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BC Supreme Court Gives Injunction Against Raw Milk

March 21, 2010 on 9:22 am | In Healing Diets, Kamloops Herdshare, Local Food System, Personal Stories, Raw Milk, Saving Money, Urban Homestead | 2 Comments

Fraser Health Authority has won a permanent injunction from the BC Supreme Court against Home On The Range and contracted milker, Alice Jongerden, in Chilliwack, BC. The Abbotford News said:

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Miriam Gropper ruled farm operator Alice Jongerden is “willingly causing a health hazard” and must stop packaging or distributing raw milk or related products for human consumption.

Home On The Range argued an Ontario court ruling upholding a similar raw milk co-op there set a precedent exempting operations where members don’t pay directly. Members hoped a victory would effectively legalize raw milk in BC and allow more cow-shares to form. Nor, she said, did it matter that the co-op provides milk to members rather than via direct sale to the public. “The remedy for the respondents is to convince the government to change the legislation,” she found.

Gordon Watson is an active owner and member of the herd share co-operative. He stated that the raw milk with continue to flow. “We’re going to keep on dairying within the letter of the law” said herd share member Gordon Watson. “The threshold is in the milking room… That’s where she’s not allowed to handle milk for sale.”

The dairy herd is jointly owned by the shareholders. The dairy herd must be milked and cared for regardless of the ruling. There are many shareholders willing to come in and care for the diary cows which they all jointly own. Gordon Watson is one of about 400 shareholders of Home on the Range. He said: “The milking is continuing and people are getting the raw milk today. I will be taking responsibility for the packaging and distribution.”

I guess the next step for the government is to get injunctions against all 400 herd share members! I hope you are feeling really safe and protected with our government restricting your rights to co-own a herd of animals and enjoy the products from those animals. Just remember it’s for your own good. You are too ignorant to develop a safe food production and processing system on your own. That’s why they are called Fraser Health “Authority”, because they know what’s best for you. Your personal freedoms are secondary to their “good works”.

For other postings on this issue please read: Canadian Government Appeals Michael Schmidt’s Acquittal, Michael Schmidt, Raw Milk Activist, Acquitted!, and Raw Milk Contamination?.

Here are some links for more information:
The Bovine
Abbotsford News
National Post

As I have been following the raw milk story in the media, I have been surprised at how much misinformation is out there. There are so many factual errors in reporting it is hard to maintain respect and trust for media coverage. I have received an education about how issues are reported and twisted in the media. I have learned that only deeper research on a given topic will allow a person to understand complicated issues such as raw milk.

Updated April 4, 2010: Here is a link to read the judgment by Her Honourable Madam Justice Gropper by the “Petitioner”, Fraser Health Authority and the “Respondent”, Alice Jongerden DBA Home on the Range. Remember, granting an injunction is to restore the status quo ante which is to “make whole again someone whose rights have been violated”. In this case, it is the Fraser Health Authority “whose rights have been violated” and restored.

Kamloops Garden Box Project

March 4, 2010 on 6:50 pm | In Local Events, Local Food System, Urban Homestead | 4 Comments

About a week ago Joel Dyck contacted me about his project to build box planters in Kamloops for FREE. If you are interested in having someone give you a box planter for your deck or patio please read the following outline for the Kamloops Garden Box Project. If you are interested in participating in this project, Joel’s contact information is below:

This project will be called Kamloops Garden Boxes. The purpose of this project is to get more people interested in small-scale urban gardening.

PHASE 1 Building the Garden Boxes The core of the project will be building garden boxes and giving them to a diverse group of people. I will start with a group of 11 families/participants and possibly have additional groups of eleven. To begin with I will need to build four different demonstration boxes and have at least eleven extras to get the first group started. I will aim to build the boxes out of recycled and reusable materials. I will learn to use an Alaskan Mill to make lumber out of waste wood primarily from trees killed by the Mountain Pine Beetle and the Tussock Moth. I have some designs drawn out already and hope to build boxes that will look somewhat natural out of mainly pine and fir. I will also weave a trellis of smaller boughs from wood that is recycled as yard waste when people prune their trees in the spring. I will ask for community support for wood, dirt, and compost. Kamloops has an excellent composting facility and a plethora of available compost.

PHASE 2 Gathering the Garden Box Community As previously mentioned, I will gather an initial group of eleven families/individuals. The idea is that they will be diverse in age, gardening experience, and in their homes. I specifically want to include people who are renters and live in small dwellings to promote gardening in smaller urban spaces. I will start by picking people I know and then ask them to refer other people who might be interested. I already have an extensive list of people who are interested in learning how to garden and others with a lifetime of experience, who want to learn new things. I want to set up this community with a wide range of experience so that they can help each other and work together. My job will be to set people up for gardening success in a community minded environment. I will be responsible for the following aspects of the project:
1. I will build the garden box and deliver it to the person/family.
2. I will provide guidance for setting up a small and realistic garden in their location with personal and email support.
3. I will give each participant a package that will include some basic advice as well as an overview of the project.
4. I will set up a feedback blog and monitor it until I can find a community member to follow through with this. The blog will be a place for all participants to communicate their successes.
5. I will provide some technical support for participants who might have some issues with using a blog and posting photos on the Internet.
6. I will share a positive spirit of kindness and have an open mind to whatever unique situations might arise. I want to provide the same kind of leadership that I would appreciate receiving.

Kamloops Garden Box Participants will be expected to:
1. Plant something edible in their box e.g. lettuce, squash, chives, etc.
2. Take pictures twice a month to measure progress or lack of it.
3. Post a picture and a small write up (perhaps asking for advice) on the blog at least once a month.
4. Take a final picture of produce when it is ready to eat.
5. Share at least one meal using produce with a friend/neighbor and post the recipe.
6. Share some produce with a person that they don’t know very well.
7. Send a thank you email to any sponsors and cc it to me so I know all the sponsors have received recognition.
8. Have an open-minded attitude towards small-scale gardening!

PHASE 3 BC Sustainable Energy Association Kamloops Energy Fair The third part of this project will be attending the BCSEA Kamloops Energy Fair as a presenter. I will build a wide array of boxes for the energy fair. Some of these boxes will be used as props and others as door prizes. I will use my existing documentation and presentation material to educate energy fair attendees about the project and how to build their own box or pursue a project that fits their lifestyle and living space. This would be the media capstone of the project and the time to share it with as many people as possible. This will be an opportunity to show some simple ways to make sustainable lifestyle choices and show evidence of the BCSEA’s mission in the community: “Our mission is to facilitate the transition to a sustainable energy future in British Columbia through education, advocacy and tangible community projects.”

PHASE 4 Education The fourth and final part of this project would be to document it and turn it in to a collective of lesson plans and presentation material. There will be opportunities to share it before, during and after the BCSEA Energy Fair. I will present the design and construction aspect to home school students prior to the Kamloops BCSEA Energy Fair. I hope to bring the project into the public school system as well. If I can get enough students interested it would be great to have a community of teenage gardeners bring the project to completion. Watching students combine building, gardening, and technology would be an excellent learning opportunity for me. Having this material and presenting it will give me invaluable teaching practice prior to my career as a shop teacher.

Project Director: Joel Dyck
Email: joelfish(a)hotmail.com
Sponsored by Garfield Weston Award and the Kamloops Chapter of BC Sustainable Energy Association

Updated July 8, 2010: I received an email update from Joel Dyck. The Kamloops (& Kelowna) Garden Boxes is now on Facebook.