Tag Archives: BC Greens

Glyphosate brainstorming Sept 8, 2017

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Some of us had our first brainstorming session yesterday, September 8th, 2017, at Richard Miller’s place, the iconic old railway powerhouse at Abbotsford.

Folks that attended in person were: Richard Miller, Tracie Caterole, Justin Cawker and Tony Mitra. Person that joined in long distance by phone, was Larry Wartels. Person that narrowly missed out finding us, was Gina Lipford.

This is an exploratory day, with brainstorming without a specific agenda. Each of us spoke on record, for very short durations on who we are and what we feel.

Tracie came before the camera for the first time, speaking about clean food as the first item to ensure clean health, from her own perspective and experience.

Justin, an 18 year old British Columbian college student of political science that is remarkably articulate, speaks about the issues surrounding food and health. Off the record he said a lot of things about the problems of the younger generation, many of whom have little social skills and even less awareness because they are raised and groomed by their phone. He recognizes some of the root issues that affects his and his family’s health as well as affects the future of his generation.

Justin is also an exceptional person because he not only loves cooking, but bought organic flour from the US to make organic bread for the family. How many of us can do what Justin does for his family?

Richard spoke about writing to Lana Popham to ban glyphosate. he repeated what Larry Wartels already mentioned over the phone, that the province of British Columbia absolutely can ban Glyphosate legally from agriculture, forests and everywhere else, despite the fact that it has been approved in Ottawa.

He warns people to try to eat organic food to avoid glyphosate, and those that cannot buy organic bread, should at least avoid ordinary bread that contain wheat bran, because conventional American and Canadian grown wheat that is almost always desiccated with glyphosate, has been found (by me from the CFIA test results), to contain astronomical levels of glyphosate in wheat bran.

Last to speak was myself. I identified the the root problem as political corruption in Canada, and identified the citizens, that is you and me, as the guilty party responsible for bringing our nation and our future to such a pitiful state.

While all this was going on, we also were shown how to roast seeds of organic pumpkins for eating. They are delicious.

Larry Wartels was a reservoir of important information. To start with, he lives in the riding of Lana Popham in the provincial map and Eizabeth May on the federal map. He provided the “Resolution FAQs”  of the NDP party – which could be used for registered members of the NDP, for raising a resolution, for example on banning glyphosate in BC.

Larry also gave us some good leads. We discussed the issue of the record breaking trio of green party MLAs that were sworn into not only the legislative assembly of British Columbia, but also in the ruling coalition that came to power. The party is expected to bring groundbreaking legislative agenda to greatly improve British Columbia’s ecology, health and environment. Toxic food and pesticides in our environment aught to be one of the high priorities. Larry singled out one of the three Green MLAs – Sonia Furstenau.

She has been a tireless and forceful warrior to protect local areas in the island from commercially induced degradation. I had a bit of difficulty figuring out how to remember or pronounce her last name correctly, and decided to call it first-to-know, thus turning her name as Sonia First-To-Know.

Sonia might be among the best candidate to write to, to transform the issue of banning glyphosate in BC from a talking point, into a crusade. So, I was going to write to her, and encourage everyone else to consider doing so as well, apart from writing to Lana Popham, to your Mayor, MLA and MP and apart from supporting the petition.

MLA Sonia (First-to-know) Furstenau’s contacts are:

Office:

Parliament Buildings
Victoria, BC  V8V 1X4

Phone: (250) 387-8347
Email : sonia.furstenau.MLA@leg.bc.ca
 Decision was to make this brainstorming a regular monthly feature for those interested. Perhaps one of the Fridays every month. Details to be sorted out.
Thats all for today. Thanks for the visit. Feel free to pen your views in comments.

