Letter to the Editor – Linda Armstrong

April 25, 2024

ADDENDUM:

“Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada recognizes the need to have a collaborative and consultative policy with respect to antenna-supporting structures. As such, CPC-2-0-03 Radiocommunication and Broadcasting Antenna Systems requires proponents of an antenna system to consult local communities and respond to all reasonable and relevant concerns. Since municipalities are directly impacted by towers in their community, our procedures also allow municipalities to define their own antenna siting procedures and make informed decisions in regards to providing concurrence for the proposed tower.”

-Bernie Ries, Operations Manager, STS-Western Region

ISED Canada Feb 25, 2023

“Please let us consider carefully this ADDENDUM presented by ISED Canada.

– Since municipalities are directly impacted by towers in their community, our procedures also allow municipalities to define their antenna siting procedures and make informed decisions in regards to providing concurrence for the proposed tower.”

What kind of IMPACT do towers cause when installed in a community?

How does Hornby Island, being a small residential gulf Island community, welcoming visitors year around, with a mandate to preserve and protect the Nature that is inherent to this unique Gulf Island do so, when allowing a constant wash of Microwaves to impact all Island LIFE 24/7? What exactly does Preserve and Protect mean in 2024 when the WHO still sites evidence re harmful effects re Radiofrequency exposures from 2011 and we are now in 2024… is this any assurance at all?

https://www.iarc.who.int › wp-content › uploads › 2018 › 07 › pr208_E.pdf

PDF IARC classifies Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields as possibly …

Lyon, France, May 31, 2011 ‐‐ The WHO/International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B), based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer1, associated with wireless phone use.

Ignorance and complacency sure does lead to a GRAND slap in the face that stings with every memory of How things used to be…change is inevitable but does it have to be with such disregard for the life potential of insects and reptiles, birds, animals and plant life…not to mention HUMAN BEINGS?

If there was no problem with exposure to these frequencies, we would see that ALL the citizens of this world, pre 2012 who were conducting studies and giving lectures worldwide; warning us about the dangers of microwave devices in our pockets, in our cars and homes and neighbourhoods, would be “RETIRED”; unfortunately they are not! The list is long and at the top of the list is Barry Trower; “THE” most highly credentialed individual re microwave technology and its effects on Everything. A very elderly individual, who to this day is speaking continuously to everyone he can sharing this message, “microwaves have been developed for use as Warfare weaponry and the war is on ALL Biological beings”.

Arthur Robert Firstenberg (born May 28, 1950)^[1] is an American author and activist on the subject of electromagnetic radiation and health.^[2] He is the founder of the independent campaign group the Cellular Phone Task Force.[1] He is the author of Microwaving Our Planet: The Environmental Impact of the Wireless Revolution (Cellular Phone Task Force 1997) and The Invisible Rainbow: A History of Electricity and Life (Chelsea Green 2020).

NOW is time to pay attention to ALL the voices of people around the world who KNOW... Radiation from ALL these wireless devices being used today; Cell phones, laptops, smart meters, baby monitors and so many others, are rapidly damaging the fabric of our lives and the natural world. We are quickly depleting very valuable resources with this unbelievably wasteful,” latest greatest gadget syndrome” and effectively damaging youthful brains along the way. This is “THE REALM” of “Unsustainability“; we must “Wire in” our technology and stop striving for the latest greatest!

sincerely, Linda Armstrong

Letter to the Editor – Theresa Clinton

April 25, 2024

Letter to the Editor

The Islands Grapevine

Denman Island, B.C.

This letter is in reply to the letter by Linda Armstrong in the April 11th edition of TIG.

I took her advice and checked some things out for myself. Alex Epstein is a self styled

energy expert. His academic credential is a B.A. in philosophy, hardly the basis for the claim to be an expert, even in philosophy. He also worked for the Cato Institute, founded and funded by the Koch Brothers, ultra rich fossil fuel barons. This institute is dedicated to increasing wealth for corporations and promotes cutting taxes for corporations and industry, reducing environmental protection legislation, and reducing funding for government programmes in Health, social services and education. See Dark Money by Jane Mayer for publications from the Cato Institute.

Her stated “Facts” have no citations.

