On the Road Again 2016 Winter (Going West) #2

It is just before 1:00 PM and we have just made a brief stop in Gogama - which by my calculations means that we are running about four hours late. I have lost count of the number of freight trains that we have had to stop for - I stopped counting after six trains passed us. It seemed as if many of the car were travelling west empty. While I can understand that loaded freight cars contain more valuable items than do passenger cars but I must confess that I take some insult at being less important than an empty freight car!
The car that I am is full by Via’s standards. That is, in the car that I am in,  at least one seat out of two is filled. While some are getting off in edmonton or Jasper, there are quite of few who are going all of the way the Vancouver.

Just stopped at Foleyet - the good news is that we have not lost any time - we are just about as late as we were two hours ago.

As  have noted on other train trips, entertainers get to travel from Vancouver to Toronto for free if they give three performances a day - one in each of the three types of sleeping cars (or in my case economy which stands for sleeping while sitting up). This trip’s entertainment is a singer songwriter who has some skill with lyrics although his guitar playing is a bit weak. A nice guy who tried to engage the ten or so people who were there - even going to the point of handing out a list of 60 or so songs that he could sing and encouraging us to pick one. Unfortunately there was a woman who maybe had had too many drinks or perhaps she was always loud, rude and obnoxious. She insisted on talking to some young travellers throughout his singing. I think a couple of people left because of her. He wasn’t the best singer I have heard but he would have just fine for a rather dull grey day on the train…..she made it hard for him to perform and hard for those of us who wanted to hear what he had to say - pity.

We finally got to Hornepayne at 7:25. We were suppose to be here by 2:20. We seem to have lost an hour somehow. It is, of course dark, it is snowing and I suspect it is fairly cold outside. I have been here before - I have no need to get out and walk around the parking lot. However for the those who smoke, I think this is the first stop today. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for those who have a serious addiction to nicotine.

I have spent the day reading a little it, listening to music and napping. I can’t believe how tired I am - but then reading and napping is what the train is well suited for.

At 8:45 AM stopped at Reddit, Ontario….should have been here by 3:30 AM - which means that we are just over five hours late…. That means a very short stop in Winnipeg which means that I won’t have time to shop for food…..pity. But I guess I was getting fat anyway.

If it is a very short stop in Winnipeg, w could make up up to three of those missing hours - which would be nice.

On the Road Again 2016 Winter (Going West)

In what is becoming somewhat of a ritual - here I sit in the Sudbury Junction Via Rail station waiting for a train that is late. I would not mind waiting the  three hours  nearly as much if I and my daughter had not needed to be up so early this morning. The good news is that the train was, at 5:00 going to be two hours and forty-five minutes late. It now looks as if we are only going to be two hours and fifteen minutes late. But then I have another three and a bit days to go - who knows if we are going to make up the time or be really late. As long as we have enough time in Winnipeg and Jasper for em to buy some food, I won’t complain too much.

The station is surprisingly full. Three kids from two different families - all being entertained by various mobile devices, and nine or so adults equally entertained by their mobile devices. While it is subjective - it feels as the place is far more quiet than it was ten years ago. There is no need for us to talk - we can all be entertained by the content on our little screens.

It is cold outside and the footing is treacherous - so no one is waiting outside.  It is uncomfortably warm in here but again no one is going outside….except for those who wait in their vehicles for passengers who are late in their arrival.

On the wall opposite me there is the electronic notice board stating the number of the train (1) the scheduled time of arrival and the actual/anticipated time of arrival. At 7:15 - the revised arrival time was 7:28. Thereafter every time the actual time got within 11 minutes of the anticipated time - that time was moved forward. It was like someone was teasing us...letting us believe that the train’s arrival was imminent and the at the last moment - postponing it for an additional five or so minutes. It was maddening.

