Sandra Finley

2018-08-20 A New Era: Abandoning Defunct Nuclear Reactors Press Release. You should know.

Gordon Edwards, Radioactive waste No Responses »

Aug 202018

Media Advisory – Press Conference – Tuesday August 21, 2018

A New Era: Abandoning Defunct Nuclear Reactors

The Government of Canada is spending billions on such projects and there are no national policies to stop this from happening.

Who:

Chief April Adams-Phillips, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne

Gilles Provost, Ralliement contre la pollution radioactive

Gordon Edwards, President of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility

Theresa McClenaghan, Executive Director of the Canadian Environmental Law Association.

Where: National Press Theatre, 150 Wellington St. Ottawa

When: 10:45 am – Tuesday, August 21, 2018

N.B. The press conference will be preceded by a briefing session starting at 10:00 am. Cameras are permitted for both the briefing and the press conference.

Why: One small item on the agenda for a meeting of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission on August 22, 2018 in Ottawa has far-reaching and insidious implications.

At 1:30 pm, the Commission will discuss “Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) – Progress Update for CNL’s Prototype Waste Facilities, Whiteshell Laboratories and the Port Hope Area Initiative”. CNL is the multinational consortium that was contracted in 2015 by the previous Conservative government to quickly and cheaply reduce Canada’s $10 billion worth of federal nuclear legacy liabilities. With CNSC support CNL is turning federal nuclear reactor sites into permanent nuclear disposal facilities that flout international guidelines. This is a betrayal of earlier government promises to carefully dismantle reactors and return reactor sites to green field status.

Canada has no national policies for nuclear reactor decommissioning or associated nuclear waste management.

Forty First Nations, citizens groups, and NGOs are writing to the Auditor General of Canada to request an investigation into spending by NRCan, AECL and CNSC on nuclear decommissioning.

Additional Events:

“Into Eternity – Is Canada ready for the Age of Nuclear Waste” a public information session and Photo exhibit will be held on August 21from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at the Ottawa Public Library, Main Auditorium, 120 Metcalfe St.

A “Red Canoe March for Nuclear Safety” will begin in the public courtyard on the west side of Bank Street, between Laurier and Slater on WEDNESDAY August 22 at 10:00 am. First nations and NGO speakers will be available for interviews.

-30-

Contact: Eva Schacherl, Media Liaison, Concerned Citizens ~ 613-316-9450

(date?) Roundup Class Action Suit for False Advertising is Going National. Monsanto

Corruption, Genetically Modified, March Against Bayer-Monsanto, Take back the University No Responses »

Aug 192018

Update: Roundup Class Action Suit for False Advertising is Going National

In follow-up to

2015-04-21 Class Action LawSuits Against Monsanto (false advertising, glyphosate)
—– Original Message —–
From: Rae
Sent: Mon, 19 Oct 2015
Subject: CBC Radio Announces Class Action Suits Against Monsanto

Just announced on CBC Radio that class action suits against Monsanto are being commenced in the states, due to the harm caused by Round-up. False advertising . . . . Monsanto claims/advertises that glyphosate in Round-up kills enzymes in plants but not in animals. Studies that substantiates this were funded by Monsanto. However, Independent studies are confirming such a link in humans. As a result, people developing Hodgkins and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in areas where Round-up is sprayed are joining in class action suits against Monsanto. More news about this should be forthcoming.

Interesting following our discussion at the Senate yesterday, Monsanto’s proclivity to self-funded research is coming home to roost. We will have to follow this study, and perhaps raise this finding at the next meeting where Ernie Barber (Senior Administrator at the U of S) is to report back to us regarding regulatory reforms with respect to Monsanto and Peter Phillip’s research.

Kudos to (- – ) for raising the issue of self-funding in this case, at the Senate.

– – – – – –

Do you know which CBC program reported Monsanto lawsuits?
I posted April report, http://sandrafinley.ca/?p=15545. (URL above, 2015-04-21) But would like CBC (Canadian) report.

/Sandra

2017-10 Book, Oil’s Deep State, How the petroleum industry undermines democracy and stops action on global warming – in Alberta, and in Ottawa, by Kevin Taft

Climate, Corruption, Freedom of Speech. (Remove some wrong postings from category), Oil & Gas No Responses »

Aug 192018

2018-04-19 Kevin Taft on what turned Rachel Notley from crusading critic to big oil crusader, National Observer

2018-09-13 An evening with Kevin Taft, author, “Oil’s Deep State”.

https://kevintafttour.ca/ – Who’s in Charge?

Oil’s Deep Statew the petroleum industry undermines democracy and stops action on global warming – in Alberta, and in Ottawa

By Kevin Taft

Why have democratic governments failed to take serious steps to reduce carbon emissions despite dire warnings and compelling evidence of the profound and growing threat posed by global warming?

Most of the writing on global warming is by scientists, academics, environmentalists, and journalists. Kevin Taft, a former leader of the opposition in Alberta, brings a fresh perspective through the insight he gained as an elected politician who had an insider’s eyewitness view of the role of the oil industry. His answer, in brief: The oil industry has captured key democratic institutions in both Alberta and Ottawa.

Taft begins his book with a perceptive observer’s account of a recent court casein Ottawa which laid bare the tactics and techniques of the industry, its insiders and lobbyists. He casts dramatic new light on exactly how corporate lobbyists, politicians, bureaucrats, universities, and other organizations are working together to pursue the oil industry’s agenda.

He offers a brisk tour of the recent work of scholars who have developed the concepts of the deep state and institutional capture to understand how one rich industry can override the public interest.

Taft views global warming and weakened democracy as two symptoms of the same problem — the loss of democratic institutions to corporate influence and control. He sees citizen engagement and direct action by the public as the only response that can unravel big oil’s deep state.

