Working Hard to Safeguard Paddling Assets for All Canadians

All about Whitewater

All about Whitewater
A Blog about River Preservation and the need to protect our free flowing whitewater resources

Friday, December 31, 2010



The rule of law must prevail: but what happens when the "Law" is an Ass set up to protect and preserve those that really don't deserve it.

I predict: major civil unrest across the planet possibly because the general sense of entitlement that people have has been upset, or that maybe students can't pay 300% more for tuition in the UK, or maybe that people don't want to have their houses forclosed because of asnine government and bank managers, or perhaps it will be the desecratoin of our environment ( no not that) people would rather watch hockey.

**********Have a Nice Day**********

Silver (Argent en francais) and Gold (D'or)

What has this to do with Whitewater? Simple, every drop of water running downhill has an economic value. Energy is the source of all value and money in our society.

What chance does any river or stream have in the face of the relentless pursuit of ours for wealth?

Check out the value of gold and silver at this site: GOLD and SILVER PRICES

The more the US and other countries produce money using debt the lower the value of paper (fiat) currency decreases.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Gerald Celente's Predictions for 2011 - What does it mean for Canada?

Celente is predicting a great depression for North America: Guess what effect this will have on river preservation and environmentalism: they will be push to the side as concerns about basic survival take hold: food, clothing and shelter, we won't be struggling to save the polar bears or free flowing whitewater... Read on.


10 Trends for 2011
by Gerald Celente

Previously by Gerald Celente: 'Off With Their Heads 2.0'





After the tumultuous years of the Great Recession, a battered people may wish that 2011 will bring a return to kinder, gentler times. But that is not what we are predicting. Instead, the fruits of government and institutional action – and inaction – on many fronts will ripen in unplanned-for fashions.

Trends we have previously identified, and that have been brewing for some time, will reach maturity in 2011, impacting just about everyone in the world.

1. Wake-Up Call In 2011, the people of all nations will fully recognize how grave economic conditions have become, how ineffectual and self-serving the so-called solutions have been, and how dire the consequences will be. Having become convinced of the inability of leaders and know-it-all "arbiters of everything" to fulfill their promises, the people will do more than just question authority, they will defy authority. The seeds of revolution will be sown….

2. Crack-Up 2011 Among our Top Trends for last year was the "Crash of 2010." What happened? The stock market didn’t crash. We know. We made it clear in our Autumn Trends Journal that we were not forecasting a stock market crash – the equity markets were no longer a legitimate indicator of recovery or the real state of the economy. Yet the reliable indicators (employment numbers, the real estate market, currency pressures, sovereign debt problems) all bordered between crisis and disaster. In 2011, with the arsenal of schemes to prop them up depleted, we predict "Crack-Up 2011": teetering economies will collapse, currency wars will ensue, trade barriers will be erected, economic unions will splinter, and the onset of the "Greatest Depression" will be recognized by everyone….

3. Screw the People As times get even tougher and people get even poorer, the "authorities" will intensify their efforts to extract the funds needed to meet fiscal obligations. While there will be variations on the theme, the governments’ song will be the same: cut what you give, raise what you take.

4. Crime Waves No job + no money + compounding debt = high stress, strained relations, short fuses. In 2011, with the fuse lit, it will be prime time for Crime Time. When people lose everything and they have nothing left to lose, they lose it. Hardship-driven crimes will be committed across the socioeconomic spectrum by legions of the on-the-edge desperate who will do whatever they must to keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table….

5. Crackdown on Liberty As crime rates rise, so will the voices demanding a crackdown. A national crusade to "Get Tough on Crime" will be waged against the citizenry. And just as in the "War on Terror," where "suspected terrorists" are killed before proven guilty or jailed without trial, in the "War on Crime" everyone is a suspect until proven innocent….

6. Alternative Energy In laboratories and workshops unnoticed by mainstream analysts, scientific visionaries and entrepreneurs are forging a new physics incorporating principles once thought impossible, working to create devices that liberate more energy than they consume. What are they, and how long will it be before they can be brought to market? Shrewd investors will ignore the "can’t be done" skepticism, and examine the newly emerging energy trend opportunities that will come of age in 2011….

7. Journalism 2.0 Though the trend has been in the making since the dawn of the Internet Revolution, 2011 will mark the year that new methods of news and information distribution will render the 20th century model obsolete. With its unparalleled reach across borders and language barriers, "Journalism 2.0" has the potential to influence and educate citizens in a way that governments and corporate media moguls would never permit. Of the hundreds of trends we have forecast over three decades, few have the possibility of such far-reaching effects….

8. Cyberwars Just a decade ago, when the digital age was blooming and hackers were looked upon as annoying geeks, we forecast that the intrinsic fragility of the Internet and the vulnerability of the data it carried made it ripe for cyber-crime and cyber-warfare to flourish. In 2010, every major government acknowledged that Cyberwar was a clear and present danger and, in fact, had already begun. The demonstrable effects of Cyberwar and its companion, Cybercrime, are already significant – and will come of age in 2011. Equally disruptive will be the harsh measures taken by global governments to control free access to the web, identify its users, and literally shut down computers that it considers a threat to national security….

9. Youth of the World Unite University degrees in hand yet out of work, in debt and with no prospects on the horizon, feeling betrayed and angry, forced to live back at home, young adults and 20-somethings are mad as hell, and they’re not going to take it anymore. Filled with vigor, rife with passion, but not mature enough to control their impulses, the confrontations they engage in will often escalate disproportionately. Government efforts to exert control and return the youth to quiet complacency will be ham-fisted and ineffectual. The Revolution will be televised … blogged, YouTubed, Twittered and….

10. End of The World! The closer we get to 2012, the louder the calls will be that the "End is Near!" There have always been sects, at any time in history, that saw signs and portents proving the end of the world was imminent. But 2012 seems to hold a special meaning across a wide segment of "End-time" believers. Among the Armageddonites, the actual end of the world and annihilation of the Earth in 2012 is a matter of certainty. Even the rational and informed that carefully follow the news of never-ending global crises, may sometimes feel the world is in a perilous state. Both streams of thought are leading many to reevaluate their chances for personal survival, be it in heaven or on earth….

December 18, 2010

Gerald Celente is founder and director of The Trends Research Institute, author of Trends 2000 and Trend Tracking (Warner Books), and publisher of The Trends Journal. He has been forecasting trends since 1980, and recently called “The Collapse of ’09.”

Copyright © 2010 Gerald Celente
The Best of Gerald Celente

Monday, December 13, 2010

The discount rate and environmentalism

Lately I've been following the work of Nicole Foss (Stoneleigh). She profoundly states that low interest rates give people the luxury of looking 'long term' while high interest rates cause people to act with short term focus.

This is similar to the Brazilian farmer cutting down and burning amazon rain forest because they need to eat - today, the longer term health of the environment is irrelevant to them.

Stoneleigh has come up with a prescription for survival over the next few years:


1) Hold no debt (for most people this means renting)

2) Hold cash and cash equivalents (short term treasuries) under your own control

3) Don't trust the banking system, deposit insurance or no deposit insurance

4) Sell equities, real estate, most bonds, commodities, collectibles (or short if you can afford to gamble)

5) Gain some control over the necessities of your own existence if you can afford it

6) Be prepared to work with others as that will give you far greater scope for resilience and security

7) If you have done all that and still have spare resources, consider precious metals as an insurance policy

8) Be worth more to your employer than he is paying you

9) Look after your health!

Stoneleigh gives the following explanatory notes:


1) The reason that getting rid of debt is priority #1 is that during deflation, real interest rates will be punishingly high even if nominal rates are low. That is because the real rate (adjusted for changes in the money supply) is the nominal rate minus inflation, which can be positive or negative. During inflationary times, this means that the real rate of interest is lower than the nominal rate, and can even be negative as it was during parts of then 1970s and again in the middle of our own decade. People have taken on huge amounts of debt because they were effectively being paid to borrow, but periods of negative real interest rates are a trap. They lure people into too much debt that they may not be able to service if real rates rise even a little. Most people are thoroughly enmeshed in that trap now as real rates are set to rise substantially.

When inflation is negative (i.e. deflation), the real rate of interest is the nominal rate minus negative inflation. In other words, the real rate is higher than the nominal rate, possibly significantly higher. Even if the nominal rate is zero, the real rate can be high enough to stifle economic activity, as Japan discover during their long sojourn in the liquidity trap. Standard money supply measures don't necessarily capture the scope of the problem as they don't adequately account for on-going credit destruction, when credit has come to represent such a large percentage of the effective money supply.

The difficulty from the point of view of debtors can be compounded by the risk that nominal interest rates will not stay low for years, as they did in Japan, but may shoot up as the international debt financing model comes under stress. For instance, on-going bailouts may cause international lenders to balk at purchasing long term treasuries for fear of their effect on the value of the dollar, even though those bailouts are not increasing liquidity thanks to hoarding behaviour by banks. We are not there yet, but the probability of this scenario rises as we move forward with current policies. The effect would be to send nominal interest rates into the double digits, and real interest rates would be even higher. The chances of being able to service existing debts under those circumstances are not good, especially as unemployment will be rising very quickly.

There is no safe level of debt to hold, including mortgages. For those who are not able to own a home outright, most would be much better off selling and renting, as real estate becomes illiquid faster than almost anything else in a depression. By the time you realize that you need to sell because you can no longer pay the mortgage, it may be too late. Renting is essentially paying someone else a fee to take the property price risk for you, which is a very good bet during a real estate crash. It would also allow you address point #2 - having access to liquidity.

2) Holding cash and cash equivalents (i.e. short term treasuries) is vital as purchasing power will be in short supply. Cash is king in a deflation. Access to credit is already decreasing and will eventually disappear for ordinary people. Mass access to credit has been a product of an historic credit expansion that expanded the supply of pockets to pick to an unprecedented extent, feeding off widespread debt slavery in the process. As you can't count on the availability of credit for much longer, you will need savings in liquid form that you can always access.

