Category: Environment

NL Hydraulic Review Panel endorses recommendations made by Religious

Posted on by Diane Smyth

The NL Hydraulic Review Panel has forwarded its Final Report to Government.

The Report endorses the recommendations that were made in the submissions from Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice (PDF) and from the Roman Catholic Religious Leaders of Newfoundland and Labrador (PDF) (of which our Leadership Team are members).  While they have not recommended a complete ban on fracking, they have suggested that much more information and certainty is needed before fracking can be allowed to proceed in this province – that information not only relates to the science and technology involved but equally to public health and socio-economic matters.

iStock.Used under licence

It is worth noting that, in a number of places, the authors of the Report use the actual wording from our Religious Leaders’ submission.  As a result, the submission from the Religious Leaders is actually cited in the Bibliography at the end of the Report.  We do believe that we influenced the Panel on matters relating to the appropriate health system infrastructure if fracking is undertaken (they specifically quote our submission on this point).  In many other instances they included our thinking, but we were among many others making the same points.  Perhaps most significantly, the Panel makes reference to the use of the Precautionary Principle or Precautionary Approach – this was at the basis of our submission.  It means that, if there is a significant risk to the health of people or the environment in undertaking a specific action and if there is not certainty that the risks can be addressed, the action should not be undertaken.  After our presentation had been submitted, Laudato Si’ was published – in the encyclical, Pope Francis also makes reference to this principle.

One of the key points from the Report is the focus on Community Engagement or Social Licence.  It is found within the Report as well as in a special Appendix to the Report.  Although we did not make reference to the actual term “social licence” in our presentation, we were strong in our wording that the voices of those most affected by and most vulnerable to the effects of fracking be heard and that special provisions be made to ensure that the voices could be heard (not simply an open invitation to a meeting).  Attached is the section of the Report on this issue.

It is safe to say that this is one ecological issue on which we have had a positive influence as a Congregation.  We thank you for your support and your prayers as we moved through the process.  The Religious Leaders have thanked the Panel members, noting especially their attention to community engagement and social licence.

Executive Summary (44pps; PDF):

Download
Executive Summary. NL Hydraulic Fracturing Review Panel. 31 May 2016

Community Engagement (7pps; PDF)

Download
Section of NLHFRP Report on Community Engagement

Join Us Here for the Launch of the Encyclical

Posted on by Diane Smyth

This is the Day! Join us for the Livestream Feed of the Release of Laudato Si: On the Care of Our Common Home

Awaiting with prayerful and expectant hearts the publication of “Laudato Si’: On the Care of Our Common Home”

Join with Mercy International Association and watch the Livestream of the release of the Encyclical here, the first encyclical to focus specifically on creation and human relationship with it.

 

 

 

Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/koreanet/14758513027/

Summer Program at Center for Ecology and Justice

Posted on by Diane Smyth
If you cut across the diameter of an apple you will see a five- pointed star at its centre. Many of the blossoms that turn into the vegetables and fruits that we eat are also shaped like five pointed stars. To the Mercy Centre for Ecology & Justice, the five pointed star is a symbol that we are all connected in a reciprocal relationship with nature and the universe. The Mercy Centre for Ecology & Justice’s mission is to promote the interconnectedness and interrelatedness of all creation and to live in a spirituality flowing out of the sacredness of all creation.
 
From its beginnings in 2003, the Mercy Centre quickly identified a need to connect low-income families in the St. John’s area with fresh, healthy locally grown produce. Organizers also saw the opportunity to engage youth in growing food. The result has been a six year community gardening initiative that is still thriving today. Mercy Centre organizers see physical connection with the land as a practical expression of their mission.
 
“The first purpose was to engage youth in organic gardening so that they could learn the skills of gardening; skills that were traditionally known to their elders but were being lost”, reflects Sister Mary Tee, coordinator of the Mercy Centre for Ecology & Justice. “The second purpose then was to engage youth so that they could experience what it means to be a contributing member of the larger community and help feed those in need. The third purpose was to offer a healthy respect and appreciation for the land so that youth could see themselves as part of all creation and all creation as part of them; and then with such awareness of the mysteries and miracle of life in a tiny seed, a greater wisdom and consciousness could be found.”
 
Over the years thousands of pounds of fresh food have been donated to food banks and meal programs by the Mercy Centre’s gardeners. This was made possible by the generous support of several farmers in the area who shared their acreage and contributed their expertise.  From 2003 – 2009, prior to the Mercy Centre establishing its current home on Mount Scio Road, garden land was donated by farmers Colin Lester, Hector Williams, Robert Walsh, and the Searl Family.
 
