GPM Platform - Table of Contents:
PROTECTING LIVING SYSTEMS
We must ensure that living systems: forests, air, water, land, public health, public education, and public spaces, are protected now and for future generations. The Green Party of Manitoba would appoint a special "Sustainability Auditor" working in the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) to audit all budgets, legislation, policies, and departments for their effects on living systems and future generations.
Forests
Manitoba has the largest intact piece of the Boreal forest in the world. Our forests act as a source of oxygen, a sink for carbon dioxide, a water filtration system, and the home of many species. There are far more to our forests than just timber and that must be recognized. Currently, our provincial parks are not protected and are being clear-cut. Forest Management License areas (FMLAs) are granted in huge swaths that are clear-cut for export-oriented forestry, which is inherently unsustainable. The Manitoba Greens are committed to protecting our forests through policies that would transition us off clear-cutting and export-oriented forestry. Any obstacles to protecting our forests should be dismantled.
Manitoba Greens, if elected, will work to:
1. Cap the Annual Allowable Cut (AAC) for all forest management license areas (FMLAs), preventing the expansion of clear-cutting and forestry in Manitoba;
2. Transition from large-scale export-oriented forestry and clear-cutting to localized small-scale value-added selective logging;
3. Immediately stop clear-cutting in provincial parks;
4. Amend The Provincial Parks Act to permanently protect all existing provincial parks;
5. Review how Forest Management Licenses are granted and revise the process to be in accordance with the precautionary principle and approach;
6. Work with the Government of Canada to pull out of free trade agreements, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), that require us to continue clear-cutting and exporting our forests;
7. Immediately protect the East Side of Lake Winnipeg's nominated World Heritage Site from industrial development;
8. Promote the use of hemp for alternative paper and building products;
9. Create a recycled content standard for paper products sold in Manitoba.
Water
Water is life, and as such must be protected with high priority. We all live downstream in the end and we must advocate water protection in Manitoba, in Canada, and around the world. Manitoba fluoride has been found in groundwater in India, demonstrating the connectivity of activities here and around the world. We are facing a return to historically dry conditions in the Canadian prairies, which will make the 'dirty-thirties' look mild in comparison and are exacerbated by global warming. Manitoba must be ready for this. The Manitoba Greens have policies that would move us to a non-polluting, drought-adapted agriculture, while protecting water from other forms of contamination (urban run-off, municipal sewer systems, cottage development, ethanol and biodiesel refining, and hydroelectric generation).
In addition to agriculture, municipal sewage is a major form of water pollution and creation of hazardous 'sludge'. Centralized, water-based sewage systems are very costly (capital and energy-intensive), are inherently unsustainable, and produce no useful product (only sludge). They pollute instead of protect water. Alternative, waterless systems, based on the principles of ecological sanitation (separation of urine and feces, sanitation of same, and nutrient recycling) can and should be implemented.
Manitoba Greens, if elected, will work to:
1. Ensure water is protected through legislated and legally enforceable standards, not just guidelines;
2. Ban the privatization of municipal water systems;
3. Join Quebec City and the many European nations that have stopped the fluoridation of drinking water by banning water fluoridation and providing alternatives such as free toothpaste in schools and at dentists' offices with money saved;
4. Begin implementing ecological sanitation in all urban areas and housed livestock operations through the six essentials of sewer avoidance:
- Not extending sewers to currently un-sewered buildings and areas
- Implementing a rigorous program of internal industrial point-source separation
- Banning the use of materials in consumer goods that are toxic to humans and the environment
- Placing a moratorium on the sale of kitchen sink garburators
- Developing legislated land-use planning policies that protect ecosystem health
- Installing systems designed for on-site conversion of human excreta (feces and urine) into humus (soil organic matter), beginning at the edge of communities whose sewage treatment facilities are already overloaded
5. Implement low-cost, on-site, excreta recycling technologies giving primacy to dry, composting toilets in all provincial buildings and as a requirement of new developments.
Air
We are what we breathe, eat, and drink, so protecting Manitoba air quality is critical to our health and the health of the ecosystem to which we belong.
Manitoba Greens, if elected, will work to:
1. Require all provincial government vehicles, lawn mowers, and other gas-powered machinery to meet the California emissions standards;
2. Promote active transportation options (walking, cycling, skateboarding, rollerblading, etc) as viable and safe forms of transportation;
3. Implement fuel taxes and other initiatives to limit the amount of driving done by Manitobans (polluter-pays principle) along with a basic driving allowance to avoid unduly burdening those who require a vehicle for working;
4. Begin the long process of redesigning our society for mixed-uses by instructing the City of Winnipeg to begin an overhaul of zoning by-laws based on principles of ecology and the New Urbanism (diversity, localization, and clustering of uses).
Public Health
Manitoba Greens strongly believe in a public health care system that is of high quality and accessible to all. This system should remain amply funded through progressive taxation so that it is attractive to all Manitobans. Manitoba Greens also believe that alternative evidence-based forms of treatment should be available. Manitoba Greens also see the connections between public health, education, social, agricultural, and housing policies, and believe that prevention of health problems through proper socio-economic environment is important to achieving the health-care goals of Manitobans. Manitoba Greens would implement preventative health policies to deal with problems before they become costly and difficult to treat.