 

Preservation of BC forests eco-system

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To: Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development
doug.donaldson.mla@leg.bc.ca

cc: Tim Sheldan, Deputy Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, also chair of Forestry Innovation Investment, with branch offices in Vancouver, China and India.
tim.Sheldan@gov.bc.ca

cc: Andrew Weaver, MLA, Green Party
andrew.weaver.mla@leg.bc.ca

cc: Ravi Kahlon, MLA from Delta North (my constituency)
ravi.kahlon.MLA@leg.bc.ca

cc: Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture
lana.popham.mla@leg.bc.ca, AGR.Minister@gov.bc.ca

Subject: Preservation of BC forests eco-system.

Honourable Mr. Donaldson, Mr. Sheldan, Mr. Weaver, Mr. Kahlon, Ms Popham,

I start this letter by congratulating in being able to jointly form a government replacing the last Liberal Government. I hope this partnership survives full term and produces tangible results towards long term betterment of the province.

I write this letter out of serious concern regarding the future of BC forests, as well as survivability of our biodiversity as well as general health.

Doug Donaldson

I know currently we are having a serious wildfire across much of the state and the cumulative dust particles in the air is making the sun a hazy orange blob in late evening sky. But my concern goes further than the immediate fire.

Tim Sheldan

I draw you attention to the fact that aerial spray of glyphosate (Roundup Herbicide) over our forests, has been approved by the provincial government and usually administered by private logging corporations for many years going into decades without proof that the practice is safe. Further, I draw your attention to the fact that there is absence of evidence that sufficient research has been done and observed by the BC Government on any long term effect of it on our environment, forest health, biodiversity, or trickle down effect on human health.

Andrew Weaver

I have in the past tried to get information from the BC ministry any proof that it has seen evidence that glyphosate has no adverse effect on forests before approving its use. Sadly, I have not been shown any evidence of it by the previous BC ministry. I have reason to believe the BC Government has never seen any proof that glyphosate spraying on our forest is at all safe, and yet has been approving it out of a continued bad habit, year upon year.

Further, I have, through freedom of information act of the BC government, requested for data on the actual quantity of glyphosate used over BC forests, year upon year, from the first year of application till date. Regretfully, I have not gotten what I asked for, but got only a very small part of the answer comprising of a few localized hand application of glyphosate over small bushes. The reason I did not get the larger use data of aerial application is, I was told, the BC government does not know how much has been used, and may need to contact logging corporations to find the answer, hoping they keep the record.

Ravi Kahlon

I was asked if I would be willing to cough up a thousand odd dollars to pay for the man hour costs of the previous BC Government that would be needed to try to collect the information from the private corporations. I declined to pay that money and have been thoroughly disappointed in the shabby manner in which our ministry takes care of forest health.

I believe it is quite possible that forests that are weakened by excess use of herbicides can get vulnerable to not just to fire damage, but also many other maladies leading to continuous decline. I believe we may be converting our diverse forests into mono-culture plantation for the purpose of profit making by selling wood, rather than ensuring that a healthy forest remains to support a healthy environment and what biodiversity still remains in Canada.

Lana Popham

I believe the government may need to seriously start looking into long term health of the entire British Columbian eco-system, and separate that from short term money making schemes and false projection of economic boom or job creation that seems to concentrate on simply exploiting natural resources till what is left is neither natural nor resourceful.

I also draw your attention to the fact that Canada has overtaken Brazil as the fastest destroyer of forests and eliminator of the earth’s carbon sink on this planet. I have a serious question for all of you – what are you prepared to do about it?

I am copying Mr. Weaver since I expect the green party to be more aware on environment protection and hope to hear his views on this.

I am copying this also to Mr. Kahlon, my constitutional representative, since I have had a pre-election talk with him on glyphosate and its excessive presence in our food system, which makes Canadian food to be about the most toxic on earth, as explained in the e-book I authored named “Poison Foods of North America”.

I am copying this also to Ms Lana Popham, minister of Agriculture, who I have met long ago when she was an opposition MLA, because she is currently the minister of Agriculture, and I intend to send her a note about the need to focus on the most prevalent biocide in our food (glyphosate), the fact that Canadian food is the most toxic on earth, and the need to reverse the total silence this issue gets from all levels of Government in our country.

