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Canadian Environmental Network
Manitoba Eco-Network gratefully acknowledges the support of Manitoba Conservation
Eco-Journal
Eco-Journal
Volume 13, Number 1
January/February 2003
Index
Hormones and Hormone Mimics in the Aquatic Environment
by Karen Kidd
Recognize Environmental Excellence! Call for Nominations
CEC Hearings on Winnipeg's wastewater collection & treatment systems:
A Process as Muddied as the Red Itself
by Liz Dykman
What's Happening - Calendar of Events
Connecting Manitobans - ParkWatch
Endangered Snail Highlights Lake Winnipeg Water Woes
by Heather Laird
Bringing Food Home ... to the Inner City
by Jennifer DeGroot
The Future of Urban Transportation:
New Books in the Alice Chambers Memorial Library
Director of World Health Organization Speaks Out
by Arthur Firstenberg
Hormones
and Hormone Mimics in the Aquatic Environment
By Karen Kidd
Over a decade ago fisherman first reported developmental abnormalities
in fish from rivers in the United Kingdom. Follow-up investigations
revealed that up to 100% of the males in some reaches of the rivers
had become feminized (Jobling et al. 1998). These fish had both
male and female structures in their gonads, and, in the worst cases,
had developed eggs. Wild male fish and males caged in the river
were also producing precursors of egg yolk (proteins called vitellogenin)
when exposed to the river water for only short periods of time.
These proteins are produced by the liver in response to estrogen
in the blood stream and are used to mature eggs in the ovaries prior
to spawning. Female fish normally only produce vitellogenin during
the reproductive season in response to a rise in blood estrogen
levels; the appearance of vitellogenin in males suggested that these
fish were being exposed to something in the water that was mimicking
an estrogen. It was evident from these studies that the endocrine
system (the series of glands controlling growth, reproduction and
development through the production of hormones) was being impacted.
The anomalies found in the gonads, along with the presence of vitellogenin
in male fish blood, raised considerable alarm about the presence
of hormone mimics in these rivers. As the studies in the United
Kingdom progressed, it became evident that the seriousness of the
injuries to fish were directly related to the number of municipal
wastewater treatment plants (MWTP) discharging into that river (Jobling
et al. 1998).
Many of the chemicals used in households are not completely broken
down in the wastewater treatment process. As a result, outfall from
these plants can contain complex and ill-defined mixtures of detergents,
pesticides, antimicrobial agents, perfumes, plasticizers and pharmaceuticals.
Some of these chemicals can interfere with or modulate the activity
of sex hormones in the body, and produce biological responses that
are similar to natural processes or that are in conflict with normal
development. Laboratory studies have been conducted to determine
the substance(s) responsible for the feminization of male fish in
rivers in the United Kingdom. It is now accepted that the estrogens
produced naturally by women and the synthetic estrogen women consume
in birth control and hormone replacement therapies are mainly responsible
for the feminization of male fish (Desbrow et al. 1998). The hormones
that control reproduction and development in humans are very similar
or identical to the hormones used by any wildlife with a backbone.
It is logical then that additions of human hormones to rivers and
lakes would impact upon the reproduction of the wildlife downstream.
Statistics Canada reports that about 16% of women over the age of
12 are consuming synthetic estrogen either in birth control pills
or in hormone replacement therapies. These estrogens are excreted
in urine, transported to the MWTPs and not completely broken down
in the wastewater treatment process. Studies on other MWTPs have
shown that bacteria present in the treatment process can degrade
all estrogens to some degree, but that the synthetic estrogen is
more resistant to breakdown (only about 80% is degraded; Layton
et al. 2000). The remaining estrogens are then discharged into receiving
waters. These estrogens are potent hormones and hormone mimics,
and even the very low parts per trillion (ng/L) levels measured
in rivers (Daughton and Ternes 1999) are high enough to have profound
impacts upon the fish. Little is currently known about the fate
of these hormones in Canadian waterways. Studies are being done
by Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and several
universities to determine their concentrations in the aquatic environment
in more heavily populated areas and whether there are any impacts
on the aquatic life in Canada.
Although it has been well established that individual male fish
are being impacted by estrogen mimics, it is not known whether these
feminized fish can still successfully reproduce. To address this
question, Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Winnipeg has been conducting
a whole-lake experiment at their research station in northwestern
Ontario, the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA). This unique facility
located 40 km east of Kenora has been operating for 30 years and
specializes in large-scale studies on the impacts of stressors on
aquatic ecosystems (www.umanitoba.ca/institutes/fisheries/#index).
