Local Energy and Environmental Citizenship Videoconference: March 12, 2010

Peace River and area residents have the opportunity to attend this event sponsored by Alberta Acts on Climate Change either by videoconference or simultaneous webcast on March 12, 2010. The Peace River site is at Northern Lakes College. The event is free and refreshments will be provided. 

For more details (including a list of the 30 videoconference sites around the province and the days' agenda) or to register, visit http://www.albertaacts.ca/LocalEnergyVC 

This across-Alberta event will help participants from rural Alberta better understand how they can take action on climate change by mitigating or adapting. The organizers, Bill Fricker and Andy Blundell, planned and successfully implemented the 2008 Communities Without Boundaries virtual conference, which I helped organize in Peace River (there were over 20 sites around the province). We had great attendance and the day was very worthwhile. I'm sorry that I'll be missing this one, but hope that the VC room at the college is full on March 12!

Four keynote speakers will provide content and panelists and moderators will be drawn from Alberta universities and colleges and from more than a dozen rural communities. The speakers include:

• Dave Sauchyn, University of Regina Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative
• Rick Kool, Royal Roads University School of Environment and Sustainability
• Gary Holden, CEO Enmax Corporation
• Michael Walters, Greater Edmonton Alliance

At lunchtime, excerpts will be shown from the video "In Transition: From oil dependence to local resilience" developed by TransitionTowns.org in the UK.

Open House on Proposed Upgrades to 12 Foot Davis Grave Site & Dr. Green Cairn

I encourage Peace River area residents to attend the open house on January 26, 2010, 4:00-8:00 PM at the Provincial Building Main Floor Board Room (9621-96 Avenue) to find out what is being proposed for the Twelve Foot Davis Grave Site and Dr. Green Cairn.

This project is a partnership between the Government of Alberta, the Town of Peace River and Northern Sunrise County. The proposed upgrades are intended to improve recreational, educational, and tourism opportunities at the parks.

You'll be able to comment on the plans at the open house and then also online until March 26.

New Peace Country e-zine

There's a new media option for the Peace River area--RiverViews--launched recently by former Peace River Record-Gazette editor, Michelle Huley.

RiverViews is an online magazine and bills itself as "Celebrating life in the Peace River Region," providing free classifieds, local news, information and events.

Check it out.

del.icio.us Tags: Peace River,media,magazine,online

Downtown Revitalization & Tourism Action Plan: Dr. Avi Friedman presentation

On November 28 from 10:00-11:30 at the Belle Petroleum Centre, Dr. Avi Friedman will do a public presentation on his plan for downtown revitalization in Peace River as well as a tourism action plan.

Council will adopt the plan as is or in a revised version to guide future decisions about development in the downtown core and encouraging more tourism. Your input is important.

Local Food & Climate Change

What's on my mind these days, and a suitable topic for 2009 Blog Action Day on climate change, is local food production and how municipalities might help to make it easier for residents to produce food themselves and to buy locally-produced food.

The March 2009 issue of Municipal World ("Canada's municipal magazine since 1891") had an article talking about "foodshed strategy." It provides inspiring examples of ways that municipal governments and other organizations are finding ways to "shorten food chains and build community capacity."

A foodshed strategy, according to the article, includes three basic elements that depend on local resources and experiences:

- direct-marketing venues

- processes that connect producers and consumers

- avenues to develop greater access and security to food

There are aspects of these elements already in place in small ways in our region, and although we haven't completely lost our connection between food production and consumption in this area, we increasingly rely on food that comes from a great distance. Transporting food is a contributor to climate change; it also makes us vulnerable to disruptions in supply.

As a small step in this direction, since Peace River is currently reviewing its Animal Control Bylaw, I asked a local food advocate to do a presentation to inform Council (October 19, 5:30) about whether small scale poultry production Peace River might fit. It will be interesting to see how residents respond to this idea and to the more general idea of increasing local food production capacity.

There are visionary people in the region already working in practical ways on food issues. Municipal governments can provide support and leadership through appropriate bylaws, programs and other initiatives that could lead to a Peace regional foodshed strategy. The Town of Peace River is in the midst of developing a municipal sustainability plan; a foodshed strategy would fit in nicely. I'm looking forward to more discussion, but more importantly, action in this direction.

Peace River's Sustainability Survey

I encourage Peace River residents to take the time to do the survey on sustainability that is now on the Town's website. The results will provide important information for our municipal sustainability plan and the review of our Municipal Development Plan.

Grab a cup of tea and settle in--the survey takes awhile to complete (give yourself 15-20 minutes)--and know that you are making an important contribution by taking this time to respond.

Information seminar in Peace River: Focus on Islam

I encourage Peace River residents to take advantage of an information seminar on Islam that will be presented on September 26, 4:00-5:00 PM, at the Sawridge Inn by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (AMC), an international organization that rejects terrorism and advocates for the separate of mosque and state.

Peace River Town Council passed a motion yesterday supporting the seminar in the interest of promoting interfaith knowledge and harmony in our increasingly diverse region. I will bring greetings from the Town and moderate the question and answer period. 

Councillor Laurin and I met with an AMC delegation from Calgary earlier this month. They explained that the group tries to add new communities each year to its annual educational offerings, so Peace River and Whitecourt were being asked whether they would welcome the seminar.

The topic this year is "Concept of Jihad in Islam." It seems like this will be an excellent opportunity for anyone unfamiliar with the Islamic faith to learn more and to ask questions in an open learning experience. I hope there will be a good crowd on the 26th.