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Petition Tag - alberta
1. Premier Redford Must Step Down 
Premier Redford has lost the trust of Albertans and it is time for her to step down.
Please sign and share.
Previous to CIWAA's inception the WCB and the Government have relied on Injured Workers inability to organize and remain fragmented leaving many voices without a united message.
We must unite all the Injured Workers under one group and one message. That group is CIWAA and that message is We will not allow WCB to deny legitimate claims of Injured Workers in order for corporate Alberta to benefit with the lowest WCB premiums in Canada at Injured Workers expense.
NOTICE: The name and address of every person who signs this petition may be made available to the public if the petition is in proper form to be presented to the Legislative Assembly.
To Contact Injured Workers: www.canadianinjuredworkers@gmail.com
www.canadianinjuredworkers.com
The Bill of Rights of 1688 contained, as its leading term, the right to bear arms. Back when Canada was technically still under English rule they allowed the citizens the right to bear arms for protection, so why not now?
According to the Canadian Charter of Rights And Freedoms, under the Constitution Act of 1982, under Legal Rights, Section 7; Life, Liberty and Security of Person: "Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice." Under Section 12; Treatment or Punishment: "Everyone has the right not to be subject to any cruel and unusual treatment or punishment."
When you read those 2 sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights And Freedoms, how can you argue that openly carrying a firearm is not safe? Would people commit crimes if they knew everyday citizens have the ability to stop them? I don't think so. We in Canada have what is called an "Authorization to Carry" license, however, the Provincial Chief Firearm Officers (CFO's) have agreed not to issue such licenses. The law in Canada says you can defend your life with equal force of your attacker, it also says the law acknowledges the possibility of an individual requiring a restricted handgun for protection from other individuals when police protection is insufficient.
It seems as if the government doesn't find human life valuable enough for Canadian citizens to obtain a legal permit to open carry. How can you defend your life with "equal force" if the person threatening your life has a gun & you don't? It seems like a double standard to allow Police, Attorneys, Judges, & Money couriers the right to bear arms for defensive purposes, but as private citizens, we don't have the right to do the same.
4. Stop the Cull of the Wild horses of Alberta
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| Wild Horses of Alberta Society |
TO: The Premier of Alberta, Honourable Alison Redford, The Minister of Environment and Sustainable Resources, Diana McQueen, and the Minister of Tourism, Christina Cusanelli.
We, the undersigned residents of Alberta, draw the attention of the Premier of Alberta and the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Resources to the following:
In the cull of 2012, Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, issued licenses to allow 216 wild horses to be trapped and slaughtered. Sustainable Resources Development (SRD) now estimates only 778 free roaming horses remain on the Eastern Slopes of Alberta.
These horses have spent hundreds of years and generations, surviving very harsh conditions and predators. They are indeed – WILD!
Our wild horses are an integral part of Alberta’s heritage and culture and an integral part of the total ecosystem of Alberta's west country.
It is our hope that they will be recognized as a distinct heritage species with their own special status and protection, free of capture, harassment and abuse. At this point given the devastation of the prior year’s cull, the wild horse population needs time to recover.
What does Cull mean? Wikipedia describes the word cull as "the process of removing breeding animals from a group based on specific criteria". In the case of the Wild Horses of Alberta "For livestock and wildlife alike, culling usually implies the killing of the removed animals".
5. Stop Forced Overtime and Increase Worker Protection in Alberta
According to Alberta labour legislation employers have the right to force their employees into working overtime. Numerous studies have proven the importance of having a healthy work-life balance and employees shouldn't be penalized for refusing to work more than 40 hours per week or 8 hours per day.
Other atrocities that should be dealt with include greater rights for contractors and temporary placement employees. It should be made illegal to fire a temporary placement worker just because management feels that they "don't fit in" with the company.
Alberta should strive to remain progressive and modern in today's society and offer these important rights to the common worker.
6. A double wall or not at all
From recent reports of ‘Enbridge pipeline spills’ and in consideration of the high level and probability of extreme environmental damage resulting from any crude oil pipeline rupture, it would only make good sense to install a continual monitoring system to guard against any ‘rupture’ condition.
Whereby on ‘system failure’ as an audible alarm sounds the product flow is also stopped immediately from upstream of the protected/monitored portion of the pipeline by the closing of the effected sections’ ‘inlet shut-off valve’, which safely stops all product flow into the ‘protected and monitored’ portion of the line.
