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Who owns our news?
If you were wondering why it seems we have no free press in this country, the point was driven home with even more force than usual when I received a notice from the Writers Union of Canada, regarding the Heather Robertson legal action against the unlicensed use of works by the Thomson Group.
The suit, which has dragged on through Canadian courts since 1996, and has finally resulted in a settlement, “concerns media outlets that reproduced the work of freelance writers and artists on electronic databases without consent or additional compensation.”(Deadline for claims is 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 18, 2010 by the way, unless a requested extension is granted; more details on the Cole & Partners website.)
The length of the list is staggering. It would have been easier, I think, for them to send out a list of titles that were not owned by Thomson. Here’s the first list they sent out, which consists of titles affected by virtue of inclusion on a searchable database; and here following is the supplementary list:
Dailies
Toronto Star
The Hamilton Spectator
The Record
Guelph Mercury
METROLAND TITLES
Weekly
Acton Free Press
Ajax News Advertiser
Alliston Herald
Almaguin Forester
Almaguin News
Almonte Gazette
Ancaster News
Annex Guardian
Anrnprior Chronicle-Guide & Weekender
Arthur Enterprise News
Aurora Era-Banner
Barrhaven Weekender
Barrie Advance
Beach Mirror
Bloor West Villager
Blue Mountains Courier Herald
Bobcaygeon Independent
Bracebridge Examiner
Bradford West Gwillimbury Topic
Brampton Guardian
Brock Citizen
Burlington Post
Caledon/Bolton Enterprise
Cambridge Times
Canadian Statesman
Carleton Place Canadian
City Centre Moment
Clarington This Week
Collingwood/Wasaga Connection
Dundas Star News
Dunnville Sachern
East York Mirror
Elmira Independent
Erin Advocate
Etobicoke Guardian
Etobicoke Guardian Apartment & Condominium Edition
Exeter Times Advocate
Fenelon Falls Gazette
Fergus-Elora News Express
Flamborough Review
Georgetown Independent
Georgina Advocate
Glanbrook Gazette
Grand River Sachem
Gravenhurst Banner
Grimsby Lincoln News
Guelph Tribune
Haldimand Sachem
Hamilton Mountain News
Huntsville Forester
Innisfil Journal
Iroquois Chieftain
Kanata Kourier Standard
Kawartha Lakes This Week
Kemptville Advance-Accent Weekender
Listowel Banner
Manotick Review
Markham Economist & Sun
Meaford Express
Midland/Penetanguishene Mirror
Milton Canadian Champion
Minto Express
Mississauga Booster
Mississauga News
Mississauga This Week
Mississippi Weekender
Mount Forest Confederate
Muskoka Sun
Muskoka Weekender
Muskokan
Nepean This Week & Weekender
New Hamburg Independent
Newmarket Era-Banner
Niagara This Week
North York Mirror
Northumberland News
Oakville Beaver
Oakville Today
Orangeville Banner
Orillia Today
Oshawa This Week
Ottawa South Weekender
Parry Sound Beacon Star
Parry Sound North Star
Perth Courier & Weekender
Peterborough This Week
Pickering News Advertiser
Port Colborne Leader
Port Perry Star
Renfrew Mercury & Weekender
Richmond Hill Liberal
Riverdale Mirror
Scarborough Mirror Apartment & Condominium Edition
Smith Falls This Week
St. Mary’s Journal Argus
Stayner Sun
Stoney Creek News
Stouffville Sun & Tribune
Stratford City Gazette
Stittsville News & Weekender
Thornbury Courier-Herald
Thornhill Liberal
Uxbridge Times Journal
Vaughan Citizen
Walkerton-Herald Times
Wasaga Sun
Waterloo Chronicle
West Carleton Review
Whitby This Week
Wingham Advance-Times
York Guardian
BLACK PRESS TITLES
Alberta
Red Deer Advocate (PD)
The Stettler Independent
The Castor Advance
Bashaw Star
Rocky Mountain Outlook
Ponoka News
British Columbia
Lower Mainland
Abbotsford News
Agaassiz Observer
Aldergrove Star
Bowen Island Undercurrent
Burnaby/New West News Lewader
Business Examiner Fraser Valley
Chilliwack Progress
Hope Standard
Langley Times
Maple ridge News
Mission City Record
North Shore Outlook
Peace Arch News
Richmond Review
Sought Delta Leader
Surrey Leader
The Tri-City News
WestEnder
Vacouver Island
Alberni Valley News
Business Examiner
Campbell River Mirror
Courtenay Commox Valley Record
Duncan News Leader and Pictorial
Goldstream News Gazette
Ladysmith Chronicle
Lake Cowichan Gazette
Monday Magazine
Nanaimo News Bulletin
North Island Gazette
North Island Midweek
Oak Bay News
Parksville Qualicum News
Peninsula News Review
