Thoughts of a Common Man

Your Waste Paper Can Save Trees

When I watch the huge trucks and trailers pass on the four lane highway loaded with logs, I can only think of the tons of unused waste paper that could be recycled and prevent the cutting of so many trees especially those considered are undersize.

Believe me, there are literally thousands of tons of paper products serving no purpose other than taking up space in attics, basements, barns, and garages throughout the province of New Brunswick. Over the past five years I have worked with an organization that raised thousands of dollars for community activities by collecting books and other paper products then arranging to have them recycled or put to other useful purposes.

Every week I hear people stating they are concerned about what is happening to the forest areas of New Brunswick and wonder what can be done to reduce the cutting of so many trees.

Part of the solution is quite simple and would have more than one benefit to all the residents concerned with saving our badly manipulated forest industry. The first step is to have residents go through their homes and other buildings and remove all the unused, unwanted old magazines, newspapers and cardboard boxes so they can be collected and delivered to a recycling program. Secondly, go through the home library removing all the out of date editions including those thirty and forty year old twenty-four volume encyclopedias which are not longer used then add them to the shredding pile. Finally, sort through all the remaining contents of the library, remove all the books and magazines which are in good or better condition and are no longer used, needed or wanted then donate them to fundraising organizations. There are many organizations that would gladly take those items to be used to raise funds for various activities.

By following these steps new found space can be created in every residence, a huge amount of paper can be put back in to the recycling system, used books are made available to others to enjoy at a reduced price, over time reduce the necessity to cut so many trees and have so many logging trucks on the highways.

A prime example of how much paper could be collected are those huge encyclopedias our parents and grandparents purchased for us back in the 60s, 70s and 80s, each weighing close to one hundred pounds. Presently there are hundreds of homes in New Brunswick that have at least one of those out of date sets, collecting dust and not being used because the new up to date editions are now available of a two ounce CD. Just imagine the tons of paper that could be put back into the system if every one of those sets were to be shredded and reprocessed.

There will always be a forest industry and a need to cut trees of the proper size to produce various needed products but better participation in a the recycling programs for all kinds of paper will reduce the cutting of trees of which many could be considered as undersize. The practice of processing of under sized trees is done because the price of logs makes it profitable and clear cutting makes it easy to do.

Those who would like to take the first step can do so by organizing such events as “Book and Paper Days” to collect as many items as possible for either recycling or re-use. By doing so, there is also the possibility of raising funds that could be used to support other activities within the community. In my opinion these types of events are easier to organize and do more to help the forests and environment than participating in attention seeking demonstrations that only have short term affects and are soon forgotten.

More importantly, by returning tons of paper back into the pulp and paper industry or putting items into the hands of others for their enjoyment at a very low cost can only be a benefit to the overall environmental management process. There is no reason for the concerned residents of this province not to participate in this type of endeavour if they are honestly interested in the welfare of our forests and the environment.

Submitted to the provincial Minister of Environment 2006-12-13

For many years the province of New Brunswick has been known as the picture province because of its’ picturesque scenery, parks, wonderful clean country roads and running clear water streams.
I now wish to inform all who will listen, that impression is deteriorating quickly especially by those residents who travel throughout this province on a regular basis. From what travelers see being done by residents of this province to the landscape and environment is shocking to them and gives the impression that many people who reside in New Brunswick do not care what happens to the landscape, what visitors think of how the area looks or the impact of the unsightly waste has on the tourism industry on which so many depend.
As a person who has been traveling to many locations in and around the southeastern region of New Brunswick, I can confirm many of our fellow residents have absolutely no concern or consideration for how they dispose of their waste or how they maintain their privately owned property. I have documented proof of what some people have done on the side roads, fields and wooded trails in this region.
The pictorial proof of the disregard for the local environment and the landscape by private citizens and businesses includes images of the illegal dumping of everything from personal garbage, household appliances, contaminated materials as well as construction waste products at illegal dump sites both on private property and along publicly owned right of ways. Many of these illegal dump sites are often along or near many of the high traffic areas which tourists use to travel through our rural areas including those of the Tantramar region such as the historic marshes, wooded areas, along coastlines and the many side roads used to connect our interesting wetlands in the out lying areas.
Recently the Maritimes has seen a tremendous downturn in the tourism industry caused by the decease in the number of exterior visitors to our area and trying to attract visitors back to our region is going to be very hard when there are illegal dump sites and numerous unsightly premises throughout our area unless serious action is taken to remedy the situation and soon.

