Enviromommy: Canadian Issues

Showing posts with label Canadian Issues. Show all posts

Monday, 5 December 2011

Stop Online And Cell Phone Spying!

Last week Trevor Eckhart, a security researcher, found secret software from Carrier IQ running on his android phone. It tracked and logged his keystrokes, text messages, emails and even encrypted information. "The software is programmed to be as undetectable as possible, ridiculously hard to take off one’s phone, and if that’s not already bad enough—it’s installed and run on smartphones without the owner’s knowledge or permission." For more info, read this article from Open Media and this article from PC World.

With secret software tracking your every text, email and web browsing move, the spying has already begun. Though who is doing the spying right now is a major question that is being investigated (internet service providers or cell phone manufacturers?), soon it could legally be the Canadian government. If the government passes their online spying bills they will have the right to legally track and monitor wireless information and wired internet usage without a warrant, your consent or your knowledge.

We, as Canadians citizens, have a fundamental right to privacy and that should not be taken away from us. Please help stop mass surveillance from becoming legal in Canada. Do your part and get informed. Open Media has a petition that you can sign to let the government know that you do not agree to online spying.

Tuesday, 21 June 2011

I Am Joining The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup

Have you ever heard of the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup (GCSC)? I hadn't, until last year. It's pretty much what you would expect from the title. People join together to cleanup shores around lakes and rivers and the oceans, all across Canada, for a few weeks in September. After reading about it, I thought it would be a great thing to participate in. It would be good for me and my family, good for my community, and especially good for the environment in this wonderful and beautiful, coastal city I live in, called Vancouver. I thought, wouldn't this be a great lesson to teach my children? It would help me to teach them about giving back to mother nature, the way that she gives to us everyday. I always tell them about how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place, with mountains and the ocean and so much to do outdoors. But isn't it also great to teach them how to take care of this place and not to take it for granted?

Photo Credit

I was really stoked to do it last year, but then life stepped in and changed my plans. Not to make excuses, really it was just that a bunch of other things came up. Two birthday parties and an Aunt that wanted to see the kids on the particular day we signed up for. It ended up being a crazy day of driving all over and visiting and kiddie party madness, but it was a great day. I was really bummed that we didn't get to do the cleanup though, especially because I was telling everyone that we were doing it and I was asking friends if they wanted to participate too. So I made a promise to myself that we would do it next year.

And next year is here. I just signed up today. I am going to do it right this year. I was even contemplating being a site coordinator and taking on a whole area to organize by myself. But I decided to be realistic and just participate this year and see what it's like. If it's something I think I can handle on my own, then maybe I can be a coordinator next year.

Doing this kind of thing is important to me. I took an Environmental Studies program in college and it was really eye opening. I learned so many things in those two years. One thing that really shook me up was seeing a picture of a lake that was turned into a dumping ground for electronics. People would come there to find parts to sell, or scrounge for copper or other metals in the stuff that was dumped there. It was so filled with junk that it didn't even look like a lake anymore, it looked like a garbage dump, but it was just filled with electronics. I was looking on the internet to see if I could find that same picture (which I'm sure is really old, I saw it at school, about nine years ago), and I couldn't. But I did find some other horrible pictures. Like this...

The Citarum River in Indonesia

Photo Credit

And this...

Photo Credit

I really don't want the beautiful place, that my family and I call home, to end up like these places. So I am doing my part to help. If you feel inspired too, and you live in Canada and want to join, click here to find a cleanup site in your area. If you don't live in Canada, but want to help out where you live, here are some other shoreline cleanup programs:

International Coastal Cleanup

California Coastal Cleanup

Clean up Australia!

Project Aware

The Daily Ocean

This list is from the Other Resources page on the GCSC website, which has tons of useful info if you want to know more.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - M. Gandhi

Monday, 7 March 2011

This Is Not Harperland, This is Canada!!!

The current governing party of Canada has issued a directive, that references to "Government of Canada" should be replaced by "Harper Government," in federal communications. This is not acceptable. Canada does not belong to Stephen Harper, it belongs to the Canadian people! Canada is a democracy not a dictatorship. Harper should be ashamed of himself for pulling a stunt like this. This is an ignorant, selfish and tyrannical act of self promotion. Check out these articles and sign the petition if you don't agree with Harper's latest scam.

I Am (Not Stephen Harper's) Canadian

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/03/04/pol-harper-govt-brand.html?ref=rss

http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/1221254309/ID=1829705950

Saturday, 26 February 2011

Wow, The Public Outcry Worked!

I am so happy that the CRTC is withdrawing it's proposal to allow lies in the news in Canada. People responded to this proposal with a huge public outcry and it worked. Almost 100,000 people signed a petition to stop this, and the CRTC listened. What a relief! It makes me feel like the people can make a difference! Check out the article: