From the Free Press:

WITH less than six months before the second annual North America Summit Hemispheria meets in Winnipeg, students from the University of Manitoba, University of Winnipeg and concerned community members are already gearing up to take action.

"Trade issues have broad impacts on all folks in Canada and all folks in North America," says Kate Sjoberg, president of the University of Winnipeg Students Association.

The Hemispheria Action Group was formed last summer by student union members of both universities. Since then, the group has been working to develop their website, and link with other local, national and international groups concerned with trade talks that will strengthen the North American Free Trade Agreement between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

Last week, the action group held their first community meeting at the University of Winnipeg. It was their first community event to try and make the public more aware of the effects of strengthening free trade. The group plans to hold similar events each month leading up to the summit.

Troy Stozek, who is pursuing a masters degree in geography at the U of M, says that because the meeting involves government officials, but not presidents or prime ministers, the summit may not even fall on the public's radar. However, Stozek and the action group say that what the public isn't hearing about free trade is how it can have a negative impact on Canada's bargaining power with the U.S. Stozek points to the recent softwood lumber disputes as proof, and says the trade agreement gives too much money and power to the private sector.

"I don't think people are making that link," he says. "We don't have as much trade clout as we'd like to think."

According to Sjoberg, the action group's main goal is to raise public awareness about the effects such a broad trade agreement can have. She says it's important to examine issues like trading a natural resource like water with the U.S. and Mexico, or the negative effects developing land for hydro power can have.

Sjoberg says the action group hasn't ruled out holding protests and rallies against the summit, and says the growing number of group members will decide their action plan in the coming months.

"It really starts to treat people and consider people as consumers rather than citizens," she says of the trade agreement.

Which one do you prefer?

#1

To: pm@pm.gc.ca
I am concerned about Canada's water. Privatization, bulk water exports, and massive bottled water operations are threatening the future of our water. Your government must reinvest in our public water systems, stop water diversions, exclude water from all trade deals, and act to stop the environmentally damaging practices of water bottling operations and other industrial water takers. Moreover, a comprehensive National Water Act must be developed to declare water a human right and protect our water from these increasing threats.

#2

To: pm@pm.gc.ca
I believe that water is a sacred gift that connects all life. Its value to the common good must take priority over commercial interests. In Africa, Asia, and Latin America, private companies are taking control of public water services. Privatization of water resources is also increasing elsewhere in the world, including North america. This turns a common good into a commodity, depriving those who cannot pay and further threatening local ecosystems.
I call on the Government of Canada, nationally and internationally, to ensure access to clean water for all, now and for future generations by:

• Supporting publicly or cooperatively controlled water services that have genuine community participation;
• Opposing measures in federal, bilateral or multilateral agreements and policies that promote the privatization of water services; and
• Protecting and preserving natural sources of water.

A long time ago,

On Monday June 27, 2005. Ninety days after the March 23rd Waco Summit between Prime Minister Martin, President George W. Bush and President Vicente Fox, a ministerial report was made public. It outlined, in the words of the Public Security and Emergency Preparedness Canada media release, "the progress achieved in the implementation of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America."

Though bureaucratic in language and spun to sound positive, the report gives a sense of the direction and timelines unfolding within the deep integration agenda. The imperatives of the Independent Task Force on the Future of North America, which had the full backing of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, can also be seen in this ministerial report.

This is a wide-ranging report that covers areas such as the movement of goods, financial services, cargo security, bioprotection, and aviation security. The full report can be found at http://www.fac-aec.gc.ca/spp/spp-menu-en.asp. Here are a few of the "initiatives" worth highlighting:

"Enhance electricity collaboration: All three countries need to coordinate efforts on restructuring issues that may impact transmission provision and access, as well as market design and investment issues that impact North American markets."

"Increase natural gas collaboration: This initiative will address a range of issues related to natural gas market in North America, including production, transportation, transmission, distribution, consumption, trade, interconnections and liquefied natural gas as well as projections for the future."

"Joint Canada-U.S. review of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement: The review is an opportunity to ensure that the Agreement continues to be a visionary statement guiding not only governments, but also members of the Great Lakes community, in the continued protection and restoration of the Great Lakes."

"Establish or identify a North American food safety coordinating mechanism: By March 2007, establish or identify an effective food safety coordinating mechanism facilitating the cooperative development of common North American standards, as appropriate, and the removal of identified differences in standards where warranted and appropriate."

