A few years ago I was talking to a coal miner from the Elk Valley in south-eastern British Columbia. Some months previous, the mine where he worked was on strike. Not willing to go into details, he said reports in the papers were just a bare shadow of what actually happened. It left me to ponder if this is a regular occurrence in the mainstream media and what can be done to fill the void.

As it stands now, most newspapers rely on advertising to put their product on the marketplace. Without advertising, newspapers would have to charge several times more than what they do now for a paper. It seems to be common knowledge that they who pay the bills call the shots. Bearing this in mind, is there a chance that advertisers could say, "put something controvesial in the paper and we will pull our ads"? The only publication to buck this trend was MAD Magazine when William M Gaines owned it. Since his death in 1992, advertising has snuck into the pages of MAD. Many of us have felt this has lowered the quality of MAD.

Another trend in recent years is having too many newspapers in the hands of too few owners. This creates a monopoly in a field that needs diversity of opinion. Like the old saying "absolute power corrupts absolutely," corporate owners could influence journalists to write in a certain manner. This is enough to send shivers down the spine of many journalists who have a mortgage to pay off and a family to support as they know who signs the checks. I heard a definition of "cynic" as being a CEO seeing profits of $370 million then turning around and making massive layoffs so the company can make $400 million profit.

Plus, some journalists have three columns to write in a week. With deadlines like this to be dealt with, is there sufficient time to check out all the facts needed for a column? Especially in light of newsrooms being downsized, meaning fewer people doing the same or more work. With time being a factor, how much easier is it to grab something off the press wires and ignore local issues?

This is where streetnewspapers can step in and fill the void by becoming part of the social activist movement. By being small fish in a large pond, streetnewspapers can avoid becoming victims of public relations firms' basic divide and conquer strategy to defeat social change. With less corporate strings attached to them, streetnewspapers are in a better position to say what is really going on in the real world. Especially since politicians and corporations hide behind statistics - as if numbers can tell how real life affects people. We need to take a look at just how bad things are getting and see where real reform can cast deep roots. Since it's doubtful papers like The National Post or The Globe and Mail will lay it on the line, streetnewspapers can step in and do what is needed. The rights of citizens over corporations needs to be asserted. To do this we need to be awakened citizens and get personally involved in making our world a better place to live in.

The truth is out there. Let's find it.

Major Henri Regamey of the Saskatoon Salvation Army Corps was one of three people from Saskatchewan able to go to New York City and help out at Ground Zero. In a previous appointment at Winnipeg, Manitoba, Major Henri received training in Critical Incident Stress Management. Along with being a minister with The Salvation Army for 23 years, it was felt that Major Henri had the experience that would come in handy at Ground Zero.

Arriving in NYC on October 15, 2001, Major Henri worked at various jobs until October 30th. During that time he worked at two locations. One place was the Family Recovery Center assisting in counseling and helping displaced workers with their day to day living expenses. He said The Salvation Army gave out $50 thousand per day in paying peoples' bills. The second main activity Major Henri was involved with was working right in the heart of Ground Zero. As part of a group working the 12 midnight to 10 a.m. shift, he helped distribute meals to emergency workers and anyone else at Ground Zero.

Ground Zero was nothing like Major Henri had experienced before, and he described it as like being in a war zone. For part of the time he was there, the major would get this overwhelming feeling that this was beyond his experience and thought that was true of most of the people there. In short, Major Henri said he found the situation quite surreal. As for the mood of New York City at the time, Major Henri found most people extra friendly and open to talking to strangers, while others were very depressed and had a lost look about them.