Starting in 2006 the Mercy Centre began partnering with the Association for New Canadians (ANC) to provide access to land to participants in the Association’s language training program, many of whom were new residents to Canada who brought with them a wealth of knowledge on food production. That relationship continues today and ANC participants often visit to tend their plants, harvest fresh food for their families, and participate in events like presentations and workshops on food security and food skills given by the Food Security Network(FSN). In 2012 a new initiative was started called Growing Health, a partnership with Nature NL to connect consumers of mental health services with gardening at the Mercy Centre, based on the belief that working in and with nature does wonders for the mind, body, and soul. Through the project dozens of new visitors have experienced what the Mercy Centre has to offer.  A new greenhouse and composting toilet were added in 2012.
 

The Mercy Centre for Ecology & Justice offers other impactful programs beyond the garden, including public education on the New Universe Story, a three-week nature-based summer camp for children, an annual fair trade Ten Thousand Villages Sale, and a youth choir that addresses social justice issues called Music and Song to Right the Wrongs.

To support all of that amazing activity, the Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice formed its first Board of Directors in 2012.

Community Garden (article courtesy of the Food Sharing Network)

Update Conga— Mining Project in Cajamarca

Posted on by Diane Smyth

The struggle against the mining Project Conga continues in Cajamarca.

We are almost finishing two months of a state of emergency declared by the government in three regions of Cajamarca.  We are however entering a new phase. Recently the Government and the Transnational Newmont announced the suspension for three years of the megaproject Conga.

The decision to suspend the project has come from social pressure that is the protests of the people of the area. But there is a lot of confusion and contradictions as to what this means. At the same time that they announce suspension of the projec,t they confirm building two huge reservoirs in the area. The construction of the reservoirs is going to destroy the natural sources of water that feed into the surrounding lakes.  Without these natural sources of water the lakes will dry out. Is it we ask a strategic plan on the part of both government and the transnational during these three years to regain the confidence of the people of Cajamarca and convince them of the merits of the project?

Cajamarca is not asking for suspension of the project but rather for a declaration of non viability of Project Conga. While the people continue their protests work continues on the reservoirs. From another point of view, the delay of two or three years will ensure the change in Regional government and other political authorities who now resist mining in natural sources of water. (cabecera de cuencas)

Cajamarca is tired of protests, state of emergency, and manipulation on the part of those in power. The whole issue has become very politizised and hence more confusing. The politicians look for their own good. Government has announced that they will be placing emphasis on development, initiating different projects to provide employment and especially to assure that all villages have access to water and light. Such projects are long overdue. The question now is what type of projects, plans does Cajamarca need for sustainable development and eradication of poverty?

News media has been very biased in their reports and the reality of the problem is not understood.  They see Project Conga as an investment that will answer the needs of the country. They say the resources belong to the country and not only to Cajamarca therefore Conga should be developed. They have little understanding of the effects on the environment and the water supply that feeds so many villages and as well the extent of contamination.

The church in Cajamarca has been divided in its response. Individual parishes and Deaneries have been very much a part of the struggle accompanying and supporting the people, denouncing injustices and violence and criminalization of community leaders. Unfortunately there is no unified stance on the part of the diocesan church and no real committed leadership. There is no clear vision of the implications of this project on the majority of the population of the poor farming communities that will be directly affected.

To resolve this situation is no easy task. It will require time and substantial changes in public policies that have to do with mining activities, care of the environment and mechanisms of citizen participation. Let us pray for wisdom and guidance for those involved in deciding the future of mining activities in Cajamarca.

Messages to: Marion Collins

 

Preparing for Rio+ 20 in Newfoundland

Posted on by Diane Smyth

The Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland have been busy in preparation for the Rio + 20 meetings.  They were one of the Religious Congregations who influenced the Roman Catholic Leaders of Newfoundland and Labrador to produce a brochure giving information on the Rio Conference. 

The Roman Catholic leaders meet twice a year to discuss various issues in their leadership. At the last meeting they decided to send a brochure to all of the parishes of this province of Canada giving information on Rio +20. This message “A Message from The Roman Catholic Bishops of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Leaders of Religious Congregations: Christian Brothers Community, Jesuit Community, Presentation Sisters, Redemptorist Community and Sisters of Mercy” is attached. 