"Identification and appropriate adoption of best practices in maintaining the safety, efficacy and quality of pharmaceutical products: The implementation of best practices and the harmonization of technical standards for the registration of pharmaceuticals promote regulatory efficiencies and predictability."

"Develop and implement compatible immigration security measures to enhance North American security, including requirements for admission and length of stay; visa decision-making standards; lookout systems; and examining the feasibility of entry and exit procedures and systems: Develop benchmarks related to procedures and policies for visitor visa processing, including security screening, visa validity, and length of stay within 9 months."

"Enhance our capacity to combat terrorism through the appropriate sharing of terrorist watch list data and the establishment of appropriate linkages between Canada, the United States and Mexico: The three countries will negotiate bilateral terrorist screening information-sharing agreements."

While the Government of Canada has endorsed these initiatives, none of these major proposals have been the subject of public debate or consultation with Parliament. In fact, they appear to be emerging from a narrow consensus of corporate executives, rather than the values and priorities of broader public opinion.

I believe that the people in Canada, civil society groups in Canada, and even the Parliament of Canada should have a voice on matters of such importance. Please contact Prime Minister Paul Martin at pm@pm.gc.ca and tell him that he must have a full and open consultation with people in Canada on these issues before he proceeds any further towards deep integration with the United States.

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To: Hon. Gord Mackintosh

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the conditions in the Winnipeg Remand Centre. It is common knowledge that the majority of inmates in Manitoba’s correctional system are Aboriginal. Many of these inmates request culturally appropriate services, such as the ability to speak to and be counseled by Aboriginal people. It has come to my attention that the Remand Centre has four non-Aboriginal Chaplains, all male and only one Aboriginal Elder, also male. There are no female Elders in the Remand Centre, even though there are a significant number of female inmates in the facility.

I recently had the opportunity to speak to the Elder at the Remand Centre, Neil Hall who indicated that he cannot keep up with the number of requests he receives from inmates on a daily basis. I understand that while there may be 8-12 requests for his services per day which he must contend with alone, the Chaplains receive only up to 4 requests per day each. This is absolutely unreasonable and is a disservice to the Aboriginal population in the facility, particularly the women.

Neil indicated that he has requested that a female Elder or a female helper be hired, but that his requests have fallen on deaf ears. I understand that one of the Chaplain positions recently opened and another Chaplain was promptly hired. This would have been a good opportunity for the facility to hire another Elder, preferably female.

I want to recommend that this issue at the Remand Centre be looked at immediately and that the appropriate staff be hired, given the inmate population. Please let me know what steps you are taking to address this issue. Thank you for your anticipated serious consideration of this matter.

Sincerely,

The text of the HAG brochure

The Hemispheria Action Group (HAG) formed this summer in response to a press release announcing that Winnipeg will be hosting the second annual North American Summit Hemispheria from May 31–June 2, 2006. This summit will bring together political and business leaders from Mexico, the United States, and Canada to discuss NAFTA and the competitiveness of the North American economy. We in HAG see the Summit as promoting the neo-liberal agenda of competition and privatization that seeks to expand the wealth and power of corporations at the expense of people and the environment. We will work to educate and mobilize people in opposition to the agenda of the Summit Hemispheria. This brochure provides our assessment of the ten commitments that came out of the inaugural Hemispheria summit held in the Mexican city of Monterrey last May.

1. To advance the North American Free Trade Agreement

The Canada-US-Mexico NAFTA promised to remove trade barriers, increase economic growth, create jobs and strengthen democracy. In reality NAFTA is an investment agreement granting foreign investors a remarkable set of new rights and privileges, rights that promote deregulation and privatization of our local, national and international markets. NAFTA deals with subjects that can be seen as barely related to trade—local agriculture, investment, intellectual-property rights, and governmental involvement in the national economy. NAFTA is an extension of long-standing neo-liberal principles and institutions. It has led to forced reductions to government subsidies, the scaling back of public services, lost jobs, and less state regulation of profit-driven private market forces. NAFTA has contributed to the concentration of more wealth into the hands of the rich few, and deepening the divide between rich and poor. NAFTA wraps itself in progressive language, but what it does is undemocratically entrench neo-liberal policies into supranational law. Once in place, the rules and regulations of the trade agreement constrain elected governments. This means that people have even less influence over what governments do in their name. Because the interconnectedness of the world economy calls for community, the alternative to NAFTA is not isolation. Trade should be guided by principles of economic sustainability, social and ecological justice and development for all. This means stable, equal trade rules enforced and achieved through a truly democratic multilateral process.

