Alex Atamanenko, MP, (BC Southern Interior) says that anyone who truly believes in democratic principles should be outraged that the Conservative government’s response to Air Canada’s (AC) employee strike action is to threaten back to work legislation that will criminalize their job action. “This is an unprecedented assault on labour rights and should be firmly denounced by all Canadians,” stated Atamanenko.
Alex Atamanenko
“Besides a 77 per cent increase in his salary this year, Air Canada’s CEO Calin Rovinescu will enjoy a defined benefit pension of over $350,000 per year when he retires,” noted the B.C. MP. “Meanwhile Air Canada wants to cut and eventually eliminate the defined benefit pension plan for all of its workers and create a two-tier wage structure between old and new hires.”
At the same time, members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) have been locked out in response to their limited job action. While working to disrupt the public as little as possible, the message from CUPW is that the union is adamantly opposed to the unfair conditions proposed by Canada Post Corporation (CPC).
Despite the fact that CPC is a profitable Crown corporation and has been for a number of years, CPC continues to expect concessions from the workers. CUPW is asking CPC to negotiate in good faith, to hold the line on proposed wage roll-backs, to appropriately address workplace safety issues and attend to other crucial issues.
According to Atamanenko’s assistant, Laurel Walton, who visited CUPW workers locked out at the Castlegar post office this morning, “These workers are defending the future of Canada. If Canada Post gets its way, it will signal a downward spiral in working conditions for workers and the well-being of retired persons nation-wide.”
Atamanenko agrees and calls upon all working people, whether unionized or not, to support striking and locked-out workers.
“It’s up to each one of us to determine what future we want. Whatever we do, it will make a difference, one way or the other. When we support these workers and others, we let the corporations and the Conservative government know that contracts must include work for reasonable wages, workplace safety issues that are properly addressed and a pension that people can live on in their senior years,” he concluded.
Editor’s note: The following is an obituary of sorts written by Nelson Post reader Mike Handley for the two juvenile grizzlies shot last week. Handley shared some amazing photos of the juvenile grizzlies spotted around Nelson and recently shot by a conservation officer. The animals had got into garbage and became a hazard to human life.
Photo by Mike Handley.
While written from the perspective of youthful innocence, the challenges and drama faced by these bears, as well as the identification of other bears involved, are accurate. This is a true story. – Mike Handley
When we woke up, it was still very cold and white. We followed Mom down towards where fresh food was growing, but she was nervous.
“It’s late, everything is late.”
There were smells everywhere, but Mom kept telling us to stay away from the sweetest one. “People are weird. They give us these great meals, but then the people get very upset and mean when we come eat it.”
It’s a big year for us, Mom says it is time for us to head out and make our own homes. Mom and Dad have been getting along great again! We tried several times to go to the field with the tastiest grass, the one Mom showed us after our first sleep. But Dad doesn’t like us very much. He kept chasing us back down to the sweet smell, we think he’s serious.
Our big brother found a great place, but he doesn’t want us around either. Our only way out was to go over the hill, where the people have dug silver holes. If only we can find it, it’s over by another people place with that forbidden sweet smell. It’s so tempting, Mom’s not looking. It’s a steep hill, we need the energy. There’s another smell. It’s people, and something else.
Loud metal, we smelled it before our sleep.
Mom said no!
WE’RE SORRY MOMMY! WE’LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN, WE PROM…
They were only two and a half. All they wanted was to be bears and they never had a chance. Rest in peace, my friends. I am so very, very sorry for what we did to you.
Nelson Post reader Mike Handley wants everyone to get a good look at the juvenile grizzlies seen around Nelson this spring. He wants people to appreciate the natural beauty of the wild animals so that maybe those who are leaving their garbage out will clean up their act.
Here’s an excerpt of Handley’s email to Post:
I was utterly appalled to hear that our local grizzly family was getting into unsecured garbage again.
I’ve never considered sending any of my photos into a news venue, but this is important to me and, I suspect, the large majority of the population of Nelson.
Photo by Mike Handley.
I want people to have a good, up close and personal look at the magnificent animals that are going to get killed if a few ignorant people don’t get their collective acts together.