Access to these lakes is restricted and many have been monitored
in their natural state for several decades. Long-term records exist
on the water quality, plankton and fish populations in these undisturbed
systems. A few of these lakes have been perturbed to study impacts
of acid rain, excess nutrients, atmospheric deposition of mercury,
and flooding on the aquatic food chain. One of the more recent experiments
was designed to determine whether the male fish feminized by waterborne
estrogens are still able to reproduce and sustain the fish population.
The whole-lake estrogen addition experiment is currently in its
fourth year at the ELA. The synthetic estrogen used in birth control
pills was added to one lake continuously over the summers of 2001
and 2002. This estrogen, 17?-ethynylestradiol (EE2), was dissolved
in methanol and pumped into the propeller wash of a boat as it was
driven around the lake. The EE2 was added to the lake three times
a week between the end of May and the end of October to maintain
constant and environmentally-relevant concentrations in the water,
and a total of about 44 grams was added each summer (equivalent
to what a city of about 200,000 people would be using over that
same time period). This estrogen is added continuously to the lake
because it does not persist in the water and will disappear within
weeks of the last additions. Bacteria in the lake sediments are
also capable of almost completely degrading EE2 within a few weeks.
Researchers from the Freshwater Institute (Fisheries and Oceans
Canada, Winnipeg), Environment Canada, the United States Environmental
Protection Agency, and the Universities of Manitoba, Saskatchewan,
Guelph and Kansas are examining the effects of EE2 on all components
of the food chain in this lake. Shortly after the first additions
of EE2 in 2001, the male fish (fathead minnow, pearl dace, white
sucker and lake trout) began producing vitellogenin because of their
exposure to this estrogen mimic (Palace et al. 2002). Reproductive
development in the females was also impacted because the EE2 was
stimulating egg production at times of the year when this normally
wouldn't occur. To understand whether these impacts lead to declines
in fish numbers due to reproductive failures, biologists are monitoring
the size of the fish populations in the lake. If there are to be
any declines, they are likely to appear first in the shorter-living
species of minnows, and it is predicted that these fish will have
lower-than-normal numbers in 2003. Because lake trout and white
sucker are long-lived and the young are harder to catch in their
first few years of life, it will take several more years of study
to determine whether their populations have been impacted.
In addition to the feminization of male fish in this lake, the study
has shown that EE2 can impact upon the organisms lower in the food
chain. Females of some of the plankton (microscopic organisms) are
producing fewer eggs. The reproductive timing of some of the insects
and leeches has been impacted due to the synthetic estrogen. A small
percentage of the tadpoles in the lake have exhibited abnormal sexual
development after the experimental additions started. It appears
that this estrogen can impact almost all organisms in the food chain,
and suggests that fish are not the only aquatic organisms at risk
downstream of MWTPs.
The natural and synthetic estrogens are not the only substances
in MWTP outfall that we should be concerned about. There are many
other pharmaceuticals, such as pain killers and antibiotics, and
personal care products that end up in the sewers and that are resistant
to breakdown in MWTPs. There is little or no information on the
impacts of many drugs and household products on wildlife in the
waterways downstream of MWTP outfalls. It is difficult to measure
drugs or their by-products in the environment as they are often
present at very low levels and the methods to detect them are not
yet available. However, many of these compounds are designed to
be biologically active at low concentrations. Given that a large
number of drugs and other personal products are in the outfall of
MWTPs, it is critical to understand whether these substances are
having any impacts on the biota living in the receiving waters.
Daughton, C.G and T.A. Ternes. 1999. Pharmaceuticals and personal
care products in the environment: agents of subtle change? Environmental
Health Perspectives 107(6):907-938.
Desbrow, C. et al. 1998. Identification of estrogenic chemicals
in STW effluent. 1. Chemical fractionation and in vitro biological
screening. Environmental Science and Technology 32(11):1549-1558.
Jobling, S. et al. 1998. Widespread sexual disruption in wild fish.
Environmental Science and Technology 32(17):2498-2506.
Layton, A. et al. 2000. Mineralization of steroidal hormones in
biosolids in wastewater treatment systems in Tennessee USA. Environmental
Science and Technology. 34(18):3925-3931.
Palace, V. et al. 2002. Induction of vitellogenin and histological
effects in wild fathead minnows from a lake experimentally treated
with the synthetic estrogen, ethynylestradiol. Can. J. Water Qual.
37(3):637-650.
back to index
Recognize
Environmental Excellence!
The Manitoba Eco-Network invites you to submit nominations for our
2003 Environmental Awards.
Established over a decade ago, the MEN Environmental Awards were
created to "recognize significant contributions to the awareness
and protection of Manitoba's environment", particularly in the non-governmental
community. Given periodically over this period, the awards have
saluted the efforts of diverse Manitobans working on a wide variety
of issues and concerns. Past winners include the late Alice Chambers,
environmental lawyer, Brian Pannell, the Friends of Oak Hammock
Marsh and Anishinaabe Turtle Island Protectors. For a complete list
of past award winners, please click
here.
