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  • Don,t be sad, act local think globally

    Current mood:accomplished

    I was just reading Red,s  blog about x-mass and how he is some what lost in the fack the people talk alot about saving the word from the nameless poweres bent on killing us, and x-mass is nothing but spend profit to there pockets, so I posted this sent from any other friend, and the other stuff posted is for you to look into in your part of the world, there all there.
    This  New Yeas, to act, to do, is to bring the good energy, good light, of hope for human kind. wishing love and light to you all in the comming year. Just do it, support it, support the peole that push the good.

    Good Solstice to you all.  The three stars in Orion's Belt (Known
    for at least14,000 years in 7 or 8 ancient civilizations as The Three
    Kings) gradually line up with Sirius (The Brightest Star in The Eastern
    Night Sky) and by the 22nd of December, the sun (The Son, The Lamb of
    God, The Glory Of Heaven) appears to exhibit 0 degrees amplitude for
    three days in the constellation of the Southern Cross (Crucification)
    until the Kings and The Star line up to point to sunrise on the 25th of
    December. The sun slowly gains amplitude daily (Resurrection, Ascension
    from The Cross) until by Spring Equinox (Easter) there are more hours
    of light than darkness (The Light overtakes the powers of Darkness) and
    the sun (Son) returns.


    About Slow Food



    Founded by Carlo Petrini in 1986, Slow Food became an international
    association in 1989. It now boasts 85 000 members, offices (in order of
    creation) in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, USA, France, Japan and the
    United Kingdom and supporters in 130 countries.


    Slow Food believes in recognizing the importance of pleasure
    connected to food. We should learn to enjoy the vast range of recipes
    and flavors, recognize the variety of places and people growing and
    producing food. We should respect the rhythms of the seasons and
    conviviality. But the recipe developed by Carlo Petrini and other Slow
    Food members proposes to add a new sense of responsibility to the
    search for pleasure, which we all have a right to enjoy. Slow Food has
    called this approach ecogastronomy. It is an attitude that combines a
    respect and interest in enogastronomic culture with support for those
    battling to defend food and agricultural biodiversity around the world.
    Slow Food stresses the need for taste education as the best defense
    against poor quality and food adulteration. It is the main way to
    combat the incursion of fast food into our diets. It helps to safeguard
    local cuisines, traditional products, vegetable and animal species at
    risk of extinction. It supports a new model of agriculture, which is
    less intensive and healthier, founded on the knowledge and know-how of
    local communities. This is the only type of agriculture able to offer
    prospects for development to the poorest regions on our planet.


    For these reasons Slow Food is committed to safeguarding
    foods, raw materials and traditional methods of cultivation and
    transformation. It seeks to defend the biodiversity of cultivated and
    wild varieties and protect convivial places which form a part of
    cultural heritage because of to their historic, artistic or social
    value.


    Slow Food has a distinctive approach to these issues. The philosophy of
    the movement, founded to defend gastronomic pleasure and seek a slower
    and more aware pace of life, extended its focus from the virtues of
    food to considering the quality of life and identity. It aims to
    recognize the history and culture of every social group as it interacts
    in a network of reciprocal exchange. Whether you consider a variety of
    fruit or a traditional local dish, you cannot ignore its relationship
    with history, material culture and the environment where it originated.
    Slow Food stresses the importance for agricultural and livestock
    production to maintain a balance of respect and exchange with the
    surrounding ecosystem. That is why Slow Food has been defined a
    movement of eco-gastronomes.


    The network of over 85 000 Slow Food members is organized into local
    groups — Condotte in Italy and Convivia elsewhere in the world — which,
    coordinated by Convivium leaders, organize courses, tastings and
    dinners, promote campaigns at local level and participate in large
    international events organized by the association. More than 800 Slow
    Food Convivia are active in 80 countries, including 350 Condotte in
    Italy.



    http://www.slowfood.ca/index.php

    http://www.seeds.ca/en.php


    Seeds of Diversity is Canada's Heritage Seed Program for gardeners.



    http://www.cog.ca/index.htm


    Canadian Organic Growers
    A national membership-based education and


    networking organization representing farmers,


    gardeners and consumers in all provinces.





