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Good news report from Canada

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19 August 2007

13 August was the 13th day of the second month of the 2nd year of Canadian national consciousness rising to invincibility, as indicated by the following press reports:

13 August 2007

The Globe and Mail - Quebec Inuit to sign historic self-governance agreement (13 August 2007) A giant swath of land covering one-third of Quebec is on track to become a self-governing region for the province's 10,000 Inuit. To be called the Regional Government of Nunavik, it will have its own elected assembly and a public service responsible for services normally delivered by provinces, such as education and health. The agreement-in-principle between the Inuit, Quebec, and Ottawa was initialled by the three sides last week, meaning it should be ready for a formal signing ceremony within weeks. A final agreement would then follow and the Inuit hope the new government will be in place by 2009. 'It's something new. A regional government. That doesn't exist anywhere,' Jean-François Arteau, the head legal adviser for the Quebec Inuit, said.

The Quebec Inuit would not own the subsurface mineral rights, but mining companies would be required to pay millions of dollars in royalties to the Nunavik government for projects in the region. The Nunavik Assembly will also have a five-member executive council who will act as a form of cabinet. The assembly member who receives the most votes from the public will lead the government and be a member of the five-person cabinet. Each of the five will be responsible for at least one government department such as health, education, and local and regional affairs. The community of Kuujjuaq, on Quebec's northern tip, is expected to be the capital of the new government. Though Nunavik will have close ties with its northern neighbour, the Inuit territory of Nunavut, it will remain part of Quebec and receive provincial funding to run traditionally provincial services, such as education. Ottawa will also contribute funds, and further revenue will come from taxes and royalties on natural resources projects.

Canadian Press - Inuit community aims to run a government of their own in northern Quebec (12 August 2007) The Inuit of Nunavik will be given an opportunity to manage their own affairs and territory, creating a precedent for aboriginal communities. 'It will not only be symbolic,' said Quebec Aboriginal Affairs Minister Benoit Pelletier. 'It will be the opposite. We are really heading towards a regional government in Nunavik that will be well-structured with a certain number of entrusted powers.' In the next few years, the Nunavik government—called Nunavimmiut Aquvvinga—should have the power to collect taxes, take out loans, and adopt laws. The government will be directed by a 'leader' with more power than a mayor, but less than a provincial premier. 'It will be a territory within a province,' principal lawyer for the Quebec Inuit, Jean-Francois Harteau, said. The Nunavik assembly will consist of 21 members—a leader, the mayors of the territory's 14 villages, five elected representatives, and the chief of the Naskapi First Nation. The agreement could have a 'snowball' effect; Mr Pelletier said the Quebec government would like the agreement to serve as a model for passing powers to other aboriginal communities.

Canadian Press - Quebec-France deal could ease exchange of workers, students in both places (12 August 2007) Quebec Premier Jean Charest said on Sunday that France and Quebec will soon start negotiating a 'groundbreaking' agreement that would recognize people's educational and professional accomplishments in both jurisdictions. 'What we want with France is something innovative and new that's never been done before,' Charest said. 'An overall global agreement on the recognition of diplomas and competencies, so that a doctor in France is a doctor in Quebec, an engineer in Quebec is an engineer in France.' Charest said the goal is to create a new place for Quebecers to work and study, while making the province North America's 'port of entry' for Europeans. 'On all these fronts, it's born from a common vision of opening up a whole new horizon for the citizens of Quebec,' he said. Premier Charest also hopes to strike a similar deal at the Canadian level and plans to negotiate an agreement on trade with Ontario.

The Toronto Star - CPP fund hits $120.5B with equity markets' help (11 August 2007) The Canada Pension Plan Fund grew to C$120.5 billion for the quarter ended 30 June, up C$3.9 billion from the end of the previous quarter. Equities make up 64.7 per cent of the fund. For the four-year period ended 30 June, the fund had a rolling annualized investment rate of return of 12.2 per cent. The CPP Investment Board invests the funds not needed to pay benefits to retired Canadians. The fund is expected to grow to C$250 billion over the next 10 years.

Canadian Press on landfills look to make energy from trash (12 August 2007) Garbage in landfills creates 23 per cent of Canada's methane emissions, which are 21 times more hazardous to the environment than carbon dioxide. But thanks to technology that can turn trash into electricity, dozens of landfill operators are taking advantage—a move several provinces are now trying to make mandatory. British Columbia and Quebec were the first to make rules about harnessing methane at landfills, and now Ontario is now proposing its own regulations. Ontario's Environment Ministry says about three dozen landfills would likely be affected, which could reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the province by about two megatonnes a year. 'There's multiple benefits to collecting landfill gas, not the least of which is the reduction of potential odour problems, plus of course the economic value of producing energy from that,' said Rob Cook, president of the Ontario Waste Management Association. Considering all the benefits it provides and the fact that the technology is available and affordable, the idea is a 'no-brainer', said Ken Ogilvie, executive director of Pollution Probe. The regulations are unlikely to face any obstacles.

Canadian Press - Ontario to spend nearly $80M battling climate change with 50 million trees (13 August 2007) Ontario is setting an ambitious example for the rest of the world by committing C$79 million to plant 50 million trees to fight climate change and create a greener landscape for future generations, Premier Dalton McGuinty said Monday. The province has already planted 1.8 million trees this year, and the rest are to be planted on both public and privately owned lands in southern Ontario by 2020. It's estimated the trees will remove 3.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by 2054—the equivalent of 172 million cars driving about 100 kilometres.

From a Government of Ontario release on this: The United Nations today recognized the plan to plant 50 million trees in southern Ontario as the most ambitious project of its kind in North America, Premier Dalton McGuinty said. 'Ontarians know that planting trees cleans the air, provides shade, increases wildlife habitat, helps prevent flooding and stores carbon,' said Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay. The Premier was joined by scientist and astronaut Dr Roberta Bondar, who chaired the Working Group on Environmental Education. Premier McGuinty announced that the government is implementing the group's recommendations, such as integrating environmental education into all grades and developing a new optional Grade 11 course focused on the environment. 'Students care deeply about building a brighter, more sustainable future for themselves and future generations,' Bondar said.

CBC News - Yukon First Nations host peace ceremony at Kluane National Park (10 August 2007) In a traditional ceremony Friday, two First Nations made peace with staff at Kluane National Park and forgave the government for keeping them off their traditional lands for more than six decades. The ceremony, called Ka'kon or 'making peace' in the Southern Tutchone language, is used to 'heal past quarrels and make peace between rivals or those who have been opposing each other', according to the Kluane First Nation's website. The Kluane and the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations hosted the ceremony at the Yukon park, which includes Mount Logan, Canada's highest mountain. 'There's good feelings now, not bad feelings,' elder Trudy McLeod said. Champagne and Aishihik Chief Diane Strand said the ceremony ensures that the two sides can move on to manage the park lands together. 'The project has really helped us get to know more about the traditional knowledge of the area . . . ,' she said.

These are a few of the news reports reflecting Canada's rising invincibility from the growing Yogic Flying groups across Canada and the Invincible America Assembly at Maharishi University of Management and Maharishi Vedic City, USA.

For further information on creating invincibility for your nation, please visit: www.globalgoodnews.com/invincibility.html

Copyright © 2007 Global Country of World Peace

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