CoastalTarSands.ca Launching Today

Today is WORLD WATER DAY and I’m honouring  it by launching my next media campaign

http://coastaltarsands.ca

There’s very little time left before the Harper government plans to approve the Enbridge Corporation’s Northern Gateway Pipeline Project in early 2014. This plan includes hundreds of supertankers navigating through the inside passage along the central coast of British Columbia, loaded with millions of barrels of Alberta Tarsands Bitumen for export to China.

This is one of the most pressing environmental issue of our time. These coastal waters are intense, the shorelines extremely rugged, and the environment extremely diverse. Before deciding its future people deserve to see more than animated TV ads, with glass calm waters absent of a maze of islands, produced by the Enbridge Corporation which is spending $350 million promoting its project.  My media project will reveal the reality of this incredible environment and I need your help to complete it. More details: http://coastaltarsands.ca

I’m taking an innovative approach to this media production by producing a series of short ‘mini-docs’ that I will post on the internet to meet pressing public deadlines, which will be combined to complete a full length documentary. I’ve started a fund raising campaign via Indiegogo to cover the production cost of the first ‘mini-doc,’ which needs to be released prior to the BC Election May 14. http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/coastal-tarsands

Please join me by donating and help spread this message by forwarding to friends.

Bottom line! Oil and Water Don’t Mix!

Best wishes,

Richard Boyce

Producer/Director

Island Bound Media Works

http://coastaltarsands.ca

http://rainforestmovie.ca

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Don’t Fence Me In

Been thinking about the people in Fort Chipewan today, and everyone who lives in Northern Alberta near the Tar Sands. Stumbled on this song and thought it seemed like a pretty good way of positively saying no to all the powers that are destroying everything in the name of greed.  It sounds good now matter how it’s done. And there is a version for almost everyone here.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Dont+fence+me+in&view=detail&mid=B160E7CB3DDECA21ABD7B160E7CB3DDECA21ABD7&first=421&FORM=NVPFVR

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Dont+fence+me+in&view=detail&mid=66A8ACC3110122756A3E66A8ACC3110122756A3E&first=261&FORM=NVPFVR

Guess that’s it for now.

 

 

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Idle No More This Sunday In Montreal

Idle No More Quebec is launching this call for solidarity to invite you to publicly demonstrate and to join us!

WHEN: Idle No More Demonstration in Montreal – Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 1:00 pm
WHERE: Phillips Square, 585 Ste-Catherine Street West, Montreal (in front of the store The Bay) (nearest metro station: McGill)
HOW: Come with friends and family and bring drums, rattles, jingle dresses, red feathers!
—————————–

Idle No More Québec (Fini l’inertie) lance cet appel à la solidarité pour vous inviter à manifester publiquement et à vous joindre à nous!

QUAND : Manifestation Idle No More à Montréal – Le dimanche 10 février 2013 à 13h
OÙ : Square Phillips, 585 rue Ste-Catherine Ouest, Montréal (en face du magasin La Baie) (près de la station de métro McGill)
COMMENT : Venez avec amis et famille et apportez tambours, hochets, jingle dress, plumes rouges!
RASSEMBLEMENT & MANIF *IDLE NO MORE (FINI L’INERTIE) – MTL* RALLY & MARCH
February 10 at 1:00pm
Square Phillips in Montreal, Quebec

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Idlenomore.official/

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RAINFOREST The Limit of Splendour – In Montreal This Week

It’s one of the most majestic natural areas in Canada. Over an area the size of Belgium, Vancouver Island, bordered on its west coast by the Pacific Ocean, is the site of one of the last temperate rainforests in the world. There, in the crowns of the giant thousand-year-old cedars and firs, an absolutely exceptional and still-unknown flora and fauna has developed. An eco-tourist’s dream? Not really. This corner of paradise is also being sold, parcel by parcel, by the government to forestry companies. It’s a catastrophe that will lead, if nothing is done, to the disappearance of this natural jewel within 15 years. Filmmaker Richard Boyce, an inhabitant of the island for years, introduces us to the people fighting to preserve it.