    2:41 PM

  • Canada &Niger & Uranium, and the plot thinkins

    Current mood:impervious

    http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2008/12/16/7766851.html

    Niger rebels claim - then deny - they abducted Canadian diplomat

    By THE CANADIAN PRESS

    Last Updated: 16th December 2008, 2:22pm

    OTTAWA — Two Canadian diplomats may have become ensnared in a complex conflict involving the government of Niger, armed rebel groups and international mining companies.

    Rebels seeking to overthrow the West African country's democratic government at first claimed — and then denied — responsibility for kidnapping Robert Fowler and Louis Guay, who disappeared Sunday.

    The declaration was published and quickly recanted by one of the groups that claim uranium mining companies from Canada and other countries are devastating their land.

    Rebels say local people have not received a fair share of the royalties even as Niger becomes one of the world's largest uranium exporters, and they blame the government and foreign companies.

    The kidnapping claim and retraction were published Tuesday on the website for a splinter faction that broke from the main rebel group, the Niger Movement for Justice.

    A man described as the splinter group's No. 2 figure declared on its website that one of Canada's most prominent diplomats was among four people seized in a commando operation.

    He said that the Front des Forces de Redressement had abducted Fowler, the UN's special envoy to Niger, in order to send a "strong signal" about Canada's support for the government.

    The resistance group's online statement was then contradicted on the same website Tuesday in an entry published under the name of its leader, Mohamed Awtchiki Kriska.

    "No hostage-taking should be attributed to our movement which is fighting against these practices from another era," the entry said.

    "Even if it's true that Canada is an actor in this conflict . . . civilians, diplomats, and other actors under the auspices of the United Nations, are not our targets."

    The entry said it hoped Fowler would be rapidly returned to Canadian consular authorities or to the UN.

    That hope echoed the sentiments expressed earlier in the claim of responsibility, where the website said Fowler was doing well and would soon be transferred in a safe location.

    Fowler was the only person mentioned by name on the FFR website. But the Department of Foreign Affairs said one of the other kidnapping victims was Guay, also a Canadian diplomat.

    A spokesman for the UN said the organization was trying to gather solid information about the diplomats' whereabouts, and was trying to sort out the mixed signals coming from the group.

    "There are some conflicting messages coming out from that group so we're trying to evaluate those messages," UN spokesman Fahan Haq said in an interview.

    A vehicle carrying Fowler was found abandoned — with its lights on — about 50 kilometres northeast of Niamey, Niger's capital, on Sunday night.

    Fowler, who served as Canada's ambassador to the United Nations from 1995 to 2000, and Guay were being driven in a UN Development Program vehicle with "UNDP" lettering.

    They had been travelling on UN business around Niamey, a former French colonial outpost that is now a river port and trading centre along the Niger River, said Ban's office.

    Fowler, 64, is a former deputy defence minister who later served as Canada's ambassador to the United Nations and to Italy.

    He has since worked as a senior fellow at the University of Ottawa's new graduate school of public and international affairs.

    The resistance group said the abduction targeted diplomats who support the Niger government led by President Mamadou Tandja, whom it accused of "ethnocide."

    Canada has been particularly active in the impoverished country's burgeoning mining sector, which comprises mainly uranium but also gold deposits.

    At least eight Canadian mining companies are listed as active in Niger by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

    The rebels say people in Niger — especially ethnic Tuareg nomads in the north — are being short-changed financially while their traditional land is being depleted.

    The rebel website said the hostages were taken to send a message to Canada, which it claimed was helping to arm the Niger government against the indigenous people. It was unclear whether the rebels were referring to arms sales or to more generic financial support.