When interest rates spike, not only will debt become a millstone round your neck, but a debt-junkie government forced to pay very high rates will be in the same position. As a result government spending will have to be cut drastically, withdrawing the social safety net just as it is most needed. In practical terms, this means being on your own in a pay-as-you-go world. You do NOT want to face this eventuality with no money.

3) Keeping the savings you need in the banking system is problematic. The banking system is deeply mired in the crisis in the derivatives market. Huge percentages of their assets are not marked-to-market, but marked-to-make-believe using their own unverifiable models. The market price would be pennies on the dollar for many of these 'assets' at this point, and poised to get worse rapidly as the forced assets sales that are coming will lower prices further. The losses will eventually dwarf anything we have seen so far, pushing more institutions into mergers or bankruptcy, and mergers are becoming more difficult as the pool of potential partners shrinks.

If we do see a rash of bank failures, each of which weakens the position of others as the sale of their assets and unwinding of their derivative positions can re-price similar 'assets' held by other parties, then deposit insurance will not be worth the paper it's written on. When everything is guaranteed, nothing is, as the government cannot guarantee value. Savings held in these institutions are at much higher risk than commonly thought due to the systemic threats posed by a derivatives meltdown and spreading crisis of confidence. Fractional reserve banking depends on depositors not wanting their money back all at once, in fact with reserve requirements so whittled away in recent years, it depends on no more than a fraction of 1% of depositors wanting their money back at once. This is a huge vulnerability and the government deposit guarantee is a bluff waiting to be called.

4) The general rule of thumb in a deflation is to sell everything that isn't nailed down and then sell whatever everything else is nailed to, for the reasons that assets prices will fall further than most people imagine to be possible, and the liquidity gained by selling (hopefully) solves the debt and accessible savings problems (provided you don't lose the proceeds in a bank run). Assets prices will fall because everywhere people will be trying to cash out, by selling not what they'd like to, but what they can. This means that all manner of assets will be offered for sale at once, and at a time when there are few buyers, this will push prices down to pennies on the dollar for many assets.

For those few who still have liquidity, it will be a time when there are many choices available very cheaply. In other words, if you manage to look after the proceeds from the sale of your former assets, you should be able to buy them back later from much less money. Of course flashing your wealth around at that point could be highly inadvisable from a personal safety perspective, and you may find that you'd rather hang on to your money anyway, since it will be getting harder and harder to earn any more of it. During the Great Depression, some of the best farms in the country were foreclosed up on and received no bids at auction, not because they had no value, but because those few with money were hanging on to it for dear life.

Being entirely liquid has its own risks, which is why I wouldn't sell assets that insulate you from economic disruption if you didn't buy them on margin (ie with borrowed money that you may not be able to pay back) and if you have enough liquidity already that you can afford to keep them. For instance, a well equipped homestead owned free and clear is a valuable thing indeed, whatever its nominal price. It is totally different from investment real estate owned on margin, where the point of the exercise is property price speculation at a time when doing so is disastrous.

One important point to note with regard to commodities is that commodities have already fallen along way since I first published the above list of suggestions. At that time, selling commodities was a very good idea, but now, since commodities are already down a very long way, it may depend on the commodity in question. If you only own commodities in paper form then selling is still a good idea in my opinion, as there are generally more paper claims than there are commodities, and excess claims will be extinguished. At some point soon I will write an intro on my view of energy specifically, since energy is the master resource. In short, we are seeing a demand collapse now, but eventually we will see a supply collapse, and it is difficult to predict which will be falling fastest at which times.

5) If you already have no debt and have liquidity on hand, I would strongly suggest that you try to gain some control over the essentials of your own existence. We live in a just-in-time economy with little inventory on hand. Economic disruption, as we are already seeing thanks to the problems with letters of credit for shipments, could therefore result in empty shelves more quickly than you might imagine. Unfortunately, rumours of shortages can cause shortages whether or not the rumour is entirely true, as people tend to panic buy all at once. If you want to stock up, then I suggest you beat the rush and do it while it's still relatively easy. You need to try to ensure supplies of food and water and the means to keep yourselves warm (or cool as the case may be). Storage of all kinds of basic supplies is a good idea if you can manage it - medicines, first aid supplies, batteries, hand tools, wind-up radios, solar cookers, a Coleman stove and liquid fuel for it, soap etc.

At the moment, there are many things you can obtain with the internet and a credit card, but that will not be the case in the future. Water filters are a good example, as the quality of water available to you is likely to deteriorate. You can buy the kind of filters that aid agencies use oversees for all of about $250, with extra filter elements for a few tens of dollars at sites such as Lehmans Non-Electric Catalogue or the Country Living Grain Mill site.

6) Most people will not be able to get very far down this list on their own, which is why we suggest working with others as much as possible and pooling resources if you can bring yourself to do so. Together you can achieve far greater preparedness than you could hope to do alone, plus you will be building social capital that will stand you in good stead later on.

7) If you have already taken care of the basics, then you may want to put at least some of whatever excess you still have into precious metals (in physical form). Although the price of metals should still have further to fall, since distressed sales have not yet had an effect on price, obtaining them could get more difficult. Buying them now would amount to paying a premium price for an insurance policy, which may make sense for some and not for others. Metals will hold their value over the long term as they have for thousands of years, but you may have to sit on them for a very long time, so don't by them with money you might need access to over the next few years.

Metal ownership may well be made illegal, as it was during the Great Depression, when gold was confiscated from safety deposit boxes without compensation. That doesn't stop you owning it, but it does make ownership far more complicated, and makes trading it for anything you might need even more so. You could easily attract the wrong kind of attention and that could have unpleasant consequences. In short, gold is no panacea. Other options may be far more practical and useful, although there is an argument for having a certain amount of portable wealth in concentrated form if you should have to move suddenly.

8) Being worth more to your employer than he is paying you is a good idea at a time when unemployment is set to rise dramatically. This is not the time to push for a raise that would make you an expensive option for a cash-strapped boss, and in fact you may have to accept pay cuts in order to keep your job. During inflationary times, people can suffer cuts to their purchasing power year after year, but they don't complain because they don't notice that their wage increases are not keeping up with inflation. However, deflation brings the whole issue into the harsh light of day.

People would have to take pay and benefit cuts for their purchasing power to stay the same, thanks to the increasing value of cash, but keeping people's purchasing power the same will not be an option for most employers, who will be struggling themselves. In other words, expect large cuts to pay and benefits. As unions will never accept this, for obvious reasons, since their membership has its own fixed costs, there will be war in the labour markets, at great cost to all. You need to reduce your structural dependence on earning anything like the amount of money you earn now, and don't expect benefits such as pensions to be paid as promised.

9) Your health is the most important thing you can have, and most citizens of developed societies are nowhere near fit and healthy enough. Already medical bills are the most common reason for bankruptcy in the US, and while you can't protect yourself against every form of medical eventuality, you can at least improve your fitness. You will be be living in a world where hard physical work will be much more prevalent than it is now, and most people are ill-equipped to cope. The solution Ilargi and I have chosen, as we have mentioned before, is the P90X home fitness programme. While it wouldn't be the right choice for everyone, if I can do it, as I have for 11 months already, then most people can. For others, there are gentler options available, but everyone should consider doing something to make themselves as healthy and robust as possible.


Stoneleigh has put her forecasts on here blog: the automaticearth.blogspot.com. The dire nature of her prognostications are renumerated here:

1.Deflation is inevitable due to Ponzi dynamics (see From the Top of the Great Pyramid)

2.The collapse of credit will crash the money supply as credit is the vast majority of the effective money supply

3.Cash will be king for a long time

4.Printing one's way out of deflation is impossible as printing cannot keep pace with credit destruction (the net effect is contraction)

5.Debt will become a millstone around people's necks and bankruptcy will no longer be possible at some point

6.In the future the consequences of unpayable debt could include indentured servitude, debtor's prison or being drummed into the military

7.Early withdrawls from pension plans will be prevented and almost all pension plans will eventually default

8.We will see a systemic banking crisis that will result in bank runs and the loss of savings

9.Prices will fall across the board as purchasing power collapses

10.Real estate prices are likely to fall by at least 90% on average (with local variation)

11.The essentials will see relative price support as a much larger percentage of a much smaller money supply chases them

12.We are headed eventually for a bond market dislocation where nominal interest rates will shoot up into the double digits

13.Real interest rates will be even higher (the nominal rate minus negative inflation)

14.This will cause a tsunami of debt default which is highly deflationary

15.Government spending (all levels) will be slashed, with loss of entitlements and inability to maintain infrastructure

16.Finance rules will be changed at will and changes applied retroactively (eg short selling will be banned, loans will be called in at some point)

17.Centralized services (water, electricity, gas, education, garbage pick-up, snow-removal etc) will become unreliable and of much lower quality, or may be eliminated entirely

18.Suburbia is a trap due to its dependence on these services and cheap energy for transport

19.People with essentially no purchasing power will be living in a pay-as-you-go world

20.Modern healthcare will be largely unavailable and informal care will generally be very basic

21.Universities will go out of business as no one will be able to afford to attend

22.Cash hoarding will continue to reduce the velocity of money, amplifying the effect of deflation

23.The US dollar will continue to rise for quite a while on a flight to safety and as dollar-denominated debt deflates

24.Eventually the dollar will collapse, but that time is not now (and a falling dollar does not mean an expanding money supply, ie inflation)

25.Deflation and depression are mutually reinforcing in a positive feedback spiral, so both are likely to be protracted

26.There should be no lasting market bottom until at least the middle of the next decade, and even then the depression won't be over

27.Much capital will be revealed as having been converted to waste during the cheap energy/cheap credit years

28.Export markets will collapse with global trade and exporting countries will be hit very hard

29.Herding behaviour is the foundation of markets

30.The flip side of the manic optimism we saw in the bubble years will be persistent pessimism, risk aversion, anger, scapegoating, recrimination, violence and the election of dangerous populist extremists

31.A sense of common humanity will be lost as foreigners and those who are different are demonized

32.There will be war in the labour markets as unempoyment skyrockets and wages and benefits are slashed

33.We are headed for resource wars, which will result in much resource and infrastructure destruction

34.Energy prices are first affected by demand collapse, then supply collapse, so that prices first fall and then rise enormously

35.Ordinary people are unlikely to be able to afford oil products AT ALL within 5 years

36.Hard limits to capital and energy will greatly reduce socioeconomic complexity (see Tainter)

37.Political structures exist to concentrate wealth at the centre at the expense of the periphery, and this happens at all scales simultaneously

38.Taxation will rise substantially as the domestic population is squeezed in order for the elite to partially make up for the loss of the ability to pick the pockets of the whole world through globalization

39.Repressive political structures will arise, with much greater use of police state methods and a drastic reduction of freedom

40.The rule of law will replaced by the politics of the personal and an economy of favours (ie endemic corruption)



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Me and Justin Trudeau - maybe some day - Prime Minister?