In fact,…

Renewable sources of energy have seen massive reduction in cost. Countries like Denmark now use renewables for most of their energy grid. See Denmark Energy Agency.

Flooding in Bangladesh in 2022, and 2023, caused by climate change displaced tens of millions of people and their livelihoods. Cyclone Freddy in Feb/March lasted for 37 DAYS off the east coast of Africa. The longest and most vicious storm in history. Can you imagine living through a storm like that for 37 days? These are only 2 examples and the poverty and despair that follows these events is overwhelming.

Fossil fuel health effects. Following the above mentioned flooding, Infant mortality rates skyrocketed by 500%, according to the United States agency for International development. Closer to home, 600 people died in BC because of the June 2021 heat dome.

Let’s not forget harm from plastics, another fossil fuel product line. Micro plastics cause increases in heart disease, cancers, lung disease, endocrine diseases, birth defects etc etc. These health data can be found on the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment website.

So Ms. Armstrong, checking this out has shown that I should trust real scientists like Edward Teller; who predicted these consequences of fossil fuel industries in 1959 at a conference run by the American Petroleum Institute, and today’s Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, who is a professor at Texas Tech University and Chief Scientist at the Nature Conservancy. These scientists explain the true costs to humanity of this industry. The industry has had huge benefits to humankind, but now the price we are paying is becoming clear. The path ahead will be disastrous if we do not heed the real experts and change course.

Respectfully submitted,

Theresa Clinton, Denman Island.

Simon Says

April 25, 2024

Simon Says

Once upon a time, in the good old days,

people enjoyed eating butter and eggs.

Then one day, Simon says,

stop eating butter and stop eating eggs.

The people heard what Simon says.

They stopped eating butter and they stopped eating eggs.

Then one day, Simon says,

all that stuff was just a phase.

Some people heard and did what Simon says.

They went back to eating their butter and eggs.

Then one day, Simon says,

I changed my mind – it wasn’t just a phase.

Stop eating butter and stop eating eggs.

The people saw it was all a craze.

They stopped hearing anything Simon says.

The went back to their butter and back to their eggs.

And life went back to the good old days.

No Vax

April 25, 2024

Major milestone for Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies in Helliwell

April 18, 2024

The Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly Recovery Project Team is excited to share some great news.

Last year the team released 1,476 Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly caterpillars in Helliwell Provincial Park’s coastal bluff meadows. Many of those larvae metamorphosed into adult butterflies. Several butterflies mated and produced thousands of eggs. More than 1,900 larvae hatched and went through one or more stages before they stopped eating and grouped together in larval webs. The larvae then changed into their overwintering diapause stage. This March, Pascale Archibald and Kihan Yoon-Henderson found more than 230 larvae that survived the winter to continue their lifecycle.

“This is a significant milestone for the project. It’s the first time since 1996 that we have documented proof that Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies successfully completed their entire lifecycle in Helliwell Provincial Park,” said Jennifer Heron, project lead and provincial invertebrate conservation specialist. She added, “This is a hopeful sign that our coastal bluff habitat restoration work and other Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly recovery efforts in the park are succeeding.”

This spring, the team released more Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly caterpillars that were raised at the Greater Vancouver Zoo by Wildlife Preservation Canada staff Andrea Gielens. On March 25, representatives of the Hornby Island Provincial Parks Committee, Conservancy Hornby Island, and the Hornby Island Natural History Centre (Neil Wilson, Bill Caywood, Joanne Wyvill, Bill Hamilton, Ondrea Rogers, and Don Peterson) helped introduce 100 larvae to their new home near St. John’s Point in Helliwell Provincial Park.

On the following day, the team and guest participants released 340 larvae for the first time on Flora Islet, which is also part of Helliwell Provincial Park. The warm, sunny weather was ideal for the caterpillars, and they began searching for food immediately. They didn’t need to go far. They were placed on plantain, which is one of their favourite food sources. Flora Islet may be a great location for the checkerspots – food plants are abundant for larvae to munch, and there are plenty of flowering plants such as spring gold, camas, small-flowered blue-eyed Mary, and sea blush with nectar for the adult butterflies.

This is a critical period for the caterpillars. They need to find enough high-quality food to be able to grow and transform through their life stages. The caterpillars are tiny, delicate, and vulnerable. Trampling by park visitors and dogs are a key threat to the larvae and the plants they need to survive.