    But the Canadian government said it had pored through its list of permits granted for weapons exports and found none destined for Niger.

    "We've looked through our records in the last 10 years," said Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Lisa Monette. "There have been no arms exports to Niger."

    The Tuareg nomads started their rebellion after claiming their desert people were being marginalized by Tandja's regime.

    Kriska, the leader of the Tuareg rebel group, told Agence France Presse in a telephone interview that the posting on the group's website in which it took responsibility for kidnapping Fowler was mistaken.

    "The person who posted that information on our website was led into error. This type of action is contrary to the vision and approach of the FFR."

    —With files from The Associated Press

    http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=1081251

    Canadian diplomats kidnapped by Niger rebels

    Agence France-Presse  Published: Tuesday, December 16, 2008

    LAGOS -- Uncertainty on Tuesday surrounded who was responsible for the disappearance of the UN envoy to Niger that has embarrassed the authorities in Niamey.

    On its website, the Tuareg rebel Restoration Forces Front (FFR) said it seized Robert Fowler, 64, a veteran Canadian diplomat who is UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's pointman in Niger, along with three others.

    But shortly afterwards, FFR chief Mohamed Awtchiki Kriska told AFP that "the FFR formally denies being implicated in the disappearance" of Fowler and a second Canadian diplomat.

    The website message -- signed by FFR "war commissioner" Rhissa Ag Boula, a Tuareg rebel leader from the 1990s now living in exile -- said Mr. Fowler "is in good health and will soon be transferred to a safe place and handed over to other colleagues who will look after him."

    It was Rhissa Ag Boula who in January announced in a French weekly that he was launching a "war" over Niger's uranium riches. Niger is the world's third uranium producer, after Canada and Australia.

    Mr. Fowler, 64, and compatriot and fellow UN official Louis Guay disappeared late Sunday about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Niger capital, Niamey.

    Niger's government on Monday said Fowler and two other people, including a driver, travelling in a UN Development Programme vehicle had gone missing.

    The Canadian government could only confirm that Mr. Fowler and his aide Mr. Guay had been reported missing in Niger.

    Mr. Fowler was Canada's ambassador to UN headquarters in New York from 1995 to 2000, when he began a six-year site as Ottawa's ambassador to Rome.

    More recently, he acted as envoy to Africa for Canada's last three leaders, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He was appointed the UN special envoy to landlocked Niger -- one of the world's poorest countries -- in July.

    During 38 years of public service, he was also deputy minister of Canada's department of national defense, and advised three prime ministers, including Pierre Trudeau, on foreign policy.

    "The situation worries me a lot," Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said. "We will do everything we can to resolve the situation well."

    The FFR, which came into view in May this year, is an offshoot of the Tuareg rebel group Movement of Niger People for Justice (MNJ).

    The MNJ said it was aware of Fowler's "disappearance", but expressed suprise at the kidnap claims on the FFR website.

    Mr. Fowler's disappearance is embarrassing for the Niger government, which dismisses the rebels operating in the vast deserts of the north of the country as "bandits" and "drug traffickers".

    The north of Niger, off limits to foreign journalists, has for almost two years been the scene of sporadic fighting between the army and the rebels,

    Communication Minister Mohamed Ben Omar, spokesman for the Niger government, told AFP that the searches underway for Fowler and Guay have so far been fruitless.

    In contrast to the MNJ, which has over the past two years launched numerous attacks against Niger army positions in the north, the FFR has kept a very low profile.

    Traditionally, Tuareg groups have accused the authorities of shutting them out from uranium jobs and revenue.

    French group Areva, which for decades had a monopoly on Niger's uranium, now faces competition after Niamey began handing out permits to mining companies from other countries, notably Canada and China.

    11:59 PM

  • Grrrrrr.....

    Current mood:betrayed


    As if we weren't worried enough, here's one example of how mines get around standards  and how the EPA works. Site-specific altered air standard allows mines to go ahead polluting with the okay nod from our regulators.

