October 27 - 31, 2006 - News

Nattivak’s self-reliance wins praise from QIA
Qikiqtarjuaq’s Nattivak Hunters and Trappers Association and their self-reliant approach to community economic development won lavish praise last week from the Qikiqtani Inuit Association. ”If you need our support in any manner, we are here to help you. We support self-reliance for our people,” said Thomassie Alikatuktuk, QIA’s president.

Starbucks accused of blocking farmers' bid for a better deal
Starbucks, the coffee giant, was yesterday accused of using its might to deprive Ethiopian subsistence farmers of tens of millions of pounds a year.

Binners seek respect
Dumpster divers have become an integral part of city's recycling system, panel says. The sound of squeaky shopping cart wheels rolling down back alleys is a familiar sound for anyone living in Vancouver. Dumpster divers have become integral part of the city's informal recycling program, and long-time binners say it's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it.

Patients, caregivers connecting with self-help Internet start-ups
Ann West peers hopefully at the blue, flat-panel screen, curious to see how a website might help her cope with the wide ranging and potentially frightening symptoms of her husband's Alzheimer's disease. The DementiaGuide.ca website being presented to her by Kathryn Garden, vice president of DementiaGuide Inc., is an on-line health information business that helps track the disease and provides caregivers with information on how to manage it. Once thought unlikely bets as for-profit ventures, the sites are springing up in an era when high-speed Internet access has become widespread.

Translink And Co-operative Auto Network Launch"Company Car" Service
For some people, taking transit to work every day just isn't possible. Employees often find themselves needing a car during the day for business. Now there's a new service on four wheels being offered that provides the convenience of easy access to a vehicle without having to rent, lease or buy.

Forging change: Socially responsible investing is as much about the products people don't buy as the ones they do.
For Malcolm Johnson, it's the environment; for Joan Hadrill, the effort to end war. What these people have in common is that they've put their money where their values are. Johnson's investment portfolio includes income trusts from two companies that generate wind power and another that cultivates trees for reforestation. Hadrill's portfolio includes Ethical Funds, the Vancouver-based company that sells socially responsible mutual funds.