The site for the Halifax local of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.
What people/events/issues/policies should the Halifax Media Co-op cover in the New Year?
We are interested in all your grassroots story ideas.
We are also particularly interested in local stories on climate justice. As you may have heard, the Dominion Newspaper is doing its next special issue on climate justice and the Halifax Media Co-op wants to ensure stories from the East Coast are well represented. What are your local climate justice story ideas?
The site for the Halifax local of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.
Comments
WATER - you can't live without it
How about breaking the silence and covering Nova Scotia's strip mining of high mercury, high sulphur coal from Cape Breton to burn at the province's power plants without the necessary emission controls hence the exemptions, and that no one seems to know about.
Cover Stellarton and the strip mine planned for Gays River.
Don't be distracted by fantasies about fracking and focus on the real mining problems actually happening across Nova Scotia that have a huge impact on our environment and water, e.g.:
1. Water issues in open pit mining
2. Water issues in underground mining
3. Recharging aquifers
4. Mines and geothermal energy
5. Water issues in coalbed methane, coal gasification and
underground carbon dioxide storage
6. Water issues in tight gas production
7. Flow and transport modelling
8. Acid mine drainage – processes and treatment
9. Ecology of pit lakes
10. Water issues in abandoned mines
11. Mine water and legal aspects
How about an article about justice for the people of Nova Scotia suffering from the adverse effects of mining happening here in the province.
Couple of ideas
- What is the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, what do they do and what are their methods for promoting business interests, what is their decision-making history, general history, etc.
- Interviews with people living on CPP and OAS in Halifax or NS.
- Benefits of recall legislation in NS for councillors, MLAs and MPs (could interview local advocates or local university profs etc).
climate justice
I would like to see an article on gender and climate justice--especially the limited attention paid to gender issues and women in particular within climate justice circles, locally, nationally and internationally.
Infographic
Another idea that came up during a HMC meeting was an infographic illustrating the history of NS Power, the rate increases, various government and community responses etc.
Thumbs up to this idea. It
Thumbs up to this idea. It would be really interesting to see a history of it.
I like the infographic idea too, mixing coverage up with different formats.
grassroots resistance to Colombian coal
another suggestion from a member via email:
* Breaking the Silence's local actions (and successful campaigns to get local municipalities on board) against the Maritime provinces' import of coal from the (evil) Cerrejon mine in Colombia, the largest open pit mine in the world (prob excluding the tar sands, huh)
* dockworkers' unions' actions around the world to refuse to unload Cerrejon coal and other evil stuff. i think this is a really important element to include bc the discussion re labour movement action on climate justice is usually "climate justice without affecting our jobs" but the dockworkers unions have taken local direct union action that *does* affect their jobs, and they still do it... (dockworkers rock. first unions in US to do away with racial segregation too. i'd be up for researching the dockworkers bit & sending to anyone if someone does a piece.)
seconded
I think this would be an awesome story.
rE: Use of the term 'Biomass' in the energy business
Big trouble here.
Biomass is what they're referring to forests as these days. They're including both trees & bogs in the term. Is everything to be used to drive the microwaves and hard drives of our overconsuming culture?
We need a serious discussion on what is going on with the energy coridor issue and what it could mean for everything from forests, to watersheds, right down to the water and air.
The transition to the term Biomass took place in the fishery as well, and the switch in the energy secotr could very well lead to the same outcome. Language is everything.
Energy corridors are a major concern on this front, as is NAFTA and our water sovereignty. The Churchill Falls deal, as well as the Star Lake Hydro deal are big issues here in NL wrt the privatisation of our water and the surrounding watershed/forest resources.
lobster fishery buyout
Lobster fishermen in Cape Breton (and elsewhere?) are being approached by DFO to buy out their licenses for a paltry sum ($180,000, or thereabouts). Some fishermen's groups are saying the concern is premature. Rumour has it the fishery is wanting to redirect the licenses to big business, but a contact in the provincial government has said it's because NS is getting behind aquaculture, and the inshore fishery is getting in the way.
Transition towns
Transition towns are places that, despite government inaction, are working towards sustainable ways of living, and - ideally - more just ways of living as well. Could be an interesting, more positive piece on what a climate just society looks like.
> Should NS create an
> Should NS create an Environmental Bill of Rights?
> Coastal zone and marine environmental protection - are we protecting our coastal and marine ecosystems?
> Is NS prepared to safeguard our coast from a deepwater drilling oil spill?
> How will intensive development of coal-bed methane affect our landscapes and water regimes?
> Can medium to large-scale solar energy parks work in NS?
> At the recent UN Biodiversity Convention at Nagoya global targets for land and marine protection were increased to 17% and 10% respectively. NS is aiming at 12% for land and there is no protection target for marine environments in any Atlantic Canada waters. Are we aiming too low?
climate justice story ideas
At the HMC meeting on Thursday, folks had a few preliminary ideas for east coast climate justice stories:
- an investigation into Nova Scotia Power, the rising rates, who's profiting, who's not?
- Tidal power
- Is Nova Scotia still burning Colombian coal?
- a grassroots examination of the Churchillfalls deal
- fracking
Investigation into Nova
Investigation into Nova Scotia's position re: renewable energy (RE) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions (i.e. asking the question: are we going to shut down coal-fired generation plants as we bring RE online?). Considering a local-use before export of RE scenario.