With reference to the privately owned unsightly premises, under the present legislation it is cost prohibitive for small communities to take the necessary steps to force owners to clean their property. After speaking to a couple of municipal officials it was determined it could potentially cost anywhere from $5000.00 to $10,000.00 to force an uncooperative property owner to cleanup his premises. Therefore changes in the Municipalities Act will have to be made to make the process easier and cheaper which will take time and in the meantime the problem remains the same or could even get worst.
As a result of these environmental situations the following questions arise: 1.) How can the illegal dump sites be cleaned up and the waste disposed of legally?; 2.) How can these illegal acts be prevented and those doing the dumping illegally be held accountable and 3.) What can be done to make it possible for small communities to take action that would force property owners to cleanup and dispose of the unsightly waste at minimal costs?
The proposal in this presentation is only to deal with cleaning up the illegal dump sites and disposing of the waste from the Tantramar region because the other two situations will have to be addressed by the various levels of government and their departments so an effective enforceable strategy can be developed.
Over the past ten or so years there has been an Environmental Trust Fund operating within the province whose mandate is to support environmental projects through the community recycling program of returnable items. It is this funds and its mandate on which I wish to base this submitted proposal.

After reflecting on the situation of illegal dump sites and the disregard for proper garbage disposal by residents along the provincial roads, streams, shorelines and privately owned properties I have come to the conclusion there is a for a major cleanup program for our region which should be funded through a substantial grant from the Environmental Trust Fund.

Not only would a well thought out program and action plan be of great benefit to the environment, give a more positive perception to visitors to our area it would create a number of seasonal jobs for residents who would be recruited to cleanup those unsightly garbage within our area. The program could run from April to mid December each year and have as many as three cleanup teams situated at points through out the region. These teams would work separately within their assigned areas and work jointly should extra personnel be needed at any site within the overall area.

This program should be coordinated with local waste management enterprises which would accurately account for the recovered returnable items through the cleanup program including keeping a record of the tonnage of non recyclable waste. This process would be the method with which the success of the program could be measured as well as providing addition funding for the program from the recovered returnable items.

It would be the hope the members of various organizations within the local communities would participate in the program by reporting the locations of illegal dump sites which require cleanup. Individuals who enjoy such activities as walking, fishing, hunting, ski-dooing or other outdoor activities would also assist in this environmental cleanup process by contacting the program at a central telephone number with pollution information.

By having a program in place supported by local residents directly or indirectly, the Tantramar region would have the opportunity to greatly enhance its appearance and protect its environmental assets at the same time. The reduction of waste materials illegally disposed of within region recovered through this program would also create a number of meaningful jobs for local residents and would greatly benefit them from this six to seven month program.

From first impression there are hundreds of tons of illegal waste through out the Tantramar region with some of it situated in many picturesque locations. I personally have only seen a small part of our region but if what I have seen is any indication what is spread through out the entire there is plenty of work to be done.

I am sure anyone who reads this presentation can give the location of at least one illegal dump site they have seen and one unsightly premise in their community. Image the numbers, if every resident could do the same, the amount of garbage would be unbelievable.

I would like to see private landowners be allowed to participate in the cleanup of their small illegal dump sites through this same program for a nominal fee based on weight on a volunteer basis.

Therefore I would like to propose that a project be prepared in conjunction with local waste management enterprises and presented to the Environmental Trust Fund for a grant of $35,000.00 for startup and operational funding. I realize there are a number of aspects in setting up such a project that I have not covered but I do feel this submission contains enough material which can be used to judge the merit of the basic regional project for consideration.

Our beautiful region which stretches from Memramcook to the Northumberland Strait needs a major house cleaning which can be accomplished through assistance from the Environmental Trust Fund in conjunction with local enterprises. There are many positive results that can be accomplished by such a project of which cleaning up our region would be most beneficial to the environment and would address some the negative perceptions of the overall look of our beautiful province.

Submitted for your information, consideration, action and response.