2. To develop regional energy policies

The Energy and Basic Petrochemicals Chapter of the NAFTA agreement encourages sustained and gradual liberalization of trade in energy in the free trade area. Article 602 declares, "Energy and petrochemical goods and activities shall be governed by the provisions of this Agreement." Through the energy policy framework embedded within the NAFTA, there are few benefits and the negative impacts are felt by many. Corporate concentration within the energy sector has reached alarming proportions, resulting in higher profits for investors and higher prices for people. All the while, the further development and expansion of the oil and gas industries, large scale hydro dam projects and commercial mining operation has displaced indigenous peoples from traditional lands and caused environmental destruction. At the Summit Hemispheria in Mexico last May the promotion of renewable and responsible energy sources was discussed. But when looking at the path NAFTA has brought us down thus far—ever-greater dependence on non-renewable resources as a consequence of corporate control and the profit imperative—it is highly unrealistic to think that such goals will actually be achieved. Regional energy policy within the NAFTA framework will be corporate-driven and environmentally-destructive.

3. To address the migration phenomenon

When government officials talk about the need "to address the migration phenomenon" they are not talking about reassessing the merits of neoliberal free trade agreements such as NAFTA that generate the kind of destruction and destitution that force an increasing number of Mexican workers and small-scale farmers to migrate in search of work. Instead they are talking about controlling the movement of people while maintaining and expanding the very trade agreement that made migration essential to survival. Because NAFTA legalized the free movement of capital but failed to legalize the free movement of people, Mexican workers migrating outside of their national borders without official permits are criminalized, forced to pass through increasingly militarized borders and are likely to endure vulnerable employment positions once they reach Canada and the U.S. There, they are often denied citizenship rights, leaving them unable to secure labour benefits or protection and making them extremely susceptible to all kinds of abuse. The Canadian, U.S. and Mexican governments’ vision to address "the migration phenomenon" is not about addressing the reality that their free trade agreement results in exploitation and impoverishment that leaves people with little choice but to migrate and accept coercive work situations. Instead, this vision is about freeing the movement of capital while controlling the movement of people.

4. To promote regional competitiveness

When the leaders of the NAFTA countries talk of regional competitiveness they are referring to the notion that free trade amongst Canada, Mexico and U.S. will allow the region to be more competitive in the global market. This, they say, will translate into increased economic growth, more jobs and increased prosperity for all. The reality of competition is quite different. Corporate competition is about accumulating as much wealth as possible by cutting the costs of doing business wherever possible. This inevitably and above all means cutting the costs of labour by driving down wages and attacking workers rights and benefits. Corporate competitiveness is also about "growing or dying". This means that to survive, companies must seek to maximize control over land and resources, behave in environmentally destructive ways and turn everything including the most basic social services and resources like health care and water into commodities for sale. Neoliberal free trade agreements like NAFTA increase corporate access and power. Competition over a greater area means that minimal standards fall and the exploitation of people and the environment becomes even more severe. Wealth increasingly becomes concentrated in the hands of a few while the majority finds it increasingly difficult to meet their most basic needs. Commitments to regional competitiveness lead to increased exploitation, not increased prosperity.

5. To develop regional infrastructure

When leaders of the NAFTA countries talk about developing regional infrastructure they are referring mainly to huge transportation corridors built to serve the needs of capital, not the needs of people. North America’s Super Corridor Coalition (NASCO) has been lobbying the US government for years to build a huge superhighway down through the centre of the North American continent. The corridor consists of I-35, I-29, I-80, I-94 and Manitoba’s Provincial Trunk Highway 75. The planned corridor would be nearly a quarter-mile wide, and would transform the environment with road and rail traffic and oil, gas, electric, and water lines. Building this superhighway is also about developing "intelligent" infrastructure. Such "Intelligent Transportation Systems" would include "advanced traveler information services," "automated credentialing processes," and "safety assurance activities." This technology will increase "trade security" and make the movement of freight along the corridor and across international borders cheaper for businesses. It will also provide the state with an advanced means to monitor and control the movement of people.. A commitment "to develop regional infrastructure" literally paves the road for capital at the expense of people and the environment.

