canada

Canada Votes 2015 Election Night – FOLLOW IT HERE!

Coverage of Canada’s federal election.

Source: Canada Votes 2015 Election Night – CBC.ca News

KAIROS Thanksgiving Message + Blanket Exercise

Mass Blanket Exercise on Parliament Hill during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission‘s Calls to Action.

I should have shared this before Thanksgiving, but it is always important to be thankful for what we have. Everyday! Not just on holidays.

I am gracious for being able to travel to Ottawa this summer so I could hear the stories of survivors at TRC. I feel like things are changing and there is hope for the future. Being a part of this video makes me feel like I’m part of this history! What an honor.

Created by KAIROS, the model of the blanket exercise is used to gain perspective on the true history of Canada; how colonization affected the people who lived here first.

As a Canadian who is living on the land where many consider genocide to have occurred, I think the blanket exercise humbled me incredibly. History books in school lied to me.

This is a very quick activity and is free to use by anyone, anywhere (offices, classrooms, community events etc.) it has even been adapted to be used with grades 1 and up.

The Blanket Exercise Manual

Scrolls for Grades 4-8 Exercise

The Cut – Shane Koyczan →Harper’s “Canada”

An incredible piece of poetry.

||Listen to his words (maybe ignore the sappy background music)

Think about what has happened to Canada in the past 9+ years, do we really want to keep this up? Do we really want to keep selling off pieces of (stolen) Canadian soil to China?

If Stephen Harper is re-elected, he will become one of the top 5 longest elected Prime Ministers in Canadian history. So when you mark your ballot on October 19, think about what kind of Canada you want to be proud of.

⊗ Not sure if you’re registered to vote? Want to register right now?! ⊗
CLICK ME!!

Why is America telling me this?

Almost 2 weeks ago a pipeline spill occurred in Alberta, Canada just south of Fort McMurray.
My only knowledge of this occurred when checking my inbox… What the hell, Canada?

Why have I not heard ANYTHING about this in Canadian news & media? (to be fair, I haven’t checked CBC)

An American source sent me the email and THAT is how I heard about this! I’m appalled by us Canadians. Where have our values gone?!?
Nation of Change, an entirely non-profit American news source that encourages honest journalism about real issues that are not being covered by mainstream media was created because corporations buy mainstream news agencies and filter/sensor most of the news.
e.x. CP24, owned by Bell Media.
__

The oil industry is so big, and with so much at stake for politicians (Harper loves his liquid dinosaurs and is still pushing new pipelines) and corporations. I am sure covering something so close to home during a time of record-forest fires in Saskatchewan AND THE ELECTIONS is not the best move. When spills happen in California, along the Gulf Coast or in Asia, its o.k. to report: We are removed from the issue because it “does not directly affect us” making the news more sensational as opposed to catastrophic.

So what happened?

“[…] the largest pipeline spill in the province in 35 years, when a 54,000 barrel oil spill became Canada’s worst-ever pipeline incident.” – Source

& This is not the only issue that has come up recently.

“Meanwhile, Alberta is not the only place where oil spills are demanding attention. Halfway around the world in Australia, a potential oil spill was found on Friday along the Great Barrier Reef. The Reef, an especially delicate ecosystem and World Heritage Site, has come under multiple stressors in recent years, including development, fossil fuel export, and climate change.” – Source

Australia has been extorted by fossil fuel exporters for a long time. With major detrimental effects on the quality of life for people and animals on the island. If you want to know more, watch the documentary I blogged about in Fracking Our Lives Away

As shocked as I am, I’m not surprised.

These kind of events remind me to keep my eyes open and my mind constantly questioning, asking for more answers. It is our responsibility to take care of this planet. If we leave major decisions and law-making to a select few sociopaths, the next few generations may not have a planet worth living on.

I will leave you with my mantra, in the words of my favorite band ever: Free Thinkers are Dangerous.

xx Arisetotrash

A Message To Canadians

For generations, people living on this land have been silenced.

Bill C-51 is a new form of censorship. It is a violation of human rights resulting from political dominance – but this is not a new thing.

Indigenous people have been physically and mentally hurt since white people got here. They were enslaved, murdered, purposefully infected with small pox blankets and forced out of their homelands.

Years of genocide. Secrecy. Lies in our history books.
Absolute disrespect for the hospitality and knowledge offered to us by the people who lived here first.

Is this a Canada you are proud of?

I am so happy -and privileged- to live on this land.
We have it incredibly good in Canada BUT, it isn’t good enough.

We need to value the land and the peoples who were here before any of us came to colonize, brutalize and economize. When I say this, I am including the water, sky, soil, plants and animals.

I value the belief systems of Indigenous peoples and do not understand how this ignorance is still happening. I want to learn how to honor and learn the ways instead of ignoring and disrespecting their values. I want to be an ally because I know if anyone can help the stupid white people out of the mess we’ve gotten into, it is the people who were here first.

