Thorough assessment of the insanity of oil. #idlenomore #enbridge

Corporate media has blocked the biggest story

The Elephant in the Room: Climate Change | Group Think | BillMoyers.com: "The science is clear and unambiguous: climate change is real; it’s caused by humans burning fossil fuels; and it’s at or near an irreversible catastrophic tipping point.

But you wouldn’t know any of this if you’re getting your news from the corporate media."

Idle No More: Chief Theresa Spence's hunger speaks to all of us | rabble.ca

Idle No More: Chief Theresa Spence's hunger speaks to all of us | rabble.ca: "The greatest blessing of all, however, is indigenous sovereignty itself. It is the huge stretches of this country that have never been ceded by war or treaty. It is the treaties signed and still recognized by our courts. If Canadians have a chance of stopping Mr. Harper's planet-trashing plans, it will be because these legally binding rights -- backed up by mass movements, court challenges, and direct action will stand in his way. All Canadians should offer our deepest thanks that our indigenous brothers and sisters have protected their land rights for all these generations, refusing to turn them into one-off payments, no matter how badly they were needed. These are the rights Mr. Harper is trying to extinguish now."

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Canada Leaves Kyoto Protocol, Lets China Buy Into Oil Sands | Environment News Service

Canada Leaves Kyoto Protocol, Lets China Buy Into Oil Sands | Environment News Service: "In another move that critics warn will destroy Canadian environmental protections for future generations, the Harper Government has approved the C$15.1-billion sale of Nexen, an oil and gas company based in Alberta, to the state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation, CNOOC, the third-largest national oil company in China."

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Public transit fares are inefficient

Dialogue with an Advocate and Former COPE Vancouver City Councillor: "Raising transit revenue though fare collection is a most inefficient way to raise revenue. For each fare dollar collected, a full 10 cents is spent collecting or accounting for that dollar — ticket dispensers, police, and now turnstiles. Buses spend a significant portion of time at a stand-still, especially during peak hours, as drivers collect fares and check identification. Translink pays for this wasted time in drivers’ salaries and other costs, while passengers are delayed in reaching their homes and workplaces. These costs, which economists call “friction costs,” make fare collection one of the most inefficient forms of raising revenue."

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Car sharing and #publictransit - #transition solution

Regina Car Share Co-operative: "The Regina Car Share Co-operative provides a convenient and affordable alternative to owning a car. Carsharing gives you access to vehicles when you need them, without the responsibilities that ownership can bring."

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Tar Sands Pipeline Risks Too Great, Canadian Unions Say | Labor Notes

Tar Sands Pipeline Risks Too Great, Canadian Unions Say | Labor Notes: "The U.S. presidential election has held up a decision on the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, but in Canada, unions have joined environmentalists to battle another export pipeline—this one headed for the pristine west coast of Canada."

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First Nation Draws a Line in the Tarsands « Father Theo's Blog

First Nation Draws a Line in the Tarsands « Father Theo's Blog: "Yesterday in Fort McMurray, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation drew a line in the tarsands and said, “That’s enough!”  Shell Oil expansion of their Jackpine Mine project was threatening yet more of their territories, and they weren’t having any of it."

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National Transit Strategy (Canada needs one)

National Transit Strategy: "The economic benefits directly resulting from Canada’s public transit systems are over $10 billion annually.

Positive impacts of public transit on vehicle operating costs, collision costs, air pollution and improved respiratory health alone are valued at $7.71 billion annually.

National ridership reached an all-time high of 1.83 billion trips in 2009, after rising more than 14% over 5 year."

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OpEdNews - Article: Nationalize the Fossil Fuel Industry

OpEdNews - Article: Nationalize the Fossil Fuel Industry: "The predictions of the climate scientists about global heating have been coming true.   Already we have seen droughts, floods, rampant wildfires, shorter winters, insect infestations, dying fish, dying polar bears, melting glaciers, permafrost destruction, crop failures, climate refugees, and species destruction. The only thing the scientists have gotten wrong so far is the timetable.   All of the model predictions have been underestimates."