A selection committee named by the Eco-Network Steering Committee
will consider nominations in the following categories: Individual
female; Individual male; Group; and "Special". Please submit your
nomination in writing by April 1, 2003 to MEN Awards Committee,
2-70 Albert Street, R3B 1E7; by fax to 989-8476; or email to mbeconet@mts.net
Please include information as to why your nominee deserves recognition.
Petition
for Nation-wide Ban on Smoking in Indoor Public Places
A petition has been created calling for the Prime Minister, national
health minister and provincial premiers and health ministers to
work towards a nation-wide ban on smoking in indoor public places.
According to the Canadian Council for Tobacco Control, "Tobacco
use is the most significant cause of preventable disease, disability,
and premature death in Canada, responsible for more than 40,000
deaths every year. Tobacco kills three times more Canadians each
year than alcohol, AIDS, illegal drugs, car accidents, suicide,
and murder -- all combined!"
The petition was created by Dennis Bayomi, a longtime member of
the Eco-Network and graduate student in community health at the
University of Manitoba medical school.
Anyone interested in helping to circulate the petition can print
copies from the web at www.healthyfuture.ca/Issues/Smoking.html
Printed copies can be requested by sending a stamped self-addressed
envelope to Canadians for a Healthy Future, Box 702, Winnipeg, MB
R3C 2K3. For further information, call (204) 888-6336.
back to index
CEC hearings on Winnipeg’s wastewater collection & treatment systems
A Process as Muddied as the Red Itself
by
Liz Dykman
During the Clean Environment Commission (CEC) hearings regarding Winnipeg’s wastewater collection and treatment systems, there was a great deal of confusion as to just what these hearings were all about. In his opening remarks Terry Duguid, chair of the CEC, made quite clear the CEC’s understanding of the situation – they were asked by the province to conduct a review hearing of the city’s plan under their investigative powers in the Environment Act. Soon after he concluded his remarks, however, a representative of the Province’s Conservation department stated that Environment Act licenses would flow from this CEC hearing. This raised a number of concerns on the part of some participants, who understood the hearing to be an information gathering session, not a formal licensing process.
Serious concerns
The
main issues of the concerned participants are as follows:
First:
If this is in fact a licensing hearing, why are the license
applications on file over a decade old?
The city’s current proposals for updating the water pollution
control centres can not be identical to those submitted way back
in 1990, can they?
Second:
Where is the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) required
for Class 2 developments under the Environment Act?
Third:
The timelines for the hearings are too short for a licensing
decision.
John
Sinclair moved that the hearings be suspended until the City of
Winnipeg has filed a current license application and EIS.
Barring that, he suggested that the hearings at least be
postponed for 90 days to give participants greater time to prepare.
He also asked that the participant assistance program be
reopened, to allow more applications for funding from potential
participants.
Citizen
participants at the hearings said that they would most likely have
prepared differently if they knew this was a licensing hearing.
The delegation from Environment Canada was working on the
assumption that this hearing was not about licensing and had, therefore,
not intended to participate, insisting that they would only make
detailed comments about the proposal after seeing an EIS.
Variety of issues raised
There
were several public participants registered to present before the
hearing, including an ad hoc group who received participant funding,
allowing them to bring in an expert on wastewater issues from Boston.
The ad hoc group consisted of Merrell-Ann Phare, Linda Orlando,
Rodney McDonald, John Sinclair and Kenton Lobe. They raised issues
such as the lack of attention to emerging problems in wastewater,
including endocrine disruptors and pharmaceuticals.
Best practices from other jurisdictions were highlighted.
They provided comment on the consultation process as well,
reproving the lack of both proactive public engagement and, specifically,
consultation with affected First Nation and Metis communities.
The group made excellent presentations and submitted a document
of over 800 pages.
Carolyn
Garlich, on behalf of the Council of women of Winnipeg, emphasized
the inappropriateness of a 50-plus year time frame for addressing
the combined sewer overflow issue.
This concern was echoed by local citizen Dr. Eva Pip, who
again warned that serious action is needed if the already diminished
biodiversity of Lake Winnipeg is to be preserved.
Scott Kidd, a citizen of Winnipeg, emphasized the need for
source reduction rather than just an end-of-pipe approach.
He also raised the point that not requiring the City to provide
an EIS sets a dangerous precedent for other Environment Act proposals
within the province.