HEY! Step back and breathe air. Hear the crows calling?

I am not proud of the way Canada is run.

Why are we extracting resources with no consideration for the life and land we are impacting?

Why do we care more about dollar$ than community?
How can I live happily knowing my life is run by rich white men who have no consideration for the immeasurable daily struggles people face?

Why are women being silenced everyday by enforced sexual stereotyping, abductions, misogyny? We are healers, warriors and the bringers of LIFE. How are 2000+ (‘unofficial’) deaths of women being ignored?!?

What can WE do to change this?

– BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE –
Think freely, dangerously, critically about everything you experience.

We need the people we hurt to teach us how to love our land again. As “Canadians”, we have forgotten. I can only hope we are forgiven.

We are all indigenous when you consider that we are born on this earth -OF the earth- WE ARE THE EARTH… so why do we dehumanize our sisters and brothers?

I’m asking for help.
Understand one another. Appreciate what you have. Why take more than you need? Consider all aspects of life on this earth when making decisions. This isn’t about you.

Consider my thoughts because I am speaking from the heart.

Right now I am spending a weekend in Ottawa attending Truth and Reconciliation meetings about residential schooling that happened as recently as 18 years ago. It is hard for me to hear what has happened to people like you and me.

I acknowledge that I am on un-surrendered land and I thank you, sisters and brothers for all this land has offered -and will continue to offer- to me.

~ ♥ Sammantha J. M. (Arisetotrash)

I’d like to have some words with you…

I have been in Ottawa since Friday (May 29) and it has been a very incredible journey for me.

Attending various workshops, gatherings and conversations about Indigenous peoples’ efforts to have their voices heard about what really happened in residential schools has taught me a lot. I have new perspectives that I’d like to share with you.

The conversations have been difficult for myself and the people involved. I am going to try to convey them in a way that is not offensive to anybody. So, although I did not attend the Bill C-51 protest, I feel that my time spent in Canada’s capital so far has been time well spent.
I am standing up for another breach in human rights.

I think it is important to share this with anybody who wants to listen. Stay reading within the next few weeks, I hope to share as much information as possible.

This is not a test

This is not a test… it is a reminder.
A sticker to show you where your trash goes!

I try to stay conscious of what I buy; It limits what I send to landfills.
I often ask myself:

Do I need it?
How much packaging is there?
Will it break soon after I buy it?
Can I make this myself?
Can I acquire it pre-loved?

Spring Equinox! (Let’s fall in love)

It is spring equinox! There is also a full Solar Eclipse today.

Happy happy, beautiful spring :]

Take a walk outside, smell the earth and the rain. Can you hear birds?
Let the sun warm your face and see if you can see it’s color through your eyelids…

A new season of life, love, and rebirth!

I wish people in Canada could see the Solar Eclipse, but only Norway and the Faroe Islands will be lucky enough for this one.
If you’re in Europe, northern and eastern Asia or northern and western Africa, you’ll be able to spot a partial Eclipse –lucky!

Where does -IT- go in Ontario?

If you’re curious about how to properly dispose of broken record players, CDs, old phones, laptops, cameras and other electronic waste (e-waste) check this out: Where does it go? – RecycleYourElectronics.ca.

Just type in your postal code and you’ll see lots of places & events that will properly dispose of e-waste! Some may arrange to pick it up from you, but there might be a small fee.

If you want some other incentives, donate to reBOOT, a registered charity.
$$$ You’ll receive a tax receipt $$$
Plus, you’ll be helping kids/adults who are in need of a computer.

***It’s important to properly dispose of e-waste because the materials used to make the technology are still valuable –even if the electronic is no longer working. ***

Why put lives in danger mining for a material we already have a lot of? I don’t want that stuff being wasted in landfills! I especially wouldn’t want it leaching into the ground or accidentally finding itself in animals’ bellies :[

“Most of the parts – steel, glass, copper, aluminum, plastics and precious metals – can be recovered and made into new products. Also, lots of electronic equipment like computers, printers, and televisions can be reused, further cutting down on waste.” – Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES)

Want to know more about what’s inside your electronics + how good it feels to reuse?
Read: SO OLD THERE’S NO WEBCAM –Environmentally Friendly Computing at its Finest.

Fracking our lives away.

Gasland 2 is the sequel to an American documentary that focuses on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and what happens to regular people because of the gas industries we support everyday. If you drive a car, heat your home, own a cellphone OR eat food that doesn’t come from your backyard WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY.

Do you know there are places in America that don’t have any clean water because of fracking?
Kids who can’t swim or play in ponds near their home because of the chemicals irresponsibly released into their water supply?

Dimock, Pennsylvania’s water is flammable because of improper disposal of waste water from drilling. There is gasoline and methane in their drinking water!