Poaching is generally divided into two groups: those that poach animals to sell on the black market, and those that poach to survive. The question that was addressed in this “Planet Earth” documentary, and the one that I pose to you now, is when it comes to feeding a starving family, or protecting the health of an animal population, which is most important?

In short, which do we value more, a protected animal or a human being? Survival poaching will continue, especially in areas of the world where the food itself, not just the means to buy it, is scarce.

This debate between people who are trying to survive and conservationists trying to save a species really drove home for me that *poverty* is always part of the equation.

Thoughts, anyone?

As a longtime resident of downtown Regina, let me tell you what this means – it signifies the closure of the last book store in the downtown area. That’s right, you didn’t hallucinate that last sentence, and it’s not a typo. If you want to BUY A BOOK you must leave the downtown area.

Of course, we still have the main branch of the public library downtown, and it remains a magical place. But what if you don’t have access to the library? Or better yet, what if you wish to support the author by actually purchasing their book? What if you simply desire a copy of a book that you don’t have to return? What if the book is a new release? Point is, there are a dozen or more reasons to go to a book store as opposed to a library, and if you live in downtown Regina it just became very difficult to buy a damn book!

What does this mean? Am I to take this as a reflection of how downtown and its residents are viewed? Now, to be fair, I’ll confess a bias. I love to read and I love living downtown. I also don’t have a car. One of the perks of living downtown is that I can walk just about everywhere and am close to major bus routes. If I want to go to a book store, it’s now a major excursion; it takes me two hours just in travel time between waiting for and riding the bus. Is this a conspiracy? Has some secret society decided that downtown residents should work a little harder to buy books?

Okay, now I’m being specious. I want someone to blame for this! The illuminati seemed like a good choice. All joking aside, this is a real setback for rejuvenating downtown Regina. We have wonderful local businesses that receive little support from the city; we have a beautiful downtown area that would be vibrant if the majority didn’t shut down by 7pm; and now we have no bookstores. Downtown revitalization does not just mean more condos and parking lots; it stands for the need to facilitate positive changes for residents and business owners alike. More affordable housing; increased rental space; building successful and sustainable local businesses; and making downtown Regina a more vibrant and positive place for everyone.

I don’t doubt for a moment that there are people that buy organic food because they think it’s more nutritious. However, the reason that I purchase organic produce some of the time was not examined by this study. When it looks good, I buy organic produce because I really don’t like the idea of eating fruits and vegetables that have been sprayed down with pesticides and other chemicals. I don’t like the potential damage to the soil and aquifers, nor to the people who breathe it in over time. I don’t think that the base mineral and vitamin content are changed or increased somehow, simply because a vegetable has been grown organically – but I am glad that there are farms (locally and around the world) who put a value on growing their produce without a dousing of chemicals.

Great examples of local farm produce, including organic products, can be found in the heart of downtown Regina (on the 1900 block of Scarth Street) every Wednesday and Saturday until 1pm. Now that you know that it’s all equally nutritious, indulge and check it out!