See here for more; http://sdrv.ms/Mg56U1
7. Set Up BC-Alberta Oil FUND for Canadians
Northern Gateway:
Whether or not you're there, this is a project of national scope, such as our railways and trade networks were, and affects all Canadians. SO read on!
We're taking no "OIL premium FUND for Canadians" and letting it dry up or spill out - ON the most pristine fishery, forestry/timber, ground freshwater, ecosystems on Earth.
Can we at least have *Environmental Insurance* premiums paid on every gallon? No company has ever paid its fair share of a clean-up - it's always us taxpayers paying for that instead of fund managers.
This is not 'greenie'. How many would die for freshwater for their families as much as we have, and we risk losing more than 1/10th of that for what, exactly? A few executive's bonuses? 500 jobs for one year and maybe 100 forever? CAN SOMEONE ASK WHAT'S IN THIS FOR CANADIANS?
Can we have a fund pool with a huge premium so we can pay for bottled water, educate and take care of our health, and evacuate all the people? It's OUR LAND, can we have a stake in the profits? Boost our future like Norway did with their oil fund. Like, real cash in our hands and for our teachers and nurses, and not "good for our economy BS"?
I sent a request of environmental insurance funding to all the ministers in BC. I ask that you please sign it. The letter is as follows:
More..._______________________________________
May I offer you a humble suggestion for the Northern Gateway pipeline attempt. Although there is considerable, visceral objection to the project from people in both provinces or even for an alternate route, please consider environmental financial clean-up insurance.
To prevent extreme resistance the proposal is environmental insurance. It is quite possible that if above-exceptional due diligence is perceived ignored some could take to serious resistance against construction.
In a word, the answer is insurance. We've found that with high levels of risk - both economical and environmental, most companies (all oil companies) are not up to the challenge of maintaining their pipelines properly. Be it Shell in Africa, Exxon at sea, Chevron in Alaska, or BP in the gulf. There is no guarantee they can do what they say they will - keep our water and environment good for the future. It is unfortunate that in all these disasters the state budgets have paid more than the company in reclamation.
Can government regulations help? Somewhat. These also showed to be weak sometimes, such as with Alberta's "world-leading regulations" seeing over 1 million barrels of oil spills in this year alone. If that's the best, good luck to the rest of the world I must say. I worked in pipeline construction in our Arctic, and I understand that pipeline regulations and inspections are spotty at best.
Only environmental groups showed agressive lobbying enough to make us think twice about some projects, and in some cases, they take it too far. Co-operation is key, our oil company executives need some process that speaks their language. Enter new insurance companies.
The provincial governments own the majority of lands that may be wasted by oil spills. In most cases, they are in charge of keeping water safe enough to drink, and land value does not waste away as toxic tailings beds or oil pools. Strictly economically. Vacationers, homeowners, and cottage owners don't like oil splashing up on their beaches either. ( This means there's a value to all this pristine land, and people willing to keep it that way. And don't forget the wildlife. The very reason Canada is so prosperous and majestic in the first place. )
Big disasters cost big money to reclaim. The Exxon spill STILL has not been cleaned up, and much of the work was performed free by amateur volunteers. Sometimes faster and nicer than the professionals. But even the volunteers would've appreciated funding for shelter, extra supplies, and maybe travel subsidies.
An insurance company at its most basic exists to compensate for exorbitant losses that happen rarely or not too often. Let's make everyone involved in oil pipelines in charge of paying into an insurance pool for reclamation. Whether you like it or not, the only way to prevent an oil spill 100% is not to pump oil there. So there's always a chance to hedge against.
Companies and native groups will (if agreements go as planned) make huge revenue for long periods of time from this. That's why they're doing it. So ask the profiteers for a monthly fee, in line with the risk of disaster. Since it's just starting, this cooperative insurance pool will need upfront capital - what better way to invest in our risk mitigation? No one has to actually put up a lot of money up front, just legally agree to allocate it in case of. This is how our global oil reserves work, too.
So have companies, governments, native groups, and landowners pay monthly insurance premiums on the pipeline. It can be a tiny share of the revenue but a vital one. And our insurance cooperatives can be trusted. The jobs from such a new industry (insurance and environmental risk assessment will be formidable and these people are already trained).
So a third party with oversight and allotted funding. Who calls whether an oil spill is big enough? It would have to be agreed by two groups, or one group and an independent tester agreed by two groups. Then anyone can say - this is a bad spill, spend this much on it.