    Grrrrr,


    As posted at:
    http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-External/displaynoticecontent.do?noticeId=MTA1MzA3&statusId=MTU3NzQ2&language=en


    Instrument Proposal Notice:   EBR Registry Number:   010-5389
    Proponent:   Xstrata Canada Corporation ( Xstrata
    Copper Canada - Kidd Metallurgical )
    10050 101 Highway East
    P.O. Bag 2002
    Timmins Ontario
    Canada P4N 7K1
    Instrument Type:   Approval of an alteration to
    an air standard under the Environmental Protection Act - EPA reg. 419 (32)21

    Ministry Reference Number:
    8063-7L3NX4
    Ministry:
    Ministry of the Environment
    Date Proposal loaded to the Registry:
    December 11, 2008

    []


    Keyword(s):   Air
    Comment Period: 120 days: submissions may be made
    between December 11, 2008 and April 10, 2009.

    Description of Instrument:

    This is a notice of a request by Xstrata Copper
    Canada for the alteration of the Schedule 3
    standards under section 32 of Ontario Regulation
    419/05: Air Pollution - Local Air Quality (O.
    Reg. 419/05) for cadmium, lead, suspended
    particulate matter and sulphur dioxide at the
    Kidd Metallurgical Site located at 10050 Highway
    101 East in Timmins, Hoyle Township, Ontario.

    Cadmium:
    The new cadmium air standard to be phased in on
    February 1, 2013 for this facility is set out in
    Schedule 3 to O.Reg. 419/05 as 0.025 microgram
    per cubic metre (24-hour average). Xstrata Copper
    Canada has requested a site-specific altered air
    standard for cadmium of 0.41 micrograms per cubic
    metre (24-hour average) that is to be applied at
    all points of impingement. In summary, the
    supporting material from Xstrata Copper Canada
    indicates that this is the minimum level that is
    technically and economically feasible for this
    facility at this time. This conclusion by the
    company is based upon a review of air pollution
    requirements in other jurisdictions, a review of
    available pollution control methods and the
    results of the Emission Summary and Dispersion Modelling (ESDM) report.

    The maximum 24-hour average concentration of
    cadmium, assessed by Xstrata Copper Canada, at
    the nearest residence in the vicinity of Xstrata
    Copper Canada in Hoyle Township is 0.075
    micrograms per cubic metre (the frequency of
    exceedence of the cadmium air standard at this
    residence is predicted by atmospheric dispersion
    modelling to be 260 days in five years).

    Lead:
    The current lead air standards are set out in
    Schedule 3 to O.Reg. 419/05 as 2 micrograms per
    cubic metre (maximum 24-hour average) and 0.7
    micrograms per cubic metre (30-day average). The
    new lead air standards to be phased in on
    February 1, 2010 for this facility are set out in
    Schedule 3 to O.Reg. 419/05 as 0.5 microgram per
    cubic metre (24-hour average) and 0.2 microgram
    per cubic metre (maximum 30-day average). Xstrata
    Copper Canada has requested site-specific altered
    air standards for lead of 2.06 micrograms per
    cubic metre (maximum 24-hour average) and 0.5
    microgram per cubic metre (30-day average) that
    are to be applied at all points of impingement.
    In summary, the supporting material from Xstrata
    Copper Canada indicates that this is the minimum
    level that is technically and economically
    feasible for this facility at this time. This
    conclusion by the company is based upon a review
    of air pollution requirements in other
    jurisdictions, a review of available pollution
    control methods and the results of the Emission
    Summary and Dispersion Modelling (ESDM) report.

    The maximum 24-hour average concentration of
    lead, assessed by Xstrata Copper Canada, at the
    nearest residence in the vicinity of Xstrata
    Copper Canada in Hoyle Township is 0.853
    micrograms per cubic metre (the frequency of
    exceedence of the lead air standard at this
    residence is predicted by atmospheric dispersion
    modelling to be 35 days in five years).

