I’ve got quite an issue with the whole closing down parliament business. I will only comment on one side of the many reasons why this action on behalf of Mr Harper is negative to the democratic system that should be in action right now.
Copenhagen.

Copenhagen represented the exact issue of government inaction on an issue that impacts the livelihoods health, economic, and future of enterprise in this wonderful country we call Canada. Now that Mr. Harper and myself are finally back home, he further represents this democratic inaction by prorogued parliament. How are we as civil society supposed to hold our politicians accountable when they aren’t even at work representing us? This isn’t what we elect politicians to do- we elect them to represent us in the house and stand up for the issues that the majority of a specific riding deems important.

Some say politics is the art of the impossible (I don’t necessarily agree), however, democracy is the carrying out of what needs to be done. Proroguing parliament allows Prime Minister Harper to neglect answering the real questions on what happened in Copenhagen. Please write a letter to your local MP and tell them how you feel about the situation at hand.
All across the nation today Canadians from all areas of the social spectrum came out to rally for democracy. Unfortunately I couldn’t make it to the event, however, my letter is off to my local rep!

It pleases me greatly to see so many Canadians become vocal on a topic- I was starting to get worried by the existence of such great apathy- no more, I am inspired- thanks Canada, lets keep this going!

Photos courtesy of Ben West.

Monday, December 18th, I was invited to speak to the Abbotsford Board of Education on my involvement at COP 15 in Copenhagen.
What was initially supposed to be a 10 minute informal presentation on my part extended to 45 minutes as the very responsive board asked a number of questions and made some fantastic comments.

The video is available below, as I talked about what I saw, learned, and have brought back to BC. At the end of the talk, Trustee Shirley Wilson commented on the great representation of the Abbotsford District, while Trustee Field mentioned the benefits of continuing to look at environmental topics from a fact based non political perspective. I completely agree, as I’ve been encouraging people and politicians to view sustainability from the ‘feasability perspective’.

Trustee Sutherland asked about how to manage environmental interests in relation to those of employment: aka Alberta Tar Sands, and I replied with the response about a need for balance between the two (check out the earlier post Canada is more than the tar (oil) sands).

As the evening’s delegation, I was accompanied by Abbotsford Collegiate Principal Mr. Lance Macdonald and IB coordinator Karen Saenger. At the end of my talk, I encouraged the Board and Chairwoman Schaeffer to continue a path of sustainability by fulfilling the province’s mandate of all public institutions going carbon neutral in 2010. I even mentioned the implementation of a district wide recycling program as an example of how a small environmental change can have a major fiscal payoff by an initiative of efficiency.

Vote on what you think about Metro Van’s idea to build incinerators…

Friday afternoon I had a fantastic meeting with Mr. John Van Dongen, MLA for Abbotsford South.
In addition to sharing my experiences at COP 15, as the only Abbotsford representative, we discussed current projects in the Fraser Valley and Abbotsford that pertain to environmental sustainability.

It was a pleasure to meet with one of the local representatives for an honest and frank discussion on politics, the environment, and public engagement on issues. He shared two key things that I want to share with you:

1.) He reads all of his mail. Not email, but all the letters that arrive at the office. For those who believe that whenever they send something off to a legislative rep it goes off into some abyss of politics and beaurocracy. We have more power than every before because our elected decision makers and politicians can hear us. So…Write letters!

2.) We need buy in. It’s clear that if there is opposition to a provincial proposal, that the majority of British Columbians support, the proposal shouldn’t go through. Herein lies the problem: It is the citizens collective responsibility to hold politicians accountable- afterall the purpose of government is to serve the people. If citizens don’t assert their democratic responsibility on the things that matter to them, there is too much freedom on behalf of the government to things that contradict the will of the citizens.

So… Lets pick a cause: South Fraser Perimeter Road going up in the Delta Region under the Gateway project. If citizens don’t support it, they have to display that majority buy in or…buy out of the project. It isn’t about two people that are yelling loudly, it’s about the thousands that are visibly in opposition or support of something- at least according to Mr. Van Dongen.