The best thing of all, is insurance uses the free market to judge the risk of an oil company pipeline. We don't have to trust inside executive intents to make it to plan, or the government measures to inspect every centimetre properly. An insurance group will ask for higher premiums for a riskier pipeline simply to cover its base.
AAA debt ratings for risk can apply to energy projects as sensitive as this one. And we can keep strong government regulations and inspections as a fundamental pillar.
____________________________________________
I, along with all our citizens, would be grateful for your consideration and due diligence on this action of *National Significance*.
8. We need an Independent Review on Pipeline Safety
Alberta continues to suffer from a rash of oil spills.
Enbridge's pipeline carrying heavy oil sands crude, spilled some 230,000 litres in eastern Alberta on Monday, June 18th. On June 7th, a Plains All American Pipeline spilled up to 480,000 litres into the Red Deer river threatening the drinking water supply of tens of thousands of Alberta. And on May 19th, Pace Oil & Gas Ltd. spilled over 100,000 litres of oil near Rainbow Lake.
Unfortunately pipeline spills are not a rare occurrence in Alberta. In 2010, the province averaged nearly two pipeline failures a day. Enough is enough.
The Albertan Constitution currently includes a provision from the 1905 School Act that allows for the recitation of the Lord's Prayer every morning in Public schools. It offers no such privilege to any other faith.
A Canadian court has already ruled enacting this policy as discriminatory, coercive & exclusive. It stigmatizes children & denies them their religious freedom.
This practice still continues in a number of our diverse Public schools resulting in the segregation of children & families.
10. Stop the Canadian government from slaughtering wolves!
In response to the fact that tar sands oil mining is threatening caribou herds by destroying their habitat in Alberta, the Canadian government headed by Stephen Harper has called for strychnine poisoning and aerial shooting of thousands of wolves in areas near tar sands mining.
The big bad wolf in this struggle is not the furry kind; it’s the kind that walks on two legs. The caribou’s habitat is being destroyed by mining.
The Alberta Tar Sands has created a massive loss of habitat for all wildlife in the region, but perhaps the most profoundly affected has been the caribou.
But instead of taking steps to protect the caribou’s habitat, Canada’s Minister of Environment Peter Kent said that thousands of Alberta wolves will need to be killed to rescue caribou impacted by tar sands development.
Killing the wolves means shooting them from helicopters and poisoning them with baits laced with strychnine. Strychnine is a deadly poison that causes a painful progression from muscle spasms to convulsions to suffocation over a period of hours. It is an excruciating death. The poisoned baits will also pose a threat for non-targeted animals like cougars and wolverines that may eat them.
The minister is taking a man-made environmental disaster and scapegoating wolves so as not to interfere with the profits of the oil industry. But without healthy habitat, the endangerment of caribou is unavoidable, no matter how many wolves are murdered. Caribou and wolves need habitat. Together, they create a natural balance in the ecosystem.
Canada’s first priority should be protection of the habitat, not additional assaults on the native wildlife.
Read the full article here: http://news.petpardons.com/wolf-slaughter-is-canadas-solution-for-man-made-caribou-imbalance/
11. Support Parental Rights for parents with teens
Parental rights for parent with teens. Legal age to be changed from 16 to 18. Parents to have help from government officials courts and all legal aspects. People who harbor these children with out parental consent should be fined or unlawfully charged.
It because of the legalities that the advocates seem to think should be in place consequently there is no disciplinary action for a parent which enables the child/teen to do whatever they want therefor ending up uneducated and on the street.
There need to be put in place a legal avenue that a parent can use when or if a child desires to leave home with or without parental consent.
There has to be something put in place for a parent to help guild these children/teens.
My Niece left home without parent consent and decided she was not coming back and said she was 16 and didn't have to. She is staying with someone the family has no knowledge of and will not tell her parent where she is. She left their house with a 20 year old friend who has influenced her decision and also contributed to this miner. The 20 year old also will not let the my family know where my niece is. My My niece does not go to school and wants to party all the time and has never had a job. This age limit needs to change.
12. Defund Abortion in Alberta
A vast majority of abortions are elective procedures. According to the latest available data 76% of Albertans support the defunding of abortion with the exception of those abortions performed in the cases of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is in grave and present danger as a result of the physical impact of the pregnancy.
A strong public healthcare system requires ever more prudent fiscal responsibility. We urge the government to only fund procedures that are justifiably deemed medically necessary.
