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Canadian Environmental Network
Manitoba Eco-Network gratefully acknowledges the support of Manitoba Conservation
Eco-Journal
Eco-Journal
Volume 12, Number 3
May/June 2002
Index
Closing the Loop on Waste Wood
by Bruce Maclean
Eco-Friendly Summer Recreation
by Liz Dykman
What's Happening - Calendar of Events
Open and Controlled Society Conference
by Larry Laliberte
by John Bennett et al., Climate Action Network
Cyclist's Map helps plan commuting route
by Beth McKechnie, Manitoba Cycling Association
Living by Faith in a World of Chaos
by Carl Ridd
Councillor Seeks to Pave Park for Parking
by Doug Stiles
Closing
the Loop on Waste Wood
By Bruce Maclean
Shaun Murphy is on a mission to rescue waste wood that would otherwise go to landfill by reusing it in creative ways. His company, Lumber Lovers, recycles wood scrap and used pallets into compost bins. Not only does this reduce the amount of wood going to the dump, it creates a product that enables the diversion of food and yard waste as well. And waste diversion is certainly a niche that needs filling in Manitoba.
Back in 1990 the provinces got together to discuss ways of diverting
the stream of waste going to landfills. They set a target of a 50
percent reduction by the year 2000. Unfortunately Manitoba has not
met with much success, managing to reduce waste by only 11 percent.
Nova Scotia, the only province to meet this objective at an impressive
70 percent diversion rate, was where Shaun Murphy formulated his
idea to recycle Winnipeg's waste wood.
Better living environment
Shaun's personal motivation is making it happen. He has a strong
leaning to the blue collar, is a musician and canoeist. He and his
partner Joy are determined to create a better living environment
for their new son Ben and the goal with Lumber Lovers is waste diversion
- specifically sparing forests and minimizing energy use. Although
Shaun started his business with nothing more than a hammer, a hand
saw and a pick up truck, his business is expanding. He now has a
dedicated employee (Karl Ratchinsky) and is branching out from composters
to other wood-cycling projects. These include building greenhouses
and providing fencing for the Folk Festival (which is sparing pine
forests in Mexico). Shaun is also providing the material for a proposed
bison patterned viewing platform at the Forte Whyte Center.
Waste diversion pilot project
Shaun is also beginning a pilot project at the Brady landfill to
assess the composition of wood waste entering the landfill and to
determine how much of it can be recycled.
His vision is a multi use collective at the landfill to handle wood
waste. The poorest quality wood would be chipped, some would go
for a variety of other projects and the best wood, would be used
to build compost bins on the spot. There would be vermicomposting
at the site as well as information on how to compost in your own
backyard.
Sean's idea is good. So good in fact that Brady is calling him for
advice on how to label the newly created wood dumping area within
the Brady landfill confines. They have taken Sean's idea to heart
but have sadly excluded him from the process by denying his proposal
to occupy the facility at the entrance to the site.
Barriers to Waste Reduction
However, there are barriers to be overcome in attempting to take
a serious chunk out of what goes to landfill. The low cost of waste
disposal in the capital region reduces economic incentive to minimize
or reuse waste. Despite high volumes of wood waste produced by industry
in Winnipeg and a healthy market for recycled pallets, there is
enormous untapped potential.
Radical steps
Shaun's vision involves some more radical steps toward a more sustainable
society. He is hopeful though and visionary and would like to see
an environmental levy or fee of 20 dollars/ton of waste imposed,
with the money collected used to promote waste reduction programs.
The goal would be a more cyclical economy, rather than the linear
throughput of resources that characterizes the current system. Things
like old-fashioned milk delivery using glass bottles carried on
bikes, bulk food markets and more innovative co-operative businesses
that use waste products as a raw material for their products. Shaun
is able to see the potential in waste, and the possibility of a
closed loop when it comes to resources. Recycled wood becomes a
compost bin that produces fertilizer for the soil, which helps to
grow food, with the organic wastes put back into the compost bin.
Closing these loops is an important part of reducing the energy
we use and the wastes we produce.
Compost bins available
Compost bins, built to specifications set out by Resource Conservation
Manitoba and made from 100% recycled materials are on sale for ~
$65 and can be obtained by calling Shaun at Lumber Lovers 772-3053.
The Eco-Network wishes to thank long-term outgoing Steering Committee
member, Steve Rauh of Campaign for Pesticide Reduction! Winnipeg.
After serving for a number of years as Treasurer of the MEN, Steve
is moving on to become a member of the new Transitional Board of
the Canadian Environmental Network. We wish him all the best in
this new endeavour.
