nationalobserver--2020-10-08--Feds, Ontario commit $295M each to electric vehicle production at Oakville Ford plant

The federal and Ontario governments promised Thursday to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into an auto plant for the mass production of electric vehicles and the batteries that power them — a plan they said would help the country 's automotive industry stay competitive and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic .
Ottawa and the province said they will each chip in $ 295 million to support production at Ford Motor Co. 's plant in Oakville , Ont .
The funding is part of a three-year agreement worth nearly $ 2 billion that was announced last month between the automaker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ autoworkers in Canada .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Doug Ford called the joint investment an important step in building the next generation of Canada 's auto industry as it increasingly shifts towards green technology .
The agreement will have a significant impact on the industry 's supply chain , including auto parts suppliers in the region , Trudeau said from the company 's connectivity and innovation centre in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata .
It will also secure 5,000 jobs throughout the automotive industry at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their livelihood , he said .
• The most sadistic figure in the Trump administration has the coronavirus .
Is it wrong to cheer ?
• Canada Pension Plan fuels the climate crisis with our own retirement savings • Annamie Paul wonders if Toronto byelection will still be held `` The market for electric vehicles will grow in the future and Canada has the talent to be a global leader in making batteries for electric vehicles , for electrification , and clean technologies , '' the prime minister said .
`` For our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is a win-win . ''
The premier , who spoke at the Oakville plant with representatives of the motor company and the union , said the deal `` marks a new chapter '' for Ontario 's auto industry .
`` We 're laying the groundwork for the long-term recovery and prosperity of our province , '' Ford said .
The Oakville plant employs 3,400 Ford workers , and Unifor president Jerry Dias has said retooling the plant to produce electric vehicles will save 3,000 of those jobs .
From the Liberal government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only help secure good-paying jobs in the struggling auto sector but also give Canada an edge in the global competition to meet what 's expected to be explosive demand for electric vehicles in the near future .
The feds and Ontario government say their plan to mass-produce electric vehicles at an Oakville plant would help Canada 's automotive industry stay competitive and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic .
The prime minister acknowledged the comparatively high price of zero-emission and battery-powered vehicles can play a role in motorists ' purchasing decisions , and urged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' to provide incentives for consumers to switch from traditional gas-powered cars .
A $ 5,000 federal rebate was introduced last spring .
Sales of electric vehicles dropped dramatically in Ontario in the first half of 2019 after the provincial Progressive Conservative government cancelled a rebate for their purchase , according to data released in December by Electric Mobility Canada .
Under the previous Liberal government , Ontario had offered up to $ 14,000 back for buyers of electric vehicles , but the Ford government eliminated the rebate after taking power in 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who could already afford expensive cars .
Asked whether Thursday 's announcement signalled a shift in the province 's stance on green energy initiatives , Ford said his government is a `` strong believer in the electrical cars . ''
Some Ontario legislators called on Ford to do more to promote green energy even as they welcomed Thursday 's announcement .
`` When the premier came to power , he did everything he could to deter electric vehicles , from cancelling EV rebates to ripping chargers from GO stations , '' Green @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement .
`` These backwards decisions should be reversed to encourage more job creators to set up shop in Ontario and help drivers make the switch . ''
The funding announcement is also part of Ottawa 's commitment to invest in the transition to a clean , renewable-energy economy , with the goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 .
It has already committed more than $ 300 million to create a network of fast-charging stations for electric vehicles across the country .
And it is providing incentives of up to $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leasing electric and hybrid vehicles .
The federal government also hopes the new investment will help boost home-grown mining companies that produce the nickel and other metals used to make the batteries for electric vehicles .
By tapping into its unique natural resources and using them domestically rather than shipping them abroad , Canada can play to its strengths as it helps the auto industry evolve and recover from the pandemic , the federal minister for innovation said .
`` It 's about leveraging the very strong and robust supply chain that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over 40 different academic institutions that have partnerships with the automotive industry to help with the transition to these new technologies and new solutions , '' Navdeep Bains said in a telephone interview .
`` And so we have a very compelling value proposition , we feel that Canada can and will be a global leader when it comes to producing batteries and building zero-emission vehicle . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8 , 2020 .

The federal and Ontario governments promised Thursday to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into an auto plant for the mass production of electric vehicles and the batteries that power them — a plan they said would help the country's automotive industry stay competitive and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Ottawa and the province said they will each chip in $295 million to support production at Ford Motor Co.'s plant in Oakville, Ont. The funding is part of a three-year agreement worth nearly $2 billion that was announced last month between the automaker and Unifor, the union that represents autoworkers in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Doug Ford called the joint investment an important step in building the next generation of Canada's auto industry as it increasingly shifts towards green technology. The agreement will have a significant impact on the industry's supply chain, including auto parts suppliers in the region, Trudeau said from the company's connectivity and innovation centre in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata. It will also secure 5,000 jobs throughout the automotive industry at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted workers everywhere to worry about their livelihood, he said.
"The market for electric vehicles will grow in the future and Canada has the talent to be a global leader in making batteries for electric vehicles, for electrification, and clean technologies," the prime minister said. "For our auto sector, for our environment, this is a win-win." Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The premier, who spoke at the Oakville plant with representatives of the motor company and the union, said the deal "marks a new chapter" for Ontario's auto industry.
"We're laying the groundwork for the long-term recovery and prosperity of our province," Ford said. The feds and Ontario government say their plan to mass-produce electric vehicles at an Oakville plant would help Canada's automotive industry stay competitive and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Oakville plant employs 3,400 Ford workers, and Unifor president Jerry Dias has said retooling the plant to produce electric vehicles will save 3,000 of those jobs. From the Liberal government's perspective, the investment will not only help secure good-paying jobs in the struggling auto sector but also give Canada an edge in the global competition to meet what's expected to be explosive demand for electric vehicles in the near future. The prime minister acknowledged the comparatively high price of zero-emission and battery-powered vehicles can play a role in motorists' purchasing decisions, and urged provincial governments to "do their part" to provide incentives for consumers to switch from traditional gas-powered cars. A $5,000 federal rebate was introduced last spring. Sales of electric vehicles dropped dramatically in Ontario in the first half of 2019 after the provincial Progressive Conservative government cancelled a rebate for their purchase, according to data released in December by Electric Mobility Canada.
Under the previous Liberal government, Ontario had offered up to $14,000 back for buyers of electric vehicles, but the Ford government eliminated the rebate after taking power in 2018, saying the money was going to people who could already afford expensive cars. Asked whether Thursday's announcement signalled a shift in the province's stance on green energy initiatives, Ford said his government is a "strong believer in the electrical cars." Some Ontario legislators called on Ford to do more to promote green energy even as they welcomed Thursday's announcement.


nationalobserver--2020-10-08--'Law and order' vs. COVID-19 chaos: Pence, Harris square off in vice-presidential  debate

