The government was going to reduce the amount of wood allowed to be cut from Crown lands. Then the forest industry (I won't say Irving because they're not the only ones) started lobbying for more wood.
Read about it here. Apparently the forest hasn't been regenerating as quickly as the computer models predicted.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Sound Off
The forestry battle is on again - though it's so quiet, you can't hear it if you aren't listening closely.
I noticed in last Friday's edition of the Bugle (our local Irving-owned paper) that there was a press release dressed up as an editorial from a JDI spokesman. The spokesman was accusing David Coon of the Conservation Council of NB of manipulating the amount of wood that was cut from Crown Land last year.
I don't know enough about the documents to weigh in, but the Irving attack dog was clearly trying to put conservationists on the defensive, with the old line that we need to cut as many trees as possible in order to keep people working. Omitted from this line of reasoning is that NB employs steadily less and less people working ''in the woods" because of large forest-clearing machines favoured by companies such as JDI.
In the same edition of the paper (which isn't online so I can't link to it!), Jean Arnold of the Falls Brook Centre cited government figures that the Province of New Brunswick actually lost money on Crown Lands last year, by compensating companies for wood they were not allowed to cut. That's right, our largest collective resource actually cost the taxpayers money.
There is a constant conflict over Crown Land in New Brunswick - about which companies get to cut it, and how much, and for what price. And most of what really goes on is never fully explained - the story is told in cancelled press conferences, recommendations on 'wood supply' and commissions whose reports may never be implemented.
Here is a story from the Telegraph Journal (which this morning was trying to change the channel on the repeated calls for a shale gas moratorium, and instead encourage the peasants of NB to think about the royalties our government will get) about the debate over forestry in Millinocket, Maine.
People there are debating about whether to take land formerly used for logging and convert it to a national park. The thinking from the conservation side is that eco-tourism could potentially be a bigger economic boost than continuing to try your luck in the race-to-the-bottom of the global wood industry.
I noticed in last Friday's edition of the Bugle (our local Irving-owned paper) that there was a press release dressed up as an editorial from a JDI spokesman. The spokesman was accusing David Coon of the Conservation Council of NB of manipulating the amount of wood that was cut from Crown Land last year.
I don't know enough about the documents to weigh in, but the Irving attack dog was clearly trying to put conservationists on the defensive, with the old line that we need to cut as many trees as possible in order to keep people working. Omitted from this line of reasoning is that NB employs steadily less and less people working ''in the woods" because of large forest-clearing machines favoured by companies such as JDI.
In the same edition of the paper (which isn't online so I can't link to it!), Jean Arnold of the Falls Brook Centre cited government figures that the Province of New Brunswick actually lost money on Crown Lands last year, by compensating companies for wood they were not allowed to cut. That's right, our largest collective resource actually cost the taxpayers money.
There is a constant conflict over Crown Land in New Brunswick - about which companies get to cut it, and how much, and for what price. And most of what really goes on is never fully explained - the story is told in cancelled press conferences, recommendations on 'wood supply' and commissions whose reports may never be implemented.
Here is a story from the Telegraph Journal (which this morning was trying to change the channel on the repeated calls for a shale gas moratorium, and instead encourage the peasants of NB to think about the royalties our government will get) about the debate over forestry in Millinocket, Maine.
People there are debating about whether to take land formerly used for logging and convert it to a national park. The thinking from the conservation side is that eco-tourism could potentially be a bigger economic boost than continuing to try your luck in the race-to-the-bottom of the global wood industry.
Signed, sealed, delivered
I have mixed feelings about unions, probably because I hate beauraucracy and unnecessary rules with a passion. However, I think in general that unions are a big step forward for workers, who used to be bullied into taking whatever they could get for wages and forced into working in unsafe conditions. Lots of people seem to be of the opinion that the Canada Post workers, who are getting legislated back to work soon, are 'lazy' and 'spoiled.'
Like many, I have never enjoyed the (lack of) service that I have received from Canada Post. They've lost some things I shipped and are generally slower than slow. The Canada Post Corporation has been trying to take away the mailboxes of rural Canadians (claiming they are unsafe) and my parents had a particularly frustrating time dealing with an unnecessary change to their postal code - at an address they have lived at for more than 25 years.