The train finally arrived at 8:00 - a minute or two later than I was told when I first arrived. Two hours and forty-five minutes late. To be fair, two freight trains passed by the station heading north and one passed us heading south. The two northern ones looked to be quite long.

However - I am on the train and heading west. While I am sad about leaving the grand kids and my daughter - who takes care of me so well what I am in Sudbury - I am excited to be going home. I have a rather long list of weaving projects I need to get started on. I start going to be selling at the market in two month’s time.

P.s. for the first time in a while I have a reserved seat. The conductor looked for me and gave me the seat number….maybe they do plan on having the long distant passengers having two seats to themselves for at least part of the trip.

Rant on Christmas

 For most Canadians - the annual ritual/gluttony of too much food and too many presents is - thankfully - just about over for another year. Millions of Canadians have spent the last few days visiting friends and relatives, or being visited by them - eating enough food to feed twice perhaps three times as many people and opening truck loads of presents - mostly made up of items they didn’t need. Thousands and thousands of Canadians will be paying off the debt generated by this spurge in spending for months. All of this done in a futile attempt to somehow recreate an image of Christmas that, in fact for most of us, never existed.

The actual amounts of how much people spent this year on Christmas presents will take some months to be tabulate.  However Statistics Canada has published the results from 2014.

• $416.3 million — The value of toys, games and hobby supplies, including electronic games purchased at large retailers in Canada in December 2014, up 185.9% from average monthly sales of $145.6 million for this category in 2014 and up 51.2% from November 2014.
• $364.3 million — The value of computer hardware and software purchased at large retailers in Canada in December 2014, up 80.4% from average monthly sales of $202.0 million for this category in 2014 and up 36.9% from November 2014.
• $255.1 million — The value of small electrical appliances purchased at large retailers in Canada in December 2014, up 91.7% from average monthly sales of $133.1 million for this category in 2014 and up 51.6% from November 2014.
• $166.2 million — The value of cosmetics and fragrances purchased at large retailers in Canada in December 2014, up 78.2% from average monthly sales of $93.3 million for this category in 2014 and up 58.2% from November 2014.
• $192.8 million — The value of sporting goods purchased at large retailers in Canada in December 2014, up 32.7% from average monthly sales of $145.3 million for this category in 2014 and up 81.4% from November 2014.
• $122.8 million — The value of jewellery and watches purchased at large retailers in Canada in December 2014, up 139.7% from average monthly sales of $51.2 million for this category in 2014 and up 113.8% from November 2014.
• $71.1 million — The value of cameras (still and digital) and related photographic equipment and supplies purchased at large retailers in Canada in December 2014, up 122.7% from average monthly sales of $31.9 million for this category in 2014 and up 77.5% from November 2014

While it is of course impossible to know how many of these purchases would have been made even if was not the Christmas season, it is clear that millions of dollars are spent in the month of December on Christmas type presents. The absurdity of spending so much money - money that we may not have should be self evident. Should be …. but clearly it is not.

I struggle with the very thought of Christmas for a number of reasons, but the gluttony, the sheer excesses of food and presents disturbs me the most. We, on social media, publicly grieve for the suffering in Syria or a second destruction of infrastructure through natural causes and human ineptitude in Haiti; but we are comfortable in blaming someone else for these unfortunate events or at the least expecting someone else to fix them. We are comfortable from the safety of our living rooms to bemoan the state of the world - but we are prepared to do little to make the needed changes in our lifestyles that could start to address some of the fundamental questions of inequity that drive some of the wars that cause such destruction.

While a massive infusion of cash could not solve all or even some of the world’s problems, surely the near billion dollars spent in Canada on Christmas related presents would go a long way. If all of the western world did the same thing - who knows what would happen?

Via Rail - I Don’t Understand

I I would think I have travelled between Sudbury and Vancouver Island in the past 15 years more than most people excepting those who travel for work or for business. I have gone by car, bus, train and air.  While the train is slow and its timetable on occasion should be filed under fiction as as opposed to fact, it is by far the most relaxing way to travel. I think more people would travel by train if it were not so damn expensive. Flying is can be cheaper although given my last experience not that much more reliable.