Welcome to incoming Steering Committee members, Larissa Ashdown
of Ecological Males and Females in Action (at the U of W), and Amy
Hawkins-Bowman of the Organic Food Council of Manitoba.
Manitoba Eco-Network is happy to be able to offer public workshops
on Pesticide Free Lawn Care again this summer. Utilizing resources
and a workshop format developed last year, summer staff Tanya McFadyen
and Jennifer Heinrichs will be at 18 different city sites this June
and July offering information on creating a healthy, chemical-free
green space. Urban Green Team, Human Resources Development Canada
and the City of Winnipeg Parks and Open Spaces Division, as well
as Campaign for Pesticide Reduction! Winnipeg, and Chemical Sensitivities
Manitoba all support this project.
Check out the Eco-Network's Organic
Lawn Care page for workshop dates, lots of good links and info
on organic lawn care and pesticides in general.
Pesticide Free Lawn Care Resource Kits are available from the Eco-Network
for just $5.
Eco-Friendly
Summer Recreation
By Liz Dykman
How many times have you been walking down a hiking trail, loving
the experience of being outdoors, away from any sign of concrete
and McCulture, and then been disgusted by the site of garbage left
by the previous hiker? The natural area where we make our summer
escape may be the image that comes to mind when we think of protecting
"the environment". Therefore, we should be even more motivated than
usual to act with respect and care when we're camping or cottaging
in the great outdoors. Below are some tips to make your summer recreation
as eco-friendly as possible!
On the Trail:
Stay on designated trails and walk in single file in the center
of the path to avoid trampling trailside plants. Waterproof your
boots well before you head out, so that you don't have to make detours
if the trail is slightly wet or muddy.
In the Campsite:
Select a level campsite with adequate water runoff. Locate your
site at least 100 feet away from natural water sources. Select a
site that has already been used, and leave it in as natural a state
as possible.
Cooking outdoors:
Use a camping stove or, where permitted, build a fire in an established
fire pit and keep your fire small. Gather sticks, no larger than
an adult wrist. Put out campfires completely and in the morning,
scatter the cold ashes over a large area well away from your campsite.
Garbage:
Minimizing the packaging of what we take camping and to the cottage
is just common sense. Since we need to transport all waste back
with us in order to dispose of it properly, it makes sense not to
bring a tonne of garbage with us in the first place. Before you
hit the trail, repackage food into reusable containers. When empty,
the containers can hold waste until you can dispose of it properly.
Find out if any recycling facilities exist near your vacation spot.
Do not burn plastic garbage, or any painted or treated wood.
How to make like a bear in the woods:
Proper toilet etiquette means disposal in a hole at least 20 cm
deep, and 20 metres away from any water source or campsite. Sprinkle
some lime on waste to help break it down. If you must use toilet
paper, put it in a sealed plastic bag and disposed of in town later.
Don't leave it in the woods.
Washing up:
Do not wash in the lake! For bathing or dishwashing, haul water
60 m from streams or lakes and use small amounts of biodegradable
soap. A small bowl of water and one baby wipe provide a thorough
bath. Strain your dishwater and scatter it or bury it in a hole
so it won't attract insects. Use gravel or sand to clean pots and
pans.
Use biodegradable phosphate-free soaps at the cottage too. This
helps prevent nutrient overload of water bodies, which can degrade
water quality. Check labels or go to your nearest environmental-type
store.
How to get about once you're there:
Enjoy non-motorized adventures in a sailboat, canoe, kayak or rowboat.
These quiet, peaceful forms of water transportation are non-polluting
and allow observation of wildlife without disturbing them. If you
must use a motor boat, watch your wake, especially if you're within
150 metres of the shore. Waves cause shoreline erosion and can disrupt
wildlife habitat. Never ride all-terrain vehicles or trail bikes
along beaches, through marshes, or in other areas where birds nest
and breed.
Cottage amenities:
The Loo
If you are currently using a biffy you might consider a composting
toilet. There are a number of commercially available models. This
is a far less expensive alternative to building a septic system
and does not involve the use of chemicals. Many people fear the
composting toilet, but I've seen several models in action, and a
well-designed system can be an odourless answer to your blackwater
disposal issues. See the City Farmer site for some good info and
a list of suppliers (www.cityfarmer.org/comptoilet64.html)
Hot Showers
An environmentally friendly way to get that hot shower after being
at the lake for a week or so (when even YOU notice that you're getting
a little ripe) is a passive solar hot water system. This can be
as simple as a clear one side, black on the other container of water
in the sun, or a commercially installed system. Solar showers that
are simple bags that can be put in a sunny spot and then hung up
for your shower are inexpensive and easy to use, and could even
be taken camping. Remember of course to use your shower far back
from the water's edge.