Apart from being the author of the book already mentioned, I am am an activist that tries to raise awareness, I have multiple levels of contact and communication, appeal, petition, and other efforts ongoing with different levels of our government, and will likely use this letter too, to influence and encourage others to join hands at a grassroots level to apply pressure to our newly formed government everywhere in Canada and North America, to pay more attention to saving our forests , environment and food system, rather than focus on how fast to exploit and degrade it.

I am curious why the Deputy Minister of Forest Management, Mr. Tim Sheldan, is also a chair of Forestry Innovation Investment group with apparent partnership with China and India, and if that is geared to find ways to attract foreign funds to help destroy our forests even faster and sell what is left to those countries, or if there is another reason for his involvement in that organization.

In summary, I ask the following

1) Show the people what evidence the government has, that application of glyphosate is not harmful to the total forest eco-system.

2) If the Government has not seen any such evidence, then immediately restrict the use of glyphosate, or any other kind of biocide, till a complete, and thorough investigation can be undertaken by entities that cannot be influenced by either politicians, governments or industry and will be unbiased and neutral. Share all information with the public.

3) Canada overtaking Brazil as the worlds worst de-forester – what are you prepared to do about it?

4) Explain why the Deputy Minster of Forest is the chair of Forestry Innovation Investment and what is the purpose of this groups existence and what involvement China or India has in it.

Please take this letter as a public interest issue that will be shared with the public, including any response I get, or do not get, from our new BC Government.

I have another, less serious request to the government – that we stop the practice of addressing elected government officials as “honourable”. It gives the impression that if one is not elected or not in politics, one is not honourable enough.

In my book, elected officials are public servants, not overlords. Therefore, elected officials should represent humility, not arrogance of power. Anyhow, this is a minor observation, not related to the main issue of glyphosate over forests and our real plan for preservation of forest eco-system.

Should you require, I shall be more than pleased to see any of you face to face about this.

Thanking you
Tony Mitra
10891 Cherry Lane, Delta, BC, V4E 3L7, Canada

https://www.amazon.com/POISON-FOODS-NORTH-AMERICA-navigating-ebook/dp/B06XS4Y6H2/ref=mt_kindle?_encoding=UTF8&me=

 

 

 

 

 

Note:

Is there anyone willing to get himself/herself videographer reading this out?
I already have myself talking into a camera enough times, and kind of tired of see my same-old face challenging our government.

We need more voices, more faces, more humans.
Anybody interested, let me know. Interested parties write to tony.mitra@gmail.com

Green Party Responds

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I am determined to try my best to bring the issue of glyphosate and the Canadian Foods being the most toxic on earth, to the mainstream political discourse. I have not been too successful so far, as politicians in general as well as mainstream media, seems to have developed a case of indigestion when it comes to facing this issue.

Nonetheless, the effort continues, as part of our citizen’s duty, to be vigorously involved in our political process and try to force the candidates to address real concerns of citizens intend of talking on manufactured issues.

I have already written to three candidates of my riding, cover in earlier blogs. These were from the Liberal, NDP and BC Greens party. Two of them, the Liberal and the NDP, did not even bother to respond, which has convinced me never to vote for a candidate that ignores you.

But more than that, I have tried to lead by example so other citizens would follow and try to ask direct questions to the candidates, especially why people of western Canada are subjected to the most toxic foods on earth.

I made a few videos on this already.

The first one is here – a ten minute video about why and how I found Western Canada to be the epicentre of toxic foods.

The next, my explanation on why I wrote the book on glyphosate contamination of foods based on CFIA records, and why I do not go with the mainstream media trying to whitewash the results – an 8 minute video.

Next, a letter to the BC Greens Leader. – a 3 minute video.

And finally, a response from the BC Greens candidate from my riding – another under 3 minute video.

As I was telling someone in email today, I am convinced that our problem is rooted more to the corruption in my political process and less to do with Monsanto or any other entity, and it is our duty, as a citizen, to grab this political beast by the horn and shake it till it starts piddling.

Stay tuned.