The Director of the Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice in St Johns, Newfoundland sent the statement prepared through Mercy Global Action Network asking government representatives to advance an ethical and equitable global vision at Rio + 20 and sent also a letter to federal and provincial government party leaders,  seven federal elected representatives for Newfoundland and Labrador as well as to several other members of the provincial government one of whom has promised to present the statement and letter to the Conservative Caucus meeting .

On World Water Day the Sisters of Mercy as well as the Presentation Sisters sent letters to the Canadian Ambassador to the UN expressing grave concern about the position Canada was taking against water as a human right.

At various conferences including the Canadian Religious Conference and the Catholic Health Alliance of Canada,  Sisters of Mercy raised issues that needed to be supported by the Canadian government at Rio + 20.

Messages to: Sheila O’Dea rsm

 

Taking Action to Save Sandy Pond

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Sandy Pond, once a pristine, beautiful lake on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada, now lies within the boundaries of one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest industrial sites.

 

The VALE nickel processing facility is under construction now at Long Harbour, Newfoundland.  The Federal Government of Canada has given VALE, and other mining companies, permission to use healthy bodies of Canadian freshwater lakes and ponds as “tailings impoundment areas” for toxic waste. They achieved this because of a loophole, known as Schedule 2, in the Metal Mining Effluent Regulation (MMER) of the federal Fisheries Act.
 
In March 2010 the Sandy Pond Alliance launched a legal challenge against the Federal Government of Canada to declare Schedule 2 in violation of the federal Fisheries Act.

The Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice is part of the Sandy Pond Alliance, a coalition of concerned citizens fighting to protect Sandy Pond. The Alliance includes the Council of Canadians, Mining Watch, Nature Canada, the Newfoundland and Labrador Natural History Society, Sierra Club Atlantic, and scientists and activists in Newfoundland who are concerned with the imminent destruction of Sandy Pond.
 

How It All Began

In May of 2009, the local Chapter of the Council of Canadians organized the Sandy Pond Picnic to bring attention to the issue of the intended destruction of Sandy Pond by the Brazilian mining company Vale Inco as part of their Long Harbour Nickel Processing Plant development. On Friday, May 8, 2009, nearly 20 people visited Long Harbour and trekked into Sandy Pond. After that event several people including activists, academics and community members decided to meet regularly to discuss possible ways to prevent the destruction of Sandy Pond.
 

Our Mission

 
1.To protect and conserve Canadian waters and their ecosystems; and

2.To take appropriate actions to assist the Alliance in fulfilling its purpose, including promoting and recommending laws and policies, and informing and engaging the public; and

3.To join and/or co-operate with other organizations or institutions with similar purposes.
 
Sister Mary Tee RSM, coordinator of the Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice in St. Johns, Newfoundland serves on the Board of the Sandy Pond Alliance.  This Board is still working to save Sandy Pond. In the event that construction on the nickel processing plant may proceed too quickly to save Sandy Pond before a successful ruling on the legal challenge is obtained there is still the hope of saving other bodies of fresh water from a similar fate by changing the law.
 
Mary Tee rsm recently visited Sandy Pond and was interviewed for “The Current” on CBC radio. 
 
To hear Mary Tee’s interview, click here

Messages to: Mary Tee rsm

Look to the Stars

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Friday, November 12th was a clear, crisp and “stellar” evening in St. John’s!   It was perfectly still and just right for star-gazing. The weatherman on the CBC Evening News told viewers that it was a perfect night to see the stars and dotted his weather map with them. Members of the St. John’s Centre Royal Astronomical Society set up their telescopes and high-powered binoculars to view the moon and stars and other treasures of our expansive universe. Adults and children gathered in the garden of the Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice on Mount Scio Road at 6:00 p.m., waiting patiently as the scientists set up their delicate, yet powerful instruments. Craters and mountains on the moon were visible- no one saw the man-in-the moon! Other planets and constellations of stars could easily be seen.  Even the space station came into view. 

 

We appreciate the effort of the Astronomical Society to provide this special opportunity. We thank Sister Mary Tee, Coordinator of the Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice,  and her committee for making this possible. We hope to have another opportunity to look to the stars.

 

 

Hurricaine Igor Strikes

Posted on by Diane Smyth
People in Newfoundland and Labrador are familiar with hurricanes.   They move up the eastern seaboard of the USA to this most easterly point of Canada, arriving every Fall to draw their last breaths and pass out eventually somewhere in the north Atlantic. They all have an unusual howl, spill millimeter upon millimeter of water, and at times do moderate damage to property. 
 
