Elena's Sharebook 

Received today:

As you may remember, I asked you last month if you would join me, and thousands of other Ontarians, in calling on the provincial government to ban the hunt of Ontario’s snapping turtles. Hundreds of you responded by sending the Minister of Natural Resources (MNR) an email letting him know that our turtles are at risk of disappearing from Ontario and should not be hunted.

I deeply regret to tell you that the Minister of Natural Resources, Michael Gravelle, did not listen to us. His ministry also ignored a petition signed by more than 11,000 people asking that the hunt be stopped.

Ontario Nature, the David Suzuki Foundation and the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre released a report, The Road to Extinction: A call to end the snapping turtle hunt, documenting the plight of Ontario’s imperilled snapping turtles and also revealing that many snapping turtles have concentrations of PCBs that are unsafe for human consumption.

MNR has disregarded this report.

Snapping turtles are listed on the federal and provincial endangered species list. Yet Ontario permits the legal hunting of up to two snapping turtles a day.

Instead of ending the hunt, MNR has recommended that reporting the number of turtles killed per hunter be mandatory (the recommendation is now posted on the Environmental Bill of Rights Registry).

This is not good enough. In all likelihood, MNR cannot enforce this directive. Besides, mandatory reporting of hunted animals yields notoriously inaccurate data.

Please click this link to the EBR posting and ask MNR to do the right thing and ban the snapping turtle hunt or impose a moratorium until MNR has accurate estimates of population trends on which to base an informed decision.

Thank you so much for sticking with this campaign to protect snapping turtles in Ontario, 

John Urquhart
Conservation Science Manager
To read more about the opposition to hunting snapping turtles, click here

Received from CBAN:

You can write a new letter to your MP instantly from http://www.cban.ca/474action

Let your MP know that on June 7th, alfalfa farmers told the House of Commons Agriculture Committee that they support the Bill C-474:

“Bill C-474 is the first step in offering some protection in the
future for Canadian family farms. Market acceptance must be made part of the evaluation process and incorporated into the Seeds Regulation Act.” - Kelvin Einarson, Director and Secretary Treasurer, Manitoba Forage Seed Association Inc.

Read a strong collection of quotes here: http://www.cban.ca/content/view/full/803

This summer you can take action in your community to support Bill
C-474 and alfalfa farmers. MPs need to hear from you this Summer and then again in the Fall, before the final vote on Bill C-474. For
information and action options check http://www.cban.ca/474

More excerpts from June 7th testimony:

“Forage producers support Bill C-474 because we believe it would have the ability to protect the alfalfa industry from the truly dangerous effects of introducing GMO varieties that are not approved by our customers.” - Jim Lintott, Chairman, Manitoba Forage Council.

“The bill is perfect the way it stands. It's a perfect requirement.
Why would you produce anything with no market for it?” - Jim Lintott, Chairman, Manitoba Forage Council.

“…the point is that we have a situation where we have a large
corporate entity that does not care about the farmer's ability to
market that product. They are moving that product, specifically the
Roundup Ready alfalfa, and pushing that thing through regardless of market resistance from the producer and the consumer end.” - Jim Lintott, Chairman, Manitoba Forage Council.

“In closing, it has been said that Bill C-474 will create another
layer of “red tape” for seed companies to go through in order to sell
seeds in Canada. I feel this is better than creating “red ink” on the
producer's bottom line.” - Kurt Shmon, President, Imperial Seed Ltd.

Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator
Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN)
Collaborative Campaigning for Food Sovereignty and Environmental Justice
431 Gilmour Street, Second Floor
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K2P 0R5
Phone: 613 241 2267 ext.6
Fax: 613 241 2506
coordinator@cban.ca
www.cban.ca

Received from CBAN:

Montreal Urgent Action: Friday June 4 Solidarity with Haiti’s Farmers

Union Payasanne, Action SOS Haiti, and the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network call on people in Montreal to gather outside the Haitian Consulate to express solidarity with Haitian peasant groups who are rejecting Monsanto’s donation of hybrid corn seeds. Haitian peasant farmers will march Friday June 4 in Haiti and are asking groups around the world to “Struggle Against Monsanto and its associates.”

