To: Ms Lois Jackson,
Mayor, Delta, BC
Dated June 12, 2014
Good day.
I had written to you on May 15, 2014 (http://www.tonu.org/2014/05/15/deltamayor/) on this topic, but received no response.
This letter is a reminder that we are still awaiting a response, and to keep you updated and to see if you or the Municipality of Delta, which collects our taxes, and which is our representative local Government, might have any interest in the wellbeing of its residents regarding exposure to nasty pesticides.
We have started a nationwide drive to check how much of Glyphosate is present in our drinking water, agricultural runoff, in our food sold in stores, and in our body. The basic concept is described in the blog :http://www.tonu.org/2014/05/31/glyphosate_testing-ca/. This is a citizen’s direct action, since our Governments so far appears non-plussed about it.
In case you are wondering what Glyphosate might be, it is the active ingredient (poison that kills) in Monsanto’s RoundUp weed killer. We have found no evidence that any government in Canada or any organization, have ever tested for accumulation of this weed killer in human body fluids or in food sold in local stores, or grown in local farms. This chemical is suspected to be involved in epidemic level rise of various auto-immune diseases. Government and the industry are resisting independent study of the effects of this pesticide on environment, on food and in people. Of relevance is a new book – ‘Poison Spring’ by Mr. Vallianatos, who worked for 25 years in EPA (Environment Protection Agency, USA) and describes how the EPA has continuously bypassed safety and allowed poison makers a free hand in running the institution. Our Ministry of Health has, instead of conducting independent safety checks on these substances, approves them based on tests done by the poison maker, and on EPA approval. I have spoken with the author and whistleblower Mr. Vallianatos himself. You can find it here : http://www.tonu.org/2014/06/06/poisonspring/
We have also written to Walmart and Safeway to check if they might like to join us in our testing food items sold in their store, for presence of this weed killer (http://www.tonu.org/2014/06/12/walmart-safeway/), but have not received any response.
The grassroots organization is citizen funded and a lot of people have joined hands to make this happen. Those that can afford to pay, will fund their own tests of samples collected by them, while we have just created a crowd funding program yesterday for others to contribute, so that poorer sections of the population, who cannot afford to pay for their tests, but who are likely more affected by Glyphosate poisoning, can be tested :https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/nationwide-glyphosate-testing/x/7927653
We have also written to the BC ministry of agriculture and forestry, for release of data about the quantity and type of pesticides used in wood preservation industry in BC (http://www.tonu.org/2014/05/10/pesticide-in-bc-forestry/) and followed it up with a letter to the MLA Mr. Scott Hamilton (http://www.tonu.org/2014/05/20/scott_hamilton/). We have received letters of acknowledgement from both, though are still waiting for the data.
Incidentally, some of these questions have been picked up by MP Alex Atamanenko of BC and placed directly with the Minister of Health, in Ottawa. MP Mr. Atamanenko informed me from Ottawa about it:http://www.tonu.org/2014/05/29/atamanenko/
We shall be attending Municipal Council meetings in near future where we might present these questions to your council.
Meanwhile, here is a second request to you, to see if the Municipality or its environment, food, agriculture or health initiatives have any interest in joining our effort, or to use some of the tax it collects from us, to test how much RoundUp, the the most used Pesticide in Canada, has gotten in our water, our urine, in breast milk of our nursing mothers and in the food that are sold in our stores, in Delta BC.
Should there be another mechanism for approaching your good office to raise these questions – I shall be obliged if you advise me the details.
Being a fully transparent and citizen supported initiative, this letter may be circulated among friends and other partners, by email, on social media, and on internet.
We shall be more than happy to see you, or meet your council, or converse with you on phone on this matter that is considered to be of utmost importance by a large body of people.
Thanking you
Tony Mitra
(address & Tel)