| Evidence For Democracy - a great cause

| Evidence For Democracy
Here is a new science org you might wish to support - protect science, encourage evident-based decision making!

Evidence for Democracy (E4D) is the leading fact-driven, non-partisan, not-for-profit organization promoting the transparent use of evidence in government decision-making in Canada.

Through research, education and issue campaigns, we engage and empower the science community while cultivating public and political demand for evidence-based decision-making.

Our Work

Our issue-based campaigns tackle emerging issues affecting science and evidence-based public policy in Canada. We work with national and local partners to organize events, raise awareness, and engage the public directly with policy-makers.

Our education program puts knowledge and skills into the hands of Canada’s scientific community and the wider public. We facilitate expert panels, lectures, and documentary screenings to educate Canadians on issues concerning evidence-based decision-making. We also design and deliver original hands-on workshops providing training for communication and action to support science in Canada.

Our original research program addresses knowledge gaps at the interface of policy and evidence. We identify what works, what hasn’t, and what opportunities exist for improvement. Our critical analyses are intended for use by government, industry, NGOs and the public to strengthen the inclusion evidence-based decision-making in policy.

Human Rights Day, 10 December.

Human Rights Day 10 December
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights turns 70
Let’s stand up for equality, justice and human dignity

Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December – the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This year, Human Rights Day kicks off a year-long campaign to mark the upcoming 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a milestone document that proclaimed the inalienable rights which everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being -- regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. It is the most translated document in the world, available in more than 500 languages.

Drafted by representatives of diverse legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration sets out universal values and a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations. It establishes the equal dignity and worth of every person. Thanks to the Declaration, and States’ commitments to its principles, the dignity of millions has been uplifted and the foundation for a more just world has been laid. While its promise is yet to be fully realized, the very fact that it has stood the test of time is testament to the enduring universality of its perennial values of equality, justice and human dignity.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights empowers us all. The principles enshrined in the Declaration are as relevant today as they were in 1948. We need to stand up for our own rights and those of others. We can take action in our own daily lives, to uphold the rights that protect us all and thereby promote the kinship of all human beings.   

#StandUp4HumanRights

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights empowers us all.
• Human rights are relevant to all of us, every day.
• Our shared humanity is rooted in these universal values.
• Equality, justice and freedom prevent violence and sustain peace.
• Whenever and wherever humanity's values are abandoned, we all are at greater risk.
• We need to stand up for our rights and those of others.

Make a Contribution | Evidence For Democracy

Make a Contribution | Evidence For Democracy

The federal government has made it clear that science and climate change are two of their top priorities, so why are they closing this key research station? 

With the impacts of our changing climate already being felt in Canada and around the world, investing in climate science is a necessary part of ensuring that our decisions and actions around climate change mitigation and adaptation are based on up-to-date science and evidence.

PEARL is one of only a handful of high Arctic research stations in the world. From its scientifically strategic location in Canada’s high arctic, PEARL is able to investigate crucial environmental issues like ozone depletion, airborne spread of pollutants and monitor high Arctic climate changes.

After over a decade of internationally recognized scientific research, PEARL is at risk of closing.

PEARL, along with six other climate change and atmospheric research projects were all funded by the Climate Change and Atmospheric Research Program (CCAR). Money for the CCAR program runs out this year and the federal government did not announce any new funds in the 2017 budget. Without immediate new funding, all of these research programs are expected to end.

But it’s not too late to save PEARL and Canadian atmospheric climate science! Join us in asking the government to:

• Invest $1.5 million per year to make PEARL a national laboratory
• Provide a well supported and stable funding environment for climate research in Canada by reinstating a funding model for climate science similar to the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences (CFCAS) that was cut by the Harper government.

Given the Government’s commitment to addressing climate change, investing in climate and atmospheric science should be at the forefront of funding priorities.

With climate science under attack in the US, Canada has an opportunity and a responsibility to be international leaders on climate science. This starts by making sure PEARL and the other CCAR-funded projects aren’t shuttered.

The government has supported a new northern research center, the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS), which is a valuable asset to Canadian polar knowledge. But there is no indication that any atmospheric or climate change research will be untaken at CHARS. Also CHARS is located 1200 km south of PEARL, so it simply can’t replace the high arctic data collected at PEARL.

Shutdown preparations at PEARL have already begun, we need urgent action to save this essential research station.

U of T will not permit use of campus for Toronto Nationalist Rally

U of T will not permit use of campus for Toronto Nationalist Rally

The University of Toronto has notified organizers of the Toronto Nationalist Rally, in writing, that they are not permitted to use space on its campuses. 

Earlier this week, the university learned the organization had indicated in a Facebook post that it would hold the rally on U of T’s downtown Toronto campus in September. The organization did not have permission to hold the event at U of T.

The university reported the erroneous claim to Facebook and followed up with a ‘cease-and-desist’ letter to the organization, requesting that it discontinue using the name of the university or any “other practices which may lead to the perception that your September 14th event is located, sponsored, hosted, or endorsed by or has any relationship to, the University of Toronto.”

The Canadian Nationalist Party subsequently sent U of T an email asking how to book space. Although no formal request was ever made, the university has told the organization in writing that U of T will not permit it to hold events on campus “because of concerns about the safety of students, faculty, staff and the public.” 

The university's policy on booking space explains that the university “reserves the right to control access to its campuses, and to the use of its space and facilities.” The policy makes it clear that the use of university space must abide by U of T's principles, including freedom of expression, mutual respect and civility, and that safety concerns will be taken into consideration.

The move comes against the backdrop of violence, racism and anti-Semitism in the United States that culminated last weekend in a rally by white supremacists in Virginia that left three dead, including an anti-racism protester.

