Monday, October 27, 2008

My letter to Prime Minister Harper

Dear Mr. Harper,

I've walked from Toronto to Ottawa to bring attention to the disastrous effects of climate change already occurring in the world.

We are already seeing rising sea levels, droughts, floods, freak storms, desertification, mass species extinctions, an enormous global refugee crisis, disease spread, resource wars and other disasters. This is the tip of the iceberg, with all these issues projected to become much more grave in this century, and with acidic oceans belching noxious gases across dying landscapes as a potential end result if climate change is not brought under control.

In Canada, we're already beginning to feel the effects of climate change, with Inuit communities being threatened with wildlife loss and permafrost melt that destroys their homes. Our forestry industry is being devastated by the spread of the pine beetle. Climate change is bringing on increased rates of asthma, increased disease spread, increased heat waves and their associated threats and other critical health issues as outlined in a recent report from Health Canada.

I want to thank you for committing $100 million to climate change adaptation in developing countries. The amount is far too small, but is a welcome recognition of our responsibilities for this global crisis.

My biggest concern is that Canada enter international negotiations on global climate change treaties in good faith and as a leader, not a laggard.

I noticed that you expressed your opposition to the Kyoto Plus initiative that would ask for Canada to commit to emissions reductions targets of 25-40% below 1990 levels. This is irresponsible. These targets are, if anything, too low. The WWF released a report this morning updating the science in the last report of the IPCC, and recommended, as a result, a 30% emissions cut as a bare minimum by 2020, and to be met without relying on overseas offsetting. This report was endorsed by the new vice chair of the IPCC, Prof. Jean Pascal van Ypersele.

James Hanson, of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, who has been carefully and methodically analyzing climate data for decades, has recently stated that safe atmospheric levels of CO2 must certainly fall below 350ppm, a level we have already passed. Although he recognizes that oceans can still absorb some carbon, they are rapidly losing their ability to do so. The emissions pattern must be reversed in a matter of months, not decades, if we hope to avoid the worst excesses of climate change.

I am concerned that the very real concerns about the economy will create the common but false idea that the environment needs to be put aside for the moment. As you must know, the environment underlies every economy, and the current crisis is not unrelated to environmental, resource and climate issues. The price of foods, for example, is going up because of droughts and competition with bio-fuels. Recently, it was reported that deforestation removes $2-5 trillion from the economy annually. This alone is a threat greater than the current economic crisis. In the United States, where deregulation was the principal reason for the mortgage crisis, a serious secondary factor was that house prices were falling as fuel prices soared, particularly in areas far from job locations. If we do not curtail a pattern of resource depletion with no regard for the costs involved, economic destabilization will continue.

In a study commissioned for the UK government, economist Nicholas Stern estimated in 2006 that the costs of unchecked climate change would be greater than those of both world wars and the depression combined. This last summer, he concluded that he had grossly underestimated the economic costs of climate change and that the true numbers were several times higher.

I understand that you inherited a country that had neglected its international obligations for far too long. I understand that this makes the task harder for Canadians. But I do not believe Canadians are unwilling to take up the task. What they need is a clear understanding of the risks, a clear understanding of the goals, and a clear understanding of the strategies required to get us there.

Al Gore has issued a challenge for the United States to replace all its generation from fossil fuels with renewable power over a decade. Both presidential candidates have pledged to try to meet that goal. Canada has vast hydro resources and thus a much lower dependence on fossil fuels for generation. There is no reason why we couldn't meet a similar target. So we need to implement whatever combination of incentives, regulations and market mechanisms are required to get this done. There are many jobs available in the manufacture and installation of wind turbines, solar thermal, photovoltaic and marine systems. This would help the Canadian economy to grow.

The biggest priority, however, needs to be investing in conservation and efficiency through incentives to support an appropriate regulatory environment and strong market mechanisms.

We need to stop subsidizing fossil fuels. Kairos, a Canadian ecumenical justice organization, is calling for a withdrawal of all subsidies to fossil fuels in a postcard campaign. I would go further. I believe that an economy-wide market mechanism that discourages carbon emissions will be absolutely critical. The carbon tax is one such measure that you opposed without giving a reasonable alternative. Given the crisis at hand, I believe this was irresponsible.

We also urgently need public investment in three critical areas, both of which can help to stimulate the economy as well.

First, we need to immediately stop building all structures that are inadequate for a post-carbon future and work rapidly to retrofit existing structures. Europeans have developed the Passivhaus standard which eliminates the need for mechanical heating systems. Proposed legislation will make this standard mandatory throughout Europe by 2016. The increased costs are negligible, occasionally negative and dropping as expertise increases. Insulation is far cheaper than furnaces and ductwork. California will be making a net-zero standard mandatory by 2020. This standard would force every structure to produce as much energy as it uses. Canada needs to adopt a standard such as one of these if we are to have any hope at all of achieving the required goals. Similarly, we need to embark on a rapid retrofit program, targeting at least 3% of our existing structures annually.

In the fall of 2007, Natural Resources Canada anticipated a shortfall in deliverability of natural gas of 11% by the end of 2009. Canada has not prepared for this crisis, which combines resource depletion and climate change. An enhanced country-wide building code and retrofit program helps to solve both crises and stimulates the economy in productive directions.

Second, we need to build out a public transit system to replace our reliance on the automobile. I'm sure that some electric cars will exist in the future, but energy will become a very precious commodity, so we will undoubtedly be less mobile, and we'll have to move more efficiently when we do. Car-dependent suburbs need to be reoriented with transit hubs or they will not be livable in the future.

Third, we need to reassess our agricultural base to make sure production can sustain Canadians first, rather than be directed at maximizing profits through export. We will not be able to truck fruits in from Mexico in refrigerated trucks in the future (and this is quite irrespective of climate change, simple resource depletion will guarantee it). Many chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are derived from fossil fuel sources and require enormous energy inputs. We need to make sure we have a plan in place so Canada can feed itself as we stop using fossils.

There is more work to be done. I have not touched on industry, except in manufacturing for a post-carbon economy. But we must make the first priority a guarantee of a livable planet for our children, and a close second the availability of food and shelter for all in the upcoming times of change.

Thank-you for your attention. I look forward to your response.

Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu

Aftermath

We arrived at the entry to the Prime Minister's office shortly after noon on Monday, October 20 to a cheering crowd of 50 people.

Dewan's speech was uplifting. Rita's and mine were not particularly. We're worried about the implications of a government headed by Mr. Harper determining the delegation that Canada sends to negotiate global climate treaties for the post-Kyoto period. The Earth hangs in the balance. Still, I want to thank Andrea Harden of the Council of Canadians and Katherine Sullivan of the Canadian Federation of Students for following with a positive message. The Raging Grannies ended with a song and everyone joined in.

Afterwards, Rita delivered our letters to Prime Minister Harper. This is a process that's becoming rather intimidating. You speak to a security person through several layers of glass. After describing what you want to deposit, he opens the lock to a large metal bin, into which you drop your correspondence. Apparently, your letters aren't even delivered directly to the Prime Minister. They are scanned for security.

Afterwards, we walked to Ottawa's City Hall and spoke to two supportive city councillors, then rushed back to Wellington Street just in time to see Mr. Dion arriving at the press conference where he was to announce his future plans. Dewan shook hands with him at that point. We waited outside and afterwards, I pressed our postcard into his hands. I'm still trying to arrange an interview with him. We would like all parties concerned about the looming threat to humanity to put aside their differences and find a way forward.

But I'm also trying to spend time with my family, bridging the distance my absence created.

We Sunshine Walkers are settling in on the idea of making our next goal helping David Suzuki turn out 100,000 people in Ottawa to demand appropriate climate action. As a first step, we'll be organizing the Global Day of Action on Climate Change, to be held on December 7 in cities across Canada.

I need to thank Ken Billings of ActCity Ottawa for his support and hospitality, Glenn MacIntosh and Soo Luen Tom of EcoSanity for their incredible support, coming out to document our progress throughout our walk and helping us get home, and the whole crew of the Council of Canadians, the Federation of Students and Kairos for making the Ottawa event possible.

Monday, October 20, 2008

More media

From the Frontenac News:
http://www.frontenacnews.ca/2008/08-41_oct_16/sunshine_walk_08-41.html

Preparing for today's events

We have almost arrived at Parliament Hill. This morning we'll be starting out at the National Archives shortly before noon to arrive at the Prime Minister's office shortly after noon.

I'm getting the last few things in order.

Thanks to Ken and Susan and Kim and Dewan's cousins for making the day wonderful. In addition to walking, we spent a couple of hours at the National Archives yesterday listening to John Raulston Saul speak about his provocative new book and an hour or so at the National Museum of Civilization. We had dinner at The Table, which I would highly recommend.

We are all thinking about next steps, but I'm heading for our appointment in a couple of moments.