Sen. Kamala Harris took the fight to Vice-President Mike Pence right out of the gate Wednesday , savaging the Trump administration 's `` incompetence '' and `` ineptitude '' in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic .
Harris wasted no time from the start of the 90-minute debate in Utah , taking full advantage of the fact that the head of the much-maligned White House task force was sitting across from her .
`` The American people have witnessed what is the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country , '' she said .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 210,000 dead , more than 7 million cases , one in five businesses shuttered and more than 30 million unemployment claims .
And she made note of Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward 's tape-recorded revelations that Trump knew in February how serious the crisis could be , but kept it to himself .
• The most sadistic figure in the Trump administration has the coronavirus .
Is it wrong to cheer ?
• Canada Pension Plan fuels the climate crisis with our own retirement savings • Annamie Paul wonders if Toronto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knew what was happening , and they did n't tell you , '' she said into the camera .
`` They knew , and they covered it up . ''
Pence , confronted with a question from moderator Susan Page that noted the U.S. death toll is more than twice that of Canada , countered with a familiar message .
In his trademark baritone , he credited Trump with buying precious time by restricting travel from China back in January ⏤ a move Joe Biden opposed , he noted ⏤ and praised Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the course of the crisis .
He insisted Trump kept the potential scope of the pandemic out of the public eye to avoid inciting panic .
`` From the very first day , President Donald Trump has put the health of Americans first , '' he said , Harris gently shaking her head , a smirk on her face .
Asked to lay out the Biden plan for dealing with the outbreak should he take office next year , Harris described a national contact-tracing strategy and a plan to fast-track vaccines , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or further lockdowns .
Sen. Kamala Harris took the fight to Vice-President Mike Pence right out of the gate savaging the Trump administration 's `` incompetence '' and `` ineptitude '' in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic .
# VPDebate # kamalaharris # mikepence Pence accused the Democrats of lifting the Republican plan .
`` It looks a little bit like plagiarism , '' Pence said , `` which is something Joe Biden knows a little bit about '' ⏤ a reference to a controversy that effectively ended Biden 's presidential ambitions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a distance of nearly four metres and through two layers of clear Plexiglas , a visible reminder of the threat of COVID-19 .
Throughout , Pence did his best to defend Trump and radiate common sense as a counterpoint to the daily chaos of the president , who called catching the virus a `` blessing from God '' in a video earlier Wednesday .
But he landed his share of blows , at times by exceeding his allotted share of time .
He cited the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement as one of the administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of only 10 senators who opposed the trade deal in the Senate .
`` It was a huge win for American auto workers .
It was a huge win for American farmers , especially dairy in the upper Midwest , '' Pence said .
`` You said it did n't go far enough on climate change .
You put your radical environmental agenda ahead of American auto workers and ahead of American jobs . ''
He accused Harris of supporting the Green New Deal , the controversial climate change plan of progressive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and insisted over the protests of his opponent that Joe Biden is bent on banning fracking ⏤ a major issue in blue-collar battlegrounds like Pennsylvania .
Both candidates did their share of dodging questions , too .
Harris refused to be pinned down on whether a Biden administration would `` pack '' the Supreme Court by adding seats for liberal judges , while Pence nimbly danced past several questions , including one about why the White House has n't been following its own recommendations for avoiding the virus .
Pence went into Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ given Harris is a former prosecutor and California attorney general with a slicing , procedural style .
But with polls suggesting a slide in support for Trump since last week 's insult-laden confrontation with Biden , the stakes were higher for the vice-president .
Pence 's special guests included Carl and Marsha Mueller , whose daughter Kayla was killed in Syria in 2015 ⏤ a curtain call of sorts after their gut-wrenching speech in August during the Republican National Convention .
On Wednesday , which happened to be the 19th anniversary of Operation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Islamic State militant group were indicted and returned to the U.S. on charges they helped abduct , torture and murder four American hostages from 2012 to 2015 , including Kayla Mueller .
Pence related the story of the family 's efforts to work with the Obama-Biden administration to rescue Mueller , describing it as a mishandled , delayed effort that missed its chance by just two days .
`` Her family says , with a heart that broke the heart of every American , that if President Donald Trump had been president , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' said Pence .
Harris could only acknowledge the tragedy .
`` I know about your daughter 's case , and I 'm so sorry .
I 'm so sorry , '' she said to the couple off-camera .
`` What happened to her is awful .
And it should have never happened .
And I know Joe feels the same way .
And I know that President Obama feels the same way . ''
She pivoted to Trump 's record of denigrating soldiers and veterans , a charge that Pence took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump not only respects but reveres all of those who serve in our armed forces , and any suggestion otherwise , it 's ridiculous . ''
Voters on both sides of the partisan divide are paying more attention to the running mates than they have in the past , not least because of the age and health of the presidential candidates themselves .
Biden is 77 , and the Trump campaign has done its best to depict him as a frail old man with neither the stamina nor the smarts to be commander-in-chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive Friday for COVID-19 , has been trying mightily ever since to depict himself as a president at the peak of his power .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 7 , 2020 .

Sen. Kamala Harris took the fight to Vice-President Mike Pence right out of the gate Wednesday, savaging the Trump administration's "incompetence" and "ineptitude" in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Harris wasted no time from the start of the 90-minute debate in Utah, taking full advantage of the fact that the head of the much-maligned White House task force was sitting across from her. "The American people have witnessed what is the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country," she said. A laundry list of grim statistics followed: more than 210,000 dead, more than 7 million cases, one in five businesses shuttered and more than 30 million unemployment claims. And she made note of Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward's tape-recorded revelations that Trump knew in February how serious the crisis could be, but kept it to himself.
"They knew what was happening, and they didn't tell you," she said into the camera. "They knew, and they covered it up." Pence, confronted with a question from moderator Susan Page that noted the U.S. death toll is more than twice that of Canada, countered with a familiar message. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions In his trademark baritone, he credited Trump with buying precious time by restricting travel from China back in January ⏤ a move Joe Biden opposed, he noted ⏤ and praised Americans for the sacrifices they have made over the course of the crisis.
He insisted Trump kept the potential scope of the pandemic out of the public eye to avoid inciting panic. Sen. Kamala Harris took the fight to Vice-President Mike Pence right out of the gate savaging the Trump administration's "incompetence" and "ineptitude" in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. #VPDebate #kamalaharris #mikepence "From the very first day, President Donald Trump has put the health of Americans first," he said, Harris gently shaking her head, a smirk on her face. Asked to lay out the Biden plan for dealing with the outbreak should he take office next year, Harris described a national contact-tracing strategy and a plan to fast-track vaccines, but stopped short of mentioning a mask mandate or further lockdowns. Pence accused the Democrats of lifting the Republican plan. "It looks a little bit like plagiarism," Pence said, "which is something Joe Biden knows a little bit about" ⏤ a reference to a controversy that effectively ended Biden's presidential ambitions in 1987.
Pence and Harris debated at a distance of nearly four metres and through two layers of clear Plexiglas, a visible reminder of the threat of COVID-19. Throughout, Pence did his best to defend Trump and radiate common sense as a counterpoint to the daily chaos of the president, who called catching the virus a "blessing from God" in a video earlier Wednesday. But he landed his share of blows, at times by exceeding his allotted share of time.


nationalobserver--2020-10-09--Liberals tout electric-vehicle manufacturing as ‘critical piece’ of climate plan

Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says the federal government ’ s investment Thursday in battery-electric vehicle manufacturing in Ontario is a “ critical piece ” of the Liberals ’ plan to cut carbon pollution .
Wilkinson ’ s comments come as Canada ’ s independent Parliamentary Budget Office released estimates Thursday on how much the federal carbon tax would need to rise to meet the nation ’ s Paris Agreement target in the absence of any other new measures that would cut pollution .
Parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux ’ s new analysis said the carbon tax would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per tonne and $ 289 per tonne by 2030 , depending on whether the government would apply such a tax broadly across almost all industries or cap it for big emitters .
This price range would be sufficient to close the 77-megatonne ( Mt ) gap that is not accounted for between Canada ’ s Paris target and current measures that have been announced , said Giroux .
Giroux noted the report does not assess the merits of carbon pricing versus other approaches .
• The most sadistic figure in the Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cheer ?
• All the elements are in place for American-style fascism , says Cornel West • Greens still feel ‘ hurt and confusion ’ over NDP attacks last election , says Paul “ We ’ re not getting into a debate as to whether a carbon tax or regulations are the best instruments — we leave that to those who are in the political arena , or policy wonks , ” he said .
Federal parties have been promoting a broader approach to tackling Canada ’ s carbon pollution than just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government ’ s strategy , for example , has been a mix of carbon pricing and other measures , such as regulating coal-fired power plants and methane leaks from oil and gas facilities and investing in electric-vehicle infrastructure to encourage the decarbonization of the transport sector .
On Thursday , Wilkinson pointed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 's and Ontario Premier Doug Ford ’ s announcement of $ 295 million each to help repurpose an assembly plant in Oakville , Ont.
, for battery-electric vehicle production as a climate-fighting move .
Speaking during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efficiency and renewable energy as two elements of an “ effective climate plan ” that would aim to “ reduce emissions in all sectors across the country.
” “ Certainly , the announcement today by the prime minister and Premier Ford with respect to zero-emission vehicle manufacturing is a critical piece of that plan as well , ” he said .
Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says the federal government ’ s investment Thursday in battery-electric vehicle manufacturing in Ontario is a “ critical piece ” of the Liberals ’ plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s emissions gap is due to the fact that current government projections , which include measures such as the clean fuel standard and the fuel charge , show that emissions will decline to 588 Mt in 2030 .
But the Paris target requires the country to cut carbon pollution 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 , which translates to a level of 511 Mt , or 77 Mt below projections .
Giroux 's report also does not account for the escalating economic and environmental costs of the climate crisis or compare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the cost of doing nothing .
Giroux said his office didn ’ t have the resources necessary to crunch the numbers .
“ The staff here is very good , outstanding , but they ’ re economists , ” he said .
“ To assess the costs of doing nothing , you need a broad team of climatologists and economists , and it ’ s not something that ’ s widely done.
” Wilkinson has previously said he is confident Canada will close the emissions gap by 2030 and even “ exceed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wilkinson ’ s mandate letter says the minister is expected to introduce “ new greenhouse gas reducing measures.
” Other federal parties have different ideas for what those measures might be .
Green party Leader Annamie Paul has proposed that Canada implement a carbon border adjustment that would put a carbon price on certain imports from countries that have “ weak emission reduction policies and practices ” or policies that are below a minimum threshold .
In an interview Wednesday , Paul said the border adjustment would be “ one of the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ above its weight , and to show true global leadership on getting other countries to set a strong , nationally determined contribution target and actually meet them .
”

Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says the federal government’s investment Thursday in battery-electric vehicle manufacturing in Ontario is a “critical piece” of the Liberals’ plan to cut carbon pollution. Wilkinson’s comments come as Canada’s independent Parliamentary Budget Office released estimates Thursday on how much the federal carbon tax would need to rise to meet the nation’s Paris Agreement target in the absence of any other new measures that would cut pollution. Parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux’s new analysis said the carbon tax would need to rise to between $117 per tonne and $289 per tonne by 2030, depending on whether the government would apply such a tax broadly across almost all industries or cap it for big emitters. This price range would be sufficient to close the 77-megatonne (Mt) gap that is not accounted for between Canada’s Paris target and current measures that have been announced, said Giroux. Giroux noted the report does not assess the merits of carbon pricing versus other approaches.
“We’re not getting into a debate as to whether a carbon tax or regulations are the best instruments — we leave that to those who are in the political arena, or policy wonks,” he said. Federal parties have been promoting a broader approach to tackling Canada’s carbon pollution than just using a carbon tax. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The Liberal government’s strategy, for example, has been a mix of carbon pricing and other measures, such as regulating coal-fired power plants and methane leaks from oil and gas facilities and investing in electric-vehicle infrastructure to encourage the decarbonization of the transport sector.
On Thursday, Wilkinson pointed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's and Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s announcement of $295 million each to help repurpose an assembly plant in Oakville, Ont., for battery-electric vehicle production as a climate-fighting move. Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says the federal government’s investment Thursday in battery-electric vehicle manufacturing in Ontario is a “critical piece” of the Liberals’ plan to cut carbon pollution. Speaking during question period, the minister named energy efficiency and renewable energy as two elements of an “effective climate plan” that would aim to “reduce emissions in all sectors across the country.” “Certainly, the announcement today by the prime minister and Premier Ford with respect to zero-emission vehicle manufacturing is a critical piece of that plan as well,” he said. Green leader promotes border adjustment Canada’s emissions gap is due to the fact that current government projections, which include measures such as the clean fuel standard and the fuel charge, show that emissions will decline to 588 Mt in 2030.
But the Paris target requires the country to cut carbon pollution 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, which translates to a level of 511 Mt, or 77 Mt below projections. Giroux's report also does not account for the escalating economic and environmental costs of the climate crisis or compare the cost of a rising carbon tax to the cost of doing nothing. Giroux said his office didn’t have the resources necessary to crunch the numbers. “The staff here is very good, outstanding, but they’re economists,” he said. “To assess the costs of doing nothing, you need a broad team of climatologists and economists, and it’s not something that’s widely done.”


nationalobserver--2020-10-09--Bjorn Lomborg’s false comfort

Bjorn Lomborg’s false comfort

Thanksgiving may bring many of us face to face with relatives we see infrequently and agree with even more infrequently .
If their summer reading included Bjorn Lomborg ’ s blustery blockbuster False Alarm , this article is for you !
I read the book so you don ’ t have to .
Before we go further , let ’ s review a few truths .
All of us want the dignity of having our concerns considered .
None of us wants the indignity of listening to someone convinced they ’ re morally or intellectually superior .
And some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Answer with anger when that uncle mentions Lomborg , and we look like the bad guy .
Lomborg himself peaks when he makes the case for growth on behalf of the developing world .
It ’ s one thing to hector First World one-percenters to make do with less .
It ’ s another to demand the same of our working class or First Nations cousins , let alone our many relatives in the developing world .
Everyone deserves the freeing comforts of prosperity .
We just need to keep the long view @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if we ’ re still handcuffed to carbon .
It can help to acknowledge that the cheap energy from fossil fuels made our current living standards possible .
If not for that cheap energy , most of us would still be farmers labouring in a world of high infant mortality without modern medicine .
We simply need to move beyond them as fast as we can ; like the line from the old Batman movie , fossil fuels have “ lived long enough to see ( themselves ) become the villain.
” If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ credit — even as we need to obsolete them — we create the space for others to praise climate solutions , even as they voice their own concerns .
In his new book , author Bjorn Lomborg blames the media for stoking climate hysteria .
This would be credible , @ ElectronComm says , if it didn ’ t come from a book with the extreme , headline-grabbing title 'False Alarm . '
There ’ s a rhetorical playbook for the contrarian “ actually , I know best ” genre .
It goes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , unjustified conclusion , refutation of counter-argument , repetition of unjustified conclusion .
Here ’ s an example : “ Cheap solar panels and batteries are the biggest keys to stabilizing the climate .
They ’ re cheap because of Chinese industrial policy .
If only more countries were communist we ’ d have cured carbon pollution years ago .
Yeah , the Soviet Union was a disaster , but they weren ’ t truly communist .
At least not communist with Chinese characteristics.
” It ’ s effective because unless you know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s persuasive .
And to be fair , I ’ m using the playbook right now .
But I ’ m writing a 1,000-word book review , not a 100,000-word manifesto that “ the solution to pollution is evolution.
” I also like to think my conclusions are justified .
Lomborg breezes through explanations that polar bears are doing OK , that cold weather has historically caused more chaos than hot weather and that storms only seem worse today because there are more people ( with more property ) in harm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bears adapting to a 3-4 C temperature increase from mid-century to 1995-2005 doesn ’ t mean they ’ ll thrive with more of the same ; as they say , “ past performance is not indicative of future returns.
” And worrying about cold-related crop failure in a warmer world is fighting the last war ; that thinking brought us the Maginot Line .
As for Lomborg ’ s “ more people ” argument , how do I do this justice ?
Despots would love to argue that ethnic cleansing only seems worse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are more people to sweep up than in past pogroms .
Some things are relative .
I ’ m not sure human suffering is one of them .
Lomborg relies heavily on a calculation by Nobel Prize-winning economist William Nordhaus that temperature rise will have a negligible impact on global GDP , perhaps a four per cent reduction for a 4 C average worldwide temperature increase .
The calculation is really , really important to Lomborg ’ s argument .
So we might expect a discussion of the calculation ’ s credibility in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a review of peer-reviewed literature , even a cursory check for consensus or controversy .
We would be wrong .
Nordhaus ’ s calculation is presented as established fact , with as much context for its claims as a multi-level marketing brochure .
Nordhaus , his many critics and climate science itself deserve better .
You know those investment commercials that explain that if you grow your money for a long time at eight per cent , you ’ ll get a million dollars — but if you can compound it at 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ five or 10 million ?
On long timescales , a small difference in the key assumption makes a huge difference .
While Nordhaus ’ s body of work has been greatly praised , his key assumption about the appropriate “ social discount rate ” has been consistently criticized for greatly underestimating the costs of climate change .
The one-sentence summary for Section 3 is that spaceship Earth is a big ship , there ’ s a lot of inertia and nothing we do will really change things .
We ’ ll assume it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greta Thunberg and Martin Luther King Jr .
The section does give us an amusing inversion .
Lomborg spent earlier chapters scolding environmentalists for thinking only of climate change costs and not its benefits ; he now expounds on the costs of climate solutions ( such as solar and wind power ) without consideration of their benefits .
To be even-handed , we should credit Lomborg with the valid criticism that climate policies in the First World can unintentionally harm developing countries .
Even as they deploy as much wind and solar as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our cousins will be supplementing renewables with some new fossil power plants ( mainly natural gas ) for many years to come .
Our cousins won ’ t be choosing renewables or gas , they ’ ll be choosing renewables and gas .
But if we demand that all banks cut all funding for all fossil fuel-related projects , we would be slowing the arrival of 24-7 grids to developing countries .
To insist we know what is best for them is no less than colonialism with climate characteristics .
Closer to home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fossil fuel project , we have no moral grounds to oppose them from our perch of privilege .
We can only work harder to reduce our own emissions faster .
In the book 's final section , Lomborg advocates for research and development over “ deployment-led innovation , ” the strategy by which governments help industries scale up to drive cost reductions , thanks to which 600 gigawatts of solar panels are now deployed worldwide ( 600 gigawatts is the nameplate capacity of about 670 Site C hydroelectric dams ) .
Cataloguing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of nothing , he argues that subsidies for renewables would be better spent on growth .
And yet in the United States , subsidies essentially are used for growth .
In America , the subsidies for wind and solar come in the form of tax credits for their owners ( or in many cases , their Wall Street investment bank project financiers ) .
That ’ s partly how Apple , Google , Amazon , JPMorgan Chase and others keep their tax bills so low .
What do they do with these savings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as one Goldman Sachs CEO put it : pursuing growth .
So Lomborg , who supports growth , comes out against “ subsidies ” for renewables , which are one of the strongest levers for growth at America ’ s most profitable companies — the ones that can most powerfully induce growth ( if they don ’ t waste it all on stock buybacks ) .
It ’ s an ouroboros of an argument : a snake eating its tail , a “ circular economy ” approach to logic .
Lomborg does offer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ technology breakthroughs can ’ t be predicted , he proposes blue ribbon expert panels to predict the most promising breakthroughs and direct policy .
It ’ s not that bad of an idea , really .
It ’ s exactly how we wound up with the aforementioned 600 gigawatts of solar panels , so his opposition to today ’ s climate solutions in favour of tomorrow ’ s solutions is peculiar .
The book finishes with some salutary chapters on geoengineering , trade and development , clumsy efforts to compare climate activism with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an apophasis about a grand conspiracy .
Wish as we might , Lomborg isn ’ t going away any time soon , so it ’ s worth scouting his ideas .
There isn ’ t enough time over Thanksgiving to debunk all of Lomborg ’ s claims .
When speaking with our uncle , a better use of time would be to pick at the claim he raises , then pivot to our own narrative , which is better .
As wonderful as statistics may be , stories beat statistics every day of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some credit where it ’ s due — whether to economic prosperity , cheap energy or even fossil fuels — can thaw our right-wing uncle 's feelings about climate solutions and melt the tension between you , too .

