nationalobserver--2020-07-30--WE-sponsored travel for donors not the norm for charities: experts

In the wake of revelations that Finance Minister Bill Morneau and his family had overseas trips sponsored by the WE organization , experts in the charitable sector say covering a donor 's travel costs is an unusual practice .
Morneau told the House of Commons finance committee last week he had freshly repaid WE Charity more than $ 41,000 in expenses for trips he and his family took to Kenya and Ecuador in 2017 to see and take part in some of its humanitarian work .
WE Charity said the trips were meant to be free and that covering expenses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ordinary for its organization , or for the international development sector .
`` From time to time , on a complimentary basis , WE Charity invites potential supporters to see the impact of its global projects , '' WE told The Canadian Press in a statement .
`` Many international charities and humanitarian agencies operate in a similar manner , '' WE had said in a separate statement released to journalists last week .
• Rescue team scrambling to find three distressed humpback whales on B.C .
coast • What I learned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Valley But Elizabeth Gomery , founding partner of the charitable consulting firm Philanthropica , says paying for rich donors to travel overseas is not common practice .
`` Usually — and I 've never seen a case other than the one with respect to WE Charity — the donor pays their own way , '' she said .
`` I can genuinely say that it 's extremely rare to see a case where a charity foots the bill for a high-net-worth individual to visit the work that they 're doing overseas . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Speaking who has over 20 years of experience in the sector , agreed .
`` Generally , charities are extremely conservative about underwriting costs , '' she said .
`` Charities feel very conscious of being mindful stewards of donor dollars , and we tend to ask people who are generous to us to underwrite their own expenses so that we are being very , very careful about the dollars that we 're spending . ''
In the wake of revelations that Finance Minister Bill Morneau and his family had overseas trips sponsored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the charitable sector say covering a donor 's travel costs is an unusual practice .
WE said offering complimentary trips to sponsors and potential donors has been an effective practice , eliciting millions in donations from donors after their trips .
WE co-founder Craig Kielburger testified Tuesday that Morneau 's wife , Nancy McCain , was already in Kenya in July 2017 to view the work of other charities she sponsors when WE invited her and her daughter to stay at WE-owned accommodations .
`` In our mind , it was an invitation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ms. McCain , who 's very philanthropic and very beneficial , '' Kielburger said .
Six months later , WE hosted Morneau and his family again in Ecuador , where the organization picked up the tab for accommodations , food and `` build site supervision , as they were building the schools and working on a service trip , '' Kielburger told the Commons finance committee Tuesday .
Morneau said he always planned to personally cover all the amounts , and he previously reimbursed flight and hotel costs of $ 52,000 for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he was surprised to discover additional costs of $ 41,366 had been covered by the charity when going over receipts ahead of his testimony .
He immediately repaid them and has apologized for the error .
WE said the Morneau family stayed in WE-owned accommodations because their programs are located in rural regions with `` limited to no alternative accommodation options . ''
But Gomery said she finds this problematic .
WE lodges are owned by ME to WE , a for-profit entity that is a sister organization of WE Charity .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with are super expensive , '' she said , noting that they operate on a for-profit basis .
`` It 's a little bit messy , to be honest . ''
Asked if free stays for donors at the ME to WE lodges means WE Charity is purchasing services from its for-profit social enterprise , WE said ME to WE `` has contributed millions more in cash to WE Charity than WE Charity has purchased in services such as trip hosting . ''
In its statement , the organization listed ME to WE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hosting at ME to WE travel locations WE Charity donors who are visiting charity projects and youth service trip scholarship '' — activities that have helped raise `` tens of millions of dollars '' in donations .
WE also stressed that 100 per cent of ME to WE 's profits `` have either been donated to WE Charity or reinvested to grow the social mission . ''
There has been an ongoing debate in humanitarian circles about whether these kinds of trips are a form of `` poverty tourism '' for wealthy North @ @ @ @ @ @ @ towns and villages .
Rosenfield said these visits should happen only when those being visited are full partners in the endeavour .
`` People can and should have agency , '' Rosenfield said .
Ultimately , it depends on the individual situations and conditions and how a donor visit could impact the people on the ground , she added .
`` If it is in the interests ( of ) the people at that location for someone to visit them , that 's a very important consideration . ''
Gomery said she believes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tool for some organizations to allow sponsors to see the impact of their donations first-hand , as long as it is done appropriately and sensitively .
She believes the real ethical questions revolve around why WE Charity picked up the tab for the wealthy minister of finance and his family overseas .
`` I would not be comfortable with that if I was donor to WE Charity .
I 'd be pretty angry about that , to be honest . ''
Both Morneau and Trudeau are being investigated by the federal ethics commissioner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ selecting WE to run the $ 912-million Canada Student Service Grant program .
WE backed away from the sole-sourced contract earlier this month , citing the controversy that has dogged the agreement .
Earlier this month , WE announced it had launched a formal review of its organization aimed at simplifying its program offerings and making governance and structural changes .
It said that included `` evaluating the future of ME to WE , with the goal of a clearer separation of the social enterprise from the charitable entities . ''
This report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ July 29 , 2020 .