Helliwell’s visitors can increase the caterpillars’ chance of survival by adhering to park rules. “Dogs must be on a leash according to provincial park regulations, and bikes aren’t allowed in this park,” said Stephanie Govier, BC Parks conservation specialist. Please tread carefully and watch out for caterpillars. Stay on the trails that are delineated by ropes and restoration area signs. If you visit Flora Islet, stay on the shore, and avoid the fragile meadows. This will reduce the possibility of stepping on a caterpillar or their host plants.

Don’t move or pick up Taylor’s checkerspots. Instead, report sightings to Taylors.Checkerspot@gov.bc.ca, or by using the free iNaturalist app (www.inaturalist.org). It is an easy-to-use species identification tool that enables citizen scientists to record and contribute important species data for projects around the globe.

BC Parks and the project team thank the Cowichan Tribes, Halalt, Homalco, K’ómoks, Lake Cowichan, Lyackson, Penelakut, Qualicum, Snaw’Naw’As, Stz’uminus, Tla’amin, We Wai Kai, and We Wai Kum First Nations for allowing us to restore ecosystems in their traditional territories. Several local volunteers from Conservancy Hornby Island, the Hornby Island Natural History Centre, the Hornby Island Provincial Parks Committee, and others also contributed to the success of this wetland project.

The recovery project has benefited from funding and in-kind contributions from the BC Parks Licence Plate Program, the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, the Environment Canada Habitat Stewardship Fund, and the B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (Ecosystems Branch), and others.

The Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly Recovery Project Team includes biological consultants and representatives from the B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, BC Parks, Denman Conservancy Association, Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team, Greater Vancouver Zoo, Mosaic Forest Management, Wildlife Preservation Canada, and others.

Learn more about the Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly:

https: //goert.ca/activities/taylors-checkerspot/

and

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/plants-animals-ecosystems/species-ecosystems-at-risk/implementation/conservation-projects-partnerships/taylors-checkerspot

Purple Martin Colony Update

April 18, 2024

Passionate purple martin friends have completed a major spring cleaning of the Purple Martin nest boxes. The work started with milling 1-inch-thick Western Red Cedar boards from dying trees provided by Werner Karsten during the winter. They were done with a Swedish Logosol chain sawmill by Peter Karsten. It takes about 8 feet of 8 inch wide more of less knot-free lumber per nestbox.

The recently organized Purple Martin Preservation Team built 24 new nest boxes to replace the ones on the floating dock and gangway of the Community Dock. The first 6 nest boxes were placed at the dock in 2012 and more were added in 2014. BC ferries replaced 4 pilons which were removed to rebuild the Denman West landing facility. Volunteers mounted 8 boxes on them. That was a bit challenging since the pilons were placed in deeper water to make the use of a ladder at low tide no longer workable. Kevin Behrens and Ian Lark came to the rescue to use a ladder in a boat to put them up. The two just cleaned them in a somewhat precarious maneuver a couple of weeks ago. The mechanisms to raise the cluster of 2 to 3 boxes on the 4×4 post along the gangway were replaced to simplify the maintenance of them. Good maintenance is critical to prevent parasite build up. A martin bug, fleas and lice infestation are a concern. To that end the nest material should be replaced annually and the box sprayed with a bleach solution while the birds enjoy their winter vacation in Brazil. When we removed 17 old nest boxes, we found that most had been occupied but not all. Joan Scruton had discovered that two pairs had nested in between the huge concrete blocks that form the embankment. We hope with the 27 new or clean boxes the martins will all nest in them this season. Volunteers have collected very small fir twigs and Western White Pine needles for nesting material. We put a handful of it into the boxes to give the birds a head start. The martins use this coarse nesting material to prevent composting. Hay would not be useful here.

A big thank you to the Purple Martin Preservation Team and other helpers; Dean Heyland, Steve Aberle, Joan Scruton, Graeme Johnston, Daniel Lonsdale, John Mills, Kevin Behrens, Ian Lark, Paul and Vicki Ryall, Laura Pope, Caryn Rea, Peter Karsten to get the nest boxes ready in time for the Martins to return by the end of April.

CLIMATE BYTES – IMAGINING FUTURES: CATASTROPHE OR SURVIVAL

April 18, 2024

Climate goals we most hear about are the need to achieve net-zero CO₂ emissions and the need to keep global warming to 1.5^oC above pre-industrial levels. Admirable and necessary as those goals may be, the simple fact is that we are not on track to achieve either. Scientists project that “Business as Usual” is a fast track to global warming of 2.7^oC or more (UNEP, Emissions Gap Report 2023) which would be catastrophic.

Ecological thinkers, like Prof. Emeritus William Rees of UBC, tend to perceive global warming as a symptom of the larger problem that humanity uses nature’s resource capacity and its capability to absorb waste at rates that are not sustainable. Rees’s solution is for humanity to use its intelligence and planning ability to return to living the way we did when we were still in sync with nature. The last time that was so was the 1960s when we left no global ecological footprint, atmospheric concentration of CO₂ was only 350 parts per million and the earth radiated out more or less the same energy as the sun radiated in.

The purpose of this note is to hypothesize in a simple way what living conditions might be 1) if we carried on with “business as usual” until the world warms to 2.7^oC or 2) if we turned back the human enterprise clock to the 1960s.

So, walk with me to a world where average temperature has reached 2.7^oC above pre-industrial levels, unprecedented in humanity’s history. It’s hot! We can barely remember a time when we were not afraid to go outside. We must go out, mostly in the cooler, but still hot, dark hours, because we have to grow or otherwise secure food. Our parents tell us about an earlier time when there was no “off” season because the whole world was our garden. California, Chile and Asian countries, from whence we used to source our food, now are battered with storms and unreliable weather and depleted water sources just as we are. Now, with the heat, if we’re lucky enough to get sufficient rainfall, crop yields and nutrition content of grains and vegetables is reduced. All the “just-in-time’ logistical systems that once kept shelves of food and consumer goods fully stocked became too complex to administer. Individuals are now singularly focused on self-preservation. We have no surplus resources beyond meeting personal and family immediate needs. Without such surpluses, we can’t pay taxes and, so, democratic governments have pretty much ceased to function. Policing is now done through private armies. Universities are mainly gone and universal childhood education has reverted to simplistic home-schooling. Barter is now our main system of exchange. Years ago, because of shortages of basic commodities, runaway inflation was the final nail in our economic system’s coffin. If there was any joy in that, it was that hyper-inflation reduced to nothing the fortunes of the once-billionaires who, like the rest of us, now have to think consciously about food and water supply. No one is safe from the storms and fires that continually besiege us. Nor do we anymore have the governmental systems and integrity to control population migration escaping northward from equatorial heat. Not just people, but tropical diseases have migrated and are taking their toll.

Back when earth warming was still at 1.5^oC, we were warned about pending earth systems tipping points and possible collapse of civilization. We stood by as those tipping points, which we hoped were a theoretical possibility, have toppled like real-time dominoes. Just as predicted, Arctic permafrost, once intact for millions of years, is now largely melted and the microbes and organic material it held have combined to generate more warming, directly and through creation of greenhouse gases: processes that are now unstoppable. Likewise, the “forever” ice of Greenland and Antarctica are unrelentingly on a multi-century march to total meltdown. Most of the major cities of the world and some countries have stopped functioning because of sea level rise. It’s about 3 metres now but scientific records tell us it will eventually be many times that. As if causing sea level rise wasn’t bad enough, all the melt water added to our salty oceans, has disrupted ocean currents causing regional climate shifts, everything from desertification to little ice ages. Somewhere to the south of us (Who cares any more?) what used to be Amazon rain forest has now tipped from self-sustaining forest to grassland. We are on the wrong side of several other tipping points. Our parents and grandparents were consumed with being consumers and they were blind to its effects. Now, it’s Hell on Earth! Civilization is just a word.

