tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36138389865362875772024-03-13T12:40:51.539-03:00Attempts at a Better WorldWe can bring about a better world. We can learn from each others successes and mistakes. I have been inspired by so many people and experiences, therefore I pledge to make daily public attempts to bring about a better world, and try to share the experiences. I invite you to do the same. Anyone interested in contributing please contact! We all need the ideas and inspiration.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-3175121409700244592018-07-31T12:37:00.000-03:002018-07-31T12:37:19.643-03:00Charity laws<br />
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Dear Prime Minister Trudeau, Minister Morneau and Mr. Boissonnault,<div dir="auto">
I am writing to urge you to accept the court ruling in Ontario in the case of Canada Without Poverty, to not appeal this ruling and to update your laws to fulfill your commitment to ensure charities can operate free from political interference. </div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/charity-political-audits-cra-lebouthillier-farha-poverty-environmental-gray-liberal-1.4750295&source=gmail&ust=1533061532331000&usg=AFQjCNEJzzep3LAg53iYkyVRPOZqULt7SQ" href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/charity-political-audits-cra-lebouthillier-farha-poverty-environmental-gray-liberal-1.4750295" rel="noreferrer" style="color: #4285f4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.cbc.ca/news/<wbr></wbr>politics/charity-political-<wbr></wbr>audits-cra-lebouthillier-<wbr></wbr>farha-poverty-environmental-<wbr></wbr>gray-liberal-1.4750295</a></div>
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My family supports a number of charities doing great work across Canada and the world. I witnessed firsthand at board meetings the how the CRA audits implemented under Prime Minister Harper caused fear and constrained the good work of charities. We're all better off having a strong charitable sector.</div>
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Best regards,</div>
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Justin</div>
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T5K1L8 </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-37457233620343102862017-06-03T02:00:00.001-03:002017-06-03T04:34:32.292-03:00Covenant Health Refusing Patients the Right to DieHonourable Sarah Hoffman<br />
Deputy Premier, Minister of Health<br />
Members of Executive Council<br />
Executive Council<br />
423 Legislature Building<br />
10800 - 97 Avenue<br />
Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6<br />
<br />
Dear Minister Hoffman,<br />
<br />
Please accept my gratitude for the work that you and all of your staff do to deliver effective public health care in Alberta. I have had the privilege of personally receiving exceptional care in Alberta Health facilities throughout my life. I have also had many dear friends receive similarly exceptional care in Alberta Health and Covenant Health facilities.<br />
<br />
I am writing today regarding Medical Assistance in Dying. One cannot spend time in a health care facility, or in society without facing the reality of death and considering the issue of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID). I recently read a very powerful article on this issue, which I have provided an except and link to below. I strongly encourage you to take the time to read the article, it had me in tears as this issue is so profoundly personal. I have dealt with chronic, terminal illness and would not be alive if not for the miracle of organ donation and transplant. I have also faced, as we all do, the illness and death of many people I love. As you know, and have eloquently stated in the Legislature, MAID is fundamentally about human rights, as confirmed by the Supreme Court of Canada. As you prepare to receive the report from the Medical Assistance in Dying Regulatory Review Committee I would like to commend you on acting to provide access to this human right, with one notable and very problematic exception.<br />
<br />
The exception that I am deeply concerned about, and beg you to reconsider, is allowing Covenant Health to refuse access to Medical Assistance in Dying for patients in its publicly run and publicly funded health care facilities. I agree with individual health care providers having the right to refuse to perform the ethically complex Medical Assistance in Dying procedure, but organizations do not have rights, humans do, and organizations cannot systematically withhold access to an individual’s human rights. Individuals who refuse to perform this procedure have a moral and legal duty to provide meaningful and timely access to professionals that will provide it. I believe that Covenant Health Policy No. VII-B-440, “Responding to Requests for Medical Assistance in Dying”, directly contravenes your Order respecting Medical Assistance in Dying Standards of Practice, and prevents access to a fundamental and legally confirmed human right for patients in publicly funded Covenant Health facilities.<br />
<br />
As the attached article so clearly demonstrates, requiring the discharge or transfer of patients who are sick enough to qualify for Medical Assistance in Dying is simply not practical and amounts to a refusal of an individual’s right to this service:<br />
<br />
“Two days before he was scheduled to die, John Shields roused in his hospice bed with an unusual idea. He wanted to organize an Irish wake for himself. It would be old-fashioned with music and booze, except for one notable detail — he would be present. The party should take up a big section of Swiss Chalet, a family-style chain restaurant on the road out of town. Mr. Shields wanted his last supper to be one he so often enjoyed on Friday nights when he was a young Catholic priest — rotisserie chicken legs with gravy. Then, his family would take him home and he would die there in the morning, preferably in the garden....<br />
<br />
His newly developed plan for how he would spend his last moments, though, worried his wife, Robin June Hood. Her husband had not left his bed once since he arrived at the hospice on a stretcher, 17 days earlier. His 78-year-old body had thinned; his voice dimmed. He lasted only 15 minutes in conversation before his eyes fluttered closed. Just leaving the room would exhaust him. She knew he could not make it to the restaurant, and there was no way she could tend to his needs at home, even for one night — especially his last.<br />
<br />
Happily, Dr. Green had become adept at brokering delicate family discussions over the past year... Many were too sick to devise elaborate rituals, but others had chosen the location, attendees, readings and music as if planning a wedding. Dr. Green called them something she picked up at a conference on euthanasia in the Netherlands: “choreographed deaths.”<br />
<br />
She arrived at Mr. Shields’s hospice room that day to finalize the plans. The couple held hands as she helped them stitch a compromise. On March 23, the last night of Mr. Shields’s life, they would host a party in the hospice solarium with Swiss Chalet takeout for all. The next morning, he would die in his hospice room. Then, his wife and stepdaughter would take his body home and lay it out in his beloved garden for two days. The plan, Mr. Shields said that afternoon, was “absolutely terrific.”<br />
<br />
I find the Covenant Health Policy on MAID morally and ethically reprehensible, and believe it to be illegal. I have had multiple close personal friends and family members placed in Covenant Health facilities (including the Edmonton General Hospital across the street from my home) purely because of a lack of capacity elsewhere. Most of these people were not Roman Catholic and would have preferred to receive care, and often finish their life in a facility not run by Covenant Health.<br />
<br />
Please require Covenant Health to provide its patients access to this human right in the publicly funded health care facilities where they are placed. If Covenant Health will not do so, they should no longer be allowed to operate publicly funded health care facilities and these facilities should immediately be transferred back to Alberta Health Services. The phase out of Covenant Health would likely make sense from a cost efficiency perspective as well, but that is secondary to this issue of human rights.<br />
<br />
Please provide a written response confirming that you have read my letter, and outlining your planned course of action on this critical human rights issue. Thank you again for all you, and your staff do for the people of our province. I count my blessings with every day of “donated time” that our health care system has given me as I watch my kids grow and revel in all the wonders of this world.<br />
<br />
Respectfully Yours,<br />
<br />
Justin Wheler<br />
<br />
Cc: Honourable Rachel Notley, Premier of Alberta; Honourable Brandy Payne, Associate Minister of Health; Mr. David Shepherd, MLA for Edmonton-Centre; Patrick Dumelie, President and CEO Covenant Health.<br />
<br />
<b>References</b>:<br />
<br />
1. “At His Own Wake, Celebrating Life and the Gift of Death” By Catherine Porter. The New York Times, MAY 25, 2017 (<a href="https://nyti.ms/2rXBF0m">https://nyti.ms/2rXBF0m</a>).<br />
<br />
2. O.C. 142/2016, Order respecting Medical Assistance in Dying Standards of Practice (<a href="http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/orders/Orders_in_Council/2016/616/2016_142.html">http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/orders/Orders_in_Council/2016/616/2016_142.html</a>).<br />
<br />
3. Covenant Health Policy No. VII-B-440: Responding to Requests for Medical Assistance in Dying (<a href="https://www.covenanthealth.ca/media/122358/responding-to-requests-for-medical-assistance-in-dying-policy-vii-b-440-may-24-2016.pdf">https://www.covenanthealth.ca/media/122358/responding-to-requests-for-medical-assistance-in-dying-policy-vii-b-440-may-24-2016.pdf</a> ).<br />
<br />
<b>Excerpts from Covenant Health Policy No. VII-B-440: Responding to Requests for Medical Assistance in Dying</b><br />
<br />
Policy Statement: “The organization’s ethical and moral opposition to medical assistance in dying and the organization’s unequivocal position to not provide or explicitly refer for same needs to be recognized, respected and honoured by all persons served by, or working within Covenant Health including, but not limited to: funders, regulatory bodies, advocacy groups and the larger community.”<br />
<br />
Principles: “...Covenant Health and its personnel are prohibited from participating in any actions of commission or omission that are directly intended to cause death...”<br />
<br />
“Covenant Health recognizes and abides by all legislative requirements and regulatory standards governing access to medical assistance in dying elsewhere, while reciprocally, fully expecting others to respect Covenant Health’s institutional integrity as a [Roman] Catholic care organization and the conscience rights of its personnel to not provide or directly refer explicitly for same”<br />
<br />
Procedure: “When, after discussion with the attending physician the patient still clearly expresses a desire for medical assistance in dying, alternative arrangements will be explored with clear communication that such practice is not provided in Covenant Health facilities.”<br />
<br />
“If the person who desires medical assistance in dying chooses to stay in a Covenant Health facility, the patient/resident is informed that Covenant Health’s employees and volunteers do not provide or assist the person to fulfill this desire while the patient/resident is participating in Covenant Health services.”Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-6651212060601620232015-10-19T13:00:00.000-03:002015-10-19T13:20:19.154-03:00Now Hiring: Member of Parliament of Canada<div class="MsoNormal">
A unique job opportunity: become one of Canada’s leaders!
Work 2/3 in Ottawa, 1/3 in your local community. Participate in debates and
vote on all legislation in Canada, though 19 times out of 20 your party will
tell you how to vote. Everyone is your boss and most of them don’t like you or
will be suspicious of you, but you will also be treated with respect by many. Reasonable pay and benefits.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We have designed a very unique recruitment process: </div>
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Initially you must seek the nomination with the party of your choice in your local community by
getting members to vote for you. Each party has different rules for that part
so we will let them explain it. They will look into all your personal history
and deem if you are fit to run for office; including social media posts, any
photos or videos of you, etc.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Once nominated we will ask that you take 11 weeks of unpaid
leave from work, to work for your new potential job, voluntarily. You will have to inspire a
team of at least a hundred volunteers, fundraise 50-200 thousand dollars, and
work at least full time in the public eye, including most evenings and
weekends. You are permitted to hire staff to help you get your job if you fundraise enough money to pay them.</div>
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The hiring committee consists of approximately 100,000 citizens in your area.
You will get their names and addresses and some phone numbers. Please try to
contact each of them individually to explain your qualifications and see if they have any interview questions. Many of them do not want to be reached and
about half will choose not to vote in the final selection (election). You are also encouraged to create a website and social media presence and respond to as many surveys and media interviews as possible.</div>
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There will also
be a national campaign run by your party leader which will influence most of
the voters decisions in your local area. You will be expected to have informed
and nuanced opinions on every issue that a voter is interested in, including
and most importantly what your party’s platform and specific implementation plan is on the issue. Many of your personal expenses will be covered, if you can fundraise enough but most incidental expenses are your own. You can contribute up to $1,500 to your own campaign if you so choose.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thank you for applying. The media will occasionally report on your progress based on random surveys of a few members of the hiring committee or their own personal opinion. All candidates will find out
immediately what our decision is on October 19, 2015 when it is announced on the national news.<o:p></o:p></div>
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PS: You must re-apply, using the above process at least every four years and will be expected</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kX-2m-Vrq8k/ViUYNY3Rq7I/AAAAAAAAG6U/aDXREVXC1E8/s1600/now-hiring.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kX-2m-Vrq8k/ViUYNY3Rq7I/AAAAAAAAG6U/aDXREVXC1E8/s1600/now-hiring.gif" /></a></div>
PPS: Thanks to the love of my life <a href="http://heathermackenzie.org/">Heather MacKenzie</a>, and all the other candidates nation wide for agreeing to put your heart, soul, time, blood, sweat, and tears into an amazing election campaign. Democracy is a WORK in progress and YOU and your dedicated teams are the ones keeping it working. To all citizens, please do your part and take a few minutes to vote if you haven't already.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-23855980713427714962015-05-19T02:23:00.000-03:002015-05-19T02:23:05.537-03:00Edmonton Catholic Schools position on Transgender ChildHello Trustee _____,<br />
<br />
As a citizen of your Ward and a of a child in a Catholic School I want to let you know that I have been surprised and frustrated by your board's position on the right of a child to choose the bathroom that they are comfortable with. This should be a non issue and should not have to come to the board and certainly not need to go to the human rights commission. Please stand up for what is right tomorrow, as Jesus demonstrated. Please affirm that the gospel teaches us to stand up for the rights of minorities.<br />
<br />
On the particular topic of the board meeting please vote for this matter to be discussed publicly so we can all hear what is said. I also hope that you will support Trustee Grell in continuing to represent the constituents of her riding. I believe that she spoke up appropriately on an important topic of human rights and that this takes precedence over the norm of publicly presenting a united front. It is the duty of a public official and elected representative to stand up for human rights both privately and publicly.<br />
<br />
I am a Catholic but I have been sufficiently disturbed by the Catholic position on Gay Straight Alliances and now this issue that if the board does not do the right thing I will be switching my child to the public system. I will also advocate for the disbanding of your board.<br />
<br />
If I have been unclear please feel free to contact me. I look forward to seeing you do the right thing tomorrow.<br />
<br />
Best regards,Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-18935155481570307252015-05-03T12:53:00.003-03:002015-05-03T12:57:43.699-03:00HEALTHCARE REFLECTIONS FROM A PATIENT<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have spent more than my fair share of time in Alberta’s
Health care system. 2 chronic illnesses managed for over a decade that led to 4
major surgeries, plus some sports injuries, emergency room visits,
and a child being born in hospital have left me with some things to say about
our health system. I have had almost every type of test that exists, outpatient
IV therapy, home care, consulted with 5 or 6 different types of specialists,
etc. I have a lot of taxes to pay to break even I think. I have tried to
prioritize and summarize my thoughts here to contribute to the conversation I believe we need to have about how to protect and improve our public health care system.<o:p></o:p></div>
<h2>
The Lucky Ones<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first thing I always say when talking about my health
and health care is I feel very lucky. Yes, there is room to improve, but we
have an amazing health system: competent compassionate professionals from
reception and food services to nurses and doctors and everywhere in between. It
takes a unique set of values and skills to successfully pursue a career in our
health system and we are extremely fortunate to have an incredible supply of
the incredible people that make the system work. Thank you to everyone who
works in and defends our system, you/we have a lot to be proud of!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We are also blessed with access to top-notch facilities and
equipment. I would almost certainly not be here writing this (or my entire
family and I would be bankrupt) if I was one of the majority of humanity that
are not blessed with access to high quality publicly funded care. I do not take
this blessing lightly. <o:p></o:p></div>
<h2>
Define success<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is always a lot of talk about the cost of healthcare,
and the length of time people wait in emergency rooms or for surgery, etc.