Landscaping:
Keep it natural! The last thing you want to be doing at the cottage
is mowing the lawn. Keep your little piece of paradise wild and
preserve as much natural habitat as possible. Natural vegetation
between your cottage and the water will slow rain runoff and reduce
the possibility of sewage organisms and contaminants from entering
the water. If trees have been removed in the past, plant new ones,
making sure that they are species native to the area.
Take your environmental ethic with you when you head outdoors this
summer and treat our natural areas with respect, so that other people
and creatures can continue to enjoy them.
With information from Environment Canada http://www.mb.ec.gc.ca/info/articles/ca00s07.en.html,
EarthShare http://www.earthshare.org/tips/camp2.html, and L.L.Bean http://www.llbean.com/outdoorsOnline/outdoorSports/hiking/tips/lowimpact.html
What's Happening - Calendar of Events
Calendar of Events
June Manitoba Naturalist Society Outdoor Program. Bike, hike and
canoe events include Caribou Lake, Little Mountain Park, Mcquacker
Lake Trail, Prime Meridian Trail, Whitemouth River Trail and more!
See www.manitobanature.ca/outdoor for more information, or call
the office at 943-9029.
Wednesday June 12 7:00 pm Resource Conservation Manitoba Annual
General Meeting. With a presentation "Storm clouds over Kyoto: Bolstering
Ottawa's climate change commitment" by Stephan Barg, Senior Project
Advisor, IISD. At the Eco-Centre, 2nd Floor - 70 Albert St. Call
925-3777 for more information.
Wednesday June 12 7:00 pm Dinner with Vesanto Melina, well-known
vegan registered dietitian and author, at Affinity Vegetarian Garden
208 Edmonton St. Tickets: $15 WVA members/$17 non-members. Dinner
will include a wonderful vegan feast at this brand new fully vegetarian
restaurant, followed by a Q & A session with Vesanto Melina.
Dinner menu and additional details are on the WVA website
www.ivu.org/wva
Thursday June 13 7:15 pm (Doors open 7:00 PM) "Becoming Vegetarian"
- Lecture by Vesanto Melina, RD. Centennial Library, 2nd Floor Auditorium
Tickets: $3 WVA members/$5 non-members. The latest information on
becoming a healthy vegetarian and question period. Ideal for both
long-time vegetarians as well as those considering making the transition.
Copies of Melina's books will be on hand for purchase and signing
at these events. For info or to reserve tickets email wva@mb.sympatico.ca
or phone 889-5789. A complete and quick sell-out for both events
is expected, so avoid disappointment by ordering your tickets right
away.
Thursday June 13 Herb Society of Manitoba presents Rositha Jeanson
speaking on the topic of "Flower Essences" at the Assiniboine Park
Conservatory. Admission is free. For more information call 669-7750.
Saturday June 15 The Western Canada Wilderness Committee(WCWC) is
presenting the "Save Our Parks" Music and Awareness Festival at
The Forks from 12-9pm on the Oodena stage. Featuring great local
acts such as Jake Chenier, Nicky Mehta, Hugo Torres-Cereceda, The
Perpetrators, Three Blind Mice, DjZan, Rob Collomb, Jamoeba, and
many more. Come one, Come all, Let's Celebrate the Wilderness! Admission
is free. Contact WCWC at 942-9292 for more information.
Tuesday, June 18 Eco-Network, Resource Conservation Manitoba and
The Climate Action Network present John Bennett of the Sierra Club
speaking on Canada's Kyoto Challenge. 7:00pm, Centennial Library.
Free admission
June 19 7:00pm On to Kananaskis: Voices from the South Call the
G8 to Account - Turning the Tables Campaign at Eckhart Gramatte
Hall, University of Winnipeg. KAIROS is working with Jubilee South
to coordinate a Southern partner's tour in advance of the G8, bringing
focus to our key message that the economic model advocated by the
G8 is creating multiple moral, social and ecological debts-debts
to the Earth, debts to the South, debts to First Nations and debts
to future generations. Emily Sikazwe (Women for Change - Zambia),
Sarath Fernando, (Movement for National Land and Agricultural Reform
- Sri Lanka) and Davie Malungisa (Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and
Development) will be present. Contact: Audrey McClelland at mcclella@mts.net.
July and August Manitoba Naturalist Society Mantario Wilderness
Experience Summer Programs. Week long programs on the Mantario,
including food, accommodation, canoes and guide services. Topics
include birding, astronomy wilderness skills, botany and photography.
Cost is $395 per week. For registration information contact MNS
at 943-9029 or mns@escape.ca or see www.wilds.mb.ca/mns/mantario.