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More provincial money needed for transit, group says

More provincial money needed for transit, group says: "EDMONTON - Edmonton’s transit use is growing but it will need the province’s support to develop the system to its full potential, says the head of the Canadian Urban Transit Association.
Michael Roschleau presented his organization’s Transit Vision 2040 to city councillors Tuesday, asking them to commit to a goal of 120 rides per capita by the year 2040. The vision also calls on cities to put transit at the centre of new developments, expand regional transit, and focus on excellent customer service and financial health."

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Parking: An endangered species for downtown dwellers? - The Globe and Mail

Parking: An endangered species for downtown dwellers? - The Globe and Mail: "“Cars in the future will be reserved for very wealthy people. So, in fact, what may happen is that parking stalls may become superfluous because people can’t afford to drive, or won’t drive.”"

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As if #tarsands were not enough, now arctic to be polluted by oil industry

m.guardian.co.uk: "Melting ice caps, the influx of trawlers and tourists, and Shell's £4bn investment to drill for fossil fuels in the Chukchi Sea all raise fears"

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Ecology Bubble Bursts

Ecology Bubble Bursts: "Global ecology, the biggest bubble of all, is now collapsing and will soon burst. Voracious economic and human growth have raged for three centuries upon the back of dismantling ecosystems globally. Humanity’s economic outputs have been over-valued relative to the ecologically mediated resources incautiously razed for their production. Earth’s carrying capacity – meaning ecology’s finite ability to provide ecosystem services and absorb pollution – has been surpassed. Having grown beyond what Earth can bear, the human family is said to be in “overshoot”, which can only lead to collapse."

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For today’s youth, cars no longer represent freedom - Technology - Macleans.ca

For today’s youth, cars no longer represent freedom - Technology - Macleans.ca: "She’s one of a growing number of younger people who shrug their shoulders at the idea of getting a driver’s licence, leaving car companies fretting and older generations perplexed."

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Transit Not Tankers Petition | Wilderness Committee

Transit Not Tankers Petition | Wilderness Committee: "Automobiles are the number one source of climate changing pollution in BC and across Canada. And currently, the Canadian government spends more than three times as much on highways than on all other forms of ground transportation combined.

Investing in public transit and passenger rail is not only good for the environment, but it also ensures that alternatives are available for everyone — rich and poor. Public transit investment creates three times as many jobs per dollar than building highways."

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If peak oil has peaked, why the race for gas? Asians pumping billions into Canada gas, not even sure it will be allowed to pipe through BC

The Race for Energy Resources Just Got Hotter  |  Peak Oil News and Message Boards: "That level of demand from a part of the world fairly short on supply means high prices. LNG in Asia is currently worth between $17 and $18 per million British Thermal Units (MMBtu) – six to seven times the price of natural gas in North America."

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++ Go Evergreen! ++: Canadian Urban Transit Association Launches Campaign to Raise the Importance of Investing in Public Transit

++ Go Evergreen! ++: Canadian Urban Transit Association Launches Campaign to Raise the Importance of Investing in Public Transit: "TORONTO, July 6, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) announced today the launch of its summer-long online campaign to underscore the importance of making public transit a central pillar of the next Long-Term Infrastructure Plan.

"Take Action! Write to the Minister" is a grassroots advocacy campaign rallying CUTA members and the public to voice their support and call on the federal government to increase funding for public transit. At its core is an action center designed to send a letter to Minister Lebel with recommendations to make public transit an integral part of the next long term infrastructure plan, and a social media campaign to spread the word and take action."

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Harper believes environmentalism is terrorism

Carol Linnitt | Terror is in the Eye of the Beholder: Alberta’s Counterterrorism Unit to Protect Oil and Gas Industry: "One month after the slanderous attacks against Canada’s environmental groups began in January, the Harper government released their new Counter-Terrorism Strategy which listed ‘environmentalism’ as a domestic terrorist concern. The Strategy, according to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, was intended to “promote an open discussion with Canadians on the threats we face.”"

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STM launches summer kid freebie

STM launches summer kid freebie: "MONTREAL – This summer, children under 12 can travel free on Montreal Island any day of the week on buses and the métro.

Up to five children can ride for free when accompanied by a fare-paying adult.

The free-travel offer is available until Sept. 3."

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Car Racing? We still have car racing? Seriously?

