A Comment by Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – the late American anthropologist Margaret Mead.
File photo by Doug Draper
I have said it before and I will say it again as a reporter going back to my days some three decades ago as an environment reporter with the late great St. Catharines Standard (as opposed to the festering pile of shit Sun Media has helped turn that newspaper in to today), never mind making villans out of the people who own and run places like Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario and SeaWorld in the United States.
The only way to close down these horrific prisons for whales and other marine mammals is to convince those who think it is a good idea to take their family, including their children there, is that this is an awful place to teach kids about some of the most magnificent creatures still left on this earth in our natural world.
So two very high thumbs up to Jennifer Jamieson, who recently convinced the elementary school her children attend in the Stonrey Creek, Ontario area not to do a school trip to Marineland.
“This is not some hippie bandwagon stunt. I am a mother [who is] truly concerned for and dedicated towards the welfare of animals,” Jamieson was quoted saying in a recent interview with CBC “I want my children to live a compassionate lifestyle and for society to stop viewing captivity as just another social norm. … There’s nothing educational about using animals for our entertainment.”
No it is not some hippie. It is someone following in the spirit of words of Margaret Mead.
Read the whole CBC article here on Jennifer Jamieson and her larger effort to get a whole school board in the Greater Niagara Region not to do trips to circus-like facilities like Marineland or Sea World by visting http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/hamilton-mom-gets-school-to-cancel-marineland-trip-1.2584413
(NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Nagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post. A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.)
Niagara At Large 
I am glad this mother spoke out on behalf of the captive animals at Marineland and stopped the school trip. However, in reading the CBC article attached, I note that the school has changed the trip destination to Royal Botanical Gardens. Readers should note that the RBC held a deer hunt on their property just before Christmas similar to the one held here in Niagara at the Short Hills Provincial Park. The difference was there was no one-no MNR, no RBG staff, no one-monitoring the hunters for identification, weapons or skills. There was no required or reported kill count, wound count or count of the number of orphaned fawns. RBG may be a better alternative for these students, but not by much.
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Way to go Jennifer Jamieson. You are definitely on the right track. The way to stop imprisoning whales, dolphins, etc. is to convince people not to take their children there. Everybody with children, listen up, and do the same thing at your school. This strategy will be far more effective than picketing.
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