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- Leaked G8 Climate Change Document 'Watered Down'
- Woodland Caribou at Crossroads
- G8 Summit and Climate Change
- Province Releases Sustainability Report
- IJC Review for Tulsequah Chief Mine Refused
- Métis Hunting Rights Struggle Continues
- Second Legal Action Against Mackenzie Pipeline
- New Brokenhead Wetland Ecological Reserve
- 2005 Already Record Year for Wind Energy
- NGOs as the New 'Superpower'?
- Limits to Wild Fish Catch
- Dirty Electronics Companies Must Clean Up
| Leaked G8 Climate Change Document 'Watered Down' | 07 July 05 |
 A leaked copy of a June 14, 2005 document on climate change drafted for the G8 summit shows plans have been watered down.A version of the communiqué leaked in May treated climate change as a fact and pledged unspecified dollar funds for research and development into new, clean technology and fuels. References in the May draft to "setting ambitious targets and timetables" for cutting carbon emissions from buildings has completely disappeared from the June 14 text. A section on managing the impacts of climate change which previously talked about global warming bringing more floods, droughts, crop failures and rising sea levels now contains just one reference to the global crisis. According to Friends of the Earth Scotland's Chief Executive Duncan McLaren, "The first draft of this document was bad, this update is even worse. G8 countries represent just 13 per cent of the world's population, but account for 45 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. A climate plan of action, by the world's richest nations that does not include targets, timetables and extra funding is of no use to future climate victims." The leaders of the G8 and major developing nations South Africa, Brazil, India, Mexico and China meet at the heavily guarded Gleneagles countryside hotel, 40 miles (65 km) northwest of the Scottish capital Edinburgh, July 6-8, 2005. View the June 15, 2005 Reuters news article View the June 16, 2005 Friends of the Earth International press release View the June 17, 2005 BBC News article View the July 5, 2005 Manitoba Wildlands news item on the G8 Summit and climate change Sources: Reuters, BBC, Friends of the Earth International |
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| Woodland Caribou at Crossroads | 07 July 05 |
 The urgency of protecting Canada's woodland caribou recently sparked a national meeting of wildlife managers, caribou biologists, and concerned citizens.Held in Winnipeg, the event's main thrust was to discuss how to create a healthy future for this threatened icon of Canada's vast boreal forests. Positive momentum gained after two days of deliberations came to a standstill when Manitoba Conservation Minister Stan Struthers showed that Manitoba's NDP government lacks the will to save woodland caribou from extinction. The Manitoba government estimates that the provincial woodland caribou population has decreased by 50 per cent since 1950. This is basis enough for minister Struthers to stop stalling and get on with officially recognizing the status of the species. View the full June 4, 2005 Winnipeg Free Press article by Ron Thiessen, Manitoba Wilderness Committee (DOC) Visit the Caribou Nation website  Send the Manitoba Wilderness Committee Take Action letter on Woodland CaribouSource: Winnipeg Free Press |
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| G8 Summit and Climate Change | 04 July 05 |
| Scientists are issuing a challenge and Tony Blair has a dilemma with climate at the top of the agenda for the Group of Eight (G8) summit on Scotland in early July. The world's leading scientists are urging action and Prime Minister Tony Blair appears to be caught between a rock and a hard place. One month ahead of the G8 summit scientists, including from the United States and China, threw down the gauntlet to world leaders saying mankind was the major source of global warming and urging action. Lord May, head of Britain's Royal Society national science academy said "It is clear that world leaders, including the G8, can no longer use uncertainty about aspects of climate change as an excuse for not taking urgent action to cut greenhouse gas emissions". The statement is published by the Royal Society, the UK national academy of science and the other G8 science academies of France, Russia, Germany, US, Japan, Italy and Canada, along with those of Brazil, China and India. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has put climate change at the heart of his year-long presidency of the Group of Eight industrial nations. View the June 8, 2005 Reuters news article View the June 17, 2005 Reuters news article View the June 7, 2005 Royal Society press release View the joint Science Academies' statement: Global response to climate change Visit the G8 UK website Source: Reuters, Royal Society UK |
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| Province Releases Sustainability Report | 04 July 05 |