July 27-31, Ozone & Sun Awareness Days, Manitoba
July 27, MOPIA Ozone Awareness Forum, Wpg. - Location TBA
For more information call 338-0804 or 1-888-667-4203
September 16, International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone
Layer (UN Declaration)
Open
and Controlled Society Conference
By Larry Laliberte
Walking into Eckhardt-Gramatte Hall at the University of Winnipeg
at eight in the morning only a few hours removed from a classic
Winnipeg May snowstorm, I did not know what to expect, from a conference
focusing on access to government information. Up until that point,
the only exposure I had to the concept of obtaining confidential
government materials was through the statement in newspaper articles
that the story was based on documents obtained through the Access
to Information Act (ATIA).1 However, when the flurry of the three
day conference was complete, this librarian had a better appreciation
of the issues involved in Freedom Of Information (FOI) in Canada.2
OCSC: Improving FOI
While there were many different view points presented throughout
the ebb and flow of the conference, one point was agreed upon regardless
of affiliation: there are indeed problems with access to government
information at both Federal and Provincial levels. What did differ
between groups and individuals present were the steps to take in
solving these problems. These steps can be subdivided into four
categories and are outlined as follows:
Government
The view from inside the government might be best summarized by
Andree Delagrave, the chair of the Federal Access to Information
Review Task Force.3 By the end of her statistics-filled presentation,
Delagrave concluded that what is really needed to enhance FOI in
Canada is a change in the "culture of government that promotes accessibility,
transparency and accountability." However, it was noted during the
question session following Delagrave's presentation that it was
ironic to be talking about transparency when there had been no consultation
of the public in a meaningful way during the task force review.
Ombudsman
A second area of change focused on the Information Commissioner
of Canada and Provincial Ombudsman positions. The basis of this
criticism is that these government "watchdogs" have no teeth and
will continue to remain ineffectual if their power is limited to
the capacity to "recommend" solutions. The proposed solution was
to make the complaint process more powerful through legislative
leverage that would allow the Commissioner or an Ombudsman to "order"
a government department to release information.
Limitations in the Act
The third position examined ATIA, claiming that the only way to
make improvements to FOI is to correct the limitations in the act
itself. Some of the flaws noted in ATIA included the exclusion of
crown corporations and cabinet records from FOI requests, the policy
of the Chretien government to create new organizations that fall
outside the bounds of FOI (Canadian Blood Services) and the fact
that secrecy provisions in other statutes trump the access law.
The Constitution
Finally, the most interesting method of insuring a Canadian's right
to access information was articulated by FOI sage, Ken Rubin, who
stated that for FOI to work for Canadian citizens, it must be guaranteed
in the Constitution.4
Website Resource: www.foilaw.net
The foilaw website provides
a searchable interface to a database of requests for information
filed with departments and agencies of the Canadian government under
Canada's ATIA. It contains descriptions of approximately 30,000
requests filed between January 1999 and March 2002. Essentially,
this website is based on FOI requests entered by Canadian Federal
institutions into the Coordination of Access to Information Requests
System (CAIRS) which is a software program maintained by the Department
of Public Works and Government Services. The interesting thing is
that while the FOI requests are generated by the Canadian Government,
the CAIRS database has not been adapted to the Internet and, as
a result, Canadian citizens wanting quick online access to Canadian
FOI requests have to use a university website located in the United
States. This database offers a powerful and useful tool for browsing
requests by departments and for getting a sense of how requests
are worded. What gives the database a value added component, however,
is that if a similar FOI request has already been made, an individual
can save "processing" time by simply resubmitting a request using
the "institutional code" which is a unique identification number
beside the request. Furthermore, a list of contacts to all Canadian
Government Department's Access to Information Co-ordinators is available
allowing users to mail, fax and phone a request directly.
toe-tags:
1. Access to Information Act (R.S. 1985, c. A-1) is available online
at:
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/A-1/index.html
2. The article, like the
OCSC conference has a Federal emphasis.
3. Information about the Federal Access to Information Review Task
force is available at: http://www.atirtf-geai.gc.ca/home-e.html
4. Ken Rubin also provided the conference delegates with three lasting
gestures at the start of the session entitled "Information and Democracy:
the Citizen Perspective". Perhaps it was a three-part salute that
indicated Rubin's level of interaction and/or respect with various
members of the audience. Rubin began the session by raising his
fist in a gesture of solidarity, followed quickly by a flash of
the two peace digits for empathy and finished with one final gesture,
the egalitarian bird or finger as if to remind everyone that in
the FOI arena, there will be times when a little "attitude" is also
required.
