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Clash over BC pipeline goes to Ottawa
British Columbia premier John Horgan, who opposes the expansion of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline, met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Alberta premier Rachel Notley in Ottawa, without any resolution to the dispute, CBC reports. Writing for Medium, Horgan insists he’ll continue to oppose the pipeline because of threats to BC’s waters, Indigenous communities, and economy. At Ricochet, Ethan Cox looks at the questionable economics of the Canadian government providing public funds to the pipeline. Meanwhile, Stewart Phillip, grand chief of the Okanagan First Nation writes for the Globe and Mail that by insisting on building the pipeline, Trudeau is heading toward an catastrophic and ugly conflict with First Nations. In a relevant article, Yes Magazine looks at what decolonization of North America and respect for Indigenous rights after Standing Rock would look like.
Pension crisis hitting Oregon public funding
The New York Times reports on a growing budget crisis in Oregon, where generous pension programs for government employees are putting pressure on other spending needs, including education and public safety.
New WA database aims at helping locate missing Indigenous women
Rick Anderson at Crosscut reports on a new state program in Washington that aims to increase cooperation between state, local, and tribal police to help locate missing Native American women, who go missing and are murdered at a disturbingly high rate.
Peacemaking programs show promise for juvenile offenders
At the Seattle Times, read about a controversial but effective “peacemaking” program for juvenile offenders that works to create conditions for forgiveness and reconciliation without jail time, even in murder cases. It’s a fascinating piece, and the origins of the program come from a former Cambodian gang member who adapted lessons from ceremonies in the Tagish/Tlingit First Nation.
Getting “unlikely” hikers out in the woods
A feature for the Portland Mercury profiles Portland hiking activist Jenny Russo, the creator of the online group Unlikely Hikers, which is dedicated to encouraging people of color –as well as people of all body types who don’t fit the stereotype of “fit” — to experiences the joys of the outdoors, and fostering a respect for the native lands that outdoor recreation takes place on.
Poet and anti-war activist Sam Hamill dies
Sad news today that Sam Hamill, the poet, anti-war activist, and one of the founders of Copper Canyon Press, has died at his home in Port Townsend, Washington. A prolific Cascadia poet, Zen Buddhist, and pacifist, Hamill was a founder of Poets Against War, created in 2003 to organize poets opposed to the US war in Iraq. You can read an enlightening conversation between Hamill and poet Paul Nelson about Hamill’s mix of poetics and politics. Then listen to Hamill read his poem “What the Water Knows” on YouTube, or take in his his poignant poem “The Orchid Flower,” online at the American Academy of Poets:
“Just as I wonder
whether it’s going to die,
the orchid blossoms…”
Read the full poem here.
That’s all the news, arts and culture from Cascadia today. –Andrew Engelson
Photo credit: Sam Hamill at the Cascadia Poetry Fest by Meredith Nelson