Alternative News

Articles from non-mainstream as opposed to corporate for profit sources.

Is Canada's Government Keeping a File on You? Find Out.

Details: Published on Wednesday, 23 April 2014 10:20; Written by editor

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Stacking the deck for the 2015 election

Details: Published on Monday, 21 April 2014 22:00; Written by editor

Prime Minister Harper’s dangerous new elections law would stack the deck for the next election, and deny hundreds of thousands their right to vote.

Our campaign is having a real impact, but time is running out and we need to ramp up the pressure before it’s too late.
Click here to email the committee studying the bill and your MP, demanding they kill it unless major changes are made.

Why is Prime Minister Harper’s new elections law so dangerous? Why have so many experts from across the political spectrum spoken out, including moderate conservatives? It’s because this law would stack the deck in Harper’s favour for the 2015 election, and fundamentally damage our democracy by denying hundreds of thousands their right to vote.

Over 60,000 of you have signed our petition against this bill, donated to run hard-hitting radio ads, and rallied at conservative MP offices to help raise the alarm. Together, we’ve made huge progress, and the pressure is starting to work.

A Senate Committee just issued a report unanimously recommending changes to the bill, and the Conservatives have said they’re open to making amendments. Yet it’s nowhere near enough, and we need your help to keep turning up the pressure. We have to stop them stacking the deck for the next election!

Can you send an email right now to your MP, and the members of the committee studying this bill, calling on them to fix this bill once and for all, or kill it.

We’ve heard from the experts, and we know what has to be done to fix this law. At a minimum:

• Remove voter suppression rules that would stop hundreds of thousands of Canadians from voting (the strict ID requirements, ending Voter Information Cards as proof of address, and preventing Elections Canada from promoting voting).

• Remove the new finance loopholes that would let parties write-off massive fundraising expenses.

• Give elections watchdogs the power to force testimony in investigations of fraud, like the robocall scandal.

Over the next two weeks we’ll flood key MPs inboxes with emails, and visit their offices again to show them Canadians are watching and organizing, and they will suffer a steep political cost if they force this terrible bill through as is.

Time is running out: The PROC committee will be voting on amendments to this bill in just two weeks. Click here to tell your MP and the committee to kill Harper’s Elections Act unless voter suppression and financing loopholes are removed, and election fraud investigators get the power to compel testimony.

See you next week!

Details: Published on Monday, 21 April 2014 20:40; Written by editor

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Survival Tribes News Act Now Donate

We're looking forward to seeing you all next week at Davi Kopenawa's public talks around the San Francisco Bay Area.

If you haven't already, invite your friends!

Davi Yanomami's program:

A discussion on Amazonian national parks, land rights and the future of indigenous peoples

Read more: See you next week!

First Nations take on LNG, fracking

Details: Published on Monday, 21 April 2014 20:20; Written by editor

First Nations take on LNG, fracking - This Weeks Dose of Common Sense r33

BC LNG faces growing First Nations opposition

Contrary to the popular myth that First Nations are embracing BC LNG, the nascent industry faces growing aboriginal opposition that could spook investors.
Read More

Fort Nelson First Nation drums govt, industry out of LNG conference
Outraged over the gutting of environmental reviews for natural gas plants, the chief of Fort Nelson First Nation booted government and industry reps from a BC LNG conference. Read More $Troubled Waters - New video investigates northeast BC fracking$ BC Oil and Gas Commission abandons orphan wells

The BC Oil and Gas Commission has slashed its budget for its orphan well site reclamation fund by 80-percent.

Read More

Things are really heating up on the liquefied natural gas (LNG) front in BC. This week, The Common Sense Canadian drilled down on the myth of overwhelming First Nations support for the much-hyped industry. Beneath the veneer of revenue sharing agreements and aboriginal pipeline consortia lies a growing resistance to the massive ramp-up of fracking, the climate and water issues that would accompany the BC Liberals' vision.

Sierra Life: inspiring stories of success

Details: Published on Monday, 21 April 2014 20:00; Written by editor

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Kitimat For the Win

Nothing beats a story about average citizens winning against a multi-million dollar corporation! All eyes were on Kitimat last weekend as residents faced off against Enbridge in a vote on the proposed pipeline. The end result: No!

A Little Late but Still on Track

The next big conservation step for the Great Bear Rainforest is delayed but still expected by the end of the year, explains Sierra Club BC’s forest and climate campaigner Jens Wieting. However, in light of TimberWest’s short-sighted logging plans, the pressure is on to finalize stricter logging rules for this important area.