What stood out in the physcial site of Ground Zero for the Major was the ordinary things that remained behind. Entities like a pair of shoes still in the entrance of a building near where the twin towers stood. Major Henri saw desks and personal items like purses and jackets that people left behind as they hurred to flee the area after the crash. The odor at Ground Zero was nothing like Major Henri could explain, other then to say it smelled like an old musty building. Another thing that stood out for him was the collateral damage to the surrounding buildings and the people who died there. As far as the dust went, everyone had to wear a mask most of the time, especially when one had to drive supplies around Ground Zero where the dust was at its thickest. Major Henri thinks that for those directly affected by 9/11 the trauma will be long lasting , but things will get back to normal for the rest of the population pretty fast.

As far as media coverage and accurate reporting, Major Henri said most of the media was not allowed free access to the immediate area surrounding where the WTC buildings stood. So any reporting was done from a distance, and Major Henri said for the most part it was accurate. He was quick to point out that dealing directly with workers and families made the experience more real than anything seen on TV.

Major Henri was one of several who felt life was changed for many people after 9/11, especially for those who have to do a lot of air travelling or crossing the Canada/USA border. As far as looking at life differently because of 9/11, the Major was reminded of a fire fighter called Dan. The two had met on the eve of the memorial service at Ground Zero. Dan had stated to Major Henri that there had to be more to life than all the things we can build or treasure. Once they are gone, what then? Dan was hoping that people would slow down and treasure the important things like family and good friends.

There was three groups that stood out in Major Henri's time at Ground Zero. One was the fire fighters who had the responsibility of pulling out bodies on a daily basis. The second was the special police forces who had to go through a mountain of evidence like personal items and body parts. Major Henri said both groups went above and beyond the call of duty in their work. One person who was injured on the day of the disaster decided to come back and volunteer at the Salvation Army service stations.

On the last day Major Henri was in New York City, he was sent back to Pier 94, headquarters of the family recovery center. There he met a lady called Betty, who worked for a temp agency and had been assigned to work in the first tower hit by the terrorists. Betty approached Major Henri and told him of her experiences of that day. She shook the entire time as she spoke of how she and others tried to get out of the building. Betty had been shocked at the time that no one recieved messages on what to do. So she returned to her desk to wait for instructions as to what to do next. But just then the second plane hit the other tower and panic set in. Betty started to go down the stairs, but there were so many other people pushing their way down them, she decided to take the elevators down. Others told her this would be too dangerous, but Betty had been too scared to go down the stairs just in case the crowd stampeded. Two other ladies joined Betty in the elevator to console her. The three of them made it out of the building, but the rest of the people from the floor Betty was on did not. In the weeks from 9/11 to when she told Major Henri, Betty hadn't been able sleep nights, and even during the day she saw the day's events playing out before her. After giving her some counsel and direction to seek further help, Major Henri stood to say good-bye. As he walked around the desk to shake her hand, Major Henri was grabbed and pulled in for a hug. Betty had started to cry and the major said Betty wept for about 15 to 20 minutes. Even 6 months after meeting Betty, Major Henri gets choked up inside when he thinks of her.

The Government of Nova Scotia, Canada has seized control of the Nova Scotia Arts Council and has decided to dissolve it.

After the work of thousands of individuals and well over thirty years of struggle, Nova Scotians established a peer-reviewed, arms-length, professional council to fund the arts in Nova Scotia.

In an attempt to divert all funds to partisan political use, the Tourism and Culture Minister Rodney MacDonald has decided to wipe out the council without public consultation. This is without precedent in Canada and if they are successful, bodes ill for arts, health, education and other independent institutions internationally.

Since this policy is not well thought out, it is no surprise that they didn't consider the legality of seizing the endowment funds donated by private individuals, artists and foundations, including the McConnell Family Foundation, nor did they care about the potential of the Council to access volunteers and private funds to assist Nova Scotia's underfunded artists and organizations.

