On the Third Day of Christmas the BC Liberals gave to B.C.

On the third day of Christmas the BC Liberals gave to B.C.....

Cash bonuses for issuing Eviction notices to developmentally disabled members of our community...

On the fourth day of Christmas the BC Liberals gave to B.C....

$18 million dollars for Virk and David Basi`s legal fees...


The Straight Goods


Cheers Eyes Wide Open

Gitxsan-Enbridge Deal is Null and Void(Breaking News)UPDATED

Breaking News, the majority of Hereditary Chiefs have voted and the Gitxsan-Enbridge equity deal is null and void...

And there is more, the Gitxsan treat Society members who inked this deal in secrecy and against the wishes of almost 100% of the Gitxsan Nation have been fired..

Here is the official release...
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Gitxsan Unity Movement Press Release


Gitinmaax, B.C.


December 19, 2011




Majority of Gitxsan Chiefs confirm the shut sown of the Gitxsan Treaty society(GTS)


The majority of Gitxsan hereditary chiefs have put into writing their decision to shut down the Gitxsan Treat society(GTS). The Chiefs are supported by their houses and clans, and made this decision only after holding clan meetings. The decision to shut down the GTS and fire senior staff was made because the GTS was making decisions without consultation and against the will of Gitxsan houses and Clans.




The society was shut down on December 5th after Chiefs consulted with their clan members, Presently, 42 hereditary Chiefs (Two thirds of hereditary Chiefs) have signed a declaration stating the following.

• The Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline Agreement is null and void;

• The GTS no longer exists so it must cease operations and shut down;

• The former executive director, and former Chief negotiator and negotiator are terminated;

• That all other staff be given notice of indeterminate lay-off; 

• And, all Pdeek representatives(GTS board members) are recalled.

The Gitxsan Chiefs are conducting on online poll to determine support levels in Gitxsan membership for the deal with Enbridge, preliminary results show that over






90% of Gitxsan people are against the proposed pipeline. Almost 100% are against the Gitxsan-Enbridge deal that was signed on December 2nd.




A petition is underway too, Volunteers collecting petitions against Enbridge have collected over 1000 signatures(600 Gitxsan, 400 supporters) and phone numbers since December 6th.




Gitxsan hereditary Chiefs note that the fired staff of the GTS continues to speak publicly and act against the wishes of the Gitxsan Chiefs and members. These staff members are the Executive Director, Negotiator, and Chief Negotiator. The Gitxsan Chiefs emphasize that the Gitxsan Treaty Society and these former staff members do not represent the Gitxsan people.




Former staff who continue to spend money from GTS accounts, will cease their activity and respect the will of the Chiefs and members. Their actions paying high-priced lawyers from GTS funds to sue their own Chiefs and members. This is further evidence of the complete lack of respect this office has towards Hereditary Chiefs who they claim to represent. The Gitxsan seek to settle this matter through their own law, the Gitxsan Ayookw, and wish to point out that remedies exist in Gitxsan law for those that bring harm upon the Nation. Therefore, in this matter, The Gitxsan hereditary Chiefs have exercised the Gitxsan Ayookw, the foundation of Gitxsan society and culture for millennia .




The Gitxsan Unity Movement began as Gitxsan against Enbridge in early December. The goal of the movement is to bring harmony between the Gitxsan Government and values, law, and will of the Gitxsan. The Chiefs shut down the GTS on December 5th because they were acting contrary to Gitxsan laws and value. The Gitxsan Unity Movement is 100% volunteer driven, with Gitxsan hereditary Chiefs and members in the best interest of our land, culture, and people.




If you would like more information or schedule an interview please contact the following individuals; Dawumuxw(Larry Patsey), Giskaat, Gitanmaax, home phone 250-843-0399, mobile, 250-842-3040; Guuhadakw(Norman Stephens), Lax Glibuu, Hagwilget, moblie, 250-842-8197, Trevor Morrison, Mobile, 778-202-1457

Read more here



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As for these Vancouver Sun Headlines, they too are Null and Void.

Gitxsan supports Enbridge pipeline

First nation to generate $7 million as equity partner

By Derrick Penner, Vancouver Sun

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/Gitxsan+supports+Enbridge+pipeline/5807283/story.html#ixzz1h7rCu7jC




UPDATED HERE
We Got someone`s attention, better late then never

The Straight Goods


Cheers Eyes Wide Open

Kevin Falcon is half Right

Yes indeed, unbelievable as it may seem Kevin Falcon is half right on the issue of Federal health care funding....

Federal finance minister Flaherty yesterday dumped a bombshell on the future of health care funding, almost every other provincial health minister slammed the funding formula with zeal, Flaherty has stated that the Federal Government will continue maintaining current annual health care funding increases, however, at a time when baby boomers have just started entering their senior years the formula fails.

Flaherty wants to tie future health care funding levels to the rate of economic growth and that is indeed a problem, entering their senior years is a meaningless figure because the vast majority of health costs accrue in later senior years, people are living longer than ever before and people in their 60`s aren`t the real problem, it`s people in their 70`s and 80`s, that`s where the costs really start piling up...

And of course there is no guarantee that Canada will have positive economic growth in the future, who knows what the increase in percentage the GDP will be, 1%..2%..3%...What if it`s negative growth? Who knows, and just like how Governments calculate the rate of inflation, they toss out housing and energy costs and report an inflation rate that doesn`t reflect the reality on the ground, GDP can be manipulated just as easily, and what happens if there are continued Wall street related recessions and growth rates go negative, then what, a whole bunch of boomers reaching their more senior of senior years and health care funding collapses, couple that with population growth....

Here in British Columbia our politicians keep blathering on about a million more people in our province by the year 2020....Well that alone is an increase in our BC population of  about 25%.....And yet those people/ immigrants would have contributed very little in taxes, British Columbia is talking about the ramping up of existing quotas and bringing in more foreign workers with skills Canadians don`t possess, the argument that we don`t or do need them is an argument for another day....

First off, it riles me to no end when politicians talk about what they will do in years that go well beyond their mandate, recessions, depressions, Gordon Campbell lied about our deficits going into the last 2009 election, he stated there would a deficit of $495 million when the real number known to him and the finance ministry was closer to a $4 billion dollar deficit, Stephen Harper and Flaherty did the same thing in second to last Federal election, here in British Columbia we have a legislated balanced budget law, a law that states the BC Government can`t run deficits, this is a sick joke because the BC Liberals almost every year have removed the law(putting the law aside) citing special circumstances only to immediately put the law back on the books in some sort of twisted dog and pony show.....

Now, where is Kevin Falcon right you might ask, Falcon is talking about snowbirds, retirees, down in the US of A countless Americans, at least those with wealth migrate and retire to warmer States like Florida, however in the USA there is no public health care, it`s private self-supported health care, those who can afford get it those who can`t, who knows....

But in Canada we have the Canada health act, a National health care plan that`s universal, regardless of what province you live in you get health care...

So here`s the problem, provinces on the east coast are very affordable and the weather is far more temperate, and of course British Columbia, especially the Southern half and the lower mainland, by far more wealthy Canadians retire in British Columbia than any other province in Canada, who could blame them, the gorgeous wild west coast with fresh air, pristine coast line free of pollution and oil spills, beautiful beaches in Tofino, Victoria on Southern Vancouver island is ideal for retirement, warm all year round,  Cortes island, Saturna island, from the Georgia Straight to world class skiing at Whistler mountain British Columbia offers everything a retired Canadian needs(except good Government)...