These are important topics but we should be careful not to confuse them with
metrics of whether our system is succeeding or failing or what may need to
change. Cost or wait times in and of themselves are not measures of success.
There are many things that impact the cost of healthcare: demographics, water
and air quality, obesity levels, etc. While cost is obviously key for the
people paying the bills (all of us) I am more concerned with whether we are
getting a quality service for our investment. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While I am a strong advocate of publicly funded and publicly
delivered healthcare, sometimes a private system provides a good thought experiment
when considering cost. In a private system there would often be a spectrum of
quality that comes at different prices and most of us would spend as much as we
could reasonably afford to get the best quality care. I would pay a premium in
a private system for access to competent compassionate health professionals,
and I am happy to do the same in our public system. Similarly with wait times,
I choose to go to a family doctor that is exceptional in her intelligence,
judgement and compassion, even though she is almost always late. I would of
course prefer her to be on time, but I am not willing to switch to a doctor I
trust less even if it would mean shorter wait times. In my mind, quality trumps
all else, and access to good quality care up front saves time and money through
recognizing and addressing issues as they arise, preventing complications and
the need for repeat visits.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I define success as the health outcomes of society – life
expectancy, maternal and infant mortality, life expectancy of people with
various chronic illnesses, and while hard to measure, perhaps most importantly,
quality of life. I do not define success by measuring the $/capita relative to
other provinces. If we want to compare costs, we should compare cost per
quality, and we should recognize that other things drive cost beyond just the
number of residents.<o:p></o:p></div>
<h2>
Privacy farce<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before going on, I should disclose that many of my opinions
and observations are from exchanging and overhearing the health journeys of my roommates
or neighbours in the hospital. While I have experienced some beautiful
relationships in this way, it is also a major annoyance and liability that
there is so little privacy in our health system. We spend so much work
protecting private records everywhere else only to be forced to pretend that a
thin curtain somehow makes a cone of silence while you share the most intimate
and excruciating details of your health history with every nurse and doctor
that comes to visit. Depending on the person, this can be a significant barrier
to open communication, compromising the quality of care. I feel that when I
have had the privilege of having a private room it has allowed me to be more
relaxed and open and improved the quality of care and the speed of my recovery.
While this does not necessarily mean private rooms for all, in our new
facilities and renovations we should find ways to provide space for private
conversations between patients and caregivers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<h2>
Space<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Beyond just privacy, limits on space have very real
consequences for care. The University of Alberta hospital currently is giving
patients an information sheet explaining that in order to fit people in for
surgery they may need to place you on a stretcher as a third person in the
middle of a two person room, or in the corridor. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tZRcSkeJStM/VUZCm-DvA9I/AAAAAAAAFvk/zTDkT1buGGQ/s1600/May%2B3%2C%2B2015%2B9%3A45%3A28%2BAM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tZRcSkeJStM/VUZCm-DvA9I/AAAAAAAAFvk/zTDkT1buGGQ/s1600/May%2B3%2C%2B2015%2B9%3A45%3A28%2BAM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Patients are assured that the
quality of care will not be compromised in these situations. I was one of those
patients that was in a three person room in January and I can tell you that I
still received attention from nurses and doctors as promised but in my opinion
their ability to do their job and my ability to recover quickly was hampered by
having three person in a two person room. Nurses had trouble moving around the
beds and it would not have been possible to provide simultaneous care to all
three patients in the room. I was told that in order to recover quickly from
surgery I needed to get up walking as many times per day as possible, but since
the room was not designed for three people I could not unplug my IV pole to go
to the bathroom or leave my room without the help of either my neighbour or a
nurse. The privacy concerns where significantly exacerbated by the limited
space and we could not all have visitors at the same time, which has
significant emotional impacts and limits the quality of care (since visitors
are often very helpful for patients in basic things like getting supplies and
helping in and out of bed). It also impacts your ability to sleep, which would
be much worse in the hallway. Stretchers are also smaller and do not have the
ability to adjust without a nurse, which significantly impacts comfort and
sleep. I think it is still better that I got in for my surgery than having to
wait but it is terrible that the system is so short on space that we are faced
with this choice. It is also an issue that snowballs because patients in
cramped conditions take longer to recover, infections are more likely, meaning
longer stays and less space.<br />
<h2>
Pharmacare, dental care, access to fitness, wrap around care<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think of some of the health care ‘bells and whistles’ in a
similar way as I think of investing in quality for our core health services. I
would happily invest in services that improve the quality of care up front and
prevent (or at least delay) more intensive, expensive, time consuming options
down the road. I think pharmacare is the biggest example of this. In my time in
hospital I have overheard multiple cases where people’s health conditions had
gotten much worse than needed due to complications with prescriptions or
inability to pay for prescriptions. Given the importance of prescriptions to
modern health care, having people pay for prescriptions creates a massive
inequality in our system and ultimately often increases the cost of providing
care. If I had my ideal system, all health related services that are essential
and reduce likelihood of future complications would be publicly funded. I agree
with cosmetic things being private to some extent and in my experience our
health professionals and whoever makes the rules have drawn this line in the right
place. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h2>
When it works…<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had the amazing privilege a few years ago of receiving a
donated organ, which has saved my life. Aside from the miracle of life, I cannot
say enough about the way the liver transplants are managed. When I was placed
on the transplant list I underwent extensive screening but I also had
appointments with a nutritionist, a social worker (to offer emotional support
and coordinate drug coverage), a pharmacist, and I was assigned to a nurse
practitioner who coordinated my care and all my expert appointments. There was
some concern about my kidneys and lungs so I met with specialists in each of
those areas and an infectious disease expert to ensure I was ready for surgery.
Post surgery, I had ongoing support from my nurse practitioner, as well as
regular appointments and personalized recovery planning from a physiotherapist
and occupational therapist. I also had follow-ups from the various specialists
and regular check-ins with the liver specialists, and follow up from homecare
upon discharge. The fact that all of this care was available as part of the
standard procedure and that it was all coordinated through a single competent
and compassionate point of contact made a huge difference in my ability to
prepare for and recover from surgery. I believe this is a model of how public
health care can work. I don’t think any of these supports were frivolous and
all focused on getting me back to my regular life as soon as possible. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On a side note, another very important aspect of the
transplant system is that it is entirely needs based – whoever needs the
donated organ most (and is a good match) gets it, regardless of how long they
have been on the list. This prevents gaming of the list and ensures an
equitable way of delivering care.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My final comment on transplants is that we are desperately
short of life saving organs. I believe that organ donation should be the
default that people can opt out of after discussing with their family doctor or
a similar health care professional who can explain the need for organs and how
everyone might need one for themselves or someone they love.<o:p></o:p></div>
<h2>
Emergency rooms as canaries - Emergency rooms are not ready for emergencies<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In engineering talk, there is often a tension between
efficiency and robustness. A very efficient system will use all parts to their
maximum capacity, but if one thing goes wrong in this system then the whole
thing is compromised. If you want a robust system the easiest way is to design
in redundancy, especially for the most critical parts (a back up generator, a
spare tire, etc). In my experience a lot of effort has been put into making our
health system more efficient and getting by on the slimmest margin of funding
possible. While efficiency is valuable, I am concerned that our emergency rooms
are not actually robust enough to be prepared for a real emergency. We would be
concerned if all our fire trucks or police cars were always busy and were
having to routinely let smaller emergencies wait for extended periods. I have
never seen an empty emergency waiting room or emergency room bed, which is
great in terms of making sure the doctor and nurse resources are used
completely, but it is also a sign that we do not have robustness in the system
to deal with large-scale emergencies. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am a strong believer in triage and needs based care. If I
am waiting in the emergency waiting room I know that people who need care more
than me are getting care. But I also see wait times. I’ve also seen people
waiting in emergency rooms because they did not have a ride yet, or because
they did not have continuing care to transition to (long term care beds, home
care, etc). I even witnessed a lady who was having trouble walking without a
walker get picked up by an ambulance because there was no after hours mechanism
for getting a walker for her. In this sense emergency rooms are often the
proverbial ‘canary in a coal mine’ where problems in emergency rooms indicate
much larger problems in the system. Some
of these gaps are breakdowns in organization, such as the lack of a walker to
borrow leading to an ambulance call. But the waiting times are often indicative
of lack of capacity downstream, and because there is no robustness built into
the system, a hiccup anywhere in the system causes upsets that propagate
through many other parts. Lack of timely emergency care can also lead to more
costly and intensive interventions later on. For example, on a recent emergency
room visit I was severely dehydrated due to a bowel blockage. Everyone knew
that I needed IV fluids as soon as possible, but there was no space so I waited
for hours before the IV could be started, and ultimately ended up in the ICU.
This incident served as an example to me that while wait times in and of
themselves are not necessarily a problem, they are a sign of a problem and can
cause significant loss in quality of care and increases in the cost and
intensity of care needed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<h2>
Data <o:p></o:p></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of my ongoing frustrations with funding rhetoric is the
idea that frontline staff are sacred and protected, but cutting administrative
supports and central services will have no impact on frontline staff, and by
extension no impact on quality of care. I have tremendous respect and gratitude
for the wonderful people that work on the front lines of our health system, but
I think it is naïve to think that we could scale back on everything not
frontline without affecting care. Many of the opportunities for improvement in
the quality and cost effectiveness of our care that I have observed relate to
how information is handled. We are still using record keeping and data
management systems that are primarily paper based. I believe that our entire
charts should be electronically archived and accessible to patients and all of
their care professionals. I believe in the need for patient engagement but even
as a person with a fairly high functioning memory and intellect I find myself
forgetting some aspects of my health history when asked to share it with new
health professionals (such as emergency room doctors) and I often worry that
this compromises the quality of care. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As an engineer, I also think a lot about data management and
quality control and assurance. In particular I think about opportunities for
alteration (accidental or malicious) of records. An example is blood work. When
I go for blood work, my doctor fills in a pdf checklist, prints it off, and I
take it to a clinic where (after waiting for up to an hour in the waiting
room), the technician manually re-enters it in a computer. They often struggle
to read the doctors name or contact info and over half the appointment is taken
up with the tech entering and confirming information. I then have to book a
follow up appointment with my doctor a week later to find out the results of my
test, even if there is no issue. In my world, the requisition would be on my
electronic file, I would book an appointment online or by phone, I would show
up and have my health care number entered or my id scanned, and the requisition
would be there for the technician. I would then be able to go online. This would
cut the time per patient by 50-75% while improving the quality of care and
availability of information. This is a minor example, but I believe many such
opportunities exist, and could save frontline staff time and let them focus on
their core job of patient care. But these opportunities can only be realized if there are some non frontline staff with the skills and time to find and implement innovative solutions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<h2>
Incentives and income<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the things I think we should consider is connecting
how we fund and evaluate healthcare. We should quantify the impacts of things
like smoking, alcohol, pollution, etc. on health care and collect at least
enough revenue from those things to cover their costs. I think an economist
would call this internalizing the costs. For example, we could have a tax on
sugar that covers the cost of the obesity and diabetes related health problems
and costs it creates. <o:p></o:p></div>
<h2>
Communication in the 21<sup>st</sup> century<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have been very fortunate to have doctors and specialists
and nurse practitioners who are willing to communicate in real time using phone
and email in addition to in person appointments. I think this has likely been a
stretch of the rules but has been a huge improvement in the quality and
efficiency of my care. When I was travelling overseas I was able to email my GI
specialist and get professional advice from someone who knew my history and
risks when I got sick. This was important physically and emotionally. I think
that this should be encouraged and incorporated into the standard care (and
funding) model, not to replace appointments but to use in person appointments
and doctors time most efficiently. Similarly, I have had the good fortune to
have a family doctor and surgeon who are willing to phone me directly and
discuss my symptoms in real time instead of waiting for an appointment which
reduces the risk of symptoms escalating into complications and more intense
sickness.<o:p></o:p></div>
<h2>
Teaching Hospitals and peer oversight<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have been very fortunate to have access to the wonderful
specialists and facilities at the university of Alberta Hospital. I love being
part of a teaching hospital both because if I want quality care I believe that
I have to help train the people who will deliver the care. I also think that
the quality improves in teaching situations because there are multiple people
assessing the problem, asking questions and evaluating the approach. It
challenges me to be more engaged and observant too, which I think is important.