Canada,
Kyoto and Beyond
John Bennett et al. - Climate Action Network.
The Climate Action Network reminds all Canadians that climate change
is a real and present danger for this and future generations. These
consultations must never lose sight of the concrete realities of
climate change. The impacts are already being felt across Canada,
particularly in the north. Melting permafrost, loss of habitat,
shrinking polar ice cover, forest fires, droughts and severe storms
come with a price we must all pay. The worst is yet to come if we
do not act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is imperative
to be anchored to this reality as we enter an economic debate that,
to date, has not recognized the costs of inaction on climate change
nor has it recognized the benefits of action, such as cleaner air
and improved public health.
Introduction
This paper outlines some basic principles upon which the Climate
Action Network believes Canada's Plan to reach the Kyoto should
rest.
The Climate Action Network hopes it will assist environmental groups
and individuals across Canada participate meaningfully in the National
Stakeholder Consultations about to take place across Canada. Some
900 individuals representing environmental, industry and municipal
organizations have been invited to attend workshops in St. Johns,
Halifax, Charlottetown, Fredericton, Montreal, Toronto Winnipeg,
Regina, Calgary, Vancouver, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit.
Those who will not be attending the sessions are being asked to
send their comments by email. The Climate Action Network urges all
Canadian ENGOs to respond to this consultation process. See http://www.climatechange.gc.ca/english/actions/what_are/canadascontribution/index.html
Turning point
The federal-provincial consultation represents a turning point on
the issue in Canada. We are no longer talking about if but how we
will respond to climate change in Canada. The federal government
has issued a discussion paper which will be the basis of the consultation
process. It includes the most recent economic analysis and various
options for action. The Alberta government responded with its own
campaign to take Canada out of the Kyoto Protocol. We will be pressed
to accept one of the four federal options and find the Alberta response
entirely unworthy of consideration.
The Climate Action Network has looked closely at these options and
found them all unacceptable as they are presently formulated. However,
we recognize the value of important elements within them. Instead,
we seek to construct a more positive option, based on significant
reductions in emissions within Canada rather than relying predominately
upon the international mechanisms of the protocol as the federal
options stipulate.
Principles:
Canada's plan of action on climate change must be developed on the
following principles:
PRINCIPLE 1: Canada must take the long-term view to reduce emissions
by over 50%.
The Kyoto Protocol was never intended to be more than a starting
point on a long path to significant reductions in greenhouse gas
emissions. The atmospheric scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change have concluded that ultimately the world must
make significantly higher reductions in greenhouse gas emissions
in the order 50% to 80% below 1990 levels if we are to prevent catastrophic
climate change.
In designing its strategy to reach the Kyoto target of 6% below
1990 levels by 2012 Canada must ensure that actions taken and investments
made will not make future reductions more difficult to achieve.
Therefore, the plan chosen to reach Kyoto must be seen as the beginning
of a much larger and more all encompassing plan to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions. We must make wise, longer-term choices now to ensure
the best transition for the coming decades.
The four federal options do not recognize the longer term and more
significant goal beyond Kyoto. The options apparently are designed
to protect and ensure limitless growth of the fossil fuel industry
and appear to ignore the science, which clearly links emissions
with climate change. This longer-term perspective is another compelling
reason for substantive domestic emissions reduction actions, rather
than extensive purchases of international credits.
PRINCIPLE 2: Ratify the Kyoto Protocol immediately
Climate Change is a global problem that requires a global response.
The Kyoto Protocol is the only framework that can put the world
on a path to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Canada has been successful
in rewriting the Protocol at the insistence of the Alberta government
and pollution intensive industries, gaining extensive credit for
sinks and overseas activities. The Kyoto Protocol is the first step
in this process. Canada should ratify immediately for international
and domestic reasons in addition to the obvious environmental imperatives.
Internationally, Canada must ratify in order to maintain its international
status as a trustworthy independent nation which has been the basis
of Canadian foreign policy for fifty years and perhaps. Canada's
international reputation is at risk if ratification is further delayed.
Domestically, only by ratifying the Protocol can the federal government
marshal the necessary public support and provincial cooperation
to address climate change. It has been ten years since Canada signed
the Framework Convention on Climate Change in Rio and nearly five
years since the Kyoto Protocol was negotiated in 1997.
Postponing the decision only leads to continuing uncertainty and
inaction that is detrimental both environmentally and economically.
PRINCIPLE 3: Alberta Government 'plan' must be rejected!