We support conscience rights for taxpayers. Medical procedures that are not widely supported by the public should not be publicly funded. Through this petition we express our sincerest desire as citizens and participants in governance that abortion be defunded in the province of Alberta.
13. No BFI/Prairie Sky Resouce Dump near Blackie, AB
BFI Canada has approached the residents living in and around Blackie, Alberta to allow them to build a class ll landfill one mile SE of the hamlet of Blackie. BFI has named it the Prairie Sky Resource Centre and claims this dump will not contaminate groundwater resources, that it will provide jobs and increase property values, etc.
BFI claims they will take care of any concerns such as odors, blowing garbage, dust, noise and birds. BFI has a notorious bad record througout North America and the majority of the residents of Blackie want no part of the proposed Prairie Sky Resource Centre.
BFI claims this dump will be good for our beautiful area and for our community but we say NO IT WON'T so GO AWAY!
14. Northern Gateway Proposal; NO PIPELINE THROUGH PARADISE
Canada's West is one of the most beautiful and sacred places left on this planet. Building a pipeline through the Rockies and the Great Bear Rainforest is a disaster waiting to happen.
Too much risk comes with this proposal. Too easy to tilt the scale into irreversible damage. Now is the time to convert our economy with sustainable, renewable energy and jobs that truly give us a sense of stewardship to the land. Please do not build the Northern Gateway pipeline.
15. Improve health and health care in Alberta
In 2014, the current 2004 Health Accord – the deal that sets funding and healthcare service delivery agreements between the federal, provincial and territorial governments – will expire and must be renegotiated. This is a unique opportunity to improve health and health care for all Canadians.
The renewed 2014 Health Accord must be a joint initiative between all provincial, territorial and federal governments and must include key provisions in order to improve the accessibility, equity, comprehensiveness and sustainability of our health system. Among these provisions is the need for action on primary health care across Canada, including increased access to Community Health Centres in Alberta and across Canada.
16. Do not Destroy the Dene Suline Traditional Land
The Government of Alberta wants to build a campground/RV park on the north side of Cold Lake, directly over top of a very sacred site on the traditional territory of the Dene Suline. This site has tremendous historical and spiritual significance for the Dene Suline people.
The site has seen generations of Dene Suline people move through every summer to dry fish, to pick berries and traditional medicines, and to hold sacred ceremonies. Grave sites, and archaeological artifacts that date back over 4000 years were discovered on the site in 2008, when plans for the campground expansion began. Expansion plans were halted at that time and have recently begun again
At the beginning of May 2011, demolition crews began tearing down trees, clearing bush, and berry producing plants, and moving earth to begin construction of the RV park without the full consultation or free, prior and informed consent of the Dene Suline people or giving them warning that this demolition would begin then.
On May 6th, 2011 some members of Dene Suline have erected a peace camp to stop the construction of the RV park and to continue to practice their spiritual, cultural and treaty rights. The members of the peace camp may be forcefully removed from site or arrested.
It is pivotal to keep in mind the historical injustices imposed upon the Dene Suline peoples. The Residential schools have a lasting impact to this day and generations to come. The Primrose Lake Air Weapons Range (PLAWR) is also on the Dene Suline traditional territory as are numberous oil, gas and tar sands projects.
Please feel free to contact the following ministers to promote action:
1.Minister of tourism and parks- Cindy Ady: 403-256-8969. email calgary.shaw@assembly.ab.ca
2.Minister if Aboriginal affairs - Len Webber 403-288-4453. email calgary.foothills@assembly.ab.ca
17. Decide the Use of Fluoride in the City of Red Deer via Plebiscite during the 2013 Election
The fluoridation of water in the City of Red Deer should be decided via plebiscite during the 2013 election to let the citizens decide the issue in a democratic process and in the process, do so at least cost.
Currently, there is another petition (Removal of Fluoride from the municipality of Red Deer) with the petition statement: “We, the Citizens, call on to the City of Red Deer to stop adding Fluoride to our municipal water supply”. That petition is available at:
http://www.gopetition.com/petition/44571.html
This petition is for the people to speak directly about fluoridation of water.
Speaking with a couple of the current City Councilors about the topic, fluoridation in municipal water is a divisive issue and a reasonable approach to such an issue is to have it decided directly by the people – not by special interest groups, not by special interest Councilors, not by corporations or by persons with vested interests.