*******

On the survival path, turning back the clock means that we will have to give up many of the consuming habits we hold dear. Fortunately, among us there are those who already know, by choice or by circumstance, how to live with less. From the Covid-19 pandemic we learned what public services are truly “essential” and that we can stand government policies on their head without disaster befalling. Especially we learned that fear can be a driving force toward good. It was fear that changed public policy for the good during the Great Depression. Then, immediately after, because we feared losing a war, we converted industries almost overnight from producing consumer goods to making war materials. Those experiences showed that people can be persuaded of the necessity of living with less. If we need less, we can produce less by adopting 4-day or maybe even 3-day work weeks. In parts of the world where people live simply and there is leisure-time, people turn to artistic endeavours of all kinds and there is time to nurture human relationships. We don’t need to be amused and entertained, we can do it ourselves. Though built for individual use, monster houses can be shared to densify our communities and reduce the need for travel. International travel should only be for necessity and not ever for holidays. Most travel is local. We can still eat animal meats but they are locally farmed rather than “manufactured” in faraway feedlots. As in foregone eras, our cities can be surrounded by small organic farms. Unlike in the original 1960s, we eschew monster gas-guzzling cars—possibly all 4-wheel vehicles–in favour of public transit. And perhaps most important, we teach our children what we didn’t learn until too late, that perpetual exponential growth on a finite planet is an impossibility.

**********

But, it seems that we have, at least for now, chosen the path to a hot-house earth. Dare we hope that, as climate-related disasters accumulate, fear, if not for ourselves, then for our children, will bring about the needed humanity-saving revolution.

Letter to the Editor – Dr. Ron Wilson

April 18, 2024

I read the letter in last week’s Grapevine in regard to benefits from oil, gas and coal. I will admit that we have indeed benefited greatly from these products. I noticed that the book she referred to by Alex Epstein was published in 2022. Likely any data that was referenced in the book would have been 2021 at the latest. While the benefits have been many from fossil fuels, they have also been causing many problems as well. If they continue to be produced at the same rate, the problems we are seeing in the earth’s environment recently are only going to get worse. I refer to extreme heat waves, severe drought followed by floods when it does rain, rising sea levels and extreme weather events. These are occurring throughout the world and are affecting those who are least able to cope with them, such as in low lying countries in the South Pacific islands. However, we only need to recall the severe fire season we had in Canada last year. The fires affected every part of Canada with large scale evacuations for prolonged periods. The total land burned more than doubled any previous year. Sadly, early predictions are that this year could be the same or even worse.

These weather changes have now been linked with certainty to global warming with fossil fuels being far and away the main cause. Burning these fuels releases CO2 and Methane, the 2 main gases that lead to heat trapping in the atmosphere. They are responsible for 75% of this effect. This in turn increases the earth’s temperature leading to global warming.

The Letter in last week’s issue reported an increase of 1 degree Celsius in the earth’s temperature. Due to 2023 being the hottest year on record, the last 12 months now have the earth at over 1.5 C above preindustrial times. What is most worrisome is the rate at which the earth is heating up. It is not just the earth’s surface temperature that is being affected. The World Meteorological Organization tracks what are referred to as the Earth’s Vital Signs. Oceans are heating up, sea level is rising, Antarctic sea ice is melting and glaciers are retreating at the fastest rate ever seen.

I could go on and on. The WMO has put out a RED ALERT for the earth on which we live and depend. It is time for all hands on deck to do everything we can for the Earth’s sake and ours.

I realize that concerns such as the rising cost of living, housing costs and inflation are very present at this time. However, I quote from the WMO report: “The Climate crisis is the defining challenge that humanity faces”.

The Denman Climate Climate Action Network will have a booth at the market this Saturday as Earth Day is coming up on April 22nd. Hope to see you there.

Respectfully submitted, Dr. Ron Wilson (now retired)

A Global Security System – Part 2

April 18, 2024

When I enroll in a book club through World Beyond War, (WBW) one of my biggest takeaways is the reaffirmation that we who believe humans have the capacity to create a better reality are not simply naïve, unrealistic idealists. Do you ever tire of hearing cynics patiently say that, realistically, it is too late, humans will never change, we’re doomed, we’ve always been war- makers, etc.? I sure do. Enough already! How well has that kind of thinking served us? In my view, cynicism is the easy, lazy route. It is much harder to see the ugly realities we humans have created, to acknowledge our seriously misdirected thinking, and get down to doing the actual work of charting a survival path. That work involves thinking and acting more creatively and inclusively, more concretely and more assertively, and making the radical changes we need to make while we still can. We have to be very engaged locally AND take it global now – it’s not an either/or – we’re part of one small planet we need to care for and share, just as children in kindergarten learn to care for their environment and to share with others who are perhaps not like their own family.