Thanks to everyone who reads this and supported us along the way.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Media Advisory for Monday's event on Parliament Hill

WHAT: A press conference outside the PMO in Ottawa on October 20 at
12 p.m. to welcome the Sunshine Walk for Climate Justice, a group of friends
who left Toronto by foot on October 4, 2008 on a 400 km walk to the nation's
capital to demand immediate action from the federal government on climate
chaos. The walkers are angry about the endless empty talk from our political
leaders on carbon cap and trade systems, carbon taxes and carbon
sequestration. They, and the many Canadians and federal candidates they met
along the walk, want our "new" government to stop tilting at windmills and
start building them. Our environment and economy need less carbon and more
green jobs and green energy - wind, solar, wave and geothermal - now! The
Sunshine Walkers will also collect signatures for the KYOTOPlus pledge from
invited politicians and will deliver letters collected between Toronto and
Ottawa to the Prime Minister.
WHO: Confirmed speakers:
Dewan Afzal, Sunshine Walker
Adriana Mugnatto-Haum, Sunshine Walker
Rita Bijons, Sunshine Walker
Andrea Harden, Energy Campaigner, Council of Canadians
Katherine Sullivan, Green Campaigns, Student Federation of the University
of Ottawa
Raging Grannies to sing a few songs!
When: Monday, October 20, 2008, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Where: Outside the Prime Minister's Office, corner of Elgin Street and
Wellington Street
For further information: Stuart Trew, (647) 222-9782; Kim Kerridge,
(647) 221-9169

Getting lazy

We didn't finish today's route.

First of all we started late, and then of course we all managed to get lost. We reached into Ottawa but then took a city bus to the rally. We then marched into Parliament Hill, and then went on to Confederation Park, where we once again saw David Suzuki for the Flick Off campaign. Great music and great people. We quickly ran out of flyers to hand out.

Ken Billings of ActCity Ottawa was with us for most of the day, riding his bike alongside me in the morning, and sticking with us through both rallies and for dinner at a lovely vegetarian establishment he recommended. It was good to see Dylan and Andrea and other Ottawa organizers, and especially Kim, who has been pulling so many things together for us from a distance. After dinner, we had to say goodbye to Alex at a bus stop where she went off to pick up her train back to Toronto.

Afterwards, we all just wanted to relax at the homes of a couple of local hosts. We'll pick up the trail where we left off tomorrow, leaving the last kilometre or so for Monday, so we actually arrive at Parliament Hill. Then we meet at the Prime Minister's office at noon. We also plan to meet with the mayor following the event.

David Suzuki today repeated what he had told Rita last night - that we need to gather 100,000 people in Ottawa to get appropriate action on climate change. We need to do that before the Canadian delegation goes to Copenhagen in December 2009 to negotiate the final terms of the post-Kyoto climate change treaty. So that will be our work for the next year or so.

Friday, October 17, 2008

On to Ottawa...

Another lovely day in the country. We reached a sign announcing our arrival in Ottawa shortly after 9 am, then continued to walk through wooded countryside.

It's gotten a lot cooler now, so we were all bundled up in bulky sweaters and gloves, Rita and I in knitted caps. We had to spend time in the morning waiting for the car to warm up, while Rene scraped the ice off the windows.

The kind lady who let Rita leave her bike overnight on her property made a batch of muffins for us. Thank you so much.

It was our last full day of walking. Tomorrow's walk will bring us to Parliament Hill in slightly less than the 30 km we're used to. We're all looking forward to Sunday's rest.

This evening we went to a fundraiser for the Ardoch Algonquin which featured David Suzuki. Mr. Suzuki was brilliant as always, but I was more interested in the first nations representatives, notably Leeanne Simpson, who spoke so passionately and sensibly about respectful and enduring relationships and first nations ideas about connectedness. Also, the Unity Singers were very powerful. There was a reception following with delicious snacks.

We saw Mayor John Fenik of Perth, Anne and Eric from near Godfrey, Ken of ActCity Ottawa and Jeff of Frontenac News, which put our story in their paper. And, of course, the Ardoch Algonquin and other organizers. Good people all.

Rita spoke to Dr. Suzuki about building large coalitions and they both latched onto an idea of joining elders and youth in a coalition demanding a future for the planet.

We have a great deal of work to do.

Tomorrow's schedule

Saturday, October 18 Kanata/Stony Swamp Conservation Area/Bells Corners/Parliament Hill

  • 7:30am Highway 10/Richmond Rd at Steeple Hill Cr

  • 7:50am Highway 10/Richmond Rd at Hope Side Rd (west only) – Kanata is to the northwest

  • 8:00am Highway 10/Richmond Rd at Stonehaven Dr

  • 8:30am Highway 10/Richmond Rd at W Hunt Club Rd

  • 8:50am Bells Corners, Highway 10/Richmond Rd at Moodie Dr

  • 9:10am Highway 10/Richmond Rd at Robertson Rd, follow Hwy10/Richmond Rd as it turns left

  • 9:35am Highway10/Richmond Rd goes underneath Veteran's Memorial Highway

  • 10:00am Highway 10/Richmond Rd goes underneath Hwy 417

  • 10:30am Highway 10/Richmond Rd at Carling Ave

  • 10:50am Highway 10/Richmond Rd at Ottawa River Parkway

  • 11:10am Richmond Rd at Woodroffe Ave

  • 11:40am Richmond Rd at Broadview Ave

  • 12:10pm Richmond Rd at Island Park Dr, continue on Richmond as it becomes Wellington

  • 12:40pm Wellington St at Somerset St W, turn right on Somerset to cross tracks

  • 12:50pm Somerset St W at Preston St, turn north (left) on Preston St

  • 12:55pm Preston St at Wellington St, turn east (right) on Wellington

  • 1:05pm follow Wellington as it branches to the northeast at Albert St

  • 1:15pm Wellington St at Bank St

  • 1:20pm Parliament Hill

***note, we will try to arrive ahead of schedule for the Peace rally, so the last bit of the schedule may be changed somewhat. We expect to actually be at Tabaret Hall, Ottawa University at 1 pm.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

The need for consensus

Details for the day below. First something far more important.

I would like to urge all our supporters to get in touch with their newly elected parliamentary representatives and demand that they build coalition around the issue of climate change. The time for politicking is over, the time for action is now.

I'm particularly distressed about the news highlighting concerns about Mr. Dion's leadership, which is a huge distraction from what needs to be done. We cannot afford to get ground down into issues of leadership. The Liberal Party took a beating at the polls, but they are still the largest opposition party and absolutely vital to mount an effective opposition to climate inaction. The single biggest reason that the party failed to mount a more effective opposition in the past was an expensive leadership dispute. We don't have time for another. Please write to Mr. Dion and urge him to remain and help build a coalition to protect the planet.

Failure to do this would leave Mr. Harper leading the delegation negotiating for Canada in Copenhagen in 2009, where the global post-Kyoto treaty will be decided. The Canadian delegation has so far been the greatest barrier to consensus, and PM Harper has indicated his unwillingness to commit even to the targets which all other Kyoto signatory nations agree are minimally necessary. If the Canadian delegation holds out with this attitude, we will be unable to find any useful international agreement at all. If we care about the planet, we cannot allow Mr. Harper to negotiate on our behalf.

We woke up this morning to streets wet with new rain. The clouds had cleared, the sky was blue, but the air had taken on an autumnal chill.

The apartment we were staying at was wonderful. It belongs to Wendy Lott, the deputy mayor of Perth. Thanks to Wendy, and also to Wolfe for arranging it. Have you ever had dreams about discovering rooms you didn't know existed? This apartment was a lot like this. We were delighted with the apartment long before we discovered that there was a lot more to it than we thought. It's curious and funky and absolutely delightful. In the morning, I took over the kitchen and made the best lunch I've had during this walk.

We walked into Perth from Highway 7 and met with Mayor John Fenik. It was a pleasure to speak with him. Not only was he very supportive, he demonstrated a deep and committed understanding of the issues. He gave us a bottle of ice wine and another of local maple syrup, and distributed town pins to us all. It was uplifting.

Rita is in love. With the town of Perth. She remained behind for much of the morning, spreading out flyers and cards, but mostly admiring the town. She kept telling us all how much she'd like to live in a town like this.

Highway 10 is calm and bucolic, filled with neatly trimmed fields, tidy old farmhouses and grazing animals. The roadkill is substantially reduced, you can sometimes walk for several minutes without seeing a car. You can hear birds.

We made arrangements to meet with Mayor Paul Dulmage of Carleton Place. Two local reporters came to cover the event as well. Mayor Dulmage began by expressing his support, and telling us about building retrofits, lighting upgrades, a micro-hydro project and other local initiatives that would reduce emissions. However, he expressed his doubts that a 40% emissions reduction could be reached, and his concerns about China's rising emissions. He made it clear that he cared only about local, not global effects, that he was unwilling to make any changes that weren't strictly economical, and that he was unwilling shift the economy to make them more economical by recognizing the external costs of fossil fuels.

The difference between the mayors of Perth and Carleton Place could not have been more stark. And yet, both are caring local mayors who want to do well and are clearly concerned about the environment. To us, it was clear that Mayor Dulmage had swallowed the official line of Canada's government hook, line and sinker. The experience leads to the conclusion that city officials, as all Canadians, urgently need a government in Ottawa that will be clear about the risks, the need for action and the solutions that will be required.

We returned to Highway 10 in the waning of the day, arriving at our endpoint when cars already had their lights on, even though nightfall had not quite fallen yet. We ended the day with large platters of Mexican fare before collapsing in much-needed sleep.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

A new government, kind of like the old government

I'm blogging while DeWan, Rita, Rene and Alex are having dinner. The day was filled with thoughts of what a strengthened Conservative minority will bring. Prime Minister Harper has not been a leader on climate change. Worse than his impact in Canada has been his effect on international negotiations. In Bali last year, it was the Canadian delegation that held out to last to minimize the emissions cuts we would be required to make. My deepest concern is that with Mr. Harper deciding on the Canadian delegation that will help shape negotiations in Copenhagen, the whole world stands to suffer.