Lomborg opens by blaming the media for stoking climate hysteria by publicizing extreme, headline-grabbing studies. This would be credible, truly credible, if it didn’t come from a book with the extreme, headline-grabbing title False Alarm.
Before we go further, let’s review a few truths. All of us want the dignity of having our concerns considered. None of us wants the indignity of listening to someone convinced they’re morally or intellectually superior. And some of us might come across that way. Answer with anger when that uncle mentions Lomborg, and we look like the bad guy.
Thanksgiving may bring many of us face to face with relatives we see infrequently and agree with even more infrequently. If their summer reading included Bjorn Lomborg’s blustery blockbuster False Alarm , this article is for you! I read the book so you don’t have to.
Here’s a recent emissions trajectory from the highly respected consultancy DNV GL , which argues human CO2 emissions peaked in 2019. To borrow a book title, it’s good news for a change . Making that news better, faster, is the calling of our generation.
Barring an asteroid, humans won’t go extinct any time soon. Among the hopeful notes, we’ve “bent the curve” on coal; we will never burn the amounts envisioned in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 's worst-case pathways.
If we can give fossil fuels this much credit — even as we need to obsolete them — we create the space for others to praise climate solutions, even as they voice their own concerns.
It can help to acknowledge that the cheap energy from fossil fuels made our current living standards possible. If not for that cheap energy, most of us would still be farmers labouring in a world of high infant mortality without modern medicine. We simply need to move beyond them as fast as we can; like the line from the old Batman movie, fossil fuels have “lived long enough to see (themselves) become the villain.”
Lomborg himself peaks when he makes the case for growth on behalf of the developing world. It’s one thing to hector First World one-percenters to make do with less. It’s another to demand the same of our working class or First Nations cousins, let alone our many relatives in the developing world. Everyone deserves the freeing comforts of prosperity. We just need to keep the long view that it isn’t true freedom if we’re still handcuffed to carbon.
Here’s an example: “Cheap solar panels and batteries are the biggest keys to stabilizing the climate. They’re cheap because of Chinese industrial policy. If only more countries were communist we’d have cured carbon pollution years ago. Yeah, the Soviet Union was a disaster, but they weren’t truly communist. At least not communist with Chinese characteristics.”
There’s a rhetorical playbook for the contrarian “actually, I know best” genre. It goes along the lines of anecdote, anecdote, unjustified conclusion, refutation of counter-argument, repetition of unjustified conclusion.
It’s effective because unless you know where the unjustified conclusion goes wrong, it’s persuasive. And to be fair, I’m using the playbook right now. But I’m writing a 1,000-word book review, not a 100,000-word manifesto that “the solution to pollution is evolution.” I also like to think my conclusions are justified.
Lomborg breezes through explanations that polar bears are doing OK, that cold weather has historically caused more chaos than hot weather and that storms only seem worse today because there are more people (with more property) in harm’s way.
Sadly, polar bears adapting to a 3-4 C temperature increase from mid-century to 1995-2005 doesn’t mean they’ll thrive with more of the same; as they say, “past performance is not indicative of future returns.” And worrying about cold-related crop failure in a warmer world is fighting the last war; that thinking brought us the Maginot Line.
As for Lomborg’s “more people” argument, how do I do this justice? Despots would love to argue that ethnic cleansing only seems worse today because global population growth means there are more people to sweep up than in past pogroms.
Some things are relative. I’m not sure human suffering is one of them.
The equation
Lomborg relies heavily on a calculation by Nobel Prize-winning economist William Nordhaus that temperature rise will have a negligible impact on global GDP, perhaps a four per cent reduction for a 4 C average worldwide temperature increase.
The calculation is really, really important to Lomborg’s argument. So we might expect a discussion of the calculation’s credibility in contemporary climate and economic modelling research, a review of peer-reviewed literature, even a cursory check for consensus or controversy. We would be wrong. Nordhaus’s calculation is presented as established fact, with as much context for its claims as a multi-level marketing brochure. Nordhaus, his many critics and climate science itself deserve better.
You know those investment commercials that explain that if you grow your money for a long time at eight per cent, you’ll get a million dollars — but if you can compound it at 10 per cent, you’ll have five or 10 million? On long timescales, a small difference in the key assumption makes a huge difference. While Nordhaus’s body of work has been greatly praised, his key assumption about the appropriate “social discount rate” has been consistently criticized for greatly underestimating the costs of climate change.
The big ship
The one-sentence summary for Section 3 is that spaceship Earth is a big ship, there’s a lot of inertia and nothing we do will really change things. We’ll assume it was written before Lomborg had heard of Greta Thunberg and Martin Luther King Jr.
The section does give us an amusing inversion. Lomborg spent earlier chapters scolding environmentalists for thinking only of climate change costs and not its benefits; he now expounds on the costs of climate solutions (such as solar and wind power) without consideration of their benefits.
To be even-handed, we should credit Lomborg with the valid criticism that climate policies in the First World can unintentionally harm developing countries. Even as they deploy as much wind and solar as possible, as fast as possible, our cousins will be supplementing renewables with some new fossil power plants (mainly natural gas) for many years to come. Our cousins won’t be choosing renewables or gas, they’ll be choosing renewables and gas.
But if we demand that all banks cut all funding for all fossil fuel-related projects, we would be slowing the arrival of 24-7 grids to developing countries. To insist we know what is best for them is no less than colonialism with climate characteristics. Closer to home, if a First Nations community supports a fossil fuel project, we have no moral grounds to oppose them from our perch of privilege. We can only work harder to reduce our own emissions faster.
A 'circular economy' of logic
In the book's final section, Lomborg advocates for research and development over “deployment-led innovation,” the strategy by which governments help industries scale up to drive cost reductions, thanks to which 600 gigawatts of solar panels are now deployed worldwide (600 gigawatts is the nameplate capacity of about 670 Site C hydroelectric dams).
Cataloguing the cost of everything and the value of nothing, he argues that subsidies for renewables would be better spent on growth. And yet in the United States, subsidies essentially are used for growth.
In America, the subsidies for wind and solar come in the form of tax credits for their owners (or in many cases, their Wall Street investment bank project financiers). That’s partly how Apple, Google, Amazon, JPMorgan Chase and others keep their tax bills so low. What do they do with these savings? Doing God’s work, as one Goldman Sachs CEO put it: pursuing growth.
So Lomborg, who supports growth, comes out against “subsidies” for renewables, which are one of the strongest levers for growth at America’s most profitable companies — the ones that can most powerfully induce growth (if they don’t waste it all on stock buybacks). It’s an ouroboros of an argument: a snake eating its tail, a “circular economy” approach to logic.
Lomborg does offer his preferred solution. After arguing that technology breakthroughs can’t be predicted, he proposes blue ribbon expert panels to predict the most promising breakthroughs and direct policy. It’s not that bad of an idea, really. It’s exactly how we wound up with the aforementioned 600 gigawatts of solar panels, so his opposition to today’s climate solutions in favour of tomorrow’s solutions is peculiar.
The book finishes with some salutary chapters on geoengineering, trade and development, clumsy efforts to compare climate activism with Enron and the military-industrial complex, and an apophasis about a grand conspiracy.
Wish as we might, Lomborg isn’t going away any time soon, so it’s worth scouting his ideas. There isn’t enough time over Thanksgiving to debunk all of Lomborg’s claims. When speaking with our uncle, a better use of time would be to pick at the claim he raises, then pivot to our own narrative, which is better. As wonderful as statistics may be, stories beat statistics every day of the week.
And lastly, offering some credit where it’s due — whether to economic prosperity, cheap energy or even fossil fuels — can thaw our right-wing uncle's feelings about climate solutions and melt the tension between you, too.


nationalobserver--2020-10-09--What good is a single-use plastics ban if it doesn't include water bottles?

On Wednesday , the Canadian government announced the list of single-use plastic products it plans to ban .
Shockingly , the list does not include plastic water bottles .
This is a serious oversight that must be remedied .
The plastics crisis is destroying our lakes , rivers and oceans .
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature reports that “ at least eight million tons of plastic end up in our oceans every year , '' negatively affecting all marine species .
A huge culprit is the bottled water industry .
Every minute , globally , a million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The world is now producing half a trillion plastic water bottles every year , and only nine per cent of all plastic ever produced has been recycled .
The rest is dumped in landfills , forests , marshes and our shared waters .
Of course , the water comes from mining local groundwater and watersheds , and opposition is growing across the country .
So intense is the reaction to the many new bottled water sites in B.C .
that a petition in 2019 to the Union of BC Municipalities led to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an end to all water extractions for the bottled water industry .
B.C .
has experienced several years of intense drought , and people there are becoming very protective of their water heritage .
A fierce fight against bottled water has taken place over the last decade in the largely rural area near Guelph , Ont .
Nestle — which recently sold its Canadian holdings — has been pumping almost five million litres a day from two wells in the area , and had acquired the licence to operate a third well in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needs the water for a growing population .
Six Nations of the Grand River is an Indigenous community that has been particularly vocal in its opposition to this operation .
With 90 per cent of the community without running water in their homes , residents are angry because the wells are on a tract of land ceded to them in treaties long ago .
`` A ban on single-use plastic water bottles would go a long way to meeting our commitment to reduce our plastic footprint ... and serve our commitment to protect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is rapidly running out , '' says @ MaudeBarlow .
Some will argue that we have to provide bottled water for those without access to clean water , especially to First Nations .
It is tragically true that there is still a lack of safe water in many First Nations communities across the country .
This is an issue I have personally spent considerable time working to change .
But communities needing to have water brought in rely on large water gallon containers , which would not be included in a ban on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goal in Indigenous communities is not any form of plastic but safe , public tap or well water for all , as has been guaranteed by the United Nations as a fundamental human right .
It is past the time to declare water as a public trust and stop mining it for profit .
A ban on single-use plastic water bottles would go a long way to meeting our commitment to reduce our plastic footprint , lower the carbon footprint of producing the plastic in the first place and serve our commitment to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is rapidly running out .