But here`s the problem, Canada`s youth, the unemployed and foreign workers head to the Alberta Tar sands, the Yukon, they go to the manufacturing hubs in Ontario, the boys in the Tar sands work hard and play hard, Canada`s farmers in the prairies work their bodies and hands to the bones, ranchers, truck drivers, the big industrial oil n gas sectors in the Northern half of Canada, places where the winters are long and often bitterly cold, ever been to Winnipeg in January, I spent a year the one month in the 80`s, it`s not exactly pleasant, the point I`m making is this, thousands and thousands of workers make a lot of money and pay a boatload of taxes to other provinces and the Federal Government but when their clock winds down and their bodies give out they take their loot and migrate to greener warmer pastures and therein lies a fundamental problem because the Federal Cons are wanting to tie Federal health care funding and transfer payments to the rate of economic growth and pure population demographics...

A population of 1 million workers aged 30 to 50 can`t be compared with a population of 1 million Canadians aged 60 to 80....There is no comparison and on that particular issue Kevin Falcon is 100% correct, yes indeed it does pain me so to admit that, however the name and motto of this blog is and always will be ...The Straight Goods.

It`s just not right for a warm province like British Columbia to pick up all the health care costs of migrating seniors who contributed next to zippo to our provincial kitty, we need a Federal funding formula that takes the demographics of age into consideration....

(Let me be clear, come all, seniors especially, come to BC and bask in our beauty) 

However Kevin Falcon,  Christy Clark and all the BC Liberals are kowtowing  to the Federal Cons because of one reason, the dreaded HST that the Liberals saddled BC with, and I just don`t understand that, Flaherty after his speech yesterday fielded a few questions, one reporter from BC asked Flaherty if BC has to pay all or any of the HST bribe money and Flaherty stated absolutely yes, BC has to pay back all of the $1.6 billion dollars, Kevin Falcon took the stage after the Federal finance minister and confirmed that BC must pay back all the HST money.....Flaherty also stated that the Federal Government MIGHT allow a little more time to pay back the money then the July 1st 2012 deadline....Are you kidding me!

The HST was a 5 year deal, BCers are getting hammered with the regressive tax, home builders and restaurants are continuing to bleed cash and jobs over this tax, we`re still paying it and will continue to pay it well into 2013, meaning the Federal Government is reaping a huge tax windfall and will continue to reap this ill-gotten cash while harming BCers both personally, provincially and economically and the gall of the Federal Conservatives to demand ALL the bribe money isn`t right, it`s morally wrong on so many levels and for the sake of a "possible" longer pay back time-line the Christy Clark Liberals are prepared to kowtow to Stephen Harper and sell all British Columbians down the river...

Families First, more like kissing Stephen Harper`s feet first!


The Straight Goods

Cheers Eyes Wide Open

On the First Day of Christmas the BC Liberals Gave to We

On the first day of Christmas the BC Liberals gave to British Columbia...

Theeeeee   HST.......Kevin Falcon loves it and it`s here to stay, on the second day of Christmas Christy Clark gave to We.....increases at ICBC....

(More to come later.)

The Straight Goods

Cheers Eyes Wide Open

A Story that Needs to be Told

I try and keep up with current affairs but as a one man band even I struggle at times, well, we aren`t alone, there are many progressive writers and story tellers....Here`s one of them...

Read the shocking story that was all but purged from the news spin cycle...

Comments can be made there...


70 oil workers slaughtered, 500 to 800 oil workers injured, who knew?

This web site has the Straight Goods.....Nakedcapitalism


The Straight Goods

Cheers Eyes Wide Open

Rock Em Sock Em Hockey Conundrum

Bobby Clarke, one of my all time favorite hockey players, a Stanley cup winner and member of the famous Philadelphia Flyers,also known at that time in history as the Broad street bullies...

The hits come fast and furious, don`t turn your back, beware of going in the corners for a loose puck, the name Dave Schultz comes to mind, the game of hockey, Canada`s game has always been about intimidation and fear, Wayne Gretzky had Dave Semenko to lay down the law and take care of business, he allowed the great one to be just that, Great....

Rob Ray...A bruising Boston Bruin player.

Tie Domi..Toronto Maple Leafs.

Bob Probert..Detroit Red Wings.

Chris Simon..New York Islanders.

Marty McSorely..Edmonton Oilers.

Tiger Williams... Curt Fraser..Harold Snepsts....And many other Canucks, including a couple on the current Vancouver Canucks roster.

And even if we travel into the way way back time machine intimidation, fighting and violence has always been there..

 Red Horner..Toronto Maple Leafs ..1928-1940.

Eddie Shore..Boston Bruins...1926-1940.

Contact sports, Rugby, Football, Hockey, Lacrosse, broomball, you can name any contact sport and intimidation, fear, power combined with skill has almost always decided the eventual winner...

Let me be perfectly clear, I am not endorsing fighting, hitting or violence in any form, however, hockey without fear and intimidation will never happen, the hitting, the bump and grind of game will always be there.

Most of the players mentioned above would have never skated on an NHL rink without the raw essence of violence...

I do believe that acts of criminality such as stick swinging should not be tolerated.

There have always been unsanctioned traditions in hockey for eternity, such as when in playoffs when the game is out of reach a near game-end brawl is required to send a message for the next game and of course the unwritten rule of "taking a player`s jersey number"  for the next frozen ice meeting...

The concussion syndrome has reared its ugly head as of late and that truly is sad, and preventable, but hockey is not alone, many boxers if not most suffered from brain injuries, some acute but most suffer from the accumulated affect over time.

From the day parents and mothers enroll their little darlings into pee-wee hockey defending your turf and taking other`s ice away is instilled into the mind by hockey savvy parents and as children age and advance the pressure builds and builds, team scouts and agents are routinely watching the junior teams play and again parents players and coaches are advising their stars to shine, be noticed and to be noticed you must stand out in a crowd,,,

Today`s hockey gear is advanced, ultra light pads, CSA approved helmets, face shields and the like....

Maybe all padding and safety gear should be removed, take that cushion away and perhaps the brutal hits will stop but doubtful, human emotion and adrenaline trump all, the will to win and coaches pep talks will prevail....

There are doctors calling for the elimination of all hitting and fighting, the vast majority of concussions are from HITS, flying elbows to the head,  scrums in the corners, again I repeat almost all head injuries and concussions in hockey are caused by flying elbows and slamming hits in the boards,...I don`t know how the game can be played with players fighting to stay in the league, battling for contracts, the game, take the puck away from your opponent and score a goal, how can you clear screening traffic from the front of the net without contact, players slide in front of 100 MPH slap-shots to defend their net.....How can you take that contact out of the game, how do you decide what contact is acceptable, even in football, tackling players try to hurt quarterbacks, players pile on,....

I have played hockey(on levels no where near NHL caliber) and regardless of what level, there has been an element of physical contact, the bigger, the stronger the player the more contact is required to take the puck away, hockey is the fastest game in the world, there are times, I have personally seen it where...

Where a player heading into the corner or boards to lay some lumber and the puck-holder turns his back to you, that player is now at risk of being hit from behind, I just don`t know how the game of hockey can be played at that level by men worried about money and contracts by taking out all hitting from the game, I can recall back to the 2010 games in Vancouver where the crowd roared and went wild as team Canada ran man after man into the boards, open ice hits, crunching ball-busting hits.

Maybe I`m old school, maybe I`m wrong, maybe hockey should just be a straight shoot-out, that`s why the title included the word "Conundrum"

I feel very bad for the players and families of those who suffered and even died from head injuries but Canada`s game of hockey has and always will be  about goals, speed and skills entwined with hits, intimidation and enforcement...

And I wouldn`t want it any other way!