Taken at the recent talk by Sandra Postel at the National Press Club on Sparks Street.

Looks like a million bucks to me.

Crash JP Morgan - Buy Silver





They are naked short - go long!


See MaxKeiser.com

1 – JP Morgan has a huge short position in Silver – tied to a huge, extremely precarious derivatives position some estimate to represent approximately 1.5 trillion in risk to its balance sheet.
2 – Various exchanges around the world have been caught manipulating the price of Silver using ‘naked’ short sales (no, there is not always a buyer for every seller).
3 – Of all the actively traded commodities traded around the world, Silver is one of the least plentiful and its supply is shrinking.
4 – Hedge funds are taking physical delivery of Silver – adding substantial demand as well as exposing these exchange’s naked short positions – who are scrambling to deliver – jacking prices up to multi-decade highs – and inspiring these predatory funds to buy more Silver.
5 – There are billions of people around the world who are aware that banks have been committing assembly line fraud and embezzlement who are upset that their politicians seem only interested in aiding the banks to commit more fraud – who are looking for a cheap way to non-aggressively fight back and decapitalize these banks.
6 – Many of these people have the access and wherewithal to purchase 1 or more Silver coins – thus removing even more bullion from the market – forcing additional scrambling by dealers to fill orders – inspiring the funds to buy and take physical delivery of more Silver – creating a colossal short squeeze – in which JP Morgan stands to be the biggest loser.
7 – Buying Silver is how the world is monetizing its anger at the banks who stole their wealth.
8 – Crash JP Morgan Buy Silver

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Cosy at the Fresh Water Coalition Fete



This shot was taken at the soirée held last night at the Press Club on Sparks Street.
It was catered by the Whalesbone Restaurant: copious amounts of wine and beer/ courtesy of RBC, along with free fresh oysters on the half shell with such condiments as horse radish and scotch whiskey.

The guest speaker Sandra Postel, National Geographic Freshwater Fellow - All Party Water conservation caucus of the WWF.

The event, hosted by the World Wildlife Fund: sumptuously conceived

One tiny problem:

Canada just racked up a 52 Billion dollar deficit and the US is now going through QE2 (quantitative easing - aka printing money like crazy) to the tune of $600 Billion).

There is no money, only good intentions and cognitive disonance.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

ALL ABOUT BLACKWATER




The federal government has so far failed to get industry to clean up...

Top Ten Facts abut the Alberta Oil Sands

This information taken from
Tree Hugger



DesmogBlog


PDF - the most destructive Project on Earth

Environmental Defence just released a new report on the Alberta Oil Sands, calling it the most destructive project on Earth. DeSmogblog gleaned some facts from it:

-Oil sands mining is licensed to use twice the amount of fresh water that the entire city of Calgary uses in a year.
-At least 90% of the fresh water used in the oil sands ends up in ends up in tailing ponds so toxic that propane cannons are used to keep ducks from landing.
-Processing the oil sands uses enough natural gas in a day to heat 3 million homes.
-The toxic tailing ponds are considered one of the largest human-made structures in the world. -The ponds span 50 square kilometers and can be seen from space.
-Producing a barrel of oil from the oil sands produces three times more greenhouse gas emissions than a barrel of conventional oil.

Environmental Defense: http://environmentaldefence.ca/campaigns/exposing-tar-sands


Note: The report contents is

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction. . .2
Toxics Downstream . .3
A Giant Slow Motion Oil Spill . .3
Poisoning People? . .4
Government Cover Up – Whistle-blower Silenced . .4
Negligent Oversight . .5
Threatening Canada’s Boreal . .5
The Science of Tar Sands Pollution . .6
Toxics On Site . .7
A Toxic Moonscape . .7
Negligent Monitoring . .8
Implausible Reclamation. .9
Toxics Downwind . .10
Emissions Exploding . .10
Raining Acid on Saskatchewan . .11
Toxics Down the Pipe . .12
Alberta’s Sacrifice Zone – Ugrader Alley. .12
“Supertankers” on BC’s Coastline . .13
Ontario’s Chemical Valley . .13
Exporting Toxics to the USA . .15
A Toxic Future – Tar Sands and Global Warming . .16
Reverse Alchemy – From Gold to Lead. .16
Canada’s Failed Climate Politics . .16
A Tar Sands Tax . . .17
Taking Responsibility . .18
Toxic Enforcement . .19
Fisheries Act . .19
Canadian Environmental Protection Act . . .20
Canadian Environmental Assessment Act . ..20
Alberta Law . .22
Conclusion . .23

Alternatives:




Read about the install in Belen, New Mexico

http://www.belen-nm.gov/GreenEnergy/solar_initiative.htm

Friday, September 17, 2010

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Kipawa River work Weekend




I'm proposing a work weekend at the Kipawa for September 26th, World Rivers Day.

Back in June I noticed that the Hollywood portage is in severe disrepair. Some of our portage signs are in bad shape and probably the Kipawa river trail needs some maintenance.

What do you think about organizing a trail maintainance weekend at the Kipawa this fall?

We'd need to rent some equipment if we don't have access to chainsaws, swede saws, hammers, nails, boarding etc. We could purchase new trail signage and portage markers.

AllaboutNothing in Particular







Its the end of Summer 2010. I'm sitting on the first day of September.

My summer was kicked off with a trip to New Zealand and New Caledonia and after a month of that Cheryl and I got a Mutt Dog: Dusky and he has been consuming all my free time.

Nice and smart but hates to be alone: we have had to kennel him through the day and that has saved the woodwork and curtains and window screens and cats. We knew we had to do something when he jumped out the second storey window through the screen window.

Well I've paddled on the Ottawa River only three times, the Kipawa twice: the water has been very low this year.

The last outing on the Ottawa with Clair and Kevin was relatively uneventful but I had my Honcho not the Diablo and I was forced to roll left for the first time in a decade somewhere along the rocky walls of Normans Rapid.


For some reason I forgot my camera at McCoys and had to paddle upstream to get it. For the record, from Lorne Island it takes an hour round trip. Though the water is low there are plenty of chances to play and that makes the trip worthwhile.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Les Amis holds Successful AGM



(left to right treasurer Francois Diebolt, Peter Karwacki (president), Jean Dominic Mathieu (Membership Chair) missing Rick Issacson Vice President, Wayne Donnison (rally coordinator) the New executive for 2010 - 2011

It was a good weekend, certainly better than I expected. We managed a quorum and held our AGM.

The members in attendance were:

Pat Sorensen
Scott Sorensen
Peter Karwacki
Francois Diebolt
Barbara Hinojosa (Veracruz, Mexico)
Jim Coffey
Ken Timmins
Jessica McEachern (New Liskeard)
Jean Dominic Mathiew (Rouyn Noranda)
Tommy Allan (Rouyn Noranda)

Peter Karwacki called the meeting to order after verifying that there were 10 paid members.

He read the meeting minutes from the last AGM and since there were others present who had been at that meeting they were accepted as circulated.

Mr. Karwacki immediately moved on to the elections.

Peter Karwacki was nominated and acclaimed as President.

Francois Diebolt was nominated and acclaimed as treasurer.

Rick Issacson was nominated and acclaimed as Vice President.

Jean Dominic Mathieu was nominated and acclaimed as membership chairperson/secretary.

Wayne Donnison, since he offered, was nominated and acclaimed as Rally Coordinator for 2011 but this time will have help from the new member Tommy Allen from Amos.

This meant that Les Amis again have two Quebec members on the executive.

The president's report was read and it was accepted as presented. Peter Karwacki presented Jim Coffey with his recognition award and display the two for Doug and Rob.
Jim took Doug's with the promised that he would deliver it to him in Pembroke. Peter Karwacki took Rob's with the promise to present it to him in Ottawa.



Francois did a brief update of the cash in bank status. The exact amount to be confirmed on this blog.

The meeting ajourned after about twenty minutes there being no other business of urgency for the membership.



During the weekend there were about fifteen paddlers on the river. The level with one gate open, the north most, was about 15 cubic meters, roughly 450 cubic feet per second.



Looking south







The dam that we fought so hard for to have modified to allow use as a recreational resource: to ensure that adequate water flowed down the natural streambed of the the Kipawa River:



Looking south from Broken Bridge Rapid



Looking south from Island Rapid




The weather was really great - blue skies and a warm 22 C. It was great to connect with old friends and make some new ones as well. Les Amis is healthy moving forward!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Report of the President to the AGM of Les Amis




Les amis de la rivière Kipawa
Report of the President to the AGM
June 26th, 2010

Les amis, with the broad support of its membership was able to pay off its court costs:
Les Amis de la riviere Kipawa vs The Attorney General of Canada and al

Court File No. A-4-08 file: 5-378838 $2,463.51
Court File NO. 5-378838 S.C.C. 32874 Judgement January 29, 2009 $1,949.24
Total $4412.75

Les Amis received a letter from crown attorney Vincent Vielleux advising that its expenses had been paid in full, our cheque from treasurer Francois in the amount of $2083.80 having been received. He wished us well in paddling the Kipawa for years to come. The total amount raised wa $6,787. We thank the donors for the support which has enabled Les Amis to move forward with its mission to protect and preserve the ecological and recreational values of the Kipawa River. The details of the donations are available on my personal blog posted December 12, 2009 at http://allaboutwhitewater.blogspot.com.