There have been cases where I have disagreed with the approach taken by a
student or resident but I have found them very open to discussing the approach
and deferring to the experts if requested. I think this model of peer support
and oversight should continue as much as possible throughout our system. It
should not be a crisis or confrontation to get a second opinion; it should be a
standard part of the process both at the request of the patient and the
doctor/health provider. I have had multiple neighbours in the hospital room
where a significant contributor to their situation was poor judgement from or
oversight of their primary care provider. One person had been on a dose of
prednisone for ten years that should have been an introductory dose to see if
they tolerated the medicine for one week, followed by a higher short term dose
and taper off the drug. The dose they had was not strong enough to help with
the disease but was enough to cause other complications and side effects. There
is no way that this should have happened in the first place or continued
without being caught. There must have been many prescription refill
appointments with doctors and pharmacists that filled them over the years.<o:p></o:p></div>
<h2>
Why so sexist?<o:p></o:p></h2>
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I have seen very few signs of overt sexism or discrimination
in our health system, and I have been very happy to have some amazing female
doctors and specialists. It seems that we are on our way to gender equality in
doctors. For some reason though, male nurses (and nurses assistants and support
staff) remain extremely rare and are often in the senior roles. I don’t know
what the causes are but I believe that this data should not be ignored (similar
to any other profession) and should lead us to examine how students are
socialized in school, how universities recruit and carry out their programs,
how nursing is portrayed and understood in society, etc. It is not immediately
troubling to me, because it seems nurses are well respected and compensated as
the highly skilled professionals they are, but it is curious. Any time that
such inequality exists there is potential for negative discrimination to go
along with it, which we should be cautious of.<o:p></o:p></div>
<h2>
The “D” word - Palliative care, living wills, etc.<o:p></o:p></h2>
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My final observation is that death still seems to be
something that is generally feared and not discussed until absolutely
necessary. This is a societal problem (we are terrible at preparing for and
grieving loss) but also a health care problem. In the last 3 months I have met
two wonderful gentlemen who are nearing their end of life that had recently
underwent significant health procedures and extended hospitalizations. Both of
these men said “If I knew what I was going in for I would have said no.” I
think this is a failure of the people who prepared and informed these people as
they evaluated their options, but I think it is also indicative of how the
overall system deals with patient agency and preparation for death. I recently
heard about a town that has taken a very proactive approach to end of life
planning (<a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2014/02/28/283444163/episode-521-the-town-that-loves-death">http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2014/02/28/283444163/episode-521-the-town-that-loves-death</a>
). “96 percent of people who die in this small, Midwestern city have specific
directions laid out for when they pass.” This was done solely for the purpose
of improving the quality of care and supporting patients and families prior to
crisis so that when the difficult decisions come people are ready and do not
have to try to imagine what their loved one wants. In addition to the clear
social benefits, this approach of proactively supporting and guiding people to
prepare for the death that is coming for us all has some important benefits for
the effectiveness and efficiency of the health system. It provides certainty
that we are providing the type of care people want, and it prevents using huge
amounts of resources to extend life when a person would rather not go through that
ordeal. This is a touchy issue and gets touchier as we start to (finally) talk
about doctor assisted suicide, but it is way past time we have an upfront
conversation about this and help patients take control of their own care
choices. Given the risks of liver transplant I did some pretty intensive
preparation for that surgery both personally and with my family. I forced
myself to get comfortable with death and to evaluate who should make decisions
if I was incapacitated and provide my spouse with enough preparation that she
would be able to make informed decisions that we were both comfortable with
rather than guessing. We could do a lot more to support and assist people in
preparing for intensive care and end of life care situations and I think this would
have enormous to individuals, society, and our health care system.<o:p></o:p></div>
<h2>
Conclusion <o:p></o:p></h2>
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In conclusion, my assessment of our system from my
experiences as a patient is that it works, and works well, but there is room
for improvement. I don’t think its helpful to only talk about costs, or wait
times, we need to talk about health outcomes, quality of care, and quality of life
overall. There are definite ways that our system can be improved, and I think
engaging the people who experience the system as both care providers and
recipients in identifying and implementing solutions can be way more helpful
than relying on party platforms and newsbites. Frontline staff do not exist and succeed or fail in isolation, they are part of a system and the whole system needs to work. When one part fails the repercussions can be far reaching so we need to manage it as a system and be willing to identify and even predict challenge areas and invest in comprehensive solutions that will save cost and improve quality, efficiency, and robustness of the overall system. We need to take ownership over
our own care, demand quality, and be willing to invest both financially and
intellectually in the quality of care we want. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-73866034586126148882012-06-12T23:05:00.002-03:002012-06-12T23:05:38.533-03:00TAX FREEDOMHi Mr. Hawn, <br /><br />Thanks for the message. I have to tell you that I
am disappointed to be hearing from you about tax freedom day when your
government is in the process of cutting a lot of valuable programs and
services, and undermining a lot of our environmental oversight through
the budget implementation bill. The government has a responsibility to
provide services and manage the country effectively. Efficiency and cost
effectiveness are important but effectiveness is more important. In
particular I am very concerned about the reduction in environmental
screening capacity, giving ministerial power to over rule the NEB,
cutting the NRTEE, Katimavik, and Parks Canada. Moreso, I am
disappointed that your government is using such a large and cumbersome
budget implementation bill to do a lot of non budget related things. You
have a majority. Why not allow for proper consideration and debate and
transparency for the changes you are making and initiatives you are
taking. If they are worthwhile they will stand up to the scrutiny.<br />
<br />Thanks again for your letter and your hard work. Please consider
communicating with constituents on things other than taxes and safety, I
think we have a lot of other important topics that we expect to be
represented on.<br />
<br />Sincerely,<br /><br /><br clear="all" />Justin Wheler<br />T5K 1L8<br />
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<br /><br />On 12 June 2012 13:57, <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:laurie.hawn.a2@parl.gc.ca" target="_blank">laurie.hawn.a2@parl.gc.ca</a>></span> wrote:<br />
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<span lang="EN-US">Hello Justin,</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I just wanted to send you a quick e-mail to notify you that yesterday was Canada’s Tax Freedom Day! This is <span>the day Canadians have earned enough money to pay all the taxes they owe to all levels of government for the year.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In 2005, under the Liberals, Tax Freedom Day was on June 26th. Now, in 2012, Tax Freedom Day is <b><u>over two weeks earlier</u></b>. That means Canadians are keeping more of their hard earned money where it belongs;<span> </span>in their pockets. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">That’s the result of over 140 tax reductions by our Government. Indeed, we’ve cut taxes in every way government collects them: </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span>·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">lowering personal taxes<span> </span>cutting the GST from 7% to 5%; </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 33.0pt; margin-right: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span>·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">reducing business taxes;</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 33.0pt; margin-right: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span>·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">introducing the Tax Free Savings Account;</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 33.0pt; margin-right: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span>·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">pension-income splitting; </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 33.0pt; margin-right: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span>·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">tax credits for textbooks, transit passes, and kids sports and arts programs and much more.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In fact, we’ve reduced the overall tax burden on Canadians to its lowest level in nearly 50 years -<span> </span><b><u>saving the typical family over $3,100.</u></b><span> </span>We also removed over 1 million low-income Canadians completely from the tax rolls. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We will continue to do our best to ensure that Canada takes a strong path to long-term prosperity by keeping taxes low, and fostering a strong environment for job creators in Canada. Canada is emerging strong from the global economic recession. </span><span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">It is my honour to be your representative in Ottawa,
and is not a duty I take lightly. If you have any questions regarding
these taxation issues, or any other federally related issues, please
feel free to contact my office. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">For more information on Tax Freedom Day please visit: </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.fraserinstitute.org/research-news/news/display.aspx?id=18389" target="_blank">http://www.fraserinstitute.<wbr></wbr>org/research-news/news/<wbr></wbr>display.aspx?id=18389</a></span><span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Cheers,</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Laurie Hawn</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-10178219574862876312010-11-23T19:48:00.000-04:002010-11-23T19:48:08.581-04:00A dare to rememberHi all,<br />
<br />
Apologies for the mass email but I think you fill find it entertaining and worthwhile. Hope you are well!<br />
I’m taking on A Dare to Remember for the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Heather is getting back at me for daring her to bungee jump off of Victoria Falls in Zambia last year (something I would love but she would hate) by daring me to do a stand up comedy routine at an open mic comedy event in Edmonton. I am not into performing and am not funny so this is pretty terrifying! <br />
<br />
I have set a personal fundraising goal of $2000 and am asking you – my friends, family and colleagues – to sponsor me. The money we raise will go directly to support the inspiring transformation in sub-Saharan Africa, where community-based organizations are working to turn the tide of AIDS. <br />
<br />
Help me reach my fundraising goal! Every dollar counts! It’s easy to contribute. All you need to do is click on the link below - or copy and paste it into your browser - and then click on the Donate button in the top-right corner of my Dare page. <br />
Click here to sponsor me!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://slf.r-esourcecenter.com/Event/FundraisingPage.asp?crypt=aA5hAA1jGX4cTVx/YX1/YhkfcgARaA9zZUFZbRFxfHkDCnQRHH4CCmxBWWE=&EMAIL_TYPE=P">http://SLF.r-esourcecenter.com/Event/FundraisingPage.asp?crypt=aA5hAA1jGX4cTVx/YX1/YhkfcgARaA9zZUFZbRFxfHkDCnQRHH4CCmxBWWE=&EMAIL_TYPE=P</a><br />
<br />
By supporting my Dare, you support my own daring effort, and the millions of Africans who rise to meet the challenges of the pandemic with extraordinary acts of courage, ingenuity, determination, and the strength in their communities.<br />
<br />
Check back regularly to see how I’m doing!<br />
<br />
Thanks so much,<br />
<br />
<br />
Justin <br />
<br />
<br />
Spread the word about my Dare!<br />
<a href="http://slf.r-esourcecenter.com/Event/FundraisingPage.asp?crypt=aA5hAA1jGX4cTVx/YX1/YhkfcgARaA9zZUFZbRFxfHkDCnQRHH4CCmxBWWE=&EMAIL_TYPE=P">http://SLF.r-esourcecenter.com/Event/FundraisingPage.asp?crypt=aA5hAA1jGX4cTVx/YX1/YhkfcgARaA9zZUFZbRFxfHkDCnQRHH4CCmxBWWE=&EMAIL_TYPE=P</a><br />
Do your own Dare! Visit www.adaretoremember.com A Dare to Remember engages Canadians to raise funds for the inspiring grassroots organizations in Africa working to turn the tide of AIDS. In an act of solidarity, Canadians take on Dares that parallel the acts of courage, ingenuity, determination and strength in community of their African peers. Sign up now and do your Dare by World AIDS Day (December 1st). All proceeds go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation to help support communities in the 15 African countries that have been hardest hit by HIV and AIDS. Find out more at www.adaretoremember.com. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
================================<br />
Thank you to everyone who has supported my Dare so far, and more importantly for supporting this valuable cause... I think?! Here is the update I promised.<br />
<br />
We are currently at just over half of the goal so I have gone ahead and booked myself a spot on Friday, December 3rd at Bohemia Cafe's stand up night hosted by our friend Rose. The cafe is located on 114 st just south of 106 Ave (right by our place). You are welcome to come out and see the pending train wreck of me on stage but be warned that I will be passing the hat to top up my fundraising.<br />
<br />
If you would like to request a word that I have to work in to my routine that can be arranged, for the right price :)<br />
<br />
If you are looking for a little motivation or understanding of why I would do something I clearly dread I encourage you to check out the following:<br />
<br />
http://www.adaretoremember.com/why_dare.cfm<br />
<br />
This is a complex and pressing issue and there are millions of amazing people doing inspiring things to stop the spread of the disease and rebuild the communities that have been devastated by it in the last couple decades. The thing I like about the Stephen Lewis Foundation is that it supports people already doing amazing work who understand the on the ground realities and how to create change in their unique communities. They also do amazing things to raise awareness and support for change here in Canada.<br />
<br />
I have hope for the future. Please help spread the hope.<br />
<br />
JustinAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-86167780850923256092010-02-20T23:28:00.001-04:002010-02-20T23:32:24.594-04:00minding your Qs and Teas<span class="gI"><span class="ik">I generally don't drink a lot of coffee or tea because my body can't handle the caffeine, but it is nice once in a while. I have heard some horror stories about the practices involved in tea and coffee production operations, and I have also heard of some really cool initiatives. </span></span><span class="gI"><span class="ik">One that is promoted by some great organizations like <a href="http://www.oxfam.ca/">Oxfam</a> and <a href="http://www.ewb.ca/en/index.html">Engineers Without Borders</a> is <a href="http://transfair.ca/en/about-fairtrade/what-fair-trade">fair trade certification</a>. Fair trade means the producers and everyone along the value chain for the good you are purchasing received fair treatment, including fair compensation for their work. Fair trade certification can be granted for all kinds of products. I have heard of soccer balls, clothing, bananas, coffee, tea, spices, rice, quinoa, grapes, and chocolate all coming in fair trade certified varieties. It often goes hand in hand with environmentally responsible practices (because most people that care care about both). Fair trade certification means an independent third party has investigated the production practices and verified that they are indeed fair trade. In general I <i>attempt to bring about a better world</i> by getting my purchased beverage in a "to stay" cup, and giving my business to places that are local, that sell fair trade and organic beverages, and that educate their customers about why these things matter.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="gI"><span class="ik"> Today I was talking with my wife and mother in law about the teas at a particular coffee shop which is marketing to the ethical consumer crowd. We thought their coffee was fair trade but weren't sure about the tea so I looked up the tea companies website. There was not a ton of info there either so I clicked on the "Contact Us" link and sent the email below. So I guess my <i>attempt at a better world</i> for today is to look for factual information on products marketed for being ethical, and to ask questions when the facts are sparse. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="gI"><span class="ik">to:<img alt="" class="de QrVm3d" height="16px" id="upi" jid="friends2@mightyleaf.com" name="upi" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/images/cleardot.gif" width="16px" /></span>friends2@mightyleaf.com</span><br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
I am curious about the practices of your tea growers. I recently explored the "community" section of your website but I still have some questions and concerns:<br />
<br />
Why aren't your tea's fair trade certified? Have you considered pursuing certification?<br />
What is being done to ensure environmental responsibility of your tea growers?<br />
What is being done to ensure fair treatment and compensation of people involved in the production of your teas?<br />
Do you have any third party oversight of your operations to ensure they are meeting your claims/policies?<br />