The Straight Goods

Cheers Eyes Wide Open

Russian Oil Rig Sinks, 50 People Dead(Breaking News)

 The Kolskaya platform was being towed by an icebreaker and a tugboat to the island of Sakhalin at the time with 67 crew on board when it was caught in a bad storm.

Emergency officials said the platform was pounded by waves up to 20 feet high that crashed through its portholes, sending water flooding into the crew's dining area.

The rig quickly filled with seawater, capsized and sunk within 20 minutes with strong waves reportedly sweeping away the life rafts before the crew could disembark. Two of the rafts were later found empty.

The temperature of the water was apparently zero degrees Celsius at the time with high winds making survival even harder.

A helicopter was dispatched to airlift the crew off the stricken rig after receiving an SOS call. But by the time it got there the rig had already sunk and the crew were in the icy water.

Read more here
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“The violation of safety rules during the towing of the drilling rig, as well as towing without consideration of the weather conditions ... are believed to be the cause of the (disaster),” investigators said on their website.
The ‘Neftegaz-55’ tugboat, also owned by AMNGR, had been towing the Kolskaya and took part in the search effort, but pulled out after suffering hull damage from the high waves.


State-controlled Rosneft this year reached a major deal with Exxon to explore for oil and gas in the Kara Sea, to the north of the Russian mainland, a largely unexplored region estimated to hold over 100 billion barrels of oil.
Poor infrastructure and chronic corner-cutting in Russia have contributed to several sea disasters,

 

Read more here

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When will Enbridge and Stephen Harper come to their senses, Enbridge northern pipeline must die..

Oil Rig sinks, 50 people dead....Rough seas, really?...rough seas, the seas in the Hecate Strait are regularly double that wave height and winds near hurricane force are almost a weekly occurrence on the Northern coast.

Disasters at sea can`t be stopped, human error and greed guarantee that!

The Straight Goods

Cheers Eyes Wide Open

Canadian Navy Submarine Runs Aground in Nootka Sound

The Canadian Navy HCMS Corner Brook ran aground in Nootka Sound...

This story is about the proposed Enbridge pipeline to Kitimat, the news release is out today and it`s been confirmed, the reason for the grounding is "Human Error"....
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News Releases: HMCS Corner Brook Grounding Incident: Board Of Inquiry Completed

Friday, December 16, 2011The Board of Inquiry (BOI) into the June 4, 2011, grounding of Her Majesty’s Canadian Submarine (HMCS) Corner Brook is complete.  Vice-Admiral Paul Maddison, Commander Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Convening Authority for the BOI, has accepted the Board’s findings.
The BOI found that human error was the key contributing factor to the grounding of HMCS Corner Brook and that the technical and materiel readiness of the submarine did not contribute to the incident.
“This incident was avoidable,” said Captain (Navy) Luc Cassivi, Deputy Commander Canadian Fleet Pacific.  “The grounding was caused by a failure to properly account for the positional uncertainty of the submarine in accordance with approved dived submarine navigational practices and techniques when operating in confined waters.” 
The Board also found that the Commanding Officer of HMCS Corner Brook, Lieutenant-Commander P.A. Sutherland, had responsibility for the safe navigation of the submarine at the time of the grounding.  After careful review of all of the findings, the Commanding Officer was removed from command and reassigned to a position ashore. 
Inadequate training and experience were also found to be contributing factors in this incident.  As a result, the RCN is amending submarine training manuals and making changes to training system and navigation planning practices to prevent a similar occurrence as the Victoria-class fleet nears full operational capability.
HMCS Corner Brook ran aground while conducting training in Nootka Sound.  The grounding occurred when the submarine struck the south eastern wall of Zuciarte Channel as a result of the boat being south-east of its intended position.  There were no serious injuries or operational delays as a result of the accident, however, Corner Brook incurred damage to her bow and experienced minor leakage in a forward ballast tank.  As the grounding occurred just three weeks before Corner Brook’s scheduled extended maintenance period, assessments of the full extent of the damage and cost of repairs will be confirmed as the boat progresses through its maintenance cycle.
In July 2011, HMCS Corner Brook began preparations for the Victoria-class In-Service Support Contract Extended Docking Work Period.  The boat will conduct this scheduled deep maintenance period at Victoria Shipyards Ltd., in Esquimalt.

Read more here

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Human error, the same cause as the Exxon Valdez grounding in Prince William Sound, the same reason over and over again, there is no way to eliminate human error...

I would like to remind you that this submarine has the most sophisticated navigational equipment in the world...And I would like to remind you that oil tankers can only get a maximum of $500 million dollars worth of insurance..

And there is another threat...Terrorism, imagine a terrorist blowing up an oil tanker on our coast, the Northern coast is remote and there is a risk..

Time to repost this article! The one below.
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It can`t happen again can it? (Updated)

1989 in Prince William sound Alaska the Exxon Valdez ran aground on bligh reef, releasing 37,000(11 million gallons) tons of crude oil into a pristine marine wonderland, it shocked me then and saddens me today.

(Updated January 24/2010...In case you haven`t heard, because of Human error AGAIN, a major oil spill in Houston occured yesterday, 490,000 gallons, a barge ran into a tanker, a tiny spill though it is, the Enbridge pipeline would be bringing hundreds of Super Tankers larger than the Exxon Valdez plying our foggy,cruise ship laden inside waters every year, one accident, one human error ,one act of terrorism, one mentally deranged Captain and our west coast could be gone for hundreds of years, in fact there was a story out recently about the Valdez spill site,20 years later and heavy crude is still thick under all the rocks on shore, death and no recovery for fish,herring,shellfish, so in light of this latest spill I am re-posting this TRUE STORY) (read about the Houston Spill here) http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/01/23/texas.oil.spill/index.html

Please read this link,look at the great pictures,20 years later, still heavy crude oil everywhere, http://seawayblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/exxon-valdez-20-years-after-ecological.html


You know friends, sometimes I`m a little ruff with my stories, I`ve taken a lot of personal hits through my life and I really don`t have much left to lose, but I really am a big softy, I rescue cats,take them in,my oldest burmese cat is chasing 24 years of age, heck, had him longer than any relationship, ah but I digress, back in 1989,no internet, no 24 hour news channels for the masses and certainly T.V. coverage is not that of today but the images that came back from what coverage there was on this 35th largest oil spill in the world was gripping, the massive vessel hung up on a reef and this expanding oil slick, and days later the scenes grew and grew and then pictures of thousands of oiled birds,otters stiff dead, floating fish and my god, what have we done,madness, and the heroic but futile efforts of rescue and containment teams, the volunteers on the rocks in around the sound in coves,bays inlets, these futile attempts in steam cleaning individual rocks and sponging up globs of oil an ounce at a time, the wildlife scenes,the dead wildlife scenes grew and lingered and week after week these scenes were on T. V. and to this day the images are burned into memory.
Anyways, as you know by now the freighter Hebei Lion ran aground last week during a storm,winds were recorded between 90 and 120 kilometer per hour winds, the vessel dragged anchor and god damn we were real lucky, this sucker carries tonnes of heavy fuel, according to experts we were extra lucky,it hit Conconi reef in Navy channel near Mayne island and if not for the fact that it was at mid-low tide and rising, 12 hours later it would of been the reverse situation and we would be talking disaster!
And are we naive as people? Was it a fluke,one in a million bit of bad luck, yet I remember 1989, I wish I could forget, writing this story is bound to trigger a scary dream, damn this photographic memory, but I don`t have to go back that far to be alarmed, didn`t we have near hurricane winds that tore up Stanley park,the island, heck,I had 20 trees down on my road alone up here on the sunshine coast, landlocked for a week, what if it dragged anchor and grounded in one of those storms, maybe you figure I`m being paranoid, well being a salty dog for my entire life dad and I have witnessed,survived many flash storms on the coast,straight line winds that come up out of the blue, many times having to hide,run from the weather, tuck inside the lee of an island, on the west coast, Bamfield, jervis inlet, scary stuff but being in smaller boats,smaller compared to tankers,freighters, 30 40 foot nimble boats, the big boys can`t turn around in a hurry or hide, these storms cells aren`t the rareity but the norm in B.C..
Several friends of mine, my commercial fisherman buddies have told me stories of hacate straight, storms out of the blue,30 40 foot waves in an hour from calm, and today the Northern Adventure, part of our bc ferry fleet got stuck in a storm there,they had to turn around,several crew members had minor injuries and cars on the car deck got damaged from sliding around, man, that must of been one scary turn on that ferry, been there done that, Deborah Marshall bc ferry spokeswoman said when asked why the ferry was out in a storm that rough she responded " The forecast was for the storm to arrive much later than it did and the ferry got caught" and tonight my friends the ferry still isn`t running because of another storm but it can`t happen again can it?
Here is the start of the list of the 20 largest oil spills in the world,the Valdez ranked 35th and way way back in the amount of oil spilt.
Rank----ship name-------------------year--------location-----------spill size(tons)

