Rising levels of indebtedness in Canadian households are becoming a cause for concern, and prospects of improvement in the near future are low, said the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada.

In a 126-page study entitled 'Where Has The Money Gone', the association says that, despite the economic shocks of 2008, Canadian households had not significantly changed their use of financing.

"Debt had been growing fast during the 'before' era and continued doing so as we began to navigate the 'after,' " the authors said.

The household savings rate remains in decline, the study said.

RBC Financial Group, however, came to a somewhat different conclusion in a national poll conducted last month. It said six in 10 Canadians were keeping a closer eye on monthly expenses in the past six months.

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A friend of mine, a reader, sent me this letter by Kai Chan because he is worried about the Similkameen River just south of the B.C. border in Washington State where they are planning to dam the river. The Globe & Mail ran a story on the proposal and their quote is “Whatever happens, there are no benefits to Canada in this project. It threatens one of the three most endangered eco systems in Canada.

We had all better do our homework.

Flood B.C.’s endangered Similkameen? No dam way!

Eco-Minded by Kai Chan

An American power company is plotting to dam a river in Washington State. It would flood a whack of B.C.’s endangered Similkameen Valley — home to rare and precious creatures.

Lose precious Canadian habitat to fuel insatiable American appetites? No “dam” way.

This is an international waterway and a cross-border dispute between “nations.” On the American side, the federal government is dealing with this issue. In the other corner — plucky local Similkameen First Nations, B.C. politicians, and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. These courageous defenders of Canada are fighting way over their weight. But how long can they keep it up?

Where’s the cavalry? Why isn’t our federal government at the table, flexing some political muscle and plugging up this dam idea, once and for all? I’ve got my theories, but they’re unprintable.

The Similkameen is like a desert — it and the neighbouring Okanagan Valleys are both hot and dry. They have rattlesnakes, sunburned grasses and tiny burrowing owls the size of pop cans. It’s already an endangered landscape. A little water might be good, you might think. Flooding, though? That sounds like bad karma.

Lend your support to your brave countrymen, and give our sleeping giant (the federal government) a prod.

Call to action:

The proposed Shanker’s Bend dam would flood an area nine times the size of Stanley Park.

Please email Canadian Environment Minister Jim Prentice: Jim.Prentice@ec.gc.ca. Tell him what you think of this “dam” idea.

– Kai Chan is an assistant professor and Canada Research Chair at the Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability (IRES) at UBC.

The preceding article represents the best of what has recently come across John's desk. Highlighted items may include extensively unattributed passages provide by the subject of the article and readers should treat such feature and benefit claims accordingly.