The Premier Klein's self-styled 'climate change plan' is unacceptable
for both Canada and Alberta and does not merit further consideration
as public policy. An Alberta type strategy would lead to significant
increases in greenhouse gas emissions not a reduction, would deprive
Canadians of the benefits of improved air quality and would increase
the cost of reducing emissions for the rest of Canada. Alberta ministers
say the Kyoto Protocol's emissions reduction target and implementation
timetable is too expensive and technically unreachable. This premise
is utterly false. There have been numerous studies that indicate
the technology is available and that the cost, if there is a real
cost at all, is negligible.
For example, the federal option number three estimates Canada can
reach the Kyoto target in 2012 while the economy grows by 30.4%
instead of 31% under business as usual conditions. The Alberta economy
would grow 26.2% and even the oil and gas sector grows 24.6%. So
why would Canada need to look for a plan outside of Kyoto? Why would
Alberta?
Moreover, the Alberta plan has a number of questionable aspects
the least of which is its basic dishonesty. This dishonesty is what
has led the rest of country to reject it. The announced target of
minus 10% is for "domestic emissions". This means the Alberta government
intends only to count emissions from activities in the province
that are not associated with the export of oil and gas. Those emissions
are expected to rise from 42 megatonnes to 73 megatonnes by 2020.
Alberta's real emissions target is actually an increase of 28-42%
- not a decrease at all. This is not a real departure from business
as usual and merely copies the Enron-style reporting employed by
President George Bush in his anti-Kyoto Plan.
PRINCIPLE 4: No need for "credits for clean energy exports"!
There is no need or any justification for Canada to demand a 70
megatonne "credit" for clean energy exports. The Kyoto Protocol
awards emission reduction credits only for emission reductions action
in addition to business as usual. This requires a country to take
new actions over and above those that are already ongoing or that
would be done anyway. Canada is arguing that because the US imports
Canadian natural gas and hydro electricity US emissions are now
and will continue to be 70 megatonnes less than if the US used coal
to replace this energy. It is an ongoing business as usual practice,
and does not merit credit. Further is not clear that Canadian gas
is actually displacing coal-fired power plants. Many experts argue
that huge quantities of cheap Canadian gas and Hydro discourage
efficiency and renewables use in the US and, in fact, encourage
more energy use and therefore more pollution on both sides of the
border.
Canada has already received a substantial reduction in its Kyoto
Target by forcing the international community to grant a large unearned
forest and agricultural sink credits. The concession was granted
on the understanding that it would be sufficient to ensure Canadian
ratification. As soon as it was granted Canada changed its position
and demanded the so called clean energy export credit as well. Should
this new loophole be granted (and there is no international support
for this Canadian demand) the Kyoto Protocol will lose even more
environmental integrity.
PRINCIPLE 5: Canada's Kyoto target must be reached mainly in Canada
Ottawa has frequently and publicly declared that Canada will make
the majority of its emissions reductions through domestic action.
This not only ensures the reductions will be real and not just "hot
air" purchased internationally, but will lead to significant environmental
and economic improvements in Canada. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
will result in improved air quality and public health, less environmental
damage and improved habitat protection. This will be extremely important
as reducing health costs associated with fossil fuel use in Canada
would save an estimated $1 billion per year in Ontario alone. Yet,
the options put foreword in the federal discussion paper deviate
from federal promises and suggest the federal government will purchase
international credits in excess of 50% of the target.
Further, reducing emissions in Canada, even if it is slightly more
expensive, will increase energy efficiency here, stimulate the economy,
create new jobs, and encourage innovation in the "new energy economy"
- all of which help Canada become more competitive.
We must also recognize that there are already significant emissions
reduction actions underway in key industrial US states such as New
York, Massachusetts, California, Michigan and New Jersey that will
give them new competitive advantages in key energy and industrial
sectors and in overall economic performance.
SUMMARY: It is imperative for Canada to not lose sight of the harsh
realities of climate change as we enter an economic debate that,
to date, has not recognized the costs of inaction on climate change
nor has it recognized the benefits of action, such as cleaner air
and improved public health. The Climate Action Network (CANet) feels
that Canada must: 1) take a long term view to reduce emissions by
over 50%, 2) ratify the Kyoto Protocol immediately, 3) not consider
the Alberta government's plan to increase emissions, 4) not seek
further credits for 'clean energy' exports, and 5) reach its targets
mainly through reductions that take place in Canada. These 5 principles
will help see Canada into a brighter economic and environmental
future.
Next Step
The federal government is under intense pressure from some provinces
and certain industrial sectors to not take action on climate change
or at least not put in place a plan that will lead to real reductions
in greenhouse gases. Only a sense of responsibility supported by
public pressure will maintain government resolve in the face of
this pressure. Therefore it is of vital importance that environmental
organizations, whether or not they work directly on climate change,
communicate support for an environmentally acceptable climate change
plan. The Climate Action Network urges all groups to forward a response
to the federal discussion paper.