2018-08-16 Winnipeg firm defends $1M deal to send sniper rifles to Ukraine, CBC

Lockheed Martin, War Economy (includes Cdn Census & Trials), Non-Violent Resistance No Responses »

Aug 172018

Ottawa approves deal between PGW Defence Technologies and the Ukrainian military

CBC Radio · August 16

PGW co-owner Ross Spagrud shooting one of the LRT-3, .50-calibre BMG bolt action rifles his company is selling to Ukraine. (Submitted by Ross Spagrud)

Listen7:08

Asked if he’s concerned that selling weapons to Ukraine would escalate the conflict there, the owner of a Canadian arms company said: “It may sound callous, but not particularly.”

“Since the dawn of time, mankind has been engaged in war, and part of that is equipping yourself properly,” Ross Spagrud, co-owner of PGW Defence Technologies, told As It Happens guest host Matt Galloway.

The Winnipeg company has signed a deal to export $1 million worth of LRT-3 .50-calibre BMG bolt action rifles to the Ukrainian military as it continues to battle Russian-backed separatist forces in the Donbass region.

Canadian arms trade much larger than data suggests, expert says

The firearms come equipped with suppressors to reduce sound and muzzle flash, and are designed to reach a target up to two kilometres away.

The deal appears to be the first concrete product of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new policy of allowing the sale of deadly weaponry to Ukraine’s military.

Global Affairs Canada declined to comment, citing “an obligation to protect confidential commercial information,” but Conservative defence critic James Bezan confirmed to the Ottawa Citizen that the federal government approved the deal last week.

CBC News was unable to reach Bezan for comment.

‘Strong support’

Ukraine, a Canadian ally, has been at war with the rebels since 2014. Russia, which annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014, backs the separatist forces.

The United Nations estimated in 2015 that nearly 8,000 people — including soldiers, rebels and civilians — had been killed in the war. That number climbed to more than 10,000 by 2018, the Kyiv Post reports.

Spagrud wouldn’t speculate about who might be the intended targets of his company’s sniper rifles.

A woman cleans up debris near her house damaged by shelling in the rebel-held town of Yasynuvata, Ukraine, on Dec. 21, 2017. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

“They’re being purchased by the Ukrainian military. I think we can probably assume a few things from that, but that’s not part of our negotiations or contract discussions with the Ukrainian military,” he said.

“The Ukrainian people that I’ve spoken to in respect to this, they’ve all expressed a strong support for this. They, as a community, are not pleased with the situation in the Ukraine.”

Saudi weapons fell into the wrong hands

PGW made headlines in February 2016 when the LRT-3 .50-calibre rifles it sold to Saudi Arabia ended up in the hands of Houthi rebels.

Spagrud said his company did “nothing untoward or illegal” with respect to that arms deal.

Global Affairs spokesman John Babcock told As It Happens the Liberal government is amending Canada’s arms export legislation so that “our government, and future governments, will not allow the export of a controlled good if there is a substantial risk that it could be used to commit human rights violations.‎”

“The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that human rights, peace and security are central to arms exports,” he said in an emailed statement.

Freeland’s proposal to join Arms Trade Treaty called inadequate

Investigation underway after Canadian rifles end up in Yemen rebel hands

Peggy Mason, a former disarmament ambassador to the United Nations and a security adviser to the federal government, told the Ottawa Citizen that Canada selling arms to Ukraine will only serve to exacerbate the situation the ground “because each side feels it must respond to a show of force by the other.”

Spagrud dismissed those concerns, saying the product no more “lethal or worrisome” than the missile systems and satellite technology being developed for the battlefield by other Canadian companies.

A Ukrainian soldier looks through the optical sight of a sniper rifle on the outskirts of Marinka, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine. (Evgeniy Maloletka/Associated Press)

“In fact, I would argue that this particular sniper technology has far less potential for collateral damage on a battlefield than missiles and artillery and such things that, where you hit a building and kill 50 people, two of which maybe they want to kill,” he said.

“It allows people to identify targets in a discriminate way and engage them and just them.”

Written by Sheena Goodyear with files from CBC Manitoba. Interview with Ross Spagrud produced by Kevin Robertson.

2018-08-14 Dewayne Johnson “I never would’ve sprayed that product on school grounds or around people if I knew it would cause them harm.”

March Against Bayer-Monsanto 1 Response »

Aug 142018

Monsanto to pay $289 million to cancer patient

“This case is way bigger than me. I hope it gets the attention that it needs.”

– Dewayne Johnson, former school groundskeeper awarded $289 million from Monsanto
A jury in California has found that Monsanto’s glyphosate-based herbicides contributed significantly to Dewayne Johnson’s terminal cancer. Mr. Johnson, 46, was a school groundskeeper who repeatedly sprayed Monsanto’s Roundup and Ranger Pro glyphosate-based herbicides. The verdict also found that the potential risks were known by the scientific community and Monsanto failed to adequately warn of the danger.

“I never would’ve sprayed that product on school grounds or around people if I knew it would cause them harm.”

After an eight-week trial, the jury deliberated for three days and found that:

Roundup contributed substantially to the plaintiff’s cancer and awarded him $39.3 million in pain and suffering and economic damages;
Monsanto acted “with malice or oppression” and awarded an additional $250 million in punitive damages.

“The jury’s verdict found not only that Monsanto’s Roundup and related glyphosate-based brands presented a substantial danger to people using them, but that there was “clear and convincing evidence” that Monsanto’s officials acted with “malice or oppression” in failing to adequately warn of the risks.” – from The Guardian article “One Man’s Suffering Exposed Monsanto’s Secrets to the World” by Carey Gillam.
Monsanto, a leader in genetically modified seed technology, is now owned by the chemical and seed company Bayer. On Monday, Bayer’s shares plunged as much as 14%, losing about $14 billion in value. Monsanto faces more than 5,000 similar lawsuits in the US over claims that it did not warn of cancer risks. Bayer will appeal the ruling.
Glyphosate is the world’s most common herbicide. The use of glyphosate has increased dramatically with the widespread adoption of genetically modified (GM) glyphosate-tolerant crops.

In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an agency of the World Health Organization, concluded that glyphosate is a “probable human carcinogen.”
The European Commission recently granted glyphosate another five-year license but the French President is seeking a national ban by 2021 and the German government is discussing a similar measure.
Earlier this month, a Brazilian judge suspended registration of all glyphosate products in the country until the government reevaluates their toxicity. The government is contesting the decision.