Submitted to the New Brunswick provincial Government 2006-12-06

Presently in New Brunswick there are a substantial number of welfare recipients of which many feel tripped in the cycle of poverty and hopelessness for themselves and their families.
There will always be those who will need society’s support to have a minimum standard of living, in many cases due to circumstances beyond their control. On the other hand there those who would love to have the opportunity to participate in some type of program or effort through which they could improve their standard of living and possibly help them reach the point where they can terminate their dependency on the Social Services of the province.
With the recent political enthusiasm to help the Non – Profit organizations(Times Transcript 2006-12-06) which help those in need, there is a also an opportunity to have welfare recipients help themselves in conjunction with the Social Services department and the private sector industries.
Due to many economic circumstances there is a shortage of short term and part-time workers in the province New Brunswick to such a point where the importation of temporary workers from Russia, Mexico and Cuba has become necessary for many food producers to harvest and process their products.
At the present time in New Brunswick a welfare recipient is penalized should he or she have the ambition to attempt to work at one of those short term or temporary jobs to obtain a little extra support for those they may be responsible. It is the view of many that the best way to help someone get ahead in life is to provide them the opportunity to do so and presently New Brunswick has that great chance to help many.
The concept of allowing a welfare recipient to earn extra income equivalent to a predetermined percentage of the assistance they receive from the government (without penalty) would not only be a benefit to the welfare recipient but also to the overall economy. This new type of initiative would assist private enterprises, who require short term and part time workers at different times throughout the year, by providing a new local source of labour. This would reduce the number of foreign workers required and would prevent large amounts of labour dollars from leaving the province.
By allowing welfare recipients to earn extra dollars to supplement their government cheque without penalty would offer the opportunity for someone to start raising the standard of living for those he or she may be supporting. In many cases it would not take much new income to benefit many households and possibly put a family on the road to independence and self-sufficiently over the long term.
By implementing such a program the government would be assisting those on the welfare rolls at no greater cost other than the administration of the program. Those willing to participate in such a program could eventually become independent of the welfare system and that is where the government really starts to save some of the thousands of dollars it costs to support a recipient. Even if some of the recipients should remain on the welfare roll there is the good possibility the extra income will raise their standard of living again without extra cost to the government.
By providing the many private enterprises with a new local source of short and part time labour would allow them to possibly train and evaluate the participants over a complete season with the hope some or all of the participants would be able to obtain full time employment while raising their standard of living during that period.
By implementing such a non punitive program the government would allow the heads of families and some of its’ members to have a chance to work, possibly learn new skills and develop for the future without fear of loosing their necessary support until they reach the point where they can stand on their own. Not only would the families benefit from such a program but those in the potato, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, and apple harvesting and processing industries, are just a few examples, would benefit as well. There are numerous other industries that would see the program as beneficial from a staffing point of view.
This program concept is not meant to make people rich but can be used to raise the standard of living on a day to day basis of some of those who in our society who need the greatest amount of assistance at minimal cost to the government support system. Changing the welfare rules is not very expensive and by doing so would create numerous opportunities and incentive for willing participants to improve their lifestyle.
Realizing there are many other administration and organizational aspects to consider there is a feeling this type of program should be given a chance in an effort to determine how many positive results could be accomplished for those in need of a chance to improve their lives and those of their dependants.

Footnote; the writer is a person who has been through dozens of crisis’s, been broke financially numerous times and has returned to a fair standard of living in his lifetime and has always grateful to those who reached out to him starting as far back 1963 with the construction industry. Although he understands there are those who will get what they can for nothing and remain where they are, he also realizes there are those who would take full advantage of any opportunities offered.
The proposed concept will not empty the welfare rolls but it will provide a few with that break in life they may need to become happier, healthier and productive in a supportive and generous society.
On the side of hardship the writer has felt the results of enterprises taking advantage of the less fortunate. Therefore he emphasizes the need to ensure those who would employ those seeking to benefit themselves in a willing and honest manner are protected from those who would take advantage of the program participants’ situation which leave them open to different kinds of abuse that would cause participants to withdraw or quite the program.

This article published in the Horizons Magazine, Dec 200[7, New Brunswick, Canada

With the seniors population living longer and with many individuals requiring more specialized social and personal care it is very important every senior become aware of the many legal implications that can arise should a crisis arise involving their issuing a Power of Attorney for their protection.

As a senior gradually depends on the assistance and support from family, friends, relatives or a legal advisor he or she should prepare well in advance to give certain amount of authority to a trusted person when it comes to financial and person care matters and know the differences between the different types of Powers of Attorney especially those of financial and personal care.

One of the most commonly used methods of a principal transferring authority to an agent is through issuing a document referred to as Power of Attorney which outlines the issues and conditions under which a designated person or company can take action on behalf of someone who needs assistance or no longer is capable of looking after his or her own well being.

Before issuing such a document in writing the principal must decide the scope of the authority to be transferred to the agent and ensure that authority is fully understood by the agent selected as to what is being asked. It should be under stood the agent acts in good faith for the benefit of the principal and not for his or her own benefit unless the compensating benefits are described in the Power of Attorney document. By doing so will prevent what is according to the Canadian Center for Elder Studies one of the fastest growing areas of crime in Canada, Power of Attorney fraud, in many cases the duties and responsibilities under a Power of Attorney are very poorly understood and involves many seniors across this country.

Because the social structure of the average Canadian family has changed, many seniors now live in locations where they no longer have day to day contact with family members and have to depend on close friends or sometimes legal advisors for assistance to live their lives when the administration of their financial or person care needs are beyond their capabilities. Thus it is very important to know by turning over authority to others that authority can lead to fraud and possibly abuse, mental and physical, if arrangements are not properly made for the prevention of such an adverse situation.