1. Atlantic Empress-----------1979----off Tobago,west-----------287.000
2. ABT Summer-----------------1991-700 nautical miles off Angola---260.000
3. Castillo de Bellver-----1983--off Saldanha bay,south Africa---252.000
4. Amoca Cadiz----------------1978 off Brittany, France--------223.000
5. Haven---------------------------1991--------Genoa, Italy------144.000
6. Odyssy--------1988--700 nautical miles off Nova Scotia---132.000
7. Torrey Canyon---------------1967-------Scicily isles, UK------119.000
8. Sea Star-------------------------1972-------Gulf of Oman--------115.000
9. Irene`s Seranade----1980-Navarino bay,greece--------100.000
10. Urquiola----------1976-------La Coruna, Spain------------100.000
11. Hawaiin Patriot----1989--300 nautical miles off Honolulu---95.000
12. Independence------1979-------Bosphorous, Turkey------------95.000
13. Jakob Maersk------1975-----Oporto,Portugal-------------------88.000
14. Braer------1993-----Shetland islands, UK--------------------85.000
15. Khark 5--1989------120 nautical miles off Atlantic coast of Morrocco 80.000

Vessels longer than football fields and able to carry enough oil to fill several hundred olympic sized pools,now after the Valdez went aground the US court mandated all vessels entering US waters must be double hulled by 2020, were not quite there yet,the Valdez was the most expensive clean-up in the history of oil spills even though it is only the 35th largest spill,tiny in comparison to the list above,the reason, our coast,coves,inlets,bays,wildlife,shellfish,salmon,birds otters,bears,first nations,generational families, the clean up cost estimated at 2.5 billion dollars,including fines and punitive damages it could be as high as 9.5 billion dollars,yet the case is still not settled,the US supreme court in 2007 decided to hear the case,Exxon mobil corp already had the 5 billion dollar awarded in 1994 by an Anchorage jury cut in half and they are still appealing that decision, from what I`ve read Exxon can drag this stuff out forever, it`s called risk management or business management issues,in other words they have so many lawyers on retainer it costs nothing to fight forever and as time goes by the award is shrinking purely with inflation and crude prices, they can fight forever, so if we had a catastrophic spill there is no one to pay for the clean up, I have read up on the practice of insurance on these supertankers, the maximum they are insured for is about 1 billion dollars but most are only insured for 150 million dollars and with the way these vessels are registered we would never find an owner or company to make us whole.
Yet even if they paid in full, exxon when oil was at 150$ per barrel they were making 40 billion$ plus per quarter they still won`t pay punitive damages, and how do you put a price on paradise, the inside passage, areas full of amazing life, history, local eco systems, my back yard, your childrens playground, maybe we should mandate those scenes from the Exxon Valdez spill be played weekly on tv as a reminder, force politicians and the public to view those horrific scenes over and over again, welcome to my world because I still see those visions,damn memory,what a wuuss I am, I`m getting teary eyed writing this and I watched saving private Ryan on KVOS tv last night again ,and I still teared up, where was I, and why am I bringing this up, it can`t happen again,can it? You know,I hope you`re aware that the Campbell gang is pushing that Enbridge pipeline from Alberta to Kitimat and if that happens it means we will have supertankers plying our waters and I watched the estimate debates for the ministry of energy with Blair Leckstrom, and John Horgan, ndp energy critic and new leader of the ndp and John Horgan asked Blair Leckstrom direct questions, he asked if he and the campbell government were lobbying Ottawa to lift the moratorium on oil tankers on the BC coast and Leckstrom answered yes! He said that they were in favour of offshore oil n gas drilling and tanker traffic and he stated that if Ottawa sees fit to lift the moratorium they were prepared to safely operate,hmmm.
It can`t happen again can it, reading documents about tanker traffic it`s quite clear that the equipment is safe, technology,radar, GPS, modern navigating equipment, but the experts,I have the data, 75% of all oil spill accidents are human error, and nothing,no technology can stop that, maybe I`m paranoid,one in a million,the Hebei lion that just ran aground on thursday, the media completely missed the story, never even examined the potential threat, a 30 second sound bite when we were lucky beyond belief that we didn`t have a ecological disaster in the lower gulf islands but,one in a million right, or not, the captain of the Exxon Valdez was apparently drunk and snoozing and left a clueless crew mate in charge,oops, one in a million,it can`t happen again can it, almost forgot about the bc ferry crashing Horseshoe bay, and then there was the queen of the north, human error, I don`t know,they did hit an island,oops, monkey business on the bridge,who knows, they had the best and recently installed safety equipment,so much for technology

1. 16--Aegean Sea----------------1992-------La Coruna, Spain---------------------------74.000 tons
2. 17--Sea Empress--------------1996-------Milford Haven, UK------------------------72.000
3. 18--Katina P--------------------1992------off Maputo, Mozambique----------------72.000
4. 19--Nova-------------------------1985-----off Kharg island,gulf of Iran-------------70.000
5. 20--Prestige---------------------2002------off the Spanish coast------------------------63,000
6. 35th--Exxon Valdez---------1989-------Prince William sound---------------------37.000

Besides storms, human errors, accidents can happen while loading super tankers, one of the biggest risks is a collision between cruise ships and oil tankers,and we have a very busy cruise ship industry,everyday they`re are cruise ships plying the inside passage, yet by far the biggest risk is those one in a million human errors that can`t be stopped, it can`t happen again can it?
There is no fail safe, could you imagine if a big spill happened in our inside waters, not a little spill of 37,000 tons like the Valdez but 300,000 tons or more, our coast would be gone for generations,shellfish,birds, herring,bottom fish and those darn cute sea otters that I can`t get out of my head, what cost can you put on that, it would take decades to receive compensation, for a loss that we would never get back,and thats enough to get me all teary eyed again, can we take that chance,can we possibly risk losing what isn`t ours, can we gamble with future generations right to a green environment, our salmon and bears are already hurting, we could lose our pacific salmon without a spill what chance would the salmon have with the herring spawn dead, these forests,our rain forests depend on the salmon, our rain forests contain salmon nitrogen,there`s salmon in these rain forest giants,if the salmon go the bears go,the eagles go, my god,one in a million, human error, fog, equipment malfunction, hurricane force winds,isolated straight line winds.
We hardly have any fish compared to when I was a youth, yes,I remember yesterday, god damn it that`s why I get so angry because I can remember yesterday.
I dedicate this story to Alexandra Morten, this star has given her life to protect my soul, for without the salmon I am nothing, my mom,my dad are salmon to me, if i can write one story that can make a difference in this world I will die a happy man.
Let the Federal Government know that no pipeline is coming, if they want pitchforks,they`ll get them!.....Email environment minister here Prentice.J@parl.gc.ca Environment Canada here enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca


The Straight Goods

Cheers-Eyes wide Open

Posted by Grant G

 _________________________________________________________

The Straight Goods

Cheers Eyes Wide Open 

NPA Homophobes Strike Again

Sophia Woo and Ken Denike should be ashamed of themselves....