Manitoba Greens, if elected, will work to:
1. Ensure that public health care remains accessible and of high quality for all Manitobans, preventing and reducing the use of a two-tiered health care system;
2. Extend coverage for alternative health care treatments that are evidence-based and delivered through properly accredited alternative medicine professionals;
3. Implement preventative health care programs and spending to provide for regular visits to doctors, nutritionists, massage therapists, and other health professionals;
4. Increase the number of general practitioners in Manitoba by extending accreditation to foreign-trained professionals to deal with the "brain-drain" of Medical Doctors from Manitoba;
5. Ensure nurses and doctors are not over-worked by implementing fair work policies in consultation with professional associations and Regional Health Authorities;
6. Make our hospitals more sustainable through promoting ecosystem friendly cleaning products that meet or exceed current sanitation standards;
7. Increase the number of midwives in Manitoba to prevent birth complications, meet the demands of Manitobans, and reduce hospital costs while freeing up space;
8. Re-examine the Canada Food Guide and re-consider the nutritional advice being given by dieticians in provincially funded facilities such as hospitals and schools through a transparent nutrition advisory board process.
The Precautionary Principle
An ecologically literate government is precautionary by nature. Decision-making is inclusive and transparent, based on clear goals and objectives set by the public, and always striving to increase participation, identify areas of uncertainty, and prevent harm to human and ecosystem health.
The precautionary approach taken by a Green Party government would place the burden of proof on originators of potentially harmful projects, products, or technologies to prove they are safe and sustainable instead of the public having to prove that they are harmful and unsustainable.
Manitoba Greens, if elected, will work to:
1. Create a Toxics Use Reduction Act, to reduce and eliminate toxic chemicals in food and consumer products in Manitoba;
2. Replace the executive-selected Clean Environment Commission (CEC) with a new "Citizens Ecological Health Assembly" that would take over the environmental assessment (EA) of new and existing development projects (forestry operations, mining, hydroelectric dams, etc.) with an expanded mandate to assess products and technologies that have the potential to cause serious or irreversible damage to human or ecosystem health. This body would:
a. Be composed of twenty (20) randomly selected, yet representative citizens of Manitoba;
b. Be empowered to make environmental licensing decisions and undertake reviews of existing projects (e.g., hydroelectric dams), products (e.g., pesticides), and technologies (e.g., agricultural biotechnologies) in light of new evidence of harm or reasonable grounds for concern;
c. Have a well-funded technical advisory committee (TAC) working under it to provide advice on technical issues;
d. Allow ordinary Manitobans to influence and control economic development in Manitoba, instead of individuals hand-picked by the Premier and governing party
e. Operate following the precautionary principle and approach to policy- and decision-making (see www.sehn.org/precaution for more information);
f. Shift the burdens of proof and responsibility to proponents of projects, products, or technologies that have the potential to seriously or irreversibly harm human or ecosystem health to prove that they will not adversely affect human or ecosystem health and to back up their claims of safety with performance bonds, or other accountability mechanisms;
g. Broadly include the public in controlling the assessment process and making decisions;
h. Ensure that the goals of projects, products, and technologies being assessed would be the first thing considered and all alternative means of reaching these goals would be considered;
i. Integrate environmental assessment into development planning processes to ensure sustainability is considered from the outset of a proposal, not just at the latter stages.
3. Place a moratorium in Manitoba on the release of nanotechnological and nanobiotechnological (synthetic biology) products and materials pending a thorough, transparent assessment of same;
4. Recall of all current commercially available products in Manitoba containing nano-particles especially, but not limited to consumer products;
5. Place a moratorium in Manitoba on nanotechnological and nanobiotechnological research pending the adoption of generally agreed or otherwise stringently safe protocols on such research;
6. Ban agricultural biotechnology in Manitoba and require labelling of all products sold in Manitoba containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs);
7. Strictly limit the sale of pesticides in Manitoba with an aim to phasing them out completely;
8. Revoke the City of Winnipeg's pesticide licence for nuisance mosquito fogging until valid scientific evidence of effectiveness in reducing mosquito numbers without harming human or ecosystem health is produced;
9. Develop a precautionary principle-based process to assess products and technologies that have the potential to seriously or irreversibly harm human or ecosystem health (e.g., biotechnologies, nanotechnologies, etc);
10. Legislate extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws that require industry funded product stewardship boards for electronics, hazardous materials, and packaging;
11. Promote the reduction of hazardous waste by supporting closed-loop, cradle-to-cradle manufacturing processes through strategic tax-shifting and investments.
Public Education
The Green Party of Manitoba believes that public education is a right and that all Manitobans should have access to education, not just to K-12, but also to post-secondary and trades education. Universal education is a key component of a sustainable and just society; it is also a key determinant of health. The Green Party would move towards a model of universal access to post-secondary education.
Manitoba Greens, if elected, will work to:
1. Ensure that all willing Manitobans are able to access education at all levels without unduly burdening themselves or compromising the quality of education in Manitoba;
2. Ensure that all community schools are adequately funded and able to provide high quality service;
3. Promote ecological literacy in schools through programs listed in Part 1 on Ecological Literacy (see www.ecoliteracy.org for example policies and programs Manitoba Greens would consider).
Next: Bringing the Economy Home
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