Category Archives: Politics

Posts relating to the politics of a greener planet

The Chronicles of Nodelac pt.1

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Ah, Nodelac, that ancient kingdom lost in the mists and mystery of time. Legend has it that the first wanderers to enter the lands were of Norman descent, and they named the area Nord du Lac, or North of the Lake. In later years, when a wave of Gaelic immigrants entered the  area, the named evolved to Nodelac.

The original inhabitants of the area had been hunters and gatherers, spiritually connected to all elements of their lands and waters. Their symbol was the swan, representing trust, peace, serenity, beauty, fidelity and kindness. The goddess of the Normans was Frigg, representing loyalty, dedication, wisdom, and protection of family. The god of the Gaelic peoples was The Dagda, representing abundance, protection, and connection to the supernatural. These became the guiding spirits of the kingdom. The Swan, Dagda and Frigg working together brought harmony to the peoples of Nodelac.

The Dagda and Frigg were both believed to have the powers of prophecy, clairvoyance and fate. Legend has it they prophesied that if the kindness of The Swan was ever betrayed, the Kingdom of Nodelac would fall into a Dark Age of greed and corruption. In order to protect Nodelac, a secret society was formed who dedicated themselves to saving The Swan and the peace, beauty and serenity of their Kingdom.

Over the decades they trained and passed on their teachings to generation after generation, waiting for the day when their loyalty would be put to the test.

That time came sooner than any of the Nodelacians could ever have imagined….

Pt. 2  – coming to a blog near you in September!

 

 

When the Fish Rots …

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One of the cornerstones of environmental literacy is the ability to detect and analyse patterns and understand how those patterns connect. Those can be patterns in the behaviour of animals and plants, weather and climate change, and the physical processes and properties of Earth. It can also be applied to politics and responsible governance.

In the natural world, for example, what is behind the connection between a decline of wolf populations in the North and a dramatic rise of the Canada Jay population? Turns out that when the wolf population is eliminated, the moose population booms. With all those moose around, the moose tick population explodes. In mating season, the male Canada Jay loves to offer a fresh juicy moose tick to his prospective mate, which leads to a lot of baby jays! It also leads to a severe infestation of ticks. More on this in a later post.

Applied to human behaviours, the search for patterns is equally revealing. Consider the old biblical adage from Timothy 6:10: “Love of money is the root of all evil,” along with the more modern observance that “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Add a little lust into the mix and you have the Holy Netflix Trinity of sex, money, and power that makes the wheels of a corrupt government go round and round.

Let’s say, hypothetically speaking, that we observe a pattern of powerful monied people donating to politicians’ campaigns and fundraisers, and then being granted the fast track to their projects without regard for the rules of law. Let’s say that those politicians claim that they are only helping their constituents move the projects along, and show little or no remorse when accused of breaking the codes of conduct for their office. Let’s say that they then publish glowing media reports about how happy their constituents are while also attacking any citizens who expose their questionable integrity.

That particular pattern would indicate a less than responsible state of governance. One in which money and power, rather than the voice of the people and the laws of the land, manipulate the decisions of government. If we introduce sex into that mix, consensual relationships between, let’s say, a Governor and a Land Baron, then we have a conflict of interest situation which would render any decisions made by that Governor suspect and invalid. Hypothetically speaking.

As Hamlet said, “More honoured in the breach than the observance. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. That one may smile and smile and be a villain.”

There’s an old saying that the fish rots from the head. It actually starts to rot from the guts and that rot spreads through the whole body. Maybe it’s time to get some fresh fish.

The way I see it

When is a Mayor’s Gala NOT a Mayor’s Gala

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In the Town of Caledon a fundraising Gala was held on May 2, 2025 that saw thousands of dollars given out to support a wide variety of very fortunate community organizations, The generosity of the donors is admirable, and the organizations who received funding from the Gala must be very grateful. But the event itself has raised some questions when almost a month later the “Gala” was reported under a different title.

How did an invitation from Mayor Annette Groves to the “Mayor’s Gala 2025: a community fundraiser for 14 community organizations” become, in the gala committee’s invitation, the “Annette Groves Community Gala“? Did what appeared to be a Caledon event turn out to be a private function?. As reported in the May 29th edition of the Caledon Citizen it is called the “Annette Groves Community Gala“. But the online Eventbrite site for ordering tickets to the Mayor’s Gala 2025 carried the following invitation: For the purposes of responsible governance, fiscal transparency and accountability, a little clarification would be appreciated.

Mayor's Gala 2025 Tickets, Fri, May 2, 2025 at 6:00 PM | Eventbrite

You see when a Mayor’s Gala is announced it is assumed, quite rightly, that the Town or City of which the person is Mayor is helping to organize the event. Take for example the City of Ajax which describes it’s annual Gala this way:

“Since the Inaugural Gala in June 2019, the Ajax Mayor’s Gala has raised $1,300,000 net to support organizations making a meaningful impact in our community! In keeping with The Ajax Mayor’s Gala tradition, the purpose of our shared experience is to benefit charitable organizations and not-for-profits doing great work in our community.”