I bought both my Air Canada ticket from Nanaimo to Sudbury and my train ticket from Sudbury to Vancouver in mid October. The cost for my flight for the beginning of December was $370.00 including choosing a more expensive seat to accommodate my long legs. If I wanted to buy a comparable seat to fly a few days after Christmas it would cost somewhere between $1201 and $2000 depending upon which time of day I travelled. My Via Rail ticket cost $406. And if I wanted to buy a ticket for the same train this morning it would cost $883.

I can understand air fare costing more to fly during the Christmas season in that it is a busy travelling season and air seats are in demand. I also understand that there should be a slight increase in cost the closer one gets to the flying time. But I think that a 300% increase in cost probably could be labelled at the very least as an unfair tax on procrastinators or more likely as gouging. However, as I am sure the plane will be fully booked, one can only assume that it is Air Canada’s pricing policies are, if nothing else, good business practice.

It is less easy to understand Via Rail’s business policies. The economy section of the train in my experience (I have taken the train across at least part of the country six or seven times)has never been full. This has meant that I, for most of the nights that I have slept on a train, have had both seats to myself. It has been great. I love having the space and the privacy to spread my stuff out and to move around adjusting my position as I nap, read or listen to music.But the economy section of the train is so empty because it is quite frequently the most expensive way to travel (Christmas time is one of the exceptions to that rule). I don’t understand why Via would double the cost of the ticket  when they can’t sell all the seats at the lower price. Would it not make more sense to keep the tickets cheaper and fill the seats? I realize that I am arguing against what is best for me, but I do fear that the time will come when Via Rail will reduce its service even further with the argument that not enough people are using it.

Canada needs a transcontinental passenger rail services. It should be increasing the number of trains a week not decreasing. While there are a number of  sleeping cars (along with assorted dome, club and dining cars)for those passengers who have lots of money, there are only two economy cars (plus a dome car). If Via Rail kept the price of tickets down, they could fill a third car for very little cost. Lord knows there is not a lot of service provided to “cheap seats” passengers.

Clearly I am not a business person and therefore I am unable to understand how companies work. But it seems to me that it is better to have all the seats full as opposed to have being empty - unless of course Via Rail intentionally keeps half of the seats empty so that people like me can be comfortable….. if you believe that - I know of a bridge for sale.

Looking for the Answers

It may be my imagination - or perhaps I am just feeling old, but it seems to me that there was a time when it was easier to know what was right or wrong - that life was more easily divided into good and bad.  It is not that these dividing lines were always morally correct - for example in Alabama in the 1950s it was “right” or normal that people of different racial backgrounds had to drink out of separate, labeled water fountains or in Canada it was assumed that people of certain ethnic origins should be incarcerated during the various wars of the 20th century. But given the available information and awareness of the times - it was easy to know what was right. It was easy in part because all that people had to do was to believe what their political and religious leaders told them.

Because of postmodernist thinking and globalization in general, life and therefore knowing right from wrong is far more complicated in 2016. There are no easy or obvious solutions to major environmental, economic or political crises - at least for those who think carefully and critically. They know that those who designate themselves as political or religious leaders whether they be on the right or the left are just as likely to be wrong as anyone else. Consequently we are obliged to find our own “right” answers. Most of us are sorely ill prepared to do so.

Example #1:

I have argued elsewhere that one of the ways to stop the apparently endless wars/revolutions/punitive dictatorships it to stop selling (and therefore stop manufacturing) weapons. Simple. Get rid of all the guns and tanks and bombs and at least part of the problem goes away. Canada could start by closing down the factories that make armoured vehicles, bombs and guns (see Ploughshares). However if the Canadian government did that - the thousands of people who worked in those factories or were supported in some fashion by those factories would (1) need other  jobs and (2) be so pissed off that they might vote for a more conservative government and we have already been down that path. Finding well paid jobs, especially for the older workforce is difficult. Do we really want all of those folks to be working at Wal-Mart or the corner store?