Hearing process extended
On the final day of scheduled hearings the CEC ruled on the motions put forward by John Sinclair. Although they rejected both motions, they adopted many of the recommendations. The CEC has extended the hearing process, requested that the City provide an EIS, and reopened the Participant Assistance Program for intervenors. The timelines are still short, but these changes are step towards addressing the need for careful and informed deliberation by the public about how the City of Winnipeg deals with its sewage waste. While most people would agree that it is time to finally get the City’s WPCC’s licensed, it should be done in accordance with the environmental assessment procedures as set out in Manitoba’s Environment Act. The quick and dirty approach is not the best way to make important decisions affecting water quality in Manitoba.
What's Happening - Calendar of Events
Feb. 6 eco-MAFIA presents Eco-Eclectica, an evening of local musicians in support of Consumers for Responsible Energy (CoRE). Pope’s Hill, Dan Frechette, DJ Co-op, Effector and Finding Susan at the Pyramid Cabaret, 176 Fort St. Tickets available at Manitoba Eco-Network, Into the Music, Urban Bakery and the UW Info Booth for $5 or $6 at the door. Doors open at 8pm.
Feb. 6 Consumers for Responsible Energy (CoRE) is relaunching its freshly designed website at http://www.hydrohurts.mb.ca
Feb. 8 Fort Whyte Centre Winter camping and survival workshop 10
am – 4 pm. Members
$40, non-member $50. Pre-register
at (204) 989-8362.
Feb.
11 Agriculture and Carbon Management Conference at the Victoria
Inn, 1808 Wellington Street. No Cost. Register by contacting Dennis
Cunningham at (204) 958-7705 or dcunningham@iisd.ca
Feb. 12 Project Peacemakers Peace Forum, 12 noon at the Lutheran Church of the Cross, 560 Arlington. Meagan McKenzie will be speaking on her experience in Palestine. Call 775-8178 for more information.
Feb.
16 Coalition to Save the Elms
Winter Tree Identification
Enjoy a sleigh ride through the forest at Camp Assiniboia presented by forester Mike Allen. Bring the whole family! 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. at Camp Assiniboia, west of Winnipeg off Lido Plage Road (map available from the Coalition office) $10.00 per adult, children 12 and under free. Includes sleigh ride and fireside hot chocolate. Please note: Advance payment and registration is required. Space is limited so register early. Call (204) 832-7188.
Feb. 18 Freshwater Forum. Manitoba Clean Environment Commission, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Manitoba Conservation are sponsoring a free public forum to discuss the current status and future of freshwater. 8:30 am to 5:00 pm at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. Call (204) 945-0594 or 1-800-597-3556 to register.
Feb. 22 Seedy Saturday at the Assiniboine Park Conservatory 10 am to 3 pm. Co-sponsored by the Friends of the Assiniboine Park Conservatory and Seeds of Diversity Canada. Seed swap and workshops, including: Starting Seeds Indoors, Green Roofs for Wpg, Plants for the Prairie Landscape, and Composting.
Feb. 22 Project Peacemakers 20th Anniversary Open House. 1-3 pm. Westminster United Church, 745 Westminster Ave. Call 775-8178 for more information.
Feb. 28 and Mar. 1 Food Security Conference. This year's iteration of the Organic Agriculture Conference expands considerably to include the whole spectrum of Food Security in Manitoba. Speakers and workshops will deal with the health, economic, production and policy issues surrounding accessible, safe, affordable local food. Hear Janine Gibson, David Northcott, Rod Macrae, Fred Tait and Laura Rance, among others. Free community feast prepared by the Good Food Club on Friday, Feb.28 at the Thunderbird House, with special guest speaker, Michael Ableman, and an opportunity to share ideas about food security. Workshops, a panel and tradeshow on Saturday, Mar. 1 at the Bulman Centre, U of W, including a delicious organic lunch. To register for Saturday's events, please contact Carrie MacElroy at (204) 927-3200.
March 2. Fort Whyte Centre Lake Cargill Fishing Derbies. Start time is 12 pm Registration begins at 10 am or pre-register by calling (204)989-8362. Fee is $10 per angler, all entrants must have Fort Whyte Fishing Certification.
March 3 Manitoba Naturalists Society Indoor Program. Glacial Lake Agassiz with Dr. James Teller. History of the largest lake in North America and its impact on global climate. Pauline Boutal Theatre, Centre Culturel Franco-Manitoban, 7:30 pm. $2 for MNS members, $4 for non-members. Call 943-9029 for more information.
March 10 Manitoba Model Forest Climate Change Information Series: Impact & Adaptations in the Prairie Provinces Forests and Forest Industry. Workshop 8 am to 5:15 pm with discussion to 7 pm. University of Winnipeg Eckhardt-Gramatte Hall. Contact (204) 367-5232 or dube@manitobamodelforest.net to register.