In the wake of revelations that Finance Minister Bill Morneau and his family had overseas trips sponsored by the WE organization, experts in the charitable sector say covering a donor's travel costs is an unusual practice. Morneau told the House of Commons finance committee last week he had freshly repaid WE Charity more than $41,000 in expenses for trips he and his family took to Kenya and Ecuador in 2017 to see and take part in some of its humanitarian work. WE Charity said the trips were meant to be free and that covering expenses for potential sponsors is nothing out of the ordinary for its organization, or for the international development sector. "From time to time, on a complimentary basis, WE Charity invites potential supporters to see the impact of its global projects," WE told The Canadian Press in a statement. "Many international charities and humanitarian agencies operate in a similar manner," WE had said in a separate statement released to journalists last week.
But Elizabeth Gomery, founding partner of the charitable consulting firm Philanthropica, says paying for rich donors to travel overseas is not common practice. "Usually — and I've never seen a case other than the one with respect to WE Charity — the donor pays their own way," she said. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions "I can genuinely say that it's extremely rare to see a case where a charity foots the bill for a high-net-worth individual to visit the work that they're doing overseas."
Ann Rosenfield, a principal at Charitably Speaking who has over 20 years of experience in the sector, agreed. In the wake of revelations that Finance Minister Bill Morneau and his family had overseas trips sponsored by the WE organization, experts in the charitable sector say covering a donor's travel costs is an unusual practice. "Generally, charities are extremely conservative about underwriting costs," she said. "Charities feel very conscious of being mindful stewards of donor dollars, and we tend to ask people who are generous to us to underwrite their own expenses so that we are being very, very careful about the dollars that we're spending." WE said offering complimentary trips to sponsors and potential donors has been an effective practice, eliciting millions in donations from donors after their trips. WE co-founder Craig Kielburger testified Tuesday that Morneau's wife, Nancy McCain, was already in Kenya in July 2017 to view the work of other charities she sponsors when WE invited her and her daughter to stay at WE-owned accommodations.
"In our mind, it was an invitation to a very prominent Canadian family, Ms. McCain, who's very philanthropic and very beneficial," Kielburger said. Six months later, WE hosted Morneau and his family again in Ecuador, where the organization picked up the tab for accommodations, food and "build site supervision, as they were building the schools and working on a service trip," Kielburger told the Commons finance committee Tuesday. Morneau said he always planned to personally cover all the amounts, and he previously reimbursed flight and hotel costs of $52,000 for the excursions. However, last week he said he was surprised to discover additional costs of $41,366 had been covered by the charity when going over receipts ahead of his testimony.


nationalobserver--2020-07-30--Canada praised for avoiding 'vaccine nationalism' in race for COVID-19 cure