6. To share and adopt government best practices

"Best practices" has become a common phrase in the world of business and, increasingly, government. At first glance, this seems like a good thing. What could be wrong with figuring out the best way to do something and sharing this method with others? The problem is that "best" here isn’t about meeting people’s needs or environmental priorities — it’s about cutting costs regardless of what this means for people. So if it costs a municipal government less to hire a private company to collect garbage than to have city workers do it, that’s the "best practice" — even though this means replacing recently-paid jobs with low-paid jobs and pushing older workers out the door because they can’t work as hard as younger workers. "Sharing and adopting government best practices" results in shrinking the number of government employees (especially unionized workers), increasing their workloads, and having more of them employed in contract, temporary and part-time positions. The drive for "government best practices" in Canada, the US and Mexico is part of restructuring the public sector in ways that are bad for both those who deliver public services (from transit to health care) as well as those who use them.

7. To support education programs

What kind of education systems do neoliberals want to build? When we look around North America, we can see that neoliberal "education reform" is well underway. There are three ways this is happening: Commercialization means more corporate penetration of the education system at all levels. This ranges from corporate teaching resources to deals that give major corporations exclusive rights to sell on university campuses to more corporate sponsorship of research and corporate donations in exchange for status and influence. More user fees (including higher university and college tuition) is another aspect of commercialization. Another avenue for "education reform" is creating more opportunities for students to fail: more standardized tests, more homework, etc.. This stokes up competition among students, and increases the streaming of students towards different parts of the workforce. The third aspect of "education reform" is changing schools to put more emphasis on an "entrepreneurial spirit." Students are to be encouraged to think about marketing themselves from an early age. Certain subjects like engineering, math and computer science are emphasized because they’re seen as increasingly important, while others are neglected (like social studies, literature and art). This is education for the market, not for people.

8. To facilitate and promote security

Since 9-11, the U.S. administration has demanded stricter controls on the movement of people across borders in the name of "national security." The governments of Canada and Mexico want a fully-liberalized trade zone comparable to the European Union. As a result, all three governments are taking steps to build "Fortress North America": a tighter "security perimeter" with increasing cooperation between police and intelligence agencies and "harmonized" border controls. Laws already in place have increased restrictions on cross-border travel for many people (including Muslims, people of colour, and non-citizens) while business persons and other accredited" citizens are getting fasttracked through customs. As part of making it easier for corporations to do business within "Fortress North America," efforts are underway to build a North American "SuperCorridor" that would allow certified containerized goods to be easily shipped across borders. Clearly, after Canada and Mexico implement secure shipping regimes, other countries will then face the same demands for trade "security". But this "certification" is a package deal requiring harmonized intelligence and enforcement agencies that meets the approval of the U.S. state. The walls of "Fortress North America" are intended, from the start, to be portable and ever-expanding.

9. To Promote Cultural Diversity

When most people read "cultural diversity," they think of multiculturalism. But when government officials from Canada talk about promoting cultural diversity within the context of NAFTA, they are referring to their commitment to protecting Canadian cultural products from being pushed out of the market by foreign competitors. To this end, NAFTA contains a clause that exempts cultural products from being subject to the rules of free trade, allowing each member state to protect its own cultural industries. But there is a contradiction in these efforts because these same states are committed to free trade agreements that cultivate a non-diverse "neoliberal free trade market culture". The kind of society that neoliberalism creates isn’t really diverse at all. We’re all pressured to act individualistically, compete with each other, and accept the domination of our lives by market forces. Most of us are forced to spend our lives doing unfulfilling work with little or no control over what we do, just to put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads. This way of living, this neoliberal culture, is far from a shining example of genuine diversity. Although government officials may pride themselves in promoting diversity in cultural products, their neoliberal agenda imposes a more fundamental kind of cultural conformity.