__________________________________________________________
 A day after one online video controversy, NPA school trustees Ken Denike and Sophia Woo have found themselves at the centre of another.
The video shows the pair at a picnic for a Chinese Christian group.
In the video, Denike says a Vision board wants to make sweeping changes...
"Promoting having basically mandatory involvement in the curriculum of gay, lesbian, etc."
But school board chair Patti Bacchus says changes were not in the works -- adding Vancouver's LGBT policy has been in place for seven years.
She says Denike and Woo appear to have a different message when speaking to ethnic minorities.
"It certainly contradicts what these two trustees have been saying, particularly in english during the campaign, yet when language would switch and we'd be in Chinese media, trustee Woo would bring up one of the anti-homophobia programs...again."
Bacchus says it’s clear the pair were trying to get votes by pandering.
NPA school trustee Ken Denike is issuing an apology...sort of.
It comes after a video posted on you-tube shows him and trustee Sophia Woo, telling a group of Chinese Christians that Vision Vancouver wants to put gay and lesbian issues into the curriculum.
Now Denike says that’s not what he meant.
"It came across as a bit of a shambles quite frankly, and it’s something that I should have had better preparation for instead of having the translation done on the fly...if it comes across that way I apologize."
Denike says he supports the boards' LGBT policies -- which have been in place since 2007.
School board chair Patti Bacchus has accused Denike and Woo of pandering to an ethnic community, while saying something completely different in english-language media
____________________________________________________________

More on this story here, including the video.


These are the worst kind of politicians, they speak out of both sides of their mouth.

Gregor Robertson might not be the greatest Mayor in the world but thank goodness the vast majority saw through the hate and voted in a Vision, a vision that doesn`t include divisive religious zealots.

The Straight Goods

Cheers Eyes Wide Open

Time for Another Photo Op Christy Clark

Christy Clark and Pat(pledge pin) Bell earlier this year flew up to Northern BC for another photo op, they went by plane, by helicopter, with hand picked BC Pab media spinners in tow...

What was the big news?..The Kitwanga saw mill was re-opening after being idled for several years...

In typical Christy Clark fashion she boasted and bragged.....Check out the BC Liberal video of the event here, make sure you watch the part where Christy and pledge pin Bell are making flapjacks for the workers..

Well guess what, the mill has closed again because they can`t get any fiber and lumber prices have crashed(I wonder why), but the funny part is there is truckload after truckload of raw logs heading for China driving right past the mill, imagine that!
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The Kitwanga sawmill in northwestern British Columbia just opened in June, but due to a swift decline in lumber demand, the mill is already taking downtime.
“We started the mill in the early summer period. All the experts leading up to that period in time were predicting stronger market outlooks,” Pacific Bioenergy president Wayne Young said. “It’s unfortunate things have softened since.”
Lumber prices have fallen this year, and Chinese demand is dropping due to an inventory build up in China.

Industry analyst Paul Quinn of RBC Capital Markets said China is known for buying and building inventory when the prices are low, then climb out of the market while prices climb.

Quinn believes we will see more short-term mill closures, but he expects this is a short-term issue.
_________________________________________

Kitwanga Lumber applies for bankruptcy protection

December 8th, 2011 | Posted in Financial News | No comments » Kitwanga Lumber Co. Ltd. has applied for bankruptcy protection.
Kitwanga Lumber is a subsidiary of Pacific BioEnergy Corporation. Pacific BioEnergy purchased the Kitwanga sawmill in northwestern British Columbia out of receivership in the fall of 2009.
The Kitwanga sawmill had just reopened in June, but the markets softened and the sawmill closed temporarily in October. The company has said it was unsuccessful in their attempts to seek new nice markets for their specialty wood products mill, and the outlook for 2012 is not expected to improve.

Read more here

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Let me say this, I don`t blame the pretend premier for the mill closing but I am sick n tired of the photo-op queen wasting $millions flying PAB and her media stooges around the Province trying to score political points.

I would like to point out something that industry experts know and what they explicitly stated above...

"China is known for buying and building inventory when the prices are low, then climb out of the market while prices climb."

If anyone thinks China will be BC`s saviour is fooling themselves, China is on the verge of a domestic housing bubble crash, their exports are falling faster than Christy Clark`s face lift.....And the news gets worse, Natural gas prices have tanked, current prices are barely over $3 dollars per unit and that means the province of BC will be short a fortune, their budget numbers were based on $4 dollar to $6 dollar per unit on natural gas...Expect at least another $400 million added to this years budget deficit before the year is out.

But  here`s the deal, British Columbia saturated the lumber market by dumping billions of raw logs into the market, by being greedy environmental sell outs they crashed the market and indirectly have led to the closure of dozens of BC mills, don`t BC Liberals understand supply and demand?....

The BC Liberals are so damn stupid with their corporate ideology, look at the natural gas price slide, here is a detailed chart....


Christy Clark doesn`t understand anything about business and even less about the Chinese...We have a finite amount of natural gas and presently there is a world glut of natural gas, Christy wants 5 LNG plants opened up, the Australians are way ahead of us and the USA is going fracking crazy too, the present price and royalty rates has BC making nothing on the gas, nothing, add  5 new massive LNG plants everywhere and the price will remain flat or worse and the Chinese will have us right where they want us, begging for crumbs!

Like I wrote about before, slow and steady wins the race and if we were smart, we would go real slow and build but 1 LNG plant and let other countries exhaust their supplies, keep the price up, british Columbia would be better of with 1 LNG plant making profits and providing decent royalties to the province than 5 plants driving down the price while ravaging the province...

Time to think long term, time to think like the Chinese!


The Straight Goods


Cheers Eyes Wide Open

Don Mcrae, The Man Whose Brain Went on Vacation!(updated)

 

Alexandra Morton has the Straight Goods, the bottom line, BC Liberals are bold-faced liars and Don Mcrae is a lying(To steal a line from Justin Trudeau)  Piece of SHIT



I mentioned before in a previous post that there is something seriously wrong with Comox Valley MLA Don Mcrae, in my opinion he must be using heavy pharmaceutical drugs, his mannerisms, his complete lack of knowledge on anything, but what`s most disturbing of all is..

The man thinks serious issues are but a joke, there is a time and place for partisan politics and there is a time for answers, serious answers, it`s rather disturbing what a man will say when the aquaculture industry donates money towards his election.

Today`s question period, I recommend you watch the whole session, Don Mcrae rises to speaks jibberish at the end.....

Michael Sather called Don Mcrae`s answer what it was...."The worst answer ever given in question period history", and I agree..

When Michael Sather asked this minister about the Norwegian ISA SALMON ANEMIA VIRUS found in BC`s wild Salmon,

TEST RESULTS FOR DISEASE
IN WILD SALMON
M. Sather: "The infectious salmon anemia virus has been discovered in wild salmon in Rivers Inlet. This is a potentially devastating disease that hasn't been reported before in the North Pacific.

