Rural lifestyles and food security

Published June 17, 2008

Hello everyone,

Over the next three days I will be sending some more emails about how I feel the Greens can help support and build Nova Scotia food security and how it’s important for the Greens to have a leader who will travel to all corners of our province.

Food security has been an issue I’ve been following and tracking closely over the past few years. The Nova Scotia Food Security Network estimates that if our provincial border were shut off to food imports it would only be three days until our store shelves would start to go bare.

Food security goes hand in hand with sustaining rural lifestyles, something else I’ve been contributing to. Below is a link regarding a Senate hearing held in Debert, NS in February of 2007 about the state or rural Canada. I participated and spoke, my transcript is about two-thirds down the page, if you have time please take the time to read. http://www.parl.gc.ca/39/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/agri-e/17eve-e.htm?Language=E&Parl=39&Ses=1&comm_id=2 . Relating to rural issues is going to be a vital proponent for The Greens to be successful through out the whole province and be essential to fostering greater food security in our province.

It is good to learn that Mr. Watson is also in favor of deregulating the power industry here in Nova Scotia, something I’ve been helping to push as well over the past few years. We as citizens should have the right to purchase and sell power to whomever we want.

Something Mr. Watson may not have known is there are a series of recommendations that were crafted back in 2002 and 2003 by the Electricity Marketplace Governance Committee, mainly rec. 51 and rec. 52. You can read a summary about these two recommendations near the bottom of page two of a document prepared by Barrington Wind Energy. http://www.nsarda.ca/images/Barrington%20Wind%20Energy%20-%20Erik%20Twohig.pdf Having our Electricity market deregulated is much closer to becoming true than a lot of people realize, the key is to have these recommendations formed into a bill and passed in the legislature. We have at least one GPNS member who is well involved in the wind energy sector and was glad to learn some people in the party are aware about these two recommendations.

For those who are submitting a proxy vote please take your time to fill out and send your mail in ballots, there are still a few days left to hear what us leadership candidates have to say.

Kind Regards

Barton J Cutten