Not so with Hurricane Igor! Igor was in a category not known or experienced before by anyone here in this province. It announced itself in early morning, September 21, in the southern area of the province.   By midday it had unleashed its fury. With wind gusts of up to 140 km/h and upwards of 200 millimeters of rain, infrastructure and systems were overwhelmed and destroyed, unable to handle the volume of water. Hundreds of homes were flooded leading to great loss of property, other homes were shifted from their foundations, while others were completely destroyed. Power lines were felled, leading to loss of electricity so that a sense of complete helplessness settled over the affected areas. By evening the most frightening reality was evident – that hundreds of small rural communities were completely isolated as bridges were taken off their foundations, and large portions of highways were washed out for hundreds of kilometers. One elderly man who went out his driveway to check a neighbour’s property was swept off his feet by rushing water and washed out to sea. People needing dialysis were taken aboard helicopters to distant hospitals.
 

 

Eventually, coping with Igor became a story of the triumph of the human spirit. To the extent that Igor destroyed, to that same extent did the care and compassion of people for each other increase and prove stronger than the power of any hurricane.   People risked their own lives to quickly rescue others from their homes as rising water levels threatened not only property but life itself, to share the contents of their cupboards, to do almost the impossible to obtain medical care for the sick and elderly. Government, church groups, power companies, health care facilities, everyone was mobilized to protect and care for the endangered and to stabilize the situation. Armed Forces laid down their weapons to help rebuild bridges and communities.

 
We, as Sisters of Mercy, received no damage of property or person from Igor, except the loss of some trees.   We were involved in a number of situations of damage and chaos, providing emotional and financial support, bringing hot meals to individuals or families, collaborating with other organizations to respond to extreme need. We were indeed pleased to be a Mercy presence to so many suffering people in their time of need.  Igor was devastating but the spirit of so many was not devastated.
 
 

Blessing and Official Opening of Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice

Posted on by Diane Smyth

The official blessing of the Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice located in the lovely Pippy Park area of St. John’s took place today. 

Sister Elizabeth Davis spoke to the more than fifty people in attendance; she moved throughout the Centre with a prayer of blessing being chanted by a small choir and the quests.  Sister Mary Tee is the coordinator of the Centre and was host of today’s events.  Light refreshments were served.

The building is a bungalow that was renovated to provide office and meeting space for the Centre’s activities.  It is situated on an acre of land that has fruit trees and berry bushes around the perimeter and fertile soil that has seen two crops of vegetables in the past two summers.  The garden is a project of the Centre in collabloration with a group of “new Canadians” and students of St. Bonaventure’s College.  The produce is shared with the food banks and other groups.   Many educational and reflective opportunities are provided through the Centre.

 

Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice Celebrates

Posted on by Diane Smyth

February 11 is special for the Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice. There are a few reasons that make this day so special.

This year February 11 was an occasion to welcome sisters to the newly opened Centre. The building is located in area of the former parish of Our Lady of Lourdes at Mount Scio in St. John’s. As the prayer of the day notes: “Water is a sacred gift, a necessity for life and a source of life. It is a sacred symbol that carries a profound sense of mystery and is a manifestation and experience of the sacred that has spoken to all peoples down through the ages. Water is the focus of devotion to the Virgin Mary at Lourdes and a source of healing at the shrine in France.” Water from Lourdes was used in today’s ritual.

 
The statue of Our Lady of Lourdes that was the centerpiece of the prayer service also has a fascinating story to tell. First of all, the bid to purchase the property at Mount Scio was made on February 11, 2009. Second, on the property there was a stone grotto lined by an old bath-tub, but the statue was missing. In the ensuing days the owner of the property told the committee who came to examine the house and land that a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes that was in the grotto had originally come from the local parish school, which had been administered by Sisters of Mercy, Our Lady of Lourdes School. The owner said that he had just recently offered the statue to one of the Mercy Convents because of the pending sale of the property.  A short while after that the sisters learned that the statue had been warmly and gratefully welcomed at McAuley Convent and would eventually be ensconced in the garden there. When the Mount Scio property was finally purchased plans were made that the statue would be sent back to be installed in the empty grotto. Our Lady of Lourdes has returned to her former abode. Through her intercession we pray that the Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice will be blessed in its ministry in care for the earth and for all of creation and in its efforts to promote the cause for peace and justice locally and globally.   (The Centre is ideally located in Pippy Park, a huge green space in the center of St. John’s.)