A senior must also be aware that just because the agent is a close family member or good friend, will not necessarily ensure there will be no fraud or abuse. A great example of how conflict of issues can take place was in Nova Scotia where a brother kidnapped an ill sister, transported her to another country (legal jurisdiction) so he would have control of her affairs rather than her husband who had the legal right as per the decision by Nova Scotia supreme court. After a lengthy court battle in that other country the sister has been returned to Nova Scotia safely to her husband.

Regardless of how well a senior prepares, he or she must be aware that if they move from one province to another, the arrangements made in one province may not be binding in the other. Presently there is no agreement in Canada that recognizes Power of Attorney agreements in the various legal jurisdictions. At this time neither the province of New Brunswick nor the government of Canada have taken very much action towards recognizing the 35 internationally accepted measures (Hague Convention on the International Protection of Adults, January 2000) which could be used to determine which jurisdiction has the authority to take steps to protect the person or property of adult who is not in a position to protect his or her interests.

It is good policy to prepare a Power of Attorney well in advance and discuss the written document with those close to you along with the person who will act as the agent (and alternate agent) but do not sign or date the document until that point it time when you feel it should to take affect. The reason behind delaying signing the document is due to the fact your signature may immediately activate the conditions in the document giving the agent authority over your affairs at an inappropriate time unless specifically stipulated.

Another method of delaying the activation of Power of Attorney, as suggested by legal council, insert a special cause that would require to have the principal’s physician submit a document citing the principal has lost the capacity to attend to his or her personal business or personal care. Only by presenting the physician’s certificate could the agent activate the Power of Attorney and all it’s clauses.

By doing your research and preparing a well informed Power of Attorney document and selecting the best possible agent, along with an alternate agent, to act on your behalf, you can ensure your safety, security; comfort and welfare for those years when unpredictable circumstances may arise that prevents you from looking after yourself.

Regardless of how hard one works to protect their life and assets always remember there are also always those who are continually trying to find new ways to defraud people of their assets and their way of life. Seniors should always be cognizant those trying to take advantage of them will not always be strangers. Finally, with all your information, still always be prepared to review your document and make the necessary adjustments that will make you feel safe and secure for a time when you will get all the assistance you require in an appropriate fashion.

Recently there have been numerous warnings of pending emergency situations from such institutions as the World Health Organization, national and provincial Emergency Preparedness Departments as well as Environment Canada. If unprepared, these emergency situations could greatly affect the safety and security of thousands of Canadians, many of which would be senior citizens.

One only has to remember the changes in weather systems and in other aspects of our environment that have taken place in the last 50 years to realize the Canadian general population is being affected in ways never seen before. Such changes as hotter, dryer summers, massive storms in new areas, more intense ultraviolet rays, contaminated water supplies, and melting ice caps, along with stronger flu viruses are reasons for concern no matter where you live in Canada.

Regardless of the type of crisis that will affect a community in the future, there is always a minimum amount of planning required to ensure the comfort, safety and security of its population prior to any emergency situation. In most jurisdictions in Canada it is a legal requirement for all incorporated areas to have an up-to-date Emergency Preparedness Plan in place for the protection of the population within their boundaries.

In order to ensure they are as safe as possible during a crisis and to prevent them from being put under unnecessary stress and danger, senior citizens should take extra care to be well prepared for what many experts refer to as the eventual crisis that will affect most Canadians in the near future in some type of unfortunate circumstance. Adverse events involving ice storms, floods, power outages, as well as health and welfare issues including the projected “flu pandemic” will greatly affect both the very young and old and put tremendous pressure on the emergency services of any community in which the emergency event occurs.

The concern about the tremendous pressure that will be placed on any Emergency Measures Organization during a major crisis has lead the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada to issue an emergency measures guide stating everyone should be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours or longer depending on the circumstances of the crisis.

As seniors we have to think of what we would do if there was no electricity for 72 hours, isolated in an outlying area or living in a large complex where a large number of residents get sick. What is the backup plan should medical treatment or access to special medication not be available for a long period of time? How would you deal with potential circumstances that would involve the lack of heat, restricted travel, maintaining an adequate food and water supply for the recommended 72 hours while waiting for services to be restored or emergency help to arrive?

Having a basic emergency plan in place that addresses your individual situation will greatly reduce the adverse affects of any type of disaster or emergency situation. A plan is not complicated to complete when following the steps in the “Emergency Preparedness Guide” and will give you a sense of security while you wait out those first 72 hours. A well designed plan followed during a crisis could save your life and the lives of others regardless of where an individual or family resides. The onus is on the individual household to have a basic emergency plan that can be adjusted to address any special circumstances regardless of the situation. To assist in preparing a plan a copy of the “Emergency Preparedness Guide” should be available at the local community administration office or by calling 1-800-622-6232. By following the steps included in the guide and using the checklists, seniors can be better prepared to protect themselves and their loved ones during an emergency.