The Chilean farming industry was devastated by this same virus: $2 billion in losses, production cut by half and 26,000 people laid off.

We have a lot more to be concerned about here in British Columbia as well. We have our world-renowned sport-fishing industry, our commercial industry and our First Nations food fishery.

Now, Dr. James Winton, who leads the fish health research group at the Western Fisheries Research Center in Seattle, called this outbreak a "disease emergency." My question to the Minister of Agriculture is: does he agree with the assessment of Dr. Winton?"

To which Don Mcrae said.....

Hon. D. McRae: "Well, we've got another example of spinning media headlines and fearmongering from the opposition.
The reality is this. The lab results were sent to PEI. They were sent to PEI. They were not following protocol when, instead of actually contacting CFIA, they went directly to SFU, which in turn went to the media.
When CFIA then, in turn, said, "We'd like to do our test samples," and said, "We'd like to test the fish," well, unfortunately, I'm advised that the tested-positive results at the PEI lab were destroyed, and therefore, not available to CFIA.
Now, what I want to make sure that we have very clear in this chamber today for all members here and all members of the public is that ISA poses no risk to human health. I don't want people leaving this chamber for one second thinking that ISA is a problem to human health"

Well well well Don Mcrae, this isn`t about the health concerns of people, it`s about the survival of BC`s wild salmon, you are such a dolt Mcrae!

Michael Sather then scolded Don Mcrae for his idiotic answer.

"M. Sather: Well, in my time in this House that has got to be one of the worst answers I have ever heard. The minister is really making a mistake in going this route.
Those fish were tested by the World Organisation for Animal Health. Now, if the minister wants to quibble with the worldwide body that's responsible for fish health, go ahead — fill your boots — but you're making a big mistake.
And you're making a big mistake about not taking what's happening to our fish, our wild fish, our salmon farm fish in this province…. You're not taking it seriously, Minister, and you ought to be ashamed and apologize right now."

Don Mcrae  then made this stupid comeback

"What's really important, though, is that when an allegation or a test is done, we make sure that the protocols are done to make sure that CFIA (Canadian food inspection agency) can ensure that these results were fair, accurate and basically making sure that they react accordingly.
One study needs to be backed with another."

You Don Mcrae are not worthy of being an MLA, your brain is missing, you are as useless as a sack of hammers!

How many studies will it take Don Mcrae?

My two questions to Christy Clucking Clark are......

How on earth could Don Mcrae be the minister of anything.....And is Harry Bloy Don Mcrae`s Uncle?


The potential loss of BC`s wild salmon is very serious.....If you were in front of me Don Mcrae, I would slap you silly with an Atlantic Salmon!

Watch the shocking question period here.

Updated here.....Our clown minister Don Mcrae may not take the matter serious but our Americans neighbors do,...Three count em three  US senators are demanding action from both the Canadian Federal Government and the BC Provincial Government on the ISA breakout on our central coast, these senators are worried about the survival of wild salmon in both Washington state and Alaska.....Tens of thousands of jobs could be lost with a major outbreak....Here is a little cut n paste.....

___________________________________________________________________________________________


The Harper government, which on Thursday described as "inconclusive" tests showing British Columbia wild sockeye salmon have been infected with a potentially devastating virus, isn't taking the matter as seriously as top politicians in the U.S., the House of Commons was told Thursday.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
The New Democratic Party drew attention to a statement issued earlier in the day by three American senators who have made a bipartisan appeal to U.S. government officials to probe the possible spread of infectious salmon anemia.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
The senators, describing the disease as "the Canadian salmon virus," are calling on the National Aquatic Animal Health Task Force to analyze the risk of it spreading.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
"We need to act now to protect the Pacific Northwest's coastal economy and jobs," Washington state Senator Maria Cantwell said.
"There's no threat to human health, but infectious salmon anemia could pose a serious threat to Pacific Northwest wild salmon and the thousands of Washington State jobs that rely on them."
 ______________________________________________________________________________________________
NDP fisheries critic Fin Donnelly said the Canadian government isn't taking seriously the news earlier this week sockeye tested positive for the disease.
 ____________________________________________________________________________________It has been described as the first time the disease has been detected on the West Coast, and Routledge said the only "plausible" source was fish farms.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Morton has alleged that the virus also likely is to be found in B.C. farmed salmon, though the government and aquaculture industry said there's no evidence of that.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
"The U.S. recognizes the urgent need to protect their coastal economy and jobs, but this government is mute," 
.______________________________________________________________________________________________
 The virus found on the two smolts has been identified as the European strain of the virus, which has been found in Atlantic wild salmon. B.C. has imported more than 30 million Atlantic salmon eggs over the past 25 years.
  __________________________________________________________________________________________
The same virus pummeled Chilean fish farms in 2007-08, killing millions of fish and resulting in several fish farm and processing plant closures.
 _____________________________________________________________________________________________
The three U.S. senators are Cantwell, a Democrat, and two Alaskans, Republican Lisa Murkowski and Democrat Mark Begich.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
The Alaskan senators used the news release to contrast their state's policy of promoting the wild salmon fishery against the government-supported B.C. aquaculture industry.
____________________________________________________________________________________________ .
Begich said the B.C. virus is a threat to Alaska, "the world's premier producer of wild salmon."

Read the whole story here

 Don Mcrae and the BC Liberals may think this is a game of hide and seek, hide the data, hide the real story, deny delay and deflect, I can guarantee you this, if there is ISA  the Americans will find and prove it, all around the world from Chile to Scotland to Norway wild salmon runs have been devastated by diseased farmed fish.....You can`t have tens of thousands of salmon living in a bathtub without disease, the salmon get sick and die,  fish farmers attempt to mitigate disease with the use of toxic chemicals and loading farmed salmon with antibiotics,it doesn`t work!

Don Mcrae,.....Perhaps you might want to try your comedy routine on those three American Senators!

This post originally appeared here 2 months ago....With new evidence proving that the BC Liberals and DFO are lying pieces of garbage it deserved a re-posting!

The Straight Goods

Cheers Eyes Wide Open

Enbridge inc are criminals, period!

This is what Enbridge does, they kill off wildlife, they kill off humanity, they bribe officials, they lie, they cheat, they corrupt, they pit man against his fellow man, nation against nation...

Perhaps you remember the 800,000 gallons of oil Enbridge spilled into the Kalamazoo river...

Perhaps you heard that Enbridge cleaned it up...You heard wrong, Enbridge created a fake environment, they laid down matting over top of oil saturated land, covered it with dirt and planted grass to hide their shame!

This is Stephen Harper`s world, scorched earth and poison while dining in the corporate penthouses.

This video is exactly why the northern Enbridge pipeline won`t happen, thousands of BCers will die to stop it, no Canadian army or Harper Stalag will slow down the protests!

Yes indeed, Harper has already started dossiers and intel on First Nations, dossiers on environmentalists.

Enbridge is a criminal organization guilty of crimes against humanity...

You think I`m kidding....

I suggest you watch what Enbridge does when no one is looking.


The shocking proof is here......

And if that wasn`t enough proof to charge Enbridge with criminal acts...

Click on this video here



The Straight Goods

Cheers Eyes Full of Tears

Enbridge Attempts to Hoodwink British Columbia

Enbridge inc has had over 1000 oil pipeline spills in the last decade, there is no way they can guarantee oil spills won`t happen in BC, over 100 per year during the last decade and for Enbridge to make the claim that more spills won`t happen.....Enbridge are lying corrupt bastards and pure math tells us that there would be many oil spills in BC....

That last statement is the only real truth!