What the Frack?

Fracking is a popular buzzword these days, and not just in Battlestar Galactica. Read on to find out more about fracking and why we are concerned about B.C.’s LNG plans.

Featured Event

On Saturday, May 10th, communities across the country will be hosting rallies and events for Defend Our Climate, Defend Our Communities, a national day of action against climate change. In Victoria, rally with Sierra Club BC against the destructive pipelines and tankers that threaten B.C.’s coast and climate. To find an event near you or to sign up to host one, visit www.defendourclimate.ca.

Find other events in your area.

I had to ask. [VIDEO]

Details: Published on Monday, 21 April 2014 19:40; Written by editor

As you may have already seen in media reports from CBC, CTV, The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star1, on Thursday night I disrupted Laureen Harper’s PR appearance at an Internet Cat Video festival to ask her a simple question about the fact that more than 800 Indigenous Women have been murdered or gone missing.2

You can see the video of my exchange with Mrs. Harper here.

Indigenous women are 7x more likely to be murdered than non-Indigenous women.3 This is the very real impact that colonial systems continue to have on a daily basis. As a white woman (with two cats I love dearly!) I recognize that this is not just an Indigenous issue. We should all be horrified by this epidemic of racist sexual violence. The United Nations4, Canada's own premiers5 and people across the country are demanding more action on the issue.6 Yet this government is failing to act.

Internal Conservative documents leaked to the Canadian Press7 revealed that “exploiting Laureen Harper’s popularity” is a key part of their ‘secret strategy’ to win the 2015 election. Having Mrs. Harper associated with something as undeniably popular as internet cat videos was an attempt by the Conservatives to generate positive PR. Instead they got a media storm that forced Mrs. Harper and the Prime Minister's Office to talk about an issue they work very hard to avoid.

You can read the full press release about the action from The Native Youth Sexual Health Network and sign up for updates here.

Before police removed me from the event I heard a lot of discussion about helping cats. There seems to be much less discussion and certainly no action by the Conservatives on human issues, so we’re going to need to use every opportunity we have to start the conversation ourselves.

Here are three ways you can help right now:

1. Share this page and video!

2. A woman in Manitoba has started a meme that is spreading on social media by taking this photo of her cat with a message about MMIW. You can help spread the word by sharing photo messages of support with your own pets and using #CatsWhoCare.

3. Support the critical work of the Native Youth Sexual Health Network by donating here.

Save the Red Door

Details: Published on Thursday, 17 April 2014 12:40; Written by editor

For 30 years The Red Door shelter has helped Toronto families, particularly mothers and children escaping domestic violence. Now, because of a real estate dispute the Red Door could lose its home.

Sign the Petition

My mom escaped an abusive relationship when I was 6 and my sister was 8. It was a terrible time for her because protecting herself and her children also meant risking homelessness and an unknown future. We spent two years moving from shelter to shelter. I remember waiting at a bus stop in the middle of the night with our clothes in garbage bags, not knowing where we were going to end up next.

Arriving at the Red Door Family Shelter in Toronto's east end was a relief. The Red Door changed my mom's life and helped us get back on our feet. As a kid I remember feeling grateful to have a warm place to sleep that we wouldn't have to leave the next day. My mom remembers it as the place where she got medical and legal support and where staff helped her develop a safety plan to protect us from her ex.

But now, because of a real-estate dispute between the former owners of the property, The Red Door could be left without a home, and 875 Queen St. W, the property where it has been housed for 30 years is already being bid on by condo developers.

The Red Door helped us when we had nowhere else to go and now many of us former clients are rallying to ensure it can keep its home. Please sign the petition and tell Toronto City Council that a refuge for homeless families is more important than another condo development.

Toronto's shelters are already overflowing and The Red Door is one of just two family shelters in Toronto. Losing it means losing one of our most significant shelters and one that is specifically designed to help families, many of whom are mothers and children escaping domestic violence.

Already, several City Councillors are speaking out in support and investigating legal tools to help save the shelter. We're not opposed to development on the site, we just need to ensure that it includes a permanent home for The Red Door. I know if tens of thousands of people sign the petition we can get the support we need from City Council and convince prospective developers that the public will not back down in this fight.

Read more: Save the Red Door

Killing the Lorax: 900 Environmental Activists Slain in the Past 10 Years

Details: Published on Wednesday, 16 April 2014 11:20; Written by editor

by Beth Buczynski, 04/16/14

A shocking new report finds that in addition to waging war against the only planet capable of sustaining human life, we’re also attacking those who would seek to protect it. The survey, conducted by London-based Global Witness, revealed that between 2002 and 2013, more than 900 environmental activists were killed as a direct result of their work defending environmental and land rights. And these are just the known murders–actual numbers in the last couple of years are suspected to be higher. Why, in a time of high public concern about the environment, are we killing the very people working to stop its destruction? The answer, as always, comes down to money.