I would like to hear about these available fines under the Wildlife Act actually being levied instead of what appears to be empty threats that don’t mean anything to these people. Not until you hit them in the pocket, or they themselves wind up in a cage, will this problem finally go away.
Handley took the photos on Sunday, May 8 across from Kline RV Park south of Nelson. The first five are of one juvenile – named “Righty” by Handley, because it has a tag in its right ear – and the sixth is of its sibling.
The tags are signs the grizzlies have been caught once before.
Handley describes Righty as a happy clown, noting the fourth shot shows his reaction to the branch he was chewing on in the third shot slipping from his jaws and slapping him in the side of his face.
The fifth shot is a glance over to his sibling. I like to think it’s to see if he got busted being slapped by a stick!
Click the first thumbnail below to start the slideshow.
Handley’s right when he writes the bears will be killed if a few people don’t get their act together. Jason Hawkes, a local conservation officer, told the Nelson Post the main reason bears are destroyed in B.C. is because they get into garbage and start hanging around humans.
It’s a simple thing to keep your garbage indoors until the morning of garbage collection. Doing so keeps you, your family and your neighbours safe and means a conservation officer won’t have to shoot a bear because it starts hanging around looking for an easy meal.
Thanks to Handley for sharing these great photographs of the grizzlies. For video of grizzlies in the area, possibly the same bears, see this post.
Chris Shepherd
Chris Shepherd is managing editor of the Nelson Post. He can be reached at news@inthekoots.net
You are pushing hard up a steep logging road on your bike and see two black bear cubs in a tree. You are out hiking early in the morning and you leave the trail to eat the huckleberries and a grizzly on rises her hind legs far up the path. Or you are biking on an old railway line and see a large steaming pile of bear scat.
What do you do?
These above situations are a common occurrence in the Kootenays. This is, after all, bear country. Most of us are used to seeing bears and are used to bears running away when they see us. We know that common sense goes a long way when dealing with bears.
File photo by Chris Shepherd.
People, however, are biking and hiking in ever greater numbers in the bush around our communities. Many of these trails have been blazed through the wilderness and are cutting through bear habitat. We can come upon bears suddenly and provoke a startled response from the bear. Many of these people are not expecting to meet a bear. We need to learn how to play safely in bear country.
Avoiding an unpleasant or dangerous bear encounter is usually a matter of being prepared. Nothing can guarantee the outcome of a bear-human encounter, but preparation will go a long way to keeping you safe.
I work with Bear Aware and the Bear Aware program does not involve bear safety issues. I am not speaking on behalf of Bear Aware, nor am I a bear safety expert: the following are suggestions gleaned from my own personal experience as a runner, biker, and hiker in the Kootenays for the past 30 or so years and from safety tips given by others in several other recreational communities.
• Make noise. Calling out lets the bear know you are there and that you are a human. Bears in the vast number of encounters will act to avoid people. Bikers are often moving through quickly and quietly. Bikers have hit bears or been chased by startled bears. Make noise so that the bear knows you are there.
• Carry bear spray on a belt. Bear spray works. People who have had to fend off bears have survived fewer injuries when they have carried bear spray. Learn how to use the spray and make sure that your spray is not expired and is still functional. Practice using the spray, but have a full can with you when you venture out. Keep the spray accessible at all times – at your side, not in your pack.
• Be prepared for an encounter. Watch “Staying Safe in Bear Country”: an excellent video put together by bear biologists to help people understand bear behaviour and how to respond appropriately. There is a copy of “Staying Safe in Bear Country” available at Reo’s Videos. You can order your own copy by searching the web for a distributer. Few of us have an encounter with a bear that turns out badly – but being prepared is always worthwhile. Knowing what to do in that moment when you suddenly encounter a bear is a matter of prior research and planning.
File photo by Chris Shepherd.
• Get to know the area where you play. These areas are not parks and it is up to you to avoid huckleberry patches in fall; marshy areas with skunk cabbage in spring; trails along fish-bearing streams etc., and other areas where you are likely to encounter a bear. Do your research.
• Respect signs that close trails or warn of bear activity. Go somewhere else when you know there is a bear in the area.
• Talk to fellow hikers, bikers and other people who use your favourite wild areas. Share information about bear activities on and near trails and encourage each other to behave responsibly when in bear country.