Municipal water has undergone a fluoridation process for many, many years and taking time to better understand the process and the concerns. It is not a detrimental do or die situation. We can, at low cost, decide the issue via plebiscite during the 2013 Municipal Election.
In the meantime, speak with your Dentist, Doctor, Hygienist, call the University of Alberta Dental School, and research the topic via the Internet to be prepared with your YES/NO response come 2013.
To provide some alternative reading other than that shown in the ‘other’ petition, please see the links below:
http://www.cda-adc.ca/en/oral_health/faqs_resources/faqs/fluoride_faqs.asp
http://www.scumdoctor.com/dental-health/fluoride/Pros-And-Cons-Of-Fluoride.html
18. Removal of Fluoride from the municipality of Red Deer
People should have the right to choose whether or not to be exposed to fluoride. Unfortunately many of us were never given that choice. Today it is almost impossible to escape fluoride. It is in the fountain pop at the drive thru, at your local coffee shop, bottled and draft beer, you get the idea. At home we cook, shower and bath in it, its ridiculous!
Now the thing you might find interesting is where does the fluoride come from? The fluoride used in our drinking water is an industrial waste product from the aluminum and phosphate fertilizer industry. It is an unprocessed contaminated waste with a number of toxins, particularly arsenic. This type of fluoride has never Been Tested for safety and effectiveness. However it has been very effective as rat poison and cockroach powder.
So why do we put this in our water? The answer is simple, money. But not money for us, or our community, money for the corporations. By promoting it as a some kind of dental miracle they are able to eliminate their waste and make a profit at the same time. But does it benefit our teeth? New evidence suggests that fluoridation is either unnecessary or doesn't work. Cavities have declined at similarly impressive rates throughout the entire western, industrialized world over the past half century where there was no fluoridation.
"Water fluoridation is the single largest case of scientific fraud, promoted by the government, supported by taxpayer dollars, aided and abetted by the ADA and the AMA, in the history of the planet."
- David Kennedy, DDS President International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology
Some Harmful effects of fluoride include.
Diminished IQ'S, hypothyroidism, increase in hip fractures, increase in infertility, cancer, abnormal bone development, skeletal fluorosis, dental fluorosis.
Fluoride is not meant to be swallowed, if you look on your tooth paste it will advise you to contact poison control if accidentally swallowed. Why is it okay to drink it then? It is an accumulated poison, so while you may not see the effects right now, there is a good chance you may experience them later. The choice is clear, remove it from our water, and those who still want fluoridation are still free to do so.
Please research this topic for yourself and find your own truths. Do not take Authority as Truth, but rather Truth as the Authority!!
http://www.staytuned.ws/articles/fluoride.html
http://www.staytuned.ws/articles/fluorideref.html
http://preventdisease.com/home/tips79.shtml
http://fluoridealert.org/fan-comments.html
19. We prefer and support the existing faith based education system in Morinville and Legal, AB.
We are very satisfied with the education and educational environment that our children receive in the Morinville and Legal education system and we prefer and support the current faith based educational system, for the following reasons:
We are a diverse group, Catholic AND Non-Catholic who recognize and favor the high quality education that is provided by the GSACRD education system and we appreciate the inclusion of traditional celebrations such as of Thanksgiving, Remembrance Day, Christmas, Easter and the like. We DO NOT support the elimination of these;
We also believe that the students should continue to have opportunities to celebrate achievements, demonstrate citizenship, good character, and build a sense of community. We do not believe that these notions are particular to only Catholic students, but are common to all families regardless of faith or religious belief;
We believe exercises and activities, for the most part, are non-faith specific and that various groups are represented in order to serve all families in the region;
We recognize that a substantial portion of the school community are not Catholics, practicing or otherwise, and notwithstanding, we continue to see a sizable number of students (majority), of various denominations, enrolled in a formal religion class;
Alternatives are provided for those choosing not to participate in such a class. We do not believe that the current system serves to indoctrinate the student community;
We all wish to foster an environment of acceptance for our children and families in the school division. We believe that a faith based education helps to achieve such a goal;
As well, Catholic and non-Catholic families alike, have indicated a very high level of satisfaction with the current system when surveyed. This is evident in the survey results which are deservedly and consistently very high and award winning.
20. Grande Prairie Alberta Petition to change Animal Bylaw so its not breed specific
The effects of BSL on public safety are seriously understudied, especially by the scientific community.
News media frequently misidentifies breeds and types of dogs.