 Manitoba's first Provincial Sustainability Report for Manitoba, designed to provide Manitobans with timely, accurate information on important sustainability issues and trends, was released June 30, 2005.The report evaluates 42 indicators within 19 categories, under the three dimensions of natural environment, economy and social well-being. According to the report, "the results indicate there are some negative trends that need to be addressed in order to improve Manitoba's performance." Sustainability reporting is a requirement under The Sustainable Development Act, which states that the province must report every five years. The report does not refer to the process by which the indicators were developed. Although the indicators are broad and wide ranging, no justification for their selection is provided. Sources for data presented and detailed (as opposed to summary data) to support analysis is also largely absent from the report. "The Sustainability Report would be a much stronger and credible tool if it defined the baseline for all indicators and identified some objectives and benchmarks," Manitoba Wildlands Director Gaile Whelan Enns commented. Ms. Whelan Enns also provided constructive feedback regarding protected areas trends. "The chart indicating progress in protected areas agrees with Manitoba Wildlands' protected areas audit, but to classify the trend in Natural Lands and Protected Areas as 'positive' when the progress has been stable (at best) since 1999 is looking through non-independent rose-coloured glasses." View Figure 1-1 chart from the 2005 Sustainability Report for Manitoba View the June 30, 2005 Government of Manitoba press release View the 2005 Provincial Sustainability Report for Manitoba View Manitoba Wildlands' protected areas audit Sources: Government of Manitoba, Manitoba Wildlands |
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| IJC Review for Tulsequah Chief Mine Refused | 04 July 05 |
 Canada has been crying foul because Washington is refusing to refer the Devils Lake project for study by the International Joint Commission (IJC), set up to manage boundary waters between the US and Canada. However, in the case of the proposed Tulsequah Chief project, in the northwestern corner of British Columbia, it's the Canadians who refuse to endorse an IJC review.Controversy over the Tulsequah Chief mining project has striking parallels with the Manitoba-North Dakota quarrel over the Devils Lake water diversion, which Canada says would contaminate Lake Winnipeg. Redfern Resources of Vancouver wants to reopen the Tulsequah Chief mine, which has been closed since 1957, to produce zinc, lead, gold and silver, but its proposal would require a 160-kilometre road through the Taku watershed. Alaskans say the Tulsequah operation would threaten the state's multi-million-dollar salmon fishery downstream from the mine. Robert Kennedy Jr. of the Natural Resources Defense Council has said the Tulsequah proposal will have "profound negative impacts (on an) incredibly valuable, pristine wild salmon watershed." View the full June 26, 2005 Canadian Press article View previous Manitoba Wildlands news items on the Tulsequah Chief Mine: June 13, 2005 - Pressure to Kill Tulsequah Chief Mine May 31, 2005 - Tulsequah Chief Mine Put On Hold March 3, 2005 - Plans to Reopen Mine Opposed Source: Canadian Press |
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| Métis Hunting Rights Struggle Continues | 30 June 05 |
 While the Province of Manitoba continues to charge Métis hunters and fishers who hold Métis harvester cards issued by the Manitoba Méétis Federation (MMF), the MMF says it will not back down and will take the battle to the Supreme Court unless the province stops charging Métis for doing what they are rightfully allowed to do.MMF president David Chartrand said a Métis man charged by conservation officials in June 2005 for over fishing was at least the fourth to be hit with hunting or fishing infractions since the MMF began issuing its own licences last year. While the province is evaluating a Supreme Court decision (the Powley decision) that did grant Métis hunting rights, it has not yet recognized the cards. Meanwhile, the battle of words continues. Minister Struthers made statements in a June 2005 Selkirk Journal article to reiterate that the province does not place any value in the MMF harvester cards. The Minister also indicated that he doesn't believe the MMF's conservation regulations are sufficient. Despite Chartrand's statement that "We will not back away. Any person charged I will defend all the way to the Supreme Court.", the Conservation Minister's office has indicated that the Minister would continue to be open to future discussions with the MMF. View the June 24, 2005 Selkirk Journal article on the MMF web site View the June 24, 2005 Winnipeg Free Press article on the MMF web site Download the MMF Interim Metis Laws of the Harvest (PDF) View the September 17, 2004 Manitoba Wildlands news item - Métis Hunters to Exercise Rights Sources: Selkirk Journal, Winnipeg Free Press |
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| Second Legal Action Against Mackenzie Pipeline | 30 June 05 |
