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Mark Hume Nails Enbridge on Caribou Paper Cheat

Nov 14th, 2012 by

When a clock strikes 13, you can never trust it again.

So it must be for anyone who lies about information he is using to back up a serious scientific statement upon which a great deal is at stake.

Mark Hume had an article in Sunday’s Globe and Mail BC Edition which, in a world of decent journalism, would be a headline story, titled ENBRIDGE CHEATS ON SCIENTIFIC PAPER ON THREAT TO CARIBOU.

In fact Mark does this a lot and our newspaper chiefs should blush with shame but they don’t do that very well. I leave it to you to read this superlative article but suffice it to say that Enbridge has been caught out big time and if it weren’t for Mark they would have gotten away with it.

in a 2011 paper in support of their ghastly pipeline proposal, Enbridge claimed that their project would have little or no impact on caribou.

This issue hasn’t been dealt with much but it should be. Continue Reading »

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Two Fixes for Our Broken Democracy

Nov 12th, 2012 by

How to give power back to the people and their members of parliament.

As long as humans are running things there will always be problems. As we have seen, democratic ideas and structures are no guarantee of government of, for and by the people. It’s instructive to remember that Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany with the largest number of members in the Reichstag and became dictator after an Enabling Act was passed with Catholic delegates voting for it on instructions of the Pope.

No matter what system is adopted, men will grasp for power and once getting it, will try to extend and prolong it. This does not mean that we can’t do a hell of a lot better.

We mustn’t let perfection be the enemy of improvement.

We can make one change within our present structure which in itself will take us a long way down the right path. Are you ready for this?

Make every major vote in parliament by secret ballot. Continue Reading »

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Webster Winner Shiral Tobin and the Decline of CKNW

Nov 5th, 2012 by

The Early Editions’s Lee Rosevere and Shiral Tobin at the 2012 Webster Awards (photo by Dave Thomson)

How is the absence of environmental coverage in the media related to Shiral Tobin, who recently shared a Webster Award for “BEST FEATURE STORY – RADIO”?

Simple – when Shiral was my producer on CKNW and later did the night show for them, ballsy radio was still in vogue.

Before I go further, let me state up front that I was fired by CKNW in 2003 in a disgraceful way. I have never been bitter about this – just angry that they tried to destroy my personal reputation in doing so. I must also reveal that Shiral and I are close buddies. For example, when I was fired in 2003, Shiral, then working for the CBC, rose from her sick bed and, flagrantly flouting CBC rules, held a press to support me against the disgraceful behavior towards me.

Here’s where Shiral comes into the story. Continue Reading »

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Posted in The Common Sense Canadian | 1 Comment »

Cohen Commission Report Rightly Targets Salmon Farms, Precautionary Principle

Nov 1st, 2012 by

Justice Bruce Cohen unveils his final report in Vancouver

There are several things that jumped out at me with the Cohen Commission Final Report, released yesterday.

The first is that my faith in Bruce Cohen as expressed on CBC’s Early Edition right after his name was announced has been fully justified. I said then that I knew the man, had fought in court with the man, that he was a superb lawyer and judge and that those who thought he could be pushed around just because he happened to be a very nice guy to boot would be pleasantly surprised.

Hell of a good job, Bruce, I’m proud of you.

Here is my first prediction – the Fraser Institute-led Op-ed page in the Vancouver Sun will very soon have a weasily op-ed piece from Mary Ellen Walling of the Salmon Farmers Association. Continue Reading »

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Canada’s Prime Minister Wields Monstrous Power

Oct 30th, 2012 by

Cartoon by Ingrid Rice

Why are we scared to say it? Are we afraid of a truly democratic government?

This is directed at all teachers and all politicians. Our kids are not being told the truth when you teach about our system of government.

This is directed to all students and to all citizens. You, I’m afraid, have been, to put it charitably, taught a lot of horse buns about how we govern ourselves.

I once asked a teacher why the truth about our system is not taught and she replied, “We don’t want to make them cynical.” Just a tad ironic considering that what is not taught them is why they become cynical when they get old enough to vote.

Now what I’m going to say is not about technicalities or shades of meaning. I’m not going to nit-pick. but will show you that the very way Canadians govern themselves is a fraudulent charade and I challenge any educator or politician to debate with me.