Example #2

Clearly the tar sands are terrible for the environment. There is nothing positive one can say about the destruction of the natural environment and the inherent risk to animals and to water sources. The problems only become  exacerbated when one takes that oil, ship it thousands of kilometres to be refined and then it use to heat our houses or transport ourselves and the goods that we we use. Close the damn thing down and tear up the pipelines. Oops - the same problem as the first example - people lose jobs, their houses and can’t feed their children. They get angry and vote for a political party that does not see the environment or climate change as being important. If we cut off the oil and thereby hurt people  and perhaps end up with worse policies four years down the road- who profits by such changes?

Example #3

I think that recycling our broken or out of date electronics is a good thing. I, for a number of years religiously deposited my old computers or printers in large bins labeled for those products. Then I found out that most of that stuff got sent to China where people melt down the plastics, reclaim the metals and in the process pollute the water and air around them. My conscience is clear- I have done the right thing - but in reality all that I have done is pass the problem and the pollution on to someone else. That was not my intention.

It is well past time for the rational people of all political spectrums to stop spouting whatever crap they are told to repeat and to start to think for themselves.  As long as we believe that there are absolute answers to the questions - we will never come close to resolving the issues.

I don’t know what the answers are. Perhaps 2017 will be the year when we collectively, as a country, decide that we need to find out.

Solving The World’s Problems - I Don’t Think So.

As I ready my daily dose of news - that frequently depressing litany of man’s cruelty to man - I am frequently reminded of how incompetent we are as a species at finding solutions to the long standing, often repeated social and economic problems of our shared world. There are days that feels as if not only have we never learned from our mistakes but that we continue to invent new ones. Reading about the disaster that is Syria, it is tempting to rail against western governments, greedy capitalist, overly enthusiastic fundamentalist (of all stripes) and mentally unbalanced dictators. It would be so easy if we could just say “ it is our fault - if my government had done this or not done that, we would not be in this mess” or “if I had given more money to this noble charity or that one, there would be less suffering in that country”. But the mess in the Middle East can not be defined by a simple acts of engagement or disengagement. The original roots of this particular disaster are mired in events of 1500 years ago (BBC). Those events have been agitated by the continual interference for reasons of greed and the assumption of superiority by colonialist western powers for the last 100 years. The cost of the greed, the cost of an adherence to a doctrine that at best is only marginally related to our daily existence and the willingness of some people to take advantage of the chaos is the displacement of millions and the deaths of thousands. And so we sit by in our reasonably warm and comfortable homes and wring our hands at the profound sadness of it all. There are, I suppose some long term solutions. One would be ( as I have written about in other blogs) is to stop the manufacture of all guns and of course bullets. If nothing else, if our means of killing people were less effective - fewer people would die. More affluent countries could open the borders and allow in thousands and thousands of refugees or we could insure that a significant part of our national budget be used to help the people of that war torn, oppressed and almost destroyed country. Or we could do nothing - all of the foreign countries that are now there could just leave. We could let the people of Syria solve their own problems. But neither the option of trying to rescue Syrians and their country or abandoning them to resolve their own issues would solve the problems; neither of those things would ensure that those people living in Syria would have the opportunity to live safe, comfortable lives. The damage is far too profound. The players both on the ground in such cities as Aleppo and in the capitals of other countries are far too immeshed in and benefiting from that particular nightmare. There are just far too many agendas being played out.  It is long past the time when any one person or any one country had either control or or even a modicum of power to effect a quick change. So I sent my money knowing that if sent all of my savings and all of my friends sent all of their savings - it would not come close to being enough to help one tiny village. I would write to my prime minister telling him what he needed to do and post it on Facebook,Youtube and everywhere else - if I only knew what that one thing was. All I can hope for is that someone far smarter than I will tell us what the solution is and in the meantime all that I can do is to pray that we humans start to learn from our mistakes. Lord knows we have made them often enough.

