What your elected representatives have to say to CARP members about Environmental concerns - We invited politicians to comment for this special environmental legacy issue of CARP Action Online. They were asked: “what can older Canadians do to leave a healthier environment to subsequent generations, what is your party/your organization doing to advance this goal?” At press time these are the responses we had received:
We are Condemning our Grandkids to an Unliveable World
letter from Elizabeth May - Green Party Leader
Dear CARP members,
“Progress” has always seemed linear and forward-moving. The narrative of our culture has been that each generation’s future will be brighter, healthier, more secure than that of its parents.
And it is that which ends with us. The boomers have been enjoying the last of the one-time only blow-out of cheap and abundant energy. We have been consuming at never-before imagined levels of comfort and convenience. We have run up a very large debt on somebody else’s plastic. And that is what we leave behind. Unless, we refuse to slip off this mortal coil condemning our own kids and grand-kids to an unliveable world. Read more
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Time for Action on the Environment
letter from Megan Leslie - NDP Environment Critic
Dear CARP Members,
For the first time ever, the House of Commons includes Canadians from across seven decades, meaning that Parliament will truly be a place of intergenerational partnership. This new dynamic in Ottawa means that, with the insight, experience and support of older Canadians, young Canadians now have an opportunity to help set policies and make laws that are forward-looking, particularly with respect to our environment and the race to prevent catastrophic climate change? Read more
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Liberal Environmental Critic's Letter to CARP
Kirsty Duncan MP Etobicoke North
Dear Members of CARP,
Hello, happy summer, and it is an honour to have the pleasure of writing to you about the environment--one of my key research areas and passions for the last twenty years.
I fundamentally believe in these words of the ‘Declaration of Interdependence’: ‘Our home, planet Earth, is finite...when we compromise the air, the water, the soil and the variety of life, we steal from the endless future to serve the fleeting present. Read more
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Ontario Minister of Energy's Letter to CARP
Hon. Brad Duguid, , MPP (Scarborough Centre)
Dear CARP Members,
As the election approaches, more Ontarians are beginning to see that there is a lot at stake, particularly when it comes to our energy future.As the Minister of Energy for Ontario, I’ve had the opportunity to travel across this great province to see first hand the positive impact our energy investments have made. Read more
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CPP benefits should be doubled: Study
CARP's UPP proposal continues to gain expert approval
Even though a "Big CPP " was championed by losing parties in the recent election, the idea of almost doubling benefits paid out by the Canada Pension Plan refuses to die.
If a new and mandatory national defined benefit [DB] pension plan proposed by retired Finance Department mandarin Keith Horner gets traction, CPP and QPP benefits would jump from 25% to 40% of earnings up to $48,300 and from zero to 25% on a bigger salary base of $96,600. Read more
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Gap Widens between Rich and Poor
New Conference Board of Canada report shines a spotlight on growing inequity
"The report doesn't mince words," said Susan Eng, vice-president of advocacy for CARP, the Canadian Association of Retired Persons, which is now billed as a national organization for those ages 50 and up.
"Anybody trying to tell us that we have no poverty is now going to be standing on one leg." Read more
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Turning our Money into Green Jobs
does the reality live up the hype?
July 4th was another “green “ jobs creation day in the Ministry of Energy office with a media release announcing another 1017 MW of industrial wind contracts and 27.5 MW of solar contract signings and went on to announce; “These projects will be brought online through the Bruce to Milton reinforcement project, Ontario’s largest transmission project in 20 years.“ The press release stated that this “will provide enough electricity to power more than 280,000 homes.” Read more
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A deadly disdain for science
In the atmospheric film Silent Hill, a dead mining town is forever shrouded in fog and falling ash, while those unfortunate enough to visit also find themselves forever trapped in an alternate reality, where science and morality have no hold.
It's an apt metaphor for Quebec's dying and deadly asbestos industry, as it slowly suffocates in a chrysotile cloud. But even more so, it's an apt metaphor for the federal government's asbestos policy, just the latest example of the Conservatives' embrace of an alternate reality bereft of science and morality.
That policy received worldwide condemnation recently, after Canada became the only country in the world to oppose listing chrysotile asbestos under Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention, a multilateral treaty covering the importation of hazardous chemicals. Read more
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Previous Issues of CARP Action Online
Elder Abuse Poll Report
As many as one tenth of CARP members have suffered elder abuse, most of which is not reported. Members say the answer to elder abuse is greater public awareness and a dedicated Elder Protection Agency. They believe elder abuse is a matter for the police to deal with and not for volunteer organizations.
