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Hamilton Spectator
16 hours ago
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Good things grow at the Gardens
Planting Day at Gardens of Hope this year was heavier on the weeding than the planting, but after a hard day's work, and more that followed, the land is once again prepared to serve as a source of inspiration – and nourishment – to the community. 'It's the most beautiful gift,' said Gardens of Hope founder Karyn Wahsontiiostha Murray. 'To see it come alive after the dormancy of winter and waiting for spring to pass and all the bugs to come back and hatch, and then you just see people at work in there, it's the first beat of hope of the season. I'm so excited to see whatever's going to come.' Around 40 people came out for Saturday's event, which began with a consecration to the land and was capped off with a barbecue. While there were some community members on hand, Murray focused on rallying the garden's partners to avoid burdening the community. 'My aim for Gardens of Hope is never to take from the community, it's to give to them,' said Murray. 'If people want to come because they want to enjoy nature or be part of it or because it's good for them too, they're welcome to come, but never do I want people from Kanesatake to have to work there to gain anything.' For those who attended on Saturday, the hard work didn't dampen the mood. The clouds were floating overhead, the breeze carried the sound of laughter, and, in Murray's words, the trees sounded like they were just listening. 'There was a moment where I showed up with a few more plants, and just seeing all these people having a great time and just working together, it really warmed my heart to see the project, the way I have the model set up, works,' she said. One of the nonprofit's partners is the Christian organization InterVarsity in Quebec, which brought six students to spend nine days visiting the community and camping at Oka Park. They've spent roughly half of their time pitching in at Gardens of Hope. Aware of her own church's role in establishing and operating residential schools, and having grown up as a settler on Akwesasne territory, Foster saw a need to familiarize students with Indigenous realities. 'When I came to work with students, I was aware that students, especially Christian students, did not understand the role of the church in colonization and Christianization, nor was there any effort among Christian students to make amends for that or to make that right or even to learn. That was the genesis of this camp,' said Jill Foster, a campus minister based at Concordia University with the organization. The camp is also inspired by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action. 'One of the calls to action we're trying to fulfill, apart from the learning, is to contribute financially and in-kind to a healing project that is community initiated, community led, and community directed,' she said. Alongside connecting with community members who show the students around the community and teach them about Kanesatake culture and history, the group has laboured at the Gardens of Hope. 'Every time for some reason we end up with students who are so open and have hearts that are good and understand what's happening,' Foster said, noting the students' desire to be of service to the community and their joy in connecting with the land. 'It's been a great experience,' said Rebecca Estimé, a student from Haiti who will be attending Concordia in the fall and is participating in the camp for a second time – it's InterVarsity in Quebec's fourth year bringing students to Kanesatake. 'Seeing the garden as a pillar of hope and just giving back to the community is something I personally believe, that I like to practice a lot in my everyday life,' Estimé said. 'Seeing that on a big scale in this garden, just harvesting everything not just for somebody's profit but for everybody's profit is something I hold dear in my heart, and I would just like everybody to see that and be able to take part in this work that is being done in the Gardens of Hope.' To Murray, this is all in the spirit of what she is trying to accomplish with the nonprofit project, which she founded shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic. She continues to find ways to contribute to the community, whether through providing plants for local students' fundraising efforts, as she did recently, or holding no-cost markets to feed Kanehsata'kehró:non. 'I'm just grateful that I get to steward the land and that people can benefit from it,' Murray said. 'That's the gift of multiplication. That's the gift of preservation.' Some of her goals for the year include setting up a food forest in the middle of the field, where fruit trees will be introduced. 'People can just go and pick their pears right next to their apples and their blueberries,' Murray said. This year the community can expect different types of corn, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, lettuces, and ancestral beans. Murray also wants to learn more about the practice of seed-saving. Besides her own plans, she is pleased to see other agricultural projects flourish in the community, such as the community gardens at the Kanesatake Health Center farm, which was also set to have a planting day at the same time, but which was postponed to tomorrow, Saturday. 'We're all in with the same aim – sustainability, sovereignty,' said Murray. 'I really think it's going to help us in the future Those kids are all going to grow up re-learning all these basics that it seems in the last 40 years have just sort of vanished.' marcus@ Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. 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CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Global salmon populations are in trouble. How will the trend affect groceries in Canada?
