News

"The European Parliament set the world standard today by pressing ahead on an EU-wide Robin Hood Tax. This is great news. The EU alone could raise tens of billions of euros to help millions of people pushed into poverty because of bankers' greed," said Elise Ford, head of Oxfam International's EU office.

The vote passed with 527 in favour to 129 opposed and 18 abstentions, The vote is non-binding but the strong call for legislation will be hard for the EU's executive Commission to ignore. The Commission will now produce a feasibility study and come forward with concrete legislative proposals.

Under the proposal, the EU would push for a global FTT, but would go it alone if need be. A tax would be levied on each financial transaction by banks based in the European Union at a rate of up to 0.05pc - raising as much as €200bn annually in Europe and as much as €650bn if implemented globally.

France and Germany have pushed for a global transaction tax at G20 summits in recent years but faced stiff opposition from the US and Canada.

"Unfortunately, our federal [Canadian] government has not similarly embraced the policy proposal. In fact, they played an obstructionist role in efforts to discuss the FTT at the G8 and G20 meetings in Canada," stated James Clancy, Canadian president of the 340,000 member National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE).

• The Green Budget Coalition (GBC), a coalition of environmental organizations representing over 600,000 Canadians, released their priority recommendations
• Climate Action Network kick-started 2011 with a pre budget campaign to end tax beaks to dirty fuels, with more than 100 organizations signing on.
• The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) released its annual Alternative Budget March 15, 2011.
• The Pembina Institute issued "Reducing Pollution, Creating Jobs" March 15, 2011 followed by a "Budget 2011: Checklist for clean energy success" March 21, 2011.

"This budget slashes clean energy programs... Despite a short-term lifeline for home energy retrofits, the overall trend is a disaster. Climate change is a serious problem and this country deserves a government that takes the problem seriously," said Graham Saul, Executive Director of Climate Action Network Canada.

"This budget fails to eliminate over a billion dollars in handouts to big oil. It seems like year after year, the Harper Government continues to out do itself in neglecting environmental protection and the green economy," said Equiterre Director Steven Guilbeault.

"From a government that prides itself on job creation and sound economic management, it's unfortunate that Minister Flaherty's budget speech failed to recognize the job-creation potential of carbon pricing and other climate policies," said Tim Weis, director of renewable energy and efficiency policy for the Pembina Institute.

The province, through Manitoba Conservation, issued a stop-work order March 4, 2011 because the structure had been partly built on a public road that runs along the shoreline between Lake Winnipeg and private land owned by cottagers. In the absence of any response from Victoria Beach municipality, the province ordered removal of the structures March 17, 2011. The order only applies to work on Crown land, not to work on private land.

The province also said it is investigating reports of other unauthorized shoreline construction taking place at Victoria Beach, and may issue more stop-work orders.

The two lakes were the focus of public reviews after the Tim Horton Foundation Youth Leadership Camp identified camp locations near the lakes.

Meditation Lake and the surrounding area is popular sites for canoeing and fishing. It was subject to public review as a possible site for the Tim Horton's camp. The review process led the province to keep Meditation Lake as undeveloped backcountry, with a new option for Tim Horton's camp west of Sylvia Lake.

The Tim Hortons camp at Sylvia Lake is expected to open in 2012. The lands adjacent to the Tim Hortons camp at Sylvia Lake, near Pinawa, Manitoba will not be developed or made accessible for new cottage development, states Blaikie. No licence has been issued yet for the camp at Sylvia Lake, based on the Manitoba Conservation online registry.

"A land-use category change will be initiated in the near future," according to Blaikie.

As of March 17, 2011 no regulatory changes for protect areas had been made, nor had the Whiteshell Provincial Park land use categories been updated under Manitoba's Parks Act.

"We would like to see a public review and plans for the new no logging zones in provincial parks. To date they are not protected lands, and management plans are not in place. These steps would have averted the Tim Horton's complications," stated Gaile Whelan Enns, director of Manitoba Wildlands.

"The Energy Report shows that in four decades we can have a world of vibrant economies and societies powered entirely by clean, cheap and renewable energy and with a vastly improved quality of life. The report is more than a scenario - it's a call for action. We can achieve a cleaner, renewable future, but we must start now," said WWF Director General Jim Leape.

