London’s Priorities: Economy, excess, entertainment, environment, eggs

[“At this critical juncture in our history on Earth, we are asking the wrong questions. Instead of “How do we reduce the deficit?” or “How do we carve out a niche in the global economy?” we should be asking, “What is an economy for?” and “How much is enough?” What are the things in life that provide joy and happiness, peace of mind and satisfaction? Does the plethora of goods that our high-production economy delivers so effectively provide the route to happiness and satisfaction, or do the relationships between human and nonhuman beings still form the core of the important things in life? Is the uniformity of food and other products that we now encounter everywhere on the globe an adequate substitute for the different and the unexpected?” pg. 298, The Sacred Balance, by David Suzuki]

I may have my city’s priorities out of whack.

Its priorities may be “economy, economy, economy, excess, entertainment, environment, eggs.”

Environment may even come after eggs. I may have to do an egg-spensive study to be sure.

People, we live in very interesting times, do we not?

For most people the economy comes before all else. And for certain, the entertainment section in local papers - just the movie listings alone - is always twice as long (at least) than articles about environmental concerns, reparations or improvements in the fair to middlin’ four-way crossing we call home.

Why, federally (correct or quote me if I’m wrong), we have a Conservative government that wouldn’t say ‘environment’ even if it had a mouth full of it.


Locally, we usually do a bit better than that, except when economic matters hit a rough patch, which is now - in the minds of many - most of the time.

When the economy is doing poorly, many other priorities suffer. Not excess and entertainment particularly (“We must have our mega-burgers and movies!”), but for certain, the environment and eggs, or eggs and the environment (you decide the order).

I began thinking about our unbalanced priorities after reading The McLeod Report.ca, London News, July 21.

City councillor Denise Brown, about her new position on council, said the following:

“It’s a full-time job, but it doesn’t feel like a full-time job.”

What frustrates her though, is the time it takes to get things done. Among the distractions she cites the renewed debate over chickens in the backyard...

“Do I want my neighbours to have chickens next to me? No. I know the animals chickens attract and that’s an issue and it will only get worse.”

On what should council be focusing? Jobs, she says without hesitation. “We need to get businesses into London. We need to make London very attractive to big business. We need lots of jobs.” (Phil McLeod)


["Dear Ann, Can we talk about chickens today?"]

And in Denise Brown’s world, and many other’s as well, when people focus on the economy and jobs, i.e., properly, as in ‘above all else except fat hamburgers and fabulous movies,’ there is no time for environmental concerns or interests. Discussion? Humbug. Factory farms will supply everyone with eggs. Forget self-reliance. Forget doing something different or unexpected. Forget backyard coops. They’ll attract vermin. Next!

Are jobs important? Of course they are. But, as far as I’m aware, good jobs are not disconnected from the environment around us.

David Suzuki writes:

Some people believe that a clean environment is only affordable when the economy is strong, but in fact, it’s the other way around; the biosphere is what gives us life and a living. Human beings and our economies have to find a place within the environment. The economic assumption that endless growth is not only necessary but possible is suicidal for any species that lives in a finite world. (pg. 298, The Sacred Balance)

Rather than fewer discussions about chickens, perhaps more are needed, along with discussions about other topics that focus on a healthy connection with our natural surroundings.

If time allows, we could discuss the vermin already at home in London and what drew them here. Was it backyard chickens?

And we could discuss the city’s priorities too. I may have them out of whack.

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Please click here for a few words about our unnatural surroundings.

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