A top American health expert is praising Canada for not succumbing to `` vaccine nationalism '' because of its efforts to push for fair global distribution of a cure for the COVID-19 pandemic .
Thomas Bollyky , director of the global health program at the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations , says that sets Canada apart from the United States and European countries that are making moves to pre-buy massive amounts of potentially viable vaccines for their own populations .
Bollyky says that amounts to hoarding and would undermine joint efforts to neutralize COVID-19 in rich and poor countries alike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be proud of in this pandemic , '' Bollyky , who also teaches law at Georgetown University , said in an interview .
His own government , however , needs to do a lot better , Bollyky co-wrote in an essay to be published next month in the journal Foreign Affairs .
• Rescue team scrambling to find three distressed humpback whales on B.C .
coast • What I learned about violence in B.C .
's Peace Valley The perspective comes as the Trudeau government faces questions from health-care experts about why it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine research to prevent Canadians from having to wait in line , potentially for months , for a pandemic cure that might be found in another country .
One senator and some health-care professionals are urging Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains to stop delaying a decision on the $ 35-million pitch by Toronto-based Providence Therapeutics to begin human trials of a new , experimental vaccine technology that has been heavily funded in the United States .
Providence says it would share its expertise internationally and could potentially deliver five million doses of a vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ca n't move forward with testing or manufacturing without funding .
Bollyky said he does n't know anything about the Providence proposal , but he made clear that countries have to share at least some of whatever viable vaccine is created on their soil for the good of stamping out the pandemic everywhere .
`` `` If Canada invests in this company ... the fact that some of that supply would be used to meet their own needs is fine , '' Bollyky said in an interview .
`` The question is : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supplies to vaccinate low-risk members of their population and hoard in that regard ?
Or will they participate in this allocation mechanism that allows other priority needs in other nations to be met before they address low-risk members of their own country ? ''
A top American health expert is praising Canada for not succumbing to `` vaccine nationalism '' because of its efforts to push for fair global distribution of a cure for the COVID-19 pandemic .
Providence CEO Brad Sorenson said his company would be open to sharing its vaccine expertise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has n't responded to its proposal since May .
`` If we got support from the Canadian government , we 'd develop the vaccine in Canada , '' Sorenson said in an interview .
`` We would seek out further investment and we would look to approach other countries similar to Canada 's size and similar to Canada 's capabilities and we would look to partner and expand the availability of this technology , to tech transfer this technology to other countries . ''
In the essay , Bollyky and Chad P. Brown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Institute for International Economics shoot down the `` oxygen mask '' argument put forth by the Trump administration to support vaccinating Americans first .
The well-known practice calls for airline passengers to put on their own oxygen masks first in a depressurizing airplane , so they can help others , especially children .
`` The major difference , of course , is that airplane oxygen masks do not drop only in first class — which is the equivalent of what will happen when vaccines eventually become available if governments delay providing access to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' write Bollyky and Brown .
Bains spokesman John Power said the government is `` working on all possible fronts to deliver safe and effective treatments and vaccines against COVID-19 to Canadians .
`` This includes investments in scaling up Canadian vaccine manufacturing capabilities , funding support to Canadian vaccine candidates as part of Canada 's contribution to the global effort to find a vaccine , and partnering with the most promising international candidates . ''
Canada has also invested more than $ 1 billion in various international co-operative efforts to find a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the World Health Organization 's COVAX Facility in which countries will `` share risk by accessing a wide portfolio of vaccine candidates , '' said Power .
COVAX is the world 's only pooled vaccine procurement scheme , and its goal is to deliver two billion doses of safe , effective and WHO-approved vaccines by the end of 2021 , he said .

A top American health expert is praising Canada for not succumbing to "vaccine nationalism" because of its efforts to push for fair global distribution of a cure for the COVID-19 pandemic. Thomas Bollyky, director of the global health program at the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations, says that sets Canada apart from the United States and European countries that are making moves to pre-buy massive amounts of potentially viable vaccines for their own populations. Bollyky says that amounts to hoarding and would undermine joint efforts to neutralize COVID-19 in rich and poor countries alike. "Canada has a record to be proud of in this pandemic," Bollyky, who also teaches law at Georgetown University, said in an interview. His own government, however, needs to do a lot better, Bollyky co-wrote in an essay to be published next month in the journal Foreign Affairs.
The perspective comes as the Trudeau government faces questions from health-care experts about why it is not doing more to fund domestic vaccine research to prevent Canadians from having to wait in line, potentially for months, for a pandemic cure that might be found in another country. One senator and some health-care professionals are urging Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains to stop delaying a decision on the $35-million pitch by Toronto-based Providence Therapeutics to begin human trials of a new, experimental vaccine technology that has been heavily funded in the United States. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Providence says it would share its expertise internationally and could potentially deliver five million doses of a vaccine to Canadians by mid-2021, but it can't move forward with testing or manufacturing without funding.
Bollyky said he doesn't know anything about the Providence proposal, but he made clear that countries have to share at least some of whatever viable vaccine is created on their soil for the good of stamping out the pandemic everywhere. A top American health expert is praising Canada for not succumbing to "vaccine nationalism" because of its efforts to push for fair global distribution of a cure for the COVID-19 pandemic. ""If Canada invests in this company ... the fact that some of that supply would be used to meet their own needs is fine," Bollyky said in an interview. "The question is: would Canada use all of their early supplies to vaccinate low-risk members of their population and hoard in that regard? Or will they participate in this allocation mechanism that allows other priority needs in other nations to be met before they address low-risk members of their own country?" Providence CEO Brad Sorenson said his company would be open to sharing its vaccine expertise internationally but is frustrated that the government hasn't responded to its proposal since May. "If we got support from the Canadian government, we'd develop the vaccine in Canada," Sorenson said in an interview.
"We would seek out further investment and we would look to approach other countries similar to Canada's size and similar to Canada's capabilities and we would look to partner and expand the availability of this technology, to tech transfer this technology to other countries." In the essay, Bollyky and Chad P. Brown, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics shoot down the "oxygen mask" argument put forth by the Trump administration to support vaccinating Americans first. The well-known practice calls for airline passengers to put on their own oxygen masks first in a depressurizing airplane, so they can help others, especially children. "The major difference, of course, is that airplane oxygen masks do not drop only in first class — which is the equivalent of what will happen when vaccines eventually become available if governments delay providing access to them to people in other countries," write Bollyky and Brown.