Nonetheless, it's the government we have, and the one we must work with.

I walked quickly ahead today to get caught up with friends and share news. Alex was wonderful about keeping up and checking on me. There was a chill in the morning air and I had my sweater hood up to keep the wind off my ears. The morning fog lifting up off Silver Lake was spectacular. There were few cars in the morning, it was beautiful.

We all stopped for coffee at the Fall River Country Store, Pub and Grill. It's advertised as "20 minutes west of Perth, Ontario", but I can assert that walking it's a lot more than 20 minutes. They focus on locally grown organic foods, and are powered by the sun. During the summer, they operate longer hours and have a coffee house next door that serves organic, fair trade coffee. This time of year, the restaurant operates only for bus tours. Fortunately, they had brewed up some coffee and made some muffins and pressed both on us, refusing payment.

Towards the afternoon, a black and white dog followed me for several kilometres. Finally, sitting with Alex in the car, I turned to him and said "Go home!" He looked at me and dropped his head and trotted a few steps away. When I repeated the order, he took another few steps back, and looked back sadly at us. Eventually, we persuaded him to go home. He's a nice dog, whoever he is.

Shortly after this, the road widened and the trucks roared past, kicking up dust that got in the teeth. I was glad we had decided to switch to Highway 10 after Perth. Wolfe joined us yet again. He is full of interesting information.

In the mid-afternoon, DeWan had another interview with the BBC. We've had a fair amount of local coverage and some international, no real pickup from the national media. We all arrived well ahead of schedule, and spent the early evening sitting together and chatting.

Latest Itinerary, October 14-18

Tuesday, October 14 – Parham/Tichborne/Sharbot Lake/Central Frontenac

  • 7:30am Highway 38 at Balt Rd

  • 8:15am Highway 38 at Philips Ln (west only)

  • 8:45am Highway 38 at Simmons Ln (west only)

  • 9:15am Highway 38 at Heron Ln (west only)

  • 10:15am Parham, Highway 38 at Wagerville Rd (Highway 38 turns directly east)

  • 11:00am, Highway 38 at Fish Creek Rd

  • 11:30am passing through Tichborne on Highway 38

  • 12:00noon Highway 38 at Bradshaw Rd (at this point, Highway 38 is going north again)

  • 12:30pm passing through Camp Oconto on Highway 38, lunch stop

  • 1:30pm Highway 38 at Camp Ocono Rd

  • 1:45pm Highway 38 at Ducharme Rd (west only)

  • 2:30pm Oconto, Highway 38 at Crow Lake Rd

  • 3:00pm Highway 38 at Shibley Rd (east only)

  • 3:15pm Highway 38 at Tryon Rd (west only)

  • 3:30pm Highway 38 at Clement Rd (east only)

  • 3:45pm Highway 38 at Wagner Rd (east only)

  • 4:00pm Highway 38 at Brewer Rd (west only)

  • 4:30pm Sharbot Lake, Highway 38 at Elizabeth St

  • 5:00pm Highway 38 at Gordon Cr

  • 5:30pm Highway 38 at Zeeland Rd

  • 6:00pm Highway 38 at Highway 7

  • 6:30pm Highway 7 at Zeeland Rd

  • 7:00pm Highway 7 at McQuaid Rd


Wednesday, October 15 – Silver Lake Provincial Park/Maberly/McGowan Lake/Tay Valley

  • 7:30am Highway 7 at McQuaid Rd

  • 8:00am passing through Ungava on Highway 7

  • 11:00am Highway 7 at Armstrong Line/Maberly Main St

  • 11:30am passing through South Sherbrooke on Highway 7

  • 12:15pm Highway 7 at Old Brooke Rd (south only)

  • 1:00pm lunch on Highway 7

  • 1:30pm Highway 7 at Strong Side Rd (south only)

  • 2:00pm Highway 7 at Kirkham Rd (north only)

  • 3:00pm Brooke, Highway 7 at Doran Rd

  • 3:15pm passing through Dewitts and Playfair on Highway 7

  • 3:30pm passing through Pratt Corners on Highway 7

  • 4:00pm Highway 7 at Cameron Side Rd

  • 4:15pm passing through Wemyss on Highway 7

  • 4:30pm passing through Bathurst on Highway 7

  • 5:30pm Highway 7 at Norris Rd

  • 6:30pm Highway 7 at Harper Rd, Glen Tay directly southeast

  • 7:30pm passing Tay Ridge on Highway 7

  • 8:00pm Highway 7/Dufferin St at Lanark Rd/Highway 511


Thursday October 16 Perth/Gillies Corners

  • 7:30am Highway 7/Dufferin St at Lanark Rd/Highway 511

  • 8:15am Perth, Highway 7/Dufferin St at Wilson St W, turn south (Town Hall is on 80 Gore St E, substantially to the south)

  • 8:35am Perth, Wilson St at Isabella St, go east 1 block, turn south again at Gore St, follow Gore St to Town Hall – 80 Gore St E, meet with city officials

  • 9:15am Perth, Gore St at North St.

  • 10:00am Highway 10 at River Rd (south only)

  • 10:45am Highway 10 at Ebert Rd (south)/Hand's Rd (north)

  • 11:30am Highway 10 at Macphail's Rd (north)/Richardson Side Rd (south)

  • lunch somewhere in here

  • 2:00pm Highway 10 at Day Rd, Hwy 10 continues on Perth Rd, continue

  • 2:30pm Gillies Corners, Highway 10/Perth Rd at Gillies Corners Side Rd

  • 3:20pm Highway 10/Perth Rd at Bell Rd

  • 4:00pm Franktown, Highway 10/Perth Rd at Hwy 15, Hwy 10 continues north along Hwy 15

  • 4:20pm Highway 10/15 split, take Highway 10 east

  • 5:15pm Highway 10 at Cuckoo's Nest Rd


Friday, October 17 Prospect/Richmond/Fallowfield

  • 7:30am Highway 10 at Cuckoo's Nest Rd

  • 8:20am Highway 10 at Derry Sideroad

  • 9:15am Highway 10 at Crooked Sideroad (north only)

  • 9:30am Prospect, Highway 10 at Ashton Station Rd, follow Hwy 10 as it turns left and right

  • 10:30am Highway 10/Franktown Rd at Dwyer Hill Rd

  • 10:50am Highway 10Franktown Rd at Woods Rd, crossing river just afterwards

  • 11:15am Highway 10/Franktown Rd at Munster Rd

  • 11:50am Stapledon, Highway 10/Franktown Rd at Green's Rd (south only)

  • 12:05pm Highway 10/Franktown Rd at Conley Rd

  • 1:00pm Highway 10/Franktown Rd at Joys Rd (Franktown Rd becomes Perth St in Richmond)

  • 1:30pm Richmond, Highway 10/Perth St at McBean St (south only), lunch break

  • 2:25pm Highway 10/Perth St at Eagleson Rd/Hwy 49, Hwy 10 continues as Richmond Rd

  • 3:15pm Highway 10/Richmond Rd at Cambrian Rd

  • 3:35pm Highway 10/Richmond Rd at Steeple Hill Cr (east side only)

  • 3:55pm Highway 10/Richmond Rd at Rushmore Rd

  • 4:45pm Fallowfield, Highway 10/Richmond Rd at Fallowfield Rd

  • 5:00pm Highway 10/Richmond Rd at Steeple Hill Cr (east side only, second time)

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

The problem with nuclear

I didn't think it was possible for the scenery to get any more beautiful, but today was more spectacular still. It was fairly cool except for those brief periods where the sun emerged from a cloudy sky. The morning had few cars, and yesterday's stunning foliage was giving way today to more and more bare trees. As cars passed, they'd leave behind a whirlwind of coloured leaves, dancing in the sun tens of feet in the air. I found myself skipping down the street looking up at them all.

A number of friends met up with us - Wolfe and his dog Emma, Oskar and Carol. Emma walked with me all the way up to Sharbot Lake, where we had lunch at Maples. Two local reporters and Liberal candidate David Remington also came up to meet with us. The issue in this area is uranium mining. Our group has a long history of supporting the struggle against mining. Mr. Remington was very supportive, and pledged, if elected, to fight any expansion of nuclear power, as well as fighting to quickly expand renewable power.

The heavily subsidized nuclear industry has been heavily promoting the idea to a dubious public that nuclear power is a useful short-term stop-gap measure on the way to a future that will ultimately have to depend on power that's constantly replenished. If I actually believed this fantasy, where nuclear could be relied on immediately while we waited for such difficult things as wind turbines, I would be genuinely conflicted. But "short-term" nuclear is truly a fantasy.

Al Gore has laid down a challenge based on what is demanded by climate science - the elimination of fossil fuels for generation in a single decade. The man is not ideologically opposed to nuclear power, and recognizes it as a low-emissions option. However, he's not foolish enough to suggest that we can reliably build a single reactor in the time required. The average North American reactor takes about 15, and passing the 2-decade mark is not unusual. You can get a wind turbine up and running, even with the most rigourous environmental assessment process, within 6 months.

