immelt, the chief executive of General Electric.

May 18, 2005

Aging Sewer Systems Fouling Great Lakes - Associated Press

Sewage is fouling the Great Lakes and other waters in the region because many municipal waste treatment systems are failing to stop overflows, environmental groups said in a report Tuesday.
Most municipal systems in six Great Lakes states that combine stormwater with domestic and industrial sewage haven't met minimum federal standards for preventing such discharges, nor have they received approval for long-term plans to control overflows, the report said.

The situation poses a health hazard that could get worse under Bush administration proposals to slash funding for wastewater system upgrades and to let sewage plants skip some stages of treatment during heavy rains or melting snow, environmentalists said.

Thinking globally, shutting Locally - Ottawa Citizen

Big companies closing plants in small towns -- thinking globally, shutting locally -- is the story of manufacturing in Eastern Ontario during the last 25 years.

If there is any surprise in the announced closure of the Nestle plant in Chesterville on Monday, it may be that this didn't happen sooner. Here is a plant, after all, that has survived in one form or other since 1918 when it operated as The Maple Leaf Condensed Milk Company.

The frustrating part, for workers and economic stakeholders, is that so much of what happened Monday -- so much of what has happened for a generation -- is beyond their control.

US Air Force Seeks Bush's Approval for Space Weapons Programs - New York Times

The Air Force, saying it must secure space to protect the nation from attack, is seeking President Bush's approval of a national-security directive that could move the United States closer to fielding offensive and defensive space weapons, according to White House and Air Force officials.

The proposed change would be a substantial shift in American policy. It would almost certainly be opposed by many American allies and potential enemies, who have said it may create an arms race in space.

Old Foes Soften to New Reactors - New York Times

Several of the nation's most prominent environmentalists have gone public with the message that nuclear power, long taboo among environmental advocates, should be reconsidered as a remedy for global warming.

Their numbers are still small, but they represent growing cracks in what had been a virtually solid wall of opposition to nuclear power among most mainstream environmental groups. In the past few months, articles in publications like Technology Review, published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Wired magazine have openly espoused nuclear power, angering other environmental advocates.

Stewart Brand, a founder of the Whole Earth Catalog and the author of "Environmental Heresies," an article in the May issue of Technology Review, explained the shift as a direct consequence of the growing anxiety about global warming and its links to the use of fossil fuel.

May 17, 2005

My Comment: Belinda's Jumping Ship

This is a surprise? Shouldn't be. I have always maintained she would not stay around long when put on the front benches of the opposition told to shut up, and have to put up with Stockwell Day. She was a wasted talent, and it shows with Harper now saying he saw this coming. If the Admiral of the ship sees a torpedo coming directly amidships, he does not wait until after it hits, but sounds the alarm and protects his ship's company. Harper has not got the horses behind him to do the battle that is needed. On the other hand no one in Canada really cares about this latest in a long line of machinations in the House of Commons. All the average Canadian wants is secure pay check, food and housing for the children, and hope for their children's future.It is one of many rats that will be jumping ship when they discover that Harper cannot win, but in this case Stronach is jumping to another ship that is dead in the water with its anchor firmly stuck in the past.

Can wildlife survive the political jungle? - Globe and Mail

With the election fast approaching and the NDP shifting its platform to appeal to Green voters, the Liberals recently made a move of their own to shore up the party's environmental agenda.

But how genuine was it?

In March, the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection put out a press release under the heading, B.C. Protects Two Million Hectares Of Wildlife Habitat.

Ottawa to comply with ban on troops in Darfur - Globe and Mail

Canada will respect the will of the Sudanese government and not send its troops into the ravaged Sudanese region of Darfur, senior federal officials said yesterday in response to Khartoum's cool reception of a recent Canadian aid proposal.

Federal officials moved to appease the concerns of the Sudanese in relation to last week's $170-million proposal, which included a plan to send up to 100 Canadian troops to Sudan.

The plan never stated that troops would go into Darfur, but it didn't reject that notion, raising concerns among Sudanese officials, who say that only African troops should enter the region.

Canadian officials insisted yesterday they will act in concert with the African Union, which is spearheading the assistance effort in Darfur. As a result, any Canadian troops sent to Sudan are likely to work out of the capital city of Khartoum.

Court sides with park wardens over guns - Globe and Mail

Doug Martin has been put in some pretty dangerous situations during his 30 years as a warden in Canada's national parks.

"I've been threatened to be stabbed. I've been threatened to be killed. I've been shot at," he said. "I have worried about my preservation of life."