How well are you prepared to protect yourself and those you care for in a time of crisis?

This article published in the Horizons Magazine, New Brunswick, Canada-2006-12-06

Volunteering is an old and honourable endeavour for many senior members of our Canadian society who gladly participate with others in order to benefit those less fortunate or in crisis. Whether it be in a time of war, a social or natural crisis or just standing beside a Salvation Army Christmas kettle thousands of Canadian seniors show their generosity by doing their part year after year.

As a result of the great efforts by thousands of senior volunteers over the past 40 to 50 years, valued at billions of dollars each year, it has become the norm rather than the expectation for government services, public organizations and hundreds of community support groups to depend on volunteers to provide a significant amount of their services. One only has to read the various daily newspapers to see how dozens of organizations actively recruit volunteers on a regular basis and to get an indication of the level of dependency many organizations have on obtaining free volunteer labour.

In no way should there be the impression volunteering is not a good activity for seniors to give back to their society from which they may have benefited from services provided by others. What should be questioned is when is enough enough when it comes to seniors being a major source of volunteer labour in years when they should be enjoying their free time after many years of hard work. There is a belief that volunteers should not be used in support of activities where sponsoring commercial enterprises and executive board members of organizations benefit financially from the success of an event or activity. This is not to say that an organization cannot have fulltime paid employees supplemented by volunteer labour but does mean funds should be accounted for and directed to the day to day operations not to high priced directors and boardroom executives.

Another aspect of volunteering of which seniors should be aware are the tactics used to get them to volunteer or donate to various activities. Those tactics can include peer pressure, guilt trips, dramatic advertisements, social pressure by high profile socialites and by playing the political correctness card for being a volunteer.

The increasing impression throughout the fundraising community is that seniors are an unlimited source of volunteers because of their increasing numbers, they no longer have to report for work on a daily basis along with the misconception that most of them have little else better to do than volunteer.

It is a fact many seniors wish to volunteer, for various reasons, part of their free time to their favourite organization but in no way should that support be an indication they want or need to spend every hour of their new found freedom in retirement working for numerous organizations, unless it is what they wish to do, without being subjected to any type of pressure or high level recruitment program. In no way should a senior be thought less of by others should he or she wish to be selective as to what organization he or she would support or set a limit as to the number of hours they wish to volunteer but they are by many people in our society.

Volunteering should be an enjoyable and fulfilling aspect of a retired senior’s life when the feeling that volunteering is an obligation is kept to a minimum unless otherwise decided by the participant. Should a senior volunteer start getting the feeling of guilt about missing a meeting or another type of function while finding very little gratification when participating with an organization its time for a reassessment. By stepping back and reconsidering his or her options, pertaining to their volunteer hours, will give the volunteer an opportunity to change direction by considering associating with a more interesting activity or just take a time out from some or all volunteer activities.

There may be a substantial number of seniors reading this presentation who have the feeling that because of volunteering commitments they have very little free time to do the simple things they could be enjoying in their personal life i.e. reading, taking day trips, visiting relatives, going to movies, watching sports, participating in a regular exercise program or spending time at their favourite hobby.

There are also those who feel they are putting in more hours at volunteering since their retirement than they did working prior to their retirement. Should that be the case the individual should be reviewing his or her priorities and ensure that is exactly the type of life style they want in their retirement years and if it is not, make the necessary decisions to change to a life style that can be more enjoyable and free up more time for personal activities.

Another consideration for volunteering seniors, especially those who may be on a fixed income, is what are the potential costs for you as an individual to volunteer in support of all of the activities in which they may participate. When a person is asked to volunteer, he or she should become aware of what is the policy of the organization with relation to any costs that be incurred by a participant. Everyone knows or should know there is always the probability of there being out of pocket personal costs for such things as travel, gas, accommodations, meals, stationary, telephone use, computer paper, stamps and other office supplies when working on various projects. By being aware of the recuperation policy for out of pocket expenses should be one of the very important considerations in making a decision as to which organization one will become involved with as a volunteer.

Do not be surprised that many organizations expect volunteers to pay their own expenses out of their own incomes including the donation certain food items for meetings, fundraising and public relation events without any type of reimbursement.

Many volunteers may find a sudden decease on the demand for their free time should they request some type of reimbursement for out of pocket expenses related their volunteering activities. The type of response given to such a request will give a volunteer a very clear indication of how much is expected of them and how much an organization values their time and services.

Anyone reading this article and can relate to any of the concerns and the negative aspects of volunteering mentioned, it may be time to reassess how volunteering is affecting you personally and whether or not it is enhancing your retirement as it should.