Here is a cut n paste from Wikipedia.

____________________________________________________________

Spills and violations

Using data from Enbridge's own reports, the Polaris Institute calculated that 804 spills occurred on Enbridge`s pipelines between 1999 and 2010. These spills released approximately 168,645 barrels (26,812.4 m³) of hydrocarbons into the environment.^[9]
On July 4, 2002 an Enbridge pipeline ruptured in a marsh near the town of Cohasset, Minnesota in Itasca County, spilling 6,000 barrels (950 m³) of crude oil. In an attempt to keep the oil from contaminating the Mississippi River, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources set a controlled burn that lasted for 1 day and created a smoke plume about 1-mile (1.6 km) high and 5 miles (8.0 km) long.^[10]
In 2006, there were 67 reportable spills totaling 5,663 barrels (900.3 m³) on Enbridge's energy and transportation and distribution system; in 2007, there were 65 reportable spills totaling 13,777 barrels (2,190.4 m³) ^[11]
On March 18, 2006, approximately 613 barrels (97.5 m³) of crude oil were released when a pump failed at Enbridge's Willmar terminal in Saskatchewan.^[12] According to Enbridge, roughly half the oil was recovered, the remainder contributing to 'off-site' impacts.
On January 1, 2007 an Enbridge pipeline that runs from Superior, Wisconsin to near Whitewater, Wisconsin cracked open and spilled ~50,000 US gallons (190 m³) of crude oil onto farmland and into a drainage ditch.^[13] The same pipeline was struck by construction crews on February 2, 2007, in Rusk County, Wisconsin, spilling ~126,000 US gallons (480 m³) of crude. Some of the oil filled a hole more than 20 feet (6.1 m) deep and was reported to have contaminated the local water table.^[14]
In April 2007, roughly 6,227 barrels (990.0 m³) of crude oil spilled into a field downstream of an Enbridge pumping station near Glenavon, Saskatchewan. Long-term site remediation is being attempted to bring the site to "as close as possible to its original condition".^[12]
In 2009, Enbridge Energy Partners, a US affiliate of Enbridge Inc., agreed to pay $1.1 million to settle a lawsuit brought against the company by the state of Wisconsin for 545 environmental violations.^[15] In a news release from Wisconsin's Department of Justice, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said "...the incidents of violation were numerous and widespread, and resulted in impacts to the streams and wetlands throughout the various watersheds."^[16] The violations were incurred while building portions of the company's Southern Access pipeline, a ~$2.1 billion project to transport crude from the oil sands region in Alberta to Chicago.
In January 2009 an Enbridge pipeline leaked about 4,000 barrels (640 m³) of oil southeast of Fort McMurray at the company's Cheecham Terminal tank farm. It was reported in the Edmonton Journal that most of the spilled oil was contained within berms, but that about 1% of the oil, about 40 barrels (6.4 m³), sprayed into the air and coated nearby snow and trees.^[17]
April 2010 an Enbridge pipeline ruptured spilling more than 1500 litres of oil in Virden, Manitoba, which leaked into the Boghill Creek which eventually connects to the Assiniboine River.^[18]
July 2010, a leaking pipeline spilled an estimated 843,444 US gallons (3,192.78 m³) of crude oil into Talmadge Creek leading to the Kalamazoo River in southwest Michigan on Monday, July 26.^[19][20]
On September 9, 2010, a rupture on Enbridge's Line 6A pipeline near Romeoville, Illinois released an estimate 6,100 barrels (970 m³) of oil into the surrounding area.

_______________________________________________________________

Recently three people connected to the Gitxsan first Nation illegally signed a deal with Enbridge, but, but these three people had no authority to sign such a deal, and, the Gitxsan Fisrt Nation`s inland territory is over 50 miles from the pipeline route, they aren`t even a coastal first nation..

Enbridge is acting like a criminal organization.....When will they realize that blood will be spilled if they attempt to ram through this project...

The three people who illegally signed a deal with Enbridge are in hiding, the deal is off, null n void...

Here is what the real Gitxsan First Nation people have to say, the below is from the new Gitxsan web site.

______________________________________________________________

The Gitxsan have long been recognized as leaders in the First Nation’s political process with regards to the Delgamuuk case which allowed First Nation’s oral history to be accepted as legal documentation in defining First Nation’s territories, due to the fact that First Nation’s culture is based on Oral History and not written. Therefore, taking a giant step forward for First Nations land title recognition, all First Nation cultures are defined by the land, and the land is who we are. We will fight for our future generations and do what is necessary to ensure the survival of our culture, which is connected directly to the land.

Recently we have taken a hit. The driving forces of the Gitxsan Treaty Society, Gordon Sebastian, Elmer Derrick, and Beverly Clifton, while attending an Enbridge meeting in Vancouver, oversaw the signing of a contract with Enbridge without consulting or receiving approval from the hereditary Chiefs or the people of our Nation. All at the same time stating that they represent all Gitxsan; to which the majority of the Gitxsan people were completely unaware.

The Gitxsan were once again left in the dark by the very people that claim to be working on their behalf. This in essence was a repeat of history as the Gitxsan Nation was once again caught off guard when they learned of this deal the same way the rest of the population found out, through the media (Alternative Governance Model advertisements, Beijing Olympics 2008) The Gitxsan were unaware of that this terrible deed discrediting the Gitxsan people was done.

The Gitxsan quickly sprang into action. Drafting publications that explained to our neighboring nations who had recently united in a 61 Nation coalition against Enbridge, the injustices our people are working to correct. Swift political and legal action was taken in retaliation to the Gitxsan Treaty Society’s blatant attempt at seizing and manipulating Gitxsan power. The people had enough, we quickly gathered and marched on the Gitxsan Treaty Society building, and all parties involved in the Enbridge signing were quickly removed from their positions and other Gitxsan Treaty Society staff members were laid off until further notice.

After the building was vacated the people boarded up the entrances and set up camp. Gordon Sebastian was quick to react and got a Supreme Court decision to have the camp blocking the entrance removed so he could enter, but with no prevail. The people remained. Even with the threat of being arrested, the people still remained. A spark was ignited, the whole Gitxsan nation was in a buzz. Everybody was interested in what we were doing. Suddenly a huge wave of support was pouring in from every direction. People were constantly coming around and showing their support. Making sure we were well fed and our coffee was hot. Many Gitxsan youth were coming to us and getting informed and quickly some became our strongest supporters.

It’s strange how sometimes only in the face of peril, people will finally see past the minor differences and unite as one. Enbridge and the Gitxsan Treaty Society have done nothing but help to unite the Gitxsan as a people and bring our communities closer.

You can read more   

________________________________________________________________________________

 And here is more of the Straight Goods from Journalist extraordinaire Merv Ritchie

Merv Ritchie

  

  · 

This is the claim recently made in a commentary Elmer Derrick submitted and had published in the Vancouver Sun, “Elmer Derrick is the hereditary chief of the Gitxsan Nation.” This is quite a claim to make. The question is, after accepting upwards of 20 million dollars from the BC Government to run the Gitxsan Treaty Society, does Derrick truly believe this to be a fact, that he is “The” Hereditary Chief?

The Vancouver Sun, and most of the mainstream media, has done a great disservice to all British Columbians. When the 61 First Nations issued a declaration of opposition to the Enbridge project the announcement did not get a bold and prominently featured front page headline. But when one man, Elmer Derrick makes a declaration he supported the Enbridge project, it became exactly that; a front page 'full page spread' declaration of First Nations support for Enbridge.