20h00 Wednesday Nov 16 Cassavetes | Cinéma excentris, 3536 St Laurent, followed by Q&A with Director

13h00 Saturday Nov 19 Grande Bibliothèque, 475 Boulevard de Maisonneuve Est
SCREENING followed by DEBATE ‘SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY, IS IT POSSIBLE?’ In Collaboration with Coeur Des Sciences de L’UQAM

Website.

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Turcot Meeting On Wednesday

Good opportunity to get updated and find out where the whole Turcot deal stands -  could use some updating myself I have to admit!  Maybe see you there?

 

Est-ce que qu’on veut plus autoroutes ET UN GRAND MÛR dans notre quartier? NON! ON SE LAISSERA PAS COULER DANS LE BÉTON!

Mobilisation Turcot lance une grande CAMPAGNE D’INFORMATION ET DE SENSIBILISATION dans Saint-Henri, et fait appel à toutes les personnes mobilisées pour l’avenir de notre quartier.

Continuons de lutter pour un meilleur Turcot… avec des événements inoubliables planifiées.

Venez pour une soirée de formation pour les personnes intéressées à s’impliquer dans cette campagne de mobilisation collective

Le mercredi 16 novembre, dès 17h30-20h00.

Un repas sera servi sur place
Au CRSC Saint-Zotique
75 Square Sir-Georges-Étienne-Cartier

Metro Place Saint Henri

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Hope For A Better Turcot Yet

 

Turcot activist sees possibilities for change

by Kate McDonnell

The rebuilding of the Turcot interchange hasn’t been in the news much lately, but the people at Solidarité Saint-Henri have been watching the project closely and are planning a meeting of Mobilisation Turcot on November 16 to disseminate information that they feel hasn’t been well presented to the public.

“It’s a huge wall,” says Jacob Larsen, agent de mobilisation with the group. “It wasn’t included in the mock-ups, but it’s clear from the MTQ diagram that they’re planning a massive wall along the Ville-Marie that nobody knows about yet.”

But aren’t the project plans a fait accompli? Larsen doesn’t think so. “With a provincial election next year alongside a major inquiry into corruption and collusion, things are in flux. There’s every chance to make changes in this thing in favour of the community.” He emphasizes that his group is not saying the existing Turcot shouldn’t be fixed. “We know it has to be replaced,” he says. “But not with gratuitous extras, like moving the 20 against the Falaise, rebuilding the Ville-Marie, rebuilding the de la Verendrye interchange. The MTQ’s constantly expanding definition of the Turcot is something the public needs to know about.”

Larsen’s not giving up hope, though. “Right now we want to take the opportunity to show people what the MTQ intends to do, and invite them to express themselves.”

Link.

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Occupy Montreal, October 15, 2011

Occupons Montréal – 15 octobre / Occupy Montreal – October 15th

Saturday at 9:30am – Sunday, January 1, 2012 at 12:00pm

Carré-Victoria / Square-Victoria, Montréal

Montreal, QC  – Metro Square Victoria

http://occupymontreal.tk/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/occupymontreal/
Twitter: @OccupMontreal https://twitter.com/#!/OccupMontreal

15 octobre – Journée historique

Le 15 octobre, c’est plus de 1500 villes à travers le monde (des capitales aux régions) qui se soulèveront à compter de la même journée pour enfin remettre le pouvoir décisonnel au 99% de la population plutôt que le 1% qui le contrôlent en ce moment.

Dès le 15 octobre, nous commencerons un dialogue collectif sans précédent qui changera le monde.

Joignez-vous à nous.
Apportez une tente, de la nourriture et tout ce que vous pouvez.
Invitez tout votre entourage.

L’Occupation de Montréal débute le 15 octobre au Carré-Victoria, devant le Centre de Commerce Mondial, la Bourse de Montréal, Power Corporation, Québécor, Scotia Bank, TD.

Nous ne serons pas déplacés.
Nous ne partirons pas.
Nous sommes les 99%.