Watch the jury’s verdict being read out. [INSERT, S:

interesting to see the process in the court vis-a-vis the jurors, judge and lawyers – – the reading of the Verdict.
I scrolled through the “Comments”, also interesting.
be patient at the beginning of the video, there is shuffling about (mostly silence) before things get rolling.]

“This verdict is without question truly historic. What Mr. Johnson has done, taking on this massive corporation, the courage, the tenacity and the willingness to speak out against what he believed was a real problem is truly spectacular” – Brent Wisner, one of the lawyers for Dewayne Johnson, speaking on Democracy Now! August 13.
Organic farming prohibits the use of synthetic pesticides and genetically modified organisms.
Check www.cban.ca/pesticides for more information and updates.
Consider becoming a monthly donor to CBAN. Donate today.

Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator

Phone: 902 852 5555

coordinator@cban.ca

www.cban.ca

Check out the six reports
in the GMO Inquiry!

The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) brings together 16 organizations to research, monitor and raise awareness about issues relating to genetic engineering in food and farming. CBAN members include farmer associations, environmental and social justice organizations, and regional coalitions of grassroots groups. CBAN is a project on Tides Canada’s shared platform.

Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN)

PO Box 25182, Clayton Park, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3M 4H4

Phone : 902 852 5555

Donate >

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2018-08-11 Monsanto ordered to pay $289m (update $78m) as jury rules weedkiller caused man’s cancer, The Guardian

Health, March Against Bayer-Monsanto, Take back the University 2 Responses »

Aug 112018

2018-08-18 SIGNIFICANCE EXPLAINED: U of Saskatchewan taken to Court, Refuses to disclose Right to Know symposium proceedings

2018-08-14 Dewayne Johnson “I never would’ve sprayed that product on school grounds or around people if I knew it would cause them harm.”

2018-09-04 Bayer Needs More Than an Aspirin to Cure Its Monsanto-Sized Headache, by Robert F Kennedy Jr

2018-09-22 From Avaaz: We beat Monsanto!!!! (NY judge absolutely DESTROYED Monsanto’s subpoena on Avaaz)

UPDATE: Nov. 1/18 The groundskeeper who won a massive civil suit against Bayer’s Monsanto claiming that the weedkiller Roundup caused his cancer has agreed to accept $78 million, after a judge substantially reduced the jury’s original $289 million award.

= = = = = = = = = =

Sam Levin in San Francisco and Patrick Greenfield

Court finds in favor of Dewayne Johnson, first person to take Roundup maker to trial

DeWayne Johnson listens during the Monsanto trial in San Francisco last month. Photograph: Reuters

Monsanto suffered a major blow with a jury ruling that the company was liable for a terminally ill man’s cancer, awarding him $289m in damages.

Dewayne Johnson, a 46-year-old former groundskeeper, won a huge victory in the landmark case on Friday, with the jury determining that Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller caused his cancer and that the corporation failed to warn him of the health hazards from exposure. The jury further found that Monsanto “acted with malice or oppression”.

Johnson’s lawyers argued over the course of a month-long trial in San Francisco that Monsanto had “fought science” for years and targeted academics who spoke up about possible health risks of the herbicide product. Johnson was the first person to take the agrochemical corporation to trial over allegations that the chemical sold under the brand Roundup causes cancer.

In the extraordinary verdict, which Monsanto said it intends to appeal, the jury ruled that the company was responsible for “negligent failure” and knew or should have known that its product was “dangerous”.

“We were finally able to show the jury the secret, internal Monsanto documents proving that Monsanto has known for decades that … Roundup could cause cancer,” Johnson’s lawyer Brent Wisner said in a statement. The verdict, he added, sent a “message to Monsanto that its years of deception regarding Roundup is over and that they should put consumer safety first over profits”.

Speaking in San Francisco on Friday, Johnson said that the jury’s verdict is far bigger than his lawsuit. He said he hopes the case bolsters the thousands of similar lawsuits pending against the company and brings national attention to the issue.

Johnson’s case was particularly significant because a judge allowed his team to present scientific arguments. The dispute centered on glyphosate, which is the world’s most widely used herbicide. The verdict came a month after a federal judge ruled that cancer survivors or relatives of the deceased could bring similar claims forward in another trial.

During the lengthy trial, the plaintiff’s attorneys brought forward internal emails from Monsanto executives that they said demonstrated how the corporation repeatedly ignored experts’ warnings, sought favorable scientific analyses and helped to “ghostwrite” research that encouraged continued usage.

Monsanto has long argued that Roundup is safe and not linked to cancer and presented studies during trial that countered the research and testimony submitted by Johnson’s team. The herbicide is registered in 130 countries and approved for use on more than 100 crops, but in 2015, the World Health Organization’s international agency for research on cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans”, triggering a wave of legal and legislative challenges.

After the trial, Scott Partridge, the vice-president of Monsanto, rejected any link between glyphosate and cancer, insisting the “verdict doesn’t change the four-plus decades of safe use and science behind the product”.

Partridge said the IARC, whose evidence was key in persuading the jury of the link between glyphosate and cancer, “has been demonstrated as having been corrupted”, asserting the organisation does “no testing, they do no analysis, they have no laboratories, they simply render an opinion”.

Speaking to the BBC Radio 4’s Today show on Saturday, Partridge expressed sympathy for Johnson but continued to dispute the evidence used in the trial.

He said the internal company emails, which were used by Johnson’s attorney as evidence the agrochemical firm had rejected critical research and expert warnings about the weedkiller, had been “taken completely out of context”.

2017-05-07 U of S professor says there’s nothing unusual about his ties to Monsanto

Genetically Modified, Take back the University No Responses »

Aug 082018

2018-08-18 SIGNIFICANCE EXPLAINED: U of Saskatchewan taken to Court, Refuses to disclose Right to Know symposium proceedings

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/u-of-s-professor-says-there-s-nothing-unusual-about-his-ties-to-monsanto-1.4100399

Documents show agri-business coached Peter Phillips, edited academic articles

Jason Warick · CBC News ·

Monsanto is under fire for what one researcher calls a ‘Machiavellian’ campaign to recruit academics to speak for the company. (John Thys/AFP/Getty Images)

The University of Saskatchewan and one of its well-known professors are acting like “sock puppets” for agri-business giant Monsanto, says a U.S. researcher.

