Guest Post: Stephen Rees

There’s a deeply cynical opinion piece in today’s Province that looks at the choice between the NDP and the governing BC Liberals in the current BC provincial election. It does not mention the third choice, which is going to be available (we hope) in every electoral district. The Green Party has yet to secure a seat in the legislature but is now polling at around 12% of decided voters.

As Jon Ferry says “little to choose between the tweedledum Liberals and the tweedledee NDP”. But he does not look at any of the Green policies – which cover the whole range of issues, not just the environment. You can read the whole policy book at the Green Party web site.

For me the environment continues to be my main concern. I have seen a number of economic cycles since I have been in Canada – just over twenty years now. I think that eventually we will indeed pull out of the current reccession. Which really worries me. If we continue with “business as usual” humanity does not really have much of a future on this planet. The earth will survive – by shucking of the nasty viral infection called humanity. We seem to be the only intelligent species that is not intelligent enough to stop destroying the very system that keeps it alive. The economy is a subsidiary of the environment, not the other way around. We cannot keep going the way we are as we currently need three planets to support our consumption of natural resources. And we do not have another habitable planet we can get to before this one runs out.

The reason I decided to run for Green Party is that it is now the only one that opposes the dreadful Gateway program. Carol James and the NDP switched from opposing it to supporting it last year. About the same time she decided to attack the Carbon Tax (she refers to in inaccurately as “the gas tax”) and for exactly the same reason: it was the popular choice. While the carbon tax is not nearly enough to change people’s choices, it is a start – and will slowly get a bit better. Obviously we need to do more – but the building freeways and expansion of ports will more than negate any reduction in greenhouse gas emissions due to the carbon tax.

The thing about transportation is that it is not a single issue on its own. It dramatically alters the landscape – and everything around it. If you build freeways and more roads you get highway oriented development – low density housing, outlet malls, power centres – all the rest. The very thing that we have been trying to avoid. You do not get livable, walkable human scale places until you design your transportation system to be optimised for people, not cars. There will be no transit oriented development until there is some transit!

I have been banging on about this issue on my blog“>my blog for years now. Nancy has very kindly offered me this space to spread the word to others. If you live in BC, please take the time to look at the Green alternative before you vote. If what I am saying has resonance with you please also consider a donation. The NDP has the unions funding them, the Liberals big business. The Green party is funded only by its supporters. And it is really important that this time we get the message out that there is an alternative to the two main parties.

Like most Green Party candidates, my campaign in Richmond East is running on a shoe string. If you would like to make a donation to my campaign specifically, please make your cheque payable to Campaign to Elect Stephen Rees and send it to me at #6 – 10251 Steveston Highway, Richmond BC V7A 1N2. And I will send you a tax receipt. I am sure Nancy will tell you that political donations are an even better way of getting a tax refund than donating to charity.

Dear Readers,

Most of you know that I moved from Vancouver to Yellowknife, NT, a couple months ago.  Non-Canadians, I’m very far north, as in, aurora borealis north.   Or golfing in the midnight sun, north.

Last Saturday, in typical northern hospitality I was invited to my first party … by a group of bloggers!

I thought I’d return the favour by introducing you to some of my fellow True North(ern) Voice blogging buddies.

Natalie, a maritimer (there are lots of them here!) writes about some unique facets of ordering at the local McDonalds:

• But friends, this is the North! People are ridiculously friendly here. If that same situation had occurred in the South, I am certain the pubescent McD’s worker would have …. read more

Readers:  care to take a guess what’s up with the metal box?

Newfoundlander expat FerryTales (read into that…) was brave enough to poll some northerners about seal hunts for a living.

Readers:  … on second thought … never mind.  Moving right along now,

Megan, formerly from Novia Scotia (TOLD you there are a lot of maritimers up here!) retells an old bible story of famine and — well, I’ll let her tell it:

• Boaz thinks Ruth is awesome. I’m not surprised: I think any man would feel this way about a hot young girl who appeared uninvited and volunteered to do whatever he wanted. Even better: She showed up at HIS feet, even though there are younger men around. (I’m not SAYING she’s the Old Testament version of Anna Nicole Smith, but I do have to wonder.) But Boaz points out that there’s another guy with first dibs on her. He says she should sleep over, and in the morning they can … read more

Failed Mommy comes up with a plan not to look like a poser when she recently took a holiday in a Phoenix Resort

• Despite our best efforts, however, I have a feeling that the hotel staff and the other guests caught on to our facade. ..

And this completely captures some of what it is to be a northerner, thanks to Alex (who may, or may not be from the maritimes?) and found this great piece:

• In summary: Be Northern. Build a house out of town. Wear moosehide and sealskin. Park your car in your yard. Pee by the highway. Take your dog to work. Smoke ’em if you’ve got ’em. Say “the Yukon” (What gutless bureaucrat dropped the “the”?). Jaywalk. Commute on your quad. Look people in the eye. Don’t shave – and ladies, that goes for you. Curse. Spit. Enter without knocking. Eat bannock, dry-meat and tea. Build campfires in your yard. Shop at the dump. Call the rest of world “Outside.” Kill your cellphone. Kill your dinner. And stop acting like a goddamn southerner.

Photo Credit:  JL Gordey

All caught up in the Susan Boyles and Antwerp excitement,  I missed an interesting tidbit that was also in all the news (exception the National Post, quelle suprise):

A brand new report found that most Canadians are getting a great deal from public spending, and receiving more than they pay in taxes.  The implication is that “tax cuts” are a short term high but ultimately we’re the losers.

Here are some facts that may challenge our notions about taxes:

• A typical Cdn family uses public services that would total nearly 1/2 their total family income if they paid for them directly
• Each Canadian uses approximately $17,000 worth of public services annually
• Households with net incomes below $110,000 would almost all have been better off if the gst had *not* been reduced, and the funds instead transferred to local governments (to support schools, for example), whereas households exceeding $200,000 gain an average of $200 annually by the gst cut.

So when we hear about “tax cuts” we need to ask ourselves:  Who wins?  and Who loses?  If it’s a federal tax cut, it’s likely lower income groups (child payments, employment insurance, seniors payments).   If it’s a provincial tax cut, it’s likely middle-income earners (school, health, roads).

Readers, what do you think?  Does this surprise you?  And are you using more than you are putting in, right now? (stage of life plays into this).

I’ve been adamant about not stepping foot inside the local Walmart store here in Yellowknife. You know all the reasons:

• Crushes small businesses
• Poor labour practices
• And as far as I’m concerned, perpetuating consumption of cheap junky clutter.

But the company is starting to challenge my ideas about them.

Back in 2006 they switched to LED lights for their refrigerators, and that was before I even used LED.

And today, Walmart Canada announced that their “home office” (presumably their headquarters in Mississauga) is a zero waste facility, with plans to adopt this across all their stores.

Even more impressive, I learned that as early as 2005 they have committed to three goals:

• produce zero waste (clearly they’re moving forward on this)
• be powered entirely by renewable energy (they just signed a contract with Bullfrog Energy to provide their energy for their home office, and stores in Ontario, Alberta and B.C.)
• make more environmentally “preferable” (whatever that means) products available to consumers.

Much as I love to hate big box stores in general, and Walmart in particular, I have to admit:  These are powerful commitments, and if a monolith makes these kinds of changes, surely it will not only have a positive impact in its own right, but also motivate others to adopt similar policies.

Readers:  What do you think?  Should I start shopping at Walmart?  Are they Going Good?

Photo Credit:  Jason Mundy