March 11 Business and Kyoto Mechanisms Conference. Location TBA. For more information contact Dennis Cunningham at (204) 958-7705 or dcunningham@iisd.ca
March 15- Attention High School Students! Want to get involved with environmental activism or need help organizing at your school? Get involved with a Youth Environmental Conference. Contact UMREG (474-9118) or Eco-Mafia (786-9189) for more info.
March 26 Project Peacemakers Peace Forum the Lutheran Church of the Cross, 560 Arlington. Speaker TBA. Call 775-8178 for more information.
March 21-28 Environmental Awareness Week! Join UMREG for workshops, films and speakers on Globalization & the Environment: business & trade, agriculture, climate change, environmental health and water issues. Confirmed keynote speaker Percy Schmeiser, Saskatchewan farmer sued by Monsanto. Events and times vary. Contact UMREG 474-9118 or umreg@hotmail.com for more info or to get involved.
April 7 Hogwatch Manitoba is holding a benefit Info-Concert with guest speakers, visuals, live music and comedy. 7:30 pm at the West End Cultural Centre. Contact (204) 947-3082 for more information.
May – Sept. Living Earth Culture Village Residency at the St. Norbert Arts Centre. 15 positions for women who have experience in art, environmentalism and/or community development for a unique 4 month summer intensive experience in alternative architecture, sustainable living, archeology, language, song and ritual. For more info see www.snac.mb.ca. Contact Louise May at lmay@snac.mb.ca or (204) 269-0564.
Local
Activists Honoured
Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal
Three local environmental activists were recently awarded The Queen's
Golden Jubilee Medal. Congratulations are due to Anne Lindsey, Don
Sullivan and Gaile Whelan Enns.
The Commemorative Medal for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Golden
Jubilee was created to mark the 50th anniversary of The Queen's
accession to the throne on February 6th, 1952. It is awarded to
people who have made a significant contribution to Canada, to their
community or to their fellow Canadians.
Anne Lindsey is familiar to most readers of Eco-Journal as the current
Executive Director of Manitoba Eco-Network. Anne has been active
in local environmental organizations since the early 1980s. Her
important contributions include work on nuclear waste issues for
the Concerned Citizens of Manitoba, and terms as a board member
of the Winnipeg Coordinating Committee for Disarmament and the national
board of Friends of the Earth. She is a co-founder of Time to Respect
Earth's Ecosystems (TREE), and the Organic Food Council of Manitoba.
She also works with the Campaign for Pesticide Reduction in Winnipeg.
Anne's central role with Eco-Network (since 1989) has made this
organization a focal point for environmental activism in Manitoba.
Don Sullivan is an award-winning environmental writer, researcher,
photographer and activist. He is the Executive Director of the Boreal
Forest Network and spokesperson for the Manitoba Future Forest Alliance.
Don was the recipient of the 1995 Manitoba Eco-Network Award for
his outstanding contribution to the awareness and protection of
Manitoba's environment. Don was the lead project coordinator for
the North American Forest Forum held in September of 1996, and the
successful " Forests of the Northern Lights Conference" held in
Winnipeg in September 2002. Don was a contributing writer and researcher
to 'At the Cutting Edge', a book by Elizabeth May. He also provided
the Canadian content and contacts for the international boreal forest
story featured in the June 2002 issue of National Geographic.
Gaile Whelan Enns provided coordination for World Wildlife Fund
Canada's Endangered Spaces Campaign in Manitoba, resulting in protection
of over five million hectares of crown land. She continues to work
for completion of Manitoba's network of protected areas as the Manitoba
Director, Wildlands Campaign, Canadian Nature Federation. Work with
industry, affected First Nations, environmental organizations, and
government, are all part of her work to protect Manitoba's lands.
Technical landscape assessment tools and conservation biology methods
are essential in her work. Ms. Whelan Enns is currently a member
of the National Conservation Council to Sierra Club Canada. She
participates in planning whenever Winnipeg hosts international environmental
events.
Dr. and Mrs. Ralph Campbell Award
Congratulations are in order for John Sinclair, Chair of the Manitoba
Eco-Network Steering Committee (representing Resource Conservation
Manitoba). In fall of 2002, John was the recipient of the Dr. and
Mrs. Ralph Campbell Outreach Award from the University of Manitoba,
where he teaches in the Natural Resources Institute. This award
is given to a faculty member who "enlarges and enriches the contacts
between the university and all segments of the community". John
richly deserves this recognition, bringing his academic expertise
and connections to a host of community projects and organizations.
John is deeply committed to public and community involvement in
environmental decision-making and education. Besides his long-time
work with the Eco-Network and RCM, John is a Board member of the
Manitoba Product Stewardship Corporation, past Chair of Winnipeg's
Waste Minimization Advisory Committee, Co-Chair of the Environmental
Assessment and Planning Caucus of the Canadian Environmental Network
and a Board member of the Manitoba Model Forest. And this is just
a sample of his involvement! Thanks, John, from all of us who have
benefited from working with you.
