Environment

Our Executive Director Bill Moore-Kilgannon was recently on Alberta Primetime debating our new "Alberta Could…" campaign with a representative of the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation. The campaign advocates for a progressive income tax and fair corporate taxes in Alberta to invest in better public services.

New advocacy campaign shows Alberta Could invest in public services with a progressive income tax and increased corporate tax

"The National Farmers Union (NFU) opposes Bill C-18. The union says it will restrict farmers’ ability to save seed for replanting and allow seed companies to collect royalties based on harvests. 'Farmers will lose the right to save seeds and use that seed for next years crop, without having to pay a royalty to the plant breeder’s rights holder,' said Jan Slomp, a Rimbey, Alberta dairy farmer and president of the National Farmer’s Union, who attended Shiva’s talk Friday."

The time of year when Public Interest Alberta get us together to talk about issues that affect us all is just about here. PIA’s 2014 annual advocacy conference will be keynoted by Dr Vandana Shiva, whose work addressing corporate globalization and genetically modified organisms is widely known and respected. She was nice enough to take a phone call at 11:30 pm from her home in India to talk about her work.

"Is the Alberta government’s ‘Tar Sands is King’ attitude silencing doctors? Public Interest Alberta is among 26 groups calling on the Alberta Medical Association to take action to counteract atmosphere silencing doctors. When Peace River residents went to their doctor something else happened. Their doctors refused to do the tests needed to fully diagnose the symptoms they were experiencing, and in one case the doctor’s advice was simply to, 'move.' His actual comment was even more troubling: 'you are just a small, little bolt in this huge robot, and you don't matter. Move.'" [VIDEO]

"In a rather rare political episode on January 16, elected members from all major political parties agreed that coal-fired power needs to be phased out in Alberta. The MLAs were invited to talk about their positions on phasing out coal at a panel organized by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), the Asthma Society of Canada and the Centre for Health Promotion Studies EcoPath."

"While federal Conservatives hammer out new ideas in Calgary’s BMO Centre, their opponents are holding a series of protests and counter summits this week. Things kick off October 31, with Wake Up Canada—The Canada We Want summit at The Area in Inglewood. Wake Up Canada is offering workshops on labour, environmental, human rights and aboriginal issues at The Area and Central Library until November 2, as well as two protest rallies outside the BMO Centre where the Conservative Convention is taking place. The non-profit social advocacy group Public Interest Alberta is holding its own counter-summit on November 1 at the Central Library."

"Alberta's chief justice has ruled that a landmark lawsuit against the Alberta government and the energy giant Encana Corporation over groundwater contamination from hydraulic fracking can finally proceed to court. But in the same lengthy 41-page ruling, Justice Neil Wittman also struck the province's energy regulator from the lawsuit."

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On October 1st, the provincial government announced a public consultation on the Budget 2014 with open house sessions

Dear members and supporters of the Environment Action Area of PIA, we invite you to read these recent articles of interest and participate in these upcoming events.