This being said, I find the whole strike/lock-out and accompanying public debate is really missing the point. Whether letter carriers for Canada Post get paid x amount or work x amount of hours is a sideshow compared to the fact that Stephen Harper and his majority government are about to eliminate the right to collective bargaining in this case.
I never really understood what was going on until I read this column. Imagine the government being involved in your wage negotiations with your boss, and then telling you you must accept less than what your boss offered to begin with. Read the comments too, if you're inclined. Very interesting stuff.
Like many, I have never enjoyed the (lack of) service that I have received from Canada Post. They've lost some things I shipped and are generally slower than slow. The Canada Post Corporation has been trying to take away the mailboxes of rural Canadians (claiming they are unsafe) and my parents had a particularly frustrating time dealing with an unnecessary change to their postal code - at an address they have lived at for more than 25 years.
This being said, I find the whole strike/lock-out and accompanying public debate is really missing the point. Whether letter carriers for Canada Post get paid x amount or work x amount of hours is a sideshow compared to the fact that Stephen Harper and his majority government are about to eliminate the right to collective bargaining in this case.
I never really understood what was going on until I read this column. Imagine the government being involved in your wage negotiations with your boss, and then telling you you must accept less than what your boss offered to begin with. Read the comments too, if you're inclined. Very interesting stuff.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Fail again and fail better
My sister loves Tavis Smiley - and I love this video. Tavis is right, that failure is unavoidable, and it makes us who we are today. I think this is a message young people need to hear, and a message our school system ought to think long and hard about. I read once that nobody in Silicon Valley takes you seriously until you've had at least three failed businesses - by then you might know what you're doing.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Tarring us all with the same brush
I couldn't believe my ears this morning when I found out that the Vancouver Police Chief has described the Stanley Cup rioters as "anarchists and criminals who appeared to be the same people involved in the pre-Olympic demonstrations and noted police saw many equipped with goggles, gasoline and other tools to create damage."
It is incomprehensible to me that the police chief would associate these drunken, testosterone crazed young men with people who had legitimate grounds to protest the Olympics. Protesting a decision to displace poor people and spend billions of dollars on militarizing the city of Vancouver is not the same as trashing a police car because your team lost the final hockey game of the season.
So far, the charges stemming from the Vancouver riot include: 101 arrests, with 85 charged with breach of the peace, eight charged with public intoxication and eight charged with Criminal Code offences including theft, mischief, assault with a weapon and breaking and entering.
I have been to legitimate political protests. As I wrote here, I think protest has a very legitimate place at the heart of our democracy.
When police shut down a hockey riot and then attempt to confuse the public by stating that hockey rioters are 'the same no-good types' as G20 protesters and anti-Olympic demonstrators, they are attempting to dis-empower people and manipulate honest, law-abiding people into viewing all protests as events 'like those hocket riots in Vancouver." What this does is de-legitimize protests, leaving people to conclude that all protesters are 'thugs', and that mass demonstrations are 'dangerous.'
The other reason I find this offensive is that many of the hockey rioters are obviously white and middle-class. The story of the privileged athlete lighting the police car on fire is one easy example. But, as one commenter on this newspaper story pointed out, anarchists don't buy $150 trademarked NHL jerseys.
Then when the police chief comments, he doesn't (accurately) point out that the people arrested were mainly middle-class kids who probably don't even know who the current leader of the Liberal Party is. Instead, he tars them with the 'anarchist' tag, implying that rioters are probably lower-class rabble who don't deserve Charter rights anyway.
Take for example a group of cyclists arrested during the Toronto G-20 protests. As you read this, ask yourself if hockey rioters were treated this way:
About 80 people were detained and some were seen being strip-searched in front of Parkdale Community Legal Services on Queen Street West. About 40 of them had been preparing to board a bus bound for Quebec when the police surrounded them, freelance journalist Rebecca Granofvsky-Larsen told CBC News.
The police even arrested people for having a peaceful pro-cycling demonstration.
Over the weekend, I attended the Richard Olmstead Sustainable Living Tradeshow here in Woodstock. The keynote speaker was David Coon of the Conservation Council of NB. He spoke about whether it was possible to live 'sustainably' in a world that is ecologically unsustainable.