WBW’s inspiring 4 week book clubs are delivered by experienced, knowledgeable and committed progressive thinkers. They serve as small fundraisers for WBW, which is a 10 year old network of individuals and groups in over 75 countries. The last book club I joined was delivered by Edward Horgan, an Irish thinker/journalist. His recent book, around which the sessions very loosely unfolded, is called: Writing the Wrongs of Human Rights – in Letters Words, Sentences. 2023. The book comprises nearly 300 really interesting letters Horgan has written & had published in 3 Irish newspapers over nearly 50 years. His subject matter relates to his lived experience of the world around him – security, defence, neutrality and more.

Having joined the Irish army at age 18, Horgan served as a UN peacekeeper for over 22 years, followed by another 20 years as an international election observer. Along the way, he got a PhD. in International Relations & UN Reform. He has worked in many, many countries during his career, including 10 years (as an Irish army officer) with direct responsibility for prisoners in Curragh military prison, quelling internal disturbances among prisoners and their guards, and preventing prisoners from harming themselves. He works with the realities he finds and finds ways to improve those realities.

When “realists” accuse me of “relentless optimism”, I wish they would spend just a few moments in the company of a man like Edward Horgan, and see the hole they have dug themselves into. It is actually a whole lot easier to live in a state of well-being when you come up for air from that hole, start seeing the possibilities out there, and join a broader group of humanity in our common quest for equality, justice and freedom for all. There are so many of us on this path; it’s not that complicated – for one thing, we simply have to get bolder about truly living our values on a global scale. We have to think bigger.

The current book club I’m enrolled in is studying WBW’s manual: A Global Security System: An Alternative to War, as its authors produce a 6^th edition. So we are examining each section of the book with a view to improving upon it. At the very least, I am going to know the current

edition of the book a lot better than I did before, learn how others respond to it, and together imagine ways to improve upon it. As for you dear Reader, I’ll keep you posted.

(Next week: more on AGSS)

Upholding the Canadian Charter and Bill of Rights and Freedoms

April 18, 2024

“I am a Canadian, a free Canadian,

Free to speak without fear

Free to worship God in my own way

Free to stand for what I believe is right,

Free to oppose what I believe is wrong,

Free to choose those who shall govern my country.

This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.”

The Right Honourable John G. Diefenbaker

Prime Minister of Canada. July Ist 1960

On Denman and Hornby Islands, there is a clan of freedom-loving Canadians who gather every couple of weeks for a pot luck, a party and a thoughtful circle, in which ideas, thoughts and concerns are shared. It is a wonderful collection of disparate people who are actively engaged in preparing for tough times and helping each other in any way that they can.. There is , also, work being done to actively support our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and ensure that it is never violated again, as it has been in the recent past.

I saw an interesting quote today on Liberty.com.

“If you allow the government to break the law for an “emergency”

They will create “emergencies” in order to break the law.”

In my opinion , this is something that all Canadians who believe in the validity of the Canadian Charter need to be aware of , as we see governments around the world veering in this direction. Here in Canada, we will have the opportunity to correct the course Canada is on next year in 2025,. We need to reflect upon several other issues as well, along with climate change, mandatory digital IDs and currencies, 15 minute cities, mandatory vaccinations and lockdowns. Each of these issues give the government far too much control over our lives and well-being and contravene the Canadian Charter and Bill of Rights and Freedoms. A significant number of these contraventions have been overturned in the Canadian court system since 2020.

Do you remember the days when Canada was seen as a role model for other countries. A country of peacekeepers not warmongers, who sell military hardware to Ukraine and Israel, to name but a couple of countries. I believe that it is very important. That each of us, in our own inimitable way stand up for the rebuilding of a new version of the Canada we once knew: A Freedom-loving, inclusive and peaceful nation of people of every culture, colour and sexual orientation that can once again become a great example to the world.

On a local level, it is imperative that we promote the healthy, peaceful and, dare I say it as a “bloody Brit”, myself, “polite” exchange of differing ideas and philosophies in a kind and caring manner and do everything we can on every political level to support Canadian Rights and Freedoms and protect them through rallies, demonstrations and the written and spoken word on both, mainstream and alternate media.

Perri Gorrara