A new report from Concordia University shows global salmon populations are on the decline. Professor James Grant shares why and what the consequences will be. A new report has found young wild salmon populations are decreasing around the world, with the trend expected to have 'minimal' impact on fresh fish at grocery stores in Canada. However, James Grant, a professor at Concordia University in Montreal and co-author of the study, says if the decline continues to accelerate, shoppers will see more of an effect on prices of certain fish products. The Concordia University study shows wild salmon, trout and related fish known as salmonids have declined globally by nearly 40 per cent since 1980. The study was published in the journal Fish and Fisheries. It is based on data from more than 1,000 rivers and streams in 27 countries involving 11 salmonid species. The fish sampling noted in the data occurred from 1937 to 2021. Most salmon or trout sold in Canadian grocery stores are typically from aquaculture, or fish farms, which Grant says is different from fish caught wild from oceans, adding that most of the wild salmon he sees at grocery stores are typically canned. 'Our study shows that salmonid numbers are down over a long period of time,' Grant told in a Zoom interview Tuesday. 'That's probably why aquaculture has moved into that space at providing … inexpensive, high quality fish protein.' 'A huge environmental cost' The Concordia study focused on wild fish and the rivers and streams where they spawn, not fish that are sold in grocery stores and born in aquaculture. At the same time, Grant said wild salmon populations are decreasing. 'Aquaculture has made fish prices very inexpensive, but there's a huge environmental cost that we're all paying, including that's one of the main drivers of the decreases in wild salmon,' Grant said. He said aquaculture fishes are a source of potentially deadly sea lice and can pollute the ocean floor with their waste -- both negatively affecting wild fish. Grant says the fishes that Concordia researchers studied are the smaller types that Canadians might catch at the cottage, as well as wild juvenile fishes that travel from streams to the ocean and grow to become bigger adults that people or trawlers may catch. 'If the juveniles are in decline in rivers, then the adults are inevitably going to be in decline as well,' Grant said, adding that the researchers focused on salmon streams because more data is available and they're more accessible to humans. 'But streams are embedded within our forests and farms,' he said. 'And so streams give you a very good indication of how we're treating our flowing water in Canada and the rest of the world.' Other impacts of salmon's decline Salmon species are in trouble not only on the West Coast. 'On the East Coast, the Atlantic salmon has been in decline for a long time,' Grant said in a separate interview with CTV Your Morning on Tuesday. 'We no longer fish them, and even the sport fishing industry is primarily catch and release because the numbers are so low. So huge economic costs we are paying.' The salmon's plight is also detrimental in other ways. The loss of fish is devastating for Indigenous Peoples across the country who have close relationships to these fish, including those on the West Coast who built their cultures around Pacific salmon, Grant said. Fishing is one of the top hobbies for Canadians, he told Your Morning. 'It generates money for our economy and makes us feel better about the world,' Grant said. 'These fish are also great indicators of ecosystem health.' In a May 27 press release from Concordia, lead author Kyleisha Foote noted that the sharp decline is not surprising but it's hard to determine the exact cause. She said many rivers are suffering from serious issues related to habitat degradation, climate warming and overexploitation. Watch the video above for the full CTV Your Morning interview.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Global salmon populations are in trouble. How will the trend affect groceries in Canada?
A new report from Concordia University shows global salmon populations are on the decline. Professor James Grant shares why and what the consequences will be. A new report has found young wild salmon populations are decreasing around the world, with the trend expected to have 'minimal' impact on fresh fish at grocery stores in Canada. However, James Grant, a professor at Concordia University in Montreal and co-author of the study, says if the decline continues to accelerate, shoppers will see more of an effect on prices of certain fish products. The Concordia University study shows wild salmon, trout and related fish known as salmonids have declined globally by nearly 40 per cent since 1980. The study was published in the journal Fish and Fisheries. It is based on data from more than 1,000 rivers and streams in 27 countries involving 11 salmonid species. The fish sampling noted in the data occurred from 1937 to 2021. Most salmon or trout sold in Canadian grocery stores are typically from aquaculture, or fish farms, which Grant says is different from fish caught wild from oceans, adding that most of the wild salmon he sees at grocery stores are typically canned. 'Our study shows that salmonid numbers are down over a long period of time,' Grant told in a Zoom interview Tuesday. 'That's probably why aquaculture has moved into that space at providing … inexpensive, high quality fish protein.' 'A huge environmental cost' The Concordia study focused on wild fish and the rivers and streams where they spawn, not fish that are sold in grocery stores and born in aquaculture. At the same time, Grant said wild salmon populations are decreasing. 'Aquaculture has made fish prices very inexpensive, but there's a huge environmental cost that we're all paying, including that's one of the main drivers of the decreases in wild salmon,' Grant said. He said aquaculture fishes are a source of potentially deadly sea lice and can pollute the ocean floor with their waste -- both negatively affecting wild fish. Grant says the fishes that Concordia researchers studied are the smaller types that Canadians might catch at the cottage, as well as wild juvenile fishes that travel from streams to the ocean and grow to become bigger adults that people or trawlers may catch. 