And the tickets aren’t cheap, with five sponsorship levels running from $10,000 to $30,000. Now that’s a lot of fundraising! But for a really big show, mark June 10, 2025 on your calendar! That’s the City of Vaughan Mayor’s Gala. Last year they raised 1.1 million dollars for local organizations. Again attendance isn’t cheap. You can be a Presenting Sponsor for $100,000 all the way down to a Corporate Table for only $5000.

Or, if you don’t have enough to do this pre-Christmas there’s always the Nov 29, 2025 Pickering Mayor’s Gala. The point is that towns and cities are always throwing fundraising events. But you won’t see the Ajax Mayor calling his event the “Shaun Collier Community Gala”, or the Pickering Mayor writing his own boastful article about the “Kevin Ashe Community Gala”, Or the Vaughan Mayor hosting the “Steven Del Duca Community Gala.”

So, what’s so different for the town of Caledon? An event originally titled as a Mayor’s Gala alludes immediately to the Town associated with that Mayor. People buy tickets and make donations based on that relationship. It is a fundraiser guided by the ethics, principles and policies of the Town, open to full financial disclosure and public accountability.

But when it becomes “Joe Schmo’s Community Gala”, not organized by a Town or City, that is a totally different matter. That can be a financial wild west show with money trails leading in all sorts of directions. Well, at least according to fans of Ozark. And the gifts doled out to the various community organizations are not done under the auspices of the Town. These are now personal donations from the Gala organizers.

What’s so odd about this recent Gala in Caledon is that it was clearly advertised on Eventbrite, the online ticket seller, as an “Invitation from Mayor Annette Groves to the Mayor’s Gala 2025” and yet weeks after the event Mayor Annette Groves wrote a glowing report in the local Caledon Citizen,  in her own Mayor’s column, about the “Annette Groves Community Gala”

The Town has said they were not involved in the organization of this fundraiser, so who were the organizers of this sold out event? Will there be a full public accounting of all the monies raised, a list of the donors, and how the funds were distributed? If it is not the Town giving out this charitable money, then who? Queries to the Town of Caledon’s Communications Department for clarification were not answered by publication time.

In Caledon’s last municipal election campaign, a mayoralty candidate made this statement: “I believe in responsible government, fiscal transparency and accountability.”

Good words by which to live and lead.

The way I see it.

UPDATE. June 4, 2025, Town of Caledon Communications has responded that, although this is not a Town sponsored event, “This was Mayor Groves’ Annual Community Gala, which she held as a fundraiser to support local organizations doing meaningful work in Caledon.”

So, this event is clearly Annette Groves’ private Community Gala. Stay tuned.

*****

*image from Eventbrite

 

 

UK, France, Canada Full Joint Statement on Gaza

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“We strongly oppose the expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable. Yesterday’s announcement that Israel will allow a basic quantity of food into Gaza is wholly inadequate. We call on the Israeli Government to stop its military operations in Gaza and immediately allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. This must include engaging with the UN to ensure a return to delivery of aid in line with humanitarian principles. We call on Hamas to release immediately the remaining hostages they have so cruelly held since 7 October 2023.

The Israeli Government’s denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable and risks breaching International Humanitarian Law. We condemn the abhorrent language used recently by members of the Israeli Government, threatening that, in their despair at the destruction of Gaza, civilians will start to relocate. Permanent forced displacement is a breach of international humanitarian law.

Israel suffered a heinous attack on October 7. We have always supported Israel’s right to defend Israelis against terrorism. But this escalation is wholly disproportionate.

We will not stand by while the Netanyahu Government pursues these egregious actions. If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response.

We oppose any attempt to expand settlements in the West Bank. Israel must halt settlements which are illegal and undermine the viability of a Palestinian state and the security of both Israelis and Palestinians.  We will not hesitate to take further action, including targeted sanctions.

We strongly support the efforts led by the United States, Qatar and Egypt to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. It is a ceasefire, the release of all remaining hostages and a long-term political solution that offer the best hope of ending the agony of the hostages and their families, alleviating the suffering of civilians in Gaza, ending Hamas’ control of Gaza and achieving a pathway to a two-state solution, consistent with the goals of the 18 June conference in New York co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France. These negotiations need to succeed, and we must all work towards the implementation of a two-state solution, which is the only way to bring long-lasting peace and security that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve, and ensure long-term stability in the region.

We will continue to work with the Palestinian Authority, regional partners, Israel and the United States to finalise consensus on arrangements for Gaza’s future, building on the Arab plan. We affirm the important role of the High-level Two-State Solution Conference at the UN in June in building international consensus around this aim. And we are committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to achieving a two-state solution and are prepared to work with others to this end.”

Offensive is in the Mind of the Beholder

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In my days of being provocative as a speaker on environmental issues, I once took the stage wearing a hooded sweatshirt that had emblazoned on its back “UNF*CK the PLANET”. When I finished my keynote, one attendee remarked to me that they found that logo offensive. “Really?” I replied. “What I find offensive is continued habitat alteration, loss of biodiversity, chemical pollution, and accelerated climate change.”

No response.

Recently I pondered that same response when I read criticism about Canada joining the UK and France in condemning the blockage of aid to starving Palestinians. Their statement said: “We will not stand by while the Netanyahu government pursues these egregious actions, If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response.”

Yeah, what I find offensive is not Canada’s response. What I find offensive is the deliberate starvation of 14,000 children. I find that  really f*cking offensive.

The way I see it.