The crux of his speech was that meaningful change can only be achieved through politics, and that our democracy is in a sorry, sorry state at present. Looking at the lack of initiative shown by our current local, provincial and national governments, I am inclined to agree with him that we have to get our politics re-assembled into something functional before we can fix our problems.
The difficulty with this is that some people benefit from a broken system, and I think we need to challenge statements like "people who were part of the Vancouver hockey riot are the same as anarchists and anti-Olympic demonstrators." In addition to being factually incorrect, statements like these lead to a further erosion of the democratic rights and process that so desperately needs revitalizing.
It is incomprehensible to me that the police chief would associate these drunken, testosterone crazed young men with people who had legitimate grounds to protest the Olympics. Protesting a decision to displace poor people and spend billions of dollars on militarizing the city of Vancouver is not the same as trashing a police car because your team lost the final hockey game of the season.
So far, the charges stemming from the Vancouver riot include: 101 arrests, with 85 charged with breach of the peace, eight charged with public intoxication and eight charged with Criminal Code offences including theft, mischief, assault with a weapon and breaking and entering.
I have been to legitimate political protests. As I wrote here, I think protest has a very legitimate place at the heart of our democracy.
When police shut down a hockey riot and then attempt to confuse the public by stating that hockey rioters are 'the same no-good types' as G20 protesters and anti-Olympic demonstrators, they are attempting to dis-empower people and manipulate honest, law-abiding people into viewing all protests as events 'like those hocket riots in Vancouver." What this does is de-legitimize protests, leaving people to conclude that all protesters are 'thugs', and that mass demonstrations are 'dangerous.'
The other reason I find this offensive is that many of the hockey rioters are obviously white and middle-class. The story of the privileged athlete lighting the police car on fire is one easy example. But, as one commenter on this newspaper story pointed out, anarchists don't buy $150 trademarked NHL jerseys.
Then when the police chief comments, he doesn't (accurately) point out that the people arrested were mainly middle-class kids who probably don't even know who the current leader of the Liberal Party is. Instead, he tars them with the 'anarchist' tag, implying that rioters are probably lower-class rabble who don't deserve Charter rights anyway.
Take for example a group of cyclists arrested during the Toronto G-20 protests. As you read this, ask yourself if hockey rioters were treated this way:
About 80 people were detained and some were seen being strip-searched in front of Parkdale Community Legal Services on Queen Street West. About 40 of them had been preparing to board a bus bound for Quebec when the police surrounded them, freelance journalist Rebecca Granofvsky-Larsen told CBC News.
The police even arrested people for having a peaceful pro-cycling demonstration.
Over the weekend, I attended the Richard Olmstead Sustainable Living Tradeshow here in Woodstock. The keynote speaker was David Coon of the Conservation Council of NB. He spoke about whether it was possible to live 'sustainably' in a world that is ecologically unsustainable.
The crux of his speech was that meaningful change can only be achieved through politics, and that our democracy is in a sorry, sorry state at present. Looking at the lack of initiative shown by our current local, provincial and national governments, I am inclined to agree with him that we have to get our politics re-assembled into something functional before we can fix our problems.
The difficulty with this is that some people benefit from a broken system, and I think we need to challenge statements like "people who were part of the Vancouver hockey riot are the same as anarchists and anti-Olympic demonstrators." In addition to being factually incorrect, statements like these lead to a further erosion of the democratic rights and process that so desperately needs revitalizing.
Coming Soon
A post about the differences between last summer's G-8 protest in Toronto (which resulted in the larges mass arrests in Canadian history), and last week's hockey riot in Vancouver is in the making.
Here's last summer's post if you want to read it. Feel free to post comments in advance. Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there.
Here's last summer's post if you want to read it. Feel free to post comments in advance. Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
A word, please
Lately I am getting a bit bored with the internet. Or rather, with my stale internet habits - always visiting the same websites, too much facebook, not reading enough insightful-type stuff. I realize the internet is an infinite wealth of information; however, it can also be a giant conflagration of spam, robo-sites, uninvited pornography and other such things. It's a little tiresome sometimes, when all you really want is to read something interesting.