On Wednesday, the Canadian government announced the list of single-use plastic products it plans to ban. Shockingly, the list does not include plastic water bottles. This is a serious oversight that must be remedied. The plastics crisis is destroying our lakes, rivers and oceans. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature reports that “at least eight million tons of plastic end up in our oceans every year," negatively affecting all marine species. A huge culprit is the bottled water industry. Every minute, globally, a million plastic bottles of water are sold. The world is now producing half a trillion plastic water bottles every year, and only nine per cent of all plastic ever produced has been recycled. The rest is dumped in landfills, forests, marshes and our shared waters. Canadians consume more than two billion plastic bottles of water every year. This in a country where, overwhelmingly, the water coming from our taps is clean, safe, affordable and supplied by governments through public systems. There is no call whatsoever for governments to protect an industry that is contributing to the plastics crisis while spending public funds to clean and deliver safe drinking water to Canadian homes and workplaces. Yet that is exactly what the Canadian government is doing. Because bottled water is considered a food product, its regulation is overseen by Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
As such, the bottled water industry is openly promoted by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, whose mission is to support the agri-food industry and “promote innovation and competitiveness.” Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's website openly promotes the “health and wellness benefits” of bottled water, in particular, flavoured bottled water geared to youth. The government site advises that “consumers are searching for convenient beverage options that offer nutritional and health benefits” to sugary high-calorie sodas. In a February 2017 report, AgCanada lamented the “gap” in bottled water exports to China, concluding that the water-quality crisis in that country offers “significant opportunities” for the Canadian industry to "expand" into China and beyond. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Not surprisingly, a number of Canadian and foreign investors are taking the government up on this challenge. One Chinese investor has already shipped 200 container loads of water from a well near Chilliwack, B.C., and Whistler Water Inc., a consortium of Canadian and Chinese investors, announced the launch of an investment agreement to market premium Canadian glacial water to China.
Of course, the water comes from mining local groundwater and watersheds, and opposition is growing across the country. So intense is the reaction to the many new bottled water sites in B.C. that a petition in 2019 to the Union of BC Municipalities led to a resolution to ask the government to put an end to all water extractions for the bottled water industry. B.C. has experienced several years of intense drought, and people there are becoming very protective of their water heritage. "A ban on single-use plastic water bottles would go a long way to meeting our commitment to reduce our plastic footprint ... and serve our commitment to protect clean water in a world where it is rapidly running out," says @MaudeBarlow. A fierce fight against bottled water has taken place over the last decade in the largely rural area near Guelph, Ont. Nestle — which recently sold its Canadian holdings — has been pumping almost five million litres a day from two wells in the area, and had acquired the licence to operate a third well in Middlebrook, outbidding a local township that needs the water for a growing population. Six Nations of the Grand River is an Indigenous community that has been particularly vocal in its opposition to this operation. With 90 per cent of the community without running water in their homes, residents are angry because the wells are on a tract of land ceded to them in treaties long ago. Some will argue that we have to provide bottled water for those without access to clean water, especially to First Nations. It is tragically true that there is still a lack of safe water in many First Nations communities across the country. This is an issue I have personally spent considerable time working to change. But communities needing to have water brought in rely on large water gallon containers, which would not be included in a ban on single-use water bottles. And surely the goal in Indigenous communities is not any form of plastic but safe, public tap or well water for all, as has been guaranteed by the United Nations as a fundamental human right.


nationalobserver--2020-10-09--EU initiative asks Canada’s youth to think about big issues

Sagar Grewal wants Canadian youth to know their insights matter , and there might be a trip to Europe in the offing for those willing to enter a policy development competition he is helping to judge .
The Thinkathon Online Challenge is looking for hundreds of young Canadians to develop creative digital projects addressing racism , health , climate change , gender equality and education , some of which will end up in front of Canadian and European policy-makers .
“ Not everyone has experience in policy development , but with the right kind of tools , I think absolutely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ youth can engage in , ” said Grewal .
He said a subset of “ hyper-engaged youth ” — like himself — are ready to jump into civic discourse , but other young people who might appear more apathetic mostly lack access , awareness of opportunity and confidence that their contributions are valued .
There is still work to be done “ getting these opportunities into those communities , ” he said , in order to “ show them that really , if you are a youth and you have lived experience in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your perspective and that 's the first step in getting engaged.
” • The most sadistic figure in the Trump administration has the coronavirus .
Is it wrong to cheer ?
• All the elements are in place for American-style fascism , says Cornel West • Greens still feel ‘ hurt and confusion ’ over NDP attacks last election , says Paul Grewal first became engaged politically while studying at the University of Calgary during the 2015 federal election , when he was just days too young to be eligible to vote .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to vote from other students and later developed policy , advocacy and engagement skills with the student union , where he served for a year as president .
The Thinkathon project is funded by the European Union and run by the Goethe-Institut Montreal , Brussels-based ThinkYoung and Montreal employment support non-profit Carrefour Jeunesse Emploi NDG .
In 2019 and early 2020 , several in-person , 24-hour Thinkathons were held in Brussels and Montreal , and then in Edmonton and Milan , before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the most recent iteration and an upcoming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teams of young people develop a policy proposal during the session and submit a short presentation , with the most promising ones getting paired with a mentor in a second stage to refine the idea .
From there , finalists are chosen to present to jurors and a live audience .
Grewal and teammate Manpreet Deol won the first online version of the challenge for Think Outside the Bars , a proposal to provide incarcerated people with better access to educational opportunities , especially digital skills .
The @ 24H_Thinkathon competition is giving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ related to racism , health , climate change , gender equality and education through creative digital projects .
# thinkdigitalfuture It argues that Ottawa should work out how to provide federal prisoners with digital skills they will need when they are released , noting that facilities prohibit internet access .
These could range from the basics of a computer interface through to data analytics , web development , data visualization , coding and front-end software development .
“ Hopefully that helps them with employment , and hopefully that helps them with their transition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
Their proposal pointed to existing programs that could be adapted for inmates , whom the government only aims to provide a high school certificate but who may be offered additional education programs `` on an as-needed basis , '' according to regulations .
It recommended community organizations to partner with and , indeed , an entire implementation strategy complete with `` hindrance factors '' and government-speed timelines for canvassing and piloting a project over two years .
The proposal focused on former inmates who have ostensibly been rehabilitated but face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It argued that helping these former inmates get jobs would lower their chances of returning to jail , citing evidence that correctional education both reduces the likelihood of reoffending and improves the likelihood of gaining employment by 13 per cent .
Patty Hajdu , Canada 's health minister , listens to Sagar Grewal and others at an August 2019 meeting of the Prime Minister 's Youth Council in Iqaluit .
Photo by Guillaume Vallée Grewal , a postgraduate student who just finished a two-year term on the Prime Minister ’ s Youth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back to one of the council 's virtual meetings with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau , Attorney General David Lametti and Industry and Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains , and is hopeful the federal government pursues it .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to Sagar Grewal and others during a March 2020 virtual meeting of his youth council .
Screenshot by Sagar Grewal “ Since then , I think we still have to make a bit more progress on what that may look like , ” he said .
“ And we were given some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jurors , about people to get in touch with .
So that 's kind of where we 're at right now.
” The pandemic has meant the latest Thinkathon cohorts miss out on the experience of spending 24 hours in a room and getting “ really deep into conversations on what you ’ re trying to address , or what 's the issue that you care about , or how you envision going about solving this thing , ” Grewal said .
But with the move online , more young people have gotten @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do so , he said .
Anyone in Canada or Europe between the ages of 18 and 30 is invited to register their interest and idea by Dec. 1 , with development and mentoring running from Dec. 4 until the day before the livestreamed online final on Jan. 22 .
Organizers are planning to cap involvement at around 200 , which they say will ensure participants receive focused mentorship , exchange and learning opportunities .
Once public health conditions allow , the program will send one of the finalists from Europe and one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engage with their local policy-makers .
Grewal said that offers an enticing opportunity that “ hopefully shows you can be that participant who ends up travelling across the world to continue to work on this idea and develop the skills to carry this further .
”