10. To dignify economic humanism

Mexican President Fox has talked about the need to adopt "active social policies, centered on dignity, freedom and people’s capabilities so that they can take advantage of opportunities, generate assets and step out of the vicious circle of poverty by themselves and permanently." Fox calls this "a new economic humanism." Great words, well spoken, but is this possible within the NAFTA framework which has deepened poverty and deprived people of dignity and freedom? In reality, NAFTA has led to lower real wages for more people, displacing others from the land, a widening gap between the rich and poor and more poverty. The neoliberal economic principles embedded in the NAFTA — the weakening of social and environmental protection, privatization of public services, and increased market liberalization — have successfully paved the path to more poverty. The kind of "deeper integration" slated for discussion at the upcoming 2006 Hemispheria Summit in Winnipeg will only make this worse. Any talk of combining "humanism"—centered on humans, their values, capacities, dignity and worth—with NAFTA-type economics is a contradiction.

Two things largely unknown

#1

U.S., Mexican, and Canadian officials and business leaders used the Hemispheria San Pedro 2005 summit to discuss the accomplishments and problems of NAFTA, which expanded trade throughout the continent, since 1994.

José Natividad González Parás and Bill Richardson, governors of Nuevo León and New Mexico, exhorted their nations to pursue the responsible use of energy, and to promote renewable energy sources. Richardson proposed the creation of the North America Energy Council to track and analyze critical information relating to energy, the environment and trade help resolve regional issues and disputes, and serve as a forum to exchange information and ideas. The council is intended to establish the region as a world energy production and resources, and it would include not only the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, but also energy-rich countries across the Americas, i.e., Venezuela and Brazil.

The Energy and Basic Petrochemicals Chapter of the NAFTA agreement encourages sustained and gradual liberalization of trade in energy in the free trade area. Article 602 declares, “Energy and petrochemical goods and activities shall be governed by the provisions of this Agreement.”

According to the Preliminary Report by the Trade and Economic Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada has been the U.S.’s most important source of energy imports. Undoubtedly, Canada has been the dominant source of Electricity and Natural Gas imports, accounting for 100 percent of U.S. electricity imports and 93.5 percent of natural gas imports. But even for oil, combining crude and non-crude oil, the U.S. imports more from Canada than any other country.

#2

North America’s SuperCorridor Coalition has been lobbying the American government for years to build a huge superhighway down through the centre of the North American continent. The corridor consists of I-35, I-29, I-80, I-94 and Manitoba’s Provincial Trunk Highway 75. The planned corridor would be nearly a quarter-mile wide, include road and rail traffic, and oil, gas, electric, and water lines. Networks of toll roads would function primarily to connect U.S. roads to networks in Mexico, Central and South America, and Canada.

When, from San Pedro, Hemispheria 2005 declared that they will “develop regional infrastructure,” they were referring to the development of the channel for raw material, from land in Canada, to the central economy in the United States.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (DOT) led a stakeholder group (including Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Manitoba) in a study of the feasibility of shared, interoperable Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSs) and Commercial Vehicle Operations (CVOs) along the corridor. Their intended applications include “advanced traveler information services,” “automated credentialing processes,” and “safety assurance activities.” This NASCO-facilitated project developed the technical approach and business plan to implement these technologies, in part to enhance freight movements along the corridor and across international borders, and in part to manipulate migration.

The Iowa DOT has received similar federal funding to examine and field-test the “intelligent infrastructure” (hardware and software) needed to realize the ITS/CVO applications.

Paste the following message into a new email composition

To: Dion.S@parl.gc.ca, premier@leg.gov.mb.ca, mincon@leg.gov.mb.ca
Subject: Action needed on a national park for the Manitoba Lowlands

Dear Honourable Ministers, and Honourable Premier,

I am writing to you with regards to the proposed new national park in Manitoba. National parks are vitally important to people in Canada. The proposed national park in the Manitoba Lowlands would be a really spectacular addition to the network of Canadian parks. I understand that this park has been in the planning stage for over thirteen years, and that it is not close to being finished. I strongly support the creation of this new national park, and I will watch its development closely.

The new park will be the third national park established in Manitoba. This park ought to be established with the full cooperation of First Nations and local communities. The boundaries ought to be set so as to truly represent the Manitoba Lowlands ecology. The park ought to be large enough to allow for natural processes and ecological integrity to endure. With one exception, your government's most recent proposal meets these requirements (and I commend you for that). The missing piece is Little Limestone Lake. It is one of the most beautiful lakes in Manitoba. It has unique features that set it apart from any other lake in the country. Little Limestone Lake really ought to be part of the new park.

