Monsanto protestors took to the Edmonton streets
Photo by Eric Bowling
“Buzz, buzz, for the bees — bring Monsanto to its knees! Buzz, buzz, for the bees — bring Monsanto to its knees!”
A crowd of concerned citizens took to the
streets on Oct. 18 for Occupy Edmonton’s March Against Monsanto, the
second of this year.
“The chief concern is the control of our
food supply,” explained David Laing of Occupy Edmonton. “In a very short
period of time, in a couple generations, food has been taken out of the
hands of communities and local farmers.”
“Food is something we need to take back in our hands.”
The march began with a rally at End of
Steel Park where a number of speakers voiced their concerns for the lack
of clarity in food labeling.
According to Health Canada’s website,
current labeling of genetically modified (GM) food is on a voluntary
basis. To place a GM food product on the market is a 7- to 10-year
process.
During this time, the product is
subjected to a series of scientific assessments, including a review of
the organism’s development, a comparison of the GM food to a non-GM
equivalent, an assessment of the potential for new toxins to be created
in the food or for the development of new allergies as a result of the
chemical changes, key nutrients and toxicants, and major constituents
like fats and proteins, as well as minor constituents like minerals and
vitamins.
Following this process, a decision document is published on Health Canada’s website with a complete safety review.
However, many experts are not convinced that Health Canada’s regulations do enough.
“Our bodies are like an equation,” said
John Shamchuk, a glycobiologist with over 30 years of experience.
“Everything is based on a sequence of events; it’s like 1-2-3-4-5. If
that gets out of balance, your body starts stuttering. When you
introduce something that is alien to the body, the body has trouble
breaking it down.”
While speakers informed the crowd of
their plight, a group of police officers arrived to control the crowd.
After a brief discussion with David Laing, the officers politely asked
the crowd to keep the rally to the sidewalk, which the organizers
gracefully agreed to.
The rally proceeded down Gateway
Boulevard and then down Whyte Avenue, moving towards 99 Street before
finally turning towards Trinity Lutheran Church for a feast of organic
food.
While the main focus of the rally was to
demand labelling of genetically modified food products, another large
concern was pesticide use in the province.
“We have no bylaws in Alberta except for
the hamlet of Grandview on Pigeon Lake,” said Sheryl McCumsey, head of
Pesticide Free Alberta. “Meanwhile, beekeepers are taking [pesticides]
so seriously they’ve launched a $450 million lawsuit against Bayer and
Syngenta.”
The Alberta government’s Environmental
and Sustainable Resource Development website states that anyone using
pesticides requires a pesticide applicator certificate. Using pesticides
within 30 metres of a body of water also needs a Pesticide Special Use
Approval, unless they are listed as a “certified applicator,” at which
point they are exempt from the 30-metre rule.
While the rally itself was to raise
awareness of these various issues and to compel citizens to lobby city
hall and the legislature for better regulation, people wanting to
improve the quality of their food don’t need to wait for the government
to start making changes.
“I advise people to start gardening,”
concluded David Laing. “Grow your own food, educate yourself. Stop
depending on the system.”
