September 2008

BURNABY, B.C. - Liberal Leader Stephane Dion urged Canadians to take a long-term view that Canada must reduce energy consumption as he campaigned for his carbon tax Friday against a backdrop of soaring gas prices and an onslaught of Conservative attacks on the Green Shift, the centrepiece of his election platform.

Fire tore through the Ottawa office building that houses several national co-op organizations, incuding the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) and the Conseil Canadien de la Coopération (CCC), in the early hours of September 15.

No one was injured in the blaze that caused an estimated four million dollars in damage to the building. However, first indications from the Fire Department suggest arson as the cause.

The offices will remain closed until cleared by the authorities.

You should have a better eating experience when you choose B.C. tree fruits at the market, now that there’s only one co-operative packing and shipping fruit.

Growers elected the first board of directors for the new Okanagan Tree Fruit Co-operative Thursday in Penticton, after voting earlier this year in favour of amalgamation of the four packinghouses in the valley.

Participants for two online surveys about the social economy are being sought by their organizers.

The first survey is connected to a BALTA mapping project of the social economy in BC and Alberta. An overview of the early results can be found here, and those wanting to take part in the survey should follow this link.

The second survey requires participants who are practitioners in the co-op, CED, and non-profit sectors, and relates to a Master of Arts program under development at the University of Victoria. Input is being sought from those already in the field to help shape the design and objectives of the future program. To complete this survey, please visit this link.

BEAUSEJOUR -- A group of Beausejour-area grain producers is planning to build a biodiesel plant that uses canola oil, to take control of its fuel needs from big oil producers and help reduce farming's carbon imprint on the environment. "We have no security against market fluctuations because we depend on large corporations for diesel fuel. The cost of fuel goes up quickly but comes down slowly. In the future there may not even be a reliable source of diesel fuel," says Hans Muster, who farms near Beausejour.

As foreclosure rates rise to new heights, Mary Rhodes is counting her blessings.

The Rankin County School District bus driver recently moved with her 17-year-old son into a new home in Morton.

"The Lord led me to this," she said about the three-bedroom, two-bath house she closed on in June. "It was move-in ready. All I had to do was paint." 

The Cowichan Lake Community Forest Cooperative is interested in acquiring the proposed business park at the old Youbou millsite, as well as managing the proposed marina and boat ramp.

Pending rezoning approval, a spokesman for the owners of the property, Thomas Kreilein, said he’s interested in the idea.

Lorne Scheffer, chairman of the Forest Co-op, wrote to Kreilein saying he believes it’s an excellent opportunity for the Forest Co-op. In a telephone interview, Scheffer said this would come under the Forest Co-op’s mandate to create jobs.

The Venables Valley Producers Co-op and the Seton Lake Indian Band were recipients of federal grants that were announced in Ashcroft last week.

The Producers Co-op received $25,200 to conduct a feasibility study for a facility to compost pine-beetle killed trees, while the Seton Lake Indian Band received $99,000 to develop an economic plan and two feasibility studies to strengthen the local economy, thanks to an investment by the Government of Canada, through Western Economic Diversification Canada.

The fair trade certified coffee market is not only fairer to farmers than the conventional coffee market, it is a uniquely remarkable way to stimulate economic growth in some of the poorest communities on the Earth.

My perspective is in direct contrast to an opinion column by Gene Callahan that appeared on this page Aug. 14.