Sagar Grewal wants Canadian youth to know their insights matter, and there might be a trip to Europe in the offing for those willing to enter a policy development competition he is helping to judge. The Thinkathon Online Challenge is looking for hundreds of young Canadians to develop creative digital projects addressing racism, health, climate change, gender equality and education, some of which will end up in front of Canadian and European policy-makers. “Not everyone has experience in policy development, but with the right kind of tools, I think absolutely it is something that a lot of youth can engage in,” said Grewal. He said a subset of “hyper-engaged youth” — like himself — are ready to jump into civic discourse, but other young people who might appear more apathetic mostly lack access, awareness of opportunity and confidence that their contributions are valued. There is still work to be done “getting these opportunities into those communities,” he said, in order to “show them that really, if you are a youth and you have lived experience in just about anything, you can share your perspective and that's the first step in getting engaged.”
Grewal first became engaged politically while studying at the University of Calgary during the 2015 federal election, when he was just days too young to be eligible to vote. He ended up volunteering to collect pledges to vote from other students and later developed policy, advocacy and engagement skills with the student union, where he served for a year as president. Thinkathons in Brussels, Milan before pandemic pushed events online Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The Thinkathon project is funded by the European Union and run by the Goethe-Institut Montreal, Brussels-based ThinkYoung and Montreal employment support non-profit Carrefour Jeunesse Emploi NDG.
In 2019 and early 2020, several in-person, 24-hour Thinkathons were held in Brussels and Montreal, and then in Edmonton and Milan, before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the most recent iteration and an upcoming one online. The @24H_Thinkathon competition is giving young Canadians the chance to tackle issues related to racism, health, climate change, gender equality and education through creative digital projects. #thinkdigitalfuture In all cases, teams of young people develop a policy proposal during the session and submit a short presentation, with the most promising ones getting paired with a mentor in a second stage to refine the idea. From there, finalists are chosen to present to jurors and a live audience. Grewal and teammate Manpreet Deol won the first online version of the challenge for Think Outside the Bars, a proposal to provide incarcerated people with better access to educational opportunities, especially digital skills. It argues that Ottawa should work out how to provide federal prisoners with digital skills they will need when they are released, noting that facilities prohibit internet access. These could range from the basics of a computer interface through to data analytics, web development, data visualization, coding and front-end software development. “Hopefully that helps them with employment, and hopefully that helps them with their transition and reintegration into society afterwards,” he said.
Their proposal pointed to existing programs that could be adapted for inmates, whom the government only aims to provide a high school certificate but who may be offered additional education programs "on an as-needed basis," according to regulations. It recommended community organizations to partner with and, indeed, an entire implementation strategy complete with "hindrance factors" and government-speed timelines for canvassing and piloting a project over two years. The proposal focused on former inmates who have ostensibly been rehabilitated but face significant stigma and discrimination in the workforce. It argued that helping these former inmates get jobs would lower their chances of returning to jail, citing evidence that correctional education both reduces the likelihood of reoffending and improves the likelihood of gaining employment by 13 per cent.


nationalobserver--2020-10-09--Alexandra Morton wants to see North Island go Green

Wild salmon advocate and biologist Alexandra Morton knows running as the BC Green party candidate for North Island in the Oct. 24 election is going to be a tough row .
“ History informs me that , yes , it is a hard sell to be a Green candidate here , ” said Morton , a scientist who has fiercely lobbied for the removal of open-net pen salmon farms from B.C .
coastal waters for more than two decades .
North Island is an NDP stronghold , with outgoing MLA Claire Trevena holding onto the seat for 15 years and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vancouver Island , adjacent islands and a remote section of the B.C .
central coast .
“ I thought — after doing all the science , the activism and engaging in every political process on this issue — maybe I better be sitting at the table , ” she said .
Morton questioned the assumption that support for the salmon farming industry would be unequivocal in the region given the employment it generates .
She has lived in the North Island region since the mid-1980s and has witnessed the decline of coastal communities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stocks .
“ I thought — after doing all the science , the activism and engaging in every political process on this issue — maybe I better be sitting at the table , ” says @ BCGreens candidate Alexandra Morton of her aim to get fish farms out of ocean waters .
“ I don ’ t think ( fish farm companies ) have lots of support , ” Morton said , noting aquaculture workers get low wages , the companies are mechanizing quickly and fish farm jobs can just as easily be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I know many communities thought salmon farms were going to be good for them , but they weren ’ t , ” Morton said .
“ And where 's the powerhouse of employment ?
It 's small business , and that includes the tourism industry , ” she added .
Morton also backs the Greens ' calls for a moratorium on logging old-growth ecosystems and the development of a sustainable forestry strategy .
“ I think productive old-growth needs to be protected right now , ” Morton said , adding the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ losses .
“ We do not have to destroy our world , we just have to get more creative about ( forestry practices ) , ” she said .
Focusing on more jobs per tree cut , value-adding to timber inside the province and putting more control of forestry policy in community hands are some options , she added .
Whether debating salmon farming , forestry or economic recovery from COVID-19 , discussion needs to focus on sustainability and making sure local communities are the main benefactors of policy decisions rather than large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said drawing new residents to North Island communities because they appreciate the natural surroundings and recognize them as good places to raise families is one way to bolster the region ’ s economy .
But better infrastructure needs to be in place , she said .
“ I can see we need connectivity .
We need better roads , and we need to solve our housing crisis , ” said Morton , adding rentals are almost non-existent in her community of Sointula on Malcolm Island .
“ I have now talked to teachers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ artists , First Nations , and everybody wants their community to thrive , ” she said .
“ So to do this , we really have to look at the local economy and what is making these communities tick .
”

Wild salmon advocate and biologist Alexandra Morton knows running as the BC Green party candidate for North Island in the Oct. 24 election is going to be a tough row. “History informs me that, yes, it is a hard sell to be a Green candidate here,” said Morton, a scientist who has fiercely lobbied for the removal of open-net pen salmon farms from B.C. coastal waters for more than two decades. North Island is an NDP stronghold, with outgoing MLA Claire Trevena holding onto the seat for 15 years and four elections. The riding covers northern Vancouver Island, adjacent islands and a remote section of the B.C. central coast. The region’s largest urban centre, Campbell River, is a city where fish farm and forestry sector interests are firmly established. And the two industries traditionally have limited tolerance for Green party policy. Fish farms and forestry are significant industries in the North Island riding. Map supplied by Elections BC
Her commitment to saving wild salmon sparked her decision to run against NDP candidate Michele Babchuk, Liberal candidate Norm Facey and Conservative candidate John Twigg in the upcoming election. Though she has been asked to run in past elections, this time Morton decided she had to step up after Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) decided last month that open-net pen salmon farms could remain in the waters around the Discovery Islands, which is a key migratory route for threatened sockeye salmon. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “The federal government came out with a completely disastrous assessment of the impact of salmon farms off Campbell River,” said Morton, noting DFO also signalled it will now consult with provincial stakeholders on the issue.
“I thought — after doing all the science, the activism and engaging in every political process on this issue — maybe I better be sitting at the table,” she said. “I thought — after doing all the science, the activism and engaging in every political process on this issue — maybe I better be sitting at the table,” says @BCGreens candidate Alexandra Morton of her aim to get fish farms out of ocean waters. Morton questioned the assumption that support for the salmon farming industry would be unequivocal in the region given the employment it generates. She has lived in the North Island region since the mid-1980s and has witnessed the decline of coastal communities due to the collapse of wild salmon stocks. “I don’t think (fish farm companies) have lots of support,” Morton said, noting aquaculture workers get low wages, the companies are mechanizing quickly and fish farm jobs can just as easily be had on land with closed containment systems. “I know many communities thought salmon farms were going to be good for them, but they weren’t,” Morton said.
“And where's the powerhouse of employment? It's small business, and that includes the tourism industry,” she added. Morton also backs the Greens' calls for a moratorium on logging old-growth ecosystems and the development of a sustainable forestry strategy. “I think productive old-growth needs to be protected right now,” Morton said, adding the move doesn’t necessarily mean job losses.


nationalobserver--2020-10-09--Robert De Niro as grandpa, Christopher Walken as a Canadian farmer and a novel teen comedy