Connecting
Manitobans - ParkWatch
Stay Informed! Get Involved! Act Locally!
These are the catch phrases of activism, but they are more than
clichés.
Informed citizens involved at the local level are key to ensuring
that the ecological health of Manitoba's parks and protected areas
is a top priority. This is the basis for CPAWS Manitoba's new ParkWatch
program.
So, if you have ever wanted to tell someone about a special place
that needs protection, express concern about a new development,
or logging or mining activity in a park, suggest a way to improve
a trail, or respond to any number of issues that concern the health
of our parks - then there is a role for you in ParkWatch.
To learn more, come to an informal gathering/slide show to discuss
these issues and learn how to take action.
Location: Centennial Library Auditorium
251 Donald Street
Date: Thursday, Feb. 27 and Thursday, Mar. 13
Time: 7:00 pm
Contact 949-0782 or e-mail Parks@cpawsmb.org
All Are Welcome!!
Endangered
Snail Highlights Lake Winnipeg Water Woes
By Heather Laird
Unnoticed by many, a wild creature unique to Manitoba is quietly
going extinct. The Lake Winnipeg Physa Snail may lack the glamour
of endangered species such as the panda or the condor, but its gradual
disappearance is no less important. According to local biologist
Dr. Eva Pip, we should all take notice, as this tiny snail's fate
is "an epitaph for what is happening to Lake Winnipeg."
Dr. Pip, a professor at the University of Winnipeg, has been studying
freshwater ecosystems in Manitoba for over forty years. She is particularly
interested in molluscs and snails, and points out that "molluscs
are important indicators of ecosystem health-they're very sensitive
to water quality." In 1961, Pip found a small snail in Lake Winnipeg
that she could not identify. At the time, she suspected it might
be an unnamed species. Nine years ago, when she was appointed to
the Committee on the Status of Endangered Species in Canada (COSEWIC)
Mollusc Working Group, she decided to review the snail's population
status again. A 2001 survey of 90 sites on Lake Winnipeg representing
suitable habitat found the snail at only 5 sites totaling less than
5 hectares. It had vanished from two sites where it was formerly
common. Based on this disheartening information, COSEWIC took the
unusual step of declaring the Physa snail a Priority 1 Endangered
Species, although a formal description of the snail as a "new" species
has not yet been published. Pip expects that it may take several
years for her description of the snail, which she has named Physa
winnipegensis, to appear in a scientific journal. "By that time,
it will probably be extinct", she says.
The drastic decline in the water quality of Lake Winnipeg, especially
marked over the last 25 years, seems to be responsible for the snail's
disappearance. It is only found in areas of higher water quality.
Pip identifies chemical runoff from farming, livestock wastes, urban
effluent and sewage from cottages as significant contributors to
the polluted condition of Lake Winnipeg.
The Physa snail lives on large boulders in water up to one metre
deep, in wave action areas near the shoreline. Many of these areas
are close to cottage developments and the snail has suffered from
human disturbance. The snail is also adversely affected by copper
sulfate used to kill algae near swimming beaches.
Despite the official COSEWIC designation, Pip is not optimistic
for the snail's future. "It's found at too few locations", she says,
"And the water quality in Lake Winnipeg is not going to get better.
This should tell us something about what we're doing to the lake".
Bringing
Food Home...to the Inner City
By Jennifer DeGroot
For most of the year Dan Wiens works for the Canadian Foodgrains
Bank educating people about hunger. But in the spring and summer
you'll find him on the Wiens Shared Farm, south of Winnipeg, which
he shares with his wife Wilma and four children. Since last year
the Wiens family has also shared their land with Sister Sheila,
a Roman Catholic nun who moved onto the farm in hopes of creating
a place of retreat and care of the earth.
"Shared Farm" refers not so much to the people living on the farm
but rather to those who eat from it. The farm supplies more than
100 families with weekly boxes of fresh, organic, quality produce
during the four short months of Manitoba summer. This year the sharing
expanded beyond middle-class suburbs into inner city Winnipeg. People
too poor to own a phone, often living in rooming houses, and who
regularly use foodbanks and soup kitchens to avoid hunger now are
eating better by being part of the Shared Farm.
Here's how it began. Early this spring members of the newly-formed
West Broadway Good Food Club in inner-city Winnipeg expressed interest
in receiving weekly deliveries of food direct from local farmers.
But members didn't just want to eat the food. They also wanted to
help grow it. The group spoke with Farmer Dan, as he's known, expressing
interest in a partnership. Sister Sheila offered some of her land
for the growing project and the work began.