Councils warned of gridlocked, crumbling cities

Councils warned of gridlocked, crumbling cities: "Many Canadian cities will spiral into a morass of traffic gridlock, sky-high housing costs and crumbling roads and bridges unless senior governments can address their growing financial uncertainty, a new report by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities predicts."

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Canadian Oil Sands Flyover - Business Insider

Canadian Oil Sands Flyover - Business Insider: "Then the trucks and shovels come in to scoop up the oil sand— that shovel is electric, runs on 15,000 volts — and scoops up 90 tons in one load — it takes about 2.5 tons of sand to produce one barrel of oil"

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Student discount for pots and pans

Twitter / ClaudineJPilon: Rabais étudiant sur les c: "Rabais étudiant sur les casseroles au Jean Coutu "jusqu'à conflit réglé" ‪#ggi‬ ‪#casserolesencours‬ ‪#manifencours‬ pic.twitter.com/KSAuNm1q"

Support for Quebec uprising coming from around the world

http://www.facebook.com/events/140462316088217/

Occupy Wall Street | NYC Protest for World Revolution: "We the undersigned, Chilean academics and student leaders, denounce to national and international public opinion the persecution of the student movement in Québéc, Canada, expressed in Act 78, which was enacted on Thursday, May 19 by the government of Prime Minister Jean Charest."

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Quebec. People say "non" to austerity

http://instagr.am/p/K8GBkeSCGs/

T3 Charlottetown Transit sets a new single-day record - Business - The Guardian

T3 Charlottetown Transit sets a new single-day record - Business - The Guardian: "Mike Cassidy, owner and president of T3 Transit, told The Guardian this morning that the system put through a new high of 1,534 passengers on Wednesday.
That tops the previous high, set in January 2011, of 1,483 passengers in a single day."

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Canada News: RCMP spied on B.C. natives protesting pipeline plan, documents show - thestar.com

Chief Na'Moks of the Wet'suwet'en Nation, left, Chief Martin Louie of Nadleh Whut'en, centre, and Chief Jackie Thomas of the Saik'uz nation attend Enbridge's annual shareholders imeeting in Toronto on Wednesday.

MARK BLINCH/REUTERS

Canada News: RCMP spied on B.C. natives protesting pipeline plan, documents show - thestar.com: "The RCMP has been spying on a group of British Columbia First Nations whose vocal opposition to Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline has taken them to the company’s annual shareholders meeting in Toronto, according to documents obtained through an access-to-information request."

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Three Paths to Near-term Human Extinction

Three Paths to Near-term Human Extinction: "Russia is headed directly for loss of 30% of its permafrost by 2050. Tundra fires could accelerate planetary warming. This year, the Northeast Passage was open as of July 27th. This is a massively dire situation for the Arctic. In fact, we’ve passed a de facto tipping point with respect to Arctic ice."

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How corporate media covers protest

CBC Books - Saving our cities from cars

CBC Books - Saving our cities from cars: "Cars are ruining cities. That's the premise of Taras Grescoe's new book, Straphanger: Saving Our Cities and Ourselves from the Automobile. And if North America doesn't aggressively change its transit course, cities like Phoenix, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Toronto could be in big trouble."

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Oil trolls rule Canada and the USA

Oil lobbyists approved Harper’s climate policy as ‘elegant’ approach: "OTTAWA — The federal government asked the oil and gas industry last fall to review its foreign climate change policies, which were then approved by lobbyists as “an elegant” approach, reveals newly-released correspondence."

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FCM - FCM welcomes NDP call for federal leadership on public transit

FCM - FCM welcomes NDP call for federal leadership on public transit: "The average Canadian spends almost 32 working days a year commuting to and from work. According to a 2011 report by the Toronto Board of Trade, Metro Montréal and the Greater Toronto Area have average daily commute times of more than 75 minutes. These are the worst commute times in a ranking of 23 world cities. That costs commuters dollars, time and lost quality of life. It costs businesses trying to move goods and connect with customers. It costs municipal taxpayers, who must pay to build more roads to support increasingly inefficient transportation. And it costs the national economy, because the more time people and goods spend on the road, the less they contribute to the economy."

