Apr 1, 2013

SCIENCE MATTERS by David Suzuki • Despite its huge area, Canada has relatively little dependable farmland. After all, a lot of our country is rock or buried under ice and snow. Fertile soil and a friendly climate are hard to find. To feed our growing urban populations and sustain local food security, it’s critical to have productive land close to where...

Apr 1, 2013

FILMS WORTH WATCHING by Robert Alstead • Rob Stewart is the underwater filmmaker who, with Sharkwater, showed everyone it’s safe to go back in the water; what’s more, he opened our eyes to the barbaric practice of shark-finning. The film’s impact came from gorgeous, up-close footage of different species of sharks combined with hard-hitting sequences...

Apr 1, 2013

ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot • I recently met my first Young Agrarian (YA) at a farmer-2-farmer conference on Vancouver Island. A Young Agrarian is self-described as someone who values food, farmers, nature and community and is intent on growing food sustainably. YA is partnered with FarmFolk CityFolk, a not-for-profit society that cultivates...

Mar 1, 2013

How an ancient poet inspired a local initiative to preserve McLellan Forest by Susan McCaslin / photos by Erin Perry • Last Thanksgiving, I discovered that Glen Valley in Langley still had some mature rainforest. This discovery was bittersweet, however, as I also learned the Township of Langley was planning to sell it off to raise funds to build a recreation...

Mar 1, 2013

Do something great for Canada Water Week, March 18-24 Nuclear waste dump fact sheet 1. Ontario Power Generation (OPG), a multi-billion dollar corporation wholly owned by the Province of Ontario, plans to build a nuclear waste dump at the Bruce Nuclear Power Plant site, in the Municipality of Kincardine, Ontario, located approximately one kilometer inland from...

Mar 1, 2013

SCIENCE MATTERS by David Suzuki • A 14-year-old boy in Donetsk, Ukraine, made a fascinating discovery halfway around the world and 894 metres under the sea. Kirill Dudko was watching Neptune Canada’s live-stream footage of the ocean floor near Vancouver Island on his computer when he saw a creature with a “nose and moustache” eat a hagfish. It seemed...

Mar 1, 2013

ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot • Seed selection: To answer the question “What shall I grow?” ask yourself what you and your family most like to eat. It also makes sense to grow food that costs more to buy, especially when gardening space is an issue. Select varieties that will mature and produce in your garden’s microclimate. Soil: Most...

Feb 1, 2013

ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot • For North America’s early colonists, the introduction of wheat, rye, oats, peas, cabbage and other vegetable crops was critical to their survival. In the 1850s, the US government recognized that feeding an expanding continent required a diversification of food seeds and seeds were sourced by way of horticultural seed...

Jan 1, 2013

SCIENCE MATTERS by David Suzuki • The race to become leader of the world’s most powerful democracy often seemed disconnected from reality. During debates, the two main candidates stooped to insults, half-truths and outright lies. The overall campaign included appallingly ignorant statements about women. But the most bewildering disconnect was over the...

Jan 1, 2013

FILMS WORTH WATCHING by Robert Alstead • Recently, I’ve been filming University of Victoria climate scientist Dr. Andrew Weaver, who is campaigning as the BC Green Party candidate for the Oak Bay Gordon Head riding in Victoria in the May provincial elections. As I research the project, I’ve been looking back at how climate change has been covered on-screen...