“Bigotry, hate, intolerance and violence have no place on our campuses,” President Meric Gertlersaid. “The recent use of Neo-Nazi and Ku Klux Klan slogans and symbols in Charlottesville, Virginia must be condemned in the strongest terms.  We must be clear that this is never acceptable. At the same time, the events in Virginia have justifiably increased concern about safety in our community and elsewhere.”

Read the president's statement

Read the Globe and Mail article

Read the Toronto Star article

Tell Turkey: free Amnesty’s Idil Eser and other rights defenders | Amnesty International

Tell Turkey: free Amnesty’s Idil Eser and other rights defenders | Amnesty International

Tell Turkey: free Amnesty’s Idil Eser and other rights defenders. Police have detained the second Amnesty International Turkey leader within the space of a month.

On the morning of the 5th July, police arrested eight human rights activists, including Idil Eser, and two trainers who were attending a workshop in Istanbul. For over 24 hours, they weren’t allowed to contact their families or see a lawyer - and no one even knew where they were.

Idil and the others were doing nothing wrong.  They are now being investigated on suspicion of "membership of an armed terrorist organisation": a ridiculous and baseless accusation.This kind of attack on Human Rights Defenders is becoming more frequent. The Turkish government is abusing its power, deliberately making the country a dangerous place for people who speak out for human rights.

The ten human rights defenders detained are İdil Eser (Amnesty International), İlknur Üstün  (Women's Coalition), Günal Kurşun (Human Rights Agenda Association), Nalan Erkem,(Citizens Assembly), Nejat Taştan (Equal Rights Watch Association), Özlem Dalkıran (Citizens’ Assembly), Şeyhmuz Özbekli (lawyer), Veli Acu (Human Rights Agenda Association) Ali Gharavi (IT strategy consultant), Peter Steudtner (non-violence and wellbeing trainer).

China: Democratic Voice Liu Xiaobo Dies in Custody | Human Rights Watch

China: Democratic Voice Liu Xiaobo Dies in Custody | Human Rights Watch

The death of Chinese dissident and public intellectual Liu Xiaobo, winner of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, lays bare the Chinese government’s ruthlessness toward peaceful proponents of human rights and democracy, Human Rights Watch said today. On July 13, 2017, Liu died from complications of liver cancer in a Shenyang hospital in Liaoning Province while being guarded by state security.  The last time a Nobel Peace laureate died in state custody was in 1938, when pacifist Carl von Ossietzky died of tuberculosis under guard in a hospital in Nazi Germany.

Suncor: clean up your toxic tailings mess before 2085

Suncor: clean up your toxic tailings mess.

Suncor is trying to get the Alberta government to give it until 2085 to clean up billions of litres of ghastly mess.

But it gets worse. Suncor's strategy to "clean up" literally 525 billion litres of poisonous tailings sludge involves dumping it into a hole and capping it with water. That's it. This half-baked plan is nothing more than Suncor’s thinly veiled excuse to avoid cleaning up the after-party of a 50-year fossil fuel extraction binge fest.

We have zero guarantees that corporations like Suncor will even be around in three-quarters of a century -- let alone have the resources or motivation to clean their messes up.

Tell Suncor to stop playing games and clean up its mess now.

There are now more than 1.2 trillion litres of tar sands tailings fluids sitting in open ponds and leaching toxic chemicals into the environment of northern Alberta. They remain the biggest logistical and environmental challenge of bitumen mining.

Indigenous Peoples, environmentalists, and residents have always feared that the long-term plan is to simply delay cleaning them up until every last drop of carbon has been sucked out of the earth. Then, the tar sands corporations can leave the mess for communities and taxpayers to deal with. And if Suncor gets its way, this is exactly what will happen.

What's even more baffling is that Suncor's mine is set to close in 2032, so essentially the company is asking us to believe it is going to stick around for over 50 years after operations have ended to clean up what it destroyed. Albertans and Canadians have absolutely no guarantee Suncor is going to finish the job. This is a risk we simply cannot afford to take.

The Alberta government is currently reviewing Suncor's flawed tailings strategy -- and that means we don't have long to act. 

Tell Suncor it needs to take responsibility and clean up its toxic tailings mess.

Don’t frack Ontario! The Council of Canadians

Don’t frack Ontario! The Council of Canadians
On May 17, the Wynne Liberals passed Bill 127, which included an amendment to the Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Act for “projects that involve the injection of substances into underground geological formations.”

Without naming it, that literally describes the process of fracking. Oil and gas companies draw enormous volumes of water from local watersheds, mix in toxic chemicals, and then high-pressure inject it deep underground to fracture rock to release trapped natural gas.

You may have seen news reports of how fracking has contaminated the drinking water of area residents, in some cases coming out of the tap with so much methane that it can be lit on fire. And now a new expert study directly links fracking to earthquakes happening in B.C. and  beyond.

But the Wynne government is choosing to ignore this evidence. It also ignored the advice of Environmental Commissioner Dianne Saxe,
who noted in a May 11 letter before the vote on Bill 127:
“If the government does not intend these changes to apply to high-volume hydraulic fracturing, the easiest way to avoid mis-interpretation would be to expressly provide that this permitting authority does not apply to fracking.” 
You and I can’t let the province do this, especially after  just last week failing to protect our community water supplies from giant  bottling companies like Nestlé.

Please  add your name to the more than 3,000 people who have already called on  Premier Wynne to ban fracking.

Evidence for Democracy - Science Integrity Policies

Canada is on its way to establishing science integrity policies!
Science integrity policies aim to ensure that government science follows the protocols of objectivity, openness, replicability, transparency, and freedom from undue influence.

This is amazing news! We have been pushing for the establishment of robust, progressive science integrity policies since the Liberal government was elected in October 2015. 