If you support the arts and arms-length funding through independent Arts Councils or just believe in the right of public charities to exist without plunder by government fiat, please send a message of support for the reinstatement of the Nova Scotia Arts Council to:

Premier John Hamm on his toll-free message line at 1-800-267-1993 or fax him at 1-902-424-7648 or email him at premier@gov.ns.ca

You may also want to contact:

SAVE OUR ARTS COUNCIL Campaign
c/o Nova Scotia Cultural Network
Phone: (902) 423-4456
Fax: (902) 423-4248
Email: network@culture.ns.ca
Web page: http://www.culture.ns.ca

Khyber Centre for the Arts
Phone: (902) 422.9668
Email: clloyd@khyberarts.ns.ca
Web page: http:// www.khyberarts.ns.ca

In a normal week, the Rupert Bottle Depot handles 60,000 to 70,000 empty containers. This amounts to more than 85% of all pop containers that are recycled here rather than being taken to a landfill site.

The depot has become a convenient drop spot for clubs and charities who raise funds through bottle drives. These organizations can use the Rupert Bottle Depot facility for their sorting headquarters while working indoors in a warm and dry setting, a common practice for most bottle depots throughout B.C.

Encorp Pacific is the main player in making it possible for recycling depots to be opened in B.C. cities. They managed to work out a plan with the major pop companies to retrieve empty containers then see to it that these containers are directed to recycling facilities instead of landfill sites.

This system has worked so well over the last 4 years that the provincial government has shown interest.

Back on October 1, 1998, all beverage containers in B.C. had a fully refundable deposit applied to them. This excluded milk and milk substitue containers. This was good news for the owners of the Rupert Bottle Depot. They were quite busy preparing for the expansion and expected things to be quite busy after the first week in October. In fact, business went up 40% almost right away.

The island villages around Prince Rupert were offered a feasible way of returning their empties. If they can get their bottles/cans to any dock in Prince Rupert that is accessible by road, they are met there by the depot owners. The empties are picked up and refunded at the dock and the customer is on his way.

Once all the beverage containers are refunded, they are bagged and tagged then shipped to Prince George. From there the containers are shipped to various recyclers to be melted down and transformed into various products. Examples are new pop containers, carpeting, computer components, duffel bags and even clothing.

Each summer, the Rupert Bottle Depot holds two separate draws where clothing and tote bags made from recycled plastic pop containers are raffled off.

The stigma once attached to those frequenting bottle depots is ceasing to exist. Recycling is a trend that is catching on and all walks of life are taking it up. There has been an even mix in cultural and social backgrounds coming in and using the depot services. A lot of it is a direct result of the growing awareness that recycling is a necessary part to todays world and the cash back refund is a major contributor to this awareness.

Located just a few yards off Five Corners on Park Avenue in Prince Rupert, the Rupert Bottle Depot has an atmosphere where several new jokes are told during the day. It's a friendly place where all those who enter the premises recieve a warm welcom and the bantering fills the air along with the rattling of cans and bottles.

Al Miller was a man who had found his niche in life. For 23 years he manned the security desk at the Salvation Army in Saskatoon. Usually on the day shift from Monday to Friday, Al was always willing to fill in on other shifts if a co-worker was ill or needed time off. A cerebral man, Al had a heart of gold and an ever present smile on his face. The kindness that emitted from Al made many take note that maybe being pleasant was the way to go. In a world that some people feel they must bully and force others to do their bidding, Al knew there was a superior way of doing things via his gentle approach to life.

Sometimes when I hear Paul Young's song; "Everytime You Go Away" I think of Al Miller. He left his mark on us in the way he gave the benefit of a doubt to one who needed it or went out of his way to assist someone.

Not a person who lived in the fast lane of life, Al took pleasure in the simple things of life. A quiet park bench in summer, a brisk walk in winter or bantering with friends and acquaintences.

Al was famous for two sayings of his; "Go straight home now" and "Behave yourself". There are many of us who would love to hear those remarks once more.

Al Miller died in his sleep in the early mornings hours of April 11th. The Salvation Army at Ave. C and 19th in Saskatoon is now affectionately know as "Al's Place."

There's a major new wrinkle in the softer, kinder face of the Ernie Eves Conservative government.