Do you work with any local development experts to ensure your community involvement is appropriate and positive?<br />
<br />
Thanks!<br />
<span style="color: #888888;"><br />
Justin</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-87002878247015212522010-01-31T21:37:00.000-04:002010-01-31T21:37:27.389-04:00Push Start a Better WorldMy dad recently had visiting Olympian Christina Smith snowed in in Saskatchewan after visiting a whole bunch of High School students in the area. As they visited Christina got my dad excited about her new project <a href="http://pushstart.org/">PushStart.org</a> and somehow convinced her that my brother and I would be good people to contribute to her upcoming book with some simple steps to<i> push start</i> a <i>better world</i>. I would love to hear other people's thoughts on this topic.<br />
<br />
In fact, I would love to have anyone with ideas for a better world to share their ideas with posts to this blog or let me know about other places where their ideas are shared or found. My frequency and creativity has waned a bit lately for my blog posts but I am constantly inspired by what I see people doing to bring about a better world in their lives. We all have a lot to learn from each other. I would like to be a part of this mutual learning and action. I will try to adjust my permissions and set up here to facilitate.<br />
<br />
In the mean time, here is what we came up with for <i>Push Start, </i>I would love to hear some feedback:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Think big and start small; the possibilities are endless! We can all do more to make a difference.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i> 1. Think and dream<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal">What is your vision of a better world? What can you do to make it happen? Be ambitious and creative and demanding; this is your life, and your chance.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Question the status quo, question your assumptions and your culture’s: make up your own mind.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">When shopping, consider where it comes from, how it was made, and what that means for the people and places along the supply chain. Use your money responsibly; don't just buy what is most convenient. Talk to the people selling things to let them and their suppliers know you care. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i> 2. Reduce – the first and most neglected “R”<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal">Think about what you actually need, not just what you think you want. You can turn down your thermostat, take short showers, turn off lights and appliances - and you’ll save some money too. Drive less, fly less, consume less. Do-it-yourself: sew, scavenge, tinker, create, get things fixed instead of replacing. Spend more time with friends, neighbors, family, and mother nature, rather than purchasing throw-away entertainment.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i> 3. Reuse and Recycle<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal">If you are done with something, consider another use; share reusable items with people or organizations that will put them to use (e.g. donate good-quality used clothes and give worn out clothes to a local mechanic for rags). If you are throwing things out, think about where it goes and minimize what goes to landfills; nothing goes "away", there is no such place. Compost. Recycle. Buy things with minimal packaging, and complain when there is excess. Buy used goods when possible (<a href="http://kijiji.ca/">kijiji.ca</a>, <a href="http://craigslist.com/">craigslist.com</a>, <a href="http://freecycle.org/">freecycle.org</a>, etc).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i> 4. Give<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal">Remember all that money you saved with the first “R.” Share it around. Consider giving at least ten percent of your income to charities you support. Check out <a href="http://canadahelps.org/">canadahelps.org</a> for a great list all in one place. Consider a mix of local, global, environmental, humanitarian/relief, long term development, and health organizations. If you invest, invest in socially and environmentally responsible companies.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i> 5. Act<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal">Give your time and skills too, whether you are drawn to volunteer at a school, hospital, retirement home, park, community work project, shelter/soup kitchen, or other local charity there is always a need and we all have things to share. If you don't know what to do, DO SOMETHING.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i> 6. Eat<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal">Buy more local, in season, natural, organic, fair trade certified, unprocessed, sustainable food. Grow a garden, and cook. Share food with others. Talk to a farmer; know where your food comes from. <a href="http://eatwellguide.org/">Eatwellguide.org</a> <a href="http://seachoice.org/">Seachoice.org</a> <a href="http://transfair.ca/">Transfair.ca</a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i> 7. Learn<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal">We live in the information age, so get informed. Watch/read/listen to the news from a variety of sources. Attend educational events and classes. Visit museums. Watch documentaries. Research things you wonder about, and share what you learn. Try to ask one good question per day. Ignorance is only an excuse for the ignorant.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.wikipedia.org%20/">Wikipedia.org <o:p></o:p></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i> 8. Vote<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal">Learn about election candidates and parties and what they represent. Vote for the community, province, country and world you want your children to live in. In between elections ask questions to your representatives. Care about your world and let them know. Engage in YOUR government.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/">Parl.gc.ca </a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i> 9. Walk<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal">Bike, run, swim, play sports, get active. Take care of yourself and support active lifestyles in your community. Get your friends and family doing the same. Try to drive less. Take public transit.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i> 10. Love and laugh<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal">A better world should be more enjoyable, and fulfilling for all. Give thanks and celebrate. Support local music, or make your own. Dance. Play. Live the way you really want to, today. We are in this together!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-61389077298687822232009-10-27T05:40:00.001-03:002009-10-27T06:02:38.829-03:00The upside down world of BotswanaI recently read The In Between World of Vikram Lall and I highly recommend it to anyone wondering about Kenyan history, the life of Indian people in Africa, or just wanting to think and learn and be swept away. All I have to say is that the book begins “My name is Vikram Lall and I am the most corrupt man in Africa.” Talk about an opening line!! This post is more related to our recent journey by bus from Kitwe to Johannesburg via Botswana than anything to do with the book, but it is the book that accompanied me and I wanted to steal the title and highly recommend it (also, the author is Canadian, for you English teachers at heart).<br /><br />We were mid-way into our time in Southern Africa, and I needed to digest and shake up what I had been learning and thinking after three pretty mentally intense weeks in Kitwe and Racecourse, so the trip fell at a great time. We went to the museum in Lusaka (underfunded but interesting and somehow proud still) and spent a day mooching about before heading on to Livingstone. Every person in Zambia who enquires about your itinerary in your country asks “…and have you been to Livingstone and Victoria falls yet?” even though a significant portion of them have not. People don’t seem to begrudge this fact although some feel free to ask to be taken there, they are mostly proud to have a natural wonder like the falls in there country. Since it is the end of the dry season the falls were much smaller than normal and you could see the bare cliffs and stand where in just a few short months enormous amounts of water would be flowing. Perhaps not the most spectacular time to visit but the site was still plenty spectacular for me, and another reminder of how much things change with the seasons here. We had to stop our taxi and wait almost ten minutes for a laissez-faire herd of elephants to cross the road back to town. As we spent a few days in livingstone carousing with westerners coming from and going to all sorts of places on their interesting journeys we were trying to determine our travel plans to Jo’burg, and for our intended three weeks of travel after my conference there.<br /><br /> Just like the guidebooks though, no-one could recommend anything to do or see in Botswana, other than maybe a safari. Imagine a whole country that is completely safe that noone wants to visit?? “I hear its expensive”, “I would consider spending extra time here in Livingstone or on safari and then flying straight to jo-burg”, “Our bus was 24 hours straight through so we didn’t see anything.” At least our friend Thulasy said, “I hear it has more elephants than people so maybe you’ll see some wildlife from the road” and she seemed interested. We knew from our African history courses and our guidebook that Botswana was one of the better-off countries in Africa, owing mainly to rich natural resources that were discovered mostly after colonial times – fuelling economic growth rather than war, corruption, exploitation or other nastiness that natural resource wealth - ‘the resource curse’ as it is sometimes known- seems to have brought to places like Nigeria, the DRC, Sierra Leone and others. The combination of people ignoring it, it being expensive, and it seeming to have figured something out in terms of ‘development’ all made Botswana more intriguing to Heather and I. We decided to travel through by bus and spend one night in Francistown and one in Gabarone, the capital. The first surprises of Botswana were right at the border, first there were hippos, and rain drops. Once we passed through the border crossing and waited for the bus and other passengers, there was no one wanting to change money (we had turned down about fifty offers on the other side because we needed enough Zambian Kwacha to get back if anything went wrong). There were some marketers in the area where we were waiting, but they were somehow different. All had chairs and umbrellas and big coolers, and bought goods for resale. None had babies or small children. They did not call out to us or notice us any more than any other passenger.<br /><br />I am still unsure of what I would consider development but I have thought of a few measures I might use. I know it is certainly more than Gross Domestic Product per capita, or big buildings and big industries and big consumption as capitalism seems to imply. As we traveled through northern Botswana watching excitedly for the occasionally appearing elephants and giraffe I realized that space for wildlife and environmental integrity is certainly one measure I value in which Canada, Botswana and Zambia all seem to be blessed, and have preserved (maybe more easily partially because of low population density, and varied landscapes not all suitable for farming or resource extraction). The bus trip to Chipata in Eastern Zambia had also been a feast for the eyes of natural beauty and untouched land so this was not a big change, except now not a single piece of garbage was tossed out the bus window to pollute this wonderful resource.<br />As we spent our time in Botswana I thought more about what was noticeable about the country, my conceptions of development, and how glad I was that we had made the trip. The people we saw in Botswana seemed more confident and relaxed than in Zambia. There was no crowd of cab drivers pressuring us and fighting over us when we arrived – maybe the number of drivers is closer matched to the number of customers, and they are able to make an easier living as a result? Maybe it is illegal to pressure customers? I am not sure of the reason but it was refreshing, and might be one measure of development. People in general took little notice of us unless we approached them in which case they were polite and helpful and then went on with their own business.<br /><br />People’s confidence was particularly noticeable in gender relations, which I realized was also one of my implicit measures of development. Women were doing everything men were doing (driving trucks and buses, conducting buses, security gaurds, etc) and had the attitude of being equal, which was surprisingly surprising, given that I had rarely been uncomfortable with how women are treated and how they act in Zambia. Women did not hesitate to joke or argue with men and vice versa, aside from the flirting, everyone seemed to interact the same regardless of sex.<br /><br />Even the prices were somewhat refreshing. Bus transport was still reasonable but both food and lodging were significantly more expensive than Zambia and Malawi. Instead of dividing by 4500 to convert to dollars we were dividing by 6. It was a good reminder that the reason Zambia is cheap to travel for a Canadian is because there is a huge disparity between the economies in all other respects as well.<br /><br />It was good for us to have to suddenly reconsider things that in Zambia seem to be ‘just the way things are,’ a culture shock without the racism implicit in the culture shock of traveling between continents. So my attempt at a better world for the remainder of our time here is to think of everything as fluid, as possible to change. None of the disparities between Canada and Zambia, or the frustrating things in Zambia have to be that way. At the same time development is not a straight line, we all have things to learn from one another and each person and society can, and must actively choose the ways they want to improve their own situation, and the overall situation of humanity. A better world is more than possible, it is right here- each new place being better in its own way, waiting for others to learn from it.<br /><br />The best thing about Botswana was turning upside down so many of the little frustrations and characteristics of Zambia that I had become a bit desensitized to: littering, desperate competition for business or charity or attention, gender discriminations and disparities, etc. Again I feel I should emphasize that there are a lot of great things about Zambia too, beauty and character and hope. It was just great to shake things up a bit.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-13224385122886360032009-09-16T11:22:00.002-03:002009-09-16T11:30:46.404-03:00Snakes and devils – tragedy and religionWe have been in Southern Africa for three and a half weeks now. Each day is still full of new things to notice and learn – both similarities and differences. This post deals with some tough stuff, so I feel the need to say upfront, Zambia is a really enjoyable place. People are generous, cheerful, kind, intelligent, diverse and beautiful. Kids play, people hang out and laugh and sing and have fun. The sun shines. Etc. As I talked about in my last post though, there is incredible variety. There are also people working hard, people wishing they were working hard. There are people having a good time, and people having hard times. The stories of this post are not representative of my time, they are just something I thought was important to talk about.<br /><br />We have experienced incredible and persistent hospitality from the teachers and executive of the Racecourse School. As we search for and test different ways to get involved and contribute to the school and the community my comfort level with the amount we can and can’t do has converged with the things to be done. As the students progress from grade to grade the amount of English instruction is supposed to increase so that by the end of grade seven they are ready to take their standard government exams in English. This transition makes it actually fairly natural and productive for the teachers to have some Anglophones around to increase the student’s exposure – especially in the classes where the teacher is not super comfortable trying to explain things in English. It is an interesting tension though to be trying to cram as much learning as possible into the already condensed time (currently each class is only getting 2.5 hours of instruction per day due to a shortage of space as the school transitions from using rented space throughout the community to its own buildings) while also trying to increase student’s proficiency in their second (or third or fourth) language English.<br /><br />The reason that we have found ourselves more needed than we expected is sickness and tragedy. Imagine showing up to your staff room the first day after the holidays to find out that two of the 15 teachers (4 are away doing teachers training) have just lost brothers (one of them for the second time in as many weeks), and two others are away sick. To make it harder, one of these teachers is actually present still because he can’t afford the $10 or so to travel to his home community and be with his grieving family (he broke the bank covering the cost of the previous funeral). When I realize how common death is, the sick day for the other absent teachers suddenly seems a lot more serious. It was good to know that at least we would be able to help fill the gaps and try to teach some useful things (even if it is only practicing English) to the students anxiously waiting for their learning to recommence, but we would have given anything to not be needed in this way. If tragedy is going to happen it is good to be in a position to be useful, but it is still tragedy.<br /><br />The really hard thing for me, is realizing that this is a pretty common predicament. What does it mean for a society to have a life expectancy in the thirties? What does it mean for almost every child to have lost a parent or uncle or aunt? What does it mean when almost everyone fortunate enough to reach the age of a grandparent has probably buried their spouse or one of their children (and some have buried all)? As I write these words I am reminded of walking through the rows and rows of matching white gravestones near world war two battle sites-calculating the ages and realizing they are my age, my brothers age – noting how they are all from the same few years. The two brothers of the racecourse teachers were lost due to illness, which may or may not mean HIV/AIDS, but that is not the only reason for the low life expectancy. Many people are lost to completely random and what should be unlikely accidents.