Infant food made with GMOs

Details: Published on Wednesday, 16 April 2014 11:00; Written by editor

Did you know that Similac infant food products contain GMOs, but are not labelled as genetically modified?

Tell the makers of Similac, Abbott Laboratories, to identify and label all GMO products now.

Despite public outcry, parents still can't know if their babies are guinea pigs for genetically modified foods. Companies like Abbott Laboratories, the maker of Similac baby foods, are using GMO ingredients but refusing to label their products.

Consumers want to know if their food is genetically modified -- 93% of respondents in a recent New York Times poll said they wanted clear GMO labeling. It's time companies labelled GMOs, so parents can chose what they feed their children.

Now, a group of fed-up Abbott Laboratories shareholders are stepping up to protect our children. They're mad that Abbott won't even label its GMO food in North America, while its European line of Similac baby foods is GMO-free. This month, these shareholders will attend Abbott Laboratories' annual general meeting to vote on a resolution to label all GMO products -- and we need to show Abbott that consumers want labeling too.

Tell Abbott Laboratories that parents need Similac products to be labeled as containing GMOs.

Food companies maintain that GMO products are perfectly safe, but continue to stymie all attempts at labeling because they know that, given a choice, customers would prefer non-GMO foods. People are worried about the effect that genetically-modified organisms could have on the environment. And consumers just feel better buying unaltered food.

A little girl who spends her life inside a church

Details: Published on Wednesday, 16 April 2014 11:00; Written by editor

Immigration Minister Chris Alexander: Let the Pusuma family stay safe in Canada

Sign Kristina's Petition

My good friends, Jozsef and Timea Pusuma and their six year old daughter Viktoria (known affectionately as Lulu) have lived in a church in Toronto for two years, unable to set foot outside for fear of being deported from Canada to Hungary where their lives have been threatened.

The family fled Hungary to Canada after Jozsef began receiving death threats for his human rights work for an EU Parliamentarian known for speaking out against the persecution and racism Roma face. The last straw was when a masked, anti-Roma vigilante violently attacked them in the front yard of their own home.

It has been a nightmare. The lawyer who represented them at their refugee hearing in Toronto failed to present crucial evidence, and as a result the Immigration and Refugee Board decided they weren't "real refugees" and refused their case. The evidence does exists. The EU Parliamentarian even wrote a letter confirming the family's situation but the board refused to re-open the case so that this crucial evidence could be presented.

Poof.

Details: Published on Wednesday, 16 April 2014 11:00; Written by editor

News & Analysis

"700 settlement units were announced in Jerusalem, and poof - that was sort of the moment."

- Secretary of State John Kerry

Kerry's latest statement: more honest than he intended?

The US-backed peace process is faltering. What comes next?

It wasn’t exactly poetry, but Secretary of State John Kerry’s testimony to Congress this week might go down in history as a real turning point in the last 20 plus years of US-orchestrated negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. (1)

For the first time— and despite later efforts to backtrack— a U.S. Secretary of State admitted it was the Israelis who are derailing talks.

Kerry couldn’t have been more clear about the recent sequence of events that have driven these talks to the brink.

First Israel refused to release the last group of Palestinian prisoners they had promised to free, then they announced construction of 700 new settlement units, and only then did the Palestinians announce that they would attempt to join 15 international human rights conventions.

The US and Israel still vigorously criticized that move, which begs the question: what kind of “peace process” considers signing on to covenants promoting the rights of children, the disabled, and others a threat to peace? (2)

Weekly Indigenous news on rabble.ca

Details: Published on Wednesday, 16 April 2014 11:00; Written by editor

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rabble.ca weekly e-news for April 11th, 2014

This is your daily dose of our Editor top picks! For more new rabble content, visit www.rabble.ca-->

Indigenous This week's top news and analysis about the struggles of indigenous peoples for rights and sovereignty. For more on indigenous issues visit our topic page: http://rabble.ca/indigenous

What happens now that we know there really is a cancer cluster in Fort Chip? Nothing? April 11, 2014 | By David J. Climenhaga Connections, connections … whatever can they all mean? Could someone be afraid of the answers a credible study of the health effects of bitumen mining might reveal? First Nations education bill fails the test April 11, 2014 | By Daniel Wilson In this blog, Daniel Wilson reviews Bill C-33, the recently tabled First Nations education legislation No blood for (Alberta) oil April 9, 2014 | By J Baglow The Fort Chipewyan cancer cluster: Big Oil speaks, Alberta government covers for it. Truth, reconciliation and respecting all our relations April 9, 2014 | By Daniel Wilson In this blog, Daniel Wilson reflects on the final public hearing of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The epic battle between the Grain Eaters and the Meat Eaters April 6, 2014 | By Krystalline Kraus Are Vegan Evangelists guilty of colonial behaviour when they suppose to dictate another people's eating habits?