We also have a terrific Netflix film going even wider in its early trip to real theatres .
The Trial of the Chicago 7 is now in two more venues , VanCity and the 5th , before its Oct. 16 premiere on the service .
It ’ s one of the best films I ’ ve seen all year .
With the Vancouver International Film Festival finished , there ’ s always a letdown .
The high-quality films are far fewer as the regular fare takes over .
Today , we ’ ve got new work from Adam Sandler and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comedy , a couple of tales for Halloween and , thankfully , a very good film about a Black woman trying both playwriting and rapping .
PERCY : A bully corporation intimidates a Saskatchewan farmer .
That ’ s the story we know about canola grower Percy Schmeiser , which the film tells again .
But it then crowds it with a related issue — the fears about genetically modified organisms ( GMOs ) .
That turns this into largely an informational piece and a courtroom procedural .
It has value if you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but it really should have been far more gripping than this .
He gets encouragement from some pals ( including Christopher Walken and Cheech Marin ) and unexpected outcomes , like when he falls into a coffin at a funeral .
Cooler heads prevail , an armistice is declared , and the film ’ s life lesson is revealed : War is bad .
There ’ s still Christmas to come , though , and grandpa falls off a ladder trying to fix the lights on the roof .
There ’ s ageism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , bonding ( on a fishing trip ) and a contrived sequence of dodgeball .
The director , Tim Hill , is known for a Chipmunks movie and a lot of SpongeBob .
( International Village , Marine Gateway and several suburban theatres ) 2 out of 5 THE WAR WITH GRANDPA : This is not a career highlight for Robert De Niro .
It feels like a TV movie , or maybe a Netflix film , and here it is in theatres .
Families might watch it , and I suspect young @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll recognize the comic drama in this tale of grandpa moving in , being given the young son ’ s room and thereby sending the boy ( Oakes Fegley ) to sleep in the attic .
What can the lad do but fight back ?
Anybody who has seen the conflict in Home Alone or been raised on other movies and TV will understand .
Take the hardware out of a bed and chair , and they ’ ll collapse when grandpa sits down .
Hot sauce in the coffee ?
Yeah , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thurman ) takes it instead and ends up spitting it at a cop .
The film is full of humour like that , very broad and sometimes badly written .
Grandpa doesn ’ t know computers but finds a way to destroy a long-in-the-works on-screen creation .
SPONTANEOUS : No matter what , high school comedies will be made .
This one is a treat because it feels innovative , touches on serious matters and still manages to be funny until it deftly shifts into a darker tone .
It has a strong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was so good in Knives Out last year ; Hayley Law , well-known from TV ’ s Riverdale , as her best friend ; Charlie Plummer as her boyfriend ; and Piper Perabo as her mother .
It was filmed at a high school in Maple Ridge , but most importantly , it speaks to the uncertain fears about the future almost everybody feels these days , and teens feel just about all the time .
This is a tale of growing up , with a love story woven in and sunk into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ played by Christopher Walken , adheres to the old ways .
Like his father and grandfather before him , he saves seeds to plant next year .
The Monsanto corporation finds some of their patented seeds on his land and sues him for everything he has .
The company says it owns his entire crop and demands to collect damages .
The case went to three courts in the late 1990s and threatened to wipe Percy out .
Zach Braff , as his lawyer , suggests he “ settle.
” Christina Ricci , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fighting , holds fundraisers and takes him to India to talk to farmers there and learn from them about the dangers of expensive agricultural chemicals .
The facts are well-presented , even the chemistry .
Plants grown from Monsanto ’ s seeds survive while its Roundup herbicide kills all the weeds around them .
The human story , though — the little guy fighting a big corporation — is under-powered and should have more impact .
It was filmed in Manitoba , with Canadian-American Clark Johnson directing and Martin Donovan ( company lawyer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s wife ) and Adam Beach ( his field hand ) solid in the cast .
( International Village and 5th Avenue ) 3 out of 5 As Mara , the Langford character , tells it in voiceover narration , it started with no warning at all in class .
One student exploded .
There are more of these , thankfully not shown graphically .
Terrified teens and perplexed cops try to figure out what ’ s going on , and for us , it ’ s a fine representation of youthful anxiety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” mom says .
The students , wisecracking smart alecks though they appear to be , can ’ t explain it , either .
“ Nothing makes sense , ” says one .
They make a lot of movie references when they talk about it , and a couple of scenes mimic the sterile isolation scenes from E.T .
A happy accident , I guess , that it feels so contemporary .
Mara even has a fantasy vision where she verbally slams Donald Trump .
It ’ s from a popular young @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smoothly adapted and directed by Brian Duffield , who takes a step up from scriptwriting only .
( Available now via premium video-on-demand and digitally on several platforms ) 3½ out of 5 THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION : The joke in the title is typical of what you ’ ll get in this film .
It ’ s full of quips and observations , jokes and sly putdowns , and the wails of an artist trying to make it before the years run out .
As the main character says : “ When a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like fruit that falls from the tree for the bugs to eat.
” That ’ s the moan of a Black woman trying to make it as a playwright in New York .
Radha Blank plays a fictionalized version of herself in the film .
She ’ s written a play set in Harlem , driven by memories of her mother ’ s life there , but has trouble finding a backer to stage it .
She works as a drama teacher instead .
Her agent arranges a meeting with a smiley-faced white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interested but wants changes .
He suggests a modern story about gentrification .
Radha won ’ t do it and , while moping in front of the mirror , starts rapping .
She realizes she ’ s good at it and visits a DJ who might help her .
He ’ s in a small apartment full of other guys smoking dope , has a bunch of recording equipment there and speaks very little .
But he does recognize her talent .
The story doesn ’ t progress easily ; she ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laughs , and has self-doubts .
But when her play gets a small presentation , it horrifies her in this reworked version and inspires her to stop “ selling my soul.
” It ’ s a personal manifesto of sorts .
She wrote and directed the film , plays the lead and has , at the same time , made an instructive example for aspiring artists .
She won a directing award at Sundance with it .
( Netflix ) 4 out of 5 YELLOW ROSE : It looks like a tale of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a country music star .
But that ’ s only part of it .
It ’ s just as much a story of American authorities cracking down on immigrants .
The agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) are the looming villains here , who swoop in now and then to catch their prey .
The site is somewhere in Texas , where you ’ d think the immigrants they catch would all be Mexican .
The main characters in this film are from the Philippines .
Rose and her mother @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , played by Grammy winner and Broadway performer Eva Noblezada , knows country music history and the records , and says Townes Van Zandt is her spirit god .
A friend takes her to a country bar in a nearby town , where she meets a local star , Dale Watson , playing himself in “ the last true Texas dancehall.
” She gets back to the motel just in time to see ICE agents take her mother away .
So we ’ ve got three stories going forward : her and music @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the immigration agents and her trying to communicate with her mother , who is sure to be deported and not likely to be allowed back for 10 years .
The director , Diane Paragas , has a background in documentaries .
This a heartfelt story , a bit stiffly acted but moving anyway .
And it 's dotted with music , including a final song that ’ s also a declaration : I Ain ’ t Goin ’ Down .
( International Village and three suburban theatres ) 3½ out of 5 THE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve had a number of eerie films recently that draw on some milder experiences with possession and witchcraft .
This Canadian entry follows the trend well , builds lots of atmosphere and a dark mood but skimps on the chills and scares .
It ’ s more a series of incidents than a story that grows and grabs .
It ’ s still worth watching , though ; just don ’ t hold out for heavy thrills .
Enjoy the haunting ambience .
A religious sect from Ireland came to North American in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s now 1973 , and these rural folk still dress in the old way .
They ’ ve also been living for almost 20 years with the result of a “ pestilence ” that poisoned their crops and livestock .
Except for one farm , that is , where Agatha Earnshaw lives and has been secretly raising her daughter , Audrey .
When they go to town ( in a horse cart , of course ) , she hides Audrey in a wooden crate .
“ Everybody knows what you are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her at his son ’ s funeral .
A heretic , some think .
A witch , maybe .
The film lets us ponder how true that is through a series of arguments and confrontations and creepy sights , like rotting animals , blood both coughed up and seeping from a cut , madness and a difficult pregnancy .
And revenge .
Newcomer Jessica Reynolds is luminous and aggrieved as Audrey , and most familiar in the cast are Don McKellar as the first townsman to see her and Sean McGinley as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brought out the folk horror feel .
( International Village and Langley theatres , VOD starting Oct. 20 ) 3 out of 5 HUBIE HALLOWEEN : Adam Sandler attracts good people to appear in his movies , but the result is regularly just mediocre .
That is so with this latest one , too .
It started on Netflix on Wednesday and immediately became the No .
1 film .
People love him , I guess , though the usual collection of cheap jokes shouldn ’ t draw such adulation .
He plays @ @ @ @ @ @ @ zombie , ” in Salem , Mass .
He ’ s a goodhearted type , but teens and other rowdies persist in pelting him with food .
He has taken it upon himself to act as a monitor to see that people are safe on Halloween evening .
That ’ s not easy because there 's an escaped psychopath out there somewhere , a werewolf freshly moved in next door ( played by Steve Buscemi ) and a cop ( Kevin James ) conniving to keep Hubie ineffectual .
Ray Liotta insults him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Canadian background .
That explains his last name , Dubois , but to what effect ?
I don ’ t know .
Mind you , much of what goes on has no purpose other than quick jokes .
A budding romance with a local woman ( Julie Bowen ) is not credible at all .
But check out the cast : SNL regulars Melissa Villaseñor , Kenan Thompson and Mikey Day , Sandler buddies Rob Schneider and Tim Meadows and others , including June Squibb , Ben Stiller and Shaquille O'Neal .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but later you ’ ll feel you ’ ve stooped .
( Netflix ) 2½ out of 5