The Climate Action Network will assist any group in formulating
a response.
About The Climate Action Network
The Climate Action Network was established in Canada in 1989 to
bring together environmental organizations working on climate change.
It is composed of nearly 100 members from across Canada. It is directed
by a steering committee of regional representatives who oversee
a staff of two located in Ottawa.
The focus of the Climate Action Network for 2002 is the ratification
of the Kyoto Protocol. For information on membership please contact
dcanet@magma.ca
Cyclist's
Map helps plan commuting route
By Beth McKechnie
Summers spent tooling around on our bicycles are a familiar childhood
memory for most of us. Yet many Winnipeggers have not ridden a bike
since they were kids. The idea of using it to travel to work, to
the grocery store or to meet friends remains outside the mainstream.
The bicycle, an inexpensive, healthy and clean alternative to the
automobile, is still viewed, for the most part, as a form of recreation.
But just as bikes have changed over the years - from 5-speeds with
skinny tires to 24-speeds with knobby tires - so has the recognition
that bikes can be used for more than a ride around the neighbourhood.
So how do you encourage people to try cycling as a form of transportation?
For starters, you make it easier to plan a route.
Low traffic volume routes
The Recreation & Transportation Committee of the Manitoba Cycling
Association (MCA) did just that. During the Pan American Summer
Games in 1999, funding was provided through all three levels of
government to create a new Cyclist's Map of Winnipeg and install
bike route signage on additional streets in the city. (An earlier
cyclist's map produced by the MCA was out-of-print.)
While Winnipeg does not have an extensive multi-use pathway system,
as found in Calgary or Ottawa, there are other good reasons to publish
a cyclist's map for our city. Hardy commuters will take the most
direct route between point A and B, the same as one would when driving
a car. But others, particularly those just starting in cycle commuting,
will look for a route with the lowest possible traffic volume. This
includes residential streets, secondary routes and multi-use paths.
The Cyclist's Map of Winnipeg, a full-colour detailed city map,
provides suggested routes to connect all corners of the city. These
routes are colour-coded by traffic volume: low traffic streets,
recreational routes and multi-use paths are coded green, medium
traffic streets are coded blue and high traffic streets are red.
Reduced stress
While it may not be possible to completely avoid a red coded or
high traffic volume route such as Pembina Highway, cyclists looking
to avoid it for the better part can find alternate streets on the
map. It may take a little longer, but the increased sense of safety
and reduced stress can make the trip much more enjoyable.
The map also includes handy urban cycling tips and safer cycling
tips complete with diagrams that will improve the cycling experience
and enhance a rider's safety if followed. To further build confidence
and skill as a cyclist, particularly in dealing with traffic, the
MCA offers CAN-BIKE safe cycling courses.
The MCA has been allowed to retain revenue generated by advertising
sales on the printed map and monies raised by map sales through
the suggested retail price of $2.95. These funds are earmarked for
a future reprint of the cyclist's map.
To find out where you can purchase the map, call the Manitoba Cycling
Association information line at 925-5686 or see the Recreation &
Transportation section of the MCA web site at: www.cycling.mb.ca.
Beth McKechnie is a volunteer on the Recreation & Transportation
Committee of the MCA and was the project lead on the cyclist's map.
Living
by Faith in a World of Chaos
By Carl Ridd
(Re-printed with permission of The Eyeopener - A publication of
the Justice, Economy and The Integrity of the Earth committee of
the Winnipeg Presbytery, United Church of Canada)
Wars, rumours of wars, responses to terrorism more devastating than
the terror itself and more long-lived, infinite deceit as to purpose,
media as blatant propagandist, incessant jingoism, thinly disguised
racism, pollution of land water and air, radical climate change
threatening earth's stability, loss of biodiversity and forests,
theft of resources from the world's poor by mega-corporations, scandalously
enlarged poverty gaps at home and worldwide, "trade" agreements
that steal from weaker members, governments that do not govern,
brutal suppression of dissent; and underneath it all, the scurry
for money and power, especially by those who have it already.
We live in what the philosopher John McMurtry has called "a war
against the life-means".
The dim sense that that is what is going on beneath the surface
of "everyday" is what gives our time its fear-filled combination
of resignation and animated revenge; for it is almost intolerable
to live in the midst of an assault upon life, and to have to repress
the knowledge; above all, the knowledge that we ourselves are part
of the assault.
