After five years of concerted effort by determined activists, the Metz Pig Factory Farm near Ste. Marie de Kent, NB, has closed. Willi Nolan, our volunteer Project Manager deserves great credit for the successful result. The Association for the Preservation of the Bouctouche Watershed along with PODIUM, a group of women concerned about the health effects of the liquid manure spread on farmers’ fields from this large hog operation carried out a successful campaign to reduce the harm to the health of both people and wildlife. In her report this year, Willi said, “The women of PODIUM are feeling satisfied and grateful for IICPH’s assistance in the certainty that it was the persuasive health impact evidence that turned the tide in their favour. The APBW (aka “troublemakers”) are walking tall in the community and one of their number is planning to run for parliament in the next federal election.”
Willi is convinced that the right approach to achieve success for environmental activists is to address the public health issues as they affect communities and individuals. Local politicians found it impossible to ignore the community pressure to do something about the incidence of failing human, marine, and animal health to which the pollution contributed. The word of their success is spreading fast. More about this is on our website.
EXPOSURE TOUR
Willi Nolan is now embarked on an “Exposure Tour” of native reservations with the Sierra Club and the Aboriginal Rights Coalition. They expect to tell the true stories of the desperate situation of individual (non-elected) Aboriginal people. They will be looking at drinking water, waste management, self-sufficient renewable energy systems, preservation, protection and restoration of natural resources, over-prescription and abuse of medications, health concerns and links to hazardous exposures, etc.
LEPREAU NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
The Lepreau is the oldest nuclear power plant in Canada. It is situated on the St. John River. The New Brunswick government is eager to have it refurbished. The federal government recently announced that it was not worthwhile to put any money into its refurbishment. Recently CAMECO and Bruce Nuclear Power have been talking about taking on this task. The few Atlantic Energy Coalition activists are overworked and Willi Nolan has asked IICPH for some help on this issue. As we are already deeply involved in trying to stop the use of nuclear fuel-powered electricity plants, we will endeavour to accede to this request along with other Nuclear Waste Watch organizations.
GOOD LIFE GATHERING
The Good Life Gathering was designed by Willi Nolan and a proposal sent to IICPH. Traditional Native Elders and leaders from Ontario joined with the local First Nations spiritual leaders in this event. The main purpose was to look at and experience ways that people could work together to find solutions to provide a good life for all. The Gathering was open to youth of all races and cultures. Participants came from the all over North America.
The Gathering was headquartered on Willi’s farm. The young people set up their own tents, participated in cooking, bringing firewood and other daily chores and daily activities. They worked to develop an organic garden. Environment issues that took centre stage were explored with enthusiasm by this concerned and dedicated group. Another topic covered sustainable building for both emergency shelter and long term buildings for many uses. Ecoforestry was explored and there are plans for developing a teaching-learning forest to demonstrate and show that sustainable forestry can provide wood without destroying the forest. In the sharing sessions, one of the topics discussed was how our schools have failed to provide a safe and supportive environment that enables every student to succeed no matter their social or economic situation. Other hard questions were faced such as how to deal with violence, peer pressure, racism, family problems, and poverty. The communication between leaders and participants will continue. There have been so many enquiries for next year’s Good Life Gathering that we now need to focus on how to accommodate more people. Although IICPH provided the money for supplies and resources, we will need to enlist other NGOs and other funders to expand this program.
Many thanks to our generous contributors in New Brunswick