To date, there are no scientific studies anywhere that confirm BSL or breed bans have had a significant positive effect on public safety.
Cities and Municipalities are now starting to review and change the BSL realizing that it doesn’t solve the problem.
Innocent people continue to be threatened, bitten, traumatized, disfigured, and killed—by non-targeted breeds and types of dogs.
Innocent dogs are killed because they look a certain way. Abusive and irresponsible owners carry on mistreating these dogs; while the good owners and their families are judged because they own a certain dog or devastated because they have had to give their dog up.
Nobody learns anything about the real reasons why dogs bite and attack, safety around dogs, or responsible dog ownership.
Breed-specific legislation makes victims of us all. Just because your breed isn’t on the list yet doesn’t mean it couldn’t be in the near future.
BSL does nothing to address the root of the problem - irresponsible dog ownership. It punishes the responsible dog owners. Bad owners simply move onto other breeds when their breed is banned. To assume that by removing "pit bulls" from a community without addressing irresponsible owners makes any community safer is naive. Rather, breed bans simply give residents a false sense of security as the true dangerous dogs still remain in the community with their irresponsible owners.
Any dog can bite – Any dog can be made aggressive and be trained to attack.
21. Retirement Security for Everyone: Expand the CPP
Canada’s finance ministers will be meeting December 19th to 20th in Kananaskis to deal with our retirement security crisis. The best option is to increase benefits under the Canada Pension Plan to make up the retirement shortfall, as the Canadian Labour Congress has been successfully advocating.
This option is supported by almost 2/3 of Albertans, virtually all provincial finance ministers, the federal finance minister, as well as seniors’ groups, public policy advocates, and of course organized labour - but not the Alberta government.
Alberta Finance and Enterprise Minister, Ted Morton, has come out strongly against any expansion of CPP. Instead, he is proposing an optional voluntary program managed by the private sector that would not guarantee benefits, and that analysis shows would not make up the shortfall.
Because of his stature within the Conservative party both nationally and provincially, Morton’s opposition threatens to derail national pension reform. This is why he must be stopped
22. Make NBS-Newborn Screening LAW Mandatory in all Provinces
In light to recent events regarding our 12-year old daughter; we have learned that she was never tested ( NBS-newborn screen) back in 1998 and it’s possible that our daughter might have inborn errors of metabolism.
We are petitioning the health minster to make new born screening LAW mandatory across the board throughout Alberta. Compared to our neighbouring province Saskatchewan.
See Links to:
Current New Born Screening for Canada:http://genes-r-us.uthscsa.edu/CA_nbsdisorders.pdf
23. RePower Alberta
RePower Alberta Launches Across the Province
Building the Green Economy
Sierra Club Prairie and Greenpeace Canada have launched the Province-wide campaign, ‘RePower Alberta: Building the Green Economy’, to spread the word on the growing economic and community benefits of moving to a green economy.
RePower Alberta is calling on the Alberta Government to implement a Green Energy Strategy.
After decades of riding the roller-coaster of the fossil fuel sectors’ boom and bust cycles, the time has come for Alberta to forge a new energy path. Renewable energy resources and green just solutions are ready and waiting to meet our energy demands.
Diversifying our energy economy will provide tens of thousands of new clean and green jobs for Albertans, and has the opportunity to create just solutions to our province’s contribution to the climate crisis.
The government of Alberta, however, continues to drag its heels on introducing real policies, strategies or legislation that would set Alberta on a proactive course of strengthening the province’s position with one of the fastest growing sectors in the world.
Building the Green Energy Economy - We know that Albertans agree! In 2009, an Ipsos Reid poll showed that 78% of Albertans prefer that the Alberta Government provide subsidies for Renewable Energy over the Oil and Gas Sector.
Alberta can continue building a strong economy while maintaining a healthy environment for all of us to live in. We call upon Albertans everywhere to raise their voices and demand that the power be put back into our hands!
Check out www.REPOWERALBERTA.ca and please help us spread the word, and sign the petition.
24. Alberta Schools - Principles for 21st Century Education
Alberta should be proud of its school system. It ranks second in the world behind Finland in terms of educational outcomes. Our schools are also ranked by several studies to be the best in Canada and are strongly supported by local communities. Of course, there are challenges – there always will be. But our students, working with their teachers and supported by parents and the community, are generally doing well and our schools are amongst the best in the world.
