Our newsletter is also available on our website in English and French.

July & August 2009 Newsletter

Message to Members

Thanks to all who attended our Annual General Meeting on June 16. Your participation is invaluable.

Organic markets and baskets: beginning July 7, Ferme Mange-Tout will be selling its organic vegetables, cut flowers and other farm fresh products at the Coop every Tuesday from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM. As for Ferme du Zéphyr, it will be selling its organic vegetables every Thursday from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM and Saturday. And for those who are interested in CSA baskets, you'll be happy to know that 2009 CSA subscriptions are still available! For more information or to sign up, contact:

Ferme Mange-Tout
Telephone: (514) 942-8473
Email: info@fermemangetout.ca
Website: http://www.fermemangetout.ca

Ferme du Zéphyr
Telephone: (514) 457-8114
Email: fermeduzephyr@videotron.ca
Website http://www.fermeduzephyr.ca/index.php

New online: Dr. Bronner's fair trade and organic liquid soaps are now available on our virtual boutique. To see our selection of fragrances and formats, visit http://boutique.cooplamaisonverte.com/en/catalogsearch/result/?q=dr.+bronner&x=0&y=0.

Message from the Board of Directors: our AGM, that took place at the Coop on June 16, was attended by 27 members and 2 guests. Important issues were on the agenda: opening of the online store, a progress report on the building purchase, preferred shares and the 2008 deficit. Members in attendance actively participated, asking questions and making suggestions. Although the combination of a recession and costs incurred in the building purchase have increased our debt, there are some positives, with sales, both online and in-store, increasing, and negotiations for the building purchase moving forward.

Look Up gallery featured artist: silkscreens by Anna Labarias

Thank yous: Gwenaël Le Bodic (translation)

Events

To sign up for an event, please call or visit the Co-op. Unless indicated, events are bilingual and free. For more information, visit our website.

Eco Logic

International Day of Cooperatives 2009

By Stephanie Guico

Each year, the first Saturday of July marks the International Day of Cooperatives. First celebrated in 1995, the date was picked in commemoration of the International Cooperative Alliance’s (ICA) establishment, a century prior. The 2009 Day, taking place on July 4th, promises to be a significant one as its timely theme, ‘Driving Global Recovery Through Cooperatives’, resonates of the year passed.

The theme is an ambitious assertion to be sure, but as the ICA pointed out in its 22 October 2008 Open Letter to the Governments of the G8, “The people of the world have watched with shock and disbelief as some global financial structures have dissolved in panic, and bastions of the investment and banking industry have collapsed and disappeared. (…)At the same time, those same world’s citizens know that there is an alternative secure, stable and sustainable model of business owned and controlled by 800 million people worldwide. It is true to its global values and principles of self-help, sustainability, community ownership and control, democratic participation, fairness and transparency. It is a model of business that is not at the mercy of stock markets because it relies instead on member funds for its value; and is not subject to executive manipulation and greed because it is controlled by local people for local people. It is a business where the profits are not just distributed to its shareholders, but are returned to those who trade with the business, thus keeping the wealth generated by local businesses in the local community for the good of the local environment and families.”

While international in scope, the theme is not entirely foreign to NDG. Along with the rest of the world, NDG was not spared during the final months of 2008. Now the ICA invites all cooperatives to acknowledge their role in promoting a model of economic growth that embraces ethical values and social responsibility, and the fact that they are “enterprises that can effectively contribute to global economic recovery”, within the framework of the values and principles which guide their operations.

Cooperatives are, as the main groups involved with the day highlight on their respective websites, “not tools to address crisis, but a sustainable form of enterprise that outlives crisis and drives recovery.”

As a solidarity coop, La Maison verte is owned by its user, worker and support members. The act of voluntary collective ownership granted by membership can be exercised in a number of levels: governing power through votes, contribution to financial and social results through purchases, investment and activities, and innovation of the cooperative. The idea, born out of the 1998 ice storm, to help people develop a more self-sufficient & sustainable lifestyle in the neighborhood is now 7500+ community members strong and has, as the ICA had predicted, outlived the global economic crisis. The coop has become a true testament to collective action: each individual act may seem benign in isolation, but when multiplied by the power of 7500+, truly great things can take place.

Our members were certainly at the forefront of this survival. While we were not spared, we did witness a level of loyalty to our House and the staple home and pantry products it provides. The Coop is well rooted in the hearts of the NDG community, and strives to meet the economic & social needs of our membership. How did the Coop play a part in easing the belt-tightening of the economic crisis? How can we be part of the recovery, in our homes and our communities? Let us know! Share your thoughts at http://www.cooplamaisonverte.com/en/node/3 or by filling out a comments form at our store.


For the full version of the Open Letter to the Governments of the G8, see http://www.ica.coop/publications/pressreleases/2008-g8.pdf.

For more information on the International Day, visit http://www.ica.coop/activities/idc.html, and for a more detailed listing of the cooperative values & principles alluded to above, check out http://www.ica.coop/coop/principles.html.

Dow Chemical vs. Canada

By Natasha Geerts

Summer is here, and trudging around my garden, it's hard to imagine it buried under five feet of snow! In this beautiful, glaring summer heat, wouldn't you just love to get out your hose and spray your lawn with 2,4-D-enhanced lawn care products? Well, if you live in Québec, then too bad for you! You will have to either accept those weeds in your green lawn or pull them out the old-fashioned way because, in March 2003, Québec became the first Canadian province to ban pesticide use for cosmetic lawn-, garden- and park-care purposes.

Dow Chemical
With manufacturing plants in several Canadian cities, Dow Chemical produces chemicals and plastics that are used to make products in various sectors, including personal care, transportation and home construction.