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Global Montreal | Walkable cities are healthier, study says

Global Montreal | Walkable cities are healthier, study says: "Walkability was measured by a tool called the “Walkability Index,” designed to evaluate neighbourhood design features like residential density, retail ratio and land-use mix. It showed that the shape of neighbourhoods directly affected physical activity levels. According to Monica Campbell, director of Healthy Public Policy for Toronto Public Health, for every person in Toronto who preferred living in an auto-oriented neighbourhood, 12 preferred to live in a walkable neighbourhood. In fact, Toronto residents walked for utilitarian reasons 2.7 times as often and used transit 2.5 times as often, as residents in the least walkable neighbourhoods.

The situation was similar in not only Vancouver, but also for those living in suburbs.

“The neighbourhood has a strong effect on behaviour, in terms of how physically active they are and how healthy they are,” said Campbell. “What we find in our suburban areas is that people who live in that sprawled condition is that they have a greater body weight, the obesity rates are about 30 per cent higher.” "

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The Case for Permanent Free Public Transit | Halifax Media Co-op

The Case for Permanent Free Public Transit | Halifax Media Co-op: " Don’t forget that car travel is heavily subsidized as a matter of course, with governments across the country spending billions each year on highways, bridges, tax breaks for car companies and business that use vehicles, and the like. Construction of the Washmill Lake Underpass was approved by council last year even though it was $8 million over budget – $2.4 million more than the net increase to Metro Transit’s budget over the next 5 years, after the new contract negotiatied with the transit workers’ union.

Let's keep free transit on the agenda after March 31st."

Click Here to listen to the interview
Ben Sichel will be on New957 Radio Sunday Morning at 10am to discuss free transit
http://www.news957.com/
Follow @bsichel

Buses, ferries offer free rides after Halifax transit strike | CTV News

Buses, ferries offer free rides after Halifax transit strike | CTV News: "As part of the agreement, council said public transit would be free of charge for the rest of the month."

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Expand Car-Free Sundays (Waterloo)

A Better Vision: Saving Car Free Sundays from Jeff Outhit | Mike Boos: "Don’t let our representatives be ashamed of investing in healthy lifestyles, community, and civic pride. Our governments invest hundreds of millions of dollars locally on car-centric infrastructure that keeps us isolated and is slowly killing us. There should be no stigma for investing a comparably paltry couple thousand on promoting and celebrating a healthier lifestyle and future. As citizens, we should be open about supporting and thanking representatives who have the courage and vision to make these investments, and urge them to complement these events with more permanent active transportation infrastructure."

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Metro - What if transit were free?

Urban Compass by Colin Fast

METRO WINNIPEG

Metro - What if transit were free?: "Politicians and policy makers like to roll out expensive plans to build rapid transit to attract even more riders, but I have to wonder why no one is talking about the one surefire way to boost transit use.

What if it were free?"

Toronto - Transit City is Back!

Province to Ford: ‘Council rules supreme’ - The Globe and Mail: "In a very public affirmation of awkward relations between the province and its largest municipality, Premier Dalton McGuinty has denied Rob Ford’s claim that the province will proceed with the mayor’s transit plan despite a momentous city council rejection."

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Agents-provocateur uncovered at labor rally

 

Do you understand how agents-provocateur function? Can you spot them? Do you know what a false-flag operation is? If these terms are new to you, you must do some study, and soon. Black bloc and certain other groups provide a comfortable pond in which the provocateur fish can swim. They take advantage of the emotionally motivated and the naive. Keep alert.

Transit fare increase not sitting well with two City Councillors

CJOB 68: Manitoba's Information Superstation New: Local Story: "Saying low income bus riders just can't afford it, two Winnipeg City Councillors are fighting a transit fare increase coming June 1st. Harvey Smith and Ross Eadie say it's not too late even though Council has approved the hike. Smith will introduce a motion at the next meeting of Council asking the fare hike be rescinded or that council at least re-open the issue for debate"

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The climate tipping point - time for a revolution

The climate tipping point: "I agree with Gazette writer William Marsden that "it's time for a revolution" in our destructive treatment of our planet and in the Earth's need for us to radically change course so that it can heal itself.

We need free public transportation to greatly reduce the individual use of cars."

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