[All] Fwd: CoC Guelph Tar Sands Action

[Robert Milligan]

FYI
RM

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Council of Canadians Guelph Chapter <CouncilOfCanadians at coc-guelph.ca 
> >
> Date: September 29, 2011 5:00:43 PM GMT-04:00
> To: CouncilOfCanadians at coc-guelph.ca
> Subject: CoC Guelph Tar Sands Action
>
>
> Council of Canadians staff, board, chapter activists and members  
> joined with hundreds of people on Parliament Hill last Monday to say  
> "No!" to the environmentally destructive tar sands. And you were  
> there too. We brought the voices of Council members from across the  
> country with us – including more than 23,000 letters and petitions  
> signed by members like you demanding that Prime Minister Harper stop  
> putting corporate oil industry interests ahead of people and the  
> environment.
>
> On the Hill with flags, banners and signs waving, we joined people  
> who told about how tar sands operations have poisoned local  
> waterways and had devastating impacts on the land and air. First  
> Nations people spoke of friends and family members who live near the  
> tar sands mining pits that are no longer able to hunt and fish as  
> they used to because of contaminated waterways, and who are  
> experiencing alarming increases in cancer and other diseases in  
> their communities. Environmental leaders talked about the spewing  
> pollution that makes the tar sands Canada's largest industrial  
> source of greenhouse gas emissions. Others spoke of how pipelines  
> will send good jobs away from Canada to U.S.-based refineries.
> We issued the call for action
>
> The Council of Canadians, with the Indigenous Environmental Network  
> and Greenpeace Canada, organized the event, bringing environmental,  
> peace and women's groups, unions and student organizations and many  
> more together to send a strong message to the Harper government. We  
> joined in the call for a better and healthier future where we  
> transition off of fossil fuels and focus on greener, more  
> environmentally sound energy solutions.
> Civil disobedience
>
> As speeches and rallying cries grew louder, activists joined hands  
> and peacefully, but purposefully, crossed police barricades. More  
> than 200 people, including Council of Canadians National Chairperson  
> Maude Barlow, were detained or arrested yesterday, showing how our  
> people's movement is growing in strength and numbers.
>
> Just before crossing the police barricade, Maude spoke to the crowd  
> about the urgency of the collective action. "It is imperative that  
> we say 'no' to these destructive tar sands. I am here to stand up  
> for a better future for my grandchildren."
> Extensive media coverage, social media and growing public awareness
>
> Yesterday’s action was a tremendous success in both building  
> political pressure and raising international public awareness that  
> Canadians will not stand idly by while our government takes our  
> country in the wrong direction. It made the front page of at least  
> 11 Canadian newspapers. Maude was interviewed on CBC-TV’s morning  
> national news as well as CBC Radio One’s As it Happens (listen  
> here). And Council of Canadians Climate Justice Campaigner Andrea  
> Harden-Donahue was interviewed on CTV News. Check out www.canadians.org 
>  for more coverage.
> We made sure action updates were spread far and wide through  
> facebook and Twitter. People across the country were tweeting and re- 
> tweeting and sharing information with their friends.
>
> Go here to read more about yesterday’s “Say ‘No!’ to the Tar Sands”  
> action, including media coverage, blogs and more.
>
> Go here to see video footage of Maude Barlow and others crossing the  
> police barricade.
> To find out more about our Climate Justice: Take Action for People  
> and the Planet campaign visit our website at www.canadians.org/climatejustice 
>   or call us toll free at 1-800-387-7177.
> THANK YOU
>
> Our heartfelt thanks go to all of our members and supporters who  
> joined us today – on Parliament Hill, through your petitions and  
> messages, and with your generous support.
>

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