<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">FYI<div>RM<br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>From: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Council of Canadians Guelph Chapter <<a href="mailto:CouncilOfCanadians@coc-guelph.ca">CouncilOfCanadians@coc-guelph.ca</a>></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Date: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">September 29, 2011 5:00:43 PM GMT-04:00</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>To: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a href="mailto:CouncilOfCanadians@coc-guelph.ca">CouncilOfCanadians@coc-guelph.ca</a></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Subject: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>CoC Guelph Tar Sands Action</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div> </div><a href="http://council-of-canadians.c.topica.com/maapmvPab6ivaa06CIMeaeQy7T/" target="_blank"><img alt="Today we said “No!” to the destructive tar sands" src="http://www.canadians.org/images/enews/banner_enews_sept26.jpg" border="0" height="175" width="700"></a> <br> 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.<br><br> <a href="http://council-of-canadians.c.topica.com/maapmvPab6ivba06CIMeaeQy7T/" target="_blank"><img style="margin-left: 10px;" title="Hundred of protestors gather on Parliament Hill" alt="Hundred of protestors gather on Parliament Hill" src="http://www.canadians.org/images/enews/Maudespeaks-Hill.jpg" align="right" height="155" width="250"></a>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.<br> <h3><strong>We issued the call for action</strong></h3> 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.<br> <h3><strong>Civil disobedience</strong></h3> <a href="http://council-of-canadians.c.topica.com/maapmvPab6ivca06CIMeaeQy7T/" target="_blank"><img style="margin-left: 10px;" title="Maude Barlow is arrested on Parliament Hill" alt="Maude Barlow is arrested on Parliament Hill" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6161/6186436954_6bc12221a1_z.jpg" align="right" height="184" width="250"></a>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.<br><br> 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."<br> <h3><strong>Extensive media coverage, social media and growing public awareness</strong></h3> 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 <em>As it Happens (</em><a href="http://council-of-canadians.c.topica.com/maapmvPab6ivda06CIMeaeQy7T/" target="_blank"><em>listen here</em></a><em>)</em>. And Council of Canadians Climate Justice Campaigner Andrea Harden-Donahue was interviewed on CTV News. Check out <a href="http://council-of-canadians.c.topica.com/maapmvPab6ivaa06CIMeaeQy7T/" target="_blank">www.canadians.org</a> for more coverage.<br> We made sure action updates were spread far and wide through <a href="http://council-of-canadians.c.topica.com/maapmvPab6ivea06CIMeaeQy7T/" target="_blank">facebook</a> and <a href="http://council-of-canadians.c.topica.com/maapmvPab6ivfa06CIMeaeQy7T/" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. People across the country were tweeting and re-tweeting and sharing information with their friends.<br> <br> <a href="http://council-of-canadians.c.topica.com/maapmvPab6ivga06CIMeaeQy7T/" target="_blank"><img style="margin-left: 10px;" title="We brought with us more than 23,000 signed “No Tar Sands” letters and petitions from Council members across the country with us" alt="We brought with us more than 23,000 signed “No Tar Sands” letters and petitions from Council members across the country with us" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6166/6185826657_6586891df8_z.jpg" align="right" height="125" width="250"></a><a href="http://council-of-canadians.c.topica.com/maapmvPab6ivha06CIMeaeQy7T/" target="_blank">Go here</a> to read more about yesterday’s “Say ‘No!’ to the Tar Sands” action, including media coverage, blogs and more.<br> <br> <a href="http://council-of-canadians.c.topica.com/maapmvPab6ivia06CIMeaeQy7T/" target="_blank">Go here</a> to see video footage of Maude Barlow and others crossing the police barricade.<br> To find out more about our Climate Justice: Take Action for People and the Planet campaign visit our website at <a href="http://council-of-canadians.c.topica.com/maapmvPab6ivja06CIMeaeQy7T/" target="_blank">www.canadians.org/climatejustice</a> or call us toll free at <a href="tel:1-800-387-7177" value="+18003877177" target="_blank">1-800-387-7177</a>.<br> <h3><strong>THANK YOU</strong></h3> 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.<br><br></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>