Mr. Martin and his union, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, have waged a five-year campaign asking Parks Canada to allow wardens to carry guns. Parks Canada balked at the idea, so Mr. Martin took his case to the Federal Court.

Last week, he won a major victory when the Federal Court of Appeal overturned two key rulings that sided with the department. The court accepted many of Mr. Martin's arguments and ordered federal health and safety officials to re-examine the issue.


The African Union's mission to Darfur deserves our support, not our censure - Globe and Mail
By LIA COPELAND

Canada can't stop agonizing over what to do about the humanitarian crisis in Darfur in the eastern Sudan. Independent MP David Kilgour has linked his support for the minority Liberal government to its taking action. Should Canada send 100 military advisers (as the Department of Foreign Affairs continues to suggest) - even though the Sudanese government has just rejected the presence of any but African troops? Or should Canada send only what Khartoum will allow: logistical and financial support to the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), which is already operating in Darfur?

Campaign trails reach final stop - Globe and Mail

In a bid to be the first British Columbia premier in a generation to win re-election, Gordon Campbell swept through constituencies from Vancouver to Abbotsford yesterday, urging party workers to bring out the Liberal vote.

And hoping to be the first Green Party candidate elected in Canada at the provincial level, Leader Adriane Carr offered voters a third way.

In her final day of campaigning, Ms. Carr said the Green Party would be a breath of fresh air in the legislature. "Voters are cynical . . . they are tired of old-style polarized, negative politics in B.C.," she told reporters in Vancouver.

"People have expressed disappointment in this election to me, disappointment because they have just heard the same old messages, from the old parties. And that message is this: They are saying the other party was the worst government ever, and they are getting people to vote again out of fear," Ms. Carr said.

"People are saying to me they are cynical about the politics of vested interest. About big unions or big business determining policy in government. And my message back to people is then, don't vote for a party that is attached to vested interest."

Ms. Carr noted that, although the Greens failed to elect anyone in the 2001 B.C. election, the party moved in from the fringes to run second in 12 ridings.

She said the Greens have used this campaign to continue to build the party's popularity. "People really like what the Green Party is saying and they are on board in a much bigger way than ever before," Ms. Carr said.

Stronach crosses floor to join Liberal cabinet - Globe and Mail

In an explosive development leading up to Thursday's dramatic budget vote, Conservative MP Belinda Stronach has crossed the floor to join the Liberal Party as the new Human Resources Development Minister.

Prime Minister Paul Martin said he met with Ms. Stronach – who had been one of the more outspoken and moderate Conservatives – for a private dinner at 24 Sussex Drive Monday evening and after a lengthy discussion, Ms. Stronach said she felt confident that leaving the Tories was the right decision.

"I'm proud to have Belinda Stronach as part of my team," Mr. Martin said at a press conference in Ottawa Tuesday morning, where the official announcement was made.
Nursing in America: A Portrait of a Profession in Critical Condition - New York Times Books

Reviews
"Nursing Against the Odds: How Health Care Cost Cutting, Media Stereotypes and Medical Hubris Undermine Nurses and Patient Care," by Suzanne Gordon. 489 pages. Cornell University Press. $29.95.

Exhausted by heavy work, mandatory overtime and the stress of looking after hospital patients who are sicker, frailer and in need of ever more high-tech intervention, nurses are leaving the bedside faster than they can be replaced.

The situation is so bad, Ms. Gordon writes in this gloomy assessment of American nursing, that even nursing educators, the people we rely on to train the next generation of nurses, are leaving the field, so nursing schools cannot accommodate declining numbers of would-be students.

Global Dimming - Straightgoods
Dirty fuels blocked sunlight.
by Ole Hendrickson

It sounds like fantasy literature. A planet gradually dims as its sun is blocked by ever-thickening clouds. But no rain comes, just growing darkness.

Professor Gerry Stanhill was the first to notice the effect. Working with data from Israel, the British scientist was surprised to find that the average sunlight at ground level had declined by 22 percent since the 1950s. Data for other parts of the world showed a similar trend.

When he published his study in 2001, people joked about it. Journalists coined the term "global dimming".

My letter to the New York Times...

Newsweek Says It Is Retracting Koran Report

It would seem that the American media, have decided it is okay to lie to people, lies that lead to innocent people dying.

The very least Mark Whitaker, editor of Newsweek should do is resign with no golden handshake or parachute.

The publisher of Newsweek before resigning himself with no golden handshake or parachute, should then take one years salary from Whitaker and himself and give it to the families of the dead Afghans in person, with an apology.

What you do about the President lying to the Americans about an illegal and immoral war, is up to the Americans.

