'Canadian Coalition for Zero Population Growth' ( PopCap ?) for Southern Ontario.

Dear Dr Hendrickson

Please help me locate the person who announced a provocative fact about Southern Ontario watersheds on CBC's cable TV NEWSWORLD about late April or early May 2006. Unfortunately, since then the CBC two minute clip had no further followup for this valuable story. Please include me in the loop with any information you may have about the following. The CBC guest pointed out that - Southern Ontario has reached the population limit for sustainable human habitat because Southern Ontario's load - water supply / waste products has maxed out. This is not about a water quality issue that leaves the individual saying "THEY must fix it". This is about "YOU cannot move into Ontario, because Ontario is already full to the brim."

Bandwagon fear mongering groups may go much further with a 'Foreigners not welcome' theme which recently seems to be replacing multi-culturism in Northern Europe. This lends legitimacy to our position by comparison. Todays good timing of this issue is a window of opportunity not usually available.

To encourage debate, now is the time to raise inflamible outrageous questions, for example: Should governments and NGO's move to regulate populations in Southern Ontario ? ... or, Should we allow only one new person to move into Southern Ontario, after one other resident has left Southern Ontario ?

I cannot do much without working allies, until you reply to tell me the contacts ( including the CBC guest referred to above,) and similarly concerned people advocating and willing to help me start the 'Canadian Coalition for Zero Population Growth' ( PopCap^? ?) for Southern Ontario. Perhaps a very narrowly focussed group already exists ?

The sheer audacity of confronting the neo-liberal business community (and the corporate system of so-called democracy values) who needs to expand worker population to expand profits, guaranties the necessary media attention to jumpstart PopCap^?.

Of course with such a mandate, PopCap^? could only be an independant collective with no connection to any government organization such as the Ottawa River Institute.

( A commited leader / speaker must be chosen. I am an experienced organizer preferring to stay in my element and would be wrongly assigned if I displaced another with the needed essence qualities of leadership ! )

I look forward to your reply at your earliest convenience. Local species in Ontario pray for your help.
Sincerely,
John Gilbert - email godhas4legs(at)allstream.net ( a green protest demo tactics researcher )

==

Story source - http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature6.cfm?REF=337:

New Ontario legislation would create local watershed protection committees Dateline: Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Excerpts -- ... Ole Hendrickson ot the Ottawa River Institute ( www.ottawariverinstitute.ca ) info@ottawariverinstitute.ca

Dr Ole Hendrickson is an ecologist and a founding member of the Ottawa River Institute, a non-profit, charitable organization based in Pembroke ON Canada. The ORI is aimed at fostering sustainable communities and ecological integrity in the Ottawa Valley and Ottawa River Watershed. For more information please visit the ORI website ( www.ottawariverinstitute.ca ). Application form for membership in the Ottawa River Institute http://www.ottawariverinstitute.ca/become-a-member.htm.

[ ABOUT: ] In 1992, Canada joined with some 100 nations (now greater than 170) in signing the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. The Canadian Biodiversity Strategy (CBS): http://www.agr.gc.ca/policy/environment/biodiv_e.phtml - E-mail: agr@agr.gc.ca Tel: (613) 759-7309 Fax: (613) 759-7238. Mailing Address: Co-operatives Secretariat, 1525 Carling Avenue, Rm 367, Ottawa, Ontario K1A OC5

Britain: We are overcrowded enough already; where are we going to put them? - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5153722.stm

Subject: promote zero population growth for southern Ontario

----- Original Message -----
From: John Gilbert(2)
To: maxtru@nexicom.net
Sent: Saturday, July 15, 2006 5:19 AM
Subject: promote zero population growth for southern Ontario

Sent To: Liz - maxtru@nexicom.net

Hi Liz, I would like to be part of a group (or help form a group) that will specifically promote zero population growth for southern Ontario. Do you know if such a group exists ? Our axis of water supply / human waste has maxed out, we Ontarians are full to the brim with people. We will soon probably have to regulate our population by asking those wishing to move into southern Ontario to wait until an equal number moves out. I think that southern Ontarians should begin having meetings and develope a website to grow the membership of the group

When immigration goes awry - July 14, 2006 Toronto Star excerpt: "Ontario's environment commissioner, Gord Miller, issued a warning last year about what the future holds for Toronto given current trends:

"The environmental impacts of this magnitude of growth ... will compromise the quality of our lifestyle to a stage where it will be unrecognizable," he said. "We already have trouble dealing with our waste right now ... What about another 4 million tonnes a year? What about another 4 million cars?"

The new Conservative government's immigration minister, Monte Solberg, told a House of Commons committee in May that he was concerned about the "huge burden" high immigration levels place on our major cities. He thus became the first immigration minister in at least two decades to show any sensitivity to the impact of immigration policy on the urban environment.

Now it's the turn of local officials to abandon their ostrichlike refusal even to mention immigration when discussing urban growth. Perhaps they fear being branded "anti-immigrant" if they do.

But Pierre Trudeau, in his last year as prime minister, cut immigration by 25 per cent and no one called him anti-immigrant. In that case, good management trumped politics. It's an example the Conservative government would do well to follow." [Full story] - When immigration goes awry - July 14, 2006 ==

Cheers,
John Gilbert
PS - I wasn't able to google the email address for Peter Weygang, Bobcaygeon.
I read Peter's letter to the Star ( http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1152827412234&call_pageid=970599119419 ), and agree with his analysis. Do you ? If you know Peter's email address, please forward him a copy of my message thread