In March 2004, the Government of Canada signed an agreement with the Province of Manitoba, committing both governments to establish a national park in the Manitoba Lowlands by May 2005. This promise has not been kept. It is not too late. Create a great new national park. Leave a lasting legacy for the future.

I look forward to your response. Please indicate what steps you will take to ensure the establishment of a national park, with the most carefully considered ecological boundaries.

Sincerely,

[insert your name here]

Copy + paste

To: The Federal Minister of Agriculture, The Honorable Mr. Andy Mitchell,

Monsanto has applied to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to register a genetically modified Roundup Ready alfalfa in Canada.

I object to the introduction of plants carrying genes from other species without extremely thorough study. I also strongly disagree with this proposed introduction because of the damage it may do to markets for Canadian organic products.

Please thoroughly study environmental damage, and take take possible market damage into account, before you consider introduction of Roundup Ready alfalfa, as well as the introduction of other GM crops.

Green green water

Green green water is a documentary film about hydroelectric power and its impact on the lives of thousands of Aboriginal people in northern Manitoba. Filmmaker Dawn Mikkelson, collaborating with Métis-Ojibway filmmaker, James M. Fortier, travels to Manitoba to tell the story of several Cree communities whose lives have been forever altered by hydroelectric dams. In the beginning, Mikkelson hoped that by drawing attention to this situation, the Cree would receive more equitable financial compensation for their pain, but is money enough to remedy the destruction of a culture, a way of life, and a community's dignity?

"This is a story about power... power from hydroelectric dams... the power to destroy an ancient culture... the power of big money... the power of Indigenous people who refuse to be powerless in their struggle to survive... and the power of activism."

Visit the green green water documentary film site
View the green green water Video Log (Vlog)
View the 12-minute trailer for green green water

From the Concluding observations of the Human Rights Committee : Canada.

20. The Committee is concerned about information that the police, in particular in Montreal, have resorted to large-scale arrests of demonstrators. It notes the State party's responses that none of the arrests in Montreal have been arbitrary since they were conducted on a legal basis. The Committee, however, recalls that arbitrary detention can also occur when the deprivation of liberty results from the exercise of the rights or freedoms guaranteed by the Covenant, in particular under articles 19 and 21. (articles 9, 19, 21, 26)

The State party should ensure that the right of persons to peacefully participate in social protests is respected, and ensure that only those committing criminal offences during demonstrations are arrested. The Committee also invites the State party to conduct an inquiry into the practices of the Montreal police forces during demonstrations, and wishes to receive more detailed about the practical implementation of article 63 of the Criminal code relating to unlawful assembly.

The charges against me were dropped

A United Nations committee has harshly criticized the way Montreal police crack down on protesters at demonstrations. The report, released by the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, cites the Montreal force's tendency to arrest large numbers of people at demonstrations. According to the report, the tactic often leads to the arrest of innocent bystanders and people who have the right to express dissent. The report says Montreal police "should ensure that the rights of persons to peacefully participate in social protests are respected and ensure that only those committing criminal offences during demonstrations are arrested." Close to 2,000 protesters have been arrested by Montreal police since 1999, more than any other Canadian city, the UN human rights committee says. The report notes that at a G8 protest in 2002, 350 people were arrested. All of them were found not guilty. The report also points out that at a demonstration against the World Trade Organization in 2003, 243 people were arrested, only to have every charge dropped 18 months later. The report recommends that an inquiry be established look into how the force deals with demonstrators. A police spokesperson told local television reporters that the force was "looking into" the report.

The Civic Environment Committee

Please write to the Mayor and councillors at city hall to show your support for the Civic Environment Committee.

You will find Winnipeg councillors addresses here:

http://winnipeg.ca/council/

You can send a message directly to the mayor of Winnipeg here:

http://winnipeg.ca/interhom/mayors%5Foffice/

Just click on "Mayor's Mailbox."

Save the Boreal Forest

Take action via http://www.savetheboreal.org/

I cut these sentences out of an email message:

• This is Healing Tree, just back yesterday from a month in New Orleans.
• I'm climbing in it tonight (october 31st) and it is threatened to be cut as of November 1st.
• I'm already in trouble with the company and am facing serious charges if I get arrested.
• There are pictures of the tree and a short film on it at: www.wesavetrees.org.
• Click on "largest treesit ever".