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I forgot to say I woke up to 2 bad environmental news (aside all the other terrible ones), which perhaps put me in a bad mood for the day (?). Well, at least I woke up informed. I usually wake up to the radio as my alarm. Radio-Canada.
One new was for you guys in BC, and the other for a little village here in Quebec. Yours stated that a Chinese petroleum company had come up with a deal for fracking with great financial compensation proposal for an indigenous group. It was stated as being a -good news- for BC and BC's First nation community (I had read it had many opponents). Then, the issue was over a little hamlet/village (168 people) in Gaspésie, called Restigouche, who adopted regulations to impose a minimal distance (2km) between fracking and drinking water sources to protect their drinking water, but only AFTER Quebec had authorized the exploration/exploitation (French article).The actual so-called Quebec law is 500 m. The company is suing the little hamlet for 1,5 billion, and the village's defense will cost them 200 000 to start with. They asked for help, but our Quebec government decided not to help. They we're hoping that their case could lead to a premiere positive initiative, in favour of water, against petroleum...
Instead, the PDG of Gastem (the fracking guys), had earlier said, when the little community and their mayor we're against the project, that «ecologists we're fascists»....well tough luck for them was decided last week since they voted a law prohibiting fracking close to their water. (The law is called le règlement dit de Saint-Bonaventure and 75 municipalities in Quebec, from citizen solidarity, have adopted it BEFORE the -enemy- came along, and 23 are working at it (source). It asks for 2km distance between a water source well and fracking.
The article states Mr. Savoie, Gastem's PDG words saying : «C'est un peu farfelu, ça, frivole, ridicule, étant donné qu'ils [les élus] n'ont pas d'expérience. Ils imaginent le pire. Et là, les «chemises vertes» arrivent, avec leur attitude fasciste. Il se fore 15 000 puits par année en Alberta et personne ne s'en plaint».
Which means in quick free translation « It's a little wacky, it frivolous, ridiculous, since they [Mayor and his politicians] do not have the experience. They imagine the worst. And then the "green shirts" come with their fascist attitude. They drill 15,000 wells per year in Alberta and nobody complains » said Mr. Savoie.
How not to feel sick, be outraged, remain positive and peaceful is not always as simple as it seems. Among some of my findings roughly and very briefly put part says : (in order to mobilize) people don't want to see tragic or aggressive images, catastrophism is not a winner, we need solutions, the limy little duckling stuck in petroleum is too depressing, encouraging guilt is not the way. We need to touch the emotions. We need to encourage the sense of responsibility, without the guilt feeling of being responsible...not easy. I am sort of resuming and translating partially some of my interviewees/activists observations very very freely here, with my warmest thanks for everything they have accepted sharing with me.
I will at least name them for now (they authorized me to do so). Patrick Bonin (Greenpeace), Martine Châtelain (EauSecours), Kim Cornelissen (AQLPA), Bruno Massé (RQGE), Maude Prud'homme (RQGE/Tache D'huile), and Jean-Philippe Vermette (Agriurbain).
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