Gary Ruskin of U.S. Right to Know has obtained thousands of pages documenting North American university ties to corporations involved in genetic engineering.

U.S. researcher Gary Ruskin is criticizing the University of Saskatchewan and one of its professors for what he says are overly close ties with Monsanto. (Submitted)

Ruskin recently shared with CBC News nearly 700 pages of U of S emails and other material. Ruskin said the documents show Monsanto has recruited a team of top academics in a “Machiavellian” effort to sway public opinion.

But a Saskatchewan professor featured in the documents says there’s nothing inappropriate about his work with Monsanto. The U of S agrees.

Peter Phillips, a distinguished professor in the U of S Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, said no money ever changed hands, and academics are mandated by their universities and granting agencies to partner with industry and other groups.

“We don’t do research in isolation,” Phillips said. “Where appropriate, we have been fully transparent.”

The documents show Monsanto coached Phillips on social media and public relations strategies. It also enlisted Phillips to help solve its problems with U.S. government agencies.

According to the documents, Monsanto edited U of S academic articles with no public mention of the corporation’s role. As well, the documents indicate the company’s executives oversaw the guest list and content of a U of S symposium.

(Click here for a summary of selected correspondence between Monsanto and Phillips.)

Ethically complicated field, says consultant

CBC News asked Saskatoon consultant Steven Lewis to review the documents. Lewis served a lead author of the widely-cited journal article, “Dancing with the Porcupine: rules for governing the university-industry relationship.”

I think most academic ethicists would be queasy about his tight relationship with Monsanto.– Steven Lewis, consultant

Lewis said Phillips is a credible academic in an ethically complicated field. Phillips said he didn’t receive any direct payments from Monsanto, and Lewis said the professor appears to sincerely hold the beliefs he espouses publicly.

That said, Phillips seems all too willing to serve as “a bit of a cheerleader” for the industry, Lewis said.

“It stinks that he is co-creating propaganda with Monsanto, but he seems to do it because he wants to, not because they have bought him,” Lewis said.

“I think most academic ethicists would be queasy about his tight relationship with Monsanto and his eagerness to do their bidding.”

Profs should declare Monsanto connections: Ruskin

Ruskin, whose website lists the U.S. Organic Consumers Association and other groups as donors, said academic partnerships with outside groups are one thing. This goes much, much further.

They gin up professors and academics as sock puppets to speak for them.– Gary Ruskin, U.S. Right to Know

Monsanto relies on these academics to spread their message to the public and to regulators, Ruskin said. Phillips and other professors should declare their Monsanto connections and stop helping corporations “hide their dirty laundry,” Ruskin said.

“They gin up professors and academics as sock puppets to speak for them.”

At its heart, this is about the public’s right to know about “experts” speaking and writing about our food system, he said.

‘I don’t have to explain myself’

Phillips called Ruskin’s accusations “innuendo.” He said there is nothing interesting or out-of-the-ordinary in the emails.

Phillips, who has been applicant or investigator on $150 million worth of grants, said funding agencies now require academics to work with outside groups. That includes oversight of their research.

Peter Phillips said he partners with many companies and other groups, including the organic agriculture sector. (CBC News)

He said Monsanto controls 90 per cent of the market in certain aspects of agriculture, so it would be foolish for an academic not to have a relationship with them.

He said he’s never taken payment from Monsanto, and stands behind any writing with his name on it.

Phillips said he partners with many companies and other groups, including the organic agriculture sector.

CBC asked Phillips to provide any emails or names to show comparable relationships to that of Monsanto. He declined.

“It’s not my job to prove I’m innocent … I don’t have to explain myself,” Phillips said.

Monsanto stands by academic collaborations

Monsanto’s senior media communications manager, Charla Lord, called CBC and questioned the relevance of the story. Citing her 25 years of work as a television reporter, she said it’s tempting for journalists to be “spoon-fed” and “led down the wrong path” by interest groups.

She asked whether Ruskin and U.S. Right to Know was also being investigated. When asked to elaborate, she declined.

Lord later provided Monsanto’s response by email.

“At Monsanto, we see public-private collaborations as essential to the advancement of science, innovation and agriculture … We fully stand by our professional relationships and collaborations …”

In an emailed statement, the U of S said it reviewed Phillips’ work in the context of the university’s research ethics policies. As a result, Phillips was “absolved of any wrongdoing.”

2018-08-18 SIGNIFICANCE EXPLAINED: U of Saskatchewan taken to Court, Refuses to disclose Right to Know symposium proceedings

Uncategorized No Responses »

Aug 072018

RE: 2018-08-02 Press Release: University of Saskatchewan is taken to Court, Refuses to disclose Right to Know symposium proceedings

The significance of the court case becomes clearer, through connected postings below. The titles of the links abbreviate the story, while providing details, if you want them.

The story is simple:

Philanthropy is noble. But when it’s mostly in the hands of a few super-rich and giant corporations, and is the only game available, it can easily be abused.

Our democracy is directly threatened when the rich buy off politicians.

But no less dangerous is the quieter and more insidious buy-off of institutions that democracy depends on to research, investigate, expose, and mobilize action against what is occurring.

From the following, you will understand that we are not – – just one example – – going to get the bee killing class of agricultural chemicals (neonics) banned in Canada (and the U.S.?), if we don’t mobilize action against what is occurring. The lawsuit, University of Saskatchewan is taken to Court, is one vehicle.

More than the pollinators are at stake.

I am very grateful to those who initiated the lawsuit.

Money for legal counsel and court costs is being raised through GoFundMe. I am contributing.

The work is far more valuable to next generations than dollar bills they might inherit.

CONNECTED POSTINGS:

– – – – – – –

By the spring of 2013, on-line international opposition to what is happening with our food supply coalesced and targeted.

The international movement elevated the name “Monsanto” to red flag in front of a raging bull, the public.