Once or twice a week a group of inner-city residents drives out
to the farm and spends the day getting down and dirty. First they
seeded, then weeded, and now they're harvesting: corn, broccoli,
beets, beans, carrots, lettuce, squash, pumpkins, tomatoes, and
more. At the end of the day the group drives back to the city with
a vanload of vegetables they've harvested to an ever-growing crowd
of eager shoppers. Parked outside the local community centre, the
van becomes the Veggie Van providing a bag brimming with top quality
produce to other Good Food Club members for minimal cost.
On several occasions the harvest has been so large that the group
has sold the extra produce to neighbourhood grocery stores giving
them funds which will hopefully one day make the program a sustainable
one.
Good Food Club members are more than enthusiastic about this inner-city
initiative. The farm experience has given Elaine the chance to remember
summers spent at relatives' farms as she was growing up. She and
other members are grateful for the opportunity to spend a day outdoors
outside of the city. Greg, another member, was told by his doctor
that he needed to eat more vegetables - the farm has provided that,
and encouraged Greg to meet more people. The farm is a non-threatening
place where people can learn to work together while participating
in something bigger than themselves: watching life emerge. It is
nothing short of a miraculous opportunity for people who are given
few opportunities to accomplish anything.
"The price of vegetables is astronomical if you're on a fixed income,"
says Sharon, one member. Another, Lorraine, adds, "You can't get
fresh produce at the food bank. Broccoli is too expensive for people
on assistance even if you get disability (benefits). You can't ask
for anything more than what the Veggie Van offers."
And everyone agrees that the corn they harvested is the best corn
they've ever eaten!
The Good Food Club has fulfilled some of Dan and Wilma's needs as
well. "This farm is all about justice," says Dan. "Environmental
justice is one piece but we also wanted economic justice." Dan,
who with his family, has lived and worked in Haiti as well as Southern
Africa, says Canada is unique in that most poverty is found in urban
areas. In much of the rest of the world, in contrast, poverty is
very rural. Dan and Wilma were searching for ways that low-income
Canadians could enjoy the food they grow. "We wanted to know that
everyone who wants food could have access to it. Until now we haven't
found a way to do that. This is the seed of something that will
grow." As well, while most of their middle-class customers rarely
come out to the farm, Good Food Club members come out every week.
"It's another way of getting people involved in agriculture."
For more information on the West Broadway Good Food Club, you can
contact (info to follow)
The
Future of Urban Transportation
New Books in the Alice Chambers Memorial Library
The future shape of transportation and the city is occurring now;
subtle movements are "afoot" and they are shaping the landscape
of the city in the near future. Thanks to Climate Change Connection,
the following materials that focus on transportation and the urban
environment are now available in the Alice Chambers Memorial Library.
"If humans were meant to walk, they'd stand upright, have two legs,
and opposable thumbs."
The Quotable Walker
Two recent videos provide a good overview of alternative transportation
Shifting gears: a look at alternative transportation and We aren't
blocking traffic we are traffic!" Each video looks at bicycling
in the urban environment, with Shifting Gears drawing on examples
from the Netherlands and China, to provide a quick (15 min.) overview
of the issues, while We aren't Blocking Traffic details the "critical
mass" bicycle movement and the reality of reclaiming the streets.
>From changing attitudes about getting around the city, to changing
the design of the city, two books "Car Free cities" and "Future
transport in cities" provide great illustrations and practical alternatives
to the many urban problems caused by a car dependent society. These
books examine alternate technologies such as automated highways,
monorails, new elevated systems, smart cars, and guided buses as
well as fascinating urban design topologies for the car free city.
Bringing together all of these transportation issues within the
broader context of ecologically responsible urban design is Ecocities:
Building Cities in Balance with Nature, which is a passionate and
thoroughly researched volume, written by Richard Register. Ecocities
opens by looking at the city's place in nature, as well as the city
throughout history, from its origins to the present. Register then
describes his vision of the city of the future - a dense, lively
and sustainable city that assists its residents in the pursuit of
fulfillment while protecting nature's resources. Ecocities doesn't
stop at description, it shows how groups and individuals can work,
step-by-step, to make the city of the future a reality.
Finally, with all of the cases being made for alternative transportation
and better ecological design for cities, it is important to note
some of the current reality and how this came to be; an interesting
piece with the title Taken for a ride: Detroit's Big Three and the
Politics of Pollution does just that. Taken for a Ride is a 500
plus page chronicle of the decades-long lobbying and deception used
by the Big Three automakers, General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler.
