Make your Community GM Crop Free before pharmaceutical Crops contaminate your food supply.
For years we've actively campaigned local as well as provincial and federal governments, to become GE-Free. Members have given private and public presentations and handed MPs Colin Mayes & Mel Arnold written bills urging them to present them in the House of Commons. Members have handed Regional District of the North Okanagan directors, as well as various mayors and councils, motions they could use to stop GM Crops. None of this has yet been done, which is why we felt we had to start the Bee SAFE movement.
Since then, we've given more presentations, have shown films, held events and garden tours, and have allowed citizens in Cherryville and Rural Lumby to vote as to whether they want agriculture that is GMO FREE. Over 93% of voters said they want GM Contamination stopped.
Once GM crops are grown, they contaminate all wild and cultivated plants in the same family that are within reach of pollination by wind or insect. So if we want to keep our food supply healthy, we need to stop GM contamination. GMOs are dangerous to our health.
Already sweet corn is contaminated. 33% of the sweet corn sold in markets and stores throughout BC is GMO. Already Canola test plots have been grown in the riding, and repeatedly sprayed with dangerous chemicals that are banned in Europe. At least one of those plots was within close distance to a primary school yard and was sprayed numerous times during the school year.
The next GM crops to be approved are GM apple, GM fish, GM trees, GM alfalfa, GM pharmacrops. These turn ordinary plants such as corn into factories that can produce antibiotics, insulin, blood thinners, cancer drugs.... In the US, pharma corn has been proven to contaminate other crops. If you want to make sure the food you grow or buy is not contaminated with antibiotics or blood thinners, then you must fight GM CROPS IN YOUR OWN COMMUNITY.
SPEAK UP:
1. Be convinced. Read the information provided on this website and understand that government is not protecting our food supply and that it's up to us, to you, to act on this and that acting is urgently needed if we want clean water, clean air, and healthy food that is not corporately controlled.
2. Tell your mayor and council or area director, your MLA and MP, you want your community protected from GM contamination and that you expect them to take action immediately to stop new GM crops from being planted. Urge them to act in their capacity as elected leader to rid your community of existing crops. Send them an email and please copy beesafemonashees@gmail.com so we can keep track of the support for GMO free communities.
3. Hold a public presentation. If you don't get a satisfactory answer from your mayor or director within one week, phone or email again requesting they have you come as a delegation - this will allow you to speak to council for 10 minutes. Either use this as a base or let Bee SAFE know immediately and we will send you a 10 minute verbal presentation you can make. If you feel you need more expertise, we will accompany you and be willing to answer questions from council.
4. Hold a vote?If your elected officials do not act, then hold a vote in your community. This requires getting lots of public attention first, so make sure to write local media, and have voting ballots and boxes available in public places for at least one month to give everyone a chance to vote. Contact us if you need help setting this up.
5. If all else fails, GM crops will have to be eradicated by other means. Can GM growers be persuaded to change? Many are now doing this. In Europe, GM crops were eradicated. Let us know what your thoughts are and let us continue to do all we can to stop polluting agriculture and to build healthy communities.
Less Guilt - More Action!
Sign on-line petitions
Below are links where you can act to get GMO banned. Not only does Canada grow GM soy, canola, corn, and sugar beet, but also GM alfalfa, GM salmon, as well as many other potentially very damaging GM crops and animals are ready to be let loose. Let's act now to prevent them from being approved:
Write letters
SENS has actively campaigned local government, as well as provincial and federal government representatives to become GE-Free for years. Members have given private and public presentations and handed MP Colin Mayes written bills urging him to present them in the House of Commons. Members have given Regional District of the North Okanagan directors as well as various mayors and councils motions, that could make it public that we do not welcome GM crops in their community. None of this has yet been done which is why we felt we had to start the Bee SAFE movement.
You can help by sending your
mayor and council, your
MLA and your
MP, an e-mail telling them you understand the dangers associated with GM crops and urging them to please act in their capacity as elected leader to rid your community of these crops. Please copy
letters@beesafemonashees.org so we can keep track of the support for GMO free communities.
Volunteer
Fifteen minutes per week can go a long way towards making this area Bee SAFE. Please volunteer if you can and/or let us know of any skill, equipment or tools you can contribute.
Donate to Bee SAFE
Please donate if you can. Every dollar helps. Bee SAFE can issue income tax receipts for your donations because Bee SAFE is sponsored by SENS, a registered charity. Your donations can be made at the office, or by mail—details below. Post-dated checks also invited.
Please save all of your Natures Fare receipts and donate the receipts to Bee SAFE. Natures Fare will give Bee SAFE three percent, before taxes, of the total amount of your purchase as a way to raise funds to help pay for the cost of running the office and educating the public on this very important issue. When you have a bunch of receipts, just drop them by, or mail them into the office—details below. Thank you, Natures Fare, and everyone for your support!
The Bee SAFE office is located at 1961 Vernon Street (Highway 6), Lumby—in the old Family Café building, across from the pharmacy. Business hours are: Monday to Friday, 12 noon to 5pm. The mailing address is: PO Box 1104, Lumby, B.C., V0E 2G0. Please make checks payable to Bee S.A.F.E.
Make your property Bee SAFE
You can support Bee SAFE by placing a Bee SAFE sign in evidence on your property, to show that you support this vision. Tell others! The more Bee SAFE signs there are, the stronger the message that this area wants safe agriculture. Be counted! Come into the office to identify your Bee SAFE property (whether you grow food or not) on the maps, to show that this community wants to be GMO and pesticide free.
Supporting Bee SAFE is the most effective way to protect ourselves against local GMO crops and pesticides.
Collaborate
At Bee SAFE we try to make it easy and fun for everyone to grow safe food and to plan seasonal menus based on local foods. If you need or have equipment, products, skills you can share or trade with others, please let us know.
For example, honey extractors, juicers, oil presses, are costly equipment items that we can share in our own communities. We also have Bee SAFE supporters who can teach how to make your own cheese and yogurt, how to preserve vegetables and fruits, how to save your own seeds. Some need help to garden while others have time and skills but need land. By putting people in touch with others, we want to help create a strong local food economy that benefits all who believe in a safe agriculture.
If you have organic products or services that could benefit from a presence in our office, let us know and perhaps we could help by displaying or using your products in our workshops.
Stop GMO apple in The Okanagan
Bee SAFE joins C-Ban "No GMO Apple" campaign.