Working Hard to Safeguard Paddling Assets for All Canadians

All about Whitewater

All about Whitewater
A Blog about River Preservation and the need to protect our free flowing whitewater resources

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Who is Nigel Wright? and what is his role in Duffy Gate?

According to Wikipaedia Nigel Wright is an esteemed and honorable businessman. Mr. Wright awaits the outcome of an RCMP investigation into the expenses scandal at the time of my writing this item. Nigel S. Wright Nigel S. Wright is a Canadian businessman who served as the thirteenth Chief of Staff of the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada, from September 2010 to May 2013. Born: May 18, 1963 (age 50), Hamilton Education: University of Toronto, Harvard University

According to the Globe and Mail Wright is a man who was long judged a strong and capable PMO chief of staff. He was praised for bringing business sense to the PMO while leaving his lucrative business career for the public service.

How lucrative?  According to Wiki, He joined Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg and was instrumental in the success of one of the most complicated construction projects in Canadian history : the multi-billion dollar Confederation Bridge between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. He was made a partner with the firm after only five years, but didn't stay long : Onex Corporation CEO Gerry Schwartz had been impressed with Wright and took him under his wing, praising his judgement and character. He climbed the ladder at Onex, the largest private sector employer in Canada, and eventually became a managing director with the firm, securing his reputation as a Bay Street heavy hitter.[4]
 
Nigel Wright is said by the Prime Minister of Canada to have made a covert $90,000 gift to beleaguered Senator Mike Duffy while speaking to MPs in the Commons Tuesday.The money was a gift from Mr. Wright, a millionaire businessman, but the Duffy alleges he was ordered to tell the public he had taken a loan from the Royal Bank.

So who is telling the truth? Mr. Harper has repeatedly denied knowing that his chief of staff gave the $90,000 to the PEI senator and he dismissed Mr. Wright from his post in mid-May after first defending his top aide. When Wright left his office, the Prime Minister lauded his former aide publicly, saying he accepted the resignation “with great regret” and thanking him for his “tremendous contribution” to the government.

Harper said May 19 in accepting Wright’s resignation for his role in the Duffy affair:  

"I accept that Nigel believed he was acting in the public interest, but I understand the decision he has taken to resign. I want to thank Nigel for his tremendous contribution to our government over the past two and a half years."

He then said in a radio interview on Monday:

 "As you know, I had a chief of staff who made an inappropriate payment to Mr. Duffy. He was dismissed.

 He then told the Commons on Tuesday.

 "Once again, Mr. Speaker, on our side, there is one person responsible for this deception, and that person is Mr. Wright. Mr Wright by his own admission. For that reason, Mr. Wright no longer works for us."

 Is this credible?

Well who has been changing their story? Wright has been silent, Duffy has paperwork to support his assertions: Only Stephen Harper has been changing his story. Remember that telling the truth is easy, you just recall events, you don't have to remember what you said previously, like in Question Period...
My opinion here is that it is NOT CREDIBLE! The prime minister has been evasive in his answers. He has at first said that nobody else knew about the $90,000 payment, and now it appears that a great many people knew.

Based on the evidence, either Mr. Harper knew and lied about it, or he did not know about it and is incompetent in the running of the PMO. Either way, he should resign.

Time will tell but if I had to take one side or the other my bets go with Nigel Wright
What bother with all of this?

Won't voters be unimpressed with the Prime Minister's equivocations? after all, isn't he doing his best for the economy?

 Linden MacIntyre said it best: "The human tendency to be offended by abuse - torture in a secret prison, a lie told under oath to fool the public, squandering of public treasure - remains a vital force in conscientious people"

 I hope he is Wright!

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

DUFFYGATE - Why is this important?

Hello RCMP: Where are you? 



Obstructing justice?

If you attempt to obstruct the course of justice in a judicial proceeding by agreeing to pay a fine, dissuading a person by threats, bribes or other corrupt means from giving evidence, using corrupt means to sway a juror; or use corrupt consideration to keep someone from giving evidence  you may be imprisoned for up to ten years.

Influence Peddling?
Influence peddling is the illegal practice of using one's influence in government or connections with persons in authority to obtain favors or preferential treatment ...

Bribery
Bribery is an act of giving money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient.

