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.