Top 100 Under Reported News Stories in Canada

Food Industry Trumps Health of Canadians

Childhood Obesity is on the rise

We need clear labeling on all food to show the amount of additives, transfats, sugars, salt and colorants.  The Canadian people are far ahead of the legislation that is coming out of Ottawa.  Look what happened with the McDonald's goey additive pink slime?  With the BPA's in plastic bottles.

What harm do transfats pose?

"Trans-fats are attractive for the food industry due to their extended shelf life and flavor stability, and have displaced natural solid fats and liquid oils in many areas of food processing.

But scientific reports that trans-fatty acids raise serum levels of LDL-cholesterol, reduce levels of HDL-cholesterol, can promote inflammation can cause endothelial dysfunction, and influence other risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), has led to a well-publicized bans in New York City restaurants, and other cities, like Chicago."

How did the minister come to her decisions and was it reflected upon with adequate knowledge?  Well, yes it was.  Here's the evidence taken from canpol site.

In 2009, the health minister, Leona Aglukkaq was ready to act on legislation to impose stricter controls on industry, but has neglected to do so and is adamantly averse to following through according to CBC.

A draft news release said Canada has made "significant progress" toward reducing trans fat levels through the industry's voluntary efforts, "however some foods still contain more trans fat than is acceptable." Aglukkaq was going to announce that the proposed regulations would limit the trans fat content of vegetable oils and soft, spreadable margarines to two per cent of the total fat content and all other foods to five per cent.

But the announcement was never made and the plan for regulations appears to have been abandoned.

There are no signs that it will be revived, based on statements made by Aglukkaq in question period Tuesday.

"Our government continues to make prevention and health promotion a priority — that includes reducing trans fats in foods," Aglukkaq said.

"I have instructed my department to continue its engagement with stakeholders to identify the challenges and how best to overcome them without adding a regulatory burden," she said.

I'm getting so sick of this speechifying that comes directly from the PMO office because it sounds just like to drivel and dreck that passes for communication nowadays.

Canadians know better than to believe the vile industry first at the cost of health.  The poll shows it.  By the way, why are there so many "undecideds"?  If you're on the net anyway, why don't you know?

So what is transfat and why is it added to food?

it hardens up liquid oil, making it last much longer, so that it increases shelf-life; it's significantly cheaper than using butter or non-industrialized ingredients; and it willingly transforms according to what a particular food might need – it can make a doughnut glaze more velvety, increase the bulk of a pastry, or add bite to something crunchy. But when it's ingested, our bodies don't know what to do with it. It's toxic, so it clogs up arteries, raises 'bad' cholesterol, and reduces 'good' cholesterol. Its nutritional values are zero. Experts have compared it to eating candle wax or melted Tupperware. 

Along with the attendant risks of heart disease caused by clogged arteries, obesity and diabetes, an argument could also be made that the use of transfats is a class issue too.  Poor people have poor diets and cannot afford the upscale shops that sell healthier fare.

It would be interesting to see which industries have been lobbying to get the attention of the minister and how they did it.

London Has Tank Building for Oil Protection Abroad, Not for Peaceful Productivity

Is this someone's son/daughter driving?

Do you really want your tax dollars supporting building of military equipment that will not be used in Canada but wasted on foreign lands to fight foreign wars that kill your children?  London plant closes and manufacturing jobs are lost.  Where are the glory pics of McKay and Fantino in front of one of these ugly people killing machines that are expected to be built in London, Ontario?  These fey, mewly suits who have never seen combat are enamored of  machinery of death.

“This Government continues to follow through on its commitment to provide our men and women in uniform with the tools they need to do the jobs asked of them,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. “Whether it be a new fleet of federal ships, a new family of combat vehicles or new planes to defend Canadian skies, this government is providing the Canadian Forces with the foundation to build a first-class, modern military that is ready to take on the challenges of the 21st Century.”
The LAV III Upgrade Project Implementation Phase contract is necessary to improve the protection of these vehicles against mines and improvised explosive devices, improve their mobility, improve the safety of Canadian Forces members travelling on board the LAV III, and incorporate ergonomic and information management improvements. The contract, valued at $1.064 billion, will upgrade 550 LAV IIIs, extending their lifespan to 2035.  source:  London-based company will upgrade Canadian Forces’ fleet of Light Armoured Vehicles

Kill Green Grants and Build These Canada

 These machines do nothing to grow our GDP except grow our reliance on a standing military which is obsolete in today's world.  Let the Israels fight their own war.  Let the Syrians and Egyptians be their own conflict resolvers.  If a free market economy works for the WTO, then it ought to be the same for foreign aggressions. 