nationalobserver--2020-07-30--Canadian oil industry cutting drilling forecast for a third time as slump continues

The Petroleum Services Association of Canada is cutting its 2020 Canadian drilling forecast for a third time as the industry @ @ @ @ @ expected to extend well into the second half of the year .
The association says @ @ @ @ @ wells will be drilled in Canada this year , down from a nearly 50-year low @ @ @ @ @ forecast in April .
The new forecast for 2020 is 43 per cent lower than @ @ @ @ @ 2019 .

The Petroleum Services Association of Canada is cutting its 2020 Canadian drilling forecast for a third time as the industry remains mired in a slump expected to extend well into the second half of the year.
The association says it now expects just 2,800 wells will be drilled in Canada this year, down from a nearly 50-year low of 3,100 in its revised forecast in April.
The new forecast for 2020 is 43 per cent lower than the 4,900 wells drilled in 2019.
PSAC interim CEO Elizabeth Aquin says a slow economic recovery, low commodity prices and high debt levels in the industry are preventing a quick recovery from the lows of earlier this year amid an economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
She says a North American crude oil supply surplus means producers have little incentive to explore for and develop new wells.


nationalobserver--2020-07-30--Vancouver votes to ‘decriminalize poverty.’

This week — after a marathon three-day session to hear from hundreds of speakers — Vancouver city councillors voted unanimously to “ decriminalize poverty.
” What does that mean ?
Ideally , sometime in the future , Vancouver police won ’ t spend as much time and resources policing homelessness , people with mental health and drug addictions , or sex workers .
The motion comes after council voted to tell the police board to end street checks on July 23 .
“ This is a huge conversation , and it won ’ t be easy , ” said Coun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has acknowledged we need a different approach.
” The motion , which was brought forward by Coun .
Jean Swanson , doesn ’ t call for an outright cut to the police budget , but Swanson hopes it will set the stage for an eventual cut , possibly as early as this December .
• Rescue team scrambling to find three distressed humpback whales on B.C .
coast • What I learned about violence in B.C .
's Peace Valley Boyle thinks 2021 is a more realistic timeframe , given the three substantial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be completed by city staff , the Vancouver Police Department and a number of community groups .
The motion asks the VPD “ to itemize the work they do that is related to mental health , homelessness , drug use , sex work and the amount of money spent on it , including the number of tickets issued from enforcing related bylaws as well as the cost of this enforcement.
” From a range of community groups , council wants to know “ how the city could support existing and future community-based harm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been tasked to create “ a plan , timeline and budget to de-prioritize policing as a response to mental health , sex work , homelessness and substance use and to prioritize funding community-led harm reduction and safety initiatives in these areas.
” Boyle warned that the city department that will do that work is currently “ swamped , ” and she didn ’ t expect a report back before the city budget process starts in late fall .
The B.C .
government is in the midst of a review of policing in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a factor in council ’ s work to reassess policing priorities , Boyle added .
This week — after a marathon three-day session to hear from hundreds of speakers — Vancouver city councillors voted unanimously to “ decriminalize poverty.
” Calls to “ defund the police ” have been growing in the United States as well as Canada in the wake of protests sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers .
The deaths of three Canadians this June — Chantel Moore , Rodney Levi and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on how police handle mental health calls and “ wellness ” checks .
On July 24 , 27 and 28 , speakers told Vancouver council that the criminal justice system isn ’ t working for marginalized people .
“ I think we are looking at more than just mental health apprehensions , ” said Katherine Shortreed , a lawyer who represents many clients who struggle with mental health and addictions issues .
“ We ’ re looking at sex work , homelessness , how much time officers are spending evicting people from tent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spending on arresting that guy for that 27th shoplifting offence because he needs more money for drugs.
” Tonye Aganaba spent their allotted speakers ’ time of five minutes to tell council about alternative models to policing .
They told The Tyee their own experience has made them distrustful of police .
After being pulled over in rural B.C.
, Aganaba said a police officer asked them if they had any drugs in the car and then impounded the vehicle , “ leaving two people of colour on the side of the road.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to report a sexual assault to the Vancouver Police Department and seeing other members of the Black community repeatedly street-checked , Aganaba said they would never call the police again .
Aganaba said an activist community has formed around the two motions , and they plan to stay active to monitor what happens with the call to ban street checks and the “ decriminalize poverty ” motion .
Earlier this spring , the Vancouver Police Board refused to make a one per cent cut to its budget requested by council as the COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ decriminalize poverty ” motion , Ralph Kaisers , the president of the police union , warned council about cutting the VPD ’ s budget , saying reducing funds to the tune of $ 6 million could mean 60 fewer police officers .
Boyle clarified to The Tyee that that $ 6-million figure is one floated by staff earlier this month and refers to foregoing an increase to the police budget , not a cut to existing funding .
Kaisers said the number of officers has remained the same since 2009 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have risen .
Deputy police chief Howard Chow told council that the VPD has been running several innovative mental health response programs for years and has been responding to fewer mental-health related calls over the past decade .
But , he said , 91 per cent of calls to police from mental health professionals about clients involve violence and 20 per cent involve weapons .
Chow said he agrees that more funding is needed for mental health , addictions and homelessness , but he said that funding shouldn ’ t come from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from policing is a recipe for disaster in terms of public safety , ” Chow said .