    The maximum 30-day average concentration of lead,
    assessed by Xstrata Copper Canada, at the nearest
    residence in the vicinity of Xstrata Copper
    Canada in Hoyle Township is 0.202 micrograms per
    cubic metre (the frequency of exceedence of the
    lead air standard at this residence is predicted
    by atmospheric dispersion modelling to be 1 month in five years).

    Suspended Particulate Matter:
    The suspended particulate matter air standard to
    be phased in on February 1, 2010 for this
    facility is set out in Schedule 3 to O.Reg.
    419/05 as 120 micrograms per cubic metre (24-hour
    average). Xstrata Copper Canada has requested a
    site-specific altered air standard for suspended
    particulate matter of 374 micrograms per cubic
    metre (24-hour average) that is to be applied at
    all points of impingement. In summary, the
    supporting material from Xstrata Copper Canada
    indicates that this is the minimum level that is
    technically and economically feasible for this
    facility at this time. This conclusion by the
    company is based upon a review of air pollution
    requirements in other jurisdictions, a review of
    available pollution control methods and the results of the ESDM report.

    The maximum 24-hour average concentration of
    suspended particulate matter, assessed by Xstrata
    Copper Canada, at the nearest residence in the
    vicinity of Xstrata Copper Canada in Hoyle
    Township is 160 micrograms per cubic metre (the
    frequency of exceedence of the suspended
    particulate matter air standard at this residence
    is predicted by atmospheric dispersion modelling to be 1 day in five years).

    Sulphur Dioxide:
    The sulphur dioxide air standards to be phased in
    on February 1, 2010 for this facility are set out
    in Schedule 3 to O.Reg. 419/05 as 690 micrograms
    per cubic metre (1-hour average) and 275
    micrograms per cubic metre (24-hour average).
    Xstrata Copper Canada has requested site-specific
    altered air standards for sulphur dioxide of 1202
    micrograms per cubic metre (1-hour average during
    normal operation), 1677 micrograms per cubic
    metre (1-hour average during start-ups occurring
    less than 15 hours per year) and 387 micrograms
    per cubic metre (24-hour average) that are to be
    applied at all points of impingement. In summary,
    the supporting material from Xstrata Copper
    Canada indicates that this is the minimum level
    that is technically and economically feasible for
    this facility at this time. This conclusion by
    the company is based upon a review of air
    pollution requirements in other jurisdictions, a
    review of available pollution control methods and
    the results of the ESDM report.

    The maximum 1-hour average concentration of
    sulphur dioxide, assessed by Xstrata Copper
    Canada, at the nearest residence in the vicinity
    of Xstrata Copper Canada in Hoyle Township is
    807.2 micrograms per cubic metre (the frequency
    of exceedence of the sulphur dioxide air standard
    at this nearest residence is predicted by
    atmospheric dispersion modelling to be 59 hours in five years).

    The maximum 24-hour average concentration of
    sulphur dioxide, assessed by Xstrata Copper
    Canada, is 152.8 micrograms per cubic metre at
    the nearest sensitive receptor in the vicinity of
    Xstrata Copper Canada in Hoyle Township and 161.5
    micrograms per cubic metre at the Hoyle Mine
    Fresh air raise. No exceedence of the sulphur
    dioxide air standard based on a 24-hour average
    is predicted by atmospheric dispersion modelling
    at the nearby sensitive receptors.

    Through O.Reg. 419/05, new or updated air quality
    standards are established to be protective of
    human health and environmental effects. Section
    32 of O.Reg. 419/05 includes provisions for
    site-specific alterations of air standards and
    associated implementation timetable. This process
    is intended to address technical and economic
    implementation barriers related to meeting new or
    updated air standards and/or the requirement to
    use the United States Environmental Protection
    Agency (US EPA) air dispersion models referenced in O.Reg. 419/05.