'If the juveniles are in decline in rivers, then the adults are inevitably going to be in decline as well,' Grant said, adding that the researchers focused on salmon streams because more data is available and they're more accessible to humans. 'But streams are embedded within our forests and farms,' he said. 'And so streams give you a very good indication of how we're treating our flowing water in Canada and the rest of the world.' Other impacts of salmon's decline Salmon species are in trouble not only on the West Coast. 'On the East Coast, the Atlantic salmon has been in decline for a long time,' Grant said in a separate interview with CTV Your Morning on Tuesday. 'We no longer fish them, and even the sport fishing industry is primarily catch and release because the numbers are so low. So huge economic costs we are paying.' The salmon's plight is also detrimental in other ways. The loss of fish is devastating for Indigenous Peoples across the country who have close relationships to these fish, including those on the West Coast who built their cultures around Pacific salmon, Grant said. Fishing is one of the top hobbies for Canadians, he told Your Morning. 'It generates money for our economy and makes us feel better about the world,' Grant said. 'These fish are also great indicators of ecosystem health.' In a May 27 press release from Concordia, lead author Kyleisha Foote noted that the sharp decline is not surprising but it's hard to determine the exact cause. She said many rivers are suffering from serious issues related to habitat degradation, climate warming and overexploitation. Watch the video above for the full CTVYour Morning interview.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Global salmon populations are in trouble. Here's how the trend affects Canadians
A new report from Concordia University shows global salmon populations are on the decline. Professor James Grant shares why and what the consequences will be. Salmon populations are decreasing around the world, including on Canada's West Coast, a trend that is having ripple effects in the country, a biology professor says. A new Concordia University study shows salmon, trout and related fish known as salmonids have declined globally by nearly 40 per cent since 1980. The study was published in the journal Fish and Fisheries. It is based on data from more than 1,000 rivers and streams in 27 countries involving 11 salmonid species. The fish sampling noted in the data occurred from 1937 to 2021. 'Although some fisheries are doing well, on average not doing so well,' said James Grant, a professor of biology at Concordia University in Montreal, who is a co-author of the report, told CTV Your Morning in an interview Monday. Salmon species are in trouble not only on the West Coast. 'On the East Coast, the Atlantic salmon has been in decline for a long time,' Grant added. 'We no longer fish them, and even the sport fishing industry is primarily catch and release because the numbers are so low. So huge economic costs we are paying.' The salmon's plight is also detrimental in other ways. The loss of fish is devastating for Indigenous Peoples across the country who have close relationships to these fish, including those on the West Coast who built their cultures around Pacific salmon, Grant said. Fishing is one of the top hobbies for all Canadians, he added. 'It generates money for our economy and makes us feel better about the world,' Grant said. 'These fish are also great indicators of ecosystem health.' In a May 27 press release from Concordia, lead author Kyleisha Foote noted that the sharp decline is not surprising but it's hard to determine the exact cause. She said many rivers are suffering from serious issues related to habitat degradation, climate warming and overexploitation. Watch the video above for the full interview.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Florida High schooler's backflip fail during graduation ceremony goes viral after he accidentally kicks classmate: Watch
A South Florida high schooler does a backflip and hits the girl standing behind him while accepting his diploma. The incident reportedly happened over the weekend at South Plantation High School's graduation ceremony, per an Instagram-based news handle, its_onsite. The grad accidentally hitting the girl, caught on video, quickly made its way around social media. Notably, the video shows that as graduates lined up to receive their diplomas, one did a backflip on stage. But things didn't go exactly as planned. Mid-flip, his foot connected with the girl standing behind him, knocking her off balance. ALSO READ| 'He did apologize but he did warn her before the name was called he was going to do a flip. Excitement happened too quickly ... they had to sit next to each other after this,' wrote TikTok user @rebel_chaos, who shared the clip. its_onsite's post added, 'A South Plantation High School grad was feeling himself a little too much and accidentally kicked the girl behind him while doing a backflip during the ceremony.' 'According to #Rebel_Chaos, he did warn her he was gonna flip, but the excitement got the best of him. They still had to sit next to each other afterward.' Famed X-based journalist, Collin Rugg, also posted the video on X, captioning, 'High schooler does a backflip and accidentally kicks the girl behind him while accepting his diploma. Lmao.' Hilariously, the Florida grad's blunder reminded me of a viral 2018 video of a college student's Spring Break backflipping stunt also going sideways. The viral clip from Fort Lauderdale Beach showed Joe Manuel, a student from Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Michigan, was showing off his backflip skills in front of a group of girls. After a series of successful flips, he crashed into a group of girls, knocking one to the ground. The young, annoyed woman jumps up and kicks and slaps Joe on the back a few times.