<br /><br />Mary, a sweet, cheerful, and funny woman from the new local clinic who is on the community executive was carrying a casual conversation with us as we waited to visit the homes of each executive member (at their insistence!). In this conversation we learned that she has two daughters attending a school for disabled children. Their legs were amputated after their house collapsed in a particularly heavy rainy season a few years ago. She now almost never sleeps through the months of rain. Apparently, although there are fairly high quality bricks being fired in giant piles all around us, the cost of these bricks is still out of reach for many in Racecourse. In these cases people have to resort to mud bricks baked in the hot sun of the current dry season. These brick wall and the makeshift plastic/tin/wood roof houses are at risk of collapsing every rainy season.<br /><br />On that same day, Mary also told us casually about losing her husband. She had told Heather earlier that it was to HIV/AIDs, and after many tests herself she was glad to find that she tested negative. She explained to us that after his death his family claimed his possessions for themselves. They took all the contents of the home, the farm, and all the money from their shared bank account. She fought to keep the kids even though they were all crying uncontrollably at the thought of trying to find their next meal with everything gone. This is also a disturbingly common occurrence (Mr. Siame was walking with us and had a very similar story to explain the emptiness of his home we had just visited) which is incredibly hard for me to understand from outside the local culture. I was happy to learn that recently, some laws were put in place to allow for spouses and children to claim some inheritance after a parent’s death instead of it all going to the family of the deceased.<br /><br />Death is one of the most challenging things we face as individuals, families, communities and societies. Many of us fear it and do not know how to support those dealing with loss, even when it is the loss of a grandparent who has lived a full and enjoyable life. What can I say to the sixth person this week who tells you about the loss of a close family member? Of course I say “I’m sorry” and sit in empathetic or sympathetic awkward silence for a bit. In the silence my mind spins - <em>was it AIDS? Is it inappropriate to ask ‘what happened?’ as I would in Canada to show my shock, or ‘how are you doing?’ to show my concern? Am I becoming desensitized to death? Is this person desensitized? Is it easier or harder to grieve when it is so common? Can grieving be a skill? Etc</em>.– none of these thoughts are clear or coherent or appropriate enough to break the silence so it drags until someone else does.<br /><br />One thought I had that I wanted to try to say a bit more about here was “<em>how does this frequency of tragedy affect people’s religious beliefs and the relative importance of religion in people’s lives?”</em> The Zambia I have seen is certainly more religious than the Canada I know. We heard the beautiful Islamic call to prayer each evening and morning in Chipata. Every meeting type gathering at the Racecourse school begins and ends with a Christian prayer (I was asked to give one of these and I don’t think I quite measured up to expectations). I have been asked questions like “And what church do you go to? Would you like to come to my church? Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal saviour? Have you met God? (child’s question) Do you have all night prayers in Canada?” in various casual conversations.<br /><br />Church is a big part of life here, and people’s beliefs seem to be more literal and fervent than I am used to. Before commencing on our tour of the community and the homes of the Executive members it was brought up that there may be some “snakes and devils” along the way. I thought this was a reference to black mambas which inhabit the region and the men who may have been enjoying a “Chibuke Shake shake” (a strong alcohol made from maize meal which comes in a carton and must be shaken before opening to remix the thick liquid) this Saturday morning, giving them a bit more courage for shouting and other shenanigans. This may very well have been the case since no one thought me too strange for laughing out loud, but we did proceed to bow our heads in a prayer for protection from said snakes and devils. The fundamentalist type churches seem popular here, and even the United Church (which in Canada seems to me to be pretty warm and fuzzy and open to people of all backgrounds and any interpretation of scripture) services we have attended the last two weeks have been pretty raucous with shouting and fervent prayers and shouts of “Amen!” and similar things from the audience. I wonder if a more concrete concept of God and a more conscious submission to His ‘will’ can better prepare a person to deal with tragedy? I find the notion of a personal intervening God that still allows this type of tragedy is actually less comforting from a theoretical perspective. I am more comfortable with a notion of God as a more general force of good and sense of “something more”, not the old white man in the clouds responding to people’s individual prayers. This type of God seems more coherent with my experience of the world to this point but maybe it is too ambiguous and aloof to offer personal comfort in a time of tragedy. I have been fortunate enough to not have to find out yet.<br /><br />A few people here have also mentioned being concerned that they’ve heard about a decline of religion in Canada and the US. I can understand their concern from the local context of frequent tragedy that we keep getting glimpses of. Would my ambiguous beliefs be adequate to cope with the loss of as many people as a Zambian my age has lost? Would the average person my age have the spiritual and emotional support they would need? What if most of the people in our communities and families were also dealing with their own losses as frequently as the Zambian families and communities I have glimpsed this week? Is the Zambian version of religion and spirituality any better prepared?<br /><br /> I suppose it is probably the responsibility of our religious leaders and institutions to remain in touch with and work to fulfill the needs of their communities. I wonder if our declining religious communities have enough support to do this though. What are the religious and spiritual needs of our society- and are our institutions, leaders, and communities meeting those needs? Are the Zambian ones faring any better? What do we have to learn from one another in this sense? <em>I guess my attempts at a better world in this context will be to try to support the people and communities in my life dealing with tragedy - through friendship, hard work, my share of $10 for transport to a brother’s funeral, and some heavy conversations and heavier silences – and an attempt to learn and engage with religious and spiritual communities to help them stay in touch with the diverse needs of my family, friends and society.. </em><br /><em></em><br />I would love to peoples thoughts on this topic, and love to hear from people in general. Email me at <a href="mailto:justinwheler@yahoo.ca">justinwheler@yahoo.ca</a> or call us at +26 0975759360. In peace,<br /><br />JustinAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-77290095553495248202009-09-04T12:09:00.002-03:002009-09-04T12:26:53.810-03:00Zambia Malawi Impressions and settling inWe have now been in Southern Africa for just over two weeks. This post is not about a specific attempt at a better world per se, it is more about getting settled in a place that I have often pictured when learning and acting on global justice issues in Canada. I hope my experience here will lead to me being a more truly global citizen. The first step though is to try to soak in as much as possible and test some of my assumptions and expectations.<br /><br /><em>Our itinerary to date:</em> We landed in Lusaka, Zambia spent two days there with a friend of Heather’s. We then took a day-long bus ride to Lilongwe, Malawi via Chipata. In Malawi we met up with a bunch of the Engineers Without Borders long term volunteers and overseas staff. We had the privilege of joining our friend Graham on his trip to his former home village to say farewell to his host family and see where he had lived. We spent a couple days in a little resort in Cape McLear (sp?) right on Lake Malawi with our friend Thulasy (and Graham and Ka-Hay in the evenings), and a few days bumming around Lilongwe with Garret and Alynn and their host family – Mr and Mrs Adams who were very hospitable and understanding when Blake and I were both sick. For more detail travel journal type posts check out my brother Blake’s Blog at: <a href="http://blakeandcompany.blogspot.com/">http://blakeandcompany.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br /><strong>Culture Shock?:<br /></strong>I guess the term for this rollercoaster of observations, thoughts and feelings and changing my mind daily on what it all means could be called culture shock – except it is not a shock. It is only when I look back that I realize that my thoughts or feelings have completely flipped. In each moment I just think and feel the way I do and forget I ever thought or felt any other way. It takes a lot of conscious effort to try to figure out how it all compares to what I expected or what it means for my perspectives on human development and how my fractured and incomplete world view has evolved.<br /><br /><br />I think I was bracing myself for a shock of climate and culture and people staring at me and shouting “Muzungu” (“Westerner/White person”) and trying to help or asking for things or trying to sell me things and getting crammed into buses and cabs in dangerously uncomfortable situations. This al happened a little bit, but more commonly what I found was calmness and friendliness or an almost indifference to my presence and very few shocks to the senses at all. We strolled off the plane onto the tarmac at the small, old and slightly dilapidated yet charming airport. There were some people smiling and waiting on the tarmac for other passengers but we walked by unnoticed. Everyone was incredibly relaxed and nonchalant. Kind of a fizzling transition from what I thought was a pretty epic two day journey (half way around the world 12 km in the sky at 1000 km/h looking down on vast and intriguing landscapes below, with people at home fretting or intrigued by the originality of it). This was not a disappointment or a shock either though, more of a pleasant difference from the expectation, maybe because we were just a little tired.<br /><br /><br />Even writing has been hard to sit down to do because I expected to be brimming with thoughts and feelings to try to articulate and share my experiences with people at home, but life just flows here and I am reminded that life is also flowing at home. I am assuming people are curious and will read what I write as long as it is not too long, frequent, or boring.<br />I think one of the buffers that have made the culture transition less shocking is the amazing variety here. For every piece of clothing that jumps out as being uniquely ‘African’ like a brightly patterned Obama “yes we can” shirt or a Chitenge skirt or a short fat neck tie, there are a hundred people in business wear, casual wear, and trendy fashions that you might see anywhere –amazingly beautiful and confident people. There are people trying to sell everything from taxi rides to flip flops but there are also way more people buying or passing by completely indifferent. There are people with loads balanced on their heads and babies on their backs, but many without, driving in cars, riding bikes strolling purposefully, briefcase in hand, etc. For every potential shock, a huge variety of counter ‘un-shocks’ allowing my sense of normal to shift unconsciously, smoothly and imperceptibly.<br /><br /><br />There is also a huge variety of industries and occupations – markets, farmers, brickmakers and masons, carpenters, furniture makers, people building toll bridges for shortcuts across the river in Malawi, hotel workers, store workers, banks, office buildings, cell phone repairs, shoe repairs, tailors and seamstresses, barbers, lumber mills, food processing, metal workers, miners, electricians, educators, health care workers, bartenders – as much or more variety than home. On our trip into the copperbelt – named for its primary industry of copper mining we drove through a huge area of what was clearly a softwood lumber industry complete with towering pine trees, cut blocks and an old school saw mill. There are universities and technical colleges. There are many dilapidated buildings – shadows of the good old days, just like you see in many small towns across Canada- but there are also exciting and not so exciting new things like shopping malls, clinics. Everything on the surface seems just as busy, efficient and productive but why is there no garbage collection, sewage treatment, enough teachers or schools or health care facilities and workers? People are speaking two or three or four languages, kids are making elaborate toys from wire and other random ‘garbage’, students work full time and go to school and spend at least a couple hours more per day on the food, water and household chores than the average Canadian. Why are there the poverty statistics that make my soul cry like the number of people with HIV AIDS, childhood mortality rates, or life expectancies half of Canada’s? We have seen very little indication of these challenges in the external world – it all happens behind closed doors and is not acceptable to talk about to new acquaintances other then in passing veiled references.<br /><br /><br />How can anyone pretend to come up with theories of development and economics that could encompass all this variety and complexity and lead to solutions that work for these people? Maybe that has been the problem – any explanations and theories simple enough for a development worker or leader to comprehend and act upon are too simple to actually deal with the variety and complexity of reality and as a result they don’t work. I am reminded of the first year physics experiment trying to test something basic like the rate of acceleration on an object due to the earth’s gravity. Any textbook will tell you the rate, but try to ‘prove’ it and the complexities of the experiment make it very challenging to get any useful information at all. Unlike the physical sciences, in development every component is also a living person with their own thought patterns, culture, instincts, etc. There is probably no explanation, no master plan that will work that can fit in one person’s, or even a whole profession’s or culture’s mind. I don’t know what this means for me and my world view yet. I still believe we have to challenge injustice when we see it and work to make incremental improvements within our spheres of influence, but I have to remember to still challenge my own assumptions and theories- to learn continuously but never expect to know exactly. What a discouraging yet exciting prospect – depending on your mood.<br /><br />P.S. In other exciting news I will try to “tweet” about some updates on our adventures on twitter.com from my phone. Follow me at <a href="http://twitter.com/jwhel">jwhel</a> or just check back here for a summary of haiku microblogs (if I can get it working) :P<br /><br />P.P.S. My wife Heather has accepted a dare to Bungee Jump at victoria falls from Blake in the Stephen Lewis Foundation "Dare to Care" campaign. Her fundraising goal is $10000!! Check it out here: <a href="http://bit.ly/14tP5M">Heather's</a> DareAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-63054978467937844042009-08-21T07:26:00.002-03:002009-08-21T07:31:39.123-03:00In Zambia - 28 stories and the AIDS pandemicWe just arrived in Southern Africa to spend three months visiting friends learning a bit about the local realities for some of the people in Kitwe, in the Copperbelt region of Zambia. My wife has visited here twice before and will be doing some research for her masters while we are here. I have been involved in international development from Canada for about five years, primarily through Engineers Without Borders Canada. Many friends and family have taken time to visit and work internationally in different parts of the development industry.<br /><br />It is not easy to write about poverty and development because there are so many things about it that are confusing, complex, emotional, injust and sometimes just plain wrong. I believe that attitudes and assumptions matter so I will try to clarify and justify many of my word choices and assumptions as I write. The first of these challenging words and perspectives is calling development an industry. On the surface it is pretty inspirational and beautiful that a so many people have devoted their lives and careers to making the world better that we can call development an industry. When I pause for a second longer though it makes me a little sick that there is a sustainable industry built around poverty and instability – it wreaks of a new type of colonialism, of conflicts of interest, of bureaucracy where the price of the flaws of the industry and the fact that it has sustained itself for a so long is quite often paid in human lives. But another layer deeper and I think of some of the individuals I have met that work in development- people with incredible integrity, perseverance, intelligence, creativity, and the ability and desire to critically engage with the complexities of development and find appropriate ways for themselves and their organizations and peers to support the people they work for, the poor and marginalized.<br /><br />As I prepared to come to Zambia I knew that one of the critical development related challenges facing this region that I knew little about was disease and access to health services – especially as it relates to HIV/AIDS. There are many statistics that indicate the severity of the HIV/AIDS crisis and the impact it continues to have on this region, but statistics don’t tell the story. This is an human issue that affects people at the most personal level and each personal crisis ripples out through society affecting every layer. In order to try to understand a little more of the issues around HIV/AIDS and prepare myself to learn more in person I read “28 stories of AIDS in Africa” by Stephanie Nolan. I finished it on the plane ride here. I will encourage you and every other person I interact with to read this book until, hopefully some day soon, it no longer reflects the reality of the issue, and then I will still encourage every person to read it as a way of understanding how low we sunk.