The unanimous Court of Appeals ruling that the Spouse in the House welfare rule is discriminatory presents Eves' strategists with a difficult dilemma.

Do they re-write the regulations and risk alienating the female voters Eves must win over before the next election? Or do they allow the courts to force us back to the old days of Ontario welfare abuse -- allowing the most commonly practiced pogey scam of the past to be resurrected.

Under the ruling, the boyfriend who moves into a welfare home -- for what the court wants us to understand is merely a "try-on" relationship (their words, not mine), cannot be treated as a spouse and expected to contribute to the costs of the household.

The lawyer representing the four women who successfully sued the government says in effect single welfare women were being forced to choose between creating a new relationship with a man and their financial well-being. The court agreed.

Let that be a lesson to all women -- have the guy move in rent free -- you wouldn't want to put your new relationship at risk by asking for anything more than having him try you on for size.

Apparently the court believes a prime attractant women must offer their suitors is free living accommodations.

Goodness knows we wouldn't want to scare any of these guys off by asking them to pay room and board while they're checking out the new squeeze.

For years the Spouse in the House scam was perpetrated on taxpayers, until the Mike Harris Common Sense Revolution -- built in large part on the outrage over welfare abuse -- finally put an end to the scheme in 1998.

The courts now step into the picture once again, overruling the intent of elected representatives.

RISKS OFFENDING WOMEN

Although it risks offending some women -- the Eves' government surely has no choice but to challenge this ruling by re-writing the law.

To put a pro-feminist tilt to the argument Mr. Eves' advisors should ensure that the package is couched in the familiar phraseology of male-bashing.

Ensure that voters are told this rule is not about penalizing women -- it's about protecting them from freeloading males.

It's about ensuring that women are not economically abused by deadbeat men who won't even pick up a percentage of the costs, let alone their dirty underwear.

The trick to selling this would be to quickly muzzle anyone who states some women are actually bold enough to ask their live-in lovers to help pay the rent.

As flattering as that may be to the women in question -- actually recognizing they have enough backbone and self-esteem to get at least a modicum of commitment from the boyfriend -- it becomes offensive, and apparently discriminatory when it implies the women are then hiding this extra household income from the government.

That's the scam, and both men and women rode it to the bank for all it was worth before the ill-fated rule was brought in.

For the sake of political correctness and saleability to female voters, it would be wiser to ensure that only the boyfriends are portrayed as bad.

And that's part of what is so infuriating about this ruling.

It gets the bad and good guy roles totally reversed.

The guy who actually does pay part of the household expenses is effectively helping the woman to cheat the system.

The true freeloader -- the one who weasels his way into bed without helping pay for the roof over his head, saving his cash for the other necessities in his life -- is the kind of scumbucket this court ruling seems to favour.

Mr. Eves would be wise not to underestimate the backlash to the court's ruling.

The Liberals are promising to do away with workfare and the other welfare reforms that along with a stronger Ontario economy have helped remove more than a half- million people from the welfare rolls.

That alone may go down as one of Mike Harris' greatest accomplishments.

The new premier must not succumb to those advisors around him who are pushing him further into the bog of the mushy middle ground.

Find a way to put the right spin on this Mr. Eves, but do not allow the court ruling to stand.

Taxpayers support the need for a welfare system designed to help those in temporary need, and those who by special circumstance have become permanently trapped in the system.

RAMPANT ABUSE

But there is no appetite for returning to the days of rampant welfare abuse.

The Liberals may not understand this, but the Conservatives should.

Abandoning the hard fought reforms Harris brought about will only weaken the Conservatives' chances at the polls, not strengthen them.

The voters may want a shift away from confrontational politics, but that doesn't mean they're ready to surrender the ground they've gained.

Madely can be reached at (613) 739-5133 ext. 412 or by e-mail at madely@cfra.com.

Ever wonder why some of the most run down dwellings in the city have satellite dishes?