So, lately, I've begun a slow return to print media. For those of you under 25, print media includes newspapers, magazines and other physically printed items such as books. Now, I never left books - that's probably going to the biggest love of my life, but magazines and newspapers are making a serious comeback in my household.
Right now on the kitchen table we have the Dominion - a cooperative grassroots newspaper that tells the stories the corporate media won't, the Walrus, Canada's most award winning magazine (think New Yorker, but Canadian), and my personal favourite, Maisonneuve. Check out these publications - they are great.
There's also an issue of Scientific American kicking around here somewhere, but I haven't gotten around to that one yet.
Mostly, I like that these magazines are written - by a real, thinking person with some devotion to the crafts of interviewing, thinking and writing, and that they are edited - allowing for the removal of sloppy thinking and needless words. You also get to read about things beyond "Osama Bin Laden is dead" or the latest Harper scare tactics (and subsequent Liberal bumbling). This I also like.
Finally, I like getting into bed with my magazine, away from the glowing screen that seems to suck as much time as I will give it. I like putting it down when I've had enough and being able to find my place quickly and easily the next day. But most of all, I like that the magazine contains stories I didn't go looking for - such as painted portraits of every Canadian killed in Afghanistan, or an article about Canada's newest sketch comedy group, now famous on the internet.
It's interesting stuff, it's made in my neighbourhood, relatively speaking, and it doesn't require pushing buttons or a screen. Sign me up.
So, lately, I've begun a slow return to print media. For those of you under 25, print media includes newspapers, magazines and other physically printed items such as books. Now, I never left books - that's probably going to the biggest love of my life, but magazines and newspapers are making a serious comeback in my household.
Right now on the kitchen table we have the Dominion - a cooperative grassroots newspaper that tells the stories the corporate media won't, the Walrus, Canada's most award winning magazine (think New Yorker, but Canadian), and my personal favourite, Maisonneuve. Check out these publications - they are great.
There's also an issue of Scientific American kicking around here somewhere, but I haven't gotten around to that one yet.
Mostly, I like that these magazines are written - by a real, thinking person with some devotion to the crafts of interviewing, thinking and writing, and that they are edited - allowing for the removal of sloppy thinking and needless words. You also get to read about things beyond "Osama Bin Laden is dead" or the latest Harper scare tactics (and subsequent Liberal bumbling). This I also like.
Finally, I like getting into bed with my magazine, away from the glowing screen that seems to suck as much time as I will give it. I like putting it down when I've had enough and being able to find my place quickly and easily the next day. But most of all, I like that the magazine contains stories I didn't go looking for - such as painted portraits of every Canadian killed in Afghanistan, or an article about Canada's newest sketch comedy group, now famous on the internet.
It's interesting stuff, it's made in my neighbourhood, relatively speaking, and it doesn't require pushing buttons or a screen. Sign me up.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
An honest day's work
When RiVA and the Dooryard Arts Festival first got started, one of the things I was trying to do was create an economic 'node' for the arts in Carleton County.
Sounds fancy, but basically I was looking for ways for artists/musicians/craftspeople to do their work and get paid for it. This may seem obvious but if you work in the arts, you know it isn't. Requests such as "Could you play for free? It's a fundraiser," or "We're asking artists to donate a piece of their work," are more common than you might realize.
When you have an entire sector of the economy that works but don't get paid, this is a problem. First of all, it creates inequalities - people whose work is not valued are more likely to a.) become bitter b.) stop doing that work or b.) move elsewhere. It also sends the message that the things these people do is a 'hobby' which literally has no value.
In Carleton County, where we have a small economy to begin with, leaving people out only gives us less leverage with larger economies such as Fredericton, Halifax, Montreal etc.. We need more people contributing - not just so money changes hands but so those people have some measure of economic security.
But even as I have my arts axe to grind, I think that the issue of working and getting paid is becoming more and more of a sticking point for everyone in the workforce. I know people who have gone from working in IT to working in the trades. The IT worker gets paid by the hour, regardless of productivity. The tradesman gets paid by the project, regardless of how many hours it takes to do the job properly - and that time is always underestimated.