<br /><br />This book attempts to tell the stories of 28 different individuals in different parts of Africa and the nature of HIV/AIDS as it affects them. As you glimpse into the lives and struggles of truck drivers, soldiers, health practitioners and researchers, priests, sex workers, and activists you see different sides of the issue all at a very personal level. To tell the stories of AIDS is to tell stories of pain and injustice that are not enjoyable to think about, but when the stories of the individual people they are also stories of inspiration and the beauty and strength of humanity that often shines through in our darkest struggles. The book is incredibly readable and informative, and respectful to the subjects. The message that I came away with is:<br />AIDS is complex and it reaches into every aspect of society – and it is a major contributor to the poverty and injustices affecting so many people in the world<br />AIDS matters to every aspect of development and is humanity’s most urgent challenge<br />No single factor, person or group of people are to blame but every single person has a role and responsibility in overcoming this challenge – and some of us are not living up to this responsibility<br /><br />AIDS can be beat, and we have to act now decisively and continuously until no more children, mothers, brothers, teachers, doctors – no more people are lost to this disease<br />The questions I keep turning over and over in my mind as I think about this issue are how does it relate to me, and what is my role? I feel indignant, and culpable, angry and guilty as I think about it. I am part of the systems contributing to the injustices and I am a glaring example of the injustices.<br />I am from Canada, a place blessed with good health care and the prosperity and priorities to support it. Yes our health care system is far from perfect, but it is also far better than what the majority of the world has access to – and I have access to it because I did well in the lottery of nationality. Today I will take a prescription to fight the inflammation in my colon caused by ulcerative colitis, one to thin the bile flowing through my liver to reduce the damage to my liver and the risk of cancer associated with PSC, one to slightly slow down my immune system which is overactive for some reason and the cause of both of these diseases, I will also take a multivitamin to make sure my damaged colon is getting me the nutrients I need and to top it off I am taking an antimalarial to hopefully make sure I don’t get malaria. The total value of these drugs would be around $35. Because I have decent health coverage I won’t pay all of this cost. A person with HIV or AIDS in Canada would also have a cocktail of drugs to take each day that would turn this potentially fatal disease into a chronic illness. Its not fun to be on this much prescription and it would be nice to not need it, but we are incredibly blessed to have the health care system to diagnose our illnesses, prescribe things that fight the symptoms and causes and research the solutions. The amount of money that goes into my health care today could probably keep alive a couple dozen people that will die today because they don’t have access to much more basic health needs – and the injustice of this is very heavy on my mind and on my heart.<br /><br />My attempt at a better world is not to stop taking my drugs and using my health care services and try to give the money to these dozen people. The issue is more complex and much bigger than this and I am unwilling- for many different reasons, rationalizations, especially fears- to take an action like this. Some people have taken this type of action, like Zackie a south African AIDS activist who refused to take antiretrovirals that would help his body fight AIDS until his government would acknowledge the gravity of the AIDS crisis and provide them to everyone who was dying for lack of these drugs in their country. My attempts are less extreme and less direct. I attempt to bring about a better world for people and societies affected by AIDS by:<br />· Donating to the Stephen Lewis Foundation and MSF (Doctors Without Borders), two great organizations doing AIDS related work (and peer pressuring Heather to Bungee jump for the Stephen Lewis foundation "dare to care" initiative),<br />· Advocating for changes to Canada’s laws that would enable the manufacture and distribution of cheaper generic drugs to countries that can not afford to provide them to their populations who are in dire need, and<br />· Learning, and raising awareness of the issues associated with the AIDS pandemic and fighting our misconceptions that allow us to remain apathetic in the face of a disease that has killed more people than all the wars in history and has eliminated a significant portion of the people needed to bring about a better world for all<br /><br />Finally, I have to write about sex. Our discomfort with topics related to sex and sexuality are at the root of a bunch of the injustices perpetuating the AIDS pandemic around the world. People everywhere have sex, for all kinds of reasons and in all kinds of circumstances that I don’t necessarily understand or agree with. Encouraging healthy sexual behaviour is a valuable activity that parents, teachers, doctors, sexual partners and friends all have a role in. Abstinence is the only guaranteed way to prevent transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). But abstinence will not eliminate STIs. We have been hard wired to have sex and even firm believers of abstinence will have moments of weakness or desire. In those cases condoms can and should be used unless you are trying to conceive. This does not always happen either unfortunately. Sex is hopefully an act of trust and love – and one person wanting to use a condom when the other doesn’t can seem like mistrust or fear. Especially in relationships of unequal respect or power even the fear of implying mistrust or fear or discomfort with any conversation related to sex can lead to a condom not being used, especially if the woman is on birth control. We need to change this. Sex can not be a taboo topic. All sexual relationships need to be safe enough that the conversations can be had, and each individual must be in control of their sexuality. This is a goal worth working toward at an individual and societal level, but people should not die in the interim. AIDS can not be taboo either and it can not be a death sentence. We need to build health care systems everywhere that can meet the needs of their populations – people need to have access to doctors, prescriptions, and societal support to fight diseases, especially AIDS – and we need to work hard to find cures. This should all be prioritized based on the impact of the health issues on humanity, not based on the money to be made by the doctors or drug companies or the wealth of the patients.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-75521922167315663112009-06-10T14:39:00.003-03:002009-06-10T14:42:04.638-03:00a quick note to HarperI think we have to reinforce positive action along with challenging negative action. So I agreed to <span style="font-weight: bold;">attempt</span> to reinforce a recent decision to expand the Nahanni preserve. see <a href="http://cpaws.org/news/archive/2009/06/nahanniforever.php">here </a>for more info.<br /><br />"Protecting Canada’s wilderness is important to me. I intend to paddle the Nahanni sometime in the near future and have many friends and family with great memories from this beautiful river. I applaud your decision to expand Nahanni National Park Reserve to permanently protect this spectacular wilderness ecosystem. Please consider similar protection of other natural treasures in Canada. Thank you."Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-27419454646924586522009-04-27T14:28:00.001-03:002009-04-27T14:31:09.713-03:00A very good friend who is an amazing artist notified me of the following, so my <strong>attempt for today </strong>is to sign.<br /><br /><br /><br />SAVE THE CMCP / SAUVEZ LE MCPC<br /><br /><br /><br />The National Gallery of Canada (NGC), under the direction of Marc Mayer, has recently announced that the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography (CMCP) will no longer occupy its building at 1 Rideau Canal. In fact, the building will no longer be a public space for the arts. It has been handed over to Parliament, to be gutted and renovated as office and meeting space. This decision marks the final stage in the destruction of the CMCP, a process that began subtly in 1994, and became very aggressive and visible to the public under former NGC director Pierre Théberge. In this brief analysis, I want to recapture for readers the crisis and vision that created the CMCP, and to consider whether anything good could yet come of this recent attack on the arts.<br />As the founding director of the CMCP, I obviously have an interest in its preservation, not in any form, but as a dynamic player on the Canadian and international scene. As a citizen of Canada, I also have an interest being informed by its publicly paid officials. In the absence of timely and accurate information, we are left with speculation and our own imaginings of what the CMCP could have and could yet become.<br />What was the CMCP? The CMCP was the federal museum mandated, among other things, to collect, preserve, and exhibit contemporary Canadian photography, both documentary photographs and works of art. But, it was also a materialization of what the arts community could achieve by coming together and fighting for its aims.<br />The CMCP was created in 1985 by an order-in-council transferring a collection of 120,000 photographic works, a mandate, a programme, a building project, and a 12-person staff to the National Museums of Canada (NMC) from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). The NFB had decided to divest itself of its photographic responsibilities and the photographic community rose up because the initial plan was to shelve collection, terminate the exhibition and publication programs, cancel the building project, and reassign the staff. These decisions were made without consultation with staff or community, much as it is occurring now.<br />Protests grew over five months, leading up to the 1984 federal election. When Marcel Masse came into office as Minister of Communications, he was delivered a very large stack of mail and he assigned David Silcox to conduct a consultation with the community. This community was not just made up of photographers, but included representatives from across the arts professions, including the directors of galleries and artist-run spaces who used the travelling exhibition program, publishers, educators, philanthropists, and interested members of the public. Following the consultations, the decision to create the CMCP was announced before a jubilant crowd at Toronto's Harbourfront.<br />The CMCP would be a sub-museum, or affiliate, of the NGC, which accepted this arrangement knowing that the Minister was intent on protecting the autonomy of the CMCP and symbolizing that autonomy by installing the CMCP in its own building. This project was fast-tracked at the National Museums of Canada whose chief architect, Michael Lundholm, developed the concept for 1 Rideau Canal. What did the NGC stand to gain? First, the goodwill of a new minister when the NGC was involved in its own construction project, and second (a side deal that was only revealed to me later), the NGC was allowed to keep its library which the NMC had been trying to merge with the other three museum libraries. So there was a swap: take the CMCP and you can keep your library. This kind of horse-trading is not uncommon in government; in fact, this is what we are witnessing in reverse, as the CMCP becomes a pawn once more, though in a far less happy game.<br />In 1992, the CMCP opened the doors of its new $16M building at 1 Rideau Canal, beside the Château Laurier hotel in Ottawa. The building that Marc Mayer has recently dismissed as "sub-grade" was in fact a remarkable achievement. Built within the shell of a disused railway tunnel, it was a state-of-the-art design for the presentation and preservation of photographic works. Environmentally controlled throughout, the building also included a vault and a freezer for colour photographic materials - features installed in close consultation with NGC conservators and at great expense. Behind the scenes were other important facilities, including a professional recording booth and production studio for the Museum's oral history program.<br />The museum was designed to be a place of creation, as well as dissemination. There are four distinct exhibition spaces, as well as a theatre for lectures and screenings. There is also a study centre, holding the Museum's photographic library and artists' files, open to researchers and educators. Every other aspect of a professional museum is incorporated in the building, which was built by the National Capital Commission (NCC) and held by the NGC through a 50-year lease. Unfortunately, the NCC had more work to do on the bridges and roadway in front of the building - one might deduce that the membrane on the roof of the CMCP was compromised by this work, because after 14 years, the museum sprang a leak, causing damage to the public and office areas, and necessitating repairs that, according to NCC reports, are now nearing completion.<br />On the NGC side, however, we hear unconvincing cries of concern that the CMCP cannot go back to a leaky building (the NGC leaks; the AGO leaks). For this reason, the CMCP will be shrunk to a couple of rooms at the NGC, eventually - now I speculate - to completely disappear. The NGC's insistence on housing the CMCP is rather ironic, we might say, because the NGC is very tight for space - it has been lobbying for an expansion, looking hungrily at the War Museum when it vacated its building, and one of NGC's little secrets is that it maintains off-site storage for the collection. This was kept a secret because the Safdie building was widely criticized as having too much ceremonial space, and the NGC did not want its collection storage problems bruited about.<br />The leak was, perhaps, an 'act of god'. Earlier violations of the CMCP came from a lower place, then director of the NGC, Pierre Théberge. Budgetary restraints were always blamed for his administration's systematic downsizing of the CMCP program and staff. Inconsistencies never troubled Théberge whose pet project in Shawinigan, Quebec, was draining the resources of the NGC, both in terms of money (a reported $1 million for the inaugural show) and staff time. Putting the CMCP personnel to work at the NGC instead of 1 Rideau Canal surely helped to alleviate the problem. The Teflon Théberge has never responded to letters of complaint about his starvation of the CMCP, or indeed about the many egregious aspects of his management of the NGC. His successor, Marc Mayer, is taking a slightly different tack by announcing a consultation with the photographic community, but the nature of this process and what he hopes to accomplish by consulting advocates of the CMCP after throwing the building away is mysterious, to say the least. I have speculated elsewhere that the NGC's hidden agenda is an addition to the Sussex Drive building - to enlarge what one protestor has called 'the cathedral'. If I am right, the consultation is simply a publicity stunt for an expansion-minded NGC director.<br />Surely, the demise of 1 Rideau Canal as a standalone could be adjourned sine die, at least long enough to give the consultation process a veneer of dignity. Perhaps we should set the agenda for this public consultation, not Mark Mayer. Perhaps he should come ready to listen and to act like a National Gallery Director. A National Gallery Director would never give up a building situated where the CMCP now stands, at the very heart of the capital city. A National Gallery Director would have a little bit of historical knowledge and some imagination to think through what the CMCP represents and what it might become.<br />When the site for the CMCP was first proposed to me, I worried that it was too prominent - better suited to a wax museum, I thought. But I quickly realized that there was a model we could follow: the Institute for Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London, which casts itself as an interdisciplinary meeting place for the arts and occupies a very eccentric building. The CMCP had to become a place of exchange and debate. How could this occur? The chief ingredient - flexibility - was already there, and before I left the museum in 1994, I saw to it that CMCP's broader mandate (not just art, but all kinds of photographic imagery) and its responsiveness to cultural trends and community needs were enshrined in NGC policies covering every aspect of its mission.<br />People who remember the crisis that created the CMCP are working constructively, coming up with suggestions to restore the CMCP to its vigorous identity. This is encouraging because people have good ideas. They imagine the CMCP broadening its mandate to consider new technologies; they suggest that the CMCP could be doing more to break out of the Eurocentric mould, by featuring the work of First Nations and Inuit artists; they want the CMCP to help disseminate the work of Canadian artists abroad; they think the CMCP should be part of a growing discussion that mixes the categories of vernacular photography, journalism, and high art. But it is also saddening, because the CMCP has actually been doing many of these things, albeit too modestly and on a shoestring.<br />Is it possible to repeat the triumph of December 1984 and reinvent the CMCP as a cultural force? Righteous anger will not do it, though there is plenty to be angry about. Most of us hate waste, and this is a colossal waste of a fine institution. Most of us hate to be manipulated, and we are being strung a line by the NGC as its new eager beaver director tries to please the Harper government and get rid of a bothersome responsibility at the same time. We need to see such opportunism plain and protest loudly, because the CMCP building not only belongs to the people of Canada, it symbolizes its arts community as a proud collective achievement. Mr Harper, Mr Mayer: you have gone too far. History may mark you both down as philistines.<br />Martha Langford was the founding director of the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography. She is an Associate Professor and Concordia University Research Chair in Art History. This statement was commissioned by Ciel Variable magazine for its "Actualité" column, and is circulated with thanks to editor Jacques Doyon.<br />In Defence of the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography<br />By Martha LangfordAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-28602290956464562852009-04-22T10:59:00.003-03:002009-05-06T15:35:54.386-03:00travelling lightTravel is sometimes a reality. Right now we are in that boat. There are a few ways we are <strong>attempting</strong> to limit some of the environmental impacts and maximize some of the human relationships that can go along with travel as we move from Halifax back to Edmonton.<br /><br />1) We downsized big time to fit all our stuff in one car and have room for a passenger. All the proceeds from the sales going to a local charity.