————————————————————-

October 15th – History will be made

On October 15th, more than 1500 cities across the world (from the capitals to the regions) will unite and rise starting on the same day to finally give decisional power back to 99% of us rather than the 1% that currently controls it.

On October 15th, we will initiate an unprecedented dialogue that will change the world.

Join us.
Bring a tent, food, warm clothes and everything else you can.
Invite everyone you know.

The Occupation of Montreal begins October 15th at Square-Victoria, in front of the World Trade Center, Stock Exchange, Power Corporation, Quebecor, Scotia Bank, TD.

We will not be moved.
We will not leave.
We are the 99%.

http://occupymontreal.tk/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/occupymontreal/
Twitter: @OccupMontreal https://twitter.com/#!/OccupMontreal

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A Change Is Gonna Come #OccupyEverywhere

This is an image making the rounds on Facebook called The Evolution of Stupidity.

It would appear that humanity has already passed Peak Intelligence when we can’t figure out why we allow less than 1% of the world’s population to have all the wealth and encourage the remaining 99% to walk blindly into our own self destruction, a process that could only be accomplished by the Universe’s dumbest species. And why? Because that 1% wants more, hell, feels entitled to it, the rest of us be damned!

Turns out not all of us are that dumb, at least not all the time. Enough, as they say, is enough, something has broken the camel’s back, and it’s called logic, that oldest of human learning tools.

There is a Revolution brewing, and it is thinking globally and acting locally, and it is coming to  a town near you. It has no name, no charismatic leaders or hidden agendas. It is future generations asking you to do something now so that they may have a chance to have peaceful and productive lives too. It is the end of  Tyranny, but most of all, it is the end of Stupidity.

Occupy Wall Street: The Most Important Thing in the World Now

by Naomi Klein

(I was honored to be invited to speak at Occupy Wall Street on Thursday night. Since amplification is (disgracefully) banned, and everything I say will have to be repeated by hundreds of people so others can hear (a.k.a. “the human microphone”), what I actually say at Liberty Plaza will have to be very short. With that in mind, here is the longer, uncut version of the speech.)

I love you.

And I didn’t just say that so that hundreds of you would shout “I love you” back, though that is obviously a bonus feature of the human microphone. Say unto others what you would have them say unto you, only way louder.

Yesterday, one of the speakers at the labor rally said: “We found each other.” That sentiment captures the beauty of what is being created here. A wide-open space (as well as an idea so big it can’t be contained by any space) for all the people who want a better world to find each other. We are so grateful.

If there is one thing I know, it is that the 1 percent loves a crisis. When people are panicked and desperate and no one seems to know what to do, that is the ideal time to push through their wish list of pro-corporate policies: privatizing education and social security, slashing public services, getting rid of the last constraints on corporate power. Amidst the economic crisis, this is happening the world over.

And there is only one thing that can block this tactic, and fortunately, it’s a very big thing: the 99 percent. And that 99 percent is taking to the streets from Madison to Madrid to say “No. We will not pay for your crisis.”

That slogan began in Italy in 2008. It ricocheted to Greece and France and Ireland and finally it has made its way to the square mile where the crisis began.

“Why are they protesting?” ask the baffled pundits on TV. Meanwhile, the rest of the world asks: “What took you so long?” “We’ve been wondering when you were going to show up.” And most of all: “Welcome.”

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Open your mind and see everything how it really is.

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Arctic Tsunami?

Looking more and more like a possibility as melting ice is pooling in key points near the polar cap.

From Climate Signals.

A massive, growing pool of icy meltwater in the Arctic Ocean is a wild card in future climate scenarios, European researchers said today.

Estimated in 2009 at more than 7,500 cubic km – twice the volume of Africa’s Lake Victoria – and growing, the water could flush quickly into the Atlantic with unpredictable effect when prevailing atmospheric patterns shift, as occurred most recently in the 1960s and 1990s.

