2007 Year In Review Environment And More

This will be my last post of the year.

I'm going to share a few news pieces covering environmental stories of 2007, but before I do I'd like to reflect on my own personal experiences this year.

The year started with talk of a spring election (much like we're seeing again) and I was hard at work organizing and facilitating Green Party training sessions back in southern Alberta. In the end there was no federal election, but my wife did decide to run for the Green Party of Alberta in a provincial byelection in the late spring. I had started full time work at the Tyrrell museum again, and she resigned so she could stay at home with our son. As soon as the byelection was over Jen wanted to work again, so she got a part time job and we saved up a bit of cash. In September a job opportunity opened up for Jen here on Vancouver Island, and obviously she got the job. We made the move from Drumheller AB to Nanaimo BC in about a month. Her job here is great, our son loves the mild weather and the trees, and I'm starting to get some gigs playing around Nanaimo. I also have a part time job to make ends meet. I'm very excited about the direction our lives are moving in! Next move: selling our house back in Drumheller, and possibly buying some land and building some kind of green home. We've been looking at yurts and manufactured homes as well as small condos or townhouses, and we still don't know exactly what move to make.

I've taken up a supportive peripheral role in the local GPC electoral district assoc. We have a great candidate here and I look forward to the next federal election when I'll be door and phone canvassing during the campaign. I left a big hole back in Alberta, but I'm confident that the Crowfoot EDA, working with the provincial organizer, will be able to find a solid candidate for the next election. As of the fall council elections, Alberta has a strong and capable representative on the GPC Federal Council in Mark Taylor.

Throughout the year my blogging efforts had me exploring and learning about energy, economics and how both subjects are so very intertwined with the environment. Thanks to many visitors here on my blog who forced discussion and debate, I'm now much better informed on these subjects.

For more on specific subjects, or to see my posts over the year, please view the right hand columns listing my blog posts by subject and by month.

Here are a few news summaries of 2007 environmental news.

See you in the new year!


2007: The year in environment
22 December 2007 NewScientist.com
Catherine Brahic

The Magnificent '07
The top green stories of 2007
By David Roberts and Lisa Hymas
20 Dec 2007

Twelve Environmental Victories in 2007
Environmental Defense
03-Dec-2007

ABC Australia - Year in Review - Environment
By Elaine Ford - Dec 19, 2007

News review 2007: Reality of climate change hits home
22 December 2007 - New Scientist

Jennifer and Alberta Greens shocked by great local support

Below is a recent letter to the editor that Jen & I wrote. It has been carried widely throughout our constituency.

Jennifer did very well at the recent forum in Stettler. I have uploaded her speeches onto YouTube. You can view them by searching her name in YouTube or by going to my account at http://www.youtube.com/greencameron

In the Q&A in Stettler Jen owned the subject of landowner surface rights, came across very credibly and informed on CBM issues, and set the pace with the subjects of trade, integration, and the Security & Prosperity Partnership (SPP) agreement. She also covered water transfer issues with Balzac and the Special Areas very well, and of course she brought up a number of policies from our platform. Jennifer didn't miss a beat, while the other candidates did, and Jennifer has gained the support of many local farmers, ranchers and landowners. It could have something to do with her knowledge of landowner rights, her ability to communicate the solutions that are within the Alberta Greens policies, and her ability to gain media attention on how our regulatory bodies are failing us.

After the forum, I went to the Legion parking lot where we were parked and noticed a couple of tables full of happy people. I said surprised, "this legion has an outdoor patio in the shade?!? That's awesome!"

They all smiled and laughed, and asked if I was from out of town. I told them I was just on the other side of the Legion at the political forum and a couple of people remarked that they wanted to be there (but not as much as they wanted to enjoy the evening outside on the patio - I can't blame them ;-).

I handed them a pamphlet and said "it's a little light reading, if you want to check it out and pass it along." One lady remarked, "Oh! The Green Party! That's the one I want to see. I've told my friends I'm voting Green!"

I replied, "Excellent! I'm hearing that a LOT."

See her bio here.