<br /><br />2) We are driving the most fuel efficient car nwe could find. My wife is driving because she is better at driving slow and as such reducing fuel consumption. The car also gives instant feedback on how much fuel we're using to reinforce conservation habits. (check out the following for tips if you want some ideas on reducing the impact of driving <a href="http://www.ecodrivingusa.com/#/ecodriving-practices/">http://www.ecodrivingusa.com/#/ecodriving-practices/</a>)<br /><br />3) we are not flying.<br /><br />4) We are stopping in cities with friends and family to maximize the good times and take advantage of a rare opportunity to connect with people we really like that are strewn across the country. We are taking a little longer than needed to increase the connection opportunities.<br /><br />5) We are still eating and living as consciously as possible while on the road.<br /><br />unfortunately a drop in blogging goes along with this travel, stay tuned though :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-86871306308223426882009-04-21T17:49:00.003-03:002009-04-21T18:14:01.081-03:00Counteracting the Global FInancial CrisisI just signed a petition and sent an email to the Managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a quick but hopefully valuable <strong>attempt at a better world</strong>::<br /><a href="http://www.one.org/international/gold/?rc=goldtaf">http://www.one.org/international/gold/?rc=goldtaf</a><br /><br />At the G20 summit in London, the IMF was tasked with coming up for a plan to sell some of their gold reserves to provide emergency funding for developing countries struggling through the financial crisis. I sent a letter to the IMF, because I want them to provide as much funding as they can, and provide it in way that won't create debt for developing countries, which may find their economic recovery cut short if they have to take high interest loans.<br /><br />The issue of debt is an important one, and we need to let the IMF know that people care about it so they do the right thing. Please join me in taking action to let them know here:<br /><a href="http://www.one.org/international/gold/?rc=goldtaf">http://www.one.org/international/gold/?rc=goldtaf</a><br /><br />A ton of work has been done to try to get the world's rich nations to forgive the debilitating debts from loans 'given' to the worlds poorest nations to supposedly help them rebuild after years of exploitation and often <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">tyrannical</span> rule by the colonial powers. Cynics would say that these loans were j<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ust</span> a new form of colonialism because they came with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">conditionalities</span> which fundamentally undermined the recipient countries' economies and societies (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_adjustment">called structural adjustment programs or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">SAPs</span></a>). The interest rates on some of these former loans led to the vast majority of government's budgets going towards servicing the debt while the countries citizens went without basic necessities. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Some</span> of these debts were forgiven in the last decades, freeing up sorely needed funds for things like providing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">antiretrovirals</span> to people suffering from aids, and providing primary schooling. To renew the debt burdens when claiming to be helping countries overcome the effects of the financial crisis would be incredibly ironic, unjust, and disappointing. So I emailed my buddy IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Kahn</span>, to share my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">opinion</span> that I think its great that we are providing some capital to help poor countries cope with the financial crisis, but it should not be a loan. It should be stimulus.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-84809115938863411292009-04-13T16:46:00.007-03:002009-04-20T18:19:55.702-03:00You are what you eatIf this is true then hopefully I am healthy, ethical, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">conscious</span>, and delicious.<br /><p><br /></p><br />I love food. I really, really love food. I would estimate that I spend about 10% of my waking time thinking about food, and I am not even ashamed of it, because food matters. Food is something we can always share, it is a window into people's cultures and values, it is a form of artistic expression. Sharing food is an important part of building relationships, showing gratitude, celebrating things that should be <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">celebrated</span>, and comforting people that need to be comforted.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Half of my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">thinking</span> about food is purely about me- satisfying my hunger and cravings, impressing my wife and friends and family on occasions, and being good to my body. The <strong><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">attempt</span> at a better world</strong> part though is a little bit deeper and also often more challenging, but in the interest of avoiding analysis paralysis I have a few questions I attempt to keep in mind while shopping or looking at a menu (and examples of things I like for):<br /><br /><br />- <em>How was it made</em>?<br />how much energy was needed to produce/harvest it? (non processed, locally appropriate foods)<br />what was the impact on the ecosystem? (sustainable seafood - <a href="http://bit.ly/cEAp">http://bit.ly/cEAp</a>)<br />Does it require a lot of chemical fertilizer and pesticide/herbicide/fungicide to produce? (organic or natural foods)<br />where the people who made it treated fairly? (Fair trade certified or local: <a href="http://www.playyourpart.ca/">http://www.playyourpart.ca/</a>)<br />if animals were involved were they treated humanely (free range eggs, food from farmers I know and trust)<br /><br />- <em>How did it get here?</em><br />What was the impact of its transport (local foods or food that can be shipped slowly en mass to minimize impact)<br /><br />-<em>Is it an industry I want to support?</em><br />I try to avoid heavily <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">subsidized</span> and politically powerful foods - like US rice which farmers are subsidized to produce and then excess is dumped in foreign market undercutting the prices that people rely on for their livelihoods, or mass produced Dairy which has such a strong political lobby that somehow dairy is a food group (its protein and vitamins and minerals can all come from other foods)?!<br />I try to buy from local farmers/producers and small holder farms<br /><br />-<em>Is it Healthy?</em><br />I avoid fat, especially saturated animal fats, minimize sugar and maximize fruits and veggies to give me energy and health to attempt to make the world a bit better for a long time to come.<br /><br /><p>For Easter this <strong>attempt </strong>meant a Lobster dinner (its local to Halifax, ethical, and delicious) with a lot of good veggies and good people to share it with.</p><p></p><p>Bon Appetit!<br /><br /></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-89133038946371694162009-04-06T23:51:00.003-03:002009-04-07T00:06:48.172-03:00Critically engaging and thinking biggerYou have likely noticed that my posted attempts have not exactly been <em>daily</em> as intended. I am learning as I go and I have learned a couple important things so far:<br />1. This should not be a chore, it should be an exciting and worthwhile use of time. I made a bold commitment to try to shift myself more towards a bias of doing because I found that I was thinking a lot and not doing a lot. Nothing against thinking, I love to think, I just thought my balance was off.<br /><br />2. Attempts that can be made daily are going to be limited in terms of depth, and potentially impact. I do want to daily attempt to make the world better, but some attempts might require a more time to come to fruition, but they may be very <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">worthwhile</span> still.<br /><br />These two <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">learnings</span> will hopefully allow me to diversify my attempts and to be a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">bit</span> more ambitious and deep in my attempts at a better world. Some will be quick still because sometimes quick, easy opportunities present themselves. Others will be multi stage actions requiring a lot of uninteresting back end work before the action takes place, or follow up in order to bring it to fruition. Like contacting the senate committees.<br /><br />My <strong>attempt </strong>for today was along these lines. I will be in Ottawa in a little while and would like to take advantage of the opportunity for a personalized attempt at a better world. So today I contacted some people who I think are smart to try and plan a solid attempt for that day. So far I am just asking questions on the relative importance of a few issues. Stay tuned for coming stages:)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-33456821798592781962009-04-01T11:29:00.002-03:002009-04-01T11:33:24.063-03:00Access to medicineMy <strong>attempt</strong> for today was to try to volunteer for the local event promoting the following campaign which seems pretty awesome. Unfortunately the volunteering didn't work out so I had to settle for posting this on my blog and facebook and contacting my MP. I think I'll phone her since I emailed yesterday... I need to diversify my actions I think. Thanks to Anna for the lead on this one :)<br /><br />From Cdn HIV/AIDS Legal Network site: <a href="http://www.aidslaw.ca/EN/camr/index.htm" target="_blank">http://www.aidslaw.ca/EN/camr/index.htm</a><br />April 1st, 2009 - National Day of Action and Awareness<br />April 1st, 2009 is traditionally April Fool's Day. This year, we are exposing the government's foolish delay in delivering life-saving drugs to people in developing countries who desperately need them.Do 1 or more of these 5 things - some of them will only take a few seconds!<br />Join others April 1st, 2009 at an event or start your own!Student and community groups in Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver will be holding awareness-raising activities on April 1st. Join one or start up your own activity in your community. Contact Eowynne Feeney at <a href="mailto:efeeney@aidslaw.ca">efeeney@aidslaw.ca</a> to find out how you can get involved in the actions in your city.<br />Tell your MP! Phone, meet with or send a postcard or e-mailSend a postcard to your MP to ask them to fix CAMR and support the "one-licence solution" that would streamline it, making it much easier for developing countries to get medicines their people need. Follow it up with a phone call, an e-mail or a letter, or even a meeting with your MP, asking him or her to help fix CAMR. (Find your MP using your postal code.)<br />Join us on Facebook and 4Real The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network is now on Facebook and 4Real.<br />Tell 3 friendsSpread the word. Tell friends, families and co-workers they can join in this important campaign to help get affordable medicines to people with HIV/AIDS in developing countries. Forward this simple link: <a href="http://www.aidslaw.ca/camr" target="_blank">www.aidslaw.ca/camr</a>.<br />DonateEvery dollar you give helps create more awareness and ensure success. Whether it's $10 or $100, please consider financially supporting the CAMR campaign. Go to <a href="http://www.aidslaw.ca/donate" target="_blank">www.aidslaw.ca/donate</a>.To get your free awareness kit and postcards, contact Eowynne Feeney, Outreach and Development Coordinator, at <a href="mailto:efeeney@aidslaw.ca">efeeney@aidslaw.ca</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-18641683640733209332009-03-31T09:50:00.002-03:002009-03-31T11:36:00.837-03:00Please Lead us to a Better Future at the G-20 and in Canada<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Dear Prime Minister Harper and Finance Minister Flaherty:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">I am a young Canadian Engineer who is learning a lot about how our global markets and societies function and how they fall far short of functioning. I am concerned for my job and those of my family and friends and fellow Canadians, but I am more concerned about the path we are taking as a country and as humanity: I am concerned about how we will avoid catastrophic climate change and adapt to the changes already underway; concerned about how we will feed the world and allow all people to live dignified and secure lives; concerned about where our water will come from over the long term, and I am concerned about how the decisions I make and the decisions you make on my behalf will affect my children and grandchildren. We are at a major decision point. We know the paths we chose up to now led to major challenges for the environment, society, and even the economy. So the question is, what do we choose for our new path?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">As you head to London this week for the G-20 meeting to help find a path forward in overcoming this financial crisis, I respectfully request that you please provide the type of leadership the world needs, and that all Canadians can be proud of. The whole world is facing great uncertainty currently and Canada is no exception, but we are better off than almost every other nation. As a result, the world will be looking to us for leadership and guidance. Our voice is disproportionate to our population at this critical time. With this power, and influence comes great opportunity and, more importantly, great responsibility.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Please keep all Canadians, and all the people of the world whom our words and actions impact in mind as you enter into these discussions. Canadians care about the world and our role in it. We know that a more equitable world will be more sustainable, secure and prosperous for all. We also are learning the hard way that the things we have considered to be external to our measurements of economic success are actually the very things we need most. We can no longer ignore the costs of pollution, exploitation, trade injustice, over consumption, and resource depletion. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Humanity is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment, and the economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of humanity. Our priorities in decision making and our measures of well being must change to recognize these facts. The capitalist economy can be a powerful tool for harnessing human creativity and naturally prioritizing our efforts to address our most pressing challenges – but only if we choose to make it this by engaging all of humanity in responsible and respectful pursuit of solutions. The time is right for making these fundamental and essential shifts. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">So as you enter into discussions at the G-20, and as you make important decisions in our own country, please:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .25in"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbolfont-family:Symbol;" ><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><span style="font-size:100%;">·</span><span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Do not just denounce protectionism; denounce trade injustice in all forms. Especially the subsidies and tariffs and dumping of excess goods that affect the nations of the developing world (and that Canada is currently complicit in)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .25in"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbolfont-family:Symbol;" ><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><span style="font-size:100%;">·</span><span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Reaffirm global aid commitments made by the G8 and the urgency for all donor countries to achieve the 0.7 percent of Gross National Income aid target. Follow through on our own commitments for aid amounts and for focusing aid on poverty alleviation above all other goals. Canada is well situated to take the lead on this, by setting a time line for achieving this goal.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .25in"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbolfont-family:Symbol;" ><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><span style="font-size:100%;">·</span><span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Ensure emergency funds are provided to countries to pursue their own economic stimulus policies, including establishing social safety nets and protecting livelihoods for the poor, and strengthening the public provision of essential services such as health, education and water and sanitation services. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .25in"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbolfont-family:Symbol;" ><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><span style="font-size:100%;">·</span><span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Take advantage of this opportunity to use stimulus packages to build a sustainable and responsible global economy, and tackle climate change.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .25in"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbolfont-family:Symbol;" ><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><span style="font-size:100%;">·</span><span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Democratize the governance of the global economy - Financial institutions must be accountable and adequately regulated, including provisions to stop capital flight and address tax havens. The World Bank and the IMF must be fundamentally transformed and held accountable to international standards on human rights, and labour and environmental standards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The role of the UN in overseeing the global economy should be strengthened.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .25in"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbolfont-family:Symbol;" ><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><span style="font-size:100%;">·</span><span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Help us shift from the pursuit of ever expanding consumption and growth, to the pursuit of ever improving quality of life and integrity of environment, worldwide. Do not artificially prop up industries that led to our problems in the first place. Engage the <i>people</i> in those organizations in retraining and refocusing on providing the solutions we need for the future - like building a sustainable energy and transportation solutions, pursuing resource efficiency and pollution avoidance on all fronts, and growing healthy communities. Stimulate radical growth and innovation, not stagnation and repetition of past mistakes.