Salmon Confidential is a new film on the government cover up of what is killing BC’s wild salmon. When biologist Alexandra Morton discovers BC’s wild salmon are testing positive for dangerous European salmon viruses associated with salmon farming worldwide, a chain of events is set off by government to suppress the findings. Tracking viruses, Morton moves from courtrooms, into British Columbia’s most remote rivers, Vancouver grocery stores and sushi restaurants. The film documents Morton’s journey as she attempts to overcome government and industry roadblocks thrown in her path and works to bring critical information to the public in time to save BC’s wild salmon.
The film provides surprising insight into the inner workings of government agencies, as well as rare footage of the bureaucrats tasked with managing our fish and the safety of our food supply.
Days after industrial waste spilled into the Athabasca River from an oil-sands project, the Alberta government has revealed toxic water flowed into the river from the same site for three days in 2011.
Alberta’s Department of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development on Thursday issued an environmental order against Suncor Energy Inc. for an industrial waste-water release in March, 2011, discovered after fish died in a monthly experiment that uses them to test the toxicity of industrial waste water from the oil-sands site. It is unclear why the investigation took two years….
Prime Minister Harper’s administration has once more shocked the community of nations by withdrawing from an environmental treaty. This time it is the 1994 United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. This is only the second time in Canadian history we have withdrawn from a treaty. The first time was the Kyoto Protocol.
“We do not see Harper withdrawing from trade deals. The treaties he views as of no importance are those designed to protect the environment. What message does it send to African nations that in the same week we eliminate CIDA, we withdraw from a treaty to stop the advance of deserts?” said Green Leader Elizabeth May, Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands.
The UN and the nations of the world are losing faith in Canada. Our 2010 failure to get elected to the Security Council was a stark signal of our declining credibility,” said John Streiker, Green Critic for Northern Affairs.
Canada pulls out of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. Read more: http://ow.ly/jyJDw
The outcome of this case should be a landmark decision as to whether the federal government has been acting illegally by permitting the use of lakes as dumpsites for metal mining companies in Canada…
For immediate releaseFeb. 7, 2013Critic to minister: Get serious about frackingNDP Environment Critic George Murphy (MHA, St. John’s East) has written to the provincial Minister of Environment in an effort to directly to communicate his own concerns about slickwater…
“With Idle No More entering a new phase (one we might simply call “Winter” – a time for Anishinaabe people to reflect, tell stories, educate and plan for the future), there is much to consider about the previous two months of spirited activism.
For me, there has been the realization that there’s been a general absence of attention paid by the movement to the role of provincial governments in perpetuating the challenges facing Indigenous communities. Considering that Idle No More has been a movement about protecting the land, it’s curious that the provinces — which have “jurisdiction” over lands and resources — have been left alone. That should change. (…)”(Hayden King - Media Indigena - 08/02/2013)
http://www.leadnow.ca/saveela - It’s time to stop the war on science. Since Prime Minister Harper came into power, Canada has been subjected to a ruthless assault on its science capacity. This attack has been systemic and strategic, targeting science that seeks to understand the impacts of industry on the environment — information the Harper Government considers inconvenient to their economic agenda. These actions will result in the significant and widespread degradation of our country’s environment and natural resources.
The crippling of Canada’s public science capacity under the guise of austerity measures, coupled with the weakening of federal environmental laws in the absence of open debate, is a blatant desecration of science, nature, and democracy. We need to stop this war on science, and let’s start by saving the ELA.
Help spread this video in the name of ending the Harper Government’s war on science. Go to http://www.saveela.org for more information on how YOU can take action!
Waterlife
A Film by Kevin McMahon
WATERLIFE follows the epic cascade of the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. From the icy cliffs of Lake Superior to the ornate fountains of Chicago to the sewers of Windsor, this feature-length documentary tells the story of the last huge supply (20 per cent) of fresh water on Earth.
The source of drinking water, fish and emotional sustenance for 35 million people, the Great Lakes are under assault by toxins, sewage, invasive species, dropping water levels and profound apathy. Some scientists believe the lakes are on the verge of ecological collapse.
Filled with fascinating characters and stunning imagery, WATERLIFE is an epic cinematic poem about the beauty of water and the dangers of taking it for granted.
The film is narrated by The Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie and features music by Sam Roberts, Sufjan Stevens, Sigur Ros, Robbie Robertson and Brian Eno.
The film is produced by Primitive Entertainment (Kristina McLaughlin and Michael McMahon) in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada (Gerry Flahive). One of its executive producers is Mark Achbar (The Corporation)
A huge pipeline spill has released 22,000 barrels of oil and water into muskeg in the far northwest of Alberta.
The spill ranks among the largest in North America in recent years, a period that has seen a series of high-profile accidents that have undermined the energy industry’s safety record. The Enbridge Inc. pipeline rupture that leaked oil near Michigan’s Kalamazoo River, for example, spilled an estimated 19,500 barrels…
