Greetings all.

May 3 happens to be World Press Freedom Day.

Some of the best journalism often comes at a cost. In many situations and countries across the world, journalists must pursue their work without the support of civil rights protections. Censorship, intimidation and barriers to governmental information continue to impede democracy and journalism.

Take a moment to check out what Amnesty International has to say about this important issue.

The new land and food edition is up at The Thunderbird.ca

Check out some innovative multimedia reporting from some of Vancouver’s best up and coming journalists.

Enjoy!

What began with a single cow in her back yard has now erupted into a legal and personal headache for Home on the Range operator Alice Jongerden.

“I have nothing to hide,” said Jongerden, seated on a bale in her hayloft. “Our intent was never to be in the black market or to be under the table.”

Alice Jongerden finds herself caught in a battle over the control of raw milk

The Fraser Valley Health Authority initiated a cease and desist order after an inspection at the Chilliwack dairy farm two years ago. The authority concluded that Jongerden was violating the provincial Public Health Act by packaging and distributing a hazardous product: raw milk.

Provincial Supreme Court Justice Gropper upheld the injunction in March determining that the Public Health Act did not require proof of a specific health hazard.

“There is no dispute that Ms. Jongerden, doing business as Home on the Range, has breached the Public Health Act, and its regulations,” wrote the judge. “The remedy for the petitioners (Home on the Range) is to convince the government to change its legislation.”

Home on the Range “is community-supported agriculture” said Jongerden, pulling at straws of hay as she spoke. “It’s just a group of members that cooperatively come together, own these cows, pay me to take care of them, and they get the dividends (milk) from the cows.”

Jongerden continues to provide approximately 1,800 litres of raw milk to nearly 400 shareholders on a weekly basis. In order to respond to the health authority’s concerns, Home on the Range now marks its unpasteurized milk as “not for human consumption.”

Click here to read the rest of this feature at TheThunderbird.ca

The debate over raw milk consumption in the Fraser Valley is heating up.

Last week I visited Home on the Range Dairy in Chilliwack to get insight into the situation surrounding Alice Jongerden’s distribution of raw milk to Vancouver shareholders.

One of Alice Jongerden's Jerseys waits to milked at Home on the Range Dairy in Chilliwack. (Photo by Evan Duggan)

I learned that In July of 2008, Fraser Health Authority came to the farm with information that the dairy had been operating without a license and believed that Jongerden was selling milk illegally. The health authority took milk samples, and ordered the farm to cease providing milk to the public.

The cease and desist injunction was appealed by Home on the Range original shareholder Gordon Watson, but the Provincial Supreme Court rejected his argument that the dairy was a private cow share program and was not selling dairy products to the general public.

“We’re producers, but we’re not vendors,” said Jongerden during our recent interview at the farm.

Jongerden claims to be unaware of any confirmed health problems associated with her milk, and Home on the Range continues to provide unpasteurized milk to their shareholders in greater Vancouver.

Gordon Watson told me recently in Burnaby that he is now planning an independent appeal.

Look for an in-depth feature story regarding Home on the Range, whole food advocacy in Vancouver and the upcoming appeal  this week at TheThunderbird.ca.

The Liberal party of Canada received some good advice on Sunday.

While addressing a Liberal policy conference in Montreal, former Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler had harsh, yet warranted criticism of Canada’s flailing and selfish foreign policy.

With Michael Ignatieff in attendance, Fowler attacked the Conservative and Liberal parties alike. Read the rest of this entry »

New high-tech Canadian passports are expected to arrive in 2011, but at this point, there remain more questions than answers.

During the Speech from the Throne on March 3, the Conservative government repeated its intent to revive its development of new biometric passports.

Microchips inscribed with your private information will soon reside inside your Canadian passport. (Photo courtesy of creative commons: kevin van lierop)

The new passports will include a microchip implanted into the back cover with digital versions of the holder’s personal information, and a digital identification signature revealing the origin of the passport.

The government hopes that the new high tech travel documents will thwart illegal immigration and will protect travelers from identity fraud and tampering.

Despite the government’s expectations questions remained un-answered.

How much will these cost?

Documents attained by Embassy News Weekly back in 2006 showed that the development costs for the new passports since 2003 had skyrocketed from $99 000 to over $2 million.

Click here to read read the rest of this entry

Once known as the longest undefended border in the world, the frontier between Canada and U.S. has undergone a transformation in the years since 9/11.

Because of increased wait times, enhanced security measures and suspicion, life is now more difficult for Canadians who split their time on both sides of the border.

Brynne Morrice is one of those people.

Brynne Morrice is a Canadian actor who knows the border well

Morrice is a professional actor from British Columbia who now makes his home in New York City.  He recently graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and since he began school he figures he has made about six trips per year back and forth from Canada.

In his 25 or so jaunts across the border he has experienced tightening border scrutiny and headaches surrounding immigration documents.

The Q and A was edited for brevity and clarity

ED: First of all, what is it like living in New York now that you’re finished school? Did you have any desire to move home?

BM: Well, since making my home in New York after graduation, each trip I make back and forth always makes me feel sad to leave home. It feels kind of like leaving the “farm” behind and heading out into the world. In many ways, Canada feels like one great big “small” town. The reality though is that there is much more opportunity for professional actors in the U.S.

Click here for the rest my Q and A with Canadian actor Brynne Morrice



An Ottawa law professor claims to have discovered un-redacted documents pointing towards Canadian military wrongdoing.

While digging deep into the Afghan detainee controversy, Amir Attaran says that he found government documents ordering Canadian prisoners to be tortured by their Afghan handlers in order to gain intelligence.

If what Attaran is claiming turns out to be true, Canada could be found to have committed war crimes.

Securing North America?

Beyond the immediate legal and political repercussions for the Canadian government, there could be lasting consequences for future military cooperation between the U.S. and Canada.

Already reeling from high Canadian military losses, and billions of dollars of war expenses, this scandal could contribute to Canadians’ fatigue with extended combat missions.

Click here for the entire entry

As delegates from Canada and the European Union continue negotiations of the comprehensive economic and free trade agreement in Brussels, supply management in the Canadian dairy industry appears to be secure.

From his farm near Chemainus on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, long-time dairyman Wally Smith points out the need for Canadians to uphold the current business model of what he calls orderly marketing in Canadian dairy.

Courtesy of Creative Commons. By Martijn vdS

“Farmers across the world are in dire straits,” said Smith, whose farm has been in his family since 1959.  “We hope that our system will remain in tact.”

Supply Management

Smith, who maintains a herd of nearly 70 cows, feels that the current dairy business model administered by the B.C. Milk Marketing Board maintains viability for Canadian producers throughout economic turbulence, and also ensures that dairy prices for consumers are standard across the country.

Since the early 1970s, the marketing board has regulated milk production through quotas that balance production and consumption throughout the year. It also licenses producers, transporters and processors, and establishes the price that processors pay farmers for their milk, while preventing foreign products from being dumped into Canadian markets.

Politics and Agriculture

“The B.C. dairy industry operates on a good business model,” said Steve Thomson, B.C.’s minister of agriculture and lands, in an emailed statement. “Our dairy industry is profitable, well-capitalized, and produces a safe and high-quality product. The strength of this industry shows that supply management works.” Read the rest of this entry »

Granville Island Busker keeps Canadian folk music alive

Ron Jones is one of the many unique artists and performers sharing their talent with visitors to Vancouver’s Granville Island. For decades, Jones has shared his love of music with those around him. Now retired, Jones spends his days on Granville Island speaking to audiences through the strings of his guitar and the universal language of music.

Click here for Audio Slide Show of Canadian folksinger Ron Jones