Pouring huge funds into nuclear prevents us from investing in the cheaper and faster options - above all efficiency and conservation, supplemented by wind and marine power. Even solar, which is a relatively expensive option, looks pretty good when you consider that it delivers power fairly reliably when people most need it. Our Candu reactors aren't capable of increasing output when needed, so they aren't a good solution by themselves anyway.

So there really is no ideological barrier between the people who have worried about climate change for decades and those who are concerned about toxics and radiation. Nuclear and other parasitic industries seeking to benefit from this global tragedy want to distract us from what we need to do and claim there is a controversy which doesn't exist in reality.

We have wasted decades where much progress could have been made by subsidizing ethanol, hydrogen, nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, carbon sequestration and other fantasies. The hope was that one or all of these would produce power as cheaply as we're used to. Yet none of these have been able to economically reduce our emissions. We have now well and truly run out of time. We must pour our efforts into things that work and accept the fact that energy will be more expensive. Perhaps we'll be inclined to use less. Considering we use about three times the electricity of Germans, Italians and English, that shouldn't lead to hardship.

We ended the day at the home of Oskar Graf, who makes guitars in his idyllic forest home. Rita and Alex made a full dinner while I collapsed in exhaustion. Wolfe joined us as well.

Thanksgiving thoughts and plans

I'm sitting in a beautiful, newly built home on 180 acres of woodlot. The living room has enormous picture windows which look out onto fall colours and birds. The owners, Eric and Anne, call this their widescreen tv. They have an enormous supply of firewood, neatly stacked in a long series of structures. They have a small garden, fenced in to keep out deer, which provides them with all their hard vegetables and root vegetables. There is a root cellar cut into the rock below the house, where all their vegetables are kept in bins of sawdust. Crates of neatly ordered bottles of homemade wine sit cooling there, too. Their water comes from an onsite well. Electricity is delivered from a large array of solar panels. I arrived last night to freshly baked home-made bread, soup made from vegetables grown here, pumpkin pie and brandied pears. It was one of those days where I felt ravenous, seemingly unable to stop eating. My own cell phone won't work here, but they do have a more powerful phone on site that will. Wolfe, a friend of ours, and neighbour of our hosts, came to visit after dinner, and Alex and John arrived as well. Alex will be trailing us in our support vehicle while Rene walks with us from now on. It has been a beautiful and restful place to celebrate Thanksgiving.

We started out yesterday with Dewan's brother Ali taking his place for a few hours. His family were worried about him and talked him into taking a brief pause. We covered stunning lands of wooded hills, rocks, and marshy lowlands. As always, Rita was picking up little caterpillars and bugs off the road to prevent them from being crushed. After a while, Ali and I started joining her. At one point, we all watched and hoped one little fuzzy guy would survive the passing of 2 cars so we could rescue him off the road. The first car swept him up in the wind, the second left him on the side of the road. Rita raced over to pick him up and set him back in the greenery.

We walked through Harrowsmith and Hartington, hoping for a bite to eat, but everything was closed up. We finally had lunch at Mom's in Verona, where Dewan, another brother and a cousin caught up with us. Thank you Ali for lunch.

After eating, Dewan took off ahead while Rita and I talked to some locals about climate change. Then we were back on the road too. When we arrived at our endpoint, we heard a single gunshot go off in the distance.

My feet have been blistered since the day we miscalculated and covered 42 km. But yesterday afternoon, they started burning. When we arrived at the endpoint of the day's walking, I peeled off my shoes to discover an angry red rash, itchy and raw, on both my feet. So the first thing I did when we arrived here was to soak my feet and scrub them for poison ivy, and change my pants. This morning, I'll shower off before I head out, because I'm getting itching further up my legs.

We had originally planned to go past Sharbot Lake tonight and walk along highway 7 into Ottawa. Then we were convinced that Highway 7 was not good to walk on, so I had redone the schedule to have us heading east just north of Oconto and linking up with Highway 10. Last night, Wolfe and Eric convinced us to walk on Highway 7 at least to Perth, as on the alternate route we wouldn't really meet people, which is kind of the purpose of this journey.

So we're back to the old schedule, for a couple days at least. I want to post it, but I can't access my own computer. I'll try again a bit later, but if I don't succeed, we're heading north today on Highway 38 at Ball Rd. We should be starting out around 7:30. At Highway 7 we turn east, and we hope today to make it to somewhere like Silver Lake. We're pretty easy to spot on the road. We've got bright yellow t-shirts, Rita has a bike with a flag and a sign, both blazed with our logo, and we're trailed by a silver Toyota Prius with our posters in the windows.

It's election day today, and everyone needs to vote. I voted myself on October 3, the day before we kicked off in Queen's Park. It's going to be hard to sleep tonight, wondering what the results will be, what kind of government we'll be facing when we arrive in Ottawa. Tomorrow morning, I'll wake up to find out. Please think of us at the ballot box.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Reminiscing

I'm sitting in my daughter's dorm room at Queen's University, exhausted but happy. My daughter is back at home in Toronto. She's no fool. She's not about to spend her time walking around the countryside with her loopy mom. Off she went to spend time with her dad and siblings, who remain in Toronto awaiting my return. I miss them all terribly. My daughter has pictures of them all on her desk, all smiling at me. Her room is filled with things that are so dearly familiar to me - the stuffed monkey I gave her when we adopted her in Brazil, the funny switchplate her dad brought back from one of his business trips, the plants I didn't quite manage to kill before my daughter rescued them.

The day's travels began in a morning fog. Dewan had started before Rita and I arrived. Rita has taken to following Eddie's example and stuffing mailboxes along the way with flyers, so she basically keeps up with us but never gets ahead. As the sun burned off the fog, I had this notion that I was walking into the sunshine. So far, we've been walking pretty steadily eastward, so the day's journeys begin walking into the sun, passing underneath it and leaving it behind at night. Another way of looking at it is that my face gets burned in the morning, and my neck at night and I spend all day wondering why it is that I imagined that in October I wouldn't need a hat.

We all stopped for breakfast in Westbrook, where John, the kind Greek man who ran the restaurant in Napanee where we lunched yesterday, walked in for a coffee as well. Apparently, he lives on a farm nearby. Dewan, who paid for yesterday's lunch, tells me that coleslaw at John's restaurant in Napanee is only 89 cents. It's quite good, too.

As we walked on towards Kingston, we were greeted by a growing welcoming party - two of Dewan's cousins and Glenn and Soo Luen from Ecosanity. Soo Luen had made us a beautiful banner for our walk. We were ahead of schedule and walked on ahead before our lunch, which was provided by Weais and Ali Afzal, Dewan's brothers, at their beautiful restaurant, Curry Original. To all those in Kingston, you need to try this. I'm going to send my daughter here for a treat sometime. Dozens of Dewan's relations joined us for lunch, along with Sandra Willard and Glenn and Soo Luen.

After lunch, we took some photos and headed down to the park in front of City Hall, where speeches were made. It was good to see a lot of local politicians out in support. These included:

Sandra Willard: NDP candidate for Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington
Peter Milliken: incumbent Liberal candidate for Kingston and the Islands
Rick Downes: NDP candidate for Kingston and the Islands
Eric Walton: Green Party candidate for Kingston and the Islands
Mark Gerretsen: Deputy mayor of Kingston
John Gerretsen: local MPP and provincial Minister of the Environment

I imagine that the Gerretsens are related, but I didn't ask. All candidates were supportive. It was a big relief to me to hear the local NDP and Liberal candidates both speak of the need to work together after the election. Both recognized that if on nothing else, on this issue the parties needed to come together because there just was no time to waste politicking this issue to death. I didn't mind the gentle sparring during the speeches. The atmosphere was pretty genial, and it's refreshing to see candidates share time anywhere.

I need to thank Michelle for helping to organize from Kingston, the Council of Canadians for bringing out their crews, and Rick Downes for the bullhorn.

Afterwards, we had more walking to do. We walked north well past the city, back into the land of fields and cows, produce stands and dead animals by the roadway. At dusk, we were waiting by the roadside for Dewan's cousin to pick us up. The setting sun was unspectacular, a sign of good air. Apparently it's all the chemical particulate in the air that makes Toronto sunsets so stunning. We had to turn back into Kingston for the night - Dewan to his relatives, me to my daughters, Rita and Rene to a beautiful stately inn. Kingston is beautiful. But then, so are a lot of the towns we pass through. Tonight I sleep with my daughter's monkey.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Exhausting day

Two milestones today. We crossed the halfway mark and Rita celebrated her birthday. She likes opera cake. We haven't been able to get her any. She says she doesn't mind delayed gratification, but if anyone knows where we can get some en route, we'd be grateful.

Started out a bit late today, which turned out in some ways to be a bad mistake. It was glorious countryside. I was talking to my aunt on my newly functional phone (thanks Rene) and missed the first turnoff. As a result, we missed Deseronto. Apologies to anyone who came out looking for us.

In Napanee, NDP candidate Sandra Willard came out to meet us, with Kyoto Plus pledge in hand, walked us around town and had lunch with us. The Napanee Beaver offices were closed. We're anticipating a few slow days as campaigns wind down and people enjoy the long weekend with family. Certainly the local Green Party candidate made his apologies, as he is spending these next days with an elderly parent.

After lunch, it became obvious that we had dreadfully miscalculated the time remaining. Rita and I raced ahead to Odessa, hoping Dewan could be persuaded to take a ride after it became dark. He stumbled in just after nightfall.