Here’s a link to more information about what these policies might look like. 

Objective, sound, and robust science, evidence, and data are needed to inform policy. When government decisions are made on the best available evidence, our health, environment, economy, and communities improve.

Science Integrity Policies (SIPs) are policies aimed to ensure government science follows the protocols of objectivity, openness, replicability, transparency, and freedom from undue influence.

Last December, the Government and PIPSC negotiated the inclusion of government scientists’ right to speak in collective agreements. This means that if the government tries to muzzle scientists, they can file a grievance with their union.

Taking this further, these new agreements between the government and union require that each federal department with more than 10 researchers establish SIPs.

Amnesty International Canada - Action for Saeed Malekpour

Amnesty International Canada

"All I want is for my brother to be free, and returned to his home in Canada, and I want an investigation that will reveal the truth."  - Maryam Malekpour, sister of Saeed

A Canadian permanent resident originally from Iran, Saeed Malekpour made a trip in 2008 to visit his ailing father in Iran. He was arrested and accused on the grounds that an open source web program he created for uploading photos to the internet had been misused. In 2010, he was sentenced to death. The death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2012.

While detained Saeed reported he was blindfolded and handcuffed while several individuals beat him with cables, batons, and their fists in order to force a confession. His televised ‘confession’ was the only ‘evidence’ used against him in court to secure his conviction. Saeed was then sentenced to another 7 years in prison for speaking out about the torture he experienced.

Petition e-1030 to Reinstate Navigable Waters Act

Petition e-1030 - E-petitions

• More than 35 million people directly rely on the Great Lakes every single day and political realities of any empowered government prevent direct action in protecting freshwater tributaries, streams, rivers and lakes; thus, the need for indefinite protection beyond legislation is required to ensure all Canadians, including Indigenous peoples, can enjoy the sanctity and longevity of the Great Lakes Basin for generations to come;
• The relationship between major industry proponents including the oil and gas industry and the Canadian Government, as well as any empowered political party of the present day, is fundamentally flawed when considering the need to protect the Great Lakes upon which all life depends; and
• Any well meaning government concerned with Canada’s environmental legacy and wealth cannot, without significant disruption to the operating status quo and fulfilling the directives of economic growth, make lasting change to protect Water indefinitely.

We, the undersigned, Indigenous & Non Indigenous Peoples of the Great Lakes, First Nations, Metis and Inuit and Citizens of Canada, call upon the House of Commons in Parliament assembled to undertake a process by which to formerly acknowledge the Great Lakes as Living Entities, thereby assigning legal personhood to each Lake including Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario within its power as a Nation State under the British Commonwealth;

Support the formation of a Multi-Interest Great Lakes Tribunal lead by Indigenous Peoples that will act as the Voice of these new Persons. This entity should be formulated by appointment via Indigenous protocols and through multi-interest groups already in existence.

Reinstate the Navigable Waters Protection Act through repealing sections of the Omnibus Bill C-45.

Jane Goodall Wants You To Stand Up To Those Who Belittle Science - see local marches for Earth Day

The video message comes a few days after Goodall, a United Nations “messenger of peace,” traveled to Washington, D.C., where she spoke with media before addressing students at American University. That same day, President Donald Trump, who’s described climate change as a “bullshit” “hoax” and who’s vowed to withdraw the U.S. from the historic Paris climate agreement, signed an executive order to reverse Obama-era policies aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions.
Asked by The Huffington Post about Trump’s climate actions, Goodall called them “immensely disturbing.” However, she believes the Trump administration has woken people up, citing the numerous marches and demonstrations.
The “March for Science” is supported by a nonpartisan coalition of scientific groups and is scheduled for Earth Day — April 22. While the main rally will occur in Washington, D.C., satellite marches have been organized in more than 400 locations around the globe. The D.C. event is “a call for politicians to implement science-based policies, as well as a public celebration of science and the enormous public service it provides in our democracy, our economy, and in all our daily lives,” according to the official website of the march.

TORONTO MARCH: https://sciencemarchto.ca/
see satellite marches for other Ontario events, and in your neighbourhood.

Canada-China Free Trade Agreement talks

Stop the Canada-China Free Trade Agreement talks!
I am very concerned about the likely impacts of a Canada-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on people in both countries.
I oppose the investor-state dispute settlement provision that is already in the Canada-China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA). This provision allows transnational corporations to sue governments for future lost profits due to legislation that protects the public interest, including the environment. I think that this provision should be removed from FIPA and should not be strengthened by a new FTA.
I am concerned about the impact of a Canada-China FTA on Indigenous rights. The Chinese government has said that a free trade deal would require Canadian concessions on investment restrictions in the oil and gas sector, and a commitment to build an energy pipeline to the coast. This violates Indigenous rights in that these projects affect their lands and waters – without their free, prior and informed consent.
I am also concerned that a Canada-China FTA could lead to water pollution and increased bottled water takings. An expansion of the tar sands would mean more water pollution in northern Alberta, while pipelines put waterways across the country at risk. As well, about 90 per cent of the groundwater in Chinese cities is polluted and 700 million people in those cities drink contaminated water every day. Given China already sees Tibet as a source for bottled water, it's possible that China might look to Canada as a source of bottled water as well. Canada could also be promoted as a country with ample water for China's water-intensive industries.
I am disappointed that you launched an online consultation on a Canada-China FTA six months after you announced exploratory talks would take place and three weeks after those talks began. The online consultation form gives you the opportunity to say you have consulted Canadians, but it does not give me the opportunity to directly say I oppose a Canada-China FTA.
I ask that you stop the current talks on a Canada-China FTA, that you hold proper consultations with Canadians and First Nations, and that any future talks be open, transparent and accountable to the public.