Helping others through association with any of the hundreds of charitable organizations in Canada should be an enjoyable and gratifying experience especially for those who have worked for years and waited for that time in their lives when they would be able to reduce their level of obligation and commitment.

As a relatively new retiree I was surprised by the number of people who asked “What are you going to do with all your free time now that you are retired?” There was the assumption I had made no personal plans or had any special interests prior to my retirement which I wanted to pursue during my retirement years. Then there were the negative reactions when I said “no”, very politely, to those who requested I join their group or organization as a volunteer. I was honest with all of them by saying I wanted to look at what options there were available which matched the interests I had developed prior to my retirement.

Now that I have taken the time and completed all the long term obligations I had prior to retirement, I am making only short term commitments on a one at a time basis while donating only my time and experience. By being selective and scheduling my time better I have much more time to expand and develop my person interests to a higher level in a relaxed manner.

I truly believe volunteering should be an enjoyable and fulfilling experience while one provides a benefit to society but it is only the volunteer who can ensure it’s good for the individual participant. It is becoming more apparent every day the appreciation for the volunteer is on the decline as indicated by recent events and comments by government, commercial and public organization officials.

Just check out recent budget cuts by governments and check out what it would cost for a person from New Brunswick to be a volunteer at the 2010 Olympics in British Columbia then you will see who does benefit the most from all the government and sponsorship money committed to the Olympic event. When a volunteer sees how many charitable organizations do aggressive or creative accounting to hide where funds actually do go (as reported in the Globe and Mail, dated December 18, 2006) it will make them feel very much misused and abuse when it comes to their services. It has been reported that in some cases as low as 20 cents of every dollar a volunteer rises ever gets to where it is supposed be of benefit. This greatly varies throughout the fundraising business. Just imagine if you worked at an event for forty hours which raised $2000 and then you found out later only $400.00 actually went to help anyone, what would you think of that organization and its’ administration.

For those who may see themselves in any of the situations represented, remember its’ your retirement, your money, energy and time. Now it is your time in life to make up for all those days when you had to give up things you enjoyed and wanted to do but could not because of the many obligations you had over the years therefore be well aware of what volunteering can do for you and to you.

Dear Editor:

After Canadians have read the numerous media reports and watched various television news channels over the past few months they are wondering when the laws of their country were changed to compensate for political correctness?

Many are asking, when has it become legal policy not to enforce the Criminal Code of Canada (CCC) because the laws that are being broken by protesters are in the name of a supposedly politically correct cause? Is it now legal for masked demonstrators, lead by a wanted convicted felon, who admits they are armed and will become violent should anyone attempt to stop his group from committing illegal acts to disrupt law abiding citizens of this country?

Everyone has the right to peacefully express themselves as long as they remain within the laws of this country. At no time should masked criminal protesters be permitted to roam the streets of our cities committing illegal acts, attacking police, causing millions of dollars of damage, and threatening to hurt others should anyone attempt to stop their illegal acts without being subject to the full extent of the laws of Canada, regardless of the cause.

By the lack of enforcement and sentencing reports pertaining to the various demonstrations which have taken place over the past few months many Canadians are of the opinion that those who have a politically correct or special cause will be treated differently than an average Canadian would be treated under the exact same circumstances under the CCC.

When has it become a tactic of law enforcement to allow illegal acts to be committed and also allow those breaking the law to determine not only when the crimes will be committed but letting them decide when they will end? While at the same time the authories stand back hoping the leader of the criminals, a wanted felon, will turn himself over to police during a mass media photo opportunity.

Anyone who wears a masked while demonstrating or protesting is either ashamed of the cause, intents to participate in activities he or she does not want to be held accountable for or is someone who possibly has outstanding charges related to previous illegal activities. By wearing a mask is not only another offence while committing a crime it also reduces the creditability of the cause and all those who peacefully participate.

Finally we, here in Canada, have never seen our outstanding soldiers wearing masks while performing their duties on any television network in an attempt to hide illegal acts and we should hope we never will, as we have seen with those violent protesters across this country in recent months.

Everyone should be able to speak up and be heard but within the law of the land.

Over the past 30 years it has become fashionable for one to be a social participant to some degree as an environmentalist, either by being a member of some local club or organization which professes to have a desire to prevent further damage to the world’s environment.

A review of many activities and organizations related to the Environmental issues, whether it includes putting out color coded garbage bags on pickup day, chaining oneself to a tree of undetermined age, protecting wetlands or one the hundreds of other issues activitists want to address, to numerous to mention, clearly illustrates a very splintered movement made up of special interest groups with very little or no cohesion.