This week — after a marathon three-day session to hear from hundreds of speakers — Vancouver city councillors voted unanimously to “decriminalize poverty.” What does that mean? Ideally, sometime in the future, Vancouver police won’t spend as much time and resources policing homelessness, people with mental health and drug addictions, or sex workers. The motion comes after council voted to tell the police board to end street checks on July 23. “This is a huge conversation, and it won’t be easy,” said Coun. Christine Boyle. “But council has acknowledged we need a different approach.” The motion, which was brought forward by Coun. Jean Swanson, doesn’t call for an outright cut to the police budget, but Swanson hopes it will set the stage for an eventual cut, possibly as early as this December.
Boyle thinks 2021 is a more realistic timeframe, given the three substantial pieces of work that will have to be completed by city staff, the Vancouver Police Department and a number of community groups. The motion asks the VPD “to itemize the work they do that is related to mental health, homelessness, drug use, sex work and the amount of money spent on it, including the number of tickets issued from enforcing related bylaws as well as the cost of this enforcement.” Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions From a range of community groups, council wants to know “how the city could support existing and future community-based harm reduction and safety services.”
City staff have been tasked to create “a plan, timeline and budget to de-prioritize policing as a response to mental health, sex work, homelessness and substance use and to prioritize funding community-led harm reduction and safety initiatives in these areas.” This week — after a marathon three-day session to hear from hundreds of speakers — Vancouver city councillors voted unanimously to “decriminalize poverty.” Boyle warned that the city department that will do that work is currently “swamped,” and she didn’t expect a report back before the city budget process starts in late fall. The B.C. government is in the midst of a review of policing in the province, and that will also be a factor in council’s work to reassess policing priorities, Boyle added. Calls to “defund the police” have been growing in the United States as well as Canada in the wake of protests sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. The deaths of three Canadians this June — Chantel Moore, Rodney Levi and Ejaz Choudry — has put a spotlight on how police handle mental health calls and “wellness” checks.
On July 24, 27 and 28, speakers told Vancouver council that the criminal justice system isn’t working for marginalized people. “I think we are looking at more than just mental health apprehensions,” said Katherine Shortreed, a lawyer who represents many clients who struggle with mental health and addictions issues. “We’re looking at sex work, homelessness, how much time officers are spending evicting people from tent cities, how much time are officers spending on arresting that guy for that 27th shoplifting offence because he needs more money for drugs.”