List of March Against Monsanto (MAM), No to GMO, & GE Free Groups, emphasis on Canada

– – – – – – –

Within 5 years, the even greater global public awareness resulted in

2018-06-04 Monsanto is No More

However, action aimed at Monsanto is a problem for ALL the industry and their collaborators. “Monsanto” is just shorthand.

– – – – – – –

Communications Specialists had begun the re-framing of public perception – – This has nothing to do with Agriculture – – it’s about food! and feeding the world! don’t ya know!

Launched with fanfare in 2012, the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS), at the University of Saskatchewan.

The guy who was for 20 years the chief lobbyist for Bayer CropScience (& Monsanto when it still existed, & Syngenta, Dow & so on) is Chair of the Board of the Global Institute for Food Security.

Croplife Canada, President, CEO. Lorne Hepworth on the Board of Directors, University of Saskatchewan “Global Institute for Food Security”.

The background on Hepworth and his associations is enlarged in the above posting, so you might better assess the situation.

(You should know the name CropLife. There’s CropLife International, CropLife Canada, CropLife America, CropLife Australia, . . . One description fits all. They are the lobbyists for a very profitable industry.

CropLife Australia (CropLife) is the peak industry organisation representing the agricultural chemical and biotechnology (plant science) sector in Australia. CropLife represents the innovators, developers, manufacturers, formulators and registrants of crop protection and agro-biotechnology products.)

– – – – – – –

You need to remember the name “Phillips” (professor, University of Saskatchewan).

Excerpt from University of Saskatchewan is taken to Court:

A critical news report about Phillips’ associations with Monsanto had appeared in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix just weeks before, and it had both Phillips and Ryan very concerned.

(INSERT by me: The news report spells out HOW public perception is manipulated. A backup copy is at http://sandrafinley.ca/?p=15508.)

Further,

2017-05-10 U of S defends prof’s Monsanto ties, but some faculty disagree

2017-05-07 U of S professor says there’s nothing unusual about his ties to Monsanto

– – – – – – –

Things are not going well. See the bullet list, What it’s really about, in:

2018-07-06 ‘This is a horror story’: $100M U of S global food institute plagued by conflict, CBC News

– – – – – – –

August, 2018 We have the lawsuit.

Under a Freedom of Information request, the University chose not to disclose details about a “Symposium” organized by Prof Phillips. The Government official who oversees access to information in public institutions, said the public HAS a right to know. One might think that the University, a stellar role model in the community, might comply with the Report, willingly.

But no, and hence the lawsuit.

The “Symposium” in question is about corporate ~~agriculture~~ oops! – – food supply.

2018-08-02 University of Saskatchewan is taken to Court, Refuses to disclose Right to Know symposium proceedings

– – – – – – –

The U of S is named a few times in a list on (2017-06-02) The “Monsanto Papers” under the heading

Undisclosed collaborations between academics and the agrichemical industry

(The “Monsanto Papers” became public as a consequence of lawsuits. Lawsuits everywhere. June 2017: 59 lawsuits against Monsanto Co. are pending in U.S. District Court in San Francisco . .

Several reports say the number of lawsuits in the U.S. against Monsanto is around 5,000.

I don’t know if that number would include cases such as the one against the University of Saskatchewan, which is effectively against “Monsanto”.

– – – – – – – – –

The chemical/biotech – – ag/food guys are sinking. In Canada:

2018-04-12 Lawsuit blaming pesticides for bee deaths will go ahead (neonics, imidacloprid, PMRA)

– – – – – – –

The University is riding the wrong horse.

– – – – – – –

Assess it you should. We tend to think in separated silos. We understand “Monsanto” and CropLife, what that’s about – – agriculture, re-framed as food (motherhood); regulatory capture, capture of parts of the university, corruption.

But Industry influence is insidious and not confined to silos.

The University also has Departments of Hydrology, Toxicology, Biology, Medicine . . . all of those disciplines, and others, are seriously affected by heavy loads of human-made chemical poisons in the world around us.

Excerpt, 2015-04-06 The Big Chill: How Big Money Is Buying Off Criticism. . .

Philanthropy is noble. But when it’s mostly in the hands of a few super-rich and giant corporations, and is the only game available, it can easily be abused.

Our democracy is directly threatened when the rich buy off politicians.

But no less dangerous is the quieter and more insidious buy-off of institutions that democracy depends on to research, investigate, expose, and mobilize action against what is occurring.

– – – – – – –

WHO did the research

2018-03-09 Study says neonicotinoid ban not the answer ?

Note the connection to agrichemicals and Saskatchewan.

How the chemical agriculture industry finessed the bee-killing neonics (so far) is in Letter to my MP: No, imidacloprid has NOT been “withdrawn” in Canada.

Note: Bayer CropScience is the owner of the neonic imidacloprid.

BAYER does not want imidacloprid shut out from vast farm fields in North America.

European countries WILL save the pollinators, as opposed to corporate profits – – PROVIDED that Bayer is not successful in using the trade deals and bribery of officials (one form or another) to circumvent regulation.

In 2017, at a Standing Committee of the House of Commons, the PMRA (Health Canada – Pest Management Regulatory Agency) TOLD MPs that the neonic imidacloprid was withdrawn in Canada. The PMRA, by its own account, had received 46,000 communications on the issue.

But the industry was successful (in regulatory terms) in re-framing the killing of pollinators, to a question of neonic impact on aquatic creatures, in need of “further study”.

How Memory Works: Canadians will remember that neonics were banned. That’s all. It’s what my MP told me (the PMRA told the Standing Committee). BUT! they were NOT banned, and are unlikely to be banned. It is a myth, propaganda, as explained in Letter to my MP: No, imidacloprid has NOT been “withdrawn” in Canada.

One of the reasons this lawsuit is important is to help break the industry stranglehold on both the Regulatory system and Educational institutions that democracy and our well-being depend on.

On-line international opposition got us this far – – (2018-06-04) Monsanto is No More.

But BAYER just bought and wrapped MONSANTO into BAYER.

The name “Monsanto” is to be no more. HOWEVER, its product names (e.g. Roundup) are to continue, under Bayer.