Just fewer than one-in-ten CARP members claim to have suffered elder abuse (7%), a finding which matches that recorded two years ago (9%). This stands in comparison with a Statistics Canada finding that between 4% and 10% of seniors suffer elder abuse. Read more
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CARP takes on Renewable Energy
by Ross Mayot VP Community Development
During the last federal election a number of issues of importance to Canadians and to CARP’s Advocacy—the economy, health care and pension reform—were prominent talking points for all political parties. But one issue got short shrift—the environment, our energy supply and global warming.
The irony was that the silence on the subject was occurring at a time when gasoline prices were at an all-time high; Canada was getting dubious achievement awards from the international community for its lack of a constructive environmental policy; and concern about the rising costs of electricity bills was a daily topic in households throughout the country. Read more
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Caregiver's Diary: Moving My Father
Each funeral he plays, worth a hundred dollars in cash, is a treasure trove of purpose and activity in his life
My recently widowed 87 year old father put his house on the market shortly after my mother died last year, with a vague plan of selling it and moving to a bungalow my youngest sister owned in Niagara, close to most of his children.
He doesn’t like real estate agents. He doesn’t like showing the house. He doesn’t like getting out of the house when it’s being shown. He’s not a real estate person.
So, he listed the house on MLS for a flat fee, paid a fly-by-night outfit to put up a website and some photos and sat back, confident he would sell the house himself in no time. That was in 2010. Read more
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Ask the Doctor: Old, tough and in chronic pain
by Dr. Angela Mailis Gagnon
I often see a neighbor of mine who is an older man chopping wood, carrying sizeable boulders, taking care of his large yard (his lawn looks velvety, exactly like the green you would see at a golf club) and clearing his snow. He does use lots of yard equipment (his “toys” as he calls them), but working on his property day in day out, in summer and winter, seems to be what he does best. One Sunday morning while chatting on the front lawn, I couldn't resist asking him how old he was. “I'm a young 76”, he answered with a gracious smile. Read more
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Sustainability Advocacy for CARP Members
Guest Column
by Fred Winegust
Are CARP members, taking actions which minimize impact on the environment and leave this world a healthier place for our children and grandchildren? Do we know what is happening to our environment and why? Can we balance advocacy for financial security with the need to influence behavior on sustainable living.
CARP chapters have the opportunity organize education sessions to understand the issues and form policy around solutions with measureable results. Read more
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Introducing Tides Canada's Energy Vision for the Future
Support The New Energy Vision for Canada
What might daily life be like for our grandchildren when they reach retirement age? We’ve all heard plenty of doom and gloom tales about the future. But there is another path.
Life could be good for our descendants. By about 2050 or so, they could be meeting almost all of their energy needs from wind, water, sun, and the warmth of the earth. Their efficient and comfortable homes could double as clean-energy power plants. “Pain at the pump”could be a distant memory, as this next generation zips around town in clean and quiet electric vehicles. Jobs and opportunities? Abundant. Health and overall quality of life? Unbeatable. Read more
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Finding Love: A documentary about late life romance & marriage
Share your story and you could be on TV!
What one can do, two can do better. Falling in love late in life can be truly exhilarating . No inhibitions, perhaps a chance to give true romance another shot. It could even prolong your life.
If you’ve been struck by CUPID’S ARROW late in life, we want to talk to you. What does it feel like? Are you giddy? Can’t you stop thinking about him/her? Is he/she your soul mate? How do you know? Is this the first time you’ve felt that way? Share your story with us and provide inspiration for others. Read more
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Let’s Get Real About Elder Abuse in 2011 is a series of special articles exclusive to CARP Action Online. In this issue, we deliver the fourth and fifth installments from this in-depth series. Protect yourself and you loved ones by getting informed.
Tips and Ressources that May Save Your Life
Let’s Get Real About Elder Abuse in 2011 - PART 4
Our elder abuse polled revealed that 25% of CARP Action Online readers know someone who has been abused. This article includes a list of resources for victims of abuse or for people who know someone who has been abused. It also provides resources and tips for someone who suspects that an elder is being abused and wants to help. Read more
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Speaking and Dealing with Victims of Elder Abuse
Let’s Get Real About Elder Abuse in 2011 - PART 5
Trying to Shed Light on Abuse – Speaking with A Potential Victim
There are fewer more delicate situations than suspecting that someone you know is a victim of abuse. And yet there is a moral, and sometimes legal imperative to intervene and to prevent further harm. Before you broach this subject with a family member, a friend or an acquaintance, what follows is a series of techniques used by professionals when attempting to help victims. Read more
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