Dow was made infamous over ongoing controversy over their responsibility for compensating victims of the Bhopal Disaster. In 1984, Union Carbide, a company purchased by Dow in 2001, exposed 500,000 people in Bhopal, India, to toxic gases, killing 10,000 people within 72 hours and 25,000 since then. Dow continues to refuse to help clean up the area that is still highly contaminated.

Michelle Obama
In a major blow to the pesticide lobby in the USA, even the First Lady has an organic garden! It may just seem like a little garden, but it is a symbol of change in Washington and it has Agribusiness upset. After news of the garden hit the airwaves, Mid America CropLife Association, an industry association representing more than 60 companies, wrote Michelle Obama a public letter explaining why pesticides are good for America. The letter went so far as to hint at her misguided ignorance for using "unconventional" gardening methods.

Pesticide Ban
In April 2009, Ontario became the second province in Canada (after Québec) to ban the use of conventional pesticides for cosmetic purposes. Earth Day (April 22nd) was the date set for 250 products to be banned for sale in stores in Ontario.

In 2006, Québec raised its standards so that 210 lawn care products are off the market here for containing active ingredients that are considered toxic to humans and to the environment.

Many municipalities across Canada have banned the cosmetic use of pesticides, many of them in British Columbia. The Canadian Cancer Society has been active in pushing for the province-wide ban on pesticide sales there.

NAFTA
In August 2008, Dow AgroSciences, a unit of Dow Chemical, filed a notice of action against Ottawa on grounds that the Québec ban on pesticides violates NAFTA's chapter 11. Dow claims that 2,4-D, a chemical they use in many herbicides, is safe and that Québec's decision to ban it was an arbitrary one. The notice of action was made public by the Federal Government in October 2008.

According to a joint briefing note made March 24th 2009 by the David Suzuki Foundation, Ottawa University's EcoJustice and Équiterre: "Dow's claim will be brought under NAFTA article 1105 (minimum standard of treatment, including fair and equitable treatment in accordance with international law) and article 1110 (expropriation or measure tantamount to expropriation). Dow is seeking $2 million in damages, as well as ‘further relief, including additional damages'."

Dow argues that the Québec ban was imposed without scientific justification and disputes the cancer risk associated with 2,4-D.

While some studies show that these pesticides can be used safely, other studies have shown that they are linked with cancer, neurological impairment and other health problems. Proponents of the ban claim that it is not worth the serious health-risks these chemicals pose to people - especially children, who are more susceptible - for something as unnecessary as ridding your lawn of dandelions - which, incidentally, I have actually seen for sale at the grocery store as a salad green.

Hugo Séguin, a coordinator at Équiterre, says: “Dow's actions clearly shows(sic) that, for this company, promoting its economic interests trumps public health concerns. Shame on Dow. This kind of irresponsable(sic) corporate behaviour has no place in Québec and Canada.”

The final decision as to whether or not such provincial regulations violate Canada's NAFTA commitments may rest in the hands of a panel of three arbitrators.

Take Action
To take action, visit the David Suzuki Foundation web site and write to your Premier to voice your support for provincial pesticide bans: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/NatureChallenge/GardenContest/Take_Action.asp.

Links
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090327/nafta_pesticide_090329/20090329?hub=Canada
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/04/05/bc-cancer-society-pesticides.html
http://www2.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/montreal/story.html?id=50a34c28-106f-4ced-8376-619db1f348d9
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/261683

Launch of Phase II of Monkland sur le parc

The launch of Phase II of Monkland sur le parc is under way. The project stems from nearly 20 years of effort to save Benny Farm for affordable housing. A group of NDG community activists, including Arnold Bennett, long-time head of the Housing Hotline, and Jason Hughes, who manages Coop la Maison verte, has been the underlying force behind this initiative. Les Habitations communautaires NDG, in collaboration with the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM*), offered undivided co-ownership units for sale in Phase II of the Monkland sur le parc housing project, in the heart of NDG. The project includes 30 new two, three and four bedroom units, available for immediate occupancy for prices starting at $135,000.

Phase I of the project turned out to be extremely popular, proving that this type of project corresponds perfectly to Montrealers’ specific housing needs. Because HCNDG** is a non-profit, their goal is not to make money from such an initiative. As a result, no profit for HCNDG* translates to lower prices for purchasers. Individuals and families can take advantage of municipal subsidies within the initiative, again, allowing for lower housing costs overall.

The Affordable Home Ownership Initiative (AHOI) provides families relief from the cycle of dependence on an unstable and increasingly expensive rental housing market. It offers opportunities for home ownership for those who are unable to afford the current NDG market prices. It will also maintain these units as affordable for future generations and continue to work in partnership with residents and community groups to improve the quality of life within our neighborhoods.

Monkland sur le parc is an innovative project located near Monkland Village and just a few steps from Benny Park. In Phase II, two-bedroom, three and four-bedroom units are available for immediate occupancy, in the heart of a newly redeveloped community in NDG - on major bus routes, close to schools, parks, recreational facilities and shopping (Sherbrooke Street and Monkland Village).

Pricing is highly competitive at an estimated 17% below market.

The sales office is located at 3877, boulevard Cavendish, apartment #2. Visits are arranged by appointment by calling (514) 482-7208.

With the completion of Phase I, Phase II is well under way and is being met with great interest. We continue to look forward to seeing similar initiatives in the future.

* SHDM: Société d'habitation et de développement de Montréal, a municipal housing and development corporation
** HCNDG: Habitations communautaires NDG, a community-run non-profit corporation

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Eco Logic is a place for members to write or suggest articles about environment or community-related subjects. Email your ideas to newsletter@cooplamaisonverte.com.

5785, Sherbrooke street West, Metro Vendome + bus 105 - call us! 514-489-8000