Issues of the Council of Canadians

The document with this title, a link to which is given in the right hand column of this blog, will eventually need to be revised as the Council of Canadians changes direction with changing times. For now, it needs to be mentioned that two issues currently of great importance in the work of the Council of Canadians, particularly in Western Canada, are the tar sands and run-of-the-river projects. The tar sands development in Alberta and Saskatchewan is one of the worst man-made environmental disasters in history. It ties in with almost every active issue of the CoC. Run of the river hydro projects, prominent in BC, tie in mainly with trade, energy and water.

H2Oil A documentary about the Alberta tarsands

Victoria Premiere
Host: OPEN CINEMA
Type: Music/Arts - Opening
Date: Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Time: 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: Victoria Event Centre
Street: 1415 Broad Street Upstairs (elevator access) Doors at 5.30pm
City/Town: Victoria, BC

Is water more important than oil?

H2Oil follows a voyage of discovery, heartbreak and politicization in the stories of those attempting to defend water in Alberta against the expansion of the largest industrial project in human history: the tar sands. With hope and courage, this moving documentary tells the story of one of the most significant, and destructive projects of our time.

Loaded Pictures, Canada 2009

For more info and trailer visit http://www.h2oildoc.com

OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION
Will Horter (Executive Director, Dogwood Initiative), Drew Mildon (Aboriginal Rights Lawyer, Woodward & Co), Mel Bazil (Wet'suet'en Nation) via skype and moderator Chris Tollefson (University of Victoria Faculty of Law).

Sponsored by Dogwood Initiative and R.A.V.E.N.
http://www.dogwoodinitiative.org
http://www.woodwardandcompany.com

Water Watch Speaker: Tony Clarke on tar sands

Monday, February 1, 2010, 7 – 9 pm

Tony Clarke, Author and CoC activist

"Tar Sands Showdown: Canada and the New Politics of Oil in the Age of Climate Change"

First Metropolitan Church, 932 Balmoral Rd.

Cost: $10.00

Registration: earthliteracies@shaw.ca with paypal access, phone 250-220-4601 or 250-380-9786 http://www.livinglanguageinstitute.org/

Make cheques payable to Living Language Institute Foundation, PO Box 224, Saanichton, BC, V8M 2C3

Sponsors: First Metropolitan Church, Greater Victoria Water Watch Coalition, Programs in Earth Literacies

Official Statement on the 2010 Olympics

Written by Council of Canadians
Click here for full statement. Exerpt:
"As an organization focused on global justice we are especially concerned that the 2010 Olympics are providing a prime 'green‐washing' opportunity for corporations involved in the most egregious threats to the survival of humanity and the earth through their active participation in the privatization and commodification of water and massive environmental degradation exemplified by the exploitation of the tar sands... At a time of economic crisis when federal, provincial and municipal governments should focus on public projects that create a lasting positive social and economic foundation the 2010 Games appear set to leave a legacy of social and environmental destruction and massive debt that will hobble our ability to make positive change and respond to the serious challenges facing communities across the province and the country."

Torch Relay Protest

Above: Snakes in the Grass protesters wait for the Olympic torch at the Blue Bridge in Victoria, taking the opportunity to educate RCMP Constable Ross Wallace on the finer points of corporate bad behaviour.


On Friday, October 30, 2009, at the start of the Torch Relay in Victoria, snakesinthegrass.net staged two demonstrations against some of the worst sponsors of the Olympics and the overall outrageous spending on the relay at the expense of social services cuts. Early in the morning five hardy souls braved the cold and damp to be at the Blue Bridge when the torch was passed from one runner to the next and carried over the bridge. We were actually personally escorted to the other side of the entrance by Constable Wallace of the RCMP so that we would be better positioned when the torch arrived. (The above photo shows four of us just before we moved across the road.) The torch was an hour or two late in arriving, so we had lots of time to educate the RCMP and the media about our objections to various sponsors of the Olympics and our outrage at the $30 million cost of the torch relay, of which $20 million is taxpayer funded and the rest by mainly Coca Cola, notorious for unethical and criminal acts around the world, and RBC, the major financier of the Alberta tar sands, the most environmentally destructive mega-project on the planet.


Two vans full of cheerleaders passed by, the first loudly touting the virtues of Coke and the second singing the praises of RBC. Shouts of “SHAME!” and “BOO!” drowned them out as we waved and bobbed our protest signs right next to the vans. Here are some shots of a few of our signs.















As the torch carrier finally approached, the next runner engaged us in conversation, objecting to our negative view of many aspects of the Olympics. Naturally, he was completely oblivious to them and totally hyped about his role in the relay. At the passing of the flame from one torch to the next, we made a lot of noise and bobbed our signs up and down, attracting media attention and making it impossible for them to photograph the event without including us. All of this took place just a few feet away from the two relay runners.

In spite of a great deal of media attention, including multiple photographs, videos and interviews, our demonstration at the Blue Bridge was not reported on anywhere in the mainstream media, except for a few seconds of fame in a few of the local TV news reports.

In the afternoon we joined No2010 in “Five Ring Circus”, an anti-Olympics festival in Centennial Square at Victoria City Hall (see above). More of our protest signs are shown below.