Ruby Payne says understanding why that is could be key to helping children out of poverty.

The Texas school teacher married an aboriginal American man who had relatives living in poverty. It gave her insight into why schools run on middle class values, were having a hard time teaching kids in poverty.

The Winnipeg Child Guidance Clinic brought the authour and consultant to the child poverty capital of Canada to speak to school guidance counselors and teachers recently.

The "hidden messages" of the middle class make it tough to teach kids living in poverty. Winnipeg is sitting on a gold mine of young minds - if only it could decode and translate these messages she said.

"The countries who develop intellectual capital now, 30 years from now will have wealth," she said.

Spending more isn't the answer, said Payne, who has lectured to teachers in Australia and throughout North America about how to bridge the communications gap between economic classes.

"Money doesn't change thinking," said Payne, "You keep the same mindset and habits unless two things happen," she said, "you get educated or your relationship changes."

Work, achievement and material security are the guiding principles of the middle class, she said. It's children are told school is important so they can attain these things.

For kids, who never known material security, telling them education is important so they can get a good job doesn't mean much. Payne suggests another tack.

"You need to learn so you can be in control and respected."

Being smarter, winning more often, having a tool no one can take away, being safe, when you're old and making sure you're not cheated are also incentives to learn.

In generational poverty - when people have been poor for at least two generations - relationships, entertainment and survival are the three most important things, she said.

"Entertainment is huge," she said. "You have to have a sense of humour to survive poverty." Having a satellite hook up is more important than, say, investing in a RRSP, she said.

Teachers who can discipline with humour - not sarcasm -will get better results, Payne said.

If you can't tell or take a joke, then you better be strong or at least don't show fear if you're threatened, she said.

Poor people don't have money to save but they can still save face, Payne said. Relationships and connections stay strong.

When a child from a wealthy family is having difficulty in school, the parent will question the system. "I have the money and the connections to manipulate the system - the rules do not apply to my child," said Payne.

In poverty, it's personal.

"Somebodyıs got to fight for freedom from the government. We canıt trust our leaders, we send them to Parliament for us, but then they turn around and sell our land away. We will fight for the people. " -Skip Daniel Montgrand, Dene Suline of La Loche

The wheels of colonization and genocide continue to roll into the 21st century and communities such as La Loche in Northern "Saskatchewan, Canada" are its current victims. The Dene Suline of La Loche have been fighting the further encroachment of capitalism and the Kanadian state on their traditional territories. For years they have struggled as mining companies take their land away for uranium to feed the nuclear industry and as the government took their land away to create a Provincial Park, displacing Dene people in favor of tourists. In 2001, the struggle errupted into blocakdes, a land reoccupation, and direct action. On May 24th, 2002, the Dene Suline will be meeting with the government for the final time, and are calling on all supporters who can to come to La Loche on the 24th and all summer to help them in their struggle for freedom from the control of the government and recognition of title to their traditional territory.

The Cluff Lake Uranium Mine began operating 64 km outside of La Loche in 1974. Since that time, people in the community have been getting sick and over 60% of all deaths have been linked to the uranium mine. Uranium mining is the most destructive type of mining and because of this, most often occurs on Native territories especially in Saskatchewan. The mine has had devastating effects on the environment as well, killing animals, plants, trees, fish and berries; the lifeblood of the community. Skip Montgrand says, " Lots of rabbits, lots of animals are dead. Weıre seeing green fuzzy stuff on the tops of ponds. Young guys are dying from cancer. Guys 26, 27 years old." Like most mines, there has not even been any economic benefits to the local community as all the profits go to rich owners elsewhere, and only 2% of the people working at the mine are from La Loche. Trucks from the mine travel through La Loche, futher spreading the radioactive pollution directly into the air the Dene women, children and men breathe everyday.