UPDATE, MOMENTOUS:

2018-08-11 Monsanto ordered to pay $289m as jury rules weedkiller caused man’s cancer, The Guardian

– – – – – – – – –

In a University where “Agriculture” rules, whether through

the College of Agriculture,
the Global Institute for Food Security,
the Johnson Shoyama School of Public Policy,
the Administration,

how likely is it that scientists, professionals in

Hydrology,
Toxicology, or
Medicine, or
Biology

will do needed, rigorous research and teaching on the relationships between the poisons and health, whether of bees, humans, water or land?

Thinkers of the Day on the Unholy Alliances between Government (public institutions) and Industry

7 simple statements of what’s been known and acknowledged for ever, except by those tasked with teaching our children.

– – – – – – – – – –

2018-10-16 rBGH trade name Posilac. Monsanto sold to Eli Lilly in 2008. Aug 2018, Eli Lilly sold to a Brazilian firm.

March Against Bayer-Monsanto No Responses »

Aug 062018

Dairy cattle injected with Monsanto’s Bovine Growth Hormone. The BGH production plant was in Augusta, Ga, USA.

Huge resistance in the USA and elsewhere. The March Against Monsanto. Very effective consumer boycotts of grocery stores.

All combined to drive Monsanto out.

Documentation – – what did Monsanto do with the BGH? . . . it ended up in the hands of a pharmaceutical company in Brazil. We sent information to activists in South America.

There is more detail in other postings.

August 6, 2018

Elanco Sells Posilac Business to Brazilian Firm

Feedstuffs Magazine is reporting Elanco Animal Health has sold its Posilac business to Union Agener, one of Brazil’s largest animal health companies.

The sale also includes Posilac’s manufacturing facility in Augusta, Ga. No purchase price has been released. But the sale makes logistical sense, since Posilac is approved for sale in Brazil and 14 Latin and South American countries.

Sales of Posilac in the U.S. have plummeted in recent years as more and more fluid handlers refused to accept milk from BST-treated cows, citing consumer concerns. But it was also a convenient way for handlers and cooperatives to reduce milk production as plants in the Northeast and Midwest over flowed with milk. Today, just pockets of BST-use remain in the U.S.

Elanco announced last fall that it was seeking a buyer for its Posilac business. For a transitional period, Elanco will continue to support sales of Posilac in markets it currently serves.

= = = = = = = = = =

Progressive Dairyman Editor Dave Natzke; Published on 29 September 2017

Elanco seeking to sell Posilac, production facility

Elanco Animal Health is ”exploring strategic options” for Posilac, including seeking a buyer for the recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) molecule and its manufacturing facility located in Augusta, Georgia.

Elanco acquired the worldwide rights to Posilac, an injectable supplement designed to increase milk production in dairy cattle, from Monsanto Company in late 2008. While seeking a potential buyer, Elanco will continue to produce and supply Posilac to meet customer demand.

Posilac received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in 1994. Despite that approval, the product has faced near-continuous criticism from some consumer advocacy organizations. Increased pressure from those groups has led many dairy processors to refuse to accept milk from cows treated with rBST.

The decision regarding Posilac is independent of the current cyclical downturn in milk prices, but rather represents a long-term strategic shift in Elanco’s dairy portfolio, said Grady Bishop, senior director of global market access for the company. The company did not disclose the number of cows supplemented with Posilac in the U.S. or worldwide, but Bishop said the product remains a business growth opportunity in emerging dairy regions of Latin American and some countries in the Middle East, he said.

The outlook for a continued trend toward larger and fewer U.S. dairy herds also was a factor in the decision, said Roger Cady, Elanco’s global sustainability lead.

The decision will allow the company to bring new products that help farmers protect animal health, enhance animal care and improve profitability, Bishop said.

Dairy animals will remain a focus. The company said it would focus on innovations to address the physical and metabolic changes that can interfere with energy balance and immune function in lactating dairy cows.

“As we look to the future, we’re exploring innovative solutions that work with the animal’s own immune system and other biological mechanisms to help her be more resistant and resilient to stress, disease and other challenges,” said Aaron Schacht, Elanco vice president for research and development.

“There are still many unmet needs dairy farmers face today, and we are focused on optimizing our investment on new dairy innovation to fill the gaps we see,” said Jeff Simmons, president of Elanco. “rBST is an important innovation for dairy farmers around the world, bringing substantial benefits to dairy farmers, consumers and the environment for nearly 25 years. As we move forward, we are seeking to shift to new areas of innovation to bring greater future value to the industry.”

Elanco’s dairy research and product development will target bovine respiratory disease (BRD), mycoplasma and dairy cattle digestive health. The company will also explore whether its Imrestor product shows potential to address other dairy cattle health challenges. Imrestor is approved in the U.S. to treat clinical mastitis in dairy cows and replacement dairy heifers.

Founded in 1954, Elanco is a division of Eli Lilly and Company, with headquarters and research facilities located in Greenfield, Indiana.

= = = = = = =

Was manufactured by Elanco Animal Health, A Division of Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN 46285, U.S.A.. The following page is theirs.

https://www.drugs.com/vet/posilac.html

Posilac

This page contains information on Posilac for veterinary use.
The information provided typically includes the following:

Posilac Indications
Warnings and cautions for Posilac
Direction and dosage information for Posilac

Posilac

This treatment applies to the following species:

Dairy Cattle

Manufacturer: Elanco(sometribove zinc suspension)

Description

Sterile, prolonged-release injectable formulation of a recombinant DNA-derived bovine somatotropin analog in single-dose syringes each containing 500 mg of sometribove zinc.

USE: To increase production of marketable milk in healthy lactating dairy cows.

Posilac Caution

Federal law prohibits extra-label use of this drug to enhance food and/or fiber production in animals.

DOSAGE: Inject one syringe of Posilac every 14 days. Start during the 9th or 10th week (57-70 days) after calving and continue until the end of lactation.

ADMINISTRATION: Allow syringes to warm to room temperature (15° to 30° C; 59° to 86° F) before use.