nationalobserver--2020-07-30--Trudeau to testify today on WE Charity controversy

Justin Trudeau will be in the hot seat today for a rare prime ministerial appearance at a House of Commons committee , facing questions about his role in the simmering controversy involving the WE organization .
MPs on the finance committee will grill Trudeau about the events that led to his Liberal cabinet asking the WE Charity to oversee a $ 912-million program that provides grants to students and graduates for volunteering .
Trudeau 's chief of staff Katie Telford was also scheduled to testify today .
Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre warned that if the prime minister does n't fully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own and his family 's ties to the WE organization , they will call him back again .
`` We want the truth , the whole truth and nothing but the truth , '' Poilievre told reporters in Ottawa Wednesday .
• Rescue team scrambling to find three distressed humpback whales on B.C .
coast • What I learned about violence in B.C .
's Peace Valley The Conservatives say many of their questions for Trudeau will revolve around hundreds of thousands of dollars in speaking fees paid to members of his family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with related expenses .
WE had previously confirmed that Trudeau 's mother , Margaret Trudeau , was paid about $ 250,000 for 28 speaking appearances at WE-related events between 2016 and 2020 and his brother Alexandre has been paid $ 32,000 for eight events .
WE co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger testified Tuesday that Trudeau 's wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau has participated in seven WE Days and received an average of $ 3,618 for each event , to cover her expenses .
That works out to $ 25,326 in total .
The Conservatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mario Dion to widen his probe of Trudeau to include travel expenses WE covered in addition to speaking fees for his mother , wife and brother .
`` What else is he hiding in this affair ? ''
Poilievre said Wednesday .
On Wednesday , Dion sent letters to Conservative and NDP MPs saying he is widening his investigations into trips Finance Minister Bill Morneau and his family participated in that were sponsored by the WE organization .
Justin Trudeau will be in the hot seat today , July 30 , 2020 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a House of Commons committee , facing questions about his role in the simmering controversy involving the WE organization .
Morneau told the Commons finance committee last week he had freshly repaid WE Charity more than $ 41,000 in expenses for trips he and his family took in 2017 to see and take part in some of the organization 's humanitarian work .
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he believes details that have emerged since the program was announced suggest the deal awarding WE the Canada Student Services Grant program was never about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Liberals and of Trudeau .
`` That is deeply troubling , '' he said Wednesday in Burnaby , B.C .
`` A prime minister should work for people , should work for Canadians , should not be working in the interest of enriching his or her family or his or her close friends . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30 , 2020 .

Justin Trudeau will be in the hot seat today for a rare prime ministerial appearance at a House of Commons committee, facing questions about his role in the simmering controversy involving the WE organization. MPs on the finance committee will grill Trudeau about the events that led to his Liberal cabinet asking the WE Charity to oversee a $912-million program that provides grants to students and graduates for volunteering. Trudeau's chief of staff Katie Telford was also scheduled to testify today. Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre warned that if the prime minister doesn't fully answer questions from opposition MPs about his own and his family's ties to the WE organization, they will call him back again. "We want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth," Poilievre told reporters in Ottawa Wednesday.
The Conservatives say many of their questions for Trudeau will revolve around hundreds of thousands of dollars in speaking fees paid to members of his family for appearing at WE events, along with related expenses. WE had previously confirmed that Trudeau's mother, Margaret Trudeau, was paid about $250,000 for 28 speaking appearances at WE-related events between 2016 and 2020 and his brother Alexandre has been paid $32,000 for eight events. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions WE co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger testified Tuesday that Trudeau's wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau has participated in seven WE Days and received an average of $3,618 for each event, to cover her expenses. That works out to $25,326 in total.
The Conservatives are now calling on federal ethics czar Mario Dion to widen his probe of Trudeau to include travel expenses WE covered in addition to speaking fees for his mother, wife and brother. Justin Trudeau will be in the hot seat today, July 30, 2020, for a rare prime ministerial appearance at a House of Commons committee, facing questions about his role in the simmering controversy involving the WE organization. "What else is he hiding in this affair?" Poilievre said Wednesday. On Wednesday, Dion sent letters to Conservative and NDP MPs saying he is widening his investigations into trips Finance Minister Bill Morneau and his family participated in that were sponsored by the WE organization. Morneau told the Commons finance committee last week he had freshly repaid WE Charity more than $41,000 in expenses for trips he and his family took in 2017 to see and take part in some of the organization's humanitarian work. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he believes details that have emerged since the program was announced suggest the deal awarding WE the Canada Student Services Grant program was never about students, but about helping close friends of the Liberals and of Trudeau.


nationalobserver--2020-07-30--Blueberries left to compost as COVID-19 hits B.C. agriculture sector