If you want to find out more, well it's top secret.  Follow the links for Supply Chain Management

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We are pleased to be working once again with TACOM in support of their Foreign Military Sales program. 

Same Headline Different Year- Tar Sands Monitoring

One year ago, the message that is pertinent today was titled Time to get serious about oil sands monitoring  
warning that the federal and provincial governments broke laws in failing to monitor industry and environment or to protect land rights of First Nations.

How we develop our oil sands, and whether we adhere to scientific standards, uphold our environmental laws and regulations, and meet our obligations to First Nations and future generations of Albertans will determine whether or not they are being developed ethically.WILLIAM F. DONAHUE, PH.D., LL.B., SPECIAL ADVISOR ON WATER POLICY — FEB 7, 2011

The very thorough analysis written for a blog about watershed and water rights protection is scientifically presented; that is its purpose.  It is also politically motivated.  Underpinning the understanding that water is a human right in a democratic country.  And certainly, the laws were not respected in the tar sands development.

Where were the consultations with the community?  Why are companies getting rights to land and continuing to expand beyond what is tolerable for the well being of the region?  Yet there is no real monitoring in place but plenty of promises.  Notice the date on the press release.  Well, not much different for February 9, 2012.

Oil-sands monitoring regime aims to protect air and water quality ...

Jul 21, 2011 ... Environment Minister hopes plan will help improve reputation of Alberta energy sector.

www.theglobeandmail.com/.../oil-sands-monitoring.../article2104903/

Canada to step up Tar Sands 'monitoring': Output set to double by ...

Jul 21, 2011 ... Canada will boost monitoring of pollution from its oil sands projects, hoping to speed up U.S. approval of a pipeline to transport crude to the ...

www.sierraclub.ca/en/node/4378

Creekside: Feds unveil "world class" tarsands PR monitoring plan

Jul 22, 2011 ... Feds unveil "world class" tarsands PR monitoring plan. This week saw our federal, provincial and territorial energy ministers, minus Ontario, trot ...

creekside1.blogspot.com/.../feds-unveil-world-class-tarsands-pr.html

Why oil sands monitoring is still a long way off - The Globe and Mail

Jul 21, 2011 ... Governments agree there is a problem, but are at odds about who should solve it or how.

www.theglobeandmail.com/...oil-sands-monitoring.../article2105867/

Right, that was eight months ago and we saw nothing about the results.  Yet huge expanses have continued, not incrementally but were expedited to maximize the influx of investment.

New oil sands monitoring strategy to be announced Friday | Energy ...

1 day ago ... By Darcy Henton EDMONTON — Ottawa and Alberta are announcing a new strategy Friday to monitor the environmental impacts of the oil ...

business.financialpost.com/.../new-oil-sands-monitoring-stratgey-to-be- announced-friday/

The last link was yesterday.  You can see why nobody trusts that we will see any results for another three years.  Look at Environment Canada or Stats Can and the latest stats are from 2009 for water use.  So for 6 years, the world's biggest pollution will get to do its damage freely.

The Agenda Pushes for Keystone While Jobs Are Lost

Let me be clear.  The media is still pushing all those positive stories about how we need the tar sands and Keystone when in fact it ought to be shut down as a complete failure.  Our country has slid downhill so dramatically that it's hard to recognize it anymore.  Yes, Steve Pakin's The Agenda is stating the positives about the Keystone, despite the evidence of our Petro State linked closely to the fortunes of the wealth exporters and job destroyers.

London's Caterpillar workers were locked out and shut down today.  Harper plans to go to China, for more talks about prosperity, capacity, incremental death.

When Harper took office in the winter of 2006, there were 2,127,200 manufacturing jobs in Canada. Today there are 1,743,700 -- a total loss of nearly 400,000 manufacturing jobs under his watch, according to a Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey. Over 40,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost in the last 12 months alone.