• If you are new to the area, be especially cautious. Check in at local recreational supply stores to see if there are trails you should avoid due to current bear usage.
• Dogs initiate encounters with bears. Put your dog on a leash, or train your dog to stay by your side and to come under any circumstance. You do not want your dog bringing an angry bear back to you.
• Report encounters to the Conservation Officer Service at the RAPP line (1-877-952-7277). Respect signs that close trails.
We all spend money on the right shoes, bike, helmets and other gear. Make bear spray and proper knowledge about how to avoid bears in their habitat an essential part of your kit.
As I started planning the coverage for the federal election I realized it made the most sense to post those stories on News in the Kootenays, the regional website on the Inthekoots Network.
There's the button. The red one.
Get your federal fix there where I’ll pull in a summary of coverage from various media outlets and keep you up-to-date on the campaign including letters to the editor, stories by Inthekoots staff and stories from other media.
All the coverage will be in the “Federal Politics” tab, which is under the “Politics” tab on News in the Kootenays.
On Monday, April 4 Nelson city council will be voting whether to dedicate more staff time to the issue of urban poultry in Nelson. As the owner and operator of an urban farm and as someone concerned about this community’s long-term food security, I strongly feel that the city must give this issue some very serious consideration.
Backyard chickening is an increasingly widespread moment in North America. I believe its main driving force is people’s desire to have a meaningful connection with their food; to know that the food they consume is produced responsibly, ethically and ecologically, and without having to travel a great distance. For many, there is also nothing more rewarding than growing one’s own food.
I grow food for myself and for this community because I strongly believe the West Kootenay needs to strengthen its local food economy. Nelson and its surroundings still have a long way to go in developing a sustainable local food supply and time is running short. Rising energy costs that show no signs of abatement and the looming threat of climate change due to fossil fuel emissions are but two of the reasons we must rethink our dependence on a long-distance transportation network for our food. We need to relocalize production to develop a resilient food supply, and this is what progressive communities worldwide are embracing.
A significant way that municipalities are helping to relocalize production is by endorsing urban poultry. Not only do chickens produce a valuable source of nutrition in the form of eggs – a food with a nutritional profile unmatched by any garden produce – but also a byproduct that has another invaluable use in food production: manure.
In my experience of growing vegetables and fruit in various Nelson backyards I have found that the one factor affecting my yields above all else is not the amount of sunshine or rainfall, but the health and vitality of the soil, and nothing enhances soil better than the addition of composted manure. It is incredible the amount of food one can grow in a small Nelson backyard garden when the soil is amended with manure. Just ask any of Nelson’s expert Italian gardeners, and witness the results.
Gardeners with access to their own source of manure can have more productive gardens, support holistic no-waste gardening practices and foster healthier backyard soils. Allowing backyard chickens will only add to Nelson’s charm by enriching its gardens as well as its reputation as a city that promotes sustainability and post-carbon preparedness.
The backyard chicken movement gains ground day by day; effective systems of support have been put in place in cities as large as Vancouver, Victoria, Portland, Seattle and Spokane – to name but a few. Closer to home, Kaslo allows backyard chickens, except for roosters (a common provision seen in other municipalities). These communities have developed appropriate guidelines that ensure that chickens pose no disturbance to neighbours. Let’s find out what set of rules works for us.
Let’s empower our community to feed itself in the future by allowing chickens within city limits.
You know the routine: “I don’t want an election, don’t throw me into an election, oh, not that brier patch.”
Topped off now by his claim to be concerned about the effect of an election on the economy. Please!
Stephen Harper didn’t spend all that money (both party and taxpayer dollars) in pre-election advertising to have an election snatched away from him. If Harper didn’t want this election, you can bet that the opposition would have been heeded.
In that case the budget would have included serious assistance on things like pensions and health care, would have been a budget that Jack Layton (and maybe the others, too) could have supported.
Instead, in an obvious attempt to bamboozle voters, Flaherty continued sprinkling about the little tax boutique tokens that may sound good, look nice on paper, but don’t do a lot for us – a smug, election platform. No, what we got is a budget cleverly designed to force the opposition to line up against it – they could see that too, and obliged. Make no mistake, this is very much a Harper-engineered election we are heading into.