There are people from all levels of society who become members of local or national clubs and organizations dedicated to protecting some kind of plant, bird or water source in order appear to be politically and socially correct in the eyes of their

family, friends or those they wish to impress in high places. It appears many of the memberships are for show only and used to give the appearance the card carrying individual is a person with a social conscious, a person with concerns and really cares about the world.

The most recent display of how fragmented the environmental movement is, was in the federal election held on Jan. 23, 2006 when the federal wing of the Green Party failed to elect even one member to the House of Commons and only received support from only 4.5% of all votes caste across Canada.

Questions have to be asked about why the Green Party received so little support when there are numerous published reports indicating Canadians are supposed to really concerned about is happening to their air, water and the damage caused by climate change to coastal regions. Where did the votes from all those card carrying special interest environmentalists and their fellow club members go? Where were the votes from all those employees who benefit from working for the hundreds of companies in environmental related industries?

It would seem those who appear to have an environmental conscious do not use their secret vote to support the same issues they support verbally in public. Apparently they used their votes to address concerns that were more important to them than the environment and voted for other parties.

Would it have not been a benefit for those with true environmental concerns to have elected at least one member to the House of Commons from the Green Party especially in a minority government situation? Another example of the Green Party being let down by caring Canadians was when the leader of the party failed to get elected in a recent by-election in Ontario. The minority government situation would have given a great opportunity for a Green Party member to advance the causes of the environmental movement when the balance of power is so slim. Having one or two elected members would have given the Green Party a chance to raise its’ profile and possibly influence some of numerous policies recently presented in the House of Commons without having to have high profile celebrities from other countries representing it’s issues and making fools of themselves on our national television networks.

The next time you attend a meeting , conference or public demonstration related to environmental issues look around the room or parking lot and ask yourself “ How many and which ones of those present actually voted for the Green Party on Jan. 23, 2006? By doing a simple survey will give you an idea of the level of creditability of those around you at an environmental activity. Should there be 50 persons participating, there is a good chance only 65% voted in the last election and only 4.5% of them voted for the Green Party candidates (Figures obtained Elections Canada web site, dated Apr. 10, 2006), now do the math. The results of your calculations will give you the approximate level of creditability of those participating in the event. The argument may be made the percentage would be higher for those attending but when one looks at the national vote and the numbers of those involved in environmental activities the percentage would still reflect the lack of voting support for environmentalism by those who profess to care.

Until a greater portion of those professing to be supporters of the environmental movement put their votes behind their public projected ideology and their social stances the environmental movement will remain fragmented and a splintered movement. The lack of honest and creditable support will force the many true activitists in the small special interest groups to continue their individual struggles for their pet projects without any type of creditable voice or cohesion, such as representation within our electoral system.

Until there is a demonstration of greater cohesion amongst the hundreds of special interest groups the majority of Canadians will continue to think of environmentalists as attention seeking noise makers, with their clubs and associations supported by government grants, giving the appearance to be a place for just the educated elite along with the politically and socially correct members of society who profess to have all the answers and solutions for everyone else. By just reviewing the voting habits of those professing to be true environmentists most Canadians will have plenty of supporting evidence for those impressions which will be hard for those in the environmental movement to change.

In the future it will be necessary for those participating within organizations associated with the environmental movement to realize cohesion has to start at the local and provincial levels before they can do so nationally. Example, bird lovers have to work with tree lovers, tree lovers have to work with soil protectionists and so on to form a solid network where one substantiated cause is supported by all others. Eliminating the divisiveness within the environmental movement is the total responsibility of all activists, regardless of individual concerns, by doing so will give all Canadians constructive, concrete and visible evidence of the value of the movement without having to get involved with violence, demonstrations or other attention seeking devices.

The world is a wonderful place and all issues concerning its environment whether it be the lose of one wild flower species or it be a 1,000,000 barrel oil slick on the ocean, should share equal concern and attention from all of us, if the world is to remain a wonderful place long after we are gone.

Dear Editor:

Published 07 July 2007

With the closure of the House of Commons in Ottawa and the Provincial Legislature in Fredericton all our elected representatives will be returning to their ridings for the next few months and should be making themselves available to their constituents.

The next few months is an opportunity for those voters who sit at social meetings, in the coffee shops and bars around the province complaining and whining about high taxes, bad or reduced government services and bad polices, a chance to hold their representatives accountable for their actions during the last session of the governing bodies.

Regardless of their political affiliation, all voters should be directly questioning the actions of all parties and their elected members. Whether you have an issues with taxes, annual government grant system, the war policy, broken promises, political appointments, submitting inaccurate expense claims, misleading the public, law and order polices, community group favouritism or any other issue that is supported by tax payer dollars, you, the voter, should be holding your representative accountable for his or her actions.

