[GREN-Exec] Draft PR for Aajiwnaang forum

Mon Mar 7 15:25:44 EST 2011

I think Greg raises some valid points. As I mentioned, I had seen a
documentary about this tribe, but their name was meaningless to me on its
own. The reduction in boy babies is what is most shocking - or at least the
most visible effect from this pollution. 

We actually need 3 items - 

1)      short blurb for event listings

2)      press release for media and 

3)      a flyer/email to spread the word through our contacts

They will have varying amounts of information.  Actually I think we could
use the press release wording for the flyer and email - just remove For
Immediate Release (see immediately below for my drafts) 

Susan K

1 

Free Public Forum: The health and birth sex ratio of the First Nations
people in "Chemical Valley" (Sarnia) have been harmed by environmental
pollutants; Ecojustice (formerly Sierra Legal Defence) is taking their case
to the Supreme Court seeking improved emission standards in Canada. Wed.
April 6, 2011 at 7pm, First United Church, 16 William St. West. Waterloo.
For info call 519-885-7619 or lulu at gren.ca  

2  & 3 

For Immediate Release:

Contact: Louisette Lanteigne

519-885-7619 or lulu at gren.ca  

Pollution Vs. Human Rights - Where are the baby boys?

The Aamjiwnaang First Nations reserve in "Chemical Valley" near Sarnia has
experienced a disturbing reduction in the birth of males. The  normal sex
ratio at birth is normally close to equal, yet records from 1999 into the
present show that only a third of those births have been male. Represented
by Ecojustice (formerly Sierra Legal Defence), The Aamjiwnaang (pronounced
om-jew-nong) people are taking their case to the Supreme Court claiming the
Ontario Ministry of the Environment's ongoing approval of pollution from the
oil refineries and hazardous waste treatment facilities is a violation of
Canadian Human Rights. They are asking for no monetary compensation, only
for the province to improve emissions standards to protect human health. 

This landmark case is important beyond the people of Sarnia. It can set a
precedent for all communities in terms of forcing the government to take
into account the cumulative impacts of contaminant discharges when issuing
permits to specific polluters. Learn the details of the alarming impacts of
pollution on community and environment and how you can help.

For more information see Ecojustice report: Exposing Canada's Chemical
Valley
www.ecojustice.ca/publications/reports/report-exposing-canadas-chemical-vall
ey/

Date: Wed. April 6 2011, starting at 7pm

Location: First United Church, 16 William Street West, Waterloo Ontario

Free, but donations welcomed.

Speakers include: 

*	Ron Plain & Ada Lockridge, Aamjiwnaang residents 
*	Justin Duncan Ecojustice lawyer 
*	Dayna Nadine Scott, Co-director of the National Network on
Environments and Women's Health 
*	John Jackson, Spokesperson of the Grand River Environmental Network
(GREN) 

This event is sponsored by the Grand River Environmental Network and First
United Church Outreach Committee of Waterloo. 

The Grand River Environmental Network www.gren.ca  is the proactive voice
for the environment in the Grand River watershed.  

For more information about GREN, please contact John Jackson john at gren.ca 

From: executive-bounces at gren.ca [mailto:executive-bounces at gren.ca] On Behalf
Of Gregory C. Michalenko
Sent: March-07-11 11:53 AM
To: Louisette Lanteigne; Kevin Thomason; John Jackson
Cc: GREN Executive
Subject: Re: [GREN-Exec] FW: Approval needed for draft ad

Lulu, 

You've misinterpreted my email.  I'm not doubting the substance of your
press release at all, and I know most of the answers to my questions.  I was
just putting myself into the place of an uninformed reader, the kind who
needs to be informed about this critical issue and would hopefully feel
motivated to attend (and, just in case they couldn't come, would appreciate
a link to a web site or other contact possibility).  If I didn't know
anything about it, these are the thoughts that would come to mind.  I'm
concerned that the only people who would bit at your press release would be
those already on top of the issue, who had been following it, and who were
generally familiar with that spot of the world.  Go out on the street and
ask someone "Do you know what Ecojustice is?  Aamijiwnaang First Nation?  "
"Chemical Valley"? I bet you would mostly get "no" answers.  I was trying to
be helpful, not doubt your message in any way.  I presumed you were
circulating your draft for helpful comments and that's why I said these
things.