 In May 2005, the Dene Tha' First Nation of northwestern Alberta filed a judicial review application in the Federal Court of Canada against the federal government for failing to consult with Dene Tha' about the proposed Mackenzie Gas Project.Dene Tha' alleges that the proposed mega project will cause adverse environmental effects and will infringe its Treaty and Aboriginal Rights and Titles in the Northwest Territories (NWT) and Alberta. The $7 billion dollar, 1220 km Mackenzie Gas Project will ship gas through the Mackenzie Valley and into Dene Tha' traditional territory in the southern portion of the NWT and northwest Alberta. The 2500 member Dene Tha' First Nation continues to rely heavily on their territory for cultural and livelihood purposes.. The community fears the pipeline will spur petroleum development in an environmentally significant area home to moose and other wildlife species relied upon by the Dene Tha'. Endangered woodland caribou - a species known to react adversely to oil and gas development, also rely on this region for habitat. A key issue for the Dene Tha' is how project review is being "split". The National Energy Board is reviewing and regulating the NWT portion of the pipeline. However, the southern portion of the line in Alberta, proposed by TransCanada, would be regulated by the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board, a more industry-friendly regulator than the NEB. Sierra Club of Canada (SCC) issued a press release in support of the Dene Tha's arguments that federal ministers have a duty to consult with the Dene Tha' and accommodate their treaty and aboriginal rights. The SCC also emphasized that the law suit filed by the Dene Tha' demonstrates that the project-splitting tactics of Imperial Oil and TransCanada are not working. The Deh Cho, who live in the southwestern corner of the N.W.T., have also filed lawsuits to block hearings until they get a stronger voice on the federal environmental panel that will hear the pipeline application. View the May 17, 2005 Dene Tha' press release View the May 17, 2005 Sierra Club of Canada news release View the May 17, 2005 Resource Investor article View previous Manitoba Wildlands news items on the Mackenzie project: May 27, 2005 - Aboriginals Stand Up to Oil Giants January 18, 2005 - Mackenzie Valley Developers "Disdain" Environmental Review October 26, 2004 - Deh Cho Seeks Pipeline Injunction Sources: Dene Tha' First Nation, Sierra Club of Canada, Resource Investor |
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| New Brokenhead Wetland Ecological Reserve | 28 June 05 |
 The new Brokenhead Wetland Ecological Reserve (ER) is Manitoba's 19th ecological reserve and newest protected area. Announced by Premier Doer June 24, 2005, the 563-hectare parcel of land is located along PTH 59, north of Winnipeg and northeast of the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation reserve.This type of wetland is rare in North America and contains a marshy area of land called a calcareous fen and a rare white cedar forest community. The Brokenhead wetland also features 23 species of provincially rare and uncommon plants and is home to 28 of Manitoba's 36 native orchid species. Most of the lands within the current boundaries for the Brokenhead Wetland are lands approved for protected status by the Mining Sector. The final designation however, includes only about one third of the lands supported by the Mining Sector (please refer to Manitoba Wildlands' map showing the ER and Mining Ranked lands below). Manitoba Wildlands Director Gaile Whelan Enns congratulated Brokenhead First Nation for their support of this new ecological reserve. "Still no information is available as to why this ER is not bigger. As of Thursday June 30, 2005 no regulation for the ecological reserve is posted." View the June 24, 2005 Government of Manitoba News Release View the Manitoba Wildlands map, with Brokenhead Wetland ER boundaries and Mining Sector ranking of lands under review View Protected Areas Initiative information on the Brokenhead Wetland Source: Government of Manitoba |
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| 2005 Already Record Year for Wind Energy | 27 June 05 |
 Canada's wind energy industry has already broken its annual growth record in 2005 and is set to shatter it before the year is out. With the commissioning this month of the 45 MW second phase of the Mont Copper wind farm near Murdochville, Quebec, Canada's total installed wind energy capacity now stands at 570 MW.As of June 2005, Canada had installed 126 MW of new wind energy capacity this year, breaking the existing record of 122 MW established in 2004. Close to 200 additional MW of new wind energy capacity is expected to be installed in Canada before the end of 2005. "With Canada's installed wind energy capacity expected to grow by close to 70% this year, 2005 will be remembered as the start of Canada's wind energy boom", says Robert Hornung, President of the Canadian Wind Energy Association. "Over the next five years, federal and provincial government policies and targets are on track to facilitate a ten-fold increase in the size of Canada's wind energy industry." View the June 22, 2005 press release by the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) Source: Canadian Wind Energy Association |
