Metro sewage plants failing federal tests

Three Metro Vancouver sewage treatment plants have been
failing federal environmental tests at least seven years while
dumping billions of litres of partly treated waste into the Fraser
River,…

Students teach public about nation’s heritage

The normally tranquil environment that greets patrons when
they step through the doors of the MacKenzie Art Gallery was
transformed into a frenzy of organized chaos on Friday.

Action must be taken to protect vulnerable marine species and habitats: WWF-Canada

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — (Marketwire) – WWF-Canada is calling for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), and its 13 contracting parties to adopt a plan to protect vulnerable marine species and habitats, including coldwater coral forests, by December 2008, at its Intersessional Meeting next week in Montreal. Protecting corals and other species would bring the [...]

News Bytes of the Week–Was the Red Baron Just Lucky? [News]

Was the Red Baron just lucky?Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, better known as the Red Baron, was the most feared German flying ace of World War I. He racked up 80 official air combat victories–the biggest winning streak on either side–before being shot down on April 21, 1918, over northern France. We’re inclined to interpret the Baron’s record as proof that he was the best of the best. But a study published in the Journal of Mathematical Sociology claims that much of Richthofen’s success could be chalked up to plain old luck. German records list 2,894 WWI fighter pilots, who together scored 6,759 victories (planes shot down) and only 810 defeats. Although the win ratio seems suspiciously high, electrical engineers Mikhail Simkin and Vwani Roychowdhury of the University of California, Los Angeles, contend they can still use the numbers to analyze the pilots’ defeat rate–their total chances of being shot down after each flight. That rate started off high–25 percent for the first flight–but fell sharply; by the 10th flight it had leveled off below 5 percent, consistent with the weaker pilots getting picked off and the remaining aces having similar skills in the air. At that rate, the researchers conclude that the odds of one in 2,894 pilots racking up an 80-win streak are about 30 percent–not so remarkable after all.

[More]

Moving cows proving difficult in N.B. rescue

Some cows in New Brunswick will be going for an unusual ride after flood waters forced their evacuations from a dairy farm.

On the Matter of Tar Sands & Indigenous Lands

Hey!
This week’s podcast examines the impact of the Alberta Tar Sands on First Nations communities in the region featuring an interview with Clayton Thomas-Mueller. Thomas-Mueller, of the Mathais Colomb Cree Nation (Pukatawagan) in Northern Manitoba, is an activist for Indigenous Rights and Environmental Justice.
With his roots in the inner city of Winnipeg, Thomas-Mueller’s humble beginnings [...]

Compost for the Climate

Composting is a wonderful thing. I think of it as my own personal (non-bloody) circle of life, turning food waste into soil and thereby keeping carbon in the ground and out of the air. 

Over the years, I’ve tried most types of composting. When living in an apartment, I did the vermi-composting thing and used to take my friends bags of worm poop as a housewarming gift. I like to think that they accepted the gift in the spirit with which it was intended.

Moose Deer Point First Nation business expansion and upgrades

Interview Opportunity:

First Nation business expansion and upgrades (Parry Sound/Muskoka region)

The community of Moose Deer Point First Nation and Niigon Technologies will host Leona Dombrowsky, Ontario???s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs as the Minister makes a funding announcement.

Minister Dombrowsky will meet with local dignitaries, community leaders and tour the Niigon Technologies plant and make an announcement with respect to local economic development.

What:

Welcome Ceremony, Niigon Plant Tour and Rural Economic Development

Who:

Honourable Leona Dombrowsky, Ontario???s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
Chief Barron King, Moose Deer Point First Nation

When:

Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 3:00 pm

Where:

Main entrance, Niigon Technologies Ltd., 1008 Ogemawahj Rd., Moose Deer Point First Nation, MacTier. Ontario

Directions: Exit – 12 Mile Bay Road (Muskoka Road 12) from Highway 400 and travel west 20 kilometres until…

Moose Deer Point First Nation business expansion and upgrades

Interview Opportunity:

First Nation business expansion and upgrades (Parry Sound/Muskoka region)

The community of Moose Deer Point First Nation and Niigon Technologies will host Leona Dombrowsky, Ontario???s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs as the Minister makes a funding announcement.

Minister Dombrowsky will meet with local dignitaries, community leaders and tour the Niigon Technologies plant and make an announcement with respect to local economic development.

What:

Welcome Ceremony, Niigon Plant Tour and Rural Economic Development

Who:

Honourable Leona Dombrowsky, Ontario???s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
Chief Barron King, Moose Deer Point First Nation

When:

Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 3:00 pm

Where:

Main entrance, Niigon Technologies Ltd., 1008 Ogemawahj Rd., Moose Deer Point First Nation, MacTier. Ontario

Directions: Exit – 12 Mile Bay Road (Muskoka Road 12) from Highway 400 and travel west 20 kilometres until…

Twenty-three provincial high schools participate in 2008 Ontario Envirothon Championships on May 7

Backgrounder:
2008 Ontario Envirothon Championships

The following teams have won at the regional level and will advance to the Ontario Envirothon Championships to be held May 7 to 10 at Tim Horton Onondaga Farms in St. George. The top team from the Ontario Championships will be announced on May 10 and will go on to represent our province at the Canon Envirothon where they will compete for educational scholarships.

Participating Schools

Parry Sound High School (Parry Sound, ON)
West Hill Secondary School (Owen Sound, ON)
F.J. McElligott Secondary School (Mattawa, ON)
Waterloo Collegiate Institute (Waterloo, ON)
Grand River Collegiate Institute (Kitchener, ON)
University of Toronto Schools (Toronto, ON)
Mackenzie H…