The doorbell just rang.  It was a friend who moved here 5 years ago, and is
active in social justice issues.  I gave her my questionnaire.  She hadn't
heard of the phrase "Chemical Valley", had never heard of the A first nation
or where it is, thinks she has  heard of Ecojustice (she was familiar with
the Sierra Club but had never seen anything explaining that it now  had a
new name), and knew only that Sarnia was more or less an industrial city.
She is an internationally recognized distance educator and has a received
the lifetime achievement award of the Canadian Distance Ed Association, a
committed member of the Waterloo University Women's Club and a member of its
very active Social Justice Committee, which writes letters to newspapers and
politicians on a wide variety of issues, including environmental ones.  Just
the sort of recruit that this issue needs, but who would have been left
rather short of vital information by your existing draft.

- Greg

  _____  

From: Louisette Lanteigne [butterflybluelu at rogers.com]
Sent: Sunday, March 06, 2011 10:11 PM
To: Kevin Thomason; John Jackson; Gregory C. Michalenko
Cc: GREN Executive
Subject: RE: [GREN-Exec] FW: Approval needed for draft ad

Hello Greg et al. 

The Aamjiwnaang First Nation is located in Sarnia. Air pollution from the
Sunco refineries is creating a host of issues for the area residents. This
community has the lowest birth ratio male to female in the world. There is a
40% miscarriage rate among women, a sharp drop in the birth of boys and the
feminization of males in human and animal populations etc. 

Air Born pollution is to blame and they have the data to prove it. This
location is one of Canada's worst pollution hotspots producing 1/5th of
Ontario's climate change gases. The levels of emissions far exceeds that
which was allowed. 

Here is a website featuring a PDF illustrating the related health impacts:
http://www.cwhn.ca/en/node/42725

Ecojustice (formerly known as Sierra Legal Defense) is a National
organization who provides pro bono legal services for ground breaking
environmental cases. They are taking this matter to the Supreme Court
arguing that the pollution generated violates the Charter of Human Rights
and Freedoms. For details on this case visit here:
http://www.ecojustice.ca/media-centre/press-clips/human-rights-and-pollution
-in-sarnias-chemical-valley

I have spoken with staff at Ecojustice, the residents of the reserve and the
medical reps who have been involved with this issue and I've been networking
with various groups already interested in attending. This will be a big
event but we have get this media release GREN approved asap so I can have
staff at Ecojustice give the final approval it before release. 

We've got a free space at the First United Church on King Street. They're
footing the costs for the insurance etc. which is why they are listed as
co-sponsor. 

This is a landmark case and I will be spreading the news far and wide. What
you read isn't the main selling point. It is simply the foot in the door.
The sell comes when I hand deliver these flyers to various agencies in town
and actually speak to the reps of various community group. That's how you
get folks to come. 

Hope this info helps.

Lulu

--- On Sun, 3/6/11, Gregory C. Michalenko <gcmichalenko at uwaterloo.ca> wrote:

From: Gregory C. Michalenko <gcmichalenko at uwaterloo.ca>
Subject: RE: [GREN-Exec] FW: Approval needed for draft ad
To: "Kevin Thomason" <kevinthomason at mac.com>, "John Jackson"
<jjackson at web.ca>
Cc: "GREN Executive" <executive at gren.ca>, "Louisette Lanteigne"
<butterflybluelu at rogers.com>
Date: Sunday, March 6, 2011, 5:36 PM

I think I'm  somehow getting left out of the loop.  This is the first email
I've got about something that seems to have already become a lengthy
exchange.  Was this supposed to include all of us in the GREN exec?   

 Here are the questions I found myself wondering about on reading the
proposed press release:

1.  Who are the A. First Nation?  How big a community are they?

2.. Where are they located?  