 

Pipelines and Politics #3

The CBC has run a couple of articles in the past few days on the sense of stigmatization some First Nations are experiencing because they are supportive of the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion or other oil patch activities.

While it is perhaps not surprising that these communities are feeling this way - it is rather sad. Those communities who have chosen to take the opportunity to financially benefit from such activities have the right to do so. We (and by “we” I mean those of us who are not Indigenous) have no right to impose our values upon the people of those nations.  Neither do other First Nations. Amongst other reasons - humans clearly have a terrible track record of knowing what the right thing is to do.

There is a significant amount of pressure on some communities to do what we think is the right thing. While the liberal’s perception of indigenous peoples and their place in modern society has marginally evolved from the days of Tonto, many people including some environmentalist act as if they know what is best for the land and the people who live on it.  It would appear that we expect all Indigenous people to be focused on preserving the land and having idealized values with little regard to self preservation. I think there is still a romantic vision of living in a pristine wilderness, of surviving without work and never shaping/changing the environment  (see history Of Garry Oak meadows) for the communities’ needs.

Perhaps one the best example of the consequences of imposing our values on others was when environmentalist and others convinced European countries to ban the importing of furs. By doing so - those activists ensured that numerous northern communities would lose their only way of earning money. Those self-righteous liberals, by protecting some animals, forced people in northern communities to subsist on and to be totally dependant on government handouts. The fact that I have chosen not to eat meat for over 40 years does not give me the right to tell other people what is right or wrong.

I believe that we need to develop other alternatives to carbon based fuels and that we will never do so until we have no choice. I wish that the First Nation communities near the oil sands and those along the proposed pipeline route were all against it -but it is not my decision to make. If we believe that those communities are in fact nations with the absolute right of self determination - then we need to let them get on with making those decisions without having to deal with our perceptions of what is the right thing to do.

Maybe it is part of the inadequacies of the English language but we seem to be stuck on the concept of giving people the right to….. You can’t give a right - either an individual or a nation has the right or they don’t. If it is within my power to give someone the right to be in control of their life - that means that I can take it away. Rights are not something that you can earn or be given by a generous if paternalistic superior.  First Nations have the right to make their own decisions - not because someone gave them that right but because they were born with the right to do so. It is their right to make a decision without my input or pressure. I do not have the right to condemn those decisions and neither do the environmentalist.

If we we would like those communities to make a different decision - then we must find a way of them participating in our society as full partners which would include those communities having the opportunity to earn money doing meaningful work.

Pipelines and Politics #2

It was easy to predict that within minutes of the Liberal government’s decision to back the Kinder Morgan pipeline that a preordained cast of characters opposed to any such decision would come out in full force. In fact before I finished watching the announcement and then went on to another news site to read a bit about the proposed pipeline, the perennial complainers of all government’s policy on the environment were condemning the decision and promising to fight it with every means possible.

To be clear - in my opinion it was a poor decision that both sends the wrong message to the rest of the world about the need to cut down on our consumption of fossil fuels and commits Canada to perpetuating the rape and disfiguring of our land. But I am offended by the rhetoric that suggest that it was an unexpected decision (Trudeau had made it clear in his speeches during the election that Canada could not afford to leave trillions of dollars worth of oil buried in the land) or that in some fashion that the decision made in without rational discussion. In fact the government had numerous discussions with groups of people - they just decided to not give extra weight to the environmentalist’s position. The Liberals decided that the need for people to have jobs etc needed also to be considered.