This fall on farms throughout the Fraser Valley , heaps of blueberry compost will tower as lasting monuments to the COVID-19 pandemic .
With fewer workers available and outbreaks shutting the province ’ s farms and processing plants — including one announced at an Abbotsford packing plant Monday — up to half of this year ’ s blueberry harvest could be lost .
Those losses reflect issues challenging the province ’ s ability to feed itself .
B.C ’ s agricultural sector is maladapted to meeting local demand and , without reform , will continue to have labour shortages and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canada Research Chair in Food Security and the Environment at the University of the Fraser Valley .
“ A lot of the labour is from temporary foreign workers , and they can ’ t get it… They ’ re getting sick , and processing capacity is never quite high enough ( even without a pandemic ) .
” Fewer temporary agricultural workers were able to come to the province this year than normal , leading to a 50 per cent reduction in the available workforce .
That means fewer workers in all aspects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ packing .
• Rescue team scrambling to find three distressed humpback whales on B.C .
coast • What I learned about violence in B.C .
's Peace Valley The problem is particularly acute in the province ’ s $ 243-million blueberry industry , with the majority of the crop exported because there are far more blueberries than local demand .
“ Even without a pandemic , we have trouble getting ( the blueberries ) in , ” said Newman .
B.C .
's agricultural sector is maladapted to meeting local demand , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Food Security and the Environment at the University of the Fraser Valley .
Photo : Flickr/University of the Fraser Valley B.C .
farmers harvested 147 million pounds of blueberries in 2018 .
But that number is only part of all the berries grown in the province .
On average , more than 20 per cent of the crop is composted because there aren ’ t enough people to harvest and process it .
COVID-19 has reduced the workforce by about 50 per cent , without counting the impact of outbreaks at processing plants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This year , it could be over half ( the crop that ’ s composted ) .
” This fall on farms throughout the Fraser Valley , heaps of blueberry compost will tower as lasting monuments to the COVID-19 pandemic .
With outbreaks shutting farms and processing plants up to half of this year ’ s harvest could be lost .
An outbreak declared Monday at Fraser Valley Packing Ltd. , an Abbotsford blueberry processing plant , is an example .
According to the company website , it gathers blueberries from several company-owned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ packs them to be sold fresh or frozen to international food conglomerates like Dole and Driscoll ’ s Berries .
More than 10 million pounds of fresh berries — and millions more of frozen berries — pass through the facility annually .
COVID-19 mitigation measures — physical distancing , face masks and shields , and mandatory gloves — were implemented at the facility before the season started , Joe Gill , the company ’ s president , said in a written statement .
They weren ’ t sufficient .
Sixteen workers at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the company has suspended its fresh packing operations temporarily .
Blueberries are delicate and need to be chilled , packed , and shipped soon after harvest if they are sold fresh .
That means the majority of the berries that should have been flowing through the plant will be composted , Newman explained .
It ’ s a situation she thinks needs to be remedied by overhauling the way food — including blueberries — is grown in the province .
Newman would like to see B.C .
encourage farmers to grow a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would mean building more greenhouses and replacing blueberry fields with more varied crops .
Photo : Wikipedia Commons/Quant08 Newman would like to see land use policies that encourage farmers to build more greenhouses .
That would allow them to grow a larger variety of crops for the B.C .
market instead of focusing on the kind of seasonal boom-and-bust cycle seen in blueberries .
It would also provide year-round employment for agricultural workers , breaking a pattern of “ agricultural colonialism , ” she said .
B.C .
expected between 3,000 and 4,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Guatemala , and Jamaica to work on farms in the province through Canada ’ s Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program up to six months .
These workers are not granted a clear path to citizenship and , until B.C .
temporarily modified its policies in March due to COVID-19 , were not eligible for provincial health care .
Those changes are due to expire July 31 .
They ’ re concerns echoed by Byron Cruz , an outreach activist with temporary foreign worker support organization Sanctuary Health .
He is a point person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is informally known as the temporary workers ’ 911 — and regularly helps them access health care , food , and other necessities .
Access to food , housing , and health care are constant challenges for the thousands of temporary foreign workers who work in B.C .
fields and processing plants each year .
They 're problems Byron Cruz said have been exacerbated by the pandemic .
Photo : Byron Cruz Adequate housing is a constant problem , he explained .
Workers often live in overcrowded and unhygienic conditions : shared sleeping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The problem isn ’ t new , Cruz said .
Workers have complained of cramped , unsanitary living conditions on some B.C .
farms for years .
But the pandemic has given the situation a new urgency .
Some B.C .
farms have also prohibited workers from leaving the property or interacting with visitors during the pandemic , making it difficult for them to access food .
He expects to see more outbreaks in the province ’ s agricultural sector .
“ This is the first stage , and in the first stage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cruz said .
Unlike Ontario and Quebec , B.C .
implemented a policy to quarantine all temporary workers for 14 days in hotels when they arrived , free of charge .
It has been credited with the province ’ s comparatively few outbreaks in the agricultural sector .
Still , Cruz expects there will be an uptick in agricultural outbreaks originating from community transmission within the province .
“ I was not ( as ) afraid as I am afraid right now .
The outbreaks are going to be more often .
Workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but you also have more visitors… ( they ’ re ) much more exposed now than ever.
” The Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement that facilities should be operating a bit differently to ensure health and safety measures are in place .
Employers are also required to have a COVID-19 safety plan that implements measures to keep workers safe .
Fraser Valley Packers Ltd. did not respond by deadline to clarify if any of its staff are temporary foreign workers , or provide details about employees ’ living arrangements .
Newman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new outbreak in the agricultural sector , citing people working in close quarters , often indoors .
COVID-19 has simply made those vulnerabilities more clear , she explained , and we should pay attention .