INJECTION TECHNIQUE: Inject Posilac subcutaneously (under the skin). Recommended injection sites are the neck area, behind the shoulder or in the depression on either side of the tailhead (see diagrams below). Alternate between the cow’s left and right side on consecutive injections. Remove surface dirt from the injection site area before injecting. Inject entire contents of the syringe subcutaneously. Do not reuse syringes.

Inject directly into the deepest depressions on either side of the tailhead (marked “Yes”). Avoid the bone, muscles, tendons and ligaments of the tail and the rectal and anal muscles. Do NOT inject into the caudal fold (marked “No”) because this may invalidate USDA tuberculosis testing. Locate the caudal fold by raising the tail.

INJECTION SITES:

Tailhead Depression

Neck & Behind The Shoulder

Gather skin and inject between skin and muscle layers.

HUMAN WARNINGS: Avoid prolonged or repeated contact with Posilac with eyes and skin. Posilac is a protein. Frequent skin contact with proteins may produce an allergic reaction in some people. Always wash hands and skin exposed to Posilac with soap and water after handling. Clothing soiled with the product should be laundered before reuse.

– For use in animals only.

– Keep this and all medications out of the reach of children.

Precautions and Side Effects

– Use in lactating dairy cattle only.

– Safety to replacement bulls born in dairy cows injected with Posilac has not been established.

– Avoid injecting within 2 weeks of slaughter to minimize injection site blemishes on carcass.

– Nutritional Management: Cows injected with Posilac increase voluntary feed intake over several weeks following the start of supplementation. This increase occurs sooner for first lactation cows than for second lactation or older cows. The increased feed intake continues during supplementation and may continue through the dry period and the following early lactation. However, cows treated with Posilac tend to maintain lower body condition than untreated cows. This effect is more pronounced for second lactation or older cows.

– Feed diets formulated to meet or exceed the nutritional requirements recommended by the National Research Council. Consider milk yield, stage of lactation, and body condition when making dietary changes. Manage the feeding program to optimize milk yield and to have cows in appropriate body condition, particularly during late lactation and the dry period. Increasing the energy density of diets fed to cows treated with Posilac is normally not required. Avoid sudden dietary changes.

– Reproduction: Cows injected with Posilac may have reduced pregnancy rates and increased days open. Have a comprehensive and ongoing herd reproductive health program in place on your dairy before using Posilac.

– Mastitis: Cows injected with Posilac are at an increased risk for mastitis (visibly abnormal milk) and may have higher somatic cell counts. Have comprehensive mastitis management practices in place on your dairy before using Posilac.

– General Health: Cows injected with Posilac may require more therapeutic drug treatment for mastitis and other health problems. Cows injected with Posilac may experience periods of increased body temperature unrelated to illness. To minimize the effect, take appropriate measures during periods of high environmental temperature to reduce heat stress. Use care to differentiate whether increased body temperature is caused by illness or use of Posilac.

Cows injected with Posilac may have more enlarged hocks and disorders of the foot region.

Posilac treatment may reduce hemoglobin and hematocrit values.

– Injection Site Reactions: A mild temporary swelling of 3-5 cm (1-2 inches) in diameter may occur at the injection site beginning about 3 days after injection and may persist up to 6 weeks following injection. Larger swellings may occur in cows injected in the neck area compared to the behind the shoulder or in the depression on either side of the tailhead. Some cows may experience swellings up to 10cm (4 inches) in diameter that remain permanent but are not associated with animal health problems. However, if permanent blemishes are objectionable to you, stop supplementation of these cows. Also stop using Posilac in cows with injection site swellings that repeatedly open and drain.

– Udder Edema: Posilac is approved for use starting during the 9th or 10th week of lactation. Risk of udder edema may increase if injections start later in lactation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

– Milk production response during each 14-day injection period is cyclic and will be greatest during the middle of each period.

– There is no milk discard or preslaughter withdrawal period.

Storage

Store under refrigeration (2° to 8° C; 36° to 46° F). DO NOT FREEZE. Allow syringes to warm to room temperature (15° to 30° C; 59° to 86° F) before use. Avoid prolonged exposure to excessively high temperature and sunlight. Expiration dates are stated on syringes and box labeling.ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY: Dispose of used syringes in a leak-resistant, puncture-resistant container in accordance with applicable Federal, state, and local regulations.

How Supplied

Single-dose syringes in 25 or 100 count boxes.NADA# 140-872 Approved by FDA

Manufactured by Elanco Animal Health, A Division of Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN 46285, U.S.A. Questions or comments, please call 1-800-233-2999

Elanco^®, Posilac^® and the diagonal bar are registered trademarks of Eli Lilly and Company. © Elanco Animal Health, A Division of Eli Lilly and Company. Revised December 2010.

PA9401DEAMX (V02-02-2011)

NAC No.: 10310411

ELANCO ANIMAL HEALTH
A Division of Eli Lilly & Co.
2500 INNOVATION WAY, GREENFIELD, IN, 46140

Main Switchboard:		317-433-4800
Customer Service:		317-276-1262
Small Animal Product Customer Service:		888-545-5973
Technical Services:		800-428-4441
Fax:		317-276-2270
Website:		www.elanco.com
Email:		elanco@elanco.com

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the Posilac information published above. However, it remains the responsibility of the readers to familiarize themselves with the product information contained on the US product label or package insert.

2018-07-13 “Estimates of exceedances of critical loads for acidifying deposition in Alberta and Saskatchewan” (water and land, nitrogen and sulphur from oil sands)

Economic Indicators, Oil & Gas, Take back the University, Water No Responses »

Aug 062018

With thanks to Elaine: https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/18/9897/2018/acp-18-9897-2018.html

NOTE, thanks to Wikipedia,

CATION An ion is an atom or molecule that has a non-zero net electrical charge (its total number of electrons is not equal to its total number of protons). A cation is a positively-charged ion, while an anion is negatively charged. Because of their opposite electric charges, cations and anions attract each other and readily form ionic compounds.