Relaxed and inspired

We had a busy morning yesterday. Local NDP candidate Michael McMahon arrived with 5 volunteers to meet us at 7:30 in the morning. I came with Paul and Jan's beautiful dog Lady, who accompanied me into Belleville, where we met up with a welcoming party of press and 2 candidates and their supporters. Michael McMahon was there to sign onto Kyoto Plus with 4 of his supporters. Green Party candidate Allan Coxwell was there with two volunteers of his own. Meanwhile Rene arrived from Toronto by train to accompany us, and Mustaq left on a bus almost simultaneously. We walked to the City Hall, where we left information for the mayor, who was already off for Thanksgiving weekend. Allan Coxwell walked for a stretch with us. Mike McMahon walked all the way out to the rural outskirts of Belleville. Both candidates are knowledgeable and engaged, concerned and responsible.

The rest of the day was a calm and beautiful walk through countryside and Tyendinaga territory. The sunshine was glorious, the fall leaves beautiful.

We arrived early so we had a relaxed evening. First we walked on for a stretch. We'll start a bit later today, further down our schedule. We enjoyed dinner together. Then Rene, Rita and I got popcorn and watched a movie just before settling into sleep.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Kyoto Plus

I really need to thank Helmut and Janet some more, for walking with us, introducing us to business owners who would support us, calling some mayors ahead for us, chasing us down with forgotten belongings and generally being wonderful. Thanks to Stuart and Kim, working away in Toronto in thankless behind-the-scenes tasks. Thanks to Jan and Paul for putting up with us, and to Sam and Catherine of the Organic Underground in Belleville for arranging it, and for contacting local candidates for a meeting there today. Be at the Organic Underground at 9am.

Yesterday we walked through Brighton, where we stopped into various supportive businesses and the local city hall. The mayor was out of town, but her assistant was well informed and supportive. Then on to Trenton, where we met with acting mayor Keith Reid, who explained all the things his township was doing to reduce emissions, indicated supportively that he would bring up the Kyoto Plus pledge in the next council meeting, and gave us each a pen and a pin to take away.

In the evening we attended an all-candidates meeting in Belleville. NDP candidate Mike McMahon and Green candidate Allan Coxwell expect to be at our coffee date at 9 am. Both have signed onto Kyoto Plus. Mr. McMahon will be walking with us this morning. Liberal candidate Ken Cole advised us that he signed onto Kyoto Plus yesterday as well. I couldn't find Independent candidate Paul Barnes, but it's interesting that in his final statement he endorsed Allan Coxwell. When I asked Daryl Kramp whether he would sign, he told me he never signed anything during an election, which was not a time to politicize issues. Which sounded to me like Kim Campbell saying an election was not the time to discuss policies.

There's a strong pattern emerging on the Kyoto Plus site. I've checked in every couple of days. The leaders of the Liberals, Bloc, Green and NDP have all signed on. As of today, Stephen Harper has indicated his opposition. In terms of signatories, the Liberals have 107, Bloc 63, Greens 166 and NDP 130, with 12 Conservative candidates indicating their opposition. It's even more interesting to me that at one point an NDP candidate from Calgary signed his opposition and that position was removed within days. Similarly, the Conservative candidate in Davenport signed in support, and within days her support was withdrawn. The parties are clearly keeping their candidates in line. Canadians have a choice of four parties that support responsible action on climate change, and one party which does not.

I'm off.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Late start update

I'm writing in a flash this morning as I'm late getting out.

Yesterday was a great day with DeWan charging ahead hours ahead of schedule.  We met with the Reeve, Bill Finlay, in Grafton, and talked about the challenges and possibilities of a post-carbon future in rural ridings.  Many yummy local apples later, we also met with Mayor Coombs in Colborne.  He lamented that his town had not done more for reducing emissions, but pointed out that the town's arena, Keeler Arena, was cooled with geothermal, with waste heat going to heat the seats.  He also gave us pins from Cramahe township.  Great thanks to Helmut and Janet for the wonderful accommodations in their log home, and to Edna and Bill for the fabulous soup for dinner.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

The health effects of climate change

This morning the roadside grass was white with frosted dew. We walked through Port Hope in mid morning and dropped off at their City Hall, trailed by a photographer. Shortly after noon, Lake Ontario suddenly shot into view and remained reassuringly to our side the rest of the way.

The people are all incredibly friendly. They beep and wave along the road. They inquire about what we're doing and ask how they can help.

We're in the riding of Northumberland-Quinte West. Three of the candidates here are supportive of our efforts, two enthusiastically enough that they came out to meet us at the City Hall in Cobourg where we met Mayor Peter Delanty, who told us about all the things Cobourg is doing to reduce its emissions. At an all-candidates meeting in the evening, the fourth candidate and incumbent, Ron Norlock, refused to sign onto Kyoto Plus when asked directly.

We were covered in the Cobourg Daily Star and in the Port Hope Evening Guide today. Look for us there again tomorrow. A local radio station played the all-candidates debate live, including Rita's excellent and controversial question.

Rita wanted to know why the government had suppressed a Health Canada report on the health impacts of climate change in Canada. You can download a copy of the report here:

http://www.desmogblog.com/harper-government-suppresses-climate-report-now-available-here

Which brings us to a couple of deeply disturbing questions about integrity and competence. Our Prime Minister likes to portray himself as steady, wise and reliable. He likes to talk about how dealing with the climate crisis is imprudent. But with the economy in shambles, health care costs on the rise and a record of coverups, it's hard to see how he can sustain such notions.

A couple of important thank yous: To Rob Grand of Grassroots, for the donation of 5 wind-up flashlights for when we walk after dusk. They came in very useful on the very first day and will again. To Nino Gaspari of Goddess Gourmet, for the yummy m-bars we grab for energy along the way. Thanks to our wonderful hosts for the evening, for feeding us and taking us to the all-candidates meeting (I'd name them but one happens to be a candidate and this is a non-partisan walk - we endorse commitment and sensible solutions, not specific people). And I'm going to thank Alex today, because she's been answering all the emails to the site and is such a wonderful person.

Monday, October 6, 2008

10 years to fossil-free electricity

Al Gore has called on the United States to eliminate electricity generation from fossil fuels in 10 years by investing heavily in renewables. Due to our enormous hydro resources, Canada already relies much less on fossils for our electricity. There's no reason we can't do at least as well.

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/gore-speech-47071701
http://www.wecansolveit.org/

Thank yous for the day: to wonderful local supporter Margaret who joined us outside Bowmanville and Durham Liberal candidate Bryan Ransom and his son who joined us at the Bowmanville Municipal Offices. Mr. Ransom's Kyoto Plus pledge is proudly displayed on his campaign office door, and he spoke eloquently and wisely about his concern for the environment, reflected not only in his dedication to fighting climate change, but also in his long battle for local air quality in fighting incineration and promoting recycling instead. He is proud of the direction that Stephane Dion is moving the Liberal party, toward greater action on climate change. He and Margaret walked with us well into the outskirts of town and sent us off. Thanks to Stuart, Alex, Mustaq and especially Kim for all their hard work and concern for us. Mustaq was feeling under the weather so we're all hoping he'll be up to scratch soon. And a huge thank you to Karen, a new friend who never heard about the walk until Rita arrived on her doorstep and asked if she could park her bike there for the night. Karen not only agreed, but took us to our motel.

DeWan and I were much more tired today, but for a happy reason. We're walking on gravel now, in countryside between small towns. The air is cleaner, there's less traffic and the noise it makes and we can pick up local produce at markets all along the way. Eddy is eager to go further. He races ahead, stuffing mailboxes with flyers along the country road and postering bulletin boards in the towns. DeWan is relentless. He hasn't got his hearing aid. He's dealing with bad knees and other health concerns. He paces himself but treads right on, looking forward to relaxing in the evening. And Rita is amazing, running back and forth between us all with her bike loaded down with fruits and water for everyone, taking our sweaters when we don't need them, giving them back when we do. She engages everyone she meets on this issue. We're running out of flyers. A good problem to have.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

How to Vote

As yesterday, I have to begin by acknowledging the wonderful support we get through the day. Today's thank yous begin with Chai who met us early in the morning on our walk. A huge thank you to Betty Anne Platt and her friends from Kairos in the Whitby area, who arranged a wonderful lunch reception for us outside the Whitby Library, helped coordinate candidate meetings for us and fussed over us, making sure we were warm and well-fed. Thanks to Glenn and Soo Luen from EcoSanity who joined us there and trailed us with cameras for hours. Thanks to the crew of Whitby-Oshawa NDP candidate David Purdy who came out to the event, and to Green Party candidate Doug Anderson who walked with us for much of the early afternoon. Thanks for Kairos supporter Lynn for taking the time to bring out some umbrellas for us when it started to drizzle. The thoughtfulness of people along the way just amazes me. Thanks to Sadek, Rene and Eddy who were with us again today. Eddy will be with us until Wednesday. A big thank you to Oshawa NDP candidate Mike Shields, who came out to Oshawa city centre and waited inside for us with Sid Ryan while we waited outside through missed communication. Your support is very much appreciated. Thanks to Durham Green Party candidate Stephen Leahy for meeting us with several volunteers. Thanks to Kim and Mustaq, as always, for keeping us safe and sane. The big thank-yous of the day, though, go to Dewan, steadfastly plodding on through exhaustion and aches and to our hosts this evening, Carrie and Abel.