This fall on farms throughout the Fraser Valley, heaps of blueberry compost will tower as lasting monuments to the COVID-19 pandemic. With fewer workers available and outbreaks shutting the province’s farms and processing plants — including one announced at an Abbotsford packing plant Monday — up to half of this year’s blueberry harvest could be lost. Those losses reflect issues challenging the province’s ability to feed itself. B.C’s agricultural sector is maladapted to meeting local demand and, without reform, will continue to have labour shortages and food waste, said Lenore Newman, Canada Research Chair in Food Security and the Environment at the University of the Fraser Valley. “A lot of the labour is from temporary foreign workers, and they can’t get it… They’re getting sick, and processing capacity is never quite high enough (even without a pandemic).” Fewer temporary agricultural workers were able to come to the province this year than normal, leading to a 50 per cent reduction in the available workforce. That means fewer workers in all aspects of the harvest, from picking to packing.
The problem is particularly acute in the province’s $243-million blueberry industry, with the majority of the crop exported because there are far more blueberries than local demand. “Even without a pandemic, we have trouble getting (the blueberries) in,” said Newman. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions B.C.'s agricultural sector is maladapted to meeting local demand, said Lenore Newman, Canada Research Chair of Food Security and the Environment at the University of the Fraser Valley. Photo: Flickr/University of the Fraser Valley
B.C. farmers harvested 147 million pounds of blueberries in 2018. But that number is only part of all the berries grown in the province. This fall on farms throughout the Fraser Valley, heaps of blueberry compost will tower as lasting monuments to the COVID-19 pandemic. With outbreaks shutting farms and processing plants up to half of this year’s harvest could be lost. On average, more than 20 per cent of the crop is composted because there aren’t enough people to harvest and process it. COVID-19 has reduced the workforce by about 50 per cent, without counting the impact of outbreaks at processing plants and farms, Newman said. “This year, it could be over half (the crop that’s composted).” An outbreak declared Monday at Fraser Valley Packing Ltd., an Abbotsford blueberry processing plant, is an example. According to the company website, it gathers blueberries from several company-owned farms in the Lower Mainland, then packs them to be sold fresh or frozen to international food conglomerates like Dole and Driscoll’s Berries. More than 10 million pounds of fresh berries — and millions more of frozen berries — pass through the facility annually.
COVID-19 mitigation measures — physical distancing, face masks and shields, and mandatory gloves — were implemented at the facility before the season started, Joe Gill, the company’s president, said in a written statement. They weren’t sufficient. Sixteen workers at the plant have tested positive for the virus and the company has suspended its fresh packing operations temporarily. Blueberries are delicate and need to be chilled, packed, and shipped soon after harvest if they are sold fresh. That means the majority of the berries that should have been flowing through the plant will be composted, Newman explained.


nationalobserver--2020-07-30--Rescue team scrambling to find three distressed humpback whales on B.C. coast

Marine mammal rescue groups are frantically mobilizing to try to save three entangled humpback whales in B.C .
waters .
“ It ’ s been a real roller-coaster , ” said Paul Cottrell , Pacific marine mammals co-ordinator for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans ( DFO ) , on Wednesday .
Three humpback whales caught up in fishing gear have been reported off the east and north coasts of Vancouver Island to DFO ’ s marine rescue hotline since Saturday .
Its water rescue team is small , but it is scouring the inside passage off east Vancouver Island @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
They removed some gear off one whale named X-Ray , and attached a satellite-tracking buoy to the mammal .
But the equipment is not sending signals correctly , Cottrell said .
• What I learned about violence in B.C .
's Peace Valley • Toronto ’ s Catholic schools struggle with racism , students of colour say Another humpback named Checkmate and an unidentified whale still need help .
But the DFO team and its rescue network have never dealt with so many whales in distress at once , Cottrell said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
“ Three is a record for us .
We 're doing the best we can , and we have a great broad team of people helping.
” One of those teams pitching in is the Marine Mammal Response Network , a coalition of citizens and research , conservation and outreach groups along the coast .
The network is on high alert to try locating the whales in hopes they can be rescued , Cottrell said .
“ It ’ s been a real roller-coaster , ” said Paul Cottrell , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to save three distressed humpback whales entangled in fishing gear off the coast of B.C .
DFO or Canadian Coast Guard flights in the region are also scanning for the whales .
But time is crucial when saving whales wrapped in gear , which can expose them to infection and make swimming and eating difficult .
Cottrell is urging the public , particularly boaters or commercial fishers , who see marine mammals in distress to call the DFO 's Marine Mammal Incident Reporting Hotline at