– – – – – –

Estimates of exceedances of critical loads for acidifying deposition in Alberta and Saskatchewan

Paul A. Makar¹, Ayodeji Akingunola¹, Julian Aherne², Amanda S. Cole¹, Yayne-abeba Aklilu³, Junhua Zhang¹, Isaac Wong⁴, Katherine Hayden¹, Shao-Meng Li¹, Jane Kirk⁵, Ken Scott⁶, Michael D. Moran¹, Alain Robichaud¹, Hazel Cathcart², Pegah Baratzedah¹, Balbir Pabla¹, Philip Cheung¹, Qiong Zheng¹, and Dean S. Jeffries⁷

¹Air Quality Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Toronto and Montreal, Canada
²Environmental and Resource Studies, Trent University, Peterborough, Canada
³Environmental Monitoring and Science Division, Alberta Environment and Parks, Edmonton, Canada
⁴Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research Division, Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington, Canada
⁵Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington, Canada
⁶Technical Resources Branch, Environment Protection Division, Saskatchewan Ministry of the Environment, Regina, Canada
⁷Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington, Canada

Received: 23 Nov 2017 – Discussion started: 26 Feb 2018 – Revised: 20 Jun 2018 – Accepted: 27 Jun 2018 – Published: 13 Jul 2018

Abstract. Estimates of potential harmful effects on ecosystems in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan due to acidifying deposition were calculated, using a 1-year simulation of a high-resolution implementation of the Global Environmental Multiscale-Modelling Air-quality and Chemistry (GEM-MACH) model, and estimates of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem critical loads. The model simulation was evaluated against two different sources of deposition data: total deposition in precipitation and total deposition to snowpack in the vicinity of the Athabasca oil sands. The model captured much of the variability of observed ions in wet deposition in precipitation (observed versus model sulfur, nitrogen and base cation R² values of 0.90, 0.76 and 0.72, respectively), while being biased high for sulfur deposition, and low for nitrogen and base cations (slopes 2.2, 0.89 and 0.40, respectively). Aircraft-based estimates of fugitive dust emissions, shown to be a factor of 10 higher than reported to national emissions inventories (Zhang et al., 2018), were used to estimate the impact of increased levels of fugitive dust on model results. Model comparisons to open snowpack observations were shown to be biased high, but in reasonable agreement for sulfur deposition when observations were corrected to account for throughfall in needleleaf forests. The model–observation relationships for precipitation deposition data, along with the expected effects of increased (unreported) base cation emissions, were used to provide a simple observation-based correction to model deposition fields. Base cation deposition was estimated using published observations of base cation fractions in surface-collected particles (Wang et al., 2015).

Both original and observation-corrected model estimates of sulfur, nitrogen, and base cation deposition were used in conjunction with critical load data created using the NEG-ECP (2001) and CLRTAP (2017) methods for calculating critical loads, using variations on the Simple Mass Balance model for terrestrial ecosystems, and the Steady State Water Chemistry and First-order Acidity Balance models for aquatic ecosystems. Potential ecosystem damage was predicted within each of the regions represented by the ecosystem critical load datasets used here, using a combination of 2011 and 2013 emissions inventories. The spatial extent of the regions in exceedance of critical loads varied between 1 × 10⁴ and 3.3 × 10⁵km², for the more conservative observation-corrected estimates of deposition, with the variation dependent on the ecosystem and critical load calculation methodology. The larger estimates (for aquatic ecosystems) represent a substantial fraction of the area of the provinces examined.

Base cation deposition was shown to be sufficiently high in the region to have a neutralizing effect on acidifying deposition, and the use of the aircraft and precipitation observation-based corrections to base cation deposition resulted in reasonable agreement with snowpack data collected in the oil sands area. However, critical load exceedances calculated using both observations and observation-corrected deposition suggest that the neutralization effect is limited in spatial extent, decreasing rapidly with distance from emissions sources, due to the rapid deposition of emitted primary dust particles as a function of their size. We strongly recommend the use of observation-based correction of model-simulated deposition in estimating critical load exceedances, in future work.

Older Entries Newer Entries

The Battles

Sandra Finley

2018-08-20 A New Era: Abandoning Defunct Nuclear Reactors Press Release. You should know.

(date?) Roundup Class Action Suit for False Advertising is Going National. Monsanto

2017-10 Book, Oil’s Deep State, How the petroleum industry undermines democracy and stops action on global warming – in Alberta, and in Ottawa, by Kevin Taft

Oil’s Deep Statew the petroleum industry undermines democracy and stops action on global warming – in Alberta, and in Ottawa

By Kevin Taft

2018-08-16 Winnipeg firm defends $1M deal to send sniper rifles to Ukraine, CBC

Ottawa approves deal between PGW Defence Technologies and the Ukrainian military

‘Strong support’

Saudi weapons fell into the wrong hands

Related Stories

2018-08-14 Dewayne Johnson “I never would’ve sprayed that product on school grounds or around people if I knew it would cause them harm.”

Monsanto to pay $289 million to cancer patient

“This case is way bigger than me. I hope it gets the attention that it needs.”

“I never would’ve sprayed that product on school grounds or around people if I knew it would cause them harm.”

2018-08-11 Monsanto ordered to pay $289m (update $78m) as jury rules weedkiller caused man’s cancer, The Guardian

2017-05-07 U of S professor says there’s nothing unusual about his ties to Monsanto

Documents show agri-business coached Peter Phillips, edited academic articles

Ethically complicated field, says consultant

Profs should declare Monsanto connections: Ruskin

‘I don’t have to explain myself’

Monsanto stands by academic collaborations

2018-08-18 SIGNIFICANCE EXPLAINED: U of Saskatchewan taken to Court, Refuses to disclose Right to Know symposium proceedings

2018-10-16 rBGH trade name Posilac. Monsanto sold to Eli Lilly in 2008. Aug 2018, Eli Lilly sold to a Brazilian firm.

Elanco Sells Posilac Business to Brazilian Firm

Posilac

Posilac

Description

Posilac Caution

Precautions and Side Effects

Storage

How Supplied

2018-07-13 “Estimates of exceedances of critical loads for acidifying deposition in Alberta and Saskatchewan” (water and land, nitrogen and sulphur from oil sands)