Kellogg's abuses

Details: Published on Wednesday, 16 April 2014 11:00; Written by editor

Kellogg's is pretending there are no human rights abuses in its own workforce or in its supply chain.

A group of brave shareholders is demanding a full review at the next shareholder meeting in less than 3 weeks.

Ask Kellogg’s to come clean about human rights abuses now!

Kellogg’s is silent about the deplorable conditions a new report from Oxfam alleges its workers and farm workers are facing. The company claims to beunaware of human rights abuses in its supply chain, and we don’t yet know the full extent to which workers are being abused. That's why we have to act now and demand a full review.

Shareholders are stepping up and pressuring Kellogg’s to report human rights abuses in its production processes. The annual shareholder meeting is in just 3 weeks, and if we act now we can pressure Kellogg’s to investigate and issue a full report on human rights abuses.

Shareholders have the power to hold corporations accountable through their investments, savings and pensions -- we have the power to check corporate power as consumers. If we come together, we are unstoppable.

Tell Kellogg’s to stop pretending it doesn’t have a human rights problem.

At one of its factories in Tennessee, workers were locked out of their own jobs as the union resisted Kellogg’s push to reduce wages and cuts benefits. Likewise, Kellogg’s has been prioritizing profits over people by moving its factories from Australia to Thailand, where wages are lower and unionization is equally scarce.

Two Weekends of Earth Day Activities Coming up in Victoria

Details: Published on Wednesday, 16 April 2014 11:00; Written by editor

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Forward

Two weekends of Earth Day activities coming up in Victoria!

Hi PAOV,

The end of April is almost here, and that means Earth Day! Join us to celebrate the endless gifts our environment provides and to stand with like-minded individuals committed to conservation and sustainability.

First, we’re proud to have been picked by one of Vancouver Island’s most exciting eco-tourism businesses as its Earth Day partner this year! This Saturday, April 19th, we’ll be out at AdrenaLINE Zipline Adventure Tours near Sooke celebrating Earth Day with our newest publications and campaign updates. Zipline guides have been briefed on our projects and will talk about forest conservation and other issues as guests fly through the canopy!

At the end of the day, AdrenaLINE will generously donate a portion of all proceeds to the Wilderness Committee, so book your zipline tour at www.adrenalinezip.com, or by calling (250) 642-1933.

The Details:

Saturday, April 19th

Where: AdrenaLINE Zipline Adventure Tours
5128C Sooke Road, Sooke, BC V9Z 0E2

When: 11:30am – 3:30pm
Tours depart at 10am, 10:30am, 12:30pm, 1pm, 3pm + 3:30pm)

just the beginning

Details: Published on Wednesday, 16 April 2014 11:00; Written by editor

Spring Newsletter

SodaStream boycotts. Faltering Peace Talks. Academic Freedom. The struggle for real justice in Palestine and Israel is just heating up.

Scarlett Johansson continues to endorse settlement products. But public opinion is moving - quickly.

Please give $18 or $36 now so JVP can keep up the momentum.

Join Us in Celebrating the 2014 Liberty Awards!

Details: Published on Wednesday, 16 April 2014 10:00; Written by editor

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Stop torture of 'Pygmy' peoples

Details: Published on Tuesday, 15 April 2014 15:20; Written by editor

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Survival Tribes News Act Now Donate

Dear Supporter,

‘Ecoguards' and soldiers in Cameroon are harassing, torturing and sometimes even killing forest-dwelling Baka ‘Pygmies', for hunting in the national parks that have been created on their land. A government official has openly admitted that torture is used to obtain information about poaching. Survival is launching an urgent new campaign called ‘Parks Need People’ to put a stop to this violence.

Many conservationists believe that ‘protected’ areas need to be kept ‘pristine’ and free of all human activity, except tourism. We disagree - the evidence in fact shows that tribal peoples are the best conservationists. It is no coincidence that 70% of the world’s richest ‘ecoregions’ are inhabited by indigenous communities. Yet despite this correlation, tribal peoples are still evicted and barred from their lands, to ‘protect’ these so called ‘natural’ areas and open them to tourism.