    The alteration of air standards process was
    developed to establish interim site-specific
    standards with the goal of continuous improvement
    toward achieving the effects-based standard set
    out in the regulation over time. The Guideline
    for the Implementation of Air Standards in
    Ontario (GIASO) and the Guide to Requesting an
    Alternative Air Standard are the primary Ministry
    documents that describe the risk-based process
    for setting an altered air standard.

    The following information was submitted or is
    required to be submitted to the Ministry to
    support Xstrata Copper Canada's request:
      * A Request form - which summarizes legal
    information including name and location of requester, contaminant names, etc.;
      * An Emission Summary and Dispersion
    Modelling (ESDM) Report - which includes the
    results from a modelling/ monitoring study and an
    assessment of the magnitude and frequency of exceedence of the standard(s);
      * A Technology Benchmarking Report - which
    assesses and ranks technical methods for
    reductions in contaminant concentrations and
    provides an assessment of feasible technologies;
      * An Economic Feasibility Analysis Report;
      * An Action Plan with a schedule of
    dates/timelines for the implementation of the
    preferred technically and economically feasible option(s); and
      * Public Consultation Report - which
    summarizes the results of the mandatory public
    meeting with the local community held October 28,
    2008 prior to the request being made.

    A copy of the information can be viewed at either
    of the Ministry locations noted below or at the
    offices of Xstrata Copper Canada - Kidd
    Metallurgical Site in Hoyle Township. To view the
    information at the Kidd Metallurgical site,
    arrangements should be made by contacting Michael
    Patterson, Manager Environment and Sustainable
    Development, at (705) 235-8121 ext. 7527. The
    release of information from the Ministry
    contained in the request form and documentation
    submitted in support of the request for an
    alteration of the air standard is subject to the
    provisions of the Freedom of Information and
    Protection of Privacy Act. This Act defines what
    may and may not be disclosed to the public and is
    used to assess all requests for information under
    the alteration air standard process.

    The request for an altered standard can be
    approved for a period of up to five (5) years (up
    to ten (10) years in extenuating circumstances).
    This ensures continual improvement and a
    re-evaluation of technical (and optionally,
    economic) considerations which evolve over time.

    Public Consultation:

    This proposal has been posted for a 120 day
    public review and comment period starting
    December 11, 2008. If you have any questions, or
    would like to submit your comments, please do so
    by April 10, 2009 to the individual listed under
    "Contact". Additionally, you may submit your comments on-line.

    All comments received prior to April 10, 2009
    will be considered as part of the decision-making
    process by the Ministry of the Environment if
    they are submitted in writing or electronically
    using the form provided in this notice and
    reference EBR Registry number 010-5389.

    Please Note: All comments and submissions
    received will become part of the public record.
    You will not receive a formal response to your
    comment, however, relevant comments received as
    part of the public participation process for this
    proposal will be considered by the decision maker for this proposal.

    Contact:
    All comments on this proposal must be directed to:

    Christina Labarge
    Engineer, Air Pollution Control
    Ministry of the Environment
    Environmental Sciences And Standards Division
    Standards Development Branch
    Technology Standards Section
    40 St. Clair Avenue West
    Floor 6th
    Toronto Ontario
    M4V 1M2
    Phone: (416) 325-7865
    Fax: (416) 327-2936

    To submit a comment online, click the submit button below:

    Location(s) Related to this Instrument:

    Kidd Metalurgical Site, 10050 Highway 101 E
    Timmins City, District of Cochrane

    CITY OF TIMMINS
    Additional Information:

    The following government offices have additional
    information regarding this Proposal. To arrange a
    viewing of these documents please call the
    Ministry Contact or the Office listed below.
    Standards Development Branch
    40 St. Clair Avenue West
    Floor 7th
    Toronto Ontario
    M4V 1M2
    Phone: (416) 327-5519

    Timmins District Office
    101 Highway East
    PO Bag 3080
    Ontario Government Complex
    South Porcupine Ontario
    P0N 1H0
    Phone: (705) 235-1500





    11:53 PM

  • December in Review, Part I

    Current mood:anxious

    December in Review, Part I

    Workers take factory back, homeless take houses back, Canadian delegates undermine climate talks

    by Dominion Staff

    The Dominion - http://www.dominionpaper.ca

    Eight thousand delegates from around the world gathered in Poznan, Poland, to decide how the international community will address climate change.