To protect our current and future interests, we should support our local MP, Alex Atamanenko in the coming election, re-elect a man who has worked hard for all of us, and at the same time help deprive Harper of his majority.
There’s lots of reasons to support Alex, but consider especially that under a Harper government, when it is time to renew the health-care pact, we will see the same tokenism or worse, where it will really hurt us all, not only in the pocketbook but in our well-being. Harper will not be looking after our health, then; Alex and Jack will.
Harper “negotiating” a new health accord – now that’s truly a scary thought.
Folding paper cranes isn’t easy, but if a five-year-old can teach me to do it, chances are you can pick up the skill too.
I encourage you to give it a try as an initial show of support for the people of Japan and Onagawa (a Japanese city Nelson has a strong connection with) in particular. I write “initial” support because at the moment, we don’t know exactly what that country needs. It’s chaotic there right now, and as was discussed at a recent community meeting on the issue, perhaps the best we can do is to send our support and well wishes. Origami cranes are a great message the Japanese will appreciate.
Mia Jury, 5, left, teaches Dylan Watts, 6, how to make an origami swan while her brother, Noah, looks on. Photo by Chris Shepherd.
Today was the first day of many where those who know how to take a square piece of paper and turn it into a crane gave lessons. A group of Nelsonites gathered at city hall to learn how to make them, filling the city’s board room with the sounds of folding paper, quiet instructions and laughter.
Dan Jury, one of the teachers, said this was better than a moment of silence for Japan. Instead, how about a moment of folding paper, he said.
My teacher was Mia. She’s five. I sat down beside Mia and took up my first square piece of paper. Mia’s mom, Namiko, started us off, showing Mia and I how to turn a flat sheet into a shape evocative of the Red-crowned crane, a symbol of hope in Japan. Mia has done this before and just needs a few reminders from her mom.
The last time I tried origami I was probably Mia’s age, maybe a little older, and I need considerably more guidance. Namiko walks me through my first crane and then leaves me to the next one while she goes to help others around the table.
Mia and I start on our next sheets of paper. I get stuck at one point and ask her what to do next. She shyly shows me with her own paper and we carry on.
Eventually, Mia warms up to me and she makes sure I follow the right steps. My second crane is much better. Mia moves onto smaller pieces of paper, making cranes the size of a quarter. I stick with the larger sheets, knowing the limits of my clumsy hands.
The table fills up with colourful paper cranes as the morning progresses.
Today, and the days to follow, are the product of a community meeting held yesterday. Mayor John Dooley called for the meeting which saw several suggestions come forward. Áedán Osika suggested making the cranes and everyone was excited by the idea.
I admit I had some reservations at first, not knowing if we Westerners were perhaps misusing a cultural symbol. I had my fears allayed by Kim Barker that day. Barker lived in Japan for several years and she said the idea was appropriate. She actually got goosebumps when Áedán made his suggestion.
Future origami sessions
Tomorrow (Friday, March 18) the origami returns to city hall, 310 Ward St., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Over the weekend they’ll make origami cranes in the meeting room at the Nelson and District Community Complex, 305 Hall St. at various times:
Saturday, March 19 – 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Sunday, March 20 – 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
There will also be a healing meditation gathering at the Nelson Waldorf School on Friday, March 18, 8:15 a.m. at the school’s Eurhythmy room.
Kim Osika, one of the origami organizers, says there could be some impromptu crane making events around town. So far the paper has been donated (thanks to Cowan’s Office Supply) and Dooley said the city would pay for any paper if necessary.
The crane is a symbol of hope and peace in Japanese culture. An ancient Japanese legend says that if you fold one thousand paper cranes your wish will be granted. This was the background to a true story turned into a book: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. Sadako was a little girl who lived in Hiroshima when the Americans dropped an atomic bomb on the city. Years later Sadako developed leukemia. She set about folding 1,000 paper cranes but died before she could finish. Her friends and family completed the task.
Since then, folding paper cranes has become an act of peace and hope. Right now, across the world groups of people are folding origami cranes for the Japanese people.
Those made in Nelson will eventually be put on display.
Liz Babcock, another origami organizer, says the cranes are a simple way to show support and hopefully the start of more.