Women's rights under assault: UN

Women's rights under assault: UN, Agence France-Presse

Women's rights are under fresh assault worldwide, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Monday as a two-week conference kicked off at the United Nations to take stock of the fight for gender equality.

President Donald Trump's "global gag rule" cutting US funding to groups that offer abortion services and Russia's decision to ease punishment for domestic violence are casting a long shadow on the annual gathering of the Commission on the Status of Women.

"Globally, women are suffering new assaults on their safety and dignity," Guterres told the opening session of the conference at UN headquarters in New York.

"Some governments are enacting laws that curtail women's freedoms. Others are rolling back legal protections against domestic violence."

Trump, who declared himself opposed to abortion during his campaign, signed a decree just days into his presidency barring US funding for foreign non-governmental groups if their work touches on abortion.

A few weeks later, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill that reduces penalties for domestic violence to a fine instead of a jail term, if the assault is a first offence and does not cause serious injury.

This year's gathering focuses on women's economic empowerment in the changing world of work, with attention turning to pay inequality and paid parental leave.

The United Nations has set a global goal of achieving gender equality by 2030. A recent study by the International Labour Organization warned that without stronger measures, it will take 70 years to close the gender wage gap.

UN Secretary-General's Message for International Women’s Day | UN Women

UN Secretary-General's Message for International Women’s Day | UN Women – Headquarters

UN Secretary-General's Message for International Women’s Day

Women’s rights are human rights. But in these troubled times, as our world becomes more unpredictable and chaotic, the rights of women and girls are being reduced, restricted and reversed.

Empowering women and girls is the only way to protect their rights and make sure they can realize their full potential.

Historic imbalances in power relations between men and women, exacerbated by growing inequalities within and between societies and countries, are leading to greater discrimination against women and girls. Around the world, tradition, cultural values and religion are being misused to curtail women’s rights, to entrench sexism and defend misogynistic practices.

Women’s legal rights, which have never been equal to men’s on any continent, are being eroded further. Women’s rights over their own bodies are questioned and undermined. Women are routinely targeted for intimidation and harassment in cyberspace and in real life. In the worst cases, extremists and terrorists build their ideologies around the subjugation of women and girls and single them out for sexual and gender-based violence, forced marriage and virtual enslavement.

Despite some improvements, leadership positions across the board are still held by men, and the economic gender gap is widening, thanks to outdated attitudes and entrenched male chauvinism. We must change this, by empowering women at all levels, enabling their voices to be heard and giving them control over their own lives and over the future of our world.

Denying the rights of women and girls is not only wrong in itself; it has a serious social and economic impact that holds us all back. Gender equality has a transformative effect that is essential to fully functioning communities, societies and economies.

Women’s access to education and health services has benefits for their families and communities that extend to future generations. An extra year in school can add up to 25 per cent to a girl’s future income.

UN experts denounce 'myth' pesticides are necessary to feed the world

UN experts denounce 'myth' pesticides are necessary to feed the world | Environment | The Guardian

The idea that pesticides are essential to feed a fast-growing global population is a myth, according to UN food and pollution experts.

A new report, being presented to the UN human rights council on Wednesday, is severely critical of the global corporations that manufacture pesticides, accusing them of the “systematic denial of harms”, “aggressive, unethical marketing tactics” and heavy lobbying of governments which has “obstructed reforms and paralysed global pesticide restrictions”.

The report says pesticides have “catastrophic impacts on the environment, human health and society as a whole”, including an estimated 200,000 deaths a year from acute poisoning. Its authors said: “It is time to create a global process to transition toward safer and healthier food and agricultural production.”

The world’s population is set to grow from 7 billion today to 9 billion in 2050. The pesticide industry argues that its products – a market worth about $50bn (£41bn) a year and growing – are vital in protecting crops and ensuring sufficient food supplies.

“It is a myth,” said Hilal Elver, the UN’s special rapporteur on the right to food. “Using more pesticides is nothing to do with getting rid of hunger. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), we are able to feed 9 billion people today. Production is definitely increasing, but the problem is poverty, inequality and distribution.”

Elver said many of the pesticides are used on commodity crops, such as palm oil and soy, not the food needed by the world’s hungry people: “The corporations are not dealing with world hunger, they are dealing with more agricultural activity on large scales.”

NCSE and the March for Science | April 22, DC

NCSE and the March for Science | NCSE

NCSE is among the scientific, academic, and educational institutions endorsing the March for Science that will take place in Washington DC on April 22, 2017, with satellite marches planned in almost three hundred communities across the world. The goal of the march is to celebrate science and its crucial role in protecting the health of our communities, the safety of our families, the education of our children and the foundation of our economy and jobs. 

As NCSE's executive director Ann Reid explained in a March 6, 2017, blog post, "we believe that the marches will be a powerful and positive reminder that there is something that virtually everyone agrees on: the value and importance of science. ... While it is certainly true that Americans seem to be intractably divided over more issues than ever before, support for science is something that all of us share, and can continue to share."

Among the partners with the March for Science besides NCSE are the American Anthropological Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Geophysical Union,  the American Society for Cell Biology,the Entomological Society of America, Research America, Science Debate, Sigma Xi, and the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Stop your pension from building pipelines!

Stop your pension from building pipelines!
Last week Reuters revealed that U.S.-based pipeline company Kinder Morgan is approaching Canadian funders to raise money to triple the capacity of the Trans Mountain pipeline to 890,000 barrels a day. This would also quadruple the number of supertankers to more than 400 in B.C’s Burrard Inlet each year. One funder Kinder Morgan has approached is the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB).

If you work or have worked in Canada, you are a contributor to the Canada Pension Plan. You have a say in whether or not your pension funds are used to pay for risky pipeline projects that fuel climate change and endanger coastal waters.