A "war of all against all"
Three and one half centuries ago, in 1651, Thomas Hobbes, the political
philosopher, describing the new capitalist society that was heaving
into view, called it prophetically, "a war of all against all":
a war in which everyone wanted more, and power alone gave the capacity
to acquire it. (Hobbes liked it- he was among the winners, a Brit.)
For 3 centuries the war on the life-means was more or less accidental
and small in scale. For the last 30 years it has been massive and
increasingly conscious, and finally planned.
One the semi-conscious, individual level it takes place in the dozens
of decisions that every inhabitant of the planet makes every day
in the course of living. (Of course the many decisions of the more
affluent - size of car, new clothing, holiday, etc. - affect the
planetary life-means far more than the few decisions available to
the poor.) Collectively though, we are living at a level that makes
life on the planet unsustainable. And it is not being sustained:
500 species are lost every day. The walls are closing in. Chaos
yawns.
Compromising the global balance
On the fully conscious, planned level, major institutions (business,
government) make deliberate policy and project decisions that on
a massive scale compromise the delicate global balance of the life-means.
For profit. "In the national interest" - which is to say, since
the poverty gap widens, in the interest of those nations, and those
in our nations, who are already wealthy.
The Afghanistan war, for example, is not really a "war on terrorism"
and never was. It is a war for Caspian Sea oil, and to enable the
Western industrialized societies to maintain their wasteful injurious
patterns a little longer. There is abundant evidence from US sources
that the US had given up on negotiations the Taliban over the US-owned
pipeline through Afghanistan, and by July, 2001 had planned a war
on them (and threatened them with it) to ensure the line would be
built and protected. "September 11" was a god-send because it gave
the US moral justification for a war that was intended anyway and
would have been harder to sell.
Absolute control
It is really a war for absolute control of the life-means, which
means, in the power politics of the 21st century, oil; because if
you have oil and are the world's only Superpower (by far) you have
the means to get whatever else you want. "In the American interest"
has taken on a particularly sinister meaning in our time. This is
not the America of Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Hobbes saw power as more important than any commodity because power
gives endless capacity to acquire whatever is needed for "felicity"
(happiness). That is why President Bush presents the "war on terrorism"
as absolute, open-ended and permanent. Total force, applied forever
in the American interest.
The policy is doomed. Seizure of the life-means (oil) in order to
be able to continue for another generation the industrialized assault
on the life-means is an illusion.
In 2002, in the valley of the dry bones, the destroyers mount the
final assault on the web of life. But we destroyers are also, paradoxically,
the defenders. We can become conscious, reclaim ourselves as "image
of God," think, and change:
The mind is the terriblest force in the world, father,
Because, in chief, it, only, can defend
Against itself. At its mercy we depend
Upon it.
(Wallace Stevens)
Councillor
proposes to pave park to put up a parking lot
By Doug Stiles
At a meeting held on January 24, 2002, Councillor Gord Steeves proposed
expanding the present facilities of the South Winnipeg YM/YWCA onto
the grounds of St. Vital Memorial Park. The expansion would involve
constructing an extension to the current building on parkland and
paving over greenspace to increase the parking lot capacity to accommodate
three hundred vehicles. This project will eliminate a large portion
of the existing park. The loss of this parkland is environmentally
irresponsible and irreversible.
St. Vital Memorial Park presently houses two regulation size soccer
fields, a running track, a baseball diamond and other school field
day amenities such as long jump pits, etc.
The Windsor and Glenwood Community Centre soccer program schedules
100 games each season on the east soccer field. Three hundred and
fifty children are registered in the soccer program at Windsor Community
Centre alone. The St. Vital/St. Boniface Soccer District annually
registers over 9000 children.
Windsor School's soccer program also uses the east soccer field
at Memorial Park and the school uses the track for track meets.
The west soccer field sees extensive use by the St. Vital Flames
soccer organization.
According to the map Mr. Steeves provided when outlining his plan,
one of the soccer fields and the running track would be eliminated.
A portion of the bicycle path and other recently completed improvements,
paid for by taxpayers, would also be eliminated.
This proposal would destroy amenities that are free to the public
in exchange for facilities requiring the payment of a membership
fee. St. Vital Memorial Park was dedicated fifty years ago as a
memorial to Canada's war dead. We believe it should remain a facility
for all to enjoy free of charge, and it should remain as greenspace,
not a parking lot for a private organization.
We urge Mr. Steeves and the South Winnipeg YM/YWCA to find an alternative
solution that will not destroy precious parkland or otherwise impinge
on the quality of life of the people who make their homes in the
community.
Doug Stiles is spokesperson for the St. Vital Memorial Park Residents
Association
Councillor Gord Steeves is Chairperson of the City of Winnipeg's
Civic Environmental Committee.