Looking at the Canada Post and Air Canada strikes, it seems that nobody wants to pay anybody a living wage, which is what I'm really trying to get at here: people are raised into debt but good jobs are disappearing.
In many cases, young men and women graduate high school, get a student loan, are forced to buy a car (at least in the Maritimes) attempt to buy a house and then all of a sudden, look around for a job that will pay for these things. And those jobs are disappearing.
Real incomes have been in decline for 30 years and the rich and poor are way farther apart than you think. Check out this graph from a great Mother Jones magazine article you should read.
This morning I read an article about "zombie consumers" - how people are dangerously financially over-extended, yet government wants to find a way to get us spending again. I don't see how this is possible - they can't borrow any more money, and it's unlikely they have a job which supports their spending habits.
Ultimately, I guess this is what capitalism means - in order to create profits, some work must be undervalued, and in order for the economy to "grow," some things must remain cheap (ie. oil, foreign labour).
Will we ever get past this to an economy which values putting people to work, building societies instead of fragmenting them? In real terms, what would that even look like? Sometimes I think the biggest challenge in all this is just to see it in our mind's eye. If we can't imagine it, how will we ever get there?
Sounds fancy, but basically I was looking for ways for artists/musicians/craftspeople to do their work and get paid for it. This may seem obvious but if you work in the arts, you know it isn't. Requests such as "Could you play for free? It's a fundraiser," or "We're asking artists to donate a piece of their work," are more common than you might realize.
When you have an entire sector of the economy that works but don't get paid, this is a problem. First of all, it creates inequalities - people whose work is not valued are more likely to a.) become bitter b.) stop doing that work or b.) move elsewhere. It also sends the message that the things these people do is a 'hobby' which literally has no value.
In Carleton County, where we have a small economy to begin with, leaving people out only gives us less leverage with larger economies such as Fredericton, Halifax, Montreal etc.. We need more people contributing - not just so money changes hands but so those people have some measure of economic security.
But even as I have my arts axe to grind, I think that the issue of working and getting paid is becoming more and more of a sticking point for everyone in the workforce. I know people who have gone from working in IT to working in the trades. The IT worker gets paid by the hour, regardless of productivity. The tradesman gets paid by the project, regardless of how many hours it takes to do the job properly - and that time is always underestimated.
Looking at the Canada Post and Air Canada strikes, it seems that nobody wants to pay anybody a living wage, which is what I'm really trying to get at here: people are raised into debt but good jobs are disappearing.
In many cases, young men and women graduate high school, get a student loan, are forced to buy a car (at least in the Maritimes) attempt to buy a house and then all of a sudden, look around for a job that will pay for these things. And those jobs are disappearing.
Real incomes have been in decline for 30 years and the rich and poor are way farther apart than you think. Check out this graph from a great Mother Jones magazine article you should read.
This morning I read an article about "zombie consumers" - how people are dangerously financially over-extended, yet government wants to find a way to get us spending again. I don't see how this is possible - they can't borrow any more money, and it's unlikely they have a job which supports their spending habits.
Ultimately, I guess this is what capitalism means - in order to create profits, some work must be undervalued, and in order for the economy to "grow," some things must remain cheap (ie. oil, foreign labour).
Will we ever get past this to an economy which values putting people to work, building societies instead of fragmenting them? In real terms, what would that even look like? Sometimes I think the biggest challenge in all this is just to see it in our mind's eye. If we can't imagine it, how will we ever get there?
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Planting the seeds
My sister Tracy and I have a lot of projects on the go. Her cd is in the finally final stages now, with photographs and graphics being gathered, mastering nearly complete and liner notes written. She hopes to have it in hand by July 1st - this 'baby' is getting a little overdue.
Tracy and I also work together, teaching piano, voice and guitar lessons. Now we are re-vamping our business as "The Centre for Culture and Creativity" - a place where people of all ages can go to develop their artistic and creative skills. We will be offering a youth theatre program, Music for Young Childen, and are very excited to welcome three additional instructors - Laurel Green (visual arts), Jens Jeppesen (advanced guitar) and Nickolas Lawson (playwrighting and acting).