The Energy Report outlines how 95% of global energy could be produced using current technology through:

• A 15% reduction in global energy demand by 2050 despite economic activity tripling, world population exceeding 9 billion;
• Renewable energy like wind, solar, and geothermal power replacing fossil fuel based energy, with 'smart' grids enabling increasing renewable energy supplies;
• Urban transport will be moved from fuel to electricity, as will a lot of domestic heat demand;
• Bio-energy will use residues from forestry, agriculture, the food industry, household waste, with limited bio-fuels using strict sustainability criteria.

By 2050, the global system wil have with immensely lower operating cost than "business-as-usual" fossil-based energy and related greenhouse-gas emissions reduced 80 percent from 1990 levels with obvious advantages in avoided climate change damage and adaptation costs.

The Full Panel Environmental Assessment hearing for LCHP commenced March 4, 2011 and is expected to last until April 16, 2011.

"There is no provincial market for this energy. This project will destroy the Churchill and its watershed just to leave a legacy for Danny Williams," said Roberta Benefiel, Grand (a.k.a.Churchill) Waterkeeper. "It is not clean, not green and sadly not needed, here or elsewhere."

"If the Upper Churchill Project was Joey Smallwood's' mistake when he gave power to Québec for less than a penny a kilowatt, this project is Danny's Delusion. If this legacy project goes forward, power will be given away at a highly discounted rate for thirty-five years. It's unacceptable and the people of Labrador don't support it," said Sierra Club Canada campaigner Bruno Marcocchio.

The NunatuKavut, formerly known as the Labrador Métis Nation, filed a court application March 1, 2011 to obtain an injunction to halt the environmental panel hearings claiming their constitutional rights to consultation have not been taken seriously by the provincial government, the environmental panel or by the developer Nalcor Energy.

"In order to make 'green' energy, they're flooding Labrador. It's been the same story with the Upper Churchill. They flooded an area nearly the size of the Avalon Peninsula to bring 'green' energy down into North America. We only heard about this Muskrat Falls deal the day before on the news. No one in government called us about it until after the news release. We're saying this is our territory. We've always been here. This is our home. Why are we being excluded?" said Chris Montague, president of NunatuKavut.

"Our consent is required, but it has not yet been obtained. This will only happen if the Innu people are satisfied that the benefits of this project will outweigh the impact" Joseph Riche, grand chief of the Innu Nation said.

The board's May 2010 decision said Western Copper's Carmacks project proposed heap leach method for extracting copper from ore is unproven and poses too many risks to Yukon's environment. The heap leach method the company proposed pours sulphuric acid onto thousands of tonnes of copper ore piled on a rubber liner.

Vancouver-based Western Copper appealed the water board's ruling a month later, arguing that the water board exceeded its jurisdiction by denying the Carmacks project a water licence, even though the project has other necessary approvals.

Justice Ron Veale disagreed holding the water board has jurisdiction over the water that Western Copper proposed to use for its heap leach process and therefore it has the right to make a ruling.

"The viability of the heap leach process is not simply a question of commercial viability, it goes to the very fundamental question of whether the mine can leach the copper without creating water toxification issues that cannot be managed," wrote Veale.

"This decision that the water board ... does have jurisdiction over these mining projects is very important. It ensures that when projects get developed that they will include adequate water treatment programs and initiatives, and they will not pollute the Yukon environment," said Lewis Rifkind, the conservation society's mining director.

"The message is very clear, proponents planning to develop projects in our traditional territory must work with us and must be committed to the principle of sustainable development in order to move forward," said Eddie Skookum, Chief of Little Salmon/Carmacks.

To present Canada Water Week, Living Lakes Network Canada joined with WWF Canada and The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation to involve as many people and groups in water awareness activities as possible.

As new people get involved in water awareness, they'll also get involved in water stewardship. So far, hundreds of groups across the country have signed up to celebrate water during Canada Water Week. There are film screenings, shoreline cleanups, speakers and more.

• March 17 presentation on Assessing Federal Programs: Fresh Water and Climate Change Adaptation at 12:30pm, St. Boniface Library in Winnipeg.
• March 19 all-day Lake Winnipeg Water Level Regulation Workshop, University of Winnipeg campus.
• March 20 collaboration of musicians, poets, storytellers, artists and comedians celebrating Manitoba's beautiful rivers and lakes, 2pm, West End Cultural Centre in Winnipeg.
• March 22 all day Water Cycle movie showing in Miniota, MB.
• March 22 "H2ohhh" 8pm book launch at McNally Robinson's 1120 Grant Ave. Winnipeg location.