This pipeline would be:
A risky investment. Globally, as the world transitions to a clean energy economy, investing in fossil fuel-based companies like Kinder Morgan becomes a liability. Oil giants Exxon and ConocoPhilips recently announced they are leaving a combined 4.7 billion barrels of tar sands reserves in the ground because they aren’t profitable enough to extract. Shell and Statoil are slowly divesting their tar sands assets.

A risk  to water and the climate. The Trans Mountain pipeline crosses 1,300 waterways. A pipeline spill in any of them would have devastating impacts. Building and expanding pipelines also moves us away from our Paris climate commitments. Building Kinder Morgan would singlehandedly add an estimate 28 megatons of CO2 equivalent downstream emissions.

A violation of  Indigenous rights. At least six West Coast Indigenous communities are suing the federal government because the Trans Mountain pipeline would threaten their livelihoods.

Even though the Trudeau government recently approved the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, many obstacles still remain, including Kinder Morgan’s need to secure investors for the $6.8 billion project.

Take  action! Tell the CPPIB you don’t want your pension fund invested in the Trans  Mountain pipeline.

Trump repeals Stream Protection Rule in the US, what's ahead for water protection in Canada? | The Council of Canadians

Trump repeals Stream Protection Rule in the US, what's ahead for water protection in Canada? | The Council of Canadians
President Donald Trump has now signed an order that repeals the Stream Protection Rule in the United States.
The rule had been intended to protect almost 10,000 kilometres of streams and 52,000 acres of forests in the US. It would have prohibited surface mining within 30 metres of streams. Bloomberg notes, "It was meant to stop the practice of dumping mining waste in streams and valleys during mountaintop mining."
In a recent opinion piece in the New York Times, Trout Unlimited president Chris Wood writes, "Over the past 20 years, mining operations have buried or degraded nearly 3,200 kilometres of streams in Appalachia. It goes without saying that cutting the tops off mountains and dumping them in streams is bad for fishing. It is also bad for anyone who cares about clean water."
Bloomberg notes, "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has led the opposition to the rule, calling it 'an attack against coal miners'. Others against it included the United Mine Workers of America and the National Mining Association, a Washington-based trade group representing companies such as Arch Coal Inc. and Peabody Energy Corp."
Trump stated, "In eliminating this rule I am continuing to keep my promise to the American people to get rid of wasteful regulations."
When Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met in Washington earlier this week, they signed a Joint Statement that pledged, "We will continue our dialogue on regulatory issues and pursue shared regulatory outcomes that are business-friendly, reduce costs, and increase economic efficiency without compromising health, safety, and environmental standards."
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) has already expressed concern about "any potential competitiveness imbalances" between Canada and the US. CAPP vice-president Ben Brunnen says, "We're keenly aware of the importance of a level playing field where investment can flow over the border quite freely."
And just days after Trudeau and Trump met in the White House, the Mining Association of Canada released a report citing regulatory delays and uncertainty as reasons mining investments could move outside the country.
The Council of Canadians has been calling on the prime ministert to restore and enhance the Navigable Waters Protection Act and the Fisheries Act, critical elements of water protection that had been gutted by the Harper government.
For example, the Fisheries Act allows the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to authorize deposits of deleterious substances into waterways if the “whole of the deposit is not acutely lethal to fish". The regulation defines “acutely lethal” as a deposit that kills more than 50 per cent of fish at 100 per cent concentration over a 96 hour period.
Despite their election campaign promise to restore and enhance this legislation, no substantive action has taken place in this regard.
We should all be concerned that Trudeau's pledge of regulatory cooperation with Trump along with corporate pressure within Canada will mean that lakes and rivers in Canada will continue to be under threat from abuse and pollution.

Shopify: Stop endorsing hate

Shopify: Stop endorsing hate
Together, people power has helped push over 900 companies to drop the ultra-ring wing Breitbart News (A.K.A Trump News).
The largest company left is the Canadian e-commerce company that runs Breitbart's online store. If we can force Shopify to ditch Breitbart, we'll be dealing a massive blow to Breitbart's ability to expand globally -- and could stop it in its tracks.
Sign the petition to Shopify: stop endorsing hate. End your relationship with Breitbart News now.
Shopify is a $1.9 billion dollar company with 325,000 online stores in 150 countries. It runs the online stores for lots of companies and brands you've heard of, like Budweiser, Red Bull, Tesla Motors, The Economist, and Herschel and many others.
The merchandise for sale in Breitbart's Shopify store tell migrant workers to “Get in line”, and boast about building a border wall, one of Trump’s key campaign policies.
These products aren't just offensive -- they're giving Breitbart revenue to fund its global expansion in time for crucial 2017 elections in Europe.

Denmark to co-host women's conference after Trump's anti-abortion move

Denmark to co-host women's conference after Trump's anti-abortion move - The Local
An international conference to raise money for charities providing access to safe abortion will be held in Brussels in March in response to President Donald Trump's gag on US funding, conference co-host Sweden said on Thursday.  Development aid ministers from Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, as well as representatives from over 50 countries are expected to attend the "She Decides" conference on March 2.

