Environmental issues

 We watched a couple of episodes of Spooks. I went to bed to read, Beastly Things, book #21 by Donna Leon in the Inspector Commissario series. It does make me feel better about Canadian government! As I read, I could hear a cat murping. Not Cinnamon, he doesn't murp but meows. I heard JB laughing in the living room. Of course I had to get up. So much for sleep hygiene! 

Here was Nutmeg, proudly celebrating the mouse she killed. She'd dropped it right in front of him on the carpet. She was quite happy to share her treasure. I suspect it was in the basement. I find that the adult mice know that there are cats in the house, but the young ones don't quite get this. Or don't run fast enough. We seldom see signs of them.

Outside it is a different tale. The lilies are growing like mad. The hostas... not so much. Our one regular doe has trimmed them. Grrrr! Actually, she's a thin one, and I don't mind. It happens every year.

These two are nicely trimmed. Normally deer begin at the outside hosta, then a day later move to the other. Maybe I just didn't notice!

The fence works for some of the flowers.

We've been a bit dry. I watered the Canna. It was happier and stood up tall.

My orchid is finally showing signs of blooming. I've put some of my indoor plants on the back deck. The orchid gets morning sunshine, the other plants are hidden by the BBQ. A perfect spot! I accidentally broke off the previous bud branch. 

Provincial Politics

And in provincial news, our re-elected premier is trying to build a new highway, #413. It is, many believe, unnecessary. We should simply open up the toll highway, #407, to ease traffic. It makes me so angry. Highway 413 route threatens 11 at-risk species, provincial government documents reveal — Toronto Star (@TorontoStar) June 29, 2022.

We are hoping that the feds are going to get involved: 

"the highway could harm three species at risk that were protected federally but not provincially: the western chorus frog, the red-headed woodpecker, and a rare dragonfly called a rapids clubtail."

You'll recall that I have participated in Western Chorus Frog surveys, as they are at risk, and the ministry is seeking to establish an idea of their population numbers.

What else did Doug Ford do? Ontario's new minister of natural resources faces environmental charges

Smith is charged with harming or harassing Blanding's turtles, designated by Ontario as a threatened species, and with damaging or endangering the habitat of the turtles. The Town of Bracebridge itself and two senior municipal officials also face identical charges.

Premier Ford announced his new cabinet ministers. There are a couple of surprises. There is a new Minister of Red Tape. (I kid you not!) You know what this means: someone dedicated to reducing oversight, ignoring the environmental issues, and giving free reign to developers.

He chose Graydon Smith to be his environmental minister. This is the former mayor of Bracebridge, who is charged with paving over the endangered Blandings Turtle habitat in Muskoka, despite environmentalists making presentations to inform his council of the egregiousness of this act. They went ahead anyway. 

I leave you with this:

One must remember there are good people in the world. I watched the Canadian Indspire Awards the other day. They gave an award to a First Nations entrepreneur who has created this ethical company. Cheekbone Beauty is amazing. They give back so much and inspire! Rich white men build an empire. First Nations women take care of themselves, one another, their community, and the earth. They believe in sustainability.