Saanich News
Sooke News Mirror
Victoria News
Real Estate Victoria
BC Interior North & South
100 Mile House Free Press
Arrow Lakes News
Ashcroft Cache Creek Journal
Barriere Star Journal
Burns Lakes District News
Castlegar News
Clearwater Times
Fort Saint James Courier
Golden Star
Houston Today
Invermere Valley Echo
Kamloops This Week
Kelowna Capital News
Kitimat Sentinel
Kootenay News Advertiser
Kootenay Western Star
Merritt Herald
Northern Connector
Penticton Western News
Prince George Free Press
Quesnel Cariboo Observer
Revelstoke Times Review
Salmon Arm Lakeshore News
Salmon Arm Observer
Sicamous Eagle Valley News
Similkameen Spotlight
Smithers Interior News
Summerland Review
Terrace Standard
The Northern View
Trail Rossland News
Vanderhoof Omineca Express
Vernon Morning Star
Winfield Lake Country Calendar
Williams Lake Tribune
Wine Trails -
Cosmetic pesticides, and a poetic loss to Planet Earth
The Government of BC is seeking public input on cosmetic use of pesticides as they consider whether to ban pesticides in BC; email form makes it easy at the Canadian Cancer Society website.
Screenings of A Chemical Reaction – documentary about community action against pesticides and cancer – is being sponsored by the Canadian Cancer Society. Here’s the trailer, followed by two screening times. I think the book that’s being signed might be Paul Tukey’s Organic Lawn Care Manual. But I’m not sure.
VANCOUVER
Jan. 20 — 7 p.m.
(doors open at 6:30)
Park Theatre
3440 Cambie Street
Admission by donation
Book signing
For more information, contact:
Kathryn Seely, Canadian Cancer Society
kseely@bc.cancer.ca or
604-675-7108VICTORIA
Jan. 21 — 7 p.m.
(doors open at 6:30)
David Lam Auditorium
University of Victoria
Admission by donation
Book signing to follow
For more information, contact:
Nancy Falconer
nfalconer@bc.cancer.ca
or 250-380-2358On a final sad note, we in BC – and everywhere her poetry touched – are mourning the loss of our lovely poet PK Page, whose poem Planet Earth sparked much admiration, and a frenzy of glosas in this part of the world.
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Inconvenient truths: dogs
We of the high minds will inevitably run into problems if we try to follow our principles to the letter. If we are pursuing sustainability in all realms – food, finance, environment – we will find along the way some aspect of our lives that does not fit completely, that cannot be perfectly adapted. We are human, living imperfect lives in an imperfect world.
One such imperfection is pets; in my case, elderly dog Anton. The higher principles under which he came to join my household are that he was abandoned – his owner unable to look after him – at too great an age (aged 9, five years ago) to be adoptable. His temperament is not one that allows him to live happily with other dogs, and he is potentially dangerously grumpy if manhandled, which would probably exclude most households with children. So had he ended up in a shelter he’d probably not have made it out the door to a new home. And now we are 14, the complaints and considerable expenses of age are descending with some force.
A recent article in the Calgary Herald points out the large ecological footprint dog ownership leaves, which likens the overall burden to that of a carelessly driven gas-guzzler. The concerns are many: food (largely meat and cereal, usually packaged in plastic bags or plastic-lined tins); poo bags (any old plastic bag has been the norm till recently); water and food dishes (metal and plastic); pet toys (usually plastic, often very cheap and breakable); mileage (driving to walks, grooming, obedience training or veterinary appointments); leashes and collars (a lot of plastics involved); dog houses (lots of plastics unless you build your own); beds (very often man-made fibres covering pillows made of plastic foam or styrofoam beads); veteriarian and grooming supplies (plastic bottles of pharmaceuticals and grooming supplies, pesticides to treat external parasites, plastic syringes, chew collars, combs, brushes, hairdryers, toothbrushes etc); and a whole other world of expenses if you get into dog trials or invest in extras like raincoats, boots, reflective or illuminated clothing/collars, etc. When you look at that list you can see the problem. Which was already indicated by the very presence of pet superstores.
