May 1, 2010

Contents:

1. Save Sacred Salmon! Sign the Petition!
2. Stop HST: A Letter from Bill Vander Zalm
3. O Canada, How Can I Grow For Thee?

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Save Sacred Salmon! Sign the Petition!

Alex Morton on Migration to Save Salmon
Rally in Victoria May 8th

Biologist Alexandra Morton is journeying, on foot and by boat, from Sointula to Victoria to encourage people to speak up about the danger facing BC's wild salmon. She is scheduled to arrive in Victoria for a massive rally at BC Legislation, May 8th. Watch the video, attend the rally, spread the word or do whatever you can to help. The business of open net fish farms can no longer be more important than wild salmon.

To watch a short video of Morton's journey thus far:
http://www.callingfromthecoast.com/?utm_source=Bench...

To find out more about the journey, sign the petition, donate or see how else you can help:
http://salmonaresacred.org/

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Stop HST: A Letter from Bill Vander Zalm

To: All British Columbians

What began as a simple tax protest has turned into an outright demand 
for democracy from an increasingly out of touch and dictatorial 
government in Victoria.

Our petition has exploded onto the scene in BC, with tens of thousands 
of signatures in just the first two weeks. We have already met or 
exceeded our targets in a number of ridings around BC, but people 
continue to sign in an effort to send a bigger and bigger message to 
government:

"We want democracy! We want to be heard! We want the politicians we 
elect to serve us, not the other way around!"

Much of this movement is a reaction to the unbelievably arrogant and 
intractable statements by the premier and many of his MLAs. News 1130 
Radio on April 15 reported the following statement by the premier: 
Premier Gordon Campbell says it doesn't matter how many signatures the 
"No" forces gather.  "The HST has been done.  We are moving forward 
with it..."

It doesn't matter how many citizens sign the petition? It doesn't 
matter how many people oppose his policy? It doesn't matter how many 
voters reject the direction of his government? They are going to do it 
anyway?

Does that sound like the Canada we all once knew? Does that sound like 
the freedom and democracy our ancestors fought and died for in two 
successive world wars? What is the point of electing MLAs to represent 
our wishes in Victoria if all they do is represent Victoria's wishes 
to us instead?

I want to encourage everyone who cares about democracy in BC to sign 
our petition. We had originally hoped to get 15% of registered voters' 
signatures (more than the 10% required) in every riding to ensure 
victory. But now, many are saying they want to go even higher to send 
the government a message.

From Nanaimo to Kelowna, to Kitimat and Courtenay, to Williams Lake 
and White Rock, to Salmon Arm and Cranbrook, and all points inbetween, 
people are signing in droves. In the North Peace, they have already 
signed 30% of the registered voters there. That is more people than 
actually voted for the government in the last election!

The Citizen Initiative petition is the greatest tool we have ever had 
to hold the government's feet to the fire. It is the greatest chance 
we have ever had to tell the politicians that BC and Canada is a 
government of and for the people, not people of and for the government.

Keep signing the petition. Let's get as many signatures as we can.

Let's send the government a message they will never forget!

Bill Vander Zalm
Leader, Fight HST

For more information: http://fighthst.com/letter-to-all-british-columbians.../

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O Canada, How Can I Grow For Thee?

by Dan Jason, Salt Spring Seeds

There's a revolution that is happening in Canada. Not many people know about it yet but a lot of people are part of it.

  The revolution is about as basic as you can get. It has to do with the way we grow and eat food and take care of ourselves. It has to do with the way we nourish and sustain ourselves as a nation.

  The 2010 Olympics brought out a lot of pride and passion in Canadians, including myself. The Olympics got me thinking that Canada should be going for the gold in agriculture as well as in sports.

  My intention in this article is to talk about some big steps that are already being taken in the direction of self-reliance and sustainability and to encourage you to join the team. I think that there is a real possibility that Canada one day soon will "own the podium" atop all other countries for best agricultural practices.

  There's nary a word about this enthusiastic collaboration in the media. Nevertheless, it is happening in cities and towns across the country and it is growing so quickly that it's likely already spread to your very own neighbourhood. This movement is uniquely Canadian and multicultural. It is about as grass roots as you can get. There is no one leading it or funding it or trying to make money from it.

  It's only in the past few years that this big change is gathering momentum. We've been bedazzled and boondoggled by industrial agriculture to the point that we've missed the most important work of all: keeping the "True North strong and free".

To read more, go to: http://www.saltspringseeds.com/articles/oh-canada.ht...

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