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">The financial crisis, as well as the food, fuel and climate crises, are threatening to reverse significant progress made on reducing extreme poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. I urge Canada to demonstrate leadership at the upcoming G-20, and press for the above initiatives to address the needs of all people and nations and the environment we depend on. We are all on this planet together and must work together to address the needs of today, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet the needs of tomorrow. We need effective decisions that will help people in the short term, and set humanity up for sustainable prosperity. I believe that Canada can play a lead role in this, and I am asking you to start leading today.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Yours sincerely,</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Justin Wheler</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Halifax, NS</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">B3K 5L3</span></span></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-59911482390327890022009-03-28T14:41:00.004-03:002009-03-28T15:14:14.909-03:00Earth Hour without CandlesThis evening is an annual one hour event called Earth Hour. People around the world will turn off their lights and maybe even avoid other uses of electricity to show solidarity in an effort to curb anthropogenic global warming.<br /><br />I am convinced that anthropogenic causes to global climate change are significant. And I think this is a problem that we, humanity, should work hard to address. My full time job is playing one roll in addressing this from the industrial emitters side. I think the personal choice, or consumer side of the equation is very, very important too though.<br /><br />I have to say I have mixed feelings about earth hour though. On one hand it raises awareness, starts discussions and brings communities together in the name of a critical issue. This is great. It also pisses some people off and they will deliberately try to sabotage the event by maximizing their own environmental impact. A quick browse of any newspaper or blog site this week probably gave you both perspectives. All in all, there is probably a pretty big net gain in awareness of the issue and willingness to make personal lifestyle changes to reduce environmental footprint because of Earth hour.<br /><br />The downside in my mind is the practicality of some of the actions encouraged in the name of Earth Hour. So <strong>my action today</strong> is to CELEBRATE EARTH HOUR as a great way of bringing people together in an effort to address one of the defining challenges of our century, and to <em>avoid Lighting Candles</em>. Candles are pretty much bottom of the barrel when it comes to the amount of energy required to produce light.<br /><br />The amount of energy in a candle that actually turns into visible light when they are burnt is about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luminous_efficacy#cite_note-5">0.04%</a> of the total energy. True, we are willing to accept a lot less light when it is coming from candles but still, that is crazy. I once had an engineering professor whose biggest example of human achievement was our ability to produce light. We have increased the amount of light per unit energy and per unit human effort by many orders of magnitude in the last millennium. So I will not light a candle. When we burn candles all of that wax turns into airborne things, CO2 being the best case scenario. I am sorry to be a bit of a party pooper (last year I made my in laws sit in the dark for an hour at an anniversary party) but if earth hour is worth observing then it is worth not increasing our footprint for.<br /><br />I also won't drive or bus to our earth hour party and will try to minimize the amount of energy in the food I contribute. Happy Earth hour :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-48495699138073262242009-03-25T17:59:00.005-03:002009-03-25T18:48:32.972-03:00What are we stimulating?This is a big question and a bigger rant which I will try to spare you of. Basically, my opinion is that the current crisis is damn complex and pretty scary for a lot of people, but it is also a fork in the road for society. We can choose to take this opportunity to build something new and better for all, learning from the mistakes of our old collapsed and collapsing systems and understanding of the world, or we can react in fear and try to recreate the 'good old days' sacrificing important intangible assets of our society for the sake of recreating a flawed system reliant on massive and continuously growing consumption, and massive and continuously growing global inequalities and environmental problems.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pdKsv5qm-k0/Scqfzqax4jI/AAAAAAAAABQ/cKStMi3X1Wk/s1600-h/Senate+Cttee+on+Human+Rights+March+20090001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317238019973046834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 154px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pdKsv5qm-k0/Scqfzqax4jI/AAAAAAAAABQ/cKStMi3X1Wk/s200/Senate+Cttee+on+Human+Rights+March+20090001.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pdKsv5qm-k0/ScqfzFMe6dI/AAAAAAAAABI/LgMPuismLlo/s1600-h/Senate+Cttee+on+Human+Rights+March+2009.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317238009980971474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 154px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pdKsv5qm-k0/ScqfzFMe6dI/AAAAAAAAABI/LgMPuismLlo/s200/Senate+Cttee+on+Human+Rights+March+2009.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>I signed up <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/Committee_SenContact.asp?Language=E&Parl=40&Ses=2&comm_id=77">here</a> for transcripts of the proceedings of the standing Senate Committee on Human Rights.</div><br /><div></div><div>Thought it might be good to figure out how these things work so I know how to best present my concerns. This committee is the one that will be examining the implications of Bill C-10 on human rights, specifically the provisions around gender pay equity. At the meeting this Monday they had statistics Canada in to present an interesting set of stats on Minority groups and employment in Canada. The above images are a couple of the most interesting slides in my mind.</div><div> In case you can't or don't want to read them they show that visible <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">minorities</span> in Canada have lower employment rates, and women are lower than men, but are gradually closing the employment rate gap. Average income is actually highest for second generation <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">immigrants</span> compared to other groups and lowest for new immigrants for both women and men, and there is a significant gap between the sexes again. </div><div> </div><div>This matters in our current time for a couple reasons: </div><div>1. Lower wage and lower employment rate groups are often hardest hit by recessions because they bear the brunt of layoffs and are most vulnerable to shocks, so women and minorities who were already at a disadvantage in the Canadian job market are also most vulnerable. </div><div>2. Most of the jobs that are created through stimulus will be construction type jobs which benefit men more. Not to say men don't need it, it is just important to keep in mind that there is often a disconnect between who benefits and who is most vulnerable.</div><div>3. Part of the budget implementation act, Bill C-10 is making changes to the ability for people to fight pay inequity and other discrimination due to gender. (<a href="http://www.qufa.ca/files/2009/media/caut_20090306_re_C-10_equitable_compen.pdf">Example letter </a>of concern from the Canadian Association of University Teachers).</div></div><div> </div><div><strong>My action</strong> is to figure out how to voice my concerns most effectively to the senate committee on this non budget related change being passed off as necessary to stimulus that might actually impede the economic well being women, and more importantly impede the pursuit of a just and equitable society. This is a multi stage action so stay tuned on the results, but the enquiries are under way.<br /><div></div>I also passed on this information to my wife Heather so that her IDS class can discuss this in their next lecture but I won't take credit for just doing what I'm told :)<br /><br /><div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-33147708253912069312009-03-13T11:30:00.006-03:002009-04-13T16:46:40.707-03:00Democracy in action... or inaction?Well, its a big day for attempting a better world. A couple weeks ago I contacted the members of Canada's Senate to ask them to remove non budgetary items from the Budget Implementation Act (Bill C-10), specifically some disturbing changes to the Navigable Waters Protection Act (NWPA) that were highlighted by the Sierra Club: <a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5654/t/3791/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1092">http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5654/t/3791/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1092</a><br /><br />I received some decent replies, but ultimately the Senate proved to be only slightly more effective than the House of Commons in making our 'democracy' work. There was some decent discussion, but a motion to split the bill into its budgetary and non budgetary parts was voted down: <a href="http://www.albertasenator.ca/hullabaloos/">http://www.albertasenator.ca/hullabaloos/</a><br /><br />I have not interacted much with Senators but based on the replies some of them are pretty worried about the path we are going down too. And since they know a lot more than me, that makes me even more concerned.<br /><br />The redeemer is this:<br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Hello,Thank you for your email regarding Bill C-10, the Budget Implementation Act. I seconded a motion to split the non-stimulus provisions out of Bill C-10 and urged the Senate to adopt it today. Although many Senators were sympathetic, our motion failed. However, and this will be important for laying the ground work for future changes, the Senate did agree to refer non-stimulus subject matters to various committees for further study.<br />The Navigable Waters Protection Act goes to the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee.<br />The Investment Canada Act and the Competition Act go to the Banking, Trade and Commerce Committee.<br />The Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act goes to the Human Rights Committee.<br />All other non-stimulus items go to the National Finance Committee.<br />I sincerely hope that you will contact the relevant committee and make arrangements to register your concerns. As a Canadian citizen, you have the right to be heard and it is important for the future of our country that you make this effort. Here is the link to the </span></em><a title="http://www.parl.gc.ca/Common/Committee_SenList.asp?Language=" href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/Common/Committee_SenList.asp?Language=E&Parl=40&Ses=2" target="_blank" parl="40&Ses="><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Senate Committees</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size:85%;"> page which will give you contact information for the committee clerk and the names of Senators who are members of each committee.<br />Thank you for all your efforts and inspiration to date. Best regards, Elaine McCoy</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></em><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">So my <strong>attempts at a better world </strong>are to do just that. I am going to contact every senator on the relevent committees and see if I can register my concerns. So there may be more than one entry today but here is number 1, i<em>f anyone knows how to make this more effective please tell me</em>:</span><br /><br /><strong>Concerns with Bill C-10 relevant to your committee</strong><br /><br /><a href="mailto:eenr-eern@sen.parl.gc.ca,">mailto:eenr-eern@sen.parl.gc.ca,<a href="mailto:adamsw@sen.parl.gc.ca">adamsw@sen.parl.gc.ca</a>, <a href="mailto:anguswd@sen.parl.gc.ca">anguswd@sen.parl.gc.ca</a>, <a href="mailto:gautht@sen.parl.gc.ca">gautht@sen.parl.gc.ca</a>, <a href="mailto:merchp@sen.parl.gc.ca">merchp@sen.parl.gc.ca</a>, <a href="mailto:milnel@sen.parl.gc.ca">milnel@sen.parl.gc.ca</a>, <a href="mailto:mitchg@sen.parl.gc.ca">mitchg@sen.parl.gc.ca</a>, <a href="mailto:russem@sen.parl.gc.ca">russem@sen.parl.gc.ca</a>, <a href="mailto:sibnic@sen.parl.gc.ca">sibnic@sen.parl.gc.ca</a>, <a href="mailto:spivam@sen.parl.gc.ca">spivam@sen.parl.gc.ca</a>, <a href="mailto:stgerg@sen.parl.gc.ca">stgerg@sen.parl.gc.ca</a>, <a href="mailto:lebrem@sen.parl.gc.ca">lebrem@sen.parl.gc.ca</a>, <a href="mailto:comeag@sen.parl.gc.ca">comeag@sen.parl.gc.ca</a>, <a href="mailto:cowanj@sen.parl.gc.ca">cowanj@sen.parl.gc.ca</a></a>, <a href="mailto:tardic@sen.parl.gc.ca">tardic@sen.parl.gc.ca</a><br /><br />Dear members of the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources,<br /><br />I have never registered a concern with a Senate Committee before so I am unsure of whether this is the right way to do so. If it is not, please advise me on how I can go about doing this.<br /><br />My name is Justin Wheler and I am a young Canadian Environmental Engineer with a reasonable level of knowledge and a high level of interest in Environmental Assessments and approvals and how development impacts society and the environment. The concern I have that pertains to your committee is with Part 7 from Bill C-10. Part 7 makes substantial amendments to the Navigable Waters Protection Act (NWPA) that are unrelated to budgetary matters, and were rushed through without adequate stakeholder consultation.<br /><br />I love the outdoors, especially canoeing and am concerned that this change removes an important step in assessing whether or not projects involving waterways represent a net gain to society. The EIA process is vital to ensuring that all relevant information is brought forth by all affected parties for this type of decision. I am not comfortable removing this responsibility to the discretion of the minister. Passing this type of amendment to a completely unrelated matter under the cover of economic stimulus is completely inappropriate,irresponsible, and undemocratic. This is not the way our Canada should function.<br /><br />I have many friends and family who have been directly affected by the current economic situation - whether it be through loss of retirement and rainy day savings, loss of jobs, or inability to find work upon graduating from university with a high debt load and little hope. It is a tough time for our economy, and our people. I am personally on a contract position right now that ends in July and I am a little worried about my prospects for finding fulfilling and engaging work after that date. But please, please do not let this tough time be an excuse for unrelated and irresponsible changes to the other parts of Canada that we hold dear.<br /><br />When we protect public access to waterways in Canada, we are also protecting the natural environment of those waterways. I understand that it is important to initiate infrastructure projects to stimulate the economy, but we should not use that as an opportunity to dismantle safeguards put in place to protect Canada’s environment. In fact, these hasty changes to the NWPA will have serious repercussions for the recreational navigation, ecotourism, fishing, and hunting sectors of our economy, none of whom were consulted about these amendments. Our navigable waterways and the activities conducted on them are a core part of our Canadian Heritage. They provide value to our country in so many ways that are not accounted for in economic balance sheets, but are core to our economy and the well being of our communities nonetheless. The public right of navigation pre-dates Confederation, and it needs to be part of our future.<br /><br />Including non-budgetary items in Bill C-10 has and will continue to slow down the process of passing the budget. Please separate non-budgetary items, such as the amendments to the NWPA included in Part 7 to allow for these important, long term issues to be dealt with separately in greater depth and expedite the process of passing the budget.<br /><br />Please separate the proposed amendments to the Navigable Waters Protection Act from C-10, the Budget Implementation Act, so we can get on with the budget. It’s the best way forward for the environment, the economy, and democracy. I have been following some of the Senate discussion on this matter and dared hope that the discussions in your chambers were more attuned to the needs and rights of Canadians.<br /><br />Please seriously consider the long term impact of your deliberations on this matter. We, the youth of this country, do not want to pay for this urgent economic crisis long into the future with the loss of our rights and our environmental integrity.<br /><br />I will anxiously await the results of your deliberations on this matter.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br />--"name"<br />"town"<br />"postal code"Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613838986536287577.post-13160196484454208962009-03-12T18:06:00.004-03:002009-03-12T18:20:27.275-03:00Sending Flat Stanley HomeMy 7 year old little brother Nicholas (<a href="http://www.bbbs.org/site/c.diJKKYPLJvH/b.1539751/k.BDB6/Home.htm"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">BBBS</span> brother</a>) recently sent Flat Stanley to visit. Stanley is a quiet little guy that somehow ended up very flat. The upside to this predicament is that he can travel by mail! He arrived in our mail box almost two months ago and has been adventuring with us ever since.<br /><br />Just in case <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Nic</span> and his Grade 2/3 class were worried Stanley sent them a post card. Now he is on his way home with all kinds of stories about life in Halifax, and our visits to Toronto and St. John's. Helping Stanley travel is a great way to flex the imagination muscles and learn about different places all over the world (with a much smaller carbon footprint).<br /><br /><strong>My Attempt at Making the world a bit better</strong> for today is to send Flat Stanley home. Along with a detailed report of the fun we've had together here in Nova <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Scotia</span>. This is a cool way to connect with my favourite Grade 2 student from across the country - he is not really in to phone calls or electronic communication. Normally we would hang out every week or two and do a random activity, like crafts or swimming. I miss <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Nic</span> a lot and I think being a part of the lives of a few kids as they grow up is a pretty awesome way to make the world a better place, on a lot of levels. Make time for kids!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331523044536213849noreply@blogger.com3