 Blackmail
Blackmail is involves unjustified threats to make a gain or cause loss to another unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion ...

Conspiracy
A conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to commit a crime at some time in the future. 

Extortion
Obtaining money, property, or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion

Coercion
Compelling another person to engage when they wish to abstain, or vice versa, by instilling fear

Canadian Rivers

Canadian Rivers
I speak for river users too!

The Queen is not amused!

The Queen is not amused!
http://www.ispeakforcanadianrivers.ca/

The Damned Dam - 2005 -

The Damned Dam - 2005 -
22nd Annual Kipaw Rally has modest turnout. - 23rd does better

The Ashlu river: it could happen to you

The Ashlu river: it could happen to you

Whitewater Ontario

Whitewater Ontario
Working Hard to Protect Canada's Paddling Resources

Whitewater Ontario - Mission Statement

It is Whitewater Ontario’s mission to support the whitewater paddling community through the promotion, development and growth of the sport in its various disciplines. We accomplish this through the development of events, resources, clubs, and programs for personal and athletic development, regardless of skill level or focus, to ensure a high standard of safety and competency; We advocate safe and environmentally responsible access and use of Ontario’s rivers. Whitewater Ontario is the sport governing body in the province, and represents provincial interests within the national body Whitewater Canada and the Canadian Canoe Association http://www.whitewaterontario.ca/page/mission.asp

Kipawa, Tabaret, and Opemican

Kipawa, Tabaret, and Opemican
If Hydro Quebec is not actively pursuing Tabaret what is that bite out of Opemican for?

Kipawa Dam: After

Kipawa Dam: After
Laniel Dam at 2006 Rally

Where is the Kipawa

Where is the Kipawa
Kipawa flows into lake Temiskamingue, running from Kipawa Lake, under hwy 101 in Quebec

Kipawa Dam

Kipawa Dam
laniel dam at 2004 River Rally

Tabaret is a Bad Idea

About the Kipawa



The best thing paddlers can do to help the cause of the Kipawa:

1. attend the rally and bring others including non paddlers to attend and buy beer and have fun

2. write your MP /MNA and raise the issue and post your objections -1 letter = 200 who didn't write

3. Write Thierry Vandal the CEO of Hydro Quebec strongly opposing the 132 MW standard decrying the use of "diversion" as the most environmentally inappropriate method of power production

4. Write Jean Charest, Premier of Quebec protesting that either the algonquin or the tabaret project will eliminate all other values on the Kipawa River by turning it into a dry gulch.

5. See if you can get other allied groups interested by showing your own interest, ie the Sierra Defense Fund, Earthwild, MEC, and so on.

6. Demand further consultation

7. Currently we are at the point where we need to sway public opinion and raise awareness.

However, if all else fails, don't get mad, simply disrupt, foment, and protest . The Monkey Wrench Gang.

Have you read Edward Abbey?

Important Addresses
CEO,Hydro Québec, 75 boul René Levesque, Montreal, P.Q., H2Z 1A4Caille.andre@hydro.qc.ca



Tabaret is a Bad Idea (Part Two)

Les Amis de la Riviere Kipawa is poised to use an application to the Federal Court to issue a Writ of Mandamus to ensure the Minster does what he is supposed to do, protect the public's right to navigate the water control structure at Laniel, Quebec using the Navigable Waters Protection Act. (see http://www.kipawariver.ca/)

In the now gutted Navigable Waters Protection Act lay the means by which the Minister of Transport could keep the public right of passage down our great Canadian Heritage, our rivers and streams which are threatened especially by resource corporations and power brokers such as Hydro Quebec.

These powerful entities continue to petition that 'this' river or 'that' stream is not navigable and therefore not protectable.
I don't say that dams and bridges should not be built, only that if they are, historical navigation rights should be considered and preserved by making reasonable accommodations for recreational boaters.

It is the Minister of Transport, in exercising the right to allow or disallow work on or over a navigable waterway is what keeps boats and recreational boaters plying our waterways.

To many recent cases launched in the Federal Court concerning the Navigable Waters Protection Act, most recently the case of the Humber Environment Group of Cornerbrook Newfoundland versus the Cornerbrook Pulp and Paper Company indicates that the important oversight is not being faithfully performed. Have we really come to the point now where we must say "such and such a stream is one foot deep, possessing so many cubic feet per second flow and so on?" The answer to this is... YES!