Of special note were the large donations from Esprit Rafting and our attorney at lower court: Rob Monti.

Leading up to this the executive of Les Amis had planned a General Meeting to consider whether or not it should declare bankruptcy. Fortunately this was obviated by the donations raised by the membership. Only two members attended the meeting. Members voted with their donations.

Les amis was a signatory to a petition in a coalition with 14 other environmental groups to have the proposed changes to the CEAA stripped from the budget – OMNIBUS Bill c-9. This bill is currently at the level of the senate. This was consistent with our earlier efforts to stall bill c-20 which gutted the Navigable Waters Protection Act.

Unfortunately, due to lack of water, not lack of cooperation from the Federal Government, the 24th Kipawa River Rally was cancelled. Members are encouraged to attend the Kipawa River Lodge at the AGM June 25,26, 27th, 2010. I would like to thank the Federal Department of Public Works , Goods and Services Canada for their ongoing support of Les Amis in hosting their Kipawa River Rally.

Les Amis continues to be a member of the Canadian Environmental Network.

Les Amis made inquires concerning the designation of the Kipawa River as a World Heritge Site.

Les Amis met with Innergex by teleconference to learn of their plans for water diversion for the Kipawa River. It was learned that the Kipawa River had been diverted for about 50 years from 1905 through 1968.

It gives me great pleasure to announce that the executive of Les Amis has presented plaques of appreciation and recognition to Rob Monti, Doug Skeggs and Jim Coffey for their tireless efforts to protect and preserve the Kipawa River from 2006 through 2010.

Its been quite a year. For 2010 onwards Les Amis' s position: 'No diversion of the Kipawa' faces immediate opposition from the local Algonquin bands as they want their Innergex project to proceed. Hydro Quebec wants its Tabaret project to proceed. The township of Laniel has a mayor who has been tasked to try and push the Tabaret project at the level of the MRC.

I thank my fellow executive members, our award recipients, and the membership for their support over the past year.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Ontario's Whitewater Festivals Cancelling due to Lack of WATER

This just in

We have just been informed by the organizing committee of Gullfest 2010, that the event has been cancelled due to low water levels at the Gull. This event was scheduled to run on the weekend of July 3-4, 2010 at the Preserve in Minden.


Donna
Whitewater Ontario office
www.whitewaterontario.ca
1-888-322-2849
905 985-5256 (fax)

411 Carnegie Beach Road
Port Perry, ON L9L 1B6


To this add:

M.A.C.K.FEST

and of course, the Kipawa River Rally

Monday, June 21, 2010

Les Amis de la Riviere Kipawa AGM June 26th, Kipawa River Lodge at 7:30 PM

KIPAWA RIVER RALLY CANCELLED - AGM is still ON

The AGM is still scheduled for this weekend June 26th, 2010!:

The 24th Annual Kipawa Rally has been cancelled due to unavailability of rally level water flows. LARK's Annual General Meeting (Les Amis de la Riviere Kipawa) is scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 pm at the Kipawa River LODGE – election of executive members will take place and all are welcome to attend

Camping will be available at the scenic Kipawa Lodge (takeout) and also in the village of Laniel (put-in) Camping at the Kipawa Lodge is $25 per night and includes the rally registration fee payable to Scott Sorensen. Tenters may use the river cabin for cooking and toilet facilities. Camping is also available at Camping Laniel (campinglaniel@hotmail.com) in the village of Laniel.

Fish fry dinner WHICH WAS TO be hosted Saturday night by the Sorenson family on Saturday night at 6 pm is cancelled due to the lack of fish.

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to gather around the campfire and socialize with friends and be part of the LARK organization. See you at the Kipawa!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

RCEN/CEN push for New National Water Policy

Voices of Water: Outlining Opportunities for Collaboration



The National Water Caucus of the Canadian Environmental Network (CEN/RCEN) along with other ENGO's have been pursuing the advancement of a National Water Policy for several years. There is an opportunity to bring together ENGOS into a facilitated discussion on national water issues at the upcoming Annual General Asemby of the CEN this September in Montreal.



Objectives

The RCEN Water Caucus would host a 5 hour National Water Forum and Workshop at the RCEN AGA in September 2010. Objectives include:



1. Learning about various current national water policy initiatives and programs from external organizations like the Polis Institute, Gordon Foundation, Canada Water Resource Association, and the Universities of Waterloo, British Columbia, and Ottawa.



2. Providing a forum for relationship building between the RCEN and various external organizations and their members.



3. Identifying collaboration opportunities between RCEN Member Groups and external organizations on National Water Programs and Initiatives.



If you are interested in this opportunity, would be interested in attending, or helping others to attend please let me know and I will put you on the conference mailing list.



Thanks

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Les Amis Signs petition regarding proposed changes to the CEAA within Omnibus Bill 9

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Winnipeg, Manitoba June 8, 2010

Groups Call on Senate to Save Canada's Environment Laws

http://livinggreenlivingwell.ca/take_action/save-canadas-environmental-laws

A coalition of 14 environmental and community groups from across Canada, including Resource Conservation Manitoba, is calling on Canadian senators to remove measures of a federal budget implementation bill that would reduce environmental oversight. Bill C-9, the Jobs and Economic Growth Act, contains several non-budgetary measures that are aimed at weakening the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA).

The groups have sent a letter to all 104 Canadian Senators asking them to fulfill their obligations "to defend Parliamentary tradition by refusing to pass the Budget as it stands, with non-budgetary measures buried inside it." The letter asks Senators to sever parts 19 and 20 from the 880 page bill to protect Canada's environment while not forcing an election.

"As Canadians' eyes turn towards the BP oil spill unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico, many of us are asking if such an event could happen here. By gutting environmental assessments we increase the chances that the next global environmental disaster will occur in Canada's Beaufort Sea or foul a river or neighbourhood here in Manitoba. Without strong environmental protections, disasters are only a matter of time," said Josh Brandon, Living Green Coordinator with Resource Conservation Manitoba.

Provisions to undo the CEAA in the bill include:

· Allowing the Minister of the Environment discretion to avoid doing detailed environmental assessments on large projects by breaking the projects up into smaller pieces, overturning a recent Supreme Court decision.

· Exempting major projects from environmental assessments.

· Passing regulatory approval for pipeline and nuclear energy projects from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency to the National Energy Board and Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The latter bodies lack experience in assessments and tend to be more closely tied to industry.

This is the second year in a row that the budget bills have been used to undermine environmental legislation. Last year, the Conservative government exempted thousands of projects from environmental assessments and removed protections for many small waterways by amending both CEAA and the Navigable Waters Act in its 2009 budget.

Dr. John Sinclair, Director at Resource Conservation Manitoba will deliver a talk "Taking Action at Saving Canada's Environment Laws" at the environmental organization's AGM scheduled for 7 pm, Wednesday, June 9 at the Manitoba Eco-Centre, 303 Portage Ave.

-30-
Contact:

Josh Brandon, Living Green Coordinator, Resource Conservation Manitoba, 204-925-3771
Dr. John Sinclair, Director, Resource Conservation Manitoba, 204-489-0115

More information
Groups signing on to the letter include:

West Coast Environmental Law
MiningWatch Canada
Society of Environmental Biologists
Alberta Wilderness Association
Grand Riverkeeper Labrador, Inc.
Resource Conservation Manitoba,
Les amis de la rivière Kipawa
Les Intendants du Madawaska
Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition
T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation
Northern Branch of the Steelhead Society of BC
Friends of Wild Salmon
Douglas Channel Watch
North West Watch

A copy of the letter is available for download at: www.livinggreenlivingwell.ca/C-9-senate-letter
Text of changes to CEAA in Bill C-9 is available at: http://tinyurl.com/c-9-CEAA-text
Media Briefing March 13, 2009 "Canadian Environmental Assessments to Be Weakened": http://www.livinggreenlivingwell.ca/main/hot-topics/ea_sign_on
Eco-Justice report on 2009 Red Chris Mine Supreme Court Decision that governments cannot artificially split projects to avoid environmental assessments: http://www.ecojustice.ca/cases/red-chris-mine-1
http://livinggreenlivingwell.ca/take_action/save-canadas-environmental-laws

--
Josh Brandon
Living Green Coordinator,
Resource Conservation Manitoba
3rd Floor, 303 Portage
Winnipeg, MB
R3B 2B4

josh@resourceconservation.mb.ca
(204) 925-3771

http://www.resourceconservation.mb.ca/
http://www.livinggreenlivingwell.ca/

Monday, May 31, 2010

24th Annual Kipawa Rally is Cancelled Due to Low Water

There will not be a scheduled release for the Kipawa River Rally for the first time ever.

- levels will be summer minimum flows of 15 cms or so, therefore, the rally is officially cancelled



Guests and paddlers will still be going to the Kipawa River Lodge.

People can still paddle the river, and there are some spots that are fun (Pete's Dragon, cliff diving at the Grande Chute). Camping will still be available at the Kipawa River Lodge but you will need to pay him directly - Kipawa River Lodge: Scott Sorensen >(801) 717-0662

People may do some rappelling on the cliffs down the lake and mountain biking on the Kipawa River Trail.

Because we are so close to the actual event, Scott Sorrenson is not likely going to be able to rent out the cabins to people wanting to come for a fishing weekend...he always reserves this weekend for us...It would be really great if anyone interested still planned to go on that weekend, camp and check out low water paddling...