(Go to http://canadawaterweek.com/events to search events across Canada)

Also airing during Canada Water Week on The Nature of Things a documentary that plunges into scientific and environmental factors behind the shocking deterioration of spectacular Lake Winnipeg over the past 35 years. Entitled "SAVE MY LAKE" the documentary airs at 8pm, March 17, 2011.

Organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Earth Hour started March 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. It has grown ever since. Earth Hour 2010 was the biggest Earth Hour ever with hundreds of million of people participating. A record 128 countries and territories joined the global display of climate action. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Asia Pacific to Europe and Africa to the Americas switched off. People across the world turned off their lights and came together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common - our planet.

This Earth Hour people are being asked to step it up beyond the hour, and to pledge to take personal action to make a difference through an online platform that captures and allows individuals, governments and organisations across the globe to share their actions.

"The challenges that face our planet are immense, but never underestimate the possibility for change when we face these challenges with true common purpose. Hundreds of millions of people around the globe have given us a glimpse of what is possible. It is now time to go beyond the hour and show what can be done - by the people for the planet," said Jim Leape, Director General of WWF.

Manitoba Hydro scored 41% in overall performance, the second lowest of the five public bodies reviewed, and had the worst record for responding within the legislated 30 day timeline, with only 18% of requests being responded to within 30 days.

1. Ensure both severed and unsevered records are kept in the FIPPA file.
2. Comply with required contents of a FIPPA response letter.
3. Ensure the FIPPA file number and wording of request is included in all response letters.
4. Adopt standard guideline for FIPPA file documentation.
5. Comply with time requirements of FIPPA.
6. Adopt standard guidelines regarding timelines for processing a request.
7. Advise the Ombudsman of actions taken to ensure compliance with FIPPA.

"I don't think it's a fail in the sense that the work is failing work. I think what it indicates is that there is room for improvement and there needs to be improvement made," said Manitoba Ombudsman Irene Hamilton.

A significant change includes creation of an Information and Privacy Adjudicator. Ron Perozzo, who is already the province's conflict-of-interest commissioner, was named Manitoba's first Privacy Adjudicator.

"The Ombudsman rarely makes a formal recommendation relating to a complaint investigation because we are able to informally resolve complaints with public bodies and trustees, or we find that their decisions comply," said Manitoba Ombudsman Irene Hamilton. "However, in those unusual situations where a public body or trustee does not follow my recommendations, I will be able to forward matters to the Adjudicator for his review and decision."

"The adjudicator will strengthen a system that gives Manitobans access to information they need while protecting their privacy," said Culture, Heritage and Tourism Minister Flor Marcelino Marcelino. "We are acting on what Manitobans advised us to do in establishing a commission and updating our regulations."

The adjudicator will have power to issue binding orders to the government or other public bodies such as municipalities, school divisions or regional health authorities if they don't follow recommendations made by the Ombudsman.

China burns half of the six billion tons of coal used globally each year, and is expected to import up to 150 million tons in 2010. Until 2009 China was a coal exporter, but because much of its coal is low grade and much of China's coal is inland while factories are on the coast, it is easier to import coal from elsewhere. India's coal imports rose from 36 million tons in 2008 to 60 million tons in 2009.

The U.S. lacks enough coal exporting capacity, so its coal is usually exported via Canada, particularly British Columbia (B.C.). B.C. will ship 35 million tonnes of metallurgical coal in 2010. New coal mines have opened in B.C. and the province aims to double exports.

A grass roots group calling itself British Columbians for Climate Action has set up a "Stop Coal" website and rallied at the B.C. Legislature January 25, 2011 in hopes of ending coal mining and exports.

"Coal is the biggest source of heat-trapping, global warming pollution," said group member Cliff Stainsby from Cobble Hill. "To have any hope of avoiding runaway climate change, coal needs to stay in the ground. It's that simple."

"Climate change doesn't respect national borders. Our government is ignoring the serious risks of climate change by promoting BC coal exports to the rest of the world, and they are putting our children and the planet in danger, " said group member and Cowichan Bay resident Jane Kilthei.