What are we taught, and are still teaching? Continue Reading »

Posted in The Tyee | 2 Comments »

Premier Clark Supports Canada-China Trade Deal, Abandons BC’s Constitutional Rights

Oct 29th, 2012 by

Premier Clark promoting BC seafood exports to China during a trade visit in November 2011 (photo: BC Government flickr page)

I don’t suppose that many of you have not by now heard of FIPA (Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement), the trade deal between Canada and China Stephen Harper is pushing forward – and I don’t suppose that many of you, including me, have a full comprehension of what this will mean to trade, not to mention our economy, resources and environment.

Dr. Gus Van Harten of Osgoode Hall has written a must-read letter to Premier Clark which you can read here.

There are a few things we do know:

  1. It applies to trade agreements between Canada and China and, thanks to the premier, BC as well.
  2. It is, like NAFTA, a treaty that for practical reasons, is all but unbreakable for 31 years.
  3. It gives China the ability to obtain huge damages if we don’t perform our side of any deal and to sue for them in her own courts
  4. This agreement has not been debated in Parliament nor in the Legislature of BC
  5. It won’t be debated in Parliament or the BC Legislature because both the Prime Minister and Premier Clark don’t think they need the agreement of our legislative bodies
  6. Without any question, this treaty will impact upon the Province of British Columbia and could cost us hundreds of millions of dollars
  7. It seriously compromises the constitutional rights BC has under Section 92 of the Constitution Act (1982)

Continue Reading »

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Rafe Mair Honoured with Wilderness Committee’s Eugene Rogers Award

Oct 22nd, 2012 by

Damien Gillis accepts Eugene Rogers Award on behalf of Rafe Mair

The Wilderness Committee, Canada’s largest member-based environmental organization, honoured hall of fame broadcaster and co-founder of The Common Sense Canadian Rafe Mair with its annual Eugene Rogers Award for outstanding contribution to environmental protection in BC at its AGM this past weekend. Mair, who joins a long list of distinguished recipients of the annual award going back to its inception in 1992, received the tribute “for his outspoken determination to protect BC’s environment and wild fish from threats posed by salmon farming, private hydropower and proposed oil pipeline projects.”

Mair’s colleague, filmmaker Damien Gillis, accepted the award on his behalf as he was unable to attend. In a statement read by Gillis, Mair said, “I cannot express how thrilled I am to receive the coveted Eugene Rogers award from an organization I have so long looked up to as the premier environmental organization in British Columbia.” Noting the many ways in which he and the Wilderness Committee have worked together on issues of mutual concern, Mair added, “I know that, again and more successfully, we will fight our battles side by side.”

 
Video of Damien Gillis accepting the award on Rafe’s behalf: click here

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Whom to Support in BC’s Upcoming Election

Oct 12th, 2012 by

By the time this is published I’ll be away for two weeks on a neat cruise – Vancouver to Puerto Vallarta and return, no airplanes.

I’m often told, “You must be pretty well off to afford all these cruises,” but the fact is that if I had another ten or fifteen years to go I couldn’t, but not even the miracles of modern medicine can accomplish that! Therefore, our children, grandchildren and great grandchild can make their own ways in life – I had one legacy of $30,000 in my life long after I really needed it. So, to my descendants,  we are spending our savings and you’ll be lucky to get a dime each!

Normally I keep up on blogs when on vacation but this time no – I have a book to finish writing and that will be my writing for the next fortnight. I will be keeping tabs on email but only a cataclysmic event will get me answering it.

This seems to me to be a good time to ramble a bit over our website, the Common Sense Canadian and where we’re heading. Continue Reading »

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A Response to BC Environment Minister’s Enbridge Op-ed

Oct 8th, 2012 by

You should read Environment Minister Terry Lake’s op-ed piece in Friday’s Vancouver Sun. If ever you needed proof of the utter incompetence of the Campbell/Clark government this will do it.

He gives the government position re the proposed Enbridge pipeline.

Lake calls for the Joint Review Panel to “successfully complete the environment review process”.

What does that mean, Mr. Lake, when the federal government says that Enbridge will go anyway? Don’t you see that the fix is in!

Have you ever been to such a meeting, minister? Continue Reading »

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Why Justin Trudeau May be Better for BC than his Father Ever Was

Oct 5th, 2012 by

I’ve been in and watching politics for a few years now and have seen a lot of politicians come and go.

As a child I remember my parents always chiding Mackenzie King for his weirdness, yet always voting for him.

Back then I was a precocious little bastard and loved politics and remember how my parents and the rest of the Vancouver “establishment” demonized the CCF, forerunners to the NDP. The foreman in my Dad’s paper box plant was, so Dad confided in me, a CCFer, and I saw Charlie Knowles as a rather benign, kindly person who somehow presented a serious threat to our way of life. Continue Reading »

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