Public interest group IntegrityBC is calling for the resignation of Liberal Agriculture Minister Pat Pimm, following the revelation that he and Fort St. John Mayor Lori Ackerman meddled in an Agricultural Land Commission hearing into removing a piece of farmland from the ALR. The Globe and Mails’s Mark Hume reported on Saturday
Continue readingTag: food
Scripturient: Blog & Commentary: I’m struggling with this…
My recent passion for bread and baking has caused a bit of an internal upset. Not the baking thereof, but rather the writing about it. I’m doing a lot of that, recently. Writing (and, yes, baking too). And of course it comes with the attendant research into bread’s history, the
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Delta Council OK’s Southlands development – proposal now goes to Metro
Photo: Anne Murray Read this November 8 story from the Vancouver Sun on Delta Mayor Lois Jackson and Council’s 6-1 vote in favour of Century Group’s application to build 950 homes on the Southlands agricultural property. Read The Common Sense Canadian’s commentary on the plan. Delta council has approved the controversial Southlands development
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: Bread, Madness and Christianity
The witch craze of Europe is a popular, albeit often misrepresented, part of our collective history. Everyone knows witches were hunted, tortured and often killed – burned at the stake, a particularly repulsive method of murder. While not a uniquely Christian form of killing, it was practiced widely by Christians
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Farmland advocates fire back at secret plan to gut ALR
ALR co-founder Harold Steves on his family farm in Steveston, BC (Damien Gillis) VANCOUVER – A leaked cabinet document that proposes significant changes to British Columbia’s Agricultural Land Reserve — millions of hectares of cherished farmland that have been largely protected from development for decades — prompted swift denials Thursday
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Delta’s Southlands: Canada’s longest, least democratic farmland battle
Dana Maslovat of Southlands the Facts near the contentious Southlands property in Delta, BC Canada’s most contentious piece of farmland is back on the chopping block as the Corporation of Delta held another in a long line of public hearings into the Southlands property in recent weeks. Debate over the property
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: BC’s Agricultural Land Commission to be plowed under for gas industry
Read this Nov. 7 story from The Globe and Mail’s Mark Hume on documents obtained by the paper which suggest the BC Liberal Government is planning to dismantle the regulator in charge of protecting farmland in the province. British Columbia’s “sacrosanct” Agricultural Land Commission will be effectively dismantled and the B.C. Oil and
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: The New Art of the Old: Baking Artisan Bread
So far, my re-entry into the world of baking bread has gone fairly well. I started rather hesitantly, unsure of the results, but I have been pleasantly surprised by the flavour, texture and quality so far. Yesterday I baked my latest loaf, as well as started a larger batch for
Continue readingBlast Furnace Canada Blog: Harper picks CETA over H of C
I couldn’t believe it when I heard it on the radio this morning. On the first day of the debate regarding the Reply to the Speech from the Throne, Stephen Harper doesn’t face off against Tom Mulcair — by tradition it’s the Opposition Leader that starts the debate. Nope. Harper
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: Bread the Old-Fashioned Way
For all the reading, the reviewing and the researching for the best bread maker these past few days, it’s somewhat ironic that instead I turned back to the old-fashioned method and made a couple of loaves by hand, this morning. Not perfect – I haven’t made bread these past twenty-odd
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: The Smallest Helper
While I was pondering the nature of flour in my cogitations about bread machines (I’m still debating which model, by the way – suggestions welcome, but local stores have few options), I turned my grey matter to the business of yeast. Yeast is, of course, important in bread making because
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: Something so basic, yet so different stands between us
You’d think it should be this easy: just take a bread machine, throw in all the ingredients listed in the recipe, push a button, wait, remove loaf and eat. Yum. Nah, of course not. Never is. And there are reasons for this, I’ve been learning. I have an old bread
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Simple pleasures and the greatest of treasures
Ok, it’s that time. Time to put down the pen, or in this case, the keyboard; start cooking dinner – very slowly, for maximum flavour – and cut the grass in the golden sun of the late afternoon… And, crank up the rock and roll on the wireless headphones! Whoo-hoo!
Continue readingThings Are Good: Soil Benefits from Organic Farming
The benefits of organic farming keep revealing themselves – it turns out that the soil itself benefits from farmers growing organic crops. “Farmers interested in transitioning to organic production will be happy to see that with good management, yields can be the same, with potentially higher returns and better soil
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: A Cup of Pu-Erh
It’s dark in the cup, but in the glass pot for brewing, it’s a deep copper. It smells of earth and age, a hint of horses and leather. A rich, slightly sweet and crisp taste. Black, no milk. With milk, it changes to a hot-chocolate light brown, and the flavour
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Canada mulls crackdown on pesticide suspected of killing bees
OTTAWA – The federal Health Department is proposing tighter rules for the use of a pesticide that is suspected of killing honey bees. It is asking for public comment on the issue over the next 90 days. The department wants to hear from stakeholders and other interested parties people about
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Say sayonara to seafood – the oceans are no longer safe to eat from in the wake of Fukushima
It looks like sushi time is over – seafood is no longer safe to eat after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Fukushima continues to dump 300-400 tons of radioactive contaminated water into the Pacific every hour. Japanese experts estimate Fukushima’s fallout at 20-30 times as high as the Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Leaders Using Drugs
There was a time in Canadian history when it was possible to elect a politician who wasn’t an alcohol drinker (Gardiner, for example). Now it may still be possible to elect someone who doesn’t drink coffee. .@RealMattHopkins @margaretresin How DARE the Liberal leader NOT abuse a widely accepted drug! 😉
Continue readingThings Are Good: Choose Cage Free
Animal cruelty sadly still exists and we can all make a difference in the suffering of domesticated animals by changing our shopping habits. The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has launched an education campaign to get people aware of the dangers of factory-farming hens while celebrating the
Continue readingThings Are Good: Monocle Looks at the Best Urban Farm Projects
Monocle recently took a look at some of the world’s best urban farming projects. Monocle’s favourite cities combine small-scale neighbourhoods with green spaces, but not all cities were built with the right foundations for future growth and sustainability. We champion four urban innovators who see potential in derelict spaces and
Continue reading