Our eventual goal is to have a building dedicated to 'everything arts.' We see the tremendous talent in the children of Carleton County - they are expressive, and they deserve creative and cultural opportunities.
These additional programs will mean a few changes for our house - sealing off the studio from the rest of the house, getting a new piano (hurray!!), knocking out the leaky chimney and updating the bathroom. Between this, the garden and a few gigs, this will keep me busy over the summer months.
It is so exciting to be planting a new generation of seeds. I can only imagine what kind of harvest we will reap in the years to come.
Tracy and I also work together, teaching piano, voice and guitar lessons. Now we are re-vamping our business as "The Centre for Culture and Creativity" - a place where people of all ages can go to develop their artistic and creative skills. We will be offering a youth theatre program, Music for Young Childen, and are very excited to welcome three additional instructors - Laurel Green (visual arts), Jens Jeppesen (advanced guitar) and Nickolas Lawson (playwrighting and acting).
Our eventual goal is to have a building dedicated to 'everything arts.' We see the tremendous talent in the children of Carleton County - they are expressive, and they deserve creative and cultural opportunities.
These additional programs will mean a few changes for our house - sealing off the studio from the rest of the house, getting a new piano (hurray!!), knocking out the leaky chimney and updating the bathroom. Between this, the garden and a few gigs, this will keep me busy over the summer months.
It is so exciting to be planting a new generation of seeds. I can only imagine what kind of harvest we will reap in the years to come.
Friday, June 03, 2011
Sabbatical: Month 3
Lots of people have been asking what I'm up to. Not the sabbatical per se, that's too much to get into in a small-talk conversation, but more likely because I am not out in public like I used to be. I feel like I am being very greedy with my private time, it's true, but I am also a lot more focused on being home.
The past few summers have been absolutely consumed with organizing. Looking back on it now, I can't fathom how we did it. The first Dooryard Festival was a massive and almost impossible undertaking - we spent the days on emails and telephone calls and the evenings trying to avoid our despair. But luckily, we made it, and now it's well on its way to the best incarnation yet.
So, this spring - wet though it has been - I have been at home, organizing our music teaching business for spring concerts (June 14 and 15th), digging weeds, planting food, visiting my folks, dreaming, reading, practicing the accordion, accompanying fabulous choirs, and generally thinking about the next phase of life. It's good.
It's amazing how quickly life blurs past while plans are always being made. I felt lost in the busy-ness lately and now that I have taken some time to hear the inner voice again I can see that I feel very compelled to live a simple life, full of real food, family, projects, friends and conversation. I am really relishing privacy (as much as one can have in a small town) and being on my own schedule during non-work time.
It also feels good to finally give my (our) home its due. I have lived in this house for seven years now and it needs some love - landscaping, insulation, bathroom and kitchen updates. Not only for appearance sake but also to make it truly serve our needs and embody our artistic ambitions and philosophy about life. So as we approach the chimney-removal project and the seeds start to sprout, I am thankful for the tasks at hand.
The past few summers have been absolutely consumed with organizing. Looking back on it now, I can't fathom how we did it. The first Dooryard Festival was a massive and almost impossible undertaking - we spent the days on emails and telephone calls and the evenings trying to avoid our despair. But luckily, we made it, and now it's well on its way to the best incarnation yet.
So, this spring - wet though it has been - I have been at home, organizing our music teaching business for spring concerts (June 14 and 15th), digging weeds, planting food, visiting my folks, dreaming, reading, practicing the accordion, accompanying fabulous choirs, and generally thinking about the next phase of life. It's good.
It's amazing how quickly life blurs past while plans are always being made. I felt lost in the busy-ness lately and now that I have taken some time to hear the inner voice again I can see that I feel very compelled to live a simple life, full of real food, family, projects, friends and conversation. I am really relishing privacy (as much as one can have in a small town) and being on my own schedule during non-work time.
It also feels good to finally give my (our) home its due. I have lived in this house for seven years now and it needs some love - landscaping, insulation, bathroom and kitchen updates. Not only for appearance sake but also to make it truly serve our needs and embody our artistic ambitions and philosophy about life. So as we approach the chimney-removal project and the seeds start to sprout, I am thankful for the tasks at hand.
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