By setting around in small groups of five or six complaining and calling politicians crooks and liars does nothing to change policies or the actions of your elected representatives and their parties. The worse thing you can do, as a voter, is not ask questions, remember the answers or fail to vote, that only makes it easier for those elected to do what they wish without being held accountable.

Many New Brunswickers cannot understand how 60 million dollars could have been used to bail out a Caisse Populaire when the province had already a projected deficit of 400 million dollars and taxes raised because of it? They would also like to know where the 60 million dollars for the bailout was found and how will this bailout affect other programs and services or do we now have a 460 million dollar projected deficit? There are those who ask why have there been no charges laid or a public investigation into the mishandling of the financial institution’s funds and where did those funds go?

There are thousands of voters who cannot fathom how a government can mislead seniors of this country with reference to Trust Funds and then justify their actions by saying it is better for Canada to have thousands of seniors and retirees loose hundreds of millions of dollars from their pension plans than it is to change the tax laws for the governments’ corporate sponsors?

All voters understand MLAs and MPs have expenses and understand they should receive appropriate reimbursement but they should not have to accept the submission of questionable expense claims without there being some type of legal sanctions being taken against the individual who would try to obtain inappropriately extra tax payer money. We all know what happens to an average tax payer when he or she attempts to submit an inappropriate tax return.

All polices and actions of an elected government and those in opposition should represent the wishes of the electorate not the wishes governing party, its leader or those who contribute to political parties. Therefore, every elected representative should be asked what is his or her priority; the wishes of those they represent or the party line? Do you condone the actions of your fellow party members when it comes to their performance and actions in the House of Commons or the Legislature, especially during the televised question periods? As a voter, be sure to remember the answers when you vote in the next election whether they were evasive or not.

These are just a few of the issues and situations disturbing many voters in the province, now is the time for all voters to contact their elected representatives and hold them accountable for their answers, policy stance, parliamentary actions, honesty and how they deal with those they represent through their very important position.

The voter is the only one who has the power of accountability and if they (you) do not exercise that power fully your elected officials will continue to do things which will only benefit those the political parties and their leaders select and then present the bills to the tax payer. The accountability process should be done on daily basis not just in election years and the electorate should maintain its’ memory over the long term then elect a representative not a party using the accumulated information over those years.

Tax payers, voters, its’ your government, you can change it but you have to participate beyond whining and complaining in places where no one is listening. If you do not participate or vote you have no right to complain, whine or hold anyone accountable regardless how much tax you pay.

Edited versions of this article published in Times Transcript, Telegraph Journal and the Sackville Tribune Post in New Brunswick, Canada

I am a gambler.

When I am invited to play in games of Texas Hold’m poker in various locations throughout the Maritimes,
I am not a good tourist and should not be considered as one. And most gamblers are not.

Use the example of a bus that leaves Bangor, Maine or Fredericton and disembarks sixty gamblers at the main
entrance of the Casino after being told the bus will depart at 11 pm for the return home. The vast majority of those making the trip will never leave the casino premises during their stay. They will eat, drink and gamble until departure time. And that is exactly what the casino operator wants and promotes by creating packages where meals and other promotional items are designed to keep the people from going anywhere else.

I agree with having a provincial gaming policy, I agree it will have a certain economic benefit, I agree it is necessary to stop the gambling dollars from leaving the province but I strongly disagree with the concept that the majority of gamblers make good tourists.

For the casinos to have a major affect on tourism they would have to attract non gamblers at the same time they attract gamblers, I don’t think they will spend dollars doing that, it’s not in their best interest.

The area within ten miles of a casino may see minimal benefits economically from rooms and meals but how many gamblers will go to Magic Mountain, travel to Cape Germaine and look at the Confederation Bridge, take a swim at Parlee Beach or bird watch on the Tantramar Marshes? Possibly a few, but probably only the ones with empty pockets waiting for the bus to take them back home. The winners and high rollers won’t be out and about sight seeing.

Although the government is doing the right thing by developing a gaming strategy, the owner operators of tourism enterprises throughout the province should not bet too much on its success pertaining to tourism. The government’s projection of seeing high roller gamblers in Bed and Breakfasts, at beach side resorts and other attractions to such a level that will turn around the overall declining tourism industry is unrealistic and will not make everyone in the industry healthy and wealthy.

For tourism enterprises to attract people/gamblers away from the casinos it would take a tremendous amount of promotional dollars and most operations cannot compete with the promotions put out by a casino. Further more tourism numbers which include visitors who go to casinos should not be included in future tourism projections, by doing so would create an artificial projection.

Although there will be economic benefits they will be regionalized and specific, the projection of visiting gamblers spreading their dollars to the four corners of the province for the benefit of all New Brunswickers I consider a myth and a concept I would not bet on.