3.  What exactly is Sarnia's Chemical Valley:  what is it, what companies,
what do they produce?  How is this connected to the A. First Nation?  How
many babies were involved in this period?  Have there been similar effects
in nearby European residents?

4.  It says "MOE's approval of pollution".  Does it really approve of it, or
is it seriously negligent in regulating and preventing it?  I think the
distinction might be important.

5.  What is Ecojustice?

6.  How can I learn more about this issue in the meantime, or if I can't
make it to the meeting?

I'm concerned that the statement as it stands won't be informative enough
for many people.  What prospective audience is it going out to?  I think the
additional information could be squeezed into just a few more sentences.

- Greg Michalenko

  _____  

From: executive-bounces at gren.ca [executive-bounces at gren.ca] on behalf of
Kevin Thomason [kevinthomason at mac.com]
Sent: Sunday, March 06, 2011 4:07 PM
To: John Jackson
Cc: GREN Executive; Louisette Lanteigne
Subject: Re: [GREN-Exec] FW: Approval needed for draft ad

John, 

Great suggestion!

I agree that we should include it.

Cheers,

Kevin.

----------------------------

On 2011-03-06, at 1:52 PM, John Jackson wrote:

I think we need to add the following paragraph, which was in the notice I
sent to our membership, to show the topic and the case's relevance for other
communities, including ours:

"This lawsuit is important beyond the people in Sarnia. It can set a
precedent for all communities in terms of forcing the government to take
into account the cumulative impacts of contaminant discharges when issuing
permits to specific polluters."

John

On 11-03-04 5:51 PM, "Susan Koswan" <dandelion at gto.net> wrote:

Hi GREN Exec,

Lulu needs the ok from GREN Exec before she can send this out. The first
will be the listing in coming events for paper, the second she is going to
run by Justin at Ecojustice and will be for posters, press release etc. 

Pollution vs. Human Rights: Free public forum. A Supreme Court challenge by
Aamjiwnaang First Nations & Ecojustice calls for new emission standards to
protect human health. Wed. April 6, 2011 at 7pm, First United Church, 16
William St. West. Waterloo. For info call 519-885-7619 or lulu at gren.ca  
___________________________

For Immediate Release:

Contact: Louisette Lanteigne

519-885-7619 or lulu at gren.ca  

Free Public Forum
Pollution Vs. Human Rights

Aamjiwnaang First Nations and Ecojustice allege the Ontario Ministry of the
Environment's ongoing approval of pollution in Sarnia's Chemical Valley is a
violation of Canadian Human Rights. A lawsuit has been launched which asks
for no compensation, only for the province to change current emissions
standards. 

The plight of the Aamjiwnaang people first came to light after finding that
only a third of the babies born between 1999 and 2005 were male. The ratio
is normally closer to 50:50. Learn the details of the alarming impacts of
pollution on community and environment in this landmark case, and how you
can help.

Date: Wed. April 6 2011, starting at 7pm
Location: First United Church, 16 William Street West, Waterloo Ontario

Free, but donations welcomed.

Speakers include: 

*	Ron Plain & Ada Lockridge, Aamjiwnaang residents 
*	Justin Duncan EcoJustice lawyer 
*	Dayna Nadine Scott, Co-director of the National Network on
Environments and Women's Health 
*	John Jackson, Spokesperson of the Grand River Environmental Network
(GREN) 

This event is sponsored by the Grand River Environmental Network and First
United Church Outreach Committee of Waterloo. 

The Grand River Environmental Network www.gren.ca <http://www.gren.ca
<http://www.gren.ca/> >  is the proactive voice for the environment in the
Grand River watershed.  

For more information about GREN, please contact John Jackson john at gren.ca 

  _____  

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Executive mailing list
Executive at gren.ca
http://gren.ca/mailman/listinfo/executive_gren.ca

-- 
John Jackson
17 Major Street
Kitchener, Ontario N2H 4R1
519-744-7503

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