The river is completely different but still beautiful, and fun, but just not the big water we are used to and hoping for during the rally. It does create an opportunity to do other things like cliff jumping at the grand chute, and running Pete's Dragon....

It also shows us what we can expect much of the year if one of the two diversion projects goes through...So consider showing up anyways, kayaking, mountain biking, fishing, swimming...we all know what a beautiful place it is!

You can call Scott directly if you would like to do this...(801) 717-0662

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Send a message to the Conservative members about their approach to gutting CEAA (Environmental Protection) Laws

This link allows you to send a personalized message to members of parliament concerning their approach to burying changes to CEAA legislation in an omnibus budget bill.

STOP THE MADNESS

https://secure2.convio.net/nc/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=115

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

24th Kipawa River Rally to be Held June 24,25,26




Kipawa River Lodge
Laniel, Province du Quebec, Canada
June 24,25,26, 2010

Canoe and Kayak Festival
for more information: kayaky@hotmail.com


Les Amis Membership Email Announcement :

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello Les Amis de la Rivière Kipawa,

Mark your calendars now for June 25, 26 & 27, 2010 and plan to attend the 24th Annual Kipawa Rally!



* Camping will be available at the scenic Kipawa Lodge (takeout) and also in the village of Laniel (put-in)

* Kipawa Rally registration is $5.00 with proceeds going to support river preservation

* Camping at the Kipawa Lodge is $15 per night and includes the rally registration fee

* Fish fry dinner will be hosted Saturday night by the Sorenson family on Saturday night at 6 pm at a cost of $20 per plate

* Annual General Meeting of Les Amis de la Riviere Kipawa is scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 pm – election of executive members will take place and all are welcome to attend

* Rafting will be available from Esprit Whitewater; for more information go to: http://www.whitewater.ca/main.html





Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to paddle a beautiful and pristine river, gather around the campfire and socialize with friends.

Please note that we are having some technical difficulties with updating our website, but hope to have that corrected soon so that you can pre-order this year’s T-shirts and pre-register for the fish fry.



More information will follow.



See you at the Kipawa!

Friday, March 19, 2010

Status of Changes to the Navibable Waters Protection act

This from Krysten Tully, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper

The Senate review concluded last spring. The next official Parliamentary review is scheduled for 4 years from now (5 years after the amendment).

In the meantime, Transport Canada is in the process of converting the Minor Works and Waters Order to a Regulation. The document background is here:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/marinesafety/oep-nwpp-minorworks-menu-1743.htm

Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's initial comment is summarized here:
http://www.waterkeeper.ca/2010/01/10/navigable-waters-federal-regulation-to-exempt-some-projects-some-waters-from-protection/

Transport Canada is consulting groups on a one-on-one basis and at its CMAC meetings. The Regulation will be drafted and published later this year in the Canada Gazette for more public comment.

The main concerns right now are regarding the kinds of projects and waterways that will be exempt from the NWPA approvals process - the Regulation will spell out exactly what these are, which is why groups are focusing on that.

Let me/us know if you have any other questions.
Krystyn

--------------------------------------------
Krystyn Tully, Vice President
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper
Co-host, Living At the Barricades

600 Bay Street, Suite 410
Toronto, ON M5G IM6
Phone: (416) 861-1237
www.twitter.com/krystynt
www.twitter.com/LOWaterkeeper

www.waterkeeper.ca
www.swimdrinkfishmusic.com

Monday, March 1, 2010

UNESCO World Heritage Site Designation for the Kipawa ? It could happen!

The actual process is obscure and Parks Canada Controls the List of Nominees but with sufficient time and patience this could happen.





er, well no...



Parks Canada is the agency designated as Canada's lead for implementation of the World Heritage Convention, including maintenance of Canada's Tentative List for World Heritage Sites, the official list of candidate sites. Before a site can be nominated by a country for inscription on the World Heritage List, it must be on that country's Tentative List.

Canada’s current Tentative List was created by a Minister’s Advisory Committee convened specifically for that purpose by the Minister of the Environment. In 2002, the Minister’s Advisory Committee tasked two experts familiar with World Heritage policies to carry out a study of the current objectives of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee as well as a preliminary assessment of 125 sites that had been suggested to Parks Canada over a 20-year period by provincial and territorial representatives, interested national organizations, Aboriginal groups, key stakeholders and citizens
across Canada. The Minister’s Advisory Committee recommended – and the Minister agreed in April 2004 – that 11 of the most promising of these sites should be placed on the Canadian Tentative List, which has an anticipated lifespan of about ten years. Towards the end of this ten year period, Parks Canada will decide if it will start the process of reviewing and updating the list. While no decision has been made yet in this regard, it is reasonable to assume that this process would be similar, in general terms, to that used to create the current list. Parks Canada does not intend to revise the list on an ad-hoc basis at this time, by adding new sites one at a time.

While Parks Canada is not revising the list at this time, I would be pleased to receive any information about the Kipawa River that you wish to submit. I am aintaining a file about sites suggested for addition to the Tentative List, for future consideration.

John Pinkerton, International Programs Manager
Parks Canada
25, rue Eddy, 5th Floor (25-5-R), Gatineau (Quebec)
CANADA, K1A 0M5
819-994-5097 tel 819-953-4909 fax john.pinkerton@pc.gc.ca

Friday, February 26, 2010

Specific Issues Outstanding for New NWPA Regulations

River Diversion Projects on the Kipawa Watershed are a bad Idea

10 Reasons Why These River Diversion Projects are a Bad Idea - Just say NO! to the Tabaret and Temiskaming Projects.

Though these projects are in competition with each other:

1) The Algonquin Indian's Temiskaming Project and Hydro Quebec's Tabaret drastically reduce the water available in the Kipawa watershed.


2) Both Tabaret and the Temiskaming project will eliminate the aquatic ecosystem of the Kipawa River.The Temiskaming project plan involves the diversion of water that would otherwise flow down a 16-km section of the Kipawa River from its natural streambed through outflow from Lake Kipawa at Tee Lake. Tabaret proposes to dig an entirely new outflow in the middle of a proposed Quebec National Park leaving a stark environmental footprint.

3) Both Tabaret and the Temiskaming Project will adversely impact existing tourism operations and eliminate future tourism potential.

4) Both Tabaret and the Temiskaming project are designed to maximize power generation at the expense of all other uses.

5) River-diversion, such as either Tabaret or the Temiskaming project, both taking large amounts of water out of a river’s natural streambed and moving it to another place, is destructive to the natural environment.


6)
The Kipawa River has been designated a protected greenspace in the region with severe limitations on development and yet has been left out of the proposed Quebec National Park - Opemican. This lack of designation underscores the general lack of ecological, historical and natural heritage value placed on the Kipawa river by hydro developers and the importance of protecting it from the Tabaret and Temiskaming diversion projects which will eliminate those values.


7)
If necessary, there are other, smarter and more reasonable options for producing hydro power onthe Kipawa watershed. It is possible to build a low impact generating station on the Kipawa river, and manage it as a “run-of-the-river” station, making use of natural flows while maintaining other values,with minimal impact on the environment.

8) The Kipawa watershed is a rich natural resource for the Temiscaming Region, reasonably close to large urban areas, with huge untapped potential for tourism and recreation development in the future. Both the Tabaret and Temiskaming river diversion projects will severely reduce this potential.

9) Neither the Temiskaming nor the Tabaret projects provides long-term economic benefit for the region through employment. The stations are normally automated and remotely operated.

10) The Kipawa River is 12,000 years old. The river was flowing free thousands of years before any people came to the Temiskaming region. Both the Temiskaming and Tabaret projects will change all that.

Tabaret is a bad Idea / The Algonquin Project is a bad idea

About the Kipawa

The best thing paddlers can do to help the cause of the Kipawa:
1. attend the rally and bring others including non paddlers to attend and buy beer and have fun

2. write your MP /MNA and raise the issue and post your objections -1 letter = 200 who didn't write

3. Write Thierry Vandal the CEO of Hydro Quebec strongly opposing the 132 MW standard decrying the use of "diversion" as the most environmentally inappropriate method of power production


4. Write Jean Charest, Premier of Quebec protesting that either the algonquin or the tabaret project will eliminate all other values on the Kipawa River by turning it into a dry gulch.

5. See if you can get other allied groups interested by showing your own interest, ie the Sierra Defense Fund, Earthwild, MEC, and so on.

6. Demand further consultation

7. Currently we are at the point where we need to sway public opinion and raise awareness.

However, if all else fails, don't get mad, simply disrupt, foment, and protest.
Have you read "the monkey wrench gang" by Edward Abbey? "Hayduke Lives!" Obviously and extreme stance. In general you success when you introduce uncertainty into the plans of developers.

Important Addresses

Thierry Vandal, CEO,Hydro Québec, 75 boul René Levesque, Montreal, P.Q., H2Z 1A4

Caille.andre@hydro.qc.ca

Tabaret is a Bad Idea (Part Two)

Power brokers such as Hydro Quebec and other powerful entities continue to petition that 'this' river or 'that' stream is not navigable and therefore not protectable. I don't say that dams and bridges should not be built, only that if they are, historical navigation rights should be considered and preserved by making reasonable accommodations for recreational boaters.

It is the Minister of Transport, in exercising the right to allow or disallow work on or over a navigable waterway is what keeps boats and recreational boaters plying our waterways.

To many recent cases launched in the Federal Court concerning the Navigable Waters Protection Act, most recently the case of the Humber Environment Group of Cornerbrook Newfoundland versus the Cornerbrook Pulp and Paper Company indicates that the important oversight is not being faithfully performed. Have we really come to the point now where we must say "such and such a stream is one foot deep, possessing so many cubic feet per second flow and so on?" If we run it... it is navigable.

And yet, incredibly, the judge in that case, the honourable Mr. Justice John A. O'Keefe, ruled that it had not been shown that the river was navigable. How convenient was that to the Minister? But either the Minister of Transport acts to protect our rivers and streams as a public right or he does not and that means rivers and streams currently enjoyed by kayakers and canoists. Enough of the cheating, and double-talk. Canadians! our rivers and streams are our own, lets urge the Minister of Transport and the our government to protect them.