The same thing happened in late November when most of the mainstream media reported the executive director of Coastal First Nations, Art Sterritt, declared they might consider supporting Enbridge. This was a twist of the truth and caused Sterritt and the Coastal First Nations to issue their own News release reaffirming their opposition.

The problem with these mainstream media mis-representations of the truth is they set the ground work for the future. When the Northwest communities begin standing in opposition to the construction of the pipeline the millions of Canadians who have read and believed the headlines will see the protesters as a fringe group. The vast majority of the population will have it in their heads, they will know they read it somewhere, the First Nations groups support Enbridge.

This is the great tragedy of allowing the Media to remain unchallenged in their mis-representation, and unfair presentation of the truth and the facts. Canadians become mis-informed and then confused on the truth. When did it become okay in Canada to have lies allowed to be printed as truth in our Nations newspapers and broadcast on the airwaves?

Elmer Derrick is not “The” Hereditary Chief. The truth is he has been involved in a court case for years where a number of Gitxsan Hereditary Chiefs have been suing Derrick and the Treaty Society demanding he stop making the claim that he even speaks on behalf of the Hereditary Chiefs.

The Vancouver Sun should know this. All media present at the news conference when Enbridge and Derrick announced their new agreement to the world were listening as reporter after reporter asked Derrick where he got his authority and what Gitxsan members supported him in this position. They all heard how Derrick could not answer. They all heard him say, “[I know the Gitxsan support this] just by talking to people.”

Some reporters could be heard expressing incredulity, some even openly chuckled at Derricks claims, yet none of the mainstream media allowed these real reports to grace their front pages.

The real headline should have been “Enbridge touts one man who is prepared to betray all Indians”. Now that would have been truth in reporting. But still the Vancouver Sun continues this charade. On December 8, 2011, on page A15 they devote a third page allowing Derrick to claim even more legitimacy with the claim he is “The” Hereditary Chief without so much as a whisper about the Gitxsan Nation locking him and his associates out of their offices and their declaration that they are all fired or the continuing lawsuit against them. 

 Read Merv`s complete ball-busting story here

A personal thanks from me to you Merv, you are one gutsy class act....Good Day
 _______________________________________________________________________________
 Enbridge is a sleazy greedy oil company who could care less if they poison the world...Your pipeline will never go forward, 80% of British Columbians are strongly opposed to the project, blood and violence and the demise of the Federal Conservatives will be the only outcome if this insanity continues!


There is already the Kinder Motgan pipeline going to Vancouver harbour, that can be doubled up and Vancouver harbour or the southern Gulf Islands can take the risk...Hecate Strait and the Northern BC coast has the roughest seas in the world, the highest waves, the most treacherous cosatline in the world, and it`s also still pristine and alive with wildlife.


Stick your tarsand greed up your ass Stephen Harper!


The Straight Goods


Cheers Eyes Wide Open

Vancouver Sun writer lies, editors let it slide!

I wonder if this Vancouver Sun writer is prepared to retract or edit his story, because clearly he`s delusional or insane....I`ll let you decide...And if you have a minute email the Vancouver Sun and give them a blast...

The Writer`s story is so full of wishful embellishments and lies, perhaps his next articles should be moved to the funny pages!

There are many misleading statements made by this nutcase, but this one shines likes a diamond in the rough..

______________________________________________________________

"The same protest groups have tried to stop the development of Taseko Mines' Prosperity mine project, a $1-billion undertaking to exploit the rich gold and copper resource near Williams Lake. The company has invested an additional $300 million to answer environmental concerns, but the response by the Tsilhquot'in First Nation was to illegally obstruct the company from performing necessary work and to launch court action. The Prosperity Mine would increase employment by 71,000 jobs, provide billions of dollars in revenue to the federal and provincial governments and add $11 billion to gross domestic product. The band and the environmental groups have offered no alternative economic or employment opportunities."

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Jobs+important+sacrificed/5772277/story.html#ixzz1f25fgBYh

_______________________________________________________________

Mr. Harvey Enchin, could you and your corporate bosses please expand on that jobs figure, because as far as I know Tesako stated that the Prosperity mine would employ about 300 employees, with about the same in spin-off jobs....However the environmental damage would be extreme, that`s why the Federal Environmental assessment rejected the project, the Fraser river watershed and salmon/fish survival is far more important.

Harvey Enchin, you are a bold-faced liar, your editors or either sleeping or don`t give a rat`s ass about the truth,  deliberate lies are getting to be synonymous at the Vancouver Sun!

Harvey Enchin, perhaps you should have included this proviso...You know, the one that comes with company future forecasts, ....Here is that proviso..Below is the warning from the Tesako press release, Harvey Enchin literally copied word for word from this release, the below proviso is on the bottom of Tesako`s press release, yet Harvey left it out and other pertinent details and distorted the entire press release....Quality journalism for sure Harvey(insert laughter here)!
_______________________________________________________________







No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved of the information contained in this news release. CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This document contains "forward-looking statements" that were based on Taseko's expectations, estimates and projections as of the dates as of which those statements were made. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "outlook", "anticipate", "project", "target", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "should" and similar expressions.

Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These included but are not limited to:

• uncertainties and costs related to the Company's exploration and development activities, such as those associated with continuity of mineralization or determining whether mineral resources or reserves exist on a property;
• uncertainties related to the accuracy of our estimates of mineral reserves, mineral resources, production rates and timing of production, future production and future cash and total costs of production and milling;
• uncertainties related to feasibility studies that provide estimates of expected or anticipated costs, expenditures and economic returns from a mining project;
• uncertainties related to our ability to complete the mill upgrade on time estimated and at the scheduled cost;
• uncertainties related to the ability to obtain necessary licenses permits for development projects and project delays due to third party opposition;
• uncertainties related to unexpected judicial or regulatory proceedings;
• changes in, and the effects of, the laws, regulations and government policies affecting our exploration and development activities and mining operations, particularly laws, regulations and policies;
• changes in general economic conditions, the financial markets and in the demand and market price for copper, gold and other minerals and commodities, such as diesel fuel, steel, concrete, electricity and other forms of energy, mining equipment, and fluctuations in exchange rates, particularly with respect to the value of the U.S. dollar and Canadian dollar, and the continued availability of capital and financing;
• the effects of forward selling instruments to protect against fluctuations in copper prices and exchange rate movements and the risks of counterparty defaults, and mark to market risk;
• the risk of inadequate insurance or inability to obtain insurance to cover mining risks;
• the risk of loss of key employees; the risk of changes in accounting policies and methods we use to report our financial condition, including uncertainties associated with critical accounting assumptions and estimates;
• environmental issues and liabilities associated with mining including processing and stock piling ore; and
• labour strikes, work stoppages, or other interruptions to, or difficulties in, the employment of labour in markets in which we operate mines, or environmental hazards, industrial accidents or other events or occurrences, including third party interference that interrupt the production of minerals in our mines.

For further information on Taseko, investors should review the Company's annual Form 40-F filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission www.sec.com and home jurisdiction filings that are available at www.sedar.com.

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 You also failed to include this from the press release..

"starting with the 2013 construction phase and ending with the anticipated 2036 closure of the mine."

Now what about that retraction Harvey?....Let me be blunt, you Harvey deliberately failed to include the proviso that...That the numbers you used are a company outlook forecast going to the year 2036...Yet you implied this was the here and now date, you implied that 71,000 jobs would be created if that mine opened tomorrow, you Harvey Enchin copied word for word the Tesako company forecast, yet you left out that these numbers are cumulative over 27 years, even the company Tesako included the cumulative time-line and proviso, you did no such thing, a first year journalism student knows better than that, for shame Vancouver Sun!

The Straight Goods

Cheers Eyes Wide Open