Ron's News

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[Hartley Bay was my mom's home village. It seems that this is the thanks the people of the village get from the Provincial government for risking their necks to save the people on board the sinking Queen of the North ferry. *RON*]
Jenny Uechi, Vancouver Observer, 10 September 2014

Hartley Bay, a tiny northern B.C. village, feels like a place from another era. In this village of under 200 people, no SUVs or highways are to be seen -- only boats and quads rolling gently on wooden boardwalks. People banter casually on the dock with strangers, overlooking the sea.

Mention the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline proposal, however, and the chatter quickly turns into a chorus of "no" and shaking heads.

"Not gonna happen," Nicole Robinson, a mother and member of the Gitga'at Nation, said firmly. "For my children and future grandchildren, I'm prepared to die to stop it. Ask anyone here."

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[Of course Harper was the last to believe that Canada was in a recession, too. An economist he ain't, just a cheerleader for the oil industry. *RON*]
By Daniel Tencer, Huffington Post, 10 September 2014


Is Canada’s oil sector harming the rest of the economy? According to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the evidence points to yes.

In a new report, the bank has come out squarely in favour of the "Dutch Disease" theory — the notion that Canada's oil and gas boom has driven up the loonie to the point it's hurting other export-dependent parts of the economy.

“Ten per cent of our economy is due to energy. That’s a relatively small share, but when you look at our currency we’ve seen an increasing correlation between the Canadian dollar and the price of energy,” BofA Merrill Lynch economist Emanuella Enenajor, a former CIBC economist and one of the authors of the new report, told BNN.

The idea that Canada is suffering from Dutch Disease …

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[The Constitution is the only thing standing between Canadians and purely ideologically driven, non-democratic rule. Still, I wish that someone would add up the cost of all these Constitutional challenges and compare this with the austerity-driven cuts to services made by this government. *RON*]
By Colin Perkel, The Canadian Press, Huffington Post, 10 September 2014


TORONTO - The Harper government's tough-on-crime agenda took another hit Wednesday when Ontario's top court struck down provisions that limit pre-trial sentencing credit.

In its decision, the Court of Appeal ruled the law unconstitutional because, among other things, it could create sentencing disparities for similarly placed offenders.

"Both the offender and the public must have confidence in the fairness of the sentencing process and in the results," the court ruled.

"Public confidence in the criminal justice system would be undermined by an artificial distinction…

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["....110 pages of emails to and from 16 different federal government communications operatives." This is a great illustration of how scared government apparatchiks have become, under Harper, to make a decision about even the simplest thing. Welcome to the old Soviet Union. *RON*]
By Dene Moore, The Canadian Press, Huffington Post, 8 September 2014

VANCOUVER - It was a story about rock snot.

And if there's a person you want to talk to about the pervasive algae also known by the less-offensive, more scientific name of Didymo, it's Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientist Max Bothwell.

Bothwell is, other scientists will tell you, the rock snot man. He wrote the book. Or in this case, co-authored a published article in a renowned scientific journal.

But a request from The Canadian Press to speak to Bothwell when the article was published in May failed to produce an interview.

What it did produce was 110 pages of emails to and from 16 diffe…

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[Harper cannot say he is NOT doing this because the party line is that all his resource mega-projects are "world class" in their protection of wildlife and the environment and blah-blah-blah. So, instead, he simply delays forever and a day while saying "Of course, we're right on that!" *RON*]
Pierre Sadik, Ecojustice, Huffington Post, 10 September 2014

According to Environment Canada, there are more than 525 plant and animal species -- including the woodland caribou, greater sage-grouse, and piping plover -- at risk of disappearing from the country.

The good news is that we have a powerful tool at our disposal to protect these wildlife creatures and help their populations survive and recover: the Species at Risk Act (SARA), Canada's national endangered species law.

Passed in 2002, the law is intended to prevent at-risk wildlife from becoming extinct or extirpated (ceasing to exist in Canada) and provide for their recover…

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[Between this and Kinder Morgan we're seeing an increase in incidents where the feds are over-riding the authority of municipalities. Say "So long!" to local democracy. *RON*]
by Jeff Nagel - Surrey North Delta Leader, Tri-City News, 10 September 2014
Fraser Surrey Docks intends to apply for an air quality permit from Metro Vancouver for its now-approved coal export terminal, even though it is simultaneously challenging the regional district's jurisdiction over air pollution in court.

The port authority approved the proposed coal transfer facility last month and did not require it to obtain a Metro permit.

"We're moving forward with that on a voluntary basis," said Fraser Surrey Docks president and CEO Jeff Scott. "We feel this is a step in a positive direction that will add further confidence in ensuring our facility doesn't have significant impacts."

At the same time Scott's staff are working with…

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[Go, Burnaby, Go! "Burnaby seeks Interim and Permanent Injunctions to stop Kinder Morgan from Continuing to Damage Burnaby Mountain Conservation Land in Contravention of the City of Burnaby’s Bylaws." *RON*]

City of Burnaby Web Site, September 9, 2014

For immediate release

On September 8, the City of Burnaby filed a Civil Claim against Kinder Morgan, seeking an injunction to restrain Kinder Morgan from continuing to carry on works in the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area in contravention of the city of Burnaby’s bylaws. The Burnaby Parks Regulation Bylaw prohibits the cutting of trees and damage to the park. Kinder Morgan workers entered the park on September 2, and cut down trees and bushes to allow for helicopter and drilling activities. Kinder Morgan ignored an Order from the City to cease bylaw contraventions.

Burnaby will go to court on Thursday, September 11 to seek a temporary injunction to stop further works damaging the park unti…