The challenge for Alberta is that doing well now may not be good enough for our future. As a small jurisdiction – just 3.5 million people – we face growing competition from others for talent, capital and resources. “Good” may no longer be good enough – we need our schools to be great so that Alberta can build its next generation economy, enhance and develop our communities and sustain our environment.
It is time for change.
Our social and economic well-being requires a different kind of school and learning from that which helped build such a successful Province. Essential skills (literacy, numeracy, critical thinking, digital navigation) remain essential, but so are other skills – social networking and team skills, problem solving, participatory democracy skills, Imagineering and creative skills, design…there are many such lists and different conceptions of what these lists mean. The point is simple: we need to rethink what it is our schools are doing and how they are doing it, building on our success in doing so.
What we have to do as citizens is decide what our schools are for – “what is the purpose of our schools in the 21st century?”. Then we can work out just what schools should work on to continue to be amongst the best in the world.
Schools are the foundation of civil society and they lay the foundation for life long learning. They are the hub of communities. Teachers, as professionals, need to be nimble and adaptive as knowledge and understanding changes so quickly. They also need to be respected as professional. Parents need to be engaged in their child’s learning. Students need to be seen as citizens in their own right and their rights should be respected.
We are preparing our young people for a world that is different from the one we grew up in, for jobs that don’t yet exist and for the reality of constant and faster change. What is clear, is that the new economy is driven by knowledge and the speed at which people adapt and learn will become critical to both their success and the future of the Province.
Also clear is that an old reliance on basic skills will not be enough to secure the long term well-being of individuals, families or communities. We need to see education is the primary investment we will make in our Province’s future – they are the foundation for lifelong learning.
Education is also the bedrock of democratic society. Education is the great leveller – it allows people to develop to the potential of their intelligence and hard work, and breaks down the cultures of entitlement based on social class, bloodlines, race or religion. Citizens must be literate, have a decent understanding of history, science, politics, math, and be able to apply reason, evidence and critical thinking both to his or her own life and to the broader context of society and the environment. They must be encouraged to use their own minds and conscience to guide their decisions, rather than abdicating this responsibility to authority figures. They should also learn the difference between scepticism and denial of evidence.
Critical thinking should not be confused with criticism of thinking.
An investment in education and learning should be driven by some core principles – principles that commit us to a vision of schooling that focuses on excellence, supports differences and makes sure we do not loose out on the global “war for talent”.
We know that the Government of Alberta intends to introduce a new School Act. This should be an Act that stands the test of time, that helps Alberta build its future and enhance its position in the world.
The Act and the work associated with it needs to be based on some key principles. We should make these principled commitments as a Province so that our schools continue to be amongst the best in the world. You can help by signing up to these principles – we will let you know how to do so shortly, but use this blog to register your interests.
25. Let Greenpeace Activists Go!
Nearly 40 Greenpeace activists including Bruce Cox, Executive Director of Greenpeace have been arrested for peacefully protesting the destruction of the Alberta tar sands.
Those arrested face fines and jail time for their peaceful acts of protest. Despite their plight, these heroes maintain their position and intend fully to return to the fight once they are able. Alberta's premier has labled these people as terrorists, having decided to punish them to the full extent of the law.
Thank you for your support,
Jenny Smith,
Environmental Technician.
To make a donation to Greenpeace, go to;
https://secure.greenpeace.ca/renewal/index.php
26. Alberta: Implement a Green Energy Feed In Tariff
UPDATE!! This petition is now closed.
{On Aug. 30, 2012, this petition was delivered to the Alberta Government. Roger Gagne, Chair of CAUSE (Citizens Advocating Use of Sustainable Energy) and Ken Hogg, founder and facilitator of the Alberta Renewable Energy Alliance (AREA), met with Ms. Sandra Locke, Assistant Deputy Minister of Energy (Electricity, Alternative Energy and CCS) to hand over the petition.
AREA is preparing a White Paper on renewable power to make recommendations to government, outlining our Province's potential for dramatically expanding our renewable power resources, particularly solar, while weaning our Province off of coal power.}
A feed-in tariff is simply a guaranteed price set by the government for anyone who wants to sell renewable electricity to the grid, and a guarantee that they will have access to the grid to do so.
Although overall electricity prices rise slightly in the short-term, in the longer term they stabilize as prices become increasingly independent of conventional fuel costs. For anyone who generates power under a feed-in tariff program, the income more than offsets any electricity price increases.