The need for both sides of the argument to demonise the opposition and to use language that at best could be describe as inflammatory does nothing to find reasonable solutions. Some of the comments on Facebook for example are derogatory and if they were printed could almost be labelled as libelous. The comments make gross generalizations and will only ensure that people who want to find solutions or those who agree with the Government’s decisions will stop listening. Surely we can do better than that. This is not about who won or who lost.

The  hyperbole is counter-productive. I understand the need to get people worked up and mobilize to protest the decision but I think there are other steps that can be taken to ensure that Canada reduces its collective carbon footprint as soon as possible.

1. Let the courts decided. I would much rather people send money so that the First Nations communities can hire lawyers ( Most Canadians would have no legal standing in the courts on this issue). It is clear that at least in the recent past that the Supreme Court has stated that such proposals need to be discussed in a meaningful way with local communities. It seems likely that this proposed pipeline will not pass this test.
2. I think someone needs to provide some alternatives in terms of how to replace some of the tax dollars that were raised in Alberta because of their higher incomes etc. and then was transferred to provinces that had lower incomes. Those transfers contributed to our health care, education and social programs. If we are going to say that Alberta is not going to be able to sell its oil - then how  are we going to replace that income federally?
3. We also need to find good, well paying jobs for the 35,000+  (CBC) people who lost their jobs and probably at least an equal number who will lose their jobs when the oil sands are shut down.
4. We need to find a way for Canadians to stop using oil. I would love it if everyone had a battery operated car - but I will never be able to afford one unless there were significant government subsidies.  It would be great if we took off the road all of those big trucks - as long as we accept that for most Canadians such a decision would mean no fresh produce for 6-7 months of the year, no internet shopping and of course no more oil or natural gas heating. If we are going to be serious about reducing our carbon footprint - we need to do it across board - not just to some of the people.

I think all of the above is achievable. But there needs to be a commitment on everyone's part to make the needed sacrifices and adjustments. It is not enough that we say no to pipelines. We need to say that we have working alternatives that can be in place as our oil usage is reduced. It can be done but we need to do it together - something that will not happen as long as we stand on opposing sides on the protest lines.

On the Road Again 2016 - Last trip of the Year

Thousands if not millions of people travel great distances every day. I have to assume that for the vast majority of them their trips are generally successful - else people would not travel in such numbers for less than critical reasons (I just meet a family who it appears had travelled from Sudbury to Tampa, Florida to see a football game). Given that - I am feeling a little bit persecuted by the gods of travel.

Yesterday morning my scheduled taxi that was suppose to pick me up at 8:30 to get me to the bus station by 8:45 was 10 minutes late; the bus that was suppose to pick me up at 9:05 to get me to Nanaimo airport was 25 minutes late. As I had scheduled a lot of extra time into my travel plans, the lateness of the taxi and the bus were not  major issues, but did, I must confess, cause some anxiety.

The plane left on time and arrived at the Vancouver Airport  at the right time. The Vancouver to Toronto plane left 30 or so minutes late because it had come in late from Hong Kong (that is what they said - for all I know they were all having an extra nap), and the plane had to be cleaned etc. Our flight was full and in spite of the fact that I had paid extra to get a seat that had a bit more leg room - it felt very cramped. I swear they have put in an extra row of seats. The person beside me was just a bit big and had very broad shoulders, the isle was so narrow that I don’t think a single person walked by me without brushing against me.

Because I was near the front I got to observe the first class passengers. It seemed to me that the overwhelming percentage of such travellers were men - I assume they were all business people. Which leads me to the obvious question: what is the annual flight bill for some of those companies and how much cheaper would things be if they had to fly economy? I bet there would be a lot less flying! It also seemed to me that they had a better selection of movies to watch. For example I noticed someone watching the new version of Ghostbusters…. I could not find it on my screen. On the other hand, I got to watch one of my favourite old movies “Harvey”.

The flight went by surprisingly quickly - maybe I napped and didn’t notice.