We also have a terrific Netflix film going even wider in its early trip to real theatres. The Trial of the Chicago 7 is now in two more venues, VanCity and the 5th, before its Oct. 16 premiere on the service. It’s one of the best films I’ve seen all year.
With the Vancouver International Film Festival finished, there’s always a letdown. The high-quality films are far fewer as the regular fare takes over. Today, we’ve got new work from Adam Sandler and Robert De Niro, a high school comedy, a couple of tales for Halloween and, thankfully, a very good film about a Black woman trying both playwriting and rapping.
THE WAR WITH GRANDPA : This is not a career highlight for Robert De Niro. It feels like a TV movie, or maybe a Netflix film, and here it is in theatres. Families might watch it, and I suspect young boys might respond best. They’ll recognize the comic drama in this tale of grandpa moving in, being given the young son’s room and thereby sending the boy (Oakes Fegley) to sleep in the attic. What can the lad do but fight back? Anybody who has seen the conflict in Home Alone or been raised on other movies and TV will understand. Take the hardware out of a bed and chair, and they’ll collapse when grandpa sits down. Hot sauce in the coffee? Yeah, except, what if mom (Uma Thurman) takes it instead and ends up spitting it at a cop. The film is full of humour like that, very broad and sometimes badly written. Grandpa doesn’t know computers but finds a way to destroy a long-in-the-works on-screen creation.
PERCY : A bully corporation intimidates a Saskatchewan farmer. That’s the story we know about canola grower Percy Schmeiser, which the film tells again. But it then crowds it with a related issue — the fears about genetically modified organisms (GMOs). That turns this into largely an informational piece and a courtroom procedural. It has value if you don’t know the story, but it really should have been far more gripping than this.
He gets encouragement from some pals (including Christopher Walken and Cheech Marin) and unexpected outcomes, like when he falls into a coffin at a funeral. Cooler heads prevail, an armistice is declared, and the film’s life lesson is revealed: War is bad. There’s still Christmas to come, though, and grandpa falls off a ladder trying to fix the lights on the roof. There’s ageism (a long scene with dentures), bonding (on a fishing trip) and a contrived sequence of dodgeball. The director, Tim Hill, is known for a Chipmunks movie and a lot of SpongeBob. (International Village, Marine Gateway and several suburban theatres) 2 out of 5
Courtesy Mongrel Media
Percy, played by Christopher Walken, adheres to the old ways. Like his father and grandfather before him, he saves seeds to plant next year. The Monsanto corporation finds some of their patented seeds on his land and sues him for everything he has. The company says it owns his entire crop and demands to collect damages. The case went to three courts in the late 1990s and threatened to wipe Percy out. Zach Braff, as his lawyer, suggests he “settle.” Christina Ricci, as an anti-GMO campaigner, says keep fighting, holds fundraisers and takes him to India to talk to farmers there and learn from them about the dangers of expensive agricultural chemicals. The facts are well-presented, even the chemistry. Plants grown from Monsanto’s seeds survive while its Roundup herbicide kills all the weeds around them. The human story, though — the little guy fighting a big corporation — is under-powered and should have more impact. It was filmed in Manitoba, with Canadian-American Clark Johnson directing and Martin Donovan (company lawyer), Roberta Maxwell (Percy’s wife) and Adam Beach (his field hand) solid in the cast. (International Village and 5th Avenue) 3 out of 5
SPONTANEOUS: No matter what, high school comedies will be made. This one is a treat because it feels innovative, touches on serious matters and still manages to be funny until it deftly shifts into a darker tone. It has a strong cast, including Katherine Langford, who was so good in Knives Out last year; Hayley Law, well-known from TV’s Riverdale, as her best friend; Charlie Plummer as her boyfriend; and Piper Perabo as her mother. It was filmed at a high school in Maple Ridge, but most importantly, it speaks to the uncertain fears about the future almost everybody feels these days, and teens feel just about all the time. This is a tale of growing up, with a love story woven in and sunk into a not-quite horror picture.
Courtesy Paramount Pictures
As Mara, the Langford character, tells it in voiceover narration, it started with no warning at all in class. One student exploded. There are more of these, thankfully not shown graphically. Terrified teens and perplexed cops try to figure out what’s going on, and for us, it’s a fine representation of youthful anxiety. “It’s just life,” mom says. The students, wisecracking smart alecks though they appear to be, can’t explain it, either. “Nothing makes sense,” says one. They make a lot of movie references when they talk about it, and a couple of scenes mimic the sterile isolation scenes from E.T. A happy accident, I guess, that it feels so contemporary. Mara even has a fantasy vision where she verbally slams Donald Trump. It’s from a popular young adult novel by Aaron Starmer and was smoothly adapted and directed by Brian Duffield, who takes a step up from scriptwriting only. (Available now via premium video-on-demand and digitally on several platforms) 3½ out of 5
THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION: The joke in the title is typical of what you’ll get in this film. It’s full of quips and observations, jokes and sly putdowns, and the wails of an artist trying to make it before the years run out. As the main character says: “When a woman turns 40, she’s like fruit that falls from the tree for the bugs to eat.” That’s the moan of a Black woman trying to make it as a playwright in New York. Radha Blank plays a fictionalized version of herself in the film. She’s written a play set in Harlem, driven by memories of her mother’s life there, but has trouble finding a backer to stage it. She works as a drama teacher instead.
Courtesy Netflix
Her agent arranges a meeting with a smiley-faced white impresario (Reed Birney) who is interested but wants changes. He suggests a modern story about gentrification. Radha won’t do it and, while moping in front of the mirror, starts rapping. She realizes she’s good at it and visits a DJ who might help her. He’s in a small apartment full of other guys smoking dope, has a bunch of recording equipment there and speaks very little. But he does recognize her talent. The story doesn’t progress easily; she’s prone to stagefright, draws jeers and laughs, and has self-doubts. But when her play gets a small presentation, it horrifies her in this reworked version and inspires her to stop “selling my soul.” It’s a personal manifesto of sorts. She wrote and directed the film, plays the lead and has, at the same time, made an instructive example for aspiring artists. She won a directing award at Sundance with it. (Netflix) 4 out of 5
YELLOW ROSE: It looks like a tale of a young woman with dreams of becoming a country music star. But that’s only part of it. It’s just as much a story of American authorities cracking down on immigrants. The agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are the looming villains here, who swoop in now and then to catch their prey. The site is somewhere in Texas, where you’d think the immigrants they catch would all be Mexican. The main characters in this film are from the Philippines. Rose and her mother clean rooms at a motel.
Courtesy Sony Pictures
Rose, played by Grammy winner and Broadway performer Eva Noblezada, knows country music history and the records, and says Townes Van Zandt is her spirit god. A friend takes her to a country bar in a nearby town, where she meets a local star, Dale Watson, playing himself in “the last true Texas dancehall.” She gets back to the motel just in time to see ICE agents take her mother away. So we’ve got three stories going forward: her and music, her keeping out of sight of the immigration agents and her trying to communicate with her mother, who is sure to be deported and not likely to be allowed back for 10 years. The director, Diane Paragas, has a background in documentaries. This a heartfelt story, a bit stiffly acted but moving anyway. And it's dotted with music, including a final song that’s also a declaration: I Ain’t Goin’ Down. (International Village and three suburban theatres) 3½ out of 5
THE CURSE OF AUDREY EARNSHAW: We’ve had a number of eerie films recently that draw on some milder experiences with possession and witchcraft. This Canadian entry follows the trend well, builds lots of atmosphere and a dark mood but skimps on the chills and scares. It’s more a series of incidents than a story that grows and grabs. It’s still worth watching, though; just don’t hold out for heavy thrills. Enjoy the haunting ambience.
Courtesy A71
A religious sect from Ireland came to North American in 1873 and never changed its ways. It’s now 1973, and these rural folk still dress in the old way. They’ve also been living for almost 20 years with the result of a “pestilence” that poisoned their crops and livestock. Except for one farm, that is, where Agatha Earnshaw lives and has been secretly raising her daughter, Audrey. When they go to town (in a horse cart, of course), she hides Audrey in a wooden crate. “Everybody knows what you are,” a distraught father yells at her at his son’s funeral. A heretic, some think. A witch, maybe. The film lets us ponder how true that is through a series of arguments and confrontations and creepy sights, like rotting animals, blood both coughed up and seeping from a cut, madness and a difficult pregnancy. And revenge. Newcomer Jessica Reynolds is luminous and aggrieved as Audrey, and most familiar in the cast are Don McKellar as the first townsman to see her and Sean McGinley as a pastor. Thomas Robert Lee directed and brought out the folk horror feel. (International Village and Langley theatres, VOD starting Oct. 20) 3 out of 5
HUBIE HALLOWEEN: Adam Sandler attracts good people to appear in his movies, but the result is regularly just mediocre. That is so with this latest one, too. It started on Netflix on Wednesday and immediately became the No. 1 film. People love him, I guess, though the usual collection of cheap jokes shouldn’t draw such adulation. He plays Hubie, described as a “mumbling zombie,” in Salem, Mass. He’s a goodhearted type, but teens and other rowdies persist in pelting him with food.
Courtesy Netflix
He has taken it upon himself to act as a monitor to see that people are safe on Halloween evening. That’s not easy because there's an escaped psychopath out there somewhere, a werewolf freshly moved in next door (played by Steve Buscemi) and a cop (Kevin James) conniving to keep Hubie ineffectual. Ray Liotta insults him and manages to reveal that he has a Canadian background. That explains his last name, Dubois, but to what effect? I don’t know. Mind you, much of what goes on has no purpose other than quick jokes. A budding romance with a local woman (Julie Bowen) is not credible at all. But check out the cast: SNL regulars Melissa Villaseñor, Kenan Thompson and Mikey Day, Sandler buddies Rob Schneider and Tim Meadows and others, including June Squibb, Ben Stiller and Shaquille O'Neal. It’s a time-waster — fun, but later you’ll feel you’ve stooped. (Netflix) 2½ out of 5