The Comox Valley Environmental Council will hold a meeting at the Comox Regional District Boardroom, 550B Comox Road, Courtenay, at 7:00 pm, September 11, 2013. Guest speaker, Dr. Thierry Vrain, will give a short presentation on some of the aspects of the use of glycophosphate (RoundUp) in the Comox Valley.Dr. Vrain will present a 20 minute public lecture on the various impacts of RoundUp herbicide in the Comox Valley. This will include the latest research on the modes of action of this pesticide. Glyphosate, the active ingredient of the herbicide RoundUp, is known to inhibit a series of important biochemical pathways in plants and bacteria by binding to enzymes or their metal cofactors. Amphibians and birds are directly affected. Humans and mammals are probably impacted through chronic stress on their intestinal bacterial flora.
Dr. Vrain graduated in 1977 with a PhD from North Carolina State University in Plant Pathology. He was a soil biologist and a genetic engineer with Agriculture Canada for 30 years, and was the Head of the Biotechnology Department at the Summerland Research Centre, managing the research programs of 40 professional and technical employees from 1996 until 2002 and providing leadership for scientific committees and organizations to evaluate research proposals, educate and advise on scientific issues.
He provided scientific journals with reviews and editorial evaluations of scientific manuscripts, and technical expertise to governments to evaluate diagnostics and exclusion policies, and to Universities in Canada and abroad to educate students and staff, and supervise research projects. He retired in 2002 and created a little herbal farm on Vancouver Island where he teaches soil health. He also notes “I seem to have slipped into the persona of ‘a scientist turned activist’ and I lecture a lot about GMOs”.
The Comox Valley Environmental Council is a 23 year old ‘Not for Profit Society’ which acts as an umbrella organization for 20 local environmental organizations to meet with local Municipal and Regional representatives. CVEC meets five times a year, meetings are open to the public, and often include a short presentation of some local issue. There are about 2300 members in the local groups. We especially welcome attendance by any representatives of environmental organizations which may wish to join CVEC.
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