National parks in Cameroon were created on Baka ancestral lands without their consent. The Baka, who hunted and gathered a vast range of forest produce, are now criminalised for hunting for food, gathering forest medicines or materials to build their houses, even for tending their ancestors’ graves.

Separated from their lands, tribal peoples' worlds fall apart. In the words of Baka man Mbaya Gaston, ‘Now we are falling ill because of the change in our diet. Our skin doesn’t like the sun and life in the village. In the forest we are healthy and put on weight. Now no one is strong, everyone looks ill. We are forced to drink to forget our troubles.’

Apply to join the CYD to COP20!

Details: Published on Tuesday, 15 April 2014 15:00; Written by editor

We've extended the deadline for applications for the Canada Youth Delegation to COP20 in Lima, Peru until the end of April! Apply now to join this project to take action for global climate justice!

After not attending COP19 in Warsaw, Poland, the CYD is returning in 2014. This delegation will be smaller than in previous years and delegates, once selected, will not only be attending COP20 but will also work to revision and re-launch the CYCC's international climate justice work.

The Canada Youth Delegation is a group of diverse youth from Canada between the ages of 18-30 who work together to hold Canada accountable in the international climate change forum at the UNFCCC. Working with other youth groups and allies from around the world, as well as

other groups from Canada, the CYD will strive to challenge Canada's climate inaction on a global stage. As part of the new CYD format,the group will also work to bring a strong analysis of global climate justice into movements for environmental and climate justice in Canada, and develop global ties of solidarity with communities on the frontlines of climate injustice.

APPLY NOW!

Urgent Action: Stop tribal families being evicted from Tiger Reserves

Details: Published on Friday, 11 April 2014 16:20; Written by editor

We help tribal peoples defend their lives, protect their lands and determine their own futures.

Members of the Khadia tribe were harassed and pressured for three years to leave their ancestral homeland, after it was turned into the Similipal Tiger Reserve. They were removed from the Reserve in December 2013. They had been promised money, livestock and land in compensation but have received almost nothing. They now live in squalid conditions under plastic sheets.

URGENT ACTION

Stop tribal families being evicted from Tiger Reserves

Over 20 Baiga and Gond tribal villages have already been evicted from Kanha Tiger Reserve (India) in the name of conservation. More are being pressured to leave in the coming weeks. The Baiga’s survival, which is intricately connected to the forest, is under threat. They worship forest deities, harvest goods from the forest for most of their needs and make their living from forest products.

The tribes have co-existed with the tigers for generations, protecting the forest the big cats need to survive. But across India, in tiger reserves like Similipal and Kanha, tribal people are treated not as allies but as enemies of conservation.

Whilst the tribes are threatened with eviction and banned from entering the core zone, even for worship or medicinal plants, hundreds of tourist jeeps rush through the reserve every day trying to spot tigers.

There are reports that Baiga and Gond families have been tricked into signing blank pieces of paper that are then used to show their 'consent' to being moved from their villages - a total violation of their rights.

Take Action to Stop the Energy East Pipeline

Details: Published on Friday, 11 April 2014 16:20; Written by editor

Supa --

TAKE ACTION TO STOP THE ENERGY EAST PIPELINE

#ENERGYEAST #STOPTHEBEAST #WATERISSACRED

Check out some coverage of the action and photos here and here.

Last year, TransCanada announced their intention to build a 4,500 km pipeline from the tar sands in Alberta, already devastating many Indigenous communities, to New Brunswick, where communities like Elsipogtog had to fight to stop dangerous fracking last year.

A group of concerned Indigenous activists recently met in Winnipeg to discuss how Indigenous Peoples across Canada could work together to stop this pipeline (watch them on APTN here). This pipeline passes through major cities including Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Montreal, but also through the territory of over 150 Indigenous communities.

Mi’qmaq women took action against the #EnergyEast pipeline proposal and shut down the Maritime Energy Association meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia on March 31, with the support of hundreds of young peoples who were converging for the PowerShift Atlantic conference. Check out the photos here and read their press release here.

Eriel Deranger, a Dene activist from Fort Chipewyan, Alberta, will be touring Ontario in April, joined by Maude Barlow from the Council of Canadians and special guests in each town. They'll be stopping in Kenora, Thunder Bay, North Bay, Ottawa, Kemptville, and Cornwall. Find out more information here.