The situation is one of many disquieting findings captured by project CLAMER, a collaboration of 17 institutes in 10 European countries to inventory and synthesize the research of almost 300 EU-funded projects over 13 years related to climate change and Europe’s oceans and near-shore waters, and the Baltic and Black Seas.

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Dude, Where Are My Cars?

Some facts the MTQ should have investigated before they made their Turcot plan. There is going to be less traffic in the future especially if most vehicles continue to run on fossil fuels, it’s as simple as that.

From Sightline Daily,

* The Golden Ears Bridge: Both traffic volumes and tolling revenue on this new bridge outside of Vancouver, BC are falling short of expectations, adding up to “a cumulative shortfall of $63.8 million since 2009 for a bridge that was supposed to pay itself off in 30 years,” according to the Maple Ridge Times.

* The Columbia River Crossing project: According to this analysis by Portland economist Joe Cortright, the number of cars taking the I-5 bridge between Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA “has declined every year after 2005.” The trends are almost the exact opposite of the transportation modelers’ predictions: “Traffic levels in the nearly five years since CRC forecasts were completed have declined by about 7,000 vehicles per day, rather than increasing by about 7,000 vehicles per day as forecast.”

* Seattle: According to a recent Seattle Times story, “the Seattle Department of Transportation…found traffic dropping from 920,000 average daily trips within city limits for 2008 (and 975,000 trips in 2003) to 900,000 trips in 2009.” This is roughly the same story we heard last year (see Publicola for news coverage, and the SDOT website for traffic maps). Of course, the numbers are a bit old now, and may be tied up in the effects of the recession.

* Portland: In greater Portland, OR, vehicle travel measured per person peaked in 1996, and has fallen by about 12 percent since then.

* Washington highways: From 1983 through 2000, total vehicle travel in the state had typically increased in the range of 2.5 to 6.5 percent per year — i.e., a lot. But after 2000, vehicle travel started growing much more slowly; and then it cratered in 2008, when gas prices soared and the economy soured. As a result, traffic volumes on state highways were lower in 2009 than in 2002. (See p. 47 of this pdf from WSDOT — but note that a change in methods may have affected the reported traffic between 2003 and 2004.)

* Oregon highway system: In Oregon, traffic volumes — not just per person, but total miles logged on highways — peaked in 2002. VMTs fell slightly from 2002 through 2007, and then fell sharply in 2008. (See the chart below.)

Full story

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The Pimento Report #26 Last Train To Rigaud

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Dorval Circle May Be Delayed Until 2016!

Not usually the I told you so type, but this mess was just so predictable. When it comes to any transportation project in Montreal the left hand and the right hand don’t even know each other exists – take that to the bank!
Cyberpresse article here.

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Devimco Explains “District Griffin” Tag

“We could have called it Griffintown, but that wouldn’t be entirely true, as the Griffintown historical site encompasses a much larger area.”
Yes, true, fair enough, but you wanted to redevelop almost all of Griffintown and didn’t quite have all the cash for that so you have scaled back, but still want to be the major player for the area. We know what you would have called your “new” neighborhood and the signs say Phase 1.
We have seen much too much of this nonsense in Point Saint Charles with small scale projects that call themselves “Le Charles” or some such tripe. Do you really not get how much of an insult that is to locals? Oh, sorry, forgot that you don’t want there to be any locals. This reminds reminds me of Europeans discovering America – imagine how damned pissed off they must have been to discover there was already people here? People already live in Griffintown.

“The term “district” seemed to be appropriate. It was formerly home to a single industry, yet was always within reach of everything. Now it is THE District. An enclosed, autonomous area with it’s own shops and services, an enclave for those in the know.”
Enclosed? And in the know? What will the residents of “District Griffin” know that the rest of us will not? Sounds like you are building a little walled in city for the worst kind of snobs. Maybe it’s a good thing that the rest of Griffintown will be on the real side of your wall? And what will be the preferred driving routes for your new group of elite citizens, because it is a car culture that you are building? Have you checked the potential levels of carbon monoxide that will flow evenly into “District Griffin” from the absurd Dalhousie bus project? Will you speak to your potential buyers about the health risks? No city district or neighborhood is an island, especially when the fumes of hundreds of buses are flowing through every day.