We're in the midst of an election, so people ask us how they should vote. We had decided, when we began planning this walk, that we would continue in case of an election because it would be a way to have an impact at election time. So it's an important question. Here's my answer:

1. To evaluate the parties, go to the Sierra Club site at
http://www.sierraclub.ca/national/vote-canada/2008/voters-guide-climate-crisis-election.pdf
They have a voter's guide to the elections with a report card on all the parties.

***update*** I've been alerted to the fact that Greenpeace also has an evaluation of the parties, coordinated with the Sierra Club, which can be accessed here:
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/

2. To evaluate your candidates, go to the Kyoto Plus site and look at the candidates list here:
http://www.kyotoplus.ca/en/candidates.html
If more than one candidate in your riding has signed onto Kyoto Plus, ask them why. The wholehearted endorsers will give this crisis more attention than those who are reluctant.

3. To vote strategically, go to a site that identifies a strategic environmental pick in every riding:
http://www.voteforenvironment.ca/
I'm not necessarily promoting strategic voting because it has pitfalls as well as advantages. Still, a lot of Canadians vote strategically because the democratic system is broken, and if you vote strategically, you might as well make an informed decision.

But finally, what's really important to me is that you don't stop at the election. It's tempting to feel that you vote for the person you feel will take care of you so that you can go on with your life. In this case though, politicians are just not taking care of you. No Canadian government ever has done enough for this crisis, and there's every reason to believe that the proposals of every one of our national parties today will fall significantly short of what is eventually needed. Every week brings new bad news indicating that the climate is more sensitive than we believed.

And yet, real solutions are within reach. And they will provide tangible benefits such as
  • an economy prepared to benefit from the end of fossil fuels rather than being at risk of suffering.
  • the fundamentals of life (food and shelter) reoriented for preparation for the future instead of at risk of collapsing.
  • fresher air, drinkable water, safe food.
  • reduced reliance on foreign imports
  • a healthy local economy
  • safer streets
  • a reduction in noise pollution
  • a reduction in asthmas and other health problems
  • a reduction in government spending on health and environmental mitigation
So after the election, no matter who you vote for, all concerned Canadians must continue to press their representatives to live up to their commitments. I truly believe our politicians will thank you. Study after study indicate that the public recognizes the problem in a way that is not reflected in political platforms. Left alone, politicians tend to move very slowly, far too slowly for the crisis at hand. But it's not because politicians are unaware of the crisis. Most are better informed than the average elector. But they need to feel reassured that they are not committing political suicide by proposing something radical. And it's time to make them understand that it's political suicide to sit by and not do the necessary things, even if they seem radical.

What's more, tell your elected representative to work productively with other parties. Part of the reason we're not getting enough action on climate change is that every party wants to take credit for the best plan. Progress is more important than perfection. Bickering is getting us nowhere, it only confuses people.

So vote thoughtfully, but pledge to yourself to hold your government representatives accountable.

At the end of today's walking, we walked into a stunning rainbow and suddenly clear skies and blazing sunshine. I'm feeling hopeful.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

From inner city core to the suburbs

It's been a thrilling and exhausting day. It's approaching midnight and there's too much to possibly describe in a single post. So I'll say some thank yous and focus on one observation.

Thank you to DeWan, the inspiration for this walk. By the end of the day, he was clearly exhausted but kept trudging on with tired determination. Thank you Rita, for your wisdom and eternal good spirits. Rita brought her bike because of concern her knees would not survive, and as a result seems to be travelling greater distances going back and forth between supporters and walkers and running errands in between. Thank you Kim, Stuart, Alex and Mustaq, our permanent support network who look after us. Thank you to all the people who came out to walk with us today, friends, supporters, candidates, DeWan's endless stream of cousins. Thank you to the many people who are supporting us along the way with offers of food, shelter, errands and so on. Thank you to Stephen Scharper, Dorothy McDougall, Dave Martin, Carolyn Egan, Eddy, Misha, Waeza and the other young people who so inspired us with their thoughts at the kickoff which now seems eons ago. Thanks to people like John Bell, Rich, Paul York and Michael who helped make that kickoff a success. Thanks to the crowd of people who escorted us through the city. Thanks to the nice policemen who keep on eye on us to make sure we're safe. Thanks to Betty Anne, whose house I'm staying at and whose computer I'm writing this note at.

Today's journey was a journey through three different modes of living, three distinct challenges to evolving into a post carbon future.

We began in a city centre, with its hodge-podge of old inefficient and leaky buildings and new buildings which can hog more energy despite access to more efficient options. Along the city streets, most people moved by walking or on the many streetcars, or underground, unseen, on the subway system. It is a city that is evolving to meet the renewed demand for pedestrian friendly options, making street crossings prioritize pedestrians. But the city faces enormous challenges in a post-carbon future. I know, though today I didn't see it, that at night the city blazes with light. In the summer, people live and work in refrigerated environments. Old buildings have never been properly retrofitted for the requirements of a post-carbon future, beginning with the lovely building before which we began: the Legislature of Ontario.

Then we passed through older residential neighbourhoods, a complex, too of old and new and renovated. And still the streetcars scooted along, and buses too, though not with the same frequency. As we walked, they competed more and more with the cars. The challenge here will be to keep all those people warm in the winter without fossil fuels. It can be done. The Europeans have developed structures so well insulated that they require no mechanical heating system at all. California has declared that by 2020, all new buildings must be energy self-sufficient. Any energy they use, they must produce themselves. But existing, older buildings have their own challenges, which are more difficult to regulate. Yet still, we must do something. Because these areas are in many ways most suited to post-carbon living. The business areas are compact and accessible to pedestrians, the linkages to other parts of the city by public transit are superb.

And then we arrived at the suburbs. Kingston Rd became a 6-lane highway, cars whizzing by at incredible speeds and often with deafening noise. And every store was attached to a generous parking area and there was no place for Rita to put her bike, and every food store served primarily drive-throughs, with the odd lonely customer actually stumbling in. The suburbs will undoubtedly be the greatest challenge of all. It is mind-boggling here how life depends on cheap energy. The homes are newer and more efficient than the older city homes, but nowhere near enough to face energy descent. The reliance on cars is deeply troubling.

And yet. Here I am in a beautiful, compact suburban home. My hostess served me soup from celery which came from her own garden. She picks up a GO train daily nearby, and arrives at work in less time than Rita used to take to commute within the city. So there's some potential here for a post carbon future. And we need to find it.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Detailed itinerary - REVISED

This is the REVISED detailed route for the walk, AS OF OCTOBER 6. All times are approximate and depend a lot on weather and road conditions.

Supporters are encouraged to walk along with us as long as they want. All walkers are responsible for their own food, accommodation and water bottles.

Monday, October 6 - Clarington/Bowmanville/Newcastle/Newtonville

7:30am departing Highway 2 at Trulls Rd
8:00am Highway 2 at Hancock Rd
8:30am Highway 2 at Rundle Rd
8:45am walking through Maple Grove on Highway 2
9:00am Highway 2 at Maple Grove Rd
9:30am Highway 2 at Martin Rd
9:45am Bowmanville Municipal Office, departing 11:00am
10:15am Bowmanville, Highway 2/King Street West at Liberty Street
10:45am Highway 2 at Lambs Rd
11:15am Highway 2 at Bragg Rd
11:45am Highway 2 at St Georges Anglican Cemetery, past Darlington-Clarke Townline Rd
12:00noon Highway 2 at Wilmot Creek Provincial Fishing Area
12:30pm Newcastle town centre, Highway 2/King Street at Mill St, lunch stop depart 1:15pm
1:45pm Highway 2 east of Newcastle, just past the railway tracks
2:15pm Highway 2 at Golf Course Rd
2:45pm Highway 2 at Morgan's Rd
3:15pm Highway 2 just east of Stapleton Rd
3:45pm Newtonville, Highway 2 at Newtonville Rd
4:15pm Highway 2 at Elliot Rd
4:45pm Highway 2 at East Townline Rd (south only)
5:15pm Highway 2 at Zion Rd
5:45pm Highway 2 at Hwy 65
6:00pm Highway 2 at Sawmill Rd



Tuesday, October 7 – Morrish/Welcome/Port Hope/Cobourg

7:30am Highway 2 at Sawmill Rd
7:45am passing through Morrish
8:00am Highway 2 at Morris Church Rd
8:30am Highway 2 at Deerpark Rd
9:00am Welcome, Highway 2 at Kellogg Rd
9:15am Turn south at Highway 10
9:30am Highway 2 approaching 401
10:00am Port Hope, Highway 2/Toronto Rd just south of Jane St
10:20am Port Hope, Highway 2 turns east at Victoria St, becomes Ridout St, then Walton St
10:45am Port Hope, Highway 2/Walton St at Queen St (mayor's office at 56 Queen St)
(11:00am Port Hope, depart mayor's office, south on Queen St to Robertson St, which becomes Peter Street/Highway 2)
11:30am Port Hope at Rose Glen Rd South
12:00noon Highway 2 east of Port Hope, crossing railway tracks approaching Moore Service Rd
12:30pm Highway 2 at Theatre Rd South
1:00pm Highway 2/William St at Lovshin Rd, lunch break
2:00pm Cobourg, Highway 2/Elgin St W at Burnham St (Highway 2 turns south here)
2:30pm Cobourg, Highway 2/William St just south of the railway tracks at University Ave
2:40pm Cobourg, Highway 2 turns east again at King St W
3:00pm Cobourg city centre, Highway 2/King St at Division St, mayor?



