Planet Haliburton

Never-ending economic growth on a finite planet is unsustainable and sooner or later will put humankind on a collision course with environmental realities. However, despite clear evidence that we are undermining crucial ecological systems that support all life on earth, virtually all our economic and political leaders keep promoting policies and practices that demand more and more from a biosphere already in crisis.

There’s a growing scientific consensus that earth has exited from the “Holocene” geological epoch ushered in by the end of the last ice age 11,700 years ago and entered into a brave new world called “The Anthropocene” – or “time of humans”.

Donald Trump as a candidate for President of the United States took aim at international trade deals like the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as being bad deals for America that facilitated the contracting out of millions of American manufacturing jobs.

Now as President, Trump has given the notice required to reopen the agreement and the clock is counting down on formal renegotiation discussions.

The Council of Canadians has consistently argued that NAFTA and other so-called free trade agreements are more about the expansion of corporate rights at the expense of worker rights and protecting the environment. Maude Barlow, as chair of the Council of Canadians, has been calling on the Trudeau government to go after some major changes to the agreement and not to just play defence.

Show Notes: https://canoefm.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/PH-Resource-List-for-July-10-2017-Show-with-Maude-Barlow.pdf</p>;

Canadians are the largest per capita producers of garbage in the industrialized world and recycling rates in Ontario haven’t increased beyond 25 percent diversion levels for over 10 years. As a visit to any landfill or transfer station will confirm, we’re being buried in our own waste.

Dianne Saxe, had a distinguished, award-winning 40-year career practising public, private and non-profit environmental law before becoming Ontario’s third Environmental Commissioner since the office was created in 1993. Commissioner Saxe will be visiting Haliburton County at the invitation of Environment Haliburton! (EH!) on July 6th to give a public presentation on “Facing The Climate Crisis” at the Minden Community Centre, beginning at 7pm.

Join co-hosts Greg Roe and Terry Moore for a discussion on how the increasing awareness of the relationship between septic systems and algae-causing phosphorus pollution of Haliburton Lakes has got Township Councils across Haliburton County moving toward some form of mandatory septic system inspection.

Join co-hosts Greg Roe and Terry Moore for conversation with Brad Cundiff of the Ontario Clean Air Alliance about the key drivers behind the huge increases in electrical costs across Ontario. Contrary to mainstream commentary, which often erronously points the finger at renewable energy contracts, past nuclear debt and the future retrofitting of aging nuclear reactors are the key reasons costs keep rising. Shutting down nuclear reactors would not only be great for the environment, says Cundiff, it’s the most sensible economic choice given the huge amount of very cheap surplus hydro-electric power available from Quebec.

Ever wonder about the ecological impact of industrial agriculture? How about the energy and other inputs going into the industrial livestock industry as well as the massive and growing levels of organic waste and greenhouse gas emissions generated in the process?

Join hosts Terry Moore and Greg Roe for a conversation with Paul MacInnes, chair of the Coalition of Haliburton Property Owners Associations (CHA) about the CHA’s 4-year “Love Your Lake” Healthy Shorelines Project. With 47 lakes and over 800km of shoreline assessed to date, the interim results show that natural shorelines have been taking a beating all across the County. The good news is that denaturalized shorelines can be restored to play their role in protecting the lake waters.

Join hosts Terry Moore and Greg Roe for a conversation with University of Alberta Political Economy Professor, Gord Laxer, about his 2015 best-selling book “After the Sands: Energy and Ecological Security for Canadians.