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| NGOs as the New 'Superpower'? | 27 June 05 |
 Are civil society and non-government organizations (NGOs) becoming global powers that influence world governments? UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan characterized civil society as "the world's new superpower" in early June 2005, when more than 350 representatives of international NGOs met in Montreal to hatch strategies to prod world governments on crucial political, social, environmental and economic issues that plague the world's poorer nations.The Montreal International Forum (FIM) was established in 1998 as an international NGO think tank with the goal of improving the influence of international civil society on the United Nations and the multilateral system. "After decades of undemocratic and ineffective global governance on key global issues - it is time to highlight the visions and views of civil society leaders around the world," said James Riker of the University of Maryland, USA. NGOs have increased in numbers and have begun to fill essential gaps in global leadership on key issues, he added, citing successes including the international campaign to ban landmines and the Kyoto Protocol to curb global warming. Estimates suggest that there are over 40,000 active international NGOs. View the June 3, 2005 Inter Press Service News Agency article Visit the Montreal International Forum website Sources: Inter Press Service News Agency, Montreal International Forum |
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| Limits to Wild Fish Catch | 27 June 05 |
 After decades of growth, the reported global wild fish catch peaked in 2000 at 96 million tons and fell to 90 million tons in 2003, the last year for which worldwide data are available.Over the past 50 years, the number of large predatory fish in the oceans has dropped by a startling 90 percent. Catches of many popular food fish such as cod, tuna, flounder, and hake have been cut in half despite a tripling in fishing effort. Overall, 1 billion people around the world rely on fish as their primary source of protein. The world fish catch is one of the Earth Policy Institute's Eco-Economy Indicators. Eco-Economy Indicators are twelve trends that the Earth Policy Institute tracks to measure progress in building an eco-economy. The world fish catch is a measure of the productivity and health of the oceanic ecosystem that covers 70 percent of the earth's surface. The extent to which world demand for seafood is outrunning the sustainable yield of fisheries can be seen in shrinking fish stocks, declining catches, and collapsing fisheries. View the full Earth Policy Institute article Visit the Earth Policy Institute website Source: Earth Policy Institute |
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| Dirty Electronics Companies Must Clean Up | 23 June 05 |
 Greenpeace Canada is calling on dirty electronics companies to clean up their act, starting with toxic tech giant, Hewlett-Packard.Electronics companies like Hewlett-Packard are generating a new, fast growing hazardous waste stream that's causing problems of global proportions. As much as 4,000 tonnes of toxic e-waste is discarded every hour - that's equivalent to 1,000 elephants. Because mobile phones, computers and other electronic products are made using toxic ingredients, the products cannot be recycled safely when discarded. Many are routinely, and often illegally, shipped from Europe, Japan and the US to Asia because it is cheaper and easier to dump the problem on countries that have poor environmental standards. Greenpeace has asked all the top mobile phone and computer companies worldwide to clean up their act. Companies such as Samsung, Sony and Sony Ericsson have already taken a first step by eliminating brominated flame retardants and PVC plastic from some of their products. Sony Ericsson has committed to removing them from all products by the end of 2005. Nokia has committed to do the same by the end of 2006 but Hewlett Packard, Apple, Dell, Fujitsu-Siemens, IBM, LG, Motorola, Panasonic, and Toshiba have, to date, made no such commitment. There are no programs in place for recycling consumer electronic waste in Manitoba. Resource Conservation Manitoba released a report called Regaining the Lead: Creating a New Waste Minimization Strategy for Manitoba in early 2005. Environment Canada estimates that Manitobans will discard some 5,000 tonnes of waste electronics during 2005. View Resource Conservation Manitoba's report and media release View Greenpeace Canada's May 23, 2005 press release Visit Greenpeace Canada's campaign web site for toxic electronic waste View the Greenpeace report Toxic Tech - Pulling the plug on dirty electronics (PDF) Source: Greenpeace Canada, Resource Conservation Manitoba |
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