GE Free BC

GE Free BC is a non-profit organization based out of Vancouver British Columbia Canada which consists of a coalition of several organizations and hundreds of individuals. The general purpose of this organization is to stop the proliferation of GM food products.

Goals:

-To bring legislated mandatory labeling of all GM ingredients in foods (in Canada)

-To ban the growing of GM products in British Columbia

-To educate the public on the harms of consuming and producing GM products

Campaigns (Current and Past)

Mandatory labelling of GE foods in British Columbia(current)

On March 13th 2007 Greenpeace launched the "Right to Know" campaign supported by GE Free BC [http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/campaigns/ge/latest-developments/mandatory-labelling-of-ge-food] , [http://www.gefreebc.org/gefree_tmpl.php?content=mandatory_labelling]

Ban Terminator Campaign

Ban Terminator Campaign is a grass roots campaign fighting to keep terminator seeds under a UN moratorium. Terminator technology refers to plants that have been genetically modified to render sterile seeds at harvest- it is also called “Genetic Use Restriction Technology” or GURTS. Terminator technology was developed by the multinational seed industry and the United States government to prevent farmers from saving and re-planting harvested seed [http://www.banterminator.org/the_issues/introduction] .

GURTs is the official name for Terminator technology that is used at the United Nations and by scientists. It refers to technologies that, in their design, provide a mechanism to switch introduced genes on or off, using external inducers like chemicals or physical stimuli such as heat shock. [http://www.banterminator.org/the_issues/introduction]

The UN Moratorium was reevaluated in March 31 and the Moratorium was upheld [http://www.banterminator.org/news_updates/news_updates/un_upholds_moratorium_on_terminator_seed_technology] .

Source: [http://www.BanTerminator.org]

GE Free BC is working on the national Ban Terminator Campaign in November and December 2006, and January and February 2007. We are currently collecting signatures and planning to meet MPs in 25 of the 36 BC Federal Ridings, and the Yukon.

GE Free Kootenays

Powell River was the first GE Free Zone in Canada, and they want to extent this across BC. In the summer of 2007 they are planning to start a campaign for turning the Kootenays into a GE Free zone.

History

Supporting Organizations and people (Friends of GE Free BC)

-Greenpeace Canada

-Farm Folk, City Folk

-Nature’s Path

-The Council of Canadians

-Oxfam Canada

- [http://www.spud.ca SPUD: Small Potatoes Urban Delivery]

-Green Earth Organics

-Slow Food Vancouver

-Saltspringers for Safe Food

References

www.Canadians.org

www.GEfreeBC.org

www.Banterminator.org