Earth Day – let’s not lose it. Write Mike and ask him to help.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON  April 25, 2012  The city had a very successful Earth Week.  Trash was cleaned up; trees were planted and the idea of taking care of the earth we inherited was embedded a little more deeply into the conscience of people.

Earth Day is people picking up and sorting through trash and just plain cleaning up the community. 8000 people took part in the Burlington program this year.

The success of Earth Day and the public’s appetite for clean air and water motivated governments to pass the world’s strongest environmental laws. The U.S. Clean Water Act promised swimmable, drinkable, fishable water. The Ontario Environmental Protection Act promised to protect environmental resources for all users. The Government of Canada promised to review the environmental effects of its decisions.

Over four decades, Earth Day became a global event, celebrated in 170 countries and involving 1 out of every 6 people on the planet.

True, critics however have voiced concerns in recent years that Earth Day was being co-opted by corporations interested in “greenwashing” their image. But the original Earth Day legacy remained intact: Canada and the U.S.A. had some of the world’s best environmental laws on the books.

That legacy is beginning to fade in Canada.

Government is taking steps to undo all the environmental safeguards.

In the last month, the federal government has taken steps to undo nearly every one of our nation’s environmental protection programs. The Natural Resources Minister calls it (without irony) “Responsible Resource Development”.

Three key safeguards that ensure your right to safely swim, drink, or fish Canadian waters is protected, are all being dismantled:

1. Environmental assessments will virtually disappear. The number of agencies who conduct assessments will go from about 40 down to 3, and will not include Environment, Natural Resources, or Fisheries departments. Provinces will be allowed to substitute their own approvals for federal approvals, even though they do not cover important federal matters such as fisheries and navigation. Individuals and organizations may be prohibited from participating in the assessment process.

2. Independent voices will be silenced. Not only will individuals and organizations be prevented from participating in some environmental assessments, environmental charities will be under close surveillance by the federal government. The Government of Canada is allocating $8-million to monitor environmental charities’ political activities.

“We’re seeing a very difficult period of time in terms of the rhetoric and the tone of what’s coming out from the government. And why we find this alarming is that environmental groups and organizations, we think, provide a really valuable input into discussions in our society, things that Canadians value,” Mr. Robinson, the Suzuki Foundation’s chief executive, told The Globe and Mail.

3. Fisheries protection rollbacks are coming. Rumours of Fisheries Act changes started swirling before the budget was released in late March. While habitat and water quality protections remain intact for now, there is compelling evidence to suggest it is a matter of time before Canada opts to protect only “fish of significant economic and ecological value.”

Martha Hall Findley, a former Liberal MP, calls this an “opportunity”. She says environmentalists need to learn how to “co-operate”. With due respect to Ms. Findley, that’s not the problem. Earth Day 1970 was about making sure  citizens had a voice when decisions were being made that would affect the environment.

It was about ensuring that there would be clear rules in place so that no one person or institution could take clean air or water away from a community. Environmentalists have been fighting for the ability to co-operate for 40 years.

Now, Canada is saying that there’s no more seats at the table for anyone other than a handful of special government and industry interests: no more independent assessment process, no more clear and consistent enforcement of laws, no more science, no more scrutiny. In the name of “modernization” and “growth”, we’ve gone back to 1969.

Mike Wallace - with all those plants around he's gotta be an environmentalist. Write him and get his help in saving Earth Day.

It doesn’t have to be this way.  We have a Member of Parliament.  He has a telephone, he has an email address and he has an office in Ottawa.  Tonight, instead of having the kids watching TV with you – set them down and have them write Mike Wallace.  Tell him to stand up for you, for our environment and for the planet we want to leave to our children`s grandchildren.

Use the occasion to raise your voice and at the same time teach your children how to write a letter and take their first step in participatory democracy.  It actually works.

 

Mike`s office telephone number  905-639-5757

His email address:  https://www.mikewallacemp.ca/contact/index.shtml

His office address in Ottawa.  If you write him there – you don`t have to put postage on the envelope.

Mike Wallace

Member for Burlington

House of Commons,

Ottawa, ON

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2 comments to Earth Day – let’s not lose it. Write Mike and ask him to help.

  • ken r colombo

    Mr. Wallace has delivered a ‘Net Zero’ to Burlington based on the Bev Oda contribution to PAC and offsetting ‘requests’ for additional city and regional participation … for the Randle Reef project which, according to the following, is now to cost $120 Million. A councillor told one of his constituents at a recent meeting, “They’re good causes, and the money is coming from different purses, that’s all.”

    To me, it sounds like a CON-Edison package designed for the political elites, with results which may be nowhere to be found. Is it SNOWING where you are, Pepper?

    https://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/516079–burlington-cash-for-randle-reef-cleanup#Comments

  • ken r colombo

    A year in review—Ottawa’s accomplishments—Mike Wallace—My View—Burlington Post—Wednesday, December 19, 2007—“I invited Minister of Environment John Baird to tour the area this past summer and see the problem first hand. As a result, the minister committed $30 million to clean up Randle Reef. This represents one-third of the cost of the project and we are waiting for the City of Hamilton to complete the financial partnership between the federal, provincial and municipal governments.”

    That event was then followed by a provincially announced contribution of $30 Million, with the remaining shortfall, anticipated to be a further $30 Million, to be made up from a “scrounge” financial endeavour to meet the overall financial control limit of $90 Million.

    “Federal and provincial governments have already committed $30 million each, leaving the team to scrounge up the last $30 million. The HPA ( Hamilton Port Authority )has agreed to kick in $7 million, but the economic crisis and Hamilton’s budget squeeze have some questioning the chances of securing the remaining $23 million.”

    Toxic cleanup bill keeps rising—City asked for another $3 million—Hamilton Spectator—APRIL 19, 2010

    “Jim Harnum, the city’s senior director of environment and sustainable infrastructure, says the estimated cost is now up to $105 million and the two senior levels of government are being asked to make up the difference, but they insist community sources still raise at least $30 million.”

    In a report to go to city council’s public works committee today, Harnum says commitments so far include the city’s $5 million, $6 million from the Hamilton Port Authority and $7 million from U.S. Steel, for a total of $18 million
    The U. S. Steel money would fulfil a commitment made by Stelco Inc. before being bought by the American company. The size of its pledge has not previously been disclosed.

    City officials are using a bookkeeping tactic to inflate the local share to $23 million.

    They say steel piling that would have cost $12 million at peak prices can now be bought for about $7 million.

    They count the $5-million saving as part of the local commitment. With $3 million more from Hamilton and $4 million from Halton, the total comes to $30 million.

    Harnum proposes the city takes its extra $3 million from the water and sewer rate budget rather than from property tax revenue.

    He said federal and provincial officials are not asking Hamilton to increase its share.”

    Throughout all these “jiggery-pokery” financial complexities, the Federal government walked away from any responsibility for overall environmental control on the project. I conclude that Mike Wallace delivers to Burlington, ’Harper Government’ from Ottawa, rather than the anticipated delivery of Burlington citizen concerns to Ottawa for resolution. Mr. Wallace and Ottawa are a huge “fail” when it comes to press releases. While Environment Minister Peter Kent was visiting on the project, the then uncorrected press release suggested citizens could “twitter” Jim Prentice, who was by then a VP with the Bank of Commerce. The core theme about the ‘Harper government’ was expressed before the financial complexities began … in the statement; “Project manager Roger Santiago, who said Environment Canada would not let him answer questions from the news media; told the assembly the Hamilton Port Authority and the city are working on raising the $30-million local share.”

    Now Pepper, What Was It you wanted me to write Mr. Wallace about?