Wednesday, October 8 – Cobourg/Grafton/Colborne

7:30am Cobourg, King St at Division St
8:00am Cobourg, Highway 2/King Street East at Brock Rd N
8:30am Highway 2 east of Cobourg just past the tracks at Workman Rd
9:00am Highway 2 at Pentecostal Rd (south only)
9:30am Highway 2 at Carruthers Rd going north/Heritage Rd going south
10:00am Highway 2 at Archer Rd/Lakeshore Rd
10:30am Highway 2 east of Gully Rd/Hillcrest Dr
11:00am Highway 2 at Brimley Rd S
11:15am Grafton city centre, Highway 2 at Lyle St, 15 minute pause
12:00noon Highway 2 east of Shelter Valley Rd
12:30pm approaching Wicklow
12:40pm Wicklow, lunch at Highway 2 and Wicklow Beach Rd, depart 1:10
1:30pm Highway 2 at Vernonville Rd/Kernaghan Rd
2:00pm Highway 2 at Bryce Rd
2:15pm Highway 2 at Usborne Rd (north only, Highway 2 does some curves after this)
2:45pm Highway 2 at Townline Rd
3:10pm Highway 2 at Ontario St (Highway 2 turns south here toward Colborne)
3:30pm Colborne city centre – Toronto St turns to Percy St, Hwy 2 turns east at King St E, 15 minute pause
4:00pm Colborne, King St E/Highway 2 at Kensington Ave
4:30pm East Colborne, King St E/Highway 2 at Colton St
5:00pm Highway 2 at Jackson Ave (north only)
5:15pm walking through Salem
5:30pm Highway 2 at Ventress Rd
5:45pm Highway 2 at Barnes Rd




Thursday, October 9 – Brighton/Trenton

7:30am Highway 2 at Barnes Rd
8:00am Highway 2 at Fiddick Rd (north only)
8:15am Highway 2 at Brighton Cramahe Boundary Rd (north only)
8:45am Highway 2 at Huff Rd
9:15am Brighton, Highway 2/Main St at Percy St (north only)
9:30am Brighton city centre, Highway2/Elizabeth St at Young St (Municipal office on Elizabeth St at Alice St, 1 block east, Alice goes north only), pause for 15 minutes
10:30am Highway 2 east of Brighton
10:45am Highway 2 at Boes Rd (south only)
11:15am Highway 2 at Lisgar St (north only, opposite the railroad tracks)
11:30am Highway 2 at Stoney Point Rd
12:00noon Highway 2 at Findall Rd
12:30pm Highway 2 at Farm Rd
1:00pm Highway 2 at Tate Rd, lunch break
2:00pm Highway 2 at Wooler Rd
2:30pm Trenton, Highway 2/Dundas St W at Fourth Ave (north only)
2:45pm Trenton, Dundas St at Dufferin Ave
3:00pm Trenton, Dundas St E, crossing the river (Highway 2 turns east at Marmora Ave past the river)
3:15pm, Trenton, Highway 2/Marmora St at Herman St
3:45pm Highway 2 at R.C.A.F. Road, beginning of CFB Trenton
4:30pm Highway 2 at S Perimeter Rd (north only)/Quinte View Rd (south only)
5:15pm Bayside, Highway 2 at Whites Road, end of CFB Trenton
5:30pm Highway 2 at Baylea Dr (south only)
5:45pm Highway 2 at Ghent Dr (south only)
6:15pm Highway 2 at Aikens Rd
6:30pm Highway 2 at Burns Ave (north only)
7:00pm Highway 2 at Montrose Rd
7:30pm Highway 2 at Wedgewood Lane (north only)
7:45pm Highway 2 at Wallbridge-Loyalist Rd



Friday, October 10 – Belleville/Shannonville/Tyendinaga

7:30am Highway 2 at Wallbridge-Loyalist Rd
7:40am cross railway tracks
8:00am Highway 2 at Avondale Rd
8:30am Belleville, Highway 2/Dundas St W at Highway 62 south
8:45am Belleville, crossing the river on Highway 2/Dundas
8:50am Belleville city centre at Dundas St/Highway 2 at Pinnacle St, 15 minute break
9:30am Belleville General Hospital, Dundas St E/Highway 2 at MacDonald Ave
9:45am Belleville, Dundas St E/Highway 2 at Herchimer Ave
10:15am Belleville, Dundas St E/Highway 2 at Haig Rd, just after crossing track
10:45am Highway 2 at Elmwood Dr
11:15am Passing through Thurlow, Highway 2 at Pointe Anne Lane (south only)
12:00noon Highway 2 at Mitchell Rd (north only)
1:00pm lunch break on Highway 2
1:30pm Highway 2 at Brant St (south only)
2:00pm Highway 2 at Shannonville Rd, then Highway 2 passes through Shannonville
2:45pm Highway 2 at Water St, just east of Milltown Rd, followed by railway track crossing, then a long stretch with no cross streets
4:30pm Highway 2 at Wyman Rd (could be later if we stop in Tyendinaga)



Saturday, October 11 – Marysville/Deseronto/Napanee/Odessa

7:30am Highway 2 at Wyman Rd
8:15am Marysville, Highway 2 meets Highway 49, both join going directly south, shortly afterwards cross railway tracks
8:45am Highway 2 at Lower Slash Rd
9:15am Highway 2 at York Rd, Highway 2 turns east
9:30am Highway 2 at S Church St
9:45am Highway 2 at Bell's Rd (north only)
10:15am Deseronto city centre, Dundas St/Highway 2 at Centre St, 15 minute break
10:45am Highway 2 at Deseronto Rd
11:15am Highway 2 at Oliver Side Rd (north only)
11:25am Highway 2 at Barker Side Rd
12:30pm Highway 2 at Slash Rd (north only)
1:00pm Napanee city centre, Dundas St at Centre St (John St next to the north-east along Dundas St-Town Hall at 124 John St, lunch break)
1:10pm Napanee, crossing the railway tracks going east, Highway 2 turns immediately southeast
1:20pm Highway 2 at Old Hamburg Rd
1:40pm Highway 2 at Switzerville Rd
2:25pm Highway 2 at Little Creek Rd
2:40pm Highway 2 at Townline Rd
3:00pm Highway 2 at Fralick Rd
3:30pm Highway 2 at Brandon Rd
3:50pm Highway 2 at Violet Rd
4:20pm Highway 2 at Highway 133
4:40pm Highway 2 at Rees Rd
5:20pm Odessa city centre, Highway 2/Main St at Old Wilton Road, cross the river immediately afterwards

5:30pm Highway 2 at Wilton Rd/Highway 6


Sunday, October 12 – Westbrook/Kingston

7:30am Highway 2 at Highway 6
7:45am Highway 2 at Shane St
8:15am Highway 2 at Fairbanks St (south only)
8:45am Highway 2 at Nell Rd (north only)
9:15am Highway 2 at Clarke Rd (south only)
9:45am Highway 2 at Westbrook Rd
10:15am Highway 2 at Collins Bay Rd (south only)
10:30am Highway 2/Princess St at Lisa St
11:00am Highway 2/Princess St at Bayridge Dr

11:30am Highway 2/Princess St at Gardiners Rd, Cataraqui Town Centre
lunch, break and event in downtown Kingston
3:30pm back at Cataraqui Town Centre
3:45pm Highway 38/Gardiners Rd at Cataraqui Woods Dr
4:10pm Tuttles Hill, Highway 38 at Creekford Rd/Centennial Dr
4:20pm Highway 38 passing 401
4:30pm Highway 38 at Harpell Rd
4:40pm Highway 38 at Bur Brook Rd
5:30pm Glenvale, Highway 38 at Unity Rd
5:40pm Highway 38 at Rock Rd (southwest only)
6:10pm Highway 38 at Van Order Dr
6:30pm Highway 38 at Orser Rd


Monday, October 13, Thanksgiving – South Frontenac/Harrowsmith/Hartington/Verona/Godfrey

7:30am Highway 38 at Orser Rd
8:00am Murvale, Highway 38 at Murton Rd
8:30am Highway 38 at Yarker Rd, Highway 38 turn north from previous northwest direction
9:00am Highway 38 at Quinn Rd
10:00am Harrowsmith, Highway 38 at Harrowsmith Rd, 15 minute break
10:45am Highway 38 at Alton Rd
11:15am Highway 38 at Petworth Rd/Jamieson Rd
11:45am Hartington, Highway 38 at Boyce Rd/Holleford Rd
12:00noon Highway 38 at Hinchinbrooke Rd (northeast only, Highway 38 turns northwest)
1:00pm Highway 38 at Conservation Lane, lunch break
1:45pm Highway 38 at Bellrock Rd (west only)
2:10pm Verona, Highway 38 at Bank St, 15 minute break
2:50pm Highway 38 at Desert Lake Rd (east only)
3:05pm Highway 38 at Craig Rd (east only)
3:30pm Highway 38 at Snider Rd (west only)
4:00pm Piccadilly, Highway 38 at Piccadilly Rd where it meets the second time
4:10pm Highway 38 at Godfrey Rd
4:30pm Highway 38 at Godfrey Rd again
4:40pm Godfrey, Highway 38 at Westport Rd
5:00pm Highway 38 at Forty Foot Rd
5:15pm Highway 38 at Hamilton Ln
6:00pm Reynoldston, Highway 38 at White Lake Rd
6:15pm Hinchinbrooke, Highway 38 at second point that Old Mill Rd crosses it
6:45pm Highway 38 at Balt Rd


Schedule after this point still to be finalized

Tuesday, October 14: Godfrey to Central Frontenac
Wednesday, October 15: Central Frontenac to Perth
Thursday, October 16: Perth to Carleton Place
Friday, October 17: Carleton Place to Nepean
Saturday, October 18: Nepean to Ottawa
Monday, October 20: Parliament Hill

Monday, September 29, 2008

Letter from Sierra Club Canada

Sierra Club Canada

September 24, 2008


Dear Sunshine Walk - Climate Justice Walk to Ottawa Organizers,

Sierra Club Canada wishes to convey its full support of the Sunshine Walk – Climate Justice Walk to Ottawa taking place between October 4th and 20th, 2008. We hope that your action will help to increase the awareness of the impacts of climate change on Canadians and Canadian ecosystems as well as global ecosystems and populations.