 The federal government has failed to protect Canada's manufacturing sector. Tax breaks have not saved a single job in London. We need to protect Canadian jobs and we need a government that will stand up for all Canadians.( Huffington Post.ca)

There is no immediate fix for lost jobs in London, but a tough lesson learned.  It's time to push back from the sidelines and stop corporate welfare, free money and reckless giveaways.  Impose austerity with taxpayers' dollars and institute taxes on money flowing out of the country.

Bloggers have suggested a Tobin Tax which the Canadian Parliament passed in 1999 but never really implemented.  Flaherty dismissed any thoughts of it as if it were only up to him.  Notice, that's how the reigning party speaks these days.

Comments that make sense

EM_Spectrum

9:38 PM on February 4, 2012

Here's a different thought for all the anti-union Harpocult!

How about the government(s), provincial & federal, delist Caterpillar as a vendor!

That would take a bite out of their $5 billion per year Canadian sales!!!

If they don't want to business in Canada, then why should Canada do business with them!!!

Perhaps, while they are they at it, they can do the same for Vale, which shutdown their Manitoba operation after receiving $1 billion of taxpayers money to NOT close down!!!

Here are some positions in favour of a tax that ends corporate bailouts. 

Green Party position on Tobin Tax
Council of Canadians
Centre for Policy Alternatives

The last link above has a plan on limiting all those free trade, world trade, globalization and free market ideas that have not been any good to any of the countries as a whole.

• oppose any further liberalization of trade and investment rules, including at the World Trade Organization; demand a full review of the social, economic, cultural and ecological consequences of WTO and NAFTA decisions to date; and work for the establishment of new global agreements aimed at regulating the activities of transnational corporations and global investment;
• push for an international Tobin Tax on currency exchanges, to cool down the casino economy; and
• freeze and slowly lower the limit on foreign investment for RRSPs and other tax-subsidized pension plans (so that tax-deductible capital stays at work in Canada). 

The above are push back to recapture some market share for the plebes who at present are being dictated to and in the case of the London Caterpillar workers, simply smacked down.  Follow the U.S. lead to insist on worker's rights to work close to home, to be viable members of their community.


Lost jobs are indeed going to immigrants, of which the new classification is called temporary, so they are not subject to the scrutiny of statistical oversight.  They will never get citizenship, but will be parachuted in for cheap labor in the tar sands, the local Timmys, because there is a shortage in the work camp towns.  And the government wants to give its businesses a cheap supply of labor until they break the backs of its own people into submission.  Why?  Because a weak people become sheep.
Download the full pdf on the temporary worker story here.

• Do Canadians know how increasing numbers of temporary foreign workers is changing immigration? PDF File, 199 KB

Placing Restrictions On Polls To Reveal Backgrounder

Lately, polls are being used and misused to influence public opinion towards issues and to sell bad ideas generally over all the media. 
I don't know enough about the Indian Act at this time to make a vote on whether to change it given that the Keystone discussions are taking place at this time.  To open it up under the Harper regime might expose dangers and loss to the lands of native peoples, their rights over water and mobility.  Care2 Petition gives a slight background, but I'm not sure who originated it, what their interests are, whether Aboriginals have a view on the Act and its repercussions.  For example, voting might be imposed upon them, land ownership might result, then fragmenting the band ethos and allowing for abuses.  Together, the bands are strong, divided, they are going to have to go to court and lose against big business, just like the rest of us.

Wouldn't the harper government just love to be able to have use of "eminent domain".  Or is it already able to use crown lands at will for development?  Under the umbrella term of "best interests of Canada"!

Stop Castle Logging to Protect Grizzly Population

Concerned Albertans stand up for Bear Habitat

Edmonton – Laurie Blakeman, Official Opposition Critic for Sustainable Resource Development (SRD)

Grizzly bears are already endangered in Alberta yet the legislation to protect them really is ineffective and insensitive in the spring especially when mothers are cubbing in their dens.


In a province as vast as Alberta, it is shocking to know that only about 700 bears are extant while during 5 years over 240 have been killed.  Hunting has not been allowed since 2006.  There must be a means to ensure that they have a safe area in which to live and multiply without having the added dangers of encroaching clear cutting and mining.

The province of Alberta is not acting on making the species a protected one in Alberta, seeming to cave instead to unfettered land exploitation.  The only way to speedily make sure that this doesn't happen, is to make significant areas into provincial parks.