“These are beautiful gifts of hope but we hope to send some some funds over too,” she says.
There are some plans to try selling some of the cranes to raise funds.
Take a moment to to learn how (see below for an instructional video I found on YouTube) and watch for where you can drop yours off. Also, if you see anyone around town folding paper cranes, ask if you can learn how.
Chris Shepherd
Chris Shepherd is the editor of the Nelson Post. He can be reached at news@inthekoots.net.
I’m happy to welcome Fred Rosenberg and his photos to the Nelson Post in what will be a recurring feature that will bring Nelson and it’s residents to your screen in a new way.
Fred is a fixture at any large event that draws a crowd in Nelson. He’s old school: favouring film cameras in this digital age. He can be seen with his two cameras around his neck and light meter in a holster, measuring the light, winding his film and snapping photos with an audible click from the mechanism.
As we talked about how to include his photography in the Post, Fred was clear with me that he doesn’t want the feature to be about him. It’s about the photos.
Late last year, Touchstones Nelson featured some of Fred’s photographs in Gallery B. I went to his artist’s talk, which was my first time hearing him speak. One thing stuck with me as he talked about the act of taking a picture.
Every time I take a photo I’m saying ‘Yes’ to what’s before me, Fred said.
Each photo is an acceptance of the world. He captures what could be considered mundane in a way that makes you take notice. City workers digging up a street, kids listening to their soccer coach, a reporter interviewing high school athletes. He records Nelson’s day-to-day life in way no other photographer does and he’s eager to share with Nelsonites.
Christine and Margaret. Photo by Fred Rosenberg.
The first photo Fred has shared is a powerful one of Christine Sutherland taking her sick mother, Margaret, for a walk. The photo captures Nelson’s geography, seen in Christine’s bent posture as she pushes the wheelchair up a hill, as well as the caring of a daughter for her mother.
Along with the photos, Fred’s posts will include a map that will show where each image is captured, giving you a unique way to place the images you see in the context of our community.
Fred’s photos will join the ongoing submissions from the community, pictures sent in from shutterbugs of all stripes.
I encourage you to share your photos, whether they are of scenery or a portrait, and contribute to the visual story of Nelson.
Do you have a photo of the region you’d like to share? Send it to news@inthekoots.net and it could run.
Chris Shepherd
Chris Shepherd is editor of the Nelson Post. He can be reached at news@inthekoots.net
The public, city staff and members of council earlier today. Photo by Chris Shepherd.
The city budget will have direct financial impact on Nelson residents and after a month of meetings and discussion, council and staff have a draft budget ready and they want to hear from you.
Tonight, 7 p.m., the city’s manager, Kevin Cormack, will present the budget and the issues that formed that budget. This is the public’s last chance to have their say on this budget that could result in a two per cent increase in the city’s taxes.
Whether taxes will go that high is up to council. They’ve talked about their perspectives and they want to hear from you and what you think.
Tonight’s talk by Cormack is the culmination of today’s open house at the Nelson Municipal Library where staff and council answered questions about the challenges facing the city.
I spoke to Mayor John Dooley today about tonight’s presentation. I asked him about the comments I’ve heard about how public input may not make a difference to the process.
“Some people would suggest it’s not worth their time,” said Dooley. “But we appreciate the suggestions and ideas people have. At the end of the day, we’ll do the best we can with what we have.”
The mayor says there are some “untouchable” items on the budget. The utilities – sewer, water and Nelson Hydro – fall into this category along with some core services council has committed to providing.
Council also followed the 2009 citizen survey when looking at the budget.
That survey was positive, says the mayor, but council doesn’t want to rest on their laurels.
Don’t let them rest. Go to tonight’s meeting, learn about the budget and ensure the city’s elected officials know exactly what you think is important in the city’s financial plan.
The time again is 7 p.m. at the Nelson Municipal Library, 602 Stanley St.
Also, I encourage you to read the extensive coverage the Nelson Post has created for the 2011 budget. I sat through every meeting and live blogged about it, giving the public unprecedented insights into the budget process.
Chris Shepherd
Chris Shepherd is the editor of the Nelson Post. He can be reached at news@inthekoots.net.