I got to Toronto, had enough time to go to the bathroom and to grab a sandwich. I was feeling pretty much in control and perhaps even a little bit cocky.  As I walked by an Air Canada desk I noticed a large line up. I (unfortunately) paid no attention. I sat down in the right area and read for 30 minutes. I looked up and saw that my flight had been cancelled. Went back to that line up to find that the fog was so bad in Sudbury that planes were being turned around.

I hoped I would get a free hotel room - I didn’t - something about it was a weather related problem and therefore not Air Canada’s fault. It was hard to argue with that logic. I did get two $10.00 food vouchers.

I slept on a couch that was quite comfortable. Unfortunately it was right across from the security area and therefore was occasionally noisy. It was also very bright and American Express who had paid for the couch played the same 30 second commercial all night long. Something about how great their “Cloud 10” service is.

I was up by 5:00 - brushed my hair, beard and teeth and had my free breakfast at Tim Hortons. Ah the good life.

Plane left Toronto on time, arrived in Sudbury almost on time and here I am. Tired, feeling a bit disconnected and ready to visit with family and to write for the next three weeks. I don’t think I will ever be a seasoned traveller. I am much happier hitchhiking where paradoxically I have no control over who is going to pick me up, but I feel far less powerless than I do in an airport.

Politics and Pipelines

No one should ever doubt that in Canada, as in most countries that claim to be democratic, the primary goal of any federal government is (1) to get re-elected and (2) to ensure that the economy remains stable and grows. Without the former - nothing would ever get done and without the latter there would be no resources to do anything. To believe that governments are altruistic , in spite of the rhetoric of such fine speakers as soon-to-be-ex president Obama or those such as Justin Trudeau who appears to speak so clearly from his heart is at best naive and at worst dangerous. Leaders may mean almost everything they say - it is just that their interests and value systems are aligned with the two above stated goals. We only face disappointment if we expect them to make decision on any other basis.

Prime Minister Trudeau has just announced the approval of two new pipelines - both of which had gone through the complex if faulty approval process managed by the National Energy Board. The first approved was really a no brainer. Enbridge, with a number of very clear conditions, was given permission to replace it 1600+ kilometre pipeline that runs through Alberta and the southwest corner of Manitoba to the USA. It was an easy decision in that the present pipeline is fifty plus years old and is in poor shape. If it was running at capacity, the risk of a significant break was very high. The new pipeline will follow the same path as the present one and the environmental impact will be relatively minimal. I suspect that the public outcry will be minimal.

The cabinet today also approved the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline. On the surface this decision almost seems reasonable. There is already a pipeline there - the new proposed  pipeline is just mirroring the present one that travels from just south of Edmonton to Burnaby and the Pacific Ocean. However the pipeline travels though 130 First Nation communities . Only one third of those communities have agreed to the pipeline. It is not clear to me if the remaining communities are concerned about the consequences of another pipeline or if they are still negotiating for a more favourable deal. Lord knows - we have never dealt fairly with those communities and they are right to be cautious. The city of Burnaby also is against any expansion and may have enough political capital to make things difficult.

Blessedly the government did say no to the Northern Gateway pipeline - and to shutting down the number of tankers that sail the inside passage.

Clearly the Liberal government believes that the two pipelines approved will both engender political support in the areas that they need it (Alberta) while not losing too many votes in BC, and create some economic  growth. I suspect they are right. Recognizing that any time one transports oil, there is a risk of environmental damage and that some parts of Canada need a boost to the economy, the Liberals may have made the best decisions possible.

Of course the better decision would have been to shut down the oil sands, stop shipping the crude across Canada in rail cars and to not build any pipelines at all. But for that to have happened, the rest of Canada (not just Alberta) would have  to tighten our belts a few notches - do with less services and pay more taxes. If we truly want to live in a carbon neutral country that does not use oil to burn for fuel or to sell to keep out economy stable, then we will need to find a way to generate income at a national level; we will also need to find an alternative way of moving both our goods and ourselves across vast distances.  I do not think there is an easy or a quick fix to either of those realities.