    The UN conference on climate change was criticized by Indigenous delegates for shutting out their voices from the decision making process. "We may also need to discuss at some point of time the ecological debt that especially industrialised countries have with [Indigenous Peoples]. Consultations with us often only take the form of simply informing our communities," Ben Powless, a member of Six Nations who was in Poznan during the conference, told IPS.

    The Canadian youth delegation in Poland set up a photo display of the Alberta tar sands. The display was torn down by officials at the request of the Canadian government delegation.

    A report by Environmental Defence was released, which stated that tar sands production was releasing billions of litres of contaminated water into Alberta's groundwater every year.

    The Climate Action Network, an international NGO, named Canada the country most active in blocking, stalling or undermining the UN climate negotiations in Poland.

    CNN announced it would cut its entire science, technology, and environment news staff. The announcement came a week after NBC announced it was axing the entire staff of the "Forecast Earth" environmental program. The Dominion is currently seeking Health and Science & Technology editors.

    Over fifty young people belonging to the group Plane Stupid locked themselves down at London's Stanstead Airport in order to delay flights and bring attention to the CO2 impacts of flying. Fifty-seven activists were arrested and later released.

    The Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation band council signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ontario, Frontenac Ventures Corporation, and the Algonquins of Ontario. Frontenac Ventures wants to explore for uranium in Ardoch Algonquin Territory, but has been prevented from doing so by blockades that eventually led to arrests and the imprisonment of Robert Lovelace. "Although Algonquin and non-Algonquin neighbours have found common ground in protecting the land, this latest attempt at divide and conquer will result in years of distrust and enmity," read a statement from the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation, which maintains its opposition to uranium exploration.

    Barriere Lake First Nation acting Chief Benjamin Nottaway was sentenced to forty-five days in jail in addition to the fifteen he has already served in pre-trial detention. He was charged with three counts of mischief and breach of conditions when participating in peaceful blockades intended to draw attention to the violations of the rights of Barriere Lake by the Canadian and Quebec governments.

    "We've been in a recession for 13 years," Chief Bill Wilson of the Squamish Nation Band Council told Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl during a meeting. Chiefs say a two per cent annual cap on new spending means that they cannot keep pace with inflation, much less provide adequate services for the fastest-growing populations in Canada.

    The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation took the Alberta government to court for granting rights for tar sands development without consulting the First Nations who hold treaty rights. "Parts of our traditional lands have been completely changed by industry," Chief Allan Adam wrote in an affidavit. "These lands were once hunting and trapping grounds, but now they are covered by oil and gas wells and blanketed by seismic lines roads and pipelines."

    The Conservatives introduced sweeping new changes to Canada's immigration system. A list of 38 professions for new immigrants was introduced, which is expected to severely limit the chances of many people wishing to permanently immigrate to Canada. "The 2009 plan includes up to 156,600 immigrants in the economic category, another term for temporary workers who can come to take Canadian jobs but the government can kick them out whenever it pleases," reported the South Asian Link News Paper.

    The latest federal quarterly report on Canada's role in the war in Afghanistan showed that insecurity in the country is rising. "In Afghanistan generally, and in Kandahar specifically, this summer was especially violent. Numbers of insurgent incidents reached levels higher than in any year since the Taliban regime was overthrown in 2001." Stockwell Day, International Trade Minister, stated that the increased violence was because summer is "fighting season" in Afghanistan. The United Nations estimated that 1,445 civilians were killed in the conflict during the first eight months of 2008.

    4:27 AM

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