DATE: Friday, June 4, 2010
TIME: 10:00 AM
LOCATION: 1100, Boul. René Lévesque Ouest (corner of René Lévesque and Peel – Station Bonaventure)

This is a symbolic action in solidarity. A delegation will deliver a letter to the Haitian consulate in support of the farmers’ concerns.

Solidarity actions were called for by the Haitian Peasant Movement of Papay (MPP) and supported by La Via Campesina. Please see below. (You can also check www.cban.ca/Monsanto and www.viacampesina.org)

The current political framework and the processes of economic integration carried out by governments and transnational capital together make it necessary for us to unify our vision and strengthen our action strategies against this new imperialist attack.

The earthquake which occurred in Haiti on the 12th January killed 300 000 people, injured 500 000 others and left thousands of people homeless…35 seconds made 3 million disaster victims. Haiti’s vulnerability in the face of natural catastrophes has many causes underlying which are the actions of the colonial and neo-colonial powers, principally Spain, France, United States, as well as the policies of the International Financial Institutions and of transnational corporations and the national groups  holding  political and economical power.

With their deadly gift to the Ministry of Agriculture of 475 tonnes of hybrid seeds, Monsanto and its accomplices are worsening the situation of the Haitian peasantry. This is a new earthquake; together with our national and international friends and the Via Campesina we must struggle against it.
That is why, we, Haitian organizations members of the Via Campesina, are calling for a large-scale demonstration and march on June 4th 2010 at the Papay Peasant Movement “Lakay” training centre in Papaye. The primary goal of this mobilization is to “Struggle against Monsanto and its Accomplices in Haiti “. We will begin the demonstration by sowing native varieties of corn and planting trees in order to celebrate World Environment Day and to show once more our commitment to protect Haiti and the whole planet. After that, we will march, accompanied by the rhythm of  drums, to Charlemagne Peralte de Hinche to burn Monsant’s seeds.

We are calling on all peasant organizations and national and international social movements to show their solidarity by participating, directly or indirectly, in this large-scale march against Monsanto. People who are not able to be present in Haiti can organize a solidarity action wherever they are. Those who are able to do so can interview the leaders of la Via Campesina in Haiti by telephone while the march is taking place:

Chavannes Jean Baptiste  Mouvement Paysans de Papaye et membre du CCI : 509-34 55 15 86
Filfrant St. Nare  Mouvement Paysans de Papaye (MPP): 509 34 46-23 82
Festil Pierre Doudou,  Mouvman Peyizan National Kongrè Papay (MPNKP): 509 34 57 37 09
Rose Edith Raymonville,  Mouvman Peyizan National Kongrè Papay (MPNKP: 509 3669-74 24
Rosenel Jean Baptiste, Tet Kole Ti peyizan Ayisyen (TK): 509 37 7 1 86 32
Iderle Brenus , Appuie Technique de la Via Campesina de la Caraibe : 509 3427- 5622

¡GLOBALIze the STRUGGLE, GLOBALize HOPE!

How much do we really know about the food we buy at our local supermarkets and serve to our families?  Food, Inc. filmmakers lift the veil on the food industry for a close and shocking look at the not so savory underbelly of the US food industry, well hidden from everyday consumers.

We’re much better off here in Canada – or are we?

Join the Climate Change Action Group of Erin and Credit Valley Conservation for an exposé on the industrialization of our food system and its effect on our environment, health, and economy.

Thursday, May 20
Film starts at 7:00 pm sharp! (doors open at 6:30)
Erin Canadian Legion Hall
12 Dundas St. East, Erin

FREE admission, plus great prizes and organic popcorn too!
Film Sponsored by Treehaven Natural Foods in honour of Helen Lakusta

For more information contact:
Liz Armstrong, Climate Change Action Group of Erin 519-833-4676, ext. #1
Lisa Brusse, Credit Valley Conservation 905-670-1615 Ext. 444