Provencher By-Election

Vic Toews’ retirement last month means that Provencher will be having a by-election soon; at the time of this writing it has not yet been called, but it’s expected to come sometime in September. Right now the upcoming by-election is oddly unpredictable for a riding where, for the past several elections, the results were always very predictable. We don’t yet know who will be running for each party, and because this by-election is taking place before the annual policy conventions of the Conservatives and Liberals, we don’t even know for sure which issues they’ll be campaigning on. But with the disaster of Lac Mégantic and dozens of oil spills in the past year, two issues that are bound to come up are Canada’s energy resources and our environment. Those two issues are at the core of any discussion of sustainability, and an election is a great time to make your voice heard!

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When weeds aren't weeds

My wife loves to garden. I like to garden. We spend a lot of time in the vegetable garden. She does almost all the brain work and a lot of the brawn work. I put in the odd request for a particular vegetable when the garden is being planned. After that, I mainly weed.

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Fruit Share and Food Security

When most of our food is trucked in from all over the globe it is comforting to know that there is local food available. The question is how do you get a hold of it if you don’t own your own fruit trees or large garden? The answer is Fruit Share Steinbach. Fruit Share is non-profit organization that harvests unwanted and unpicked fruit and shares it with those who want it. Once you have the fruit what can you do with it? You need to preserve the bounty of the summer so that you will have the security of healthy food to eat throughout the year. This year Fruit Share Steinbach is giving a number of Preservation Workshops to teach how to save that tasty, local fruit so it can be enjoyed even in the coldest of winter months.

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Are we using water wisely?

I passed by gardens at the University of Manitoba on a rainy day last week, and was surprised to see that maintenance staff were setting up sprinklers to water the lawns and flowerbeds – surely this was unnecessary and they could be doing something else? Is it effective? Do you ever think about how much water you use on your gardens and where it comes from?

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In Favour of Bike Culture (2)

Two weeks ago, I suggested that many thoughtful Steinbach residents recognize that car culture, as we currently experience it in Steinbach, is not sustainable. Here, within Steinbach, were we to default to walking or cycling to get between two points, we would benefit in many ways. We would be healthier as we become more fit physically. Our city would be friendlier as we connect with one another on the street. The city ambiance would be more pleasant as green vegetation replaces black pavement. Our taxes would be significantly lower, because we would not need to develop and maintain an expensive auto infrastructure. Our city would become more compact. And our city, as well as we as individuals, would be more prepared for the future when the finiteness of our oil supply becomes manifest in higher fuel prices.

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