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CANTERBURY — Dr Nick Smiths free run over Canterbury democracy in parliament came to a screeching halt last weekend with the election to parliament of respected ECan councillor Eugenie Sage.
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The TV3 documentary: Inside Child Poverty, highlighted the importance of having warm healthy homes for the good of our kids and yet we at ECan in Exile are hearing worrying rumours from within industry that energy efficiency home upgrades may be in next line for the government razor gang, post-election.
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CANTERBURY — Canterbury citizens have reacted with dismay the seeming blind acceptance of anything the Minister Environment says about ECan without, it seems, seeking balancing comment from knowledgeable commentators.
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CANTERBURY — The news that the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Review Panel fees are well in excess of official guidelines raises questions as to whether Canterbury regional ratepayers are being overcharged for the governments ECan Commissioners fees and ECan in Exile is calling for each of the governments ECan Commissioners itemised fees, expenses to be published quarterly on the ECan website.
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CANTERBURY — CCC's apparent penny-pinching dumping the free CBD Shuttle Bus raises questions as to CCC's commitment to post quake CBD revitalisation as well as it's fitness to run public transport for the region.
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CANTERBURY — The Community and Public Health division of the Canterbury District Health Board have issued a health warning after potentially toxic blue-green algae (benthic cyanobacteria) were found in the Waipara at the Teviotdale Bridge.
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CANTERBURY — The news has come through that ECans restructing of its policy making planning dept has resulted in the redundancy of many of the regions most experienced and respected resource managers.
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CANTERBURY — The governments highly paid ECan Chair, Dame Margaret Bazley, seems to have demonstrated that the commissioners knowledge of democratic open government may be sadly lacking.
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CANTERBURY — In the wake of the The NZ Law Society speaking out on the worrying trend of the National led government to lightly bypass the rule of law, ECan in Exile is renewing its calls for stronger democratic safeguards.
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CANTERBURY — Of late the signs have not been looking good: yet again Forest & Bird have had to complain that another of the vital water zone committees has been appointed but lacking sustainability & ecological expertise, ECan is Exile has its request for public release for individual payments to the government commissioners turned down and now questions have been raised about the government ministers pre-editing the ECan commissioners professional reports prior to public release.
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CANTERBURY — ECan in Exile has labelled the breaking news that the Government has approved it's unelected ECan commissioners using special powers to block any water being taken from the Hurunui River for the next 15 months as undemocratic and unsustainable in the long-term.
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CANTERBURY — It's hard to keep the good ones down, so the saying goes, and it is certainly true of our elected ECan councillors with over half of the councillors, other than those who were intending to retire, putting their names forward as councillor or mayoral candidates in the upcoming local government elections.
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CANTERBURY — STOP PRESS: UPDATED INFO - ECAN CHAIR AIR TRAVEL CLAIM OVER $800 The governments unelected ECan commissions have cost the Canterbury ratepayers over $13,000 in claimed expenses and extra payments, in addition to $65,000 in daily fees, during their first month in office, raising questions on whether the commissioners risk being perceived to be double dipping while council programmes and staff are being cut back.
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CANTERBURY — The emphatic call from Deputy ECan Commissioner, David Caygill, of 'no redundancies' on CTV's Rural Programme, Rob's Country, recently will ring very hollow indeed to Environment Canterbury's sole energy policy analyst who ECan in Exile believes has been made redundant and will leave the council this month.
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