Overall it was a fantastic opportunity to discuss and share opinions with the local rep. The moral of the story environmentally or on almost any topic is the need for balance and the need to ensure that one side isn’t looked at in isolation or from only one perspective. Solutions to issues are complex and multifaceted, and the more we can bring it down to a community level the more of an impact can be had. Within the next weeks I hope to meet with my MLA from Abbotsford West, Attorney General Mike DeJong…keep you posted!

Today is a busy day to Plug Out and Tune In.
I met with MLA John Van Dongen this afternoon and will be attending the forum on ‘Cohabitation’ at ARC. Check it out!

Community Event: Cohabitation Talk at ARC

Steve Fanning of the Morning Show on Country 107.1 interviewed me this morning on my experiences in Copenhagen. He asked some of the tough questions on what is necessary for taking environmental action and we were able to discuss some of the political issues facing Canada within the environmental framework.

Have a listen:

Check out my newest post on the Rainforest Action Network’s Community Blog:

Here is a short video I’ve created showcasing some of the videos and photos from COP 15. The song is by John Ceesay and the Global Youth Climate Movement from the YOUNGO COP 15 event.

Enjoy and please forward it on!

I’d like to say a quick thanks to all those who have supported me in attending COP 15.  You have allowed me to have the opportunity to speak out in Copenhagen, learn, and come back energized and excited to continue work here in BC. Please feel free to contact me if you would like me to make a presentation to your organization and let you know what I learned and have brought back from Copenhagen.

Thank you.

In alphabetical order:

Abbotsford Collegiate
Abbotsford Youth Commission
Aird Flavelle
Avtar Bath
Belkorp Environmental Services
Bonnie Bausenhaus
David Goulet
Douglas MacAdams
Dr. Lionel Traverse
Eliza Olson
Erica Stahl
Flooring Canada
George Peary
Gord Yakimow
Jaqueline Ashby
Johanna & Hendrik Saaltink
John Vissers
Kathleen Wilikinson
Kenneth and Irene Peterson
Keith Hebert
Mark Johnson
Marcelino Gonzalee
Mike Gildersleeve
Netzah Garcia
Wally Davyduke
Paul and Wendy Dadalt
Pauline Favero
P.M. Phelan
Preet Rai
Rod Shead
Shirley and Paul Wilson
Smart Watering Systems Ltd.
Sonia Nazar
Tony Lapointe
Valley Law Group
Wide Image Pro Printing

The Planning Team: Bas Stevens, Dr. Lionel Traverse, Dr. Lionel Traverse, John Vissers, Keith Hebert, Ken Peterson, Musleh Hakki, Rob Waycott.

Media Support: Abbotsford Times, Abbotsford News, CBC Radio The Early Edition, CBC News Connect with Mark Kelley, Country 107.1 Radio, The View from the Ledge with Guy Gentner, and CTV Late News.

Plug Out Tune In Town Hall: Councillor Patricia Ross, Dr. Tim Cooper, Dr. William Rees, Tech: Baraa Safaa, Video: Kevin MacDonald, Building: University of the Fraser Valley and Dr. Maple Melder Crozier, Presenters: BC Hydro Powersmart, Fraser Valley Conservancy, Rail for the Valley.

Thank you to the Fraser Valley Conservancy and Natashia Cox for supporting the project and sending out tax receipts to all contributors.

Buttons: Ms. Lisa Lukey

Special thanks to my parents Janis and Ken Mitchell!

My apologies for any errors or omissions- if you notice something, let me know and I will fix it.

I’ve mentioned this many times before in previous posts-
Cities and provinces here in Canada are the ones taking leadership on environmental issues, not our Federal Government under Prime Minister Harper.

Check out this article on the discord between Canada’s Prime Minister and Provincial Leaders at COP 15. I think this has an interesting aspect because, as a result of the huge failure in Copenhagen, provincial leaders are far more engaged in making an impact at home.

Are all of our provincial leaders’ environmental initiaives through government perfect? Absolutely not. It’s a start though, and the more we can encourage progress the better…Props to those in government that are actually taking action!