“We retain “Griffin” as a reminder of history of Griffintown that still lingers in the air. In our attempt to modernize the name we remained conscious of the necessity to honour the past. The Town was named for the original land donor, and we too felt it was crucial to acknowledge Mary Griffin’s contribution.”
There are still some notions of corruption at City Hall that are “lingering” in the air and Mr Charest will not have a public inquiry into corruption in the construction industry because, well, it clearly would not turn out well for him and many others. I am not saying you are doing anything wrong here legally, you have the blessings of Mayor Tremblay after all, but there is a history of large scale projects going “overbudget” in this city.
Your “modernizing” of the name just seems like the perfect mishmash of political correctness and corporate ego. Of course, what self respecting elitist would want to live in an area best remembered by hard times, poverty, ghosts, horses, hard workers, town drunks, musicians, storytellers, colourful characters, mysterious plane crashes, artists, and, gee, that’s beginning to sound pretty cool, um, let’s go on to the next thing.
“That’s the origin of The Griffin District name. Locals say, “I live in the District,” the way some say they live on “the Plateau” or in “the Village”. So discover The Griffin District for yourself, someday you might proudly say, “I love the Griffin District, I’ve been here since the beginning.”
I’ve never heard anyone refer refer to Griffintown as “The District” and am now wondering why they always say “Griffintown” around me, even when speaking French. It can only be because I am an “outsider”? I must get better informed! Will your new locals forget the real Griffintown? What about the people who were in Griffintown before the beginning? Or is this all just that corporate ego gently fantasizing about the day when happy clients will be ecstatically pitching the joys of life in “District Griffin” to potential buyers of Phase 2?

Here.

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The Gazette Flying It’s True Colours

Everyone who pays attention to such things know that The Montreal Gazette is owned by a corporation outside of Quebec that is conservative and would support Steven Harper’s “Reform Party” in a federal election. It supported Gerald Tremblay in the election last fall, suggesting that a regime that had been ducking corruption charges left, right, and center, was somehow the lesser of many evils. That was grossly irresponsible, but not painful for a right wing media empire. In trying to take a tough line along what it perceives to be it’s Anglo readers’ sensibilities, Gazette editorials attempt to take advantage of Anglo insecurities constantly raising old fears in an inept effort to maintain outdated emotions and gather support for conservative values. It’s working in other provinces as part of The Great Dumbing Down of Canada. I tend to think that while Anglo Quebecers may have politically voted themselves into a corner over the last forty years or so, I don’t believe they are so easily manipulated as to buy into this American style of aggressive fact bending and outright lying.
Gazette editorials are completely out of touch with Montrealers as the following article strongly suggests.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/Spreading+revolution+billboard+time/3498397/story.html

In this article The Gazette attempts to do a hatchet job on the Projet Montreal team in Le Plateau that were elected last fall. The article focuses on the recent decision to ban large billboard advertising in Le Plateau and tries to defend the rights of advertisers as being an essential component of free speech as well as the jobs behind those advertisers.
Check out this classic,
“Advertising does not exist to serve his borough. And companies that advertise create the jobs, the products and the wealth that governments tax.”
Wow, is everyone in the Plateau collecting welfare? And when is the right for corporations and businesses to advertise on billboards more important than the rights of citizens to demand a decent quality of life in their neighborhoods?
The Gazette may be shooting itself in the foot while insulting the intelligence of it’s readers by attempting to question the motives of the Projet Montreal team in Le Plateau. Of course, we are not used to this kind of thing either – politicians actually getting elected and making good on all their campaign promises! Change can be stressful and there is certainly going to be some growing pains here and there, but the people of Le Plateau voted for change and now that they are getting it, and much to the delight of most of it’s residents, The Gazette has nothing better to offer than running desperately around the schoolyard going nyah nyah nyah like a bully who finds no one listening to him anymore.

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