The honourable Mr. Justice John A. O'Keefe, ruled that it had not been shown that the river was navigable. How convenient was that to the Minister? But either the Minister of Transport acts to protect our rivers and streams as a public right or he does not and that means rivers and streams currently enjoyed by kayakers and canoists.

Enough of the cheating, and double-talk. Canadians! our rivers and streams are our own, lets urge the Minister of Transport and the our government to protect them.

Peter Karwacki

Tabaret is a Bad Idea (Part Three)

10 Reasons WhyTabaret is a Bad Idea1) Tabaret is too big. The station is designed to useevery drop of water available in the Kipawawatershed, but will run at only 44 percent capacity.We believe the Tabaret station is designed to usewater diverted from the Dumoine River into theKipawa watershed in the future. 2) The Tabaret project will eliminate the aquaticecosystem of the Kipawa River.The Tabaret project plan involves the diversion of a16-km section of the Kipawa River from its naturalstreambed into a new man-made outflow from LakeKipawa. 3) Tabaret will leave a large industrial footprint on thelandscape that will impact existing tourismoperations and eliminate future tourism potential. 4) The Tabaret project is an aggressive single-purposedevelopment, designed to maximize powergeneration at the expense of all other uses. 5) River-diversion, such as the Tabaret project, takinglarge amounts of water out of a river’s naturalstreambed and moving it to another place, is verydestructive to the natural environment. 6) The Kipawa River has been designated a protectedgreenspace in the region with severe limitations ondevelopment. This designation recognizes theecological, historical and natural heritage value ofthe river and the importance of protecting it.Tabaret will eliminate that value. 7) If necessary, there are other, smarter and morereasonable options for producing hydro power onthe Kipawa watershed. It is possible to build a lowimpactgenerating station on the Kipawa river, andmanage it as a “run-of-the-river” station, makinguse of natural flows while maintaining other values,with minimal impact on the environment. 8) The Kipawa watershed is a rich natural resource forthe Temiscaming Region, resonably close to largeurban areas, with huge untapped potential fortourism and recreation development in the future.Tabaret will severely reduce this potential. 9) Tabaret provides zero long-term economic benefitfor the region through employment. The plan is forthe station to be completely automated andremotely operated. 10) The Kipawa River is 12,000 years old. The riverwas here thousands of years before any peoplecame to the region. The Tabaret project will change all that.

Problems on a local River?

  • There is more to do as well but you have to do your research and above all, don't give up.
  • IN the meantime prepared a document itemizing the history of navigation of this spot and its recreational value. Use the Kipawa river history of navigation as a guide: see www.kipawariver.ca
  • Under the Ministry of Environment guidelines you have a set period of time to petition the change under the environmental bill of rights, you may have limited time to take this action. But it involves going to court for a judicial review of the decision.
  • 4. contact the ministry of natural resources officials and do the same thing.
  • 3. contact the ministry of the environment and determine if they approved the project
  • 2. determine if the dam was a legal dam, approved under the navigable waters protection act.
  • 1. research the decision and timing of it to determine if an environmental assessment was done.

Minden Ontario

Minden Ontario
Gull River Water control at Horseshoe lake

A History of Navigation on the Kipawa River

Prior to the environmental assessment there was no signage at the Laniel Dam

T-Shirts Area: These are available now!

T-Shirts Area: These are available now!
Send $25 and a stamped self addressed envelop for the Tshirt, and for the bumper sticker, a stamped and self addressed envelope with $5.00 for the bumper sticker to Les Amis de la rivière Kipawa, 80 Ontario St., Ottawa, Ontario, K1K 1K9 or click the link To purchase a Les Amis "T" contact Doug with the following information: Number of shirts:Sizes: Ship to Address: Method of Payment: cash, cheque and paypal, Shipto address:

Bumper Stickers Now Available

Bumper Stickers Now Available
Get your bumper sticker and show your support for the Kipawa Legal Fund ! - send $5.00 in a Stamped, self addressed envelope to: Peter Karwacki Box 39111, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1H 7X0