Jen is participating in a forum in Hanna right now. I had to work late and watch our son so I was unable to attend. On June 6th, 7pm, there's another forum at the Drumheller Inn at 100 South Railway Ave.

Door knocking and phone canvassing is going well, and we've received a number of donations from people around the constituency. Jen has more support than I did in the last federal election. I'm very proud of her.

Here is the letter to the editor we've sent out.

Letter to the editor regarding water and landowners rights

Submitted by Jennifer Wigmore
Drumheller-Stettler Candidate for the Green Party of Alberta

A water transfer proposal for the Special Areas in Drumheller-Stettler sits on the shelf, while the Province fast tracks a plan to get water to a mega mall in Balzac. Their priorities do not lay with the people, the farmers or the small business persons; their priorities lay with the foreign and big business interests. Big business is being put ahead of our agricultural industry, and while this government tries to keep agriculture afloat with subsidies, they are avoiding any real solutions to our problems.

Rather than pursuing made in Alberta plan that will strengthen our economy an make it flourish in a sustainable fashion, they are looking to the United States through the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) Agreement for ways to complete the sale of our national independence.

In April of this year CanWest News reported that a series of closed-door conferences for the North American Future 2025 Project will include the discussion of “water transfers” and diversions, according to the outline for the project, a trilateral effort to draft a “blueprint” on economic integration for the governments of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

The project was launched to help guide the ongoing Security and Prosperity Partnership, a wide-ranging effort to further integrate the countries’ practices on everything from environmental rules to security protocols and border controls.

“It’s no secret that the U.S. is going to need water. It’s no secret that Canada is going to have an overabundance of water.” said Armand Peschard-Sverdrup, director of the project, which is spearheaded by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a powerful Washington think-tank.

An 'overabundance of water'? Is this what they think we have here in Alberta? Why is our government allowing the US to discuss our water and resources as if they are something they own?

This is bigger that the proposed Balzac water transfer, which, in my informed opinion, will probably be coming from the WID (Western Irrigation District). This is about fast-tracking without public consultations.

A proposed 1,607-kilometre cross-country oil pipeline will run from Hardisty, southeast of Edmonton to Superior, Wisconsin. The pipeline is aimed at transporting Alberta tarsands crude to U.S. markets, and it will run right through our agricultural land.

David Core, President of the Canadian Alliance of Pipeline Landowners Associations, who is active with the Green Party, is saying, “pipeline landowners can no longer pretend that pipelines crossing their farms are out of sight and out of mind, and can no longer make excuses when dealing with pipeline companies and the boards that regulate them.”

Landowners must spread the word and stand up for their rights. Joining together with other landowners to form associations is a must, as Joe Anglin of the Lavesta Area Landowners Group, and declared Green Party of Alberta candidate in Lacombe-Ponoka, knows all too well.

The Lavesta Area Landowners Group represents more than 800 landowners in the area that are battling Alta Link, a controversial $495 million power line that would cut through Central Alberta to help provide power to the City of Calgary.

A high powered transmission line was considered and pursued by Alberta's provincial government, before any real consultation with or approval from the landowners and farmers it will directly affect.

The public has been misled into believing this transmission line was only needed for Calgary’s growth. The EUB has utilized fear tactics of possible rolling blackouts in Calgary in 2009 if this line isn’t built but they have never addressed why there wouldn’t be rolling blackout when this line is used 100% for export in 2010.

To quote Mr. Anglin, “No one is allowed to say no to any type of oil and gas development and that is fundamentally wrong. The real question for the province is how do we get from where we are today, of an environment of unsustainable oil and gas development, to a sustainable development of energy resources? Our future will not lie in oil and gas development. Our future will rely on our ability to develop new technologies. Who best to help protect the environment than people who own the land and who work the land? People should have the right to say no to development on their land. You should have the right to protect your water and soil and that will protect the environment in your community."

The Green Party has hit on something that is directly related to us in this riding, to Alberta, and the entire country. It's the security of our energy and our resources. The Green Party recognizes that it is extremely important that we act now on this information.