Climate change is an unparalleled and unequivocal man-made environmental crisis. Around the world we are already witnessing numerous climate change impacts, including ice-loss, drought, flooding, extreme weather events, and forest fires. In Canada, we have seen the melting of glaciers, the dramatic loss of sea-ice in the Arctic, loss of permafrost, and the destruction of forests by the pine beetle. Without immediate action, long-term impacts such as rising sea levels will result in millions of environmental refugees and destruction of crops will lead to world-wide famine.

In order to prevent catastrophically dangerous climate change, the global average temperature increase above pre-industrial levels must be kept below 2 degrees Celsius. In order achieve this, global greenhouse gas emissions must be stabilized and begin to decline before 2015, and be further reduced to less than 50 per cent of 1990 levels by 2050. This means that developed countries, including Canada, must reduce emissions 25 to 40 per cent by 2020, and 80 to 95 per cent by 2050. Canada’s current efforts to address climate change are insufficient and we must do much more.

We hope that your walk is a success and helps to further educate Canadians and governmental officials on the urgent need for action to address climate change.

Sincerely,

Stephen Hazell
Executive Director
412-1 Nicholas Street,
Ottawa ON
K1N 7B7
Tel: (613) 241-4611
Fax: (613) 241-2292
email: info@sierraclub.ca
web: http://www.sierraclub.ca/

The route

Saturday, October 4:
Toronto to Pickering
Sunday, October 5:
Pickering to Oshawa
Monday, October 6:
Oshawa to Newtonville
Tuesday, October 7:
Newtonville to Cobourg
Wednesday, October 8:
Cobourg to Colborne
Thursday, October 9:
Colborne to Trenton
Friday, October 10:
Trenton to Tyendinaga
Saturday, October 11:
Tyendinaga to Odessa
Sunday, October 12:
Odessa to Kingston
Monday, October 13:
Kingston to Godfrey
Tuesday, October 14:
Godfrey to Central Frontenac
Wednesday, October 15:
Central Frontenac to Perth
Thursday, October 16:
Perth to Carleton Place
Friday, October 17:
Carleton Place to Nepean
Saturday, October 18:
Nepean to Ottawa
Monday, October 20:
Parliament Hill

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Who IS walking the Sunshine Walk?

Dewan Shuaib Afzal
Last December 8th, during the Global Day of Action Against Climate Change, at the rally which took place in Yonge Dundas Square, one of the speakers, Dewan Shuaib Afzal, a Canadian of Bangladeshi origin, announced his intention to walk from Toronto to Ottawa to focus public attention on climate change. This idea struck a chord with number of people and the idea grew. Four years ago, Dewan Shuaib Afzal walked from Toronto to Niagara Falls to gather support to end racial profiling. It was the One Man March for Peace and Harmony.

Rita Bijons
Retired from a long career in teaching and, earlier, in the civil service, Rita draws inspiration from the beauty and complexity of the natural world, from love, and from the sacred. She is appalled by the rapid and pervasive degradation of ecosystems which she has witnessed. The only sane option now is to do all we can to assure a liveable world, and to "save the seed".
She completely agrees with Chris Turner's quote:

What else are you working on right now? What great project that would rest upon your soul like the many bars of ribbon on a war hero's chest? What that you would point to, and look your grandkids in the eye, and say, 'Now that was worth the fight'? I know how I'd answer this one: There's nothing else.
Only this:
To be part of the generation that beat climate change.


Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu
Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu has been giving her time for human rights issues for most of her adult life and obsessively for climate change work for 3 years. As a result her household today is more organic than she would like it and her 5 children, once carefully cultivated, are now free range. She takes daily walks to maintain her sanity and hopes to arrive in Ottawa with a clear head and full of hope as a new government is formed.

You?

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Letter from the David Suzuki Foundation

September 5, 2008


Dear Sunshine Walk Organizing Committee,

The David Suzuki Foundation fully supports the Sunshine Walk as a means of increasing public awareness onthe effects of climate change here in Canada and around the world. Climate change is considered by many scientists to be the most serious threat facing the world today. Canada's current efforts to address climate change are insufficient and a great deal of progress is necessary if we are to reach the science based target of at least a 25% reduction in GHG emissions by 2020 (from 1990 levels).

Informing people of the dire consequences that many regions around the world are already experiencing at the hands of climate change is important for understanding the magnitude of this crisis and how urgently we require solutions. Reaching out to people and discussing the contributing causes and solutions is an important part of building an informed environmental conscience in Canada and a society that will demand greater leadership on
this issue from its politicians.

We wish you all the best with this initiative and hope that your efforts will contribute to a greater public understanding of climate change and a demand for policy reform.

Sincerely,
Morag Carter
Director, Climate Change

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/

Financial support

People have been asking us how they can support the Sunshine Walk financially.

You can send a cheque, payable to Toronto Climate Campaign to the following address:
Toronto Climate Campaign
P.O. Box 19585
55 Bloor St. W.
Toronto, Ontario M4W 3T9

Please be sure to indicate on the cheque that it is for the Sunshine Walk.

Thank you!

Friday, September 5, 2008

Does Anyone Care if Bangladesh Drowns



On Sunday, August 24, at Trinity-St. Paul's Church, our committee hosted an event with journalist and filmmaker Afsan Chowdhury about his movie:"Does Anyone Care if Bangladesh Drowns?" The purpose of the event was to raise awareness of the Sunshine Walk due to take place from Toronto to Ottawa from October 4 to 20.
Far from our eyes and experience, countries such as Bangladesh are already suffering greatly from the impacts of climate change. Afsan Chowdhury's moving documentary graphically illustrates this point.


If you missed the event, the film can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/user/afsan2008

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Who we are

Every hour, the sun beams as much energy at the earth as humanity collectively uses in a year­. All we have to do is harness it. Clean, affordable, renewable and sustainable energy such as solar, wind, geothermal and marine power exist all around us. We don’t need dirty, dangerous, expensive energy like oil, gas and nuclear when we have the knowledge, ability and means necessary to build a better world. A better world is necessary - a better world is possible. In fact, a better world is coming. Combining the best ideas of our best thinkers and working together, we can and must inspire our government to enact policies which are just and ensure a sustainable world.

We know that people in areas such as the Arctic, Bangladesh, Darfur, the Sahel, Tuvalu, the Maldives, the Amazon, parts of China and many others are already suffering the impacts of climate change. Canada is repeatedly called upon to meet its commitments, demonstrate leadership in this crisis and to act promptly and progressively to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Global warming must be kept as far below 2° Celsius as possible in order to prevent catastrophic consequences – this means developed countries such as Canada must reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25 to 40% (from 1990 levels) by 2020.

Canada must have a credible plan to meet this 2020 goal. That plan exists, in many forms, but our government has been quite busy tilting at windmills instead of building them. Our taxes subsidize dirty energy while our policies prevent us from getting our energy through clean, renewable and sustainable sources. Al Gore has challenged his nation to commit to producing 100% of its electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years. It’s time to challenge our leaders to commit to similar goals. It’s time our government worked toward facilitating Bangladesh and other developing nations in shifting to alternative energies. And it’s time Canada played a leadership role in influencing other G8 nations to embrace clean energy.

This October 4 to 20, a group of like-minded people will walk with friends from Toronto to Ottawa to collect and deliver climate change solutions. Please join us in re-imagining our world. We will visit many towns and meet many friends along the way in places such as Pickering, Darlington, Oshawa, Port Hope, Cobourg, Trenton, Belleville, Napanee, Kingston, Godfrey, Sharbot Lake, Perth, Carleton Place and many others. Come out at the beginning of the walk, the end, somewhere in between or for the whole thing - come share your clean, green solutions with us in a letter or a picture and we'll deliver them to our government in Ottawa on October 20th.

Together we can inspire our government to implement clean, affordable, renewable and sustainable solutions and to create green jobs, but we have to be many and we have to make ourselves heard. It’s our government. We elected them. Please join us in demanding green energy now - share your vision of the best solutions, or what you or people in your community are already doing to make the shift away from oil.

October 4 to 20 - Rain or Shine – we’ll walk for sunshine. Please take a few minutes to join us in this effort.