Tabaret is a Bad Idea (Part Three)

10 Reasons WhyTabaret is a Bad Idea1)

1) Tabaret is too big. The station is designed to useevery drop of water available in the Kipawawatershed, but will run at only 44 percent capacity.We believe the Tabaret station is designed to usewater diverted from the Dumoine River into theKipawa watershed in the future.

2) The Tabaret project will eliminate the aquaticecosystem of the Kipawa River.The Tabaret project plan involves the diversion of a16-km section of the Kipawa River from its naturalstreambed into a new man-made outflow from LakeKipawa.

3) Tabaret will leave a large industrial footprint on thelandscape that will impact existing tourismoperations and eliminate future tourism potential.

4) The Tabaret project is an aggressive single-purposedevelopment, designed to maximize powergeneration at the expense of all other uses.

5) River-diversion, such as the Tabaret project, takinglarge amounts of water out of a river’s naturalstreambed and moving it to another place, is verydestructive to the natural environment.

6) The Kipawa River has been designated a protectedgreenspace in the region with severe limitations ondevelopment. This designation recognizes theecological, historical and natural heritage value ofthe river and the importance of protecting it.Tabaret will eliminate that value.

7) If necessary, there are other, smarter and morereasonable options for producing hydro power onthe Kipawa watershed. It is possible to build a lowimpactgenerating station on the Kipawa river, andmanage it as a “run-of-the-river” station, makinguse of natural flows while maintaining other values,with minimal impact on the environment.

8) The Kipawa watershed is a rich natural resource forthe Temiscaming Region, resonably close to largeurban areas, with huge untapped potential fortourism and recreation development in the future.Tabaret will severely reduce this potential.

9) Tabaret provides zero long-term economic benefitfor the region through employment. The plan is forthe station to be completely automated andremotely operated.

10) The Kipawa River is 12,000 years old. The riverwas here thousands of years before any peoplecame to the region. The Tabaret project will change all that.

How to Protect Your River

* There is more to do as well but you have to do your research and above all, don't give up.
* IN the meantime prepared a document itemizing the history of navigation of this spot and its recreational value. Use the Kipawa river history of navigation as a guide: see www.kipawariver.ca
* Under the Ministry of Environment guidelines you have a set period of time to petition the change under the environmental bill of rights, you may have limited time to take this action. But it involves going to court for a judicial review of the decision.
* 4. contact the ministry of natural resources officials and do the same thing.
* 3. contact the ministry of the environment and determine if they approved the project
* 2. determine if the dam was a legal dam, approved under the navigable waters protection act.
* 1. research the decision and timing of it to determine if an environmental assessment was done.