These deceptions, the author argues, endanger public health, risk
energy instability, and alter the world's climate with inefficient
toxic vehicles, that the Big Three could have improved. It is in
this area of noncompliance that the book is most interesting, with
conclusions that make one wonder if the Big Three might one day
stand alongside the tobacco industry's seven Dwarves for intentionally
polluting humanity.
Crawford, J.H. Carfree cities. 324p., 2002.
Doyle, Jack. Taken for a ride: Detroit's big three and the politics
of
pollution. 560p., 2000.
Holroyd, Peggy and Hugh Moloney. Shifting gears: a look at alternative
transportation. VHS, 15min., 2001.
Electromagnetic
Sensitivity
Director of World Health Organization Speaks Out
By Arthur Firstenberg
Reprinted from No Place to Hide newsletter, June 2002
One third of people with severe chemical sensitivities also develop
some hypersensitivity to electric and magnetic fields. This includes
some Manitobans. Currently, the most active research is being done
in the Scandinivian countries; very little is being done is North
America. Perhaps Dr. Brundtland's high profile will help to initiate
further research in this area as well as give this issue a much
needed increased public profile.
"It's not the sound, but the waves I react to. My hypersensitivity
has gone so far that I even react to mobile phones closer to me
than about four metres," says Gro Harlem Bruntland.
She is the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO),
and she was talking to Aud Dalsegg, who interviewed her for the
cover story of the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet on March 9, 2002.
The former Prime Minister of Norway never owned a mobile phone herself,
but she often received calls on her associates' phones. Now she
says there is a reason to be cautious about the technology.
"In the beginning I felt a warmth around my ear," she told Dalsegg.
"But the problem grew worse, and turned into a strong discomfort
and headaches every time I used a mobile phone." At first she tried
to avoid the pain by cutting her calls short, but this did not work.
Nor was it sufficient to stop using the phones herself, because
everyone around her, including at her workplace at the WHO in Geneva,
uses them.
"I gradually understood that I had developed a sensitivity to this
type of radiation. And in order to not be suspected of being hysterical-
that someone should believe that this was only something I imagined-
I have made several tests: People have been in my office with their
mobile phone hidden in their bag or pocket. Without my knowing whether
it was off or on, we have tested my reaction. I have always reacted
when the phone has been on-never when it was off. So there is no
doubt."
The headaches from mobile phone radiation subside about a half hour
to an hour after the exposure stops, she said.
A medical doctor and master of public health, Brundtland gained
international recognition in the 1980s for championing the principle
of sustainable development as chair of the World Commission on Environment
and Development. In October 1996 she stepped down as Prime Minister
of Norway, after heading her government for more than ten years.
She has headed the World Health Organization since July 1998.
Brundtland was careful, in the interview, to say that the danger
from mobile phones has not been scientifically proven: " We do not
at present have enough scientific evidence to put out a clear warning.
It is not established, for instance, that the radiation can cause
brain cancer. WHO has a long ongoing study, and in two or three
years we will have better answers to all these questions."
But she told her interviewer that " I understand the scientists
who warn us. I think there is reason to be cautious, and not to
use these phones more than necessary. Some people develop sensitivity
to electricity and radiation from equipment such as mobile phones
and personal computers. Whether this sensitivity can lead to serious
outcomes such as cancer or other diseases, we still do not know,
but I am convinced this must be taken seriously."
At the WHO, the coordinator for the International EMF ( Electromagnetic
Field) Project is Australian biologist Michael Repacholi. He belittled
his boss's concerns. In the Swedish newspaper Arbetsliv on March
18, 2002, he is quoted as saying: "There have been many studies
in this area. In the laboratory environment it has been investigated
as to whether hypersensitive persons can detect mobile phone radiation.
The results until now have shown that this is not the case. I know
that Mrs. Brundtland says that she has made several tests of her
own to show that she can detect the radiation. As researchers we
are aware that certain people are more sensitive than others, and
research should concentrate on studying this group and their symptoms.
A parallel example is air pollution, which has little health effects
in the general population, but hits the subgroup of asthmatics hard."
Repacholi's division of the WHO has published a fact sheet which
states that there is no scientific reason to recommend special precautions
with mobile phone use. "Our recommendations are based on scientific
results. There needs to be more scientific research in this area.
If a clear link is shown between mobile phone radiation and negative
health effects, I guarantee we will change our recommendations,"
he said.
No Place to Hide is a publication of the Cellular Phone Taskforce,
an environmental organization that serves as a clearinghouse for
information about injury to health and the environment from wireless
broadcasts. They can be contacted at P.O. Box 1337, Mendocino, CA
95460, USA. Phone (718) 434-4499 or (707) 937-3990.
For further information, contact: Marg Friesen, Chemical Sensitivities Manitoba Coordinator at (204) 261-8591 or e-mail: madray@autobahn.mb.ca