Feed-in tariffs have been extremely successful in Germany, which now generates 20% of its electricity from renewable sources while employing more than 250,000 people in the sector as a result of implementing a FIT, according to the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. They have over 5000 biogas generators scattered across the country, most of which provide an income stream to small scale farmers while providing electricity ready to balance the intermittency of wind and solar.
FITs have encouraged small, medium, and large-scale production of electricity from solar, wind, and other renewable sources in Spain, Australia, and the City of Gainesville, Fla.
Recently, Ontario has introduced FIT for $0.80 Kwh for Solar roof top <10KW. Nova Scotia also has a FIT, though it is limited to First Nations, community groups, and municipalities.
Alberta has extensive resources in solar, wind, and biomass, and we should allow the citizens to make better use of them.
There are many reasons why we must use renewable energy:
• Combat climate change.
• Create local jobs, industry and innovations.
• Diversify the energy supply.
• Foster local technical skills.
• Reduce the costs of renewable energy infrastructure.
• Minimize grid losses by encouraging local power generation.
• Replace aging power plants with clean alternatives.
• Give communities the power to be part of the solution.
Please take this simple step to both stimulate the economy and combat climate change, at no cost to the government.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
27. Petition Against Proposed Alberta Wolf Cull
Researchers in the University of Alberta's department of biological sciences have proposed a cull of wolves in the Rocky Mountain House area.
This would involve shooting wolf pups and sterilizing older wolves, with the intention of boosting the elk population in the area.
One reason given for the wolf cull is that it would provide more elk for human hunters to kill.
Avastin is a chemotherapy drug which is effective at fighting colorectal and some forms of lung cancer. However, it is also a very expensive drug.
The Alberta Cancer Board refuses to fund the drug on the basis it is not curative and, therefore, not worth spending the health care dollars. They cite statistics from clinical trials that show Avastin extends life ON AVERAGE by only about a month.
What the Alberta Cancer Board is failing to recognize in this short-sighted decision are two basic facts. First, there are other clinical trials that show using Avastin can make previously inoperable tumours that have spread to other parts of the body operable. For these people, cancer can be cured or, at least, their life expectancy significantly extended.
Second, the Cancer Board is failing to recognize that the clinical trials publish results based on a clinical average. This means there may be some patients for whom this drug will extend their lives significantly while others do not respond at all. This brings the average down to a little over a month.
Shouldn't the patients who respond favourably to this drug be given the opportunity to extend their lives? The Alberta Cancer Board should trust the judgement of their oncologists not to recommend treatment with this drug for those patients it will not help.
29. Canadians support Ukrainian Canadian Archives and Museum of Alberta project
PETITION
To: The Government of Canada
And to: The Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
And to: The Hon. Bev Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women
Over the last 30 years the Ukrainian Canadian Archives and Museum of Alberta (UCAMA) has served the people of Edmonton and Alberta through its research facilities and exhibits. UCAMA’s current building does not meet modern professional museum/archive standards for collection management, storage and public exhibits. UCAMA needs to bring its facility into the 21st century, but cannot achieve this in its existing building which is both too small and functionally obsolete.
In 2003 UCAMA purchased the historic Lodge Hotel (1912) on Jasper Avenue in Edmonton to rehabilitate for a new museum facility. To meet accepted museum standards, the renovation of the Lodge Hotel was originally budgeted at $14 million but has since increased to $21.1 million due to current construction escalation in Alberta. The project has gained national acclaim, and was awarded one of the prestigious Canadian Architect Awards of Excellence for architectural design in 2006.
To date, both the Province of Alberta and the City of Edmonton have committed $3 million each to the project. UCAMA has been attempting to secure funding from the federal government for this project since August 2005. An application for $6 million is currently with the Cultural Spaces Program of Canadian Heritage.
(View the video below for more information on UCAMA's project
or download an Executive Summary)
30. Kleercut Campaign at the University of Alberta
Kimberly-Clark manufactures the popular Kleenex brand facial tissue, toilet paper and napkins in Canada and is the primary source of toilet paper and paper towels at the University of Alberta.
In North America, less than 19% of the pulp that Kimberly-Clark uses for its disposable tissue products comes from recycled sources.
Kimberly-Clark also sources wood from endangered forests and uses clearcut logging practices. Some of these clearcut forests are found in Alberta’s Endangered Foothills.
For more information please visit www.kleercut.net and www.albertafoothillsnetwork.org
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