In 1984, the Saskatchewan government and the Ministry of Environment decided to make a provincial park in the traditional hunting and trapping grounds of the the Montgrand family, who are Dene Suline of La Loche. They claimed to have consulted the family and the Dene, but as is usual went over their head and stole 890 sq. miles to make the Clearwater Wilderness Pronvicial Park. Since that time, the Montgrandıs have lobbied the government in an attempt to regain control over their lands. In 2000, the Montgrandıs asked the government to bring forward the documents that would prove that they legally took the land from the family. Numerous deadlines were graciously given by the Montgrands but each time the government came to the meeting empty handed. "They could never bring us the documents, because they never had the documents. They stole the land away from us, the first people of this land," says Skip Montgrand. The Montgrand family granted the government a final deadline of May 1st, but the government again failed to produce any documents.

After this meeting, the Montgrand family and others from the La Loche community established a blockade on the road leading into the park and the access road for the Cluff Lake mine. They blocked all industry, government and RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) vehicles from preceding. While this blockade was in place and afterwards, they faced intense persecution from the RCMP. A SWAT/sniper team was preparing a siege on the camp with automatic weapons. "They were going to come into our camp and kill us and make sure that nobody saw what happened," says Skip Montgrand. A dog alerted the camp to the snipers and the Dene people confronted and surrounded the snipers and took their weapons away. The Dene stood their ground and continued to assert their title to their lands. The government said they would produce the documents on May 14th if the Dene took down their roadblock, so they did but the government had once again lied to them. That same day they went back and blocked the road again.

The roadblock came down but a camp was established and people stayed there throughout the summer, building a cabin for the winter. There has been a lot of support in the community with over three quarters of the community supportive of the occupation, but as is typical the government controlled Band Council has not been supportive and has been actively working against the Montrgrandıs and their supporters. On June 21st, National Aboriginal Day, the Band Council Chief from La Loche, spoke on NBC radio in Saskatchewan spaeking against the Montgrand family. Buckley Balenger, the Saskatchewan Environment Minister, is from a town 1 1/2 hours away from La Loche and is Native, but he has sided with the government and sold out his people. "Heıs a lost puppy, greedy for the green. He forgot about the people" says Skip Montgrand. The government has not relinquished any control over Dene territory, and just this year gave permission to Mystic Forest Products to log between La Loche and the Clearwater Park. This has not affected the Montgrandıs stand to protect their trapping and hunting grounds from Canada and the Uranium industry.

Colonialism is not dead in La Loche. It is not a far off history, but a daily reality the Dene feel everytime a uranium truck drives through town, or the tourist dollars are more important than homes and hunting grounds for the Dene. Colonialism and its latest incarnation of Globalization has reached its tentacles to the furthest ends of the planet, asserting more and more control over all indigenous cultures. Indigenous territories are taken away piece by piece, to feed the wbite power structure and its insatiable appetite for more control and profit. The indigenous people of the land are left dispossessed of their land, dying from industrial pollutants and poverty. The North American governments have been based on a policy of geoncide and terrorism to the indigenous people of Turtle Island. The people of La Loche need support from people around the world. The struggle of people in remote communities such as La Loche often goes unnoticed in the "outside world" so it is important to inform ourselves and others about their struggle and the struggles of all indigenous peoples throughout . The Montgrandıs are promising more blockades and are continuing to build their community back on their traditional territory. They welcome any visitors to their community to come and help them in their struggle to defend their land.

"If we stop right away whatıs the worth living? Youıll be controlled all your life, Iım fighting so that my people can be free. We use the land, we donıt take the more than we need, we donıt pollute, we use animals. We are the land. We are the law. We are the first peoples of this land. Its time for them [the government] to settle down and keep their mouths shut, and the let people who live on the land to decide what should happen. Last summer we sent someone to Geneva to present our case before the World Court and to the International community. We can do that, and we can get our land back and get freedom from the government!" -Skip Montgrand

For more info contact Skip Daniel Montgrand, (306)822-2550, Box 359, La Loche, Saskatchwan, S0M 1G0