How to become an environmental activist

How to become an Environmental Activist
How to be an Activist There is no formal school for activists. No university degree qualifies the graduate to practice grassroots organizing. Environmental activists, like many other practitioners of social change, come in all shapes and sizes, from all walks of life, and even from all political parties. And all of us learn from experience. On the other hand, we should be able to benefit from the experience of others. Unfortunately, more often than not, people suddenly find themselves in a situation that requires a certain moral heroism. They had not planned to become activists. Environmental problems themselves create activists. When a toxic landfill threatens the neighbourhood, local lawyers may volunteer to do some legal work, scientists may offer volunteer help and the community of concerned parents suddenly find themselves wondering how to write a press release, circulate petitions, and, even conduct a sit-in in a politician’s office. By the time they are in the thick of a campaign, it is hard to know where to turn for help and advice. The reality of ordinary people picking up the gauntlet and becoming politically active is largely unknown to the as-yet uninitiated public. By the time the small neighbourhood citizens group gets its issue before the public, its members are already being labeled as “environmentalists”. From that point on, their true identity is lost as surely as Clark Kent’s when he emerges as Superman. The media labeling process does society a disservice. It cuts off “activists” and “environmentalists” from “normal” people. The general public, as demonstrated by numerous polls, supports the principles of environmental protection and restoration, but usually they believe it is for some other category of people, called “environmentalists”, to do the work they support. When an environmental group is described as a “special interest” group, there is a blurring between those who protect “special” interests, usually of a financial nature, and those who work on a volunteer basis, usually at personal sacrifice and expense, to pursue a cause in the public good. The reality of activism, for the environment or any other cause, is that democracy is at work. Citizens are exercising democratic rights. Rather than being the exception to the rule, for democracy to thrive, all citizens should be activists. A Few Good Starting Points Recognizing that environmental activism is a democratic right, it is important to have a few good starting points to encourage the neophyte. Refuse to be intimidated. If you are told that a subject is too technical or scientific for you to understand, don’t believe it. Elected politicians make these decisions all the time based on general knowledge and their sense of public opinion. The claim of “expert” versus average concerned citizen is inherently anti- democratic and elitist. You may not be an expert. But you can read and understand what experts have to say. Make a note of good quotes (including the source) of expert views concerned with the environment. Start your own card file of references to unleash if someone tries to suggest you don’t know enough to be involved. Be creative! Every campaign and issue has its own dynamic. Let your creative juices flow. Maybe satire will work for you. Maybe song. Even conventional campaigns can attract more people if you have an optimistic, innovative approach. Don’t take no for an answer. If you want to meet an elected official, call every day. Drop by the office and get to know the staff. Be persistent.The squeaky wheel. Ask lots of questions. Get to the bottom of issues. Do your homework. Use the telephone. It is a great research tool. Ten times better than writing and asking for information is phoning until you find the person who knows the answer and will immediately send you information. In addition to getting what you want, you may have uncovered a good source for future information - and maybe even an ally in the bureaucracy. Be unfailingly polite. Being persistent is not the same thing as being rude. You may be in this for the long haul, so don’t burn any bridges. Leave no stone unturned. Think about who knows who. How can you expand your network? Your allies may come from unexpected places, so do not make assumptions. Ask people for help. When someone in government does something good for the environment, be sure to give public credit and thanks. You can accomplish anything, if you don’t care who gets the credit. Remember that politics is also personal. Watch out for burn- out. You’ll need the support of friends and family. Build love into your campaigns. Some Starting Points In local organizing, one of the first things you’ll probably want to do is form a group. Don’t re-invent the wheel. Look around. Is there an existing group, with goals similar to your own, that would accept your group as a working committee, or affiliated chapter? If you can avoid going through the incorporation process and the charitable number ordeal by joining an existing group (and co-opting them to your issue in the process), why not try? If you are organizing your own group, try not to get bogged down in by-laws. Stick to the essentials. If you want to change a decision at City Council in three months, you won’t have time for Robert’s Rules of Order. In order not to lose momentum, and volunteers, make the meetings fun by including some social activity. Plan a pot luck supper first and then work through the agenda efficiently. Folk singer and environmental activist Pete Seeger organized a very successful campaign to clean up the Hudson River. He advised, “Don’t have meetings that only attract the kind of people who like going to meetings.” Be sure to assign tasks as you make decisions. If someone suggests something new, don’t reject it just because everyone who is heavily involved is already too busy. Say “What a great idea! Will you take that on?” Delegate! Pick achievable goals. Positive reinforcement is important. So deciding to make your goal “achieving world peace” or “ending hunger” will likely result in burn-out and disillusionment. On the other hand, making your goal to get 10,000 names on a petition to do either of the above is do-able and will have a positive reinforcing impact - you’ll gain strength and enthusiasm for the next goal. How to get your message in the news media It is a fact of life that environmental groups don’t have money. Some projects may qualify for government grants, but they are usually the “safe” kind. Planting trees. Picking up litter. While such projects are undoubtedly worthwhile, they are not going to change the world. Trying to reduce dependency on environmentally damaging and non-sustainable energy sources (like fossil fuels, large scale hydro and nuclear power) fundamentally challenges the status quo. So does trying to end the use of toxic pesticides for cosmetic purposes. If you are working on issues like these, it is hard to obtain the kind of money it takes to gain public (and political) attention through advertising. The mainstay of your information and awareness campaign is going to be the news media. Hence, the environmental movement and the news media have an awkward and symbiotic relationship: they need us for stories, and the environmental movement certainly needs them. But environmentalists get frustrated with the superficiality of news coverage of issues that threaten planetary survival, and the news media get sick of hearing what they often regard as predictable whining from the greens. So how can you, with little or no media experience, be expected to break through to reasonably accurate coverage of your concerns? First, you should understand a few things about the news media.. Noam Chomsky’s analysis (“Manufacturing Consent”) notwithstanding, you can get your issue in the public eye. It helps if you are able to see the story from the reporter’s point of view. There are very few newspapers or electronic networks with a full time environmental reporter. You are trying to get a reporter, who has to cover everything from tax hikes to crime on the street, interested in your story. There are no Woodwards and Bernsteins. Calling and telling them there’s a big story out there if they do some really good investigative reporting will get your message consigned to the waste basket, (or, in an environmentally aware newsroom, the recycling bin.) If you want a reporter to cover your story, you have to do all their work for them. Think it through. Where’s the angle? “A local group of environmentalists are organizing to save the environment” is hardly an earth shattering story. Remember the old adage, “Dog bites man” is not a story. “Man bites dog” is. Tie your issue to other political events, like elections or previous campaign promises. What are the financial issues? Is taxpayers’ money being wasted? Are jobs being lost? Are the environmental alternatives better for the economy? (They usually are.) Make it interesting to someone who doesn’t give a hydro-electric dam. Fill in the “5 W’s” : Who, What, When, Where and Why. Make sure all your facts are absolutely accurate. Write your own press release. It should read like a news story, not like your group’s manifesto. Put in quotes from group representatives. Be sure to include phone numbers so that reporters can call you to get more details and re-work your press release into their own story. SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE (Your logo appears here) Group’s mailing address Headline in Boldface Appears at Top DATE: Put the date on which you want the story to be released, or put the words "For immediate release:" at the beginning of your release. TEXT: The first sentence should be clear, factual and grab the attention of the reader. It should tell the press what the story is about. TEXT EXAMPLE: (City): Citizens Organized to Save Wetlands today announced the results of their audit of the costs of the proposed Department of Boondoggles development. “By our calculations, reviewed by the firm of Somebody Credible Ltd., the Department of Boondoggles will be increasing the provincial deficit by $300 million by choosing this environmentally sensitive site, instead of merely recycling their existing building,” said group chair, J. Q. Public. Citizens Organized to Save Wetlands are considering legal action if their current petition campaign is unsuccessful in persuading the Department to re-consider its plans. They are also planning a demonstration in front of Department headquarters to take place next Wednesday, the xth of xx, at 12 noon. “We are confident that good sense will prevail,” said group researcher I. M. Green, “With the provincial election in the offing, and so many environmentally concerned statements coming from the Premier’s Office, we simply cannot believe that this deliberately wrong-headed policy will prevail. - 30 - (It is a convention of news releases that they end with “- 30 -”. It tells reporters that the text has ended.) Contact information: (Don’t forget to include the name and phone number where people quoted in the release can be reached for comment.) Send your release to ensure it reaches the media before or on your release date. If you are far from a media centre, you can fax your release, or phone it in to the closest office of the Canadian Press (CP). CP is a wire service. If it puts your story on their service, it will automatically reach television, radio and newspaper newsrooms. It is then the decision of the news director in each outlet whether to use your story. I used to send releases from a town of 45 people in Cape Breton Island down to CP in Halifax, phoning it in right before I went to sleep to get low phone rates. I can remember how astonishing it was to wake up in the morning and hear my release on the radio. Beyond press releases, you may want to hold a press conference. Don’t do it unless you have a really good story, or can bring in an acknowledged expert who won’t be available as a matter of course. Hold press conferences somewhere familiar to the media. Make it convenient. Try to avoid having to spend money to rent space. Is there a good community centre close to the downtown? Can you get the help of someone in City Council to use City Hall or the Regional Government Centre? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A SHOPPING LIST OF CAMPAIGN TACTICS The following are tried and true. It is a good idea to try something fairly straightforward initially, with minimum risk of failure. 1) Letter writing campaigns Politicians really do pay attention to their mail! Especially the volume of mail. As letters mount up on an issue, it will achieve greater importance. At the national level, one letter is considered to represent thousands of people’s opinions. The ratio declines as you move down the government hierarchy, but at the municipal level, fewer people write, so the letters still have clout. Your letter does not have to be typed. Handwriting is fine. So is word processing. The key is that your letter is original and not recognizable as a pre-printed message. ALWAYS SIGN YOUR LETTERS. Include your address for their response. Your letter does not have to be technical. You do not have to know everything about an issue to write and express your opinion. It does have to be clear. State explicitly what you want the politician to do. Include a specific question requesting his or her response. If the response misses the point or is inadequate, write again. Remember, at the level of federal and provincial ministers, a staff person in the bureaucracy writes the response. The minister may not even see your letter. Why persist? Because as the number of letters add up, the issue is given greater importance. Sometimes you are even able to educate the bureaucracy, or alert the minister to the fact that the staff has him or her signing inaccurate letters. (My brother in Nova Scotia actually called a Minister at home once to say that he didn’t want to attack the Minister in the press over a particularly lame response to a letter. He gave the Minister a chance by asking him if he knew that the letter prepared by his bureaucrats included misleading information. The Minister didn’t know and was grateful for the call.) 2) Letters to the Editor Did you know that the letters section is the most read section of any newspaper? Not only do people in your community read the letters, government officials have clipping services that reprint the ones dealing with their area. The federal minister of the environment sees clippings from coast to coast, including letters to the editor, every day. Letters should be short, direct and well written. Of course, they should be accurate and educate readers about your issue. Watch for opportunities to respond to articles that have been in the paper. 3) Call-in radio & tv shows There are opportunities for free access to the airwaves. Listen to a show a few times before you call in. Get a sense of the host so you won’t be surprised if they disagree with you. It is easy, anonymous and can get your message to lots of people. 4) Petition campaigns The U.S. Declaration of Independence was sort-of a petition. Less than fifty people signed it and the rest is history. Petitions are an excellent first step for new groups. They are tools for public education. The preamble should set out clearly what the issue is and all the reasons for your concern. (Remember the “WHEREAS’s!) They also force you to know clearly what you want from the government. If you want the municipal council to ban pesticide spraying on all public and private lands, say so. If you want them to maintain a handful of pesticide-free parks, say so. But don’t leave a petition hanging with just a general, “we are against pesticides” statement. Petitions can be circulated door to door, left with sympathetic local merchants, or you can set up a table in the local mall (although this usually has to be arranged fairly far ahead.) If you are trying to solicit support in a public venue like a mall, don’t be shy! Smile and ask people as they come by if they are interested in the environment. If they avert their eyes and walk away, so be it. Leave them alone and KEEP SMILING! Set a goal. Know when you are done and make a big deal out of presenting the petition. Get a sympathetic politician to accept it from you and alert the media. 5) Fundraising Wait a minute. Isn’t this a shopping list of campaign tools? Well, yes. But good grassroots fundraising is not only a way of raising money, it is a way of raising awareness. (And it also deals with that unspoken question of the uninitiated public, “where do those people get their donations?”) Grassroots fundraising should involve lots of people as volunteers. Try to get local donations of supplies, advertising, prizes or whatever from local merchants (and of course give them public credit and thanks). What kinds of things are grassroots fundraisers? Here’s a sample list. But it’s not exhaustive. You can build on these ideas, but better still, come up with your own. Potluck suppers with an entrance fee. Fun. Great food. Cheap and you’ll have something for the campaign pot when the dishes are done. Bake sales. You can get lots of people involved. Hold it at the local mall, or after church. Raffles. Go for donated prizes or make your own. In Cape Breton we raised thousands of dollars with quilt raffles to stop the spraying of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. Hold a community fair! Have clowns. Kids’ events. Sell baked goods, homegrown organic veggies, preserves, handcrafts. Include an auction. Ask a local bar if you can have an evening of entertainment for a cause. This will appeal to lots of young people. Musicians are notoriously generous in their support of environmental causes. God bless them. Hold an auction. It could be an art auction. Or hold a flea market of odd junk items. Donate services — a deluxe brunch in someone’s home, or catered to your place, a sailboat outing, babysitting, carpentry, barter for cash for the cause! Hold a massive yard sale. Recycle all your stuff and raise funds. Sometimes in our community environmental struggles in Cape Breton, I was convinced we just kept selling our old plates and hand-me-downs to each other. But it worked. Hold a church supper. Church halls can be rented for not too much, and they are perfect. Big kitchens, well equipped for a crowd and they feel great for community events. Order t-shirts or mugs with your message. Sell them at all your events. You can order great posters from a lot of environmental groups, as well as calendars, t-shirts, postcards and other merchandise. Contact Sierra Club or Western Canada Wilderness for great items. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How to lobby Whether you’re working to change a policy at City Hall or the federal cabinet, you’ll probably want to sit down and meet with a few of the people who’ll be making that decision. The approach is the same, regardless of how elevated the politician or bureaucrat is. (and, yes, you do have to lobby bureaucrats). As recommended in the “Starting Points” at the beginning of this document: Be unfailingly polite, persistent, network, leave no stone unturned. Experienced fundraisers say you can reach anyone in the world with only two phone calls. Considering that a radio station in Montreal got through to the Queen of England, who can doubt this is true?! So remember, you may not know the Minister or Mayor now, but there is no reason you can’t get to know them. Don’t be intimidated. Once you have a thorough knowledge of your issue and have done your homework, there’s no reason you can’t go to meet key people and put forward your case in person. Preparing for the meeting It is an excellent idea to reduce your key points to a one-page document you can leave with the decision-maker. It’s always easier to write a long document than a short concise one, but the effort to boil down your case is well worth it. Busy people (and the more powerful they are, the busier they are) will never read more than a page. Think through ahead of time what it is you want the decision-maker to do. I know of environmentalists who’ve gone to see very powerful politicians, laid out their case, and prepared for questions on the merits of their argument, only to be completely unprepared for the person agreeing with them and asking the obvious question: “What do you want me to do about this?” If the person you’re seeing is in Cabinet, for example, but not the Minister who actually makes the decision, think through exactly what you want. What is the most strategic thing this person can do to advance your case? Is it to speak quietly to someone, to issue a public statement or to introduce you to someone else so you can explain the issue to them? Your one page note should end with a very specific request. You should also prepare for the personal side of the visit. If nothing else, you will have advanced your cause if the politician is left with a favourable impression - if you’ve started the process of building a relationship. So, do a little research about the person you’ll be meeting. When was she elected to government? Where did he go to university? If hunting and fishing are known to be favourite past-times, build on that to create environmental awareness. Ideally, you’ll find you know someone in common, or that you’ve gone to the same school, or that she was in school with your dad. Be especially sure to research any previous good deeds for the environment. The best way to start any meeting is to thank the politician for something they accomplished in the past. Even if it was twenty years ago, they’ll feel great to know someone still remembers. And you’ll have them remembering that these issues are (or were) important to them. Don’t ignore the small talk. It may be the best part of your meeting. If you are going as part of a group, think through how many of you should go. As a general rule, it is a poor idea to have more than three or four people go in to meet with politicians. It is increasingly intimidating for them, and unwieldy as the meeting size grows. Be strategic. If possible do not go to a meeting in a group larger than two or three. Be sure to tell the scheduling person you are dealing with the size of your delegation and the names of the people coming with you. Plan ahead who will cover which points. The Meeting Dressing for the meeting is unfortunately something that should be mentioned. Although there is no question that your value as an individual has nothing to do with how you look, you’ll be more likely to reach a decision-maker if you are dressed in a way to which they are accustomed. Business suits go over better than jeans and sandals. I only wear make-up for media and lobbying. I call it war paint. (As my sister-in-law says, “A girl’s gotta do, what a girl’s gotta do.”) If you haven’t had time to research this person’s background, you can still look for clues around their office. Diplomas, photos, plaques. Find some way to have a more personal chat at some point in the meeting. Most people love talking about themselves. It puts them at ease. A nervous and impatient person is not easy to influence. And, of course, you may find something that creates some common denominators in your lives. Many people have a one dimensional image of environmentalists. Somehow they don’t think we have real lives, children, jobs, other interests. Breaking down the stereotypes is a significant part of your task. Once you’ve had a bit of small talk, move quickly into the main agenda. Be courteous. Show an awareness that this person is probably very busy. Ask at the outset how much time the person has until their next appointment, bearing in mind that meetings often start late and keep backing up. Do not take up more time than has been allotted. Present your case clearly and calmly. Give the decision maker your one-page note so they can follow along. Provide any more detailed papers you would like to leave as well. If your issue has a visual element, bring photos. Be sure to ask if the person has any questions. If you don’t know the answer to something, don’t bluff! Make a note and promise to get the information. And, then, remember to get it and send it to the decision- maker quickly, the next day if possible. Remember to ask clearly for what you want. And thank them, first, verbally, and then after with a thank you letter which reminds them graciously of any follow-up they offered to do. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Politicians are still just people. They are mostly honest, mostly over-worked, and often wrong. If you can help them to do the right thing, why not try? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Sierra Club of Canada is dedicated to developing a diverse, well-trained grassroots network working to protect the integrity of our global ecosystems. In pursuit of this goal, the Sierra Club of Canada holds Activist Training Workshops. If you or your local group would like to attend or arrange such a workshop, contact the National Office. For more information please contact: Sierra Club of Canada National Office Tel: (613) 241-4611 Fax: (613) 241-2292 e-mail: info@sierraclub.ca web:

Canadian Rivers

Canadian Rivers
I speak for river users too!

The Queen is not amused!

The Queen is not amused!
http://www.ispeakforcanadianrivers.ca/

The Damned Dam - 2005 -

The Damned Dam - 2005 -
22nd Annual Kipaw Rally has modest turnout. - 23rd does better

The Ashlu river: it could happen to you

The Ashlu river: it could happen to you

Whitewater Ontario

Whitewater Ontario
Working Hard to Protect Canada's Paddling Resources

Whitewater Ontario - Mission Statement

It is Whitewater Ontario’s mission to support the whitewater paddling community through the promotion, development and growth of the sport in its various disciplines. We accomplish this through the development of events, resources, clubs, and programs for personal and athletic development, regardless of skill level or focus, to ensure a high standard of safety and competency; We advocate safe and environmentally responsible access and use of Ontario’s rivers. Whitewater Ontario is the sport governing body in the province, and represents provincial interests within the national body Whitewater Canada and the Canadian Canoe Association http://www.whitewaterontario.ca/page/mission.asp

Kipawa, Tabaret, and Opemican

Kipawa, Tabaret, and Opemican
If Hydro Quebec is not actively pursuing Tabaret what is that bite out of Opemican for?

Kipawa Dam: After

Kipawa Dam: After
Laniel Dam at 2006 Rally

Where is the Kipawa

Where is the Kipawa
Kipawa flows into lake Temiskamingue, running from Kipawa Lake, under hwy 101 in Quebec

Kipawa Dam

Kipawa Dam
laniel dam at 2004 River Rally

Tabaret is a Bad Idea

About the Kipawa



The best thing paddlers can do to help the cause of the Kipawa:

1. attend the rally and bring others including non paddlers to attend and buy beer and have fun

2. write your MP /MNA and raise the issue and post your objections -1 letter = 200 who didn't write

3. Write Thierry Vandal the CEO of Hydro Quebec strongly opposing the 132 MW standard decrying the use of "diversion" as the most environmentally inappropriate method of power production

4. Write Jean Charest, Premier of Quebec protesting that either the algonquin or the tabaret project will eliminate all other values on the Kipawa River by turning it into a dry gulch.

5. See if you can get other allied groups interested by showing your own interest, ie the Sierra Defense Fund, Earthwild, MEC, and so on.

6. Demand further consultation

7. Currently we are at the point where we need to sway public opinion and raise awareness.

However, if all else fails, don't get mad, simply disrupt, foment, and protest . The Monkey Wrench Gang.

Have you read Edward Abbey?

Important Addresses
CEO,Hydro Québec, 75 boul René Levesque, Montreal, P.Q., H2Z 1A4Caille.andre@hydro.qc.ca



Tabaret is a Bad Idea (Part Two)

Les Amis de la Riviere Kipawa is poised to use an application to the Federal Court to issue a Writ of Mandamus to ensure the Minster does what he is supposed to do, protect the public's right to navigate the water control structure at Laniel, Quebec using the Navigable Waters Protection Act. (see http://www.kipawariver.ca/)

In the now gutted Navigable Waters Protection Act lay the means by which the Minister of Transport could keep the public right of passage down our great Canadian Heritage, our rivers and streams which are threatened especially by resource corporations and power brokers such as Hydro Quebec.

These powerful entities continue to petition that 'this' river or 'that' stream is not navigable and therefore not protectable.
I don't say that dams and bridges should not be built, only that if they are, historical navigation rights should be considered and preserved by making reasonable accommodations for recreational boaters.

It is the Minister of Transport, in exercising the right to allow or disallow work on or over a navigable waterway is what keeps boats and recreational boaters plying our waterways.

To many recent cases launched in the Federal Court concerning the Navigable Waters Protection Act, most recently the case of the Humber Environment Group of Cornerbrook Newfoundland versus the Cornerbrook Pulp and Paper Company indicates that the important oversight is not being faithfully performed. Have we really come to the point now where we must say "such and such a stream is one foot deep, possessing so many cubic feet per second flow and so on?" The answer to this is... YES!

The honourable Mr. Justice John A. O'Keefe, ruled that it had not been shown that the river was navigable. How convenient was that to the Minister? But either the Minister of Transport acts to protect our rivers and streams as a public right or he does not and that means rivers and streams currently enjoyed by kayakers and canoists.

Enough of the cheating, and double-talk. Canadians! our rivers and streams are our own, lets urge the Minister of Transport and the our government to protect them.

Peter Karwacki

Tabaret is a Bad Idea (Part Three)

10 Reasons WhyTabaret is a Bad Idea1) Tabaret is too big. The station is designed to useevery drop of water available in the Kipawawatershed, but will run at only 44 percent capacity.We believe the Tabaret station is designed to usewater diverted from the Dumoine River into theKipawa watershed in the future. 2) The Tabaret project will eliminate the aquaticecosystem of the Kipawa River.The Tabaret project plan involves the diversion of a16-km section of the Kipawa River from its naturalstreambed into a new man-made outflow from LakeKipawa. 3) Tabaret will leave a large industrial footprint on thelandscape that will impact existing tourismoperations and eliminate future tourism potential. 4) The Tabaret project is an aggressive single-purposedevelopment, designed to maximize powergeneration at the expense of all other uses. 5) River-diversion, such as the Tabaret project, takinglarge amounts of water out of a river’s naturalstreambed and moving it to another place, is verydestructive to the natural environment. 6) The Kipawa River has been designated a protectedgreenspace in the region with severe limitations ondevelopment. This designation recognizes theecological, historical and natural heritage value ofthe river and the importance of protecting it.Tabaret will eliminate that value. 7) If necessary, there are other, smarter and morereasonable options for producing hydro power onthe Kipawa watershed. It is possible to build a lowimpactgenerating station on the Kipawa river, andmanage it as a “run-of-the-river” station, makinguse of natural flows while maintaining other values,with minimal impact on the environment. 8) The Kipawa watershed is a rich natural resource forthe Temiscaming Region, resonably close to largeurban areas, with huge untapped potential fortourism and recreation development in the future.Tabaret will severely reduce this potential. 9) Tabaret provides zero long-term economic benefitfor the region through employment. The plan is forthe station to be completely automated andremotely operated. 10) The Kipawa River is 12,000 years old. The riverwas here thousands of years before any peoplecame to the region. The Tabaret project will change all that.

Problems on a local River?

  • There is more to do as well but you have to do your research and above all, don't give up.
  • IN the meantime prepared a document itemizing the history of navigation of this spot and its recreational value. Use the Kipawa river history of navigation as a guide: see www.kipawariver.ca
  • Under the Ministry of Environment guidelines you have a set period of time to petition the change under the environmental bill of rights, you may have limited time to take this action. But it involves going to court for a judicial review of the decision.
  • 4. contact the ministry of natural resources officials and do the same thing.
  • 3. contact the ministry of the environment and determine if they approved the project
  • 2. determine if the dam was a legal dam, approved under the navigable waters protection act.
  • 1. research the decision and timing of it to determine if an environmental assessment was done.

Minden Ontario

Minden Ontario
Gull River Water control at Horseshoe lake

A History of Navigation on the Kipawa River

Prior to the environmental assessment there was no signage at the Laniel Dam

T-Shirts Area: These are available now!

T-Shirts Area: These are available now!
Send $25 and a stamped self addressed envelop for the Tshirt, and for the bumper sticker, a stamped and self addressed envelope with $5.00 for the bumper sticker to Les Amis de la rivière Kipawa, 80 Ontario St., Ottawa, Ontario, K1K 1K9 or click the link To purchase a Les Amis "T" contact Doug with the following information: Number of shirts:Sizes: Ship to Address: Method of Payment: cash, cheque and paypal, Shipto address:

Bumper Stickers Now Available

Bumper Stickers Now Available
Get your bumper sticker and show your support for the Kipawa Legal Fund ! - send $5.00 in a Stamped, self addressed envelope to: Peter Karwacki Box 39111, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1H 7X0