I lost the bet...
Alberta Tories accept Code of Silence award - Calgary Herald

The Klein government mockingly said it will accept the Canadian Association of Journalists' annual Code of Silence Award, which it earned last year as the "most secretive government body in Canada."

In a media release, Premier Ralph Klein, who announced Friday he was skipping the remainder of the legislative session to take "personal time" this week, said: "It's no secret that secrecy is no laughing matter. I have been instructed by Cabinet and Caucus members at our last secret meeting that we need more openness in government, but, like, not too much."

Klein's director of communications Marisa Etmanski refused to divulge Klein's whereabouts, saying only that "it's a secret."

Klein "most secretive" government: CAJ - CBC.ca Calgary

Premier Ralph Klein's government has been named the "most secretive government body in Canada" by the country's leading journalism association.

At its annual awards ceremony this past weekend, the Canadian Association of Journalism voted the Government of Alberta the winner of its Code of Silence Award, for its handling of a Freedom of Information request on the use of the government's private jet.

The association said the Alberta government won out over other deserving candidates for withholding public records from the Edmonton Journal and opposition parties for six months, until two days after the provincial election.

Senior dies following hunger strike - CBC.ca Calgary

EDMONTON – An 86-year-old woman who launched a hunger strike to protest conditions at Alberta's long-term care facilities has died.

Care givers at the facility where Marie Geddes lived say her health just wasn't the same after her four-day hunger strike.

"It is a bit disconcerting that two or three weeks ago Marie was such a vital messenger," said Diane Hutchinson, a spokesperson for the Bethany Long-Term Care Centre in Camrose.

Belinda, Peter and Stephen

I have a question.

The Leader of the Conservatives did not see this coming.

The Deputy Leader of the Conservatives and boyfriend of Belinda Stronach did not see this happen.

Who does know what is going on in the Conservative Party?

Do these people strike you as the people Canadians want as their next government?

They don't seem to have much of a handle on anything that is going on.

A Rabbi speaks out

Rabbi Eliezer Ben-Porat should be applauded for giving us his version of what marriage should be, and is in his synagogue.

We can be sure he would not want to be coerced by the Federal government to do anything that runs counter to anything he finds rooted in his religious teachings, dogma, or doctrine. If this is so, then he should keep his fingers out of what is the government's responsibility.

If we follow Rabbi Eliezer Ben-Porat's theory on what the special character of marriage should be, as in the union between man and woman, then what do we make of the special character of marriage of the many major male figures of his religious book?

Can we then assume Rabbi Eliezer Ben-Porat approves of men marrying many wives?

The problem with using a book or religious teachings to justify many things, is that it has evolved over the years, at the hands of man, not god. God inspired maybe, but none the less man inspired. From that has come many things inspired by men based on what they put in the books themselves, that God definitively did not intend.

My love is for my god, and humanity. Not the words on the paper in the bible.

Tom Olsen - Too Many Seniors Doomed To Neglect

I doubt the column Tom Olsen wrote on the issues raised in the Legislature by the NDP's Brian Mason, was prompted and contributed to by his direct line to the cut and paste department of Public Affairs in Ralph's kingdom.

If Olsen had done any reporting and investigation past the media release and spin from Ralph, he would have found that there is more than a nugget of truth to what Mason has said.

What the story on the issue of the presented petition shows is that there are problems in the long term care area, but not all operators are guilty, and much of the trouble faced by the private nursing home providers is because of the political tinkering of the Premier in the run up to an election, and the fact playing field a nursing home operator is not level.

The private nursing homes live by rules set by the Health Region, and provincial government. The private nursing homes funding is set by the regions based on a nefarious one month snap shot of the entire health care needs of the residents in a nursing home.

The health region pays no taxes, and pays no profit to an owner, whether it is to the pockets of the owner or as retained earnings to be reinvested in new or renewed facilities or equipment. If a private nursing home like AgeCare runs a deficit just before an election it cannot expect to get bailed out like the Health Regions will.

The private nursing homes must employ nurses, both practical and registered, competing with the health region’s rates of pay. It does not have the deep pockets of that Klein has access to when the provincial government and nursing unions settle for wage and benefit increases just before an election.

There are more important questions to be asked by Olsen? All of which would have been more relevant and more important to the average Albertan who has or will have a loved on in a nursing home, private or not. They will not be found in the Public Affairs department of Klein's Kingdom.

Yes I have a vested interest in the private nursing home business. It is called my father. He now resides in a nursing home run by AgeCare and receives very good care, and care given because the staff want to and strive to be the best.