Eight Countries Join Global Fight Against Trump's Anti-Abortion Move |

Eight Countries Join Global Fight Against Trump's Anti-Abortion Move | Common Dreams | Breaking News
Eight countries have joined a fundraising effort to counter President Donald Trump's executive order last month that cuts off U.S. funding to global charities providing information about abortions.
Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Isabella Lovin told Reuters on Thursday that a conference kicking off the fundraising initiative is scheduled for March 2 in Brussels, with the aim of helping nongovernmental organizations that operate family planning projects.
Belgium, Canada, Cape Verde, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, and Sweden have joined the effort launched by the Netherlands in January after Trump announced the order reinstating the rule, formally known as the Mexico City Policy and often referred to as the "global gag rule."
The Netherlands warned the order could cause a shortfall of $600 million over the next four years.
"[The gag order] could be so dangerous for so many women," said Lovin, who gained attention this week for a photograph that showed her and seven other female officials signing an ambitious climate bill into law—which many saw as a pointed reference to images of Trump signing the anti-choice order while surrounded by male staffers.
"If women don't have control over their bodies and their own fate it can have very serious consequences for global goals of gender rights and global poverty eradication," Lovin said.
The global gag rule was first created in 1984 by then-President Ronald Reagan, and has been alternately lifted and reinstated by subsequent administrations, with Republicans keeping it in place and Democrats repealing it. Former President Barack Obama most recently did away with the ban in 2009.

Wed,  Feb 8, 2017: Truth, Lies and Democracy

 Please join us for a free public lecture on February 8, 2017 from 7-9pm in Room UC 152 of University College (15 King’s College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 3H7) at the University of Toronto’s St George campus:

Truth, Lies and Democracy: Journalism after Trump

by Olivia Ward

Olivia Ward is a foreign affairs reporter for The Toronto Star who has written on international affairs for over 16 years, beginning as the Star’s UN correspondent and reporting from countries around the globe. Olivia has led the Moscow and London bureaus for the Star and has reported from the former Soviet Union, South Asia, and the Middle East, and on conflict zones including Chechnya, Tajikistan, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Kosovo, Serbia, Iraq, and Israel and Palestine.

This event is part of a weekly series of talks entitled: Vital Discussions of Human Security . Please note that we will be using Room UC 152 for the remainder of the winter 2017 lecture series.

See www.scienceforpeace.ca/events for details on all of our upcoming events, and www.scienceforpeace.ca/videos for video recordings of past lectures.

Yes, It's Time to Politicize Science | Psychology Today

Yes, It's Time to Politicize Science | Psychology Today

(David is the former pres. of the American Humanist Association)

With today’s post-truth politicians denying climate change, opposing the teaching of evolution, and even forcing doctors to relay misinformation about reproductive health, it’s no surprise that the idea of a March for Science—now scheduled for April 22 in Washington and other locations around the country—has rapidly gained momentum. The planned march can be seen as a direct response to the rampant anti-intellectualism that has gripped American political life.
But even as our jaws drop at the brazen disregard for truth in politics and government—with the White House silencing scientists one day and promoting “alternative facts” another—there is no unanimity, even among scientists, about rallying for science. In an op-ed this week in the New York Times, geologist Robert S. Young argues against the march, saying the event will only “increase polarization” and “trivialize and politicize the science we care so much about.”
What Young doesn’t seem to grasp is that political marches are often intended to polarize—marchers are challenging society to look anew at a particular issue, contending that there is a clear right and wrong that has been overlooked for too long. Whether the cause is civil rights, women’s equality, LGBT rights, or something else, public rallies and marches are intended to call attention to an issue and sway the weight of public opinion in one direction. The exercise is designed establish and assert moral authority, thus isolating those who are on the wrong side even to the point of shaming them. By calling our wrongheadedness and injustice, successful rallies and marches reshape public dialogue and effect change. They are the ultimate democratic tactic, gathering people in numbers to show that there is mass support for a righteous idea.
Young, however, sees such activity as no place for science and scientists. He worries that a science march will “turn scientists into another group caught up in the culture wars,” apparently oblivious to the fact that scientists have been casualties of the culture wars for years. And the results have been devastating, not just for science but for all of society. The United States is a nation that embraces the advancement of technology while simultaneously placing the scientific mindset—and the appreciation of rationalism and empiricism that are its foundation—far outside its core values....

To be sure, some degree of caution is important. As sensible people march for science they should bear in mind that nobody—and certainly no political party—owns science. Even those politicians at the front of the crowd should be seen as having the potential to misuse science for their own interests. Numerous forces—monetary, ideological, intellectual, and psychological—can corrupt the application of science to policymaking, and these forces require vigilant monitoring, meaning that facts and conclusions must be scrutinized regardless of who is backing them. Nobody gets a free pass, and as we apply science we must give serious consideration to our values.

Indeed, because science is ultimately amoral—it is inherently neither good nor evil, but only a tool for humans to use as they see fit—this might explain why there is some appeal to Young’s cry to keep scientists off the streets. Let scientists focus on the determining facts, the argument goes, and let society at large decide how to apply values to those facts. The problem with this argument is that we have a society, and a political leadership, that simply isn’t concerned about determining facts accurately. Large segments of society, particularly corporate and religious sectors, reach their opinions and conclusions first and then assert facts—true or not—later.

This explains so much of what is happening in America, from the false “debate” over climate change to the attacks on public education. And when society embraces anti-intellectualism at this level, it’s time to march.

Twitter: @ahadave

OHS Endorses the National Days of Action against Islamophobia and White Supremacy | Ontario Humanist Society