 In the upcoming weeks, especially because of the example of anti pipeline protests at  Standing Rock in the US, there is going to be the temptation to create a similar protest movement in BC. I think we need to be careful. The First Nations communities need to take as much times as they need in their negotiations with Kinder Morgan before they are forced into a position of protest. Non-indigenous peoples running off to protest camps "to support their Native brothers and sisters"  may be premature and problematic.  We should not be telling those communities how to act.

Before we protest - let us make sure that we are doing everything we can to reduce our community's dependency on oil. Let us make sure that before we throw out the bath water that the baby is safely somewhere  else. And that means having a reasonable solution to at least most of the problems. We need to stop looking to others to solve our problems. If you don't like the oil sands - stop using a car (bus, train, airplane), stop heating your house with carbon based products and stop using plastics.

What to Do about Trump

As the American election cycle was drawing to a close - I  wrote that I was glad the whole damn thing was almost over. I was naively hopeful that perhaps the mainstream and alternative media would start to focus on more important (and quite frankly) more interesting topics. I was, of course, wrong. The election of Trump did nothing to quell the endless drivel that spouts from people's lips. If anything the flow of absurdities has increased both in volume and in its polarizing content. There is no doubt that the ever increasing flow of outrageous comments from pundits, movie stars, politicians and want-to-be's is in large measure driven by the incredible and incompetent statements and decisions made by the president elect. It is truly frightening when such a person nominates people for his cabinet that are not only profoundly unqualified for those positions but in fact may be dangerous. When incompetent/ignorant/misguided people are allowed to shape public policy in such areas as education, women's health care, and the environment, then the gains of the last 60 years will be lost - perhaps never to be found again. One can only weep for the children of the USA and all of their lost opportunities.

However, those Americans who are now complaining about the injustice of Trump's win need to own some of the responsibility for the failure of the American electoral process. Their system of electing a president is bit strange. In fact it is so strange that a surprising number of Americans that I have spoken to in the past fifteen years cannot explain it. But just because it is strange or hard to explain does not mean that it is without merit. The electoral college has the singular advantage in that it ensures that parts of the country with the largest number of people, do not control the country. If the election was just based on number of people voting for whom, New York and California would always elect the president and there would be no point in anyone from the smaller stats voting. It is one of the legitimate complaints against the Canadian system. Just ask anyone from B.C. when Quebec and Ontario vote the same way.

But the real issue is not whether or not electoral college system is fair or whether or not they should trust in the popular vote (2 million voters out of 230,000 million voters is a rather small percentage), someone should be concerned about the 40% plus of American voters who did not bother to vote. No one who did not vote should give themselves the right to protest in the streets, demand recounts or otherwise tilt against windmills. 40% is a lot of people - if they had all voted perhaps the results would have been different. But at least those individuals would have the right to be upset in an, at best, unwieldy system.

Unless the three recounts change something dramatically (and no one is saying that they will) - the world is stuck with Trump. That does not mean that the fight is over. Neither citizens within the USA or the rest of us need to bow down and accept the chaos that is bound to come. We need to ensure that  our parliament honours the international environmental agreements we have made, that we continue to demand that our citizens and those from other countries have the right to live in freedom and dignity, and that we continue on a path of reconciliation with our First Nations. We must resist the temptation to accept the lowest common denominator when it comes to the environment or to our medical, educational and social services.  

For our neighbours to the south....a suggestion. Follow the path of Thoreau and Trump. When the government of the day were about to embark upon, in Thoreau's mind, an unjust war - he refused to pay his taxes. He was prepared to go to jail for it. Be like Trump- don't pay your taxes. But be like Thoreau and be prepared to go to jail for your beliefs. Just imagine - the system would grind to a halt if 100 million people (white, middle class especially males) stopped paying taxes AND plugged up the legal system.

Just a thought.