On January 23rd 2006 the Harper minority government was elected to parliament. Shortly after, Harper made it very clear that he would not participate in the traditional media scrum in Parliament, but would instead enter and exit Parliament through a back door and then directed his entire Party to issue only prepared statements through his office.

Eight months later, some of North America's most powerful political, business and military leaders gathered in Banff for three days in order to decide on how to create a North American super-state. No media was notified, invited or even allowed, except for one reporter from the Wall Street Journal.

The guest list included then US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Canadian chief of Defense staff General Rick Hillier, Canada's public safety minister Stockwell Day, and Lockheed Martin executive Ron Covais.

In the last federal election Canadians voted out a government that had forgotten that it was there to represent it's citizens. We recognized their self-serving pattern, and got rid of them.

Here we are today in this great province, with the same patterns from our provincial government. Their lack of real consultation or follow through on what Albertans have said shows that they are no longer representing us.


Jennifer Wigmore
Candidate, Drumheller-Stettler
Green Party of Alberta
403-770-2962

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Jennifer Wigmore - Alberta Greens Drumheller-Stettler Candidate

The byelection is underway for the Alberta ridings of Calgary-Elbow and Drumheller-Stettler. Jennifer Wigmore is running here in Drumheller-Stettler and last night at the first public candidate forum in Oyen she swept the crowd off of their feet with a fantastic speech and some no-nonsense policy proposals.

For more info click here to go to Jennifer's page at the Alberta Greens website.

Go Jen Go!!!

Year End Reflections

This last year has been one of the best years of my life. When my wife and I decided to contact the Green Party to ask what separates them from the other parties I had no idea what lay in store for me. I find myself reflecting on the significant events in my life relating to my efforts with the Green Party. Follow the links for background on each subject.

January-February

Having signed up to be the Green Party candidate in the Crowfoot riding in southern Alberta, I found myself participating in the federal election in this capacity. I enjoyed the candidate's forums and debates, the television & newspaper interviews, the dozens of daily emails, the door-to-door & phone canvassing and everything else that comes with candidacy. The previous candidate in this riding worked hard and was very well spoken, but wasn't active between elections, so I wondered how we'd do. The 'strategic voting' frenzy - fear based voting as opposed to hope based voting - of the last election (vote X to keep Y from being elected, or vote Y to keep X from being elected) had an impact on the results. Since this was my first kick at the can and we had just formed a new electoral district association the entire campaign was run by myself with some help from a few family members. In the end we achieved the new national average of 4.5% in this riding and I realized that I had been bitten by the political bug. I wasn't going to be walking away from the Green Party.

March-April

As I learned about the Green Parties around the world I shared this and other information here on my blog. When Ralph Klein (thankfully now replaced by Ed Stelmach... we'll see how he does) took a shot at Canada's internationally respected system of health care I wrote a letter to the editor. This was the beginning of my efforts outside of election time to campaign for the Greens. We'll see how the op/ed's and other efforts pay off next election.

May-June

By May I had made up my mind to run for the position of Alberta Provincial Representative on Federal Council. I also intended to go to the GPC convention & general meeting in August and was raising funds to cover the expenses. How I went from curious about the Green Party, to candidate in a federal election, to candidate for provincial rep I'll never know. It all just seemed to happen without me forcing my will on the situation. For that reason, among others, this has been a very enjoyable – yet sometimes stressful – journey.

The newly elected Conservative minority government released it's spring budget and the Green Party had something to say about this, as did I. It's speculated by some that the next spring budget will be when the current government will fall, and our next election will take place. While most Canadians are tired of elections, many are less than pleased with the current governments track record, and when the options are weighed an election is favored over the thought of another year with the current government in place.

July-August

Internal elections were well underway and I was hard at work campaigning. A survey was circulated and many candidates for the GPC internal elections answered the questions. I gave a lot of thought to my answers. George Read, Leader of the Alberta Greens, endorsed me for the position of AB Rep on Federal Council. This was all very exciting!