OHS Endorses the National Days of Action against Islamophobia and White Supremacy | Ontario Humanist Society

he Ontario Humanist Society supports the planned Days of Action. The following information is taken directly from:

https://www.facebook.com/events/407436779648169/

National Days of Action Against Islamophobia & Deportations
February 4-5, 2017
The war waged against Muslims and refugees worldwide has reached its
boiling point with Trump’s Presidency. These xenophobic, anti-Black,
Islamophobic, anti-refugee racist, sexist, homophobic and transphobic
policies have come to fruition. Walls and bans against Muslims and
Refugees on stolen Indigenous lands. We affirm our solidarity with
Indigenous nations whose lands we reside on.
Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya and Yemen. The geographies
of our birth place that put targets on our heads. Families separated,
refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants deported and detained, trapped
in between borders or taken back – our  communities are being terrorized by white supremacist violence and  domination. Our movement is confronted by racist white nationalism, our  lives are devastated in constant fear. We flee war, persecution, mass  poverty in search for life – instead we get a fatal sentence for our  faith.
Enough is Enough.
On January 29th, in Quebec City a group of Muslims were praying in a mosque at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre when one gunman came in and rang shots throughout this place of worship. Six have died, even more are injured. We mourn their lives. Last summer during the holy month of Ramadan, a pig’s head was left at the doorstep. The president of the cultural centre hoped the event was an isolated incident, and responded with nothing but love and respect to the Centre’s neighbours.
Colonial borders are imaginary constructs. The white supremacist hatred of Muslims and refugees from all intersections world wide is the colonizing force that fuels the identity and economy of America just as much as Canada. Trump’s power is extended to Trudeau’s. The institutional and systemic Islamophobic, anti-Black and racist policies that are killing us at the border, in the streets, in our homes, at work and in our mosques are one. We are under attack on all fronts, especially those of us who live in the intersections of Blackness and Muslimness and are Refugees who are the first to be silenced, ignored or forgotten
Not another life. Not another mass murder.
Our resistance does not stop here. Now more than ever we must organize. This is a national call to action to plan demonstrations in your cities, Canada wide. Join us, as we rise up!

TORONTO ACTION DETAILS
Date:Saturday, February 4 at
Time: 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Location: US Consulate

OTHER LOCATIONS:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1awOa4tymbc-ZxNmv5AfknvR9KQl44Fty0ixFZ3XZqSk/edit

OHS Statement on Quebec Mosque Attack | Ontario Humanist Society

OHS Statement on Quebec Mosque Attack | Ontario Humanist Society

The Ontario Humanist Society (OHS) sends condolences to the victims of the terrible act of violence perpetrated at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Quebec yesterday. Our thoughts are not only with the victims, but also their families and friends, the Muslim community and the people of Quebec. We stand united with all who denounce this horrendous act and join in calling for unity, tolerance and respect in a time when so many try to divide us.
Freedom of religion is a fundamental human right, and everyone, everywhere should be free to practice their religion, or lack thereof, as they see fit, without fear of discrimination or persecution. Intolerance, fear and division are not the way forward for the human race and we must unite against any effort to promote those misguided efforts.
If we all choose to live with compassion, empathy, reason and respect, we will not be divided.

Canada may contribute to Dutch-led international abortion fund

Canada may contribute to Dutch-led international abortion fund | World news | The Guardian

 Canada is considering contributing to a Dutch-led international fund to support abortion services in developing countries, set up in response to Donald Trump’s order to halt financing of NGOs that support the practice.
A spokesman for Canada’s international development minister, Marie-Claude Bibeau, told AFP the minister had spoken with her Dutch counterpart about the fund, and was considering donating an unspecified sum to it or a similar measure that would support “sexual reproductive rights, including abortion” abroad.
“Sexual health and reproductive rights will be at the heart of Canada’s new international assistance policy,” spokesman Louis Belanger said in an email.
“We will continue to explore opportunities to work together to advance women’s empowerment by expanding access to sexual and reproductive health services including abortion,” he said.
Canada is set to unveil its new foreign aid strategy in the coming weeks. A decision on the fund would either be included or follow soon after that announcement.

SO - WRITE YOUR MP!!!

FEATURE-Home-grown Kenyan solar farm powers computers - and powers computers and protects girls

FEATURE-Home-grown Kenyan solar farm powers computers - and ...
OLOSHO-OIBOR, Kenya, Jan 25 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When the first few residents of this village in the Ngong hills installed solar panels, nearly a decade ago, the only aim was to power their own homes, as their town had no connection to the national power grid.
But today the community, south of Nairobi in the Rift Valley, is buzzing with solar and wind energy, which powers everything from the dispensary and church to shops, homes and even a rescue centre for girls fleeing child marriage and the threat of female genital mutilation.
Residents say they banded together to buy the shared energy system themselves, recognising that the substantial upfront cost would create benefits for years to come. Those now include everything from vaccines that can now be kept cold at the dispensary to solar-powered pumping of water.
"Before we started this solar farm, people from this village used to travel to Ngong town, which is 17 kilometers away, to get basic services and goods such as a photocopy or a haircut. This used to inconvenience us greatly since you had to part with a tidy sum," said Simon Parkesian, the manager of the community's solar farm.
In 2009, some residents of Olosho-Oibor, impressed with a first couple of private solar panels installed in the community, decided they wanted panels of their own - but many people could not afford them.
So a group of community members began contributing cash - 10 dollars a month - until they had enough to buy a set of larger solar panels that could serve many nearby homes.
They then approached the U.N. Industrial Development Organization for technical help in installing their system. Today the 125-member energy cooperative has raised $4,900 for panels - installed on poles around the community and on rooftops - and installed two small wind turbines as well.
The community also has a 10-kilowatt diesel generator as a backup in periods when both sunshine and wind fall short, but that is used only occasionally, Parkesian said.