We have got away from the idea of the family dog as a working animal who eats scraps, chews on sticks and defends the household, washing itself when it swims and getting veterinary attention (or the shotgun) when injured. Though some still work – as guide dogs, sniffers or farm animals – more often today’s pet is a sporting or fashion accessory, living therapy to shut-ins, or friend to those isolated by modern life or circumstance. These four-legged child-substitutes end up requiring the same array of appointments as humans – vaccinations, dental treatments, pedicures. We are the problem, and modern pet ownership is costing us dear.
Dog lovers have responded with suggestions on ways to lessen the impact, which are feeble at best. But I’ve been working on changing some of my things that can be done.
Food is something I think a lot about. I do spend about $65 a month on good quality dry dog food, packaged in large paper bags. It is made of meat and cereal, which do have those giant ecological footprints. I supplement this with home made wet dog food, which is made from rice, potatoes, grains and (usually discounted) meats like heart, liver, kidney. I used to buy carrots and frozen spinach, but now incorporate table scraps – very few of these since I seldom cook meat nowadays – and peelings instead, which I throw into the freezer till I have enough. It’s an imperfect mix, but it puts some variety into the dog food. Moreover I found that I could put wet food in the blender, add a bit of starch and bake it for dog cookies – though they also need an energy-intensive spell in the dehydrator as well, to store properly.
Suggestions like biodegradeable dog poo bags are kind of annoying, since biodegradeable plastic won’t degrade if it’s buried within the anaerobic mountain of a landfill. (Compostable bags – which at last sighting cost somewhere around 50 cents each – might do better; and a digester – placed away from food plants – would probably be best.)
The mileage question is a tricky one, and I’ve been thinking that although I can probably cope without a car, even in public-transport-starved Victoria, I can’t cope long-term without a car as long as I am responsible for an old dog. Unlike London, at least in days of yore, there is no option to take a dog on a bus here (unless you can put him in a carrier). Depending on the ailment, I can walk Anton to the vet for most things. But he’s old, and his joints are going, and some of his recent visits have been for cuts in his feet (I suspect thanks to local youth who find evening entertainment in smashing bottles on sidewalks). And the vets within walking distance might not be the ones who give best care. Because he gets hysterical in groomers, I end up having to drive him to a saintly woman in Sidney (about 25km away) for pedicures once a month or so: his nails were not well-tended from the start and do get overgrown and, particularly now he’s getting doddery, cause him mobility problems in the house.
Other things – leashes, collars, dishes – could and should be recycled through thrift stores. Bedding can be made from old blankets and cushions. Home grooming saves money and driving. I grew up with pets, often dogs, which were always treated as animals: they stayed on the floor and they ate what they were given and in return they gave us exercise, affection and entertainment. I am not ready to pull the trigger on old Anton, but when this dog has finally had his day I will have to think hard about whether to replace him.
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In her latest collection, Rhona McAdam navigates the dark places of human movement through the earth and the exquisite intricacies lingering in backyard gardens and farmlands populated by insects and pollinators, all the while returning to the body, to the tune of staccato beats and the newly discovered symmetries within the human heart.
“…A beautiful, filling collection, Larder is a set of poems to read at the change of the seasons, to appreciate alongside a good meal, and to remind yourself of the beauty in everything, even the things you may not appreciate before opening McAdam’s collection….”
Rhona McAdam is a writer, poet, editor, and Registered Holistic Nutritionist with a Master’s in Food Culture from Italy and a deep-rooted passion for ecology and urban agriculture. Her work spans corporate and technical writing to poetry and creative nonfiction, often exploring the vital links between what we eat and how we live. Based in Victoria, BC, and available via Zoom, Rhona is always open to new writing commissions, readings, or workshops on nutrition and the culinary arts.