With all of my experience writing op/ed's for the local weeklies I tried my hand at writing a national media release. After a number of redrafts it was released and I think this played a role in the outcome. This was a very good experience for me. As a member of the Arts, Culture & Heritage Issue Caucus I hope to participate in media releases on those subjects in the near future.

I traveled to Ottawa for the Convention & General Meeting at the end of August. What an amazing time! I was elected to the position of provincial representative and rejoiced in the election of Elizabeth May. I had a tough time deciding who to vote for as our new leader, but eventually it became clear to me who I preferred.

Sept-October

Suddenly I was very, very busy. I was finding my footing with the federal council, organizing our EDA in Crowfoot and living my life with my family. I continued my research on subjects important to me. This included the link between my personal faith and my endeavours as an environmentally conscious person. Environmental stewardship in the context of Christianity was the focus of a lengthy post I made here, and this has inspired me to prepare a power point presentation on this subject for my church. It's not finished yet, but I look forward to sharing this important and often overlooked aspect of my faith one day.

The subject of the oilsands in Alberta finally became major national news (along with the environment) and I wrote a lengthy article as a letter to the oilsands consultations committee. I wondered as I researched this subject more and more, if I'd eventually be comforted or grow worried about the situation. I'm more than worried. I'm spitting mad about the circus that is the Alberta oilsands destruction.

In October the Green Party released it's Green Plan Squared. This was in anticipation of the Conservatives Green Plan 'Two', which was discovered to be... no plan at all! It was in fact a clean air bill that didn't set mandatory targets for decades, and lacked any substantial plan for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. This flop has plagued the Conservative government ever since.

Our EDA held it's annual general meeting, elected a new executive, adopted a new constitution, and set in motion the nominations contest for candidacy in the Crowfoot riding. A few weeks later I was elected to be our next candidate. This time they're in for a real challenge! Although the odds are stacked against us here in rural Alberta, more and more people are waking up to the fact that the Green Party appeals to all voters across the political spectrum. Running out here is a great opportunity to discuss with thousands of people the issues that concern us all and the solutions that the Green Party offers. What do ya know - I'm on the soapbox already! ;-)

A week later I was off to Ottawa again for the Federal Council inperson meeting. This was very important for us to be able to get to know each other and do some very important work. It's unknown when we'll have another inperson meeting (although we've had a number of teleconference meetings) since this is a major cost and traveling consumes energy and increases emissions. We Greens do walk the talk!

November/December

Elizabeth May ran in the London North Center by-election and nearly won! She beat both the Conservative and the NDP candidates and proved that the Green Party is a real contender in Canadian politics.

This brings me to the present, and I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about the next year. Even now after a year of direct involvement I consider myself a newcomer to politics. Something that I found to be very appealing about the Greens is their six key values, and I've tried to practice these in my daily life. Volunteering with the Green Party has been a very spiritually rewarding experience.

I hope you enjoyed my year in review and know that I look forward to kicking some political @$$ in the new year!

A Busy Month!

This will likely be the sole post here this month since it's already Nov 27th. Apologies for leaving the blog dormant for the last few weeks. Here's a bit of what's happening right now.

At the time of this writing Elizabeth May has second place with over 20% of the vote in the London North Center by-election!

The Crowfoot EDA held it's nomination contest and I am now the official federal Green Party candidate in Crowfoot!

I have a couple of motions on the agenda for our federal council teleconference meeting on Dec 3rd.

So with other events on the horizon I have to say that I am very excited about how the GPC is moving forward. I'm so busy I can hardly post here. By the way, don't forget to check out my archives - lots of great posts and content over the previous months for you to view.

Elizabeth May Runs In London Byelection!

The race is on to elect our first Green MP.

It’s definite. Elizabeth May is running in London Centre North.

We need your help in electing Elizabeth.

We need volunteers. We need donations. We need people to make calls. We need to let every Green voter in Canada know. For details go to http://www.greenparty.ca/page301.html

...and... http://blog.greenparty.ca/en/node/133

See news coverage through the links below.
(canada.com)
(cbc.ca)