Dutch to set up global abortion support fund to counter Trumps Cuts

Dutch to set up global abortion support fund to counter ... trumps cuts
AMSTERDAM, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The Netherlands is launching a global fund to help women access abortion services to compensate for U.S. President Donald Trump's ban on U.S. federal funding for foreign groups providing abortions or abortion support for family planning abroad.
The Dutch government has held preliminary discussions on the initiative with other European Union members who have responded positively, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Wednesday. Governments outside the EU, companies and social institutions will also be approached to participate.
Trump on Monday reinstated a policy that requires foreign NGOs who receive U.S. global family planning funds to certify that they do not perform abortions or provide abortion advice as a method of family planning.
Dutch officials estimate that Trump's restrictions will cause a funding shortfall of $600 million over the next four years. Women's rights and health campaigners have reacted with anger at Trump's move. They say restrictions on abortion endanger women's lives. Trump has also pledged to withdraw funding from U.S. domestic abortion services.
The policy was announced on Tuesday by Liliane Ploumen, minister for international development cooperation, whose Labour Party - the junior coalition partner in the government - is traditionally staunchly in favour of abortion rights.
The Netherlands's laws on reproduction and reproductive health are among the world's most liberal. The Dutch vote in parliamentary elections in March.
Foreign ministry spokesman Herman van Gelderen said he was confident relations with the new U.S. administration would not be damaged by the measure.
"Where decisions are taken that are bad for women in developing countries we should help those women," he said. "It's not about the politics, it's about those women."

Philippines to review all mines as environmentalist takes helm

Philippines to review all mines as environmentalist takes ...

MANILA, July 1 (Reuters) - The Philippines will review all mines operating in the country, the new mining minister said on Friday, as the committed environmentalist vowed to determine whether the industry is hurting the Southeast Asian nation.
Regina Lopez's appointment to head the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, has sent shockwaves through the mining sector, which fears a nationwide crackdown.
"I'm not against the mining industry but I'm against suffering," Lopez told reporters on her first day in office as part of the administration of Rodrigo Duterte.
"I do want to evaluate if the country is safe from mining," she told a briefing where videos were aired showing environmental harm from mining along with testimonies from farmers and fishermen opposed to the industry. The minister said the review would take a month.
Her stance suggests a tough regulatory road ahead for Philippine miners, whose nickel ore producers are the biggest suppliers to China.
President Duterte has warned that he could cancel projects causing environmental harm, though he told business leaders last week that he was not against mining per se.

Canada oil pipeline spills 200,000 liters on aboriginal land

Canada oil pipeline spills 200,000 liters on aboriginal land

CALGARY, Alberta/TORONTO, Jan 23 (Reuters) - A pipeline in the western Canadian province of Saskatchewan has leaked 200,000 liters (52,834 gallons) of oil in an aboriginal community, the provincial government said on Monday.
The government was notified late in the afternoon on Friday, and 170,000 liters have since been recovered, said Doug McKnight, assistant deputy minister in the Ministry of the Economy, which regulates pipelines in Saskatchewan.
Oil pipelines are viewed by the oil-rich provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan as a critical lifeline to move crude to the coast, but they have drawn fierce opposition from environmental and indigenous groups.
The spill came seven months after another major incident in Saskatchewan, in which a Husky Energy Inc pipeline leaked 225,000 liters into a major river and cut off the drinking water supply for two cities.

Trump needs tech to achieve his vision. But Silicon Valley isn't having it | NEVER AGAIN

Trump needs tech to achieve his vision. But Silicon Valley isn't having it | Technology | The Guardian
The inaugural Tech Solidarity meeting in San Francisco helped produce the Never Again pledge, a public declaration by tech workers that they will refuse to build a database identifying people by race, religion, or national origin. The pledge went live on 13 December – the day before Silicon Valley’s top executives made the pilgrimage to Trump Tower to sit down for a summit with the president-elect.
The organizers of the pledge are keenly aware of their industry’s history. The Never Again site refers to IBM’s well-documented role in providing the punch-card machines that streamlined the Holocaust – a history the company has never fully acknowledged or apologized for. Which makes it all the more chilling that IBM has gone out of its way to court Trump since his victory.

NEVER AGAIN PLEDGE
http://neveragain.tech/

We, the undersigned, are employees of tech organizations and companies based in the United States.
We are engineers, designers, business executives, and others whose jobs include managing or processing data about people.
We are choosing to stand in solidarity with Muslim Americans, immigrants, and all people whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the incoming administration’s proposed data collection policies.
We refuse to build a database of people based on their Constitutionally - protected religious beliefs.
We refuse to facilitate mass deportations of people the government believes to be undesirable.

We have educated ourselves on the history of threats like these, and on the roles that technology and technologists played in carrying them out.
We see how IBM collaborated to digitize and streamline the Holocaust, contributing to the deaths of six million Jews and millions of others.
We recall the internment of Japanese Americans during the Second World War.
We recognize that mass deportations precipitated the very atrocity the word genocide was created to describe: the murder of 1.5 million Armenians in Turkey.
We acknowledge that genocides are not merely a relic of the distant past — among others, Tutsi, Rwandans and Bosnian Muslims have been victims in our lifetimes.

Today we stand together to say: not on our watch, and never again.
We commit to the following actions:

• We refuse to participate in the creation of databases of identifying information for the United States government to target individuals based on race, religion, or national origin.
  
  
• We will advocate within our organizations:
  
  • to minimize the collection and retention of data that would facilitate ethnic or religious targeting.
    
  • to scale back existing datasets with unnecessary racial, ethnic, and national origin data.
    
  • to responsibly destroy high-risk datasets and backups.
    
  • to implement security and privacy best practices, in particular, for end-to-end encryption  to be the default wherever possible.
    
  • to demand appropriate legal process should the government request that we turn over
    user data collected by our organization, even in small amounts.
    
• If we discover misuse of data that we consider illegal or unethical in our organizations:
  
  • We will work with our colleagues and leaders to correct it.
    
  • If we cannot stop these practices,
    we will exercise our rights and responsibilities to speak out publicly and engage in responsible whistleblowing without endangering users.
    
  • If we have the authority to do so, we will use all available legal defenses to stop these practices.
    
  • If we do not have such authority, and our organizations force us to engage in such misuse,
    we will resign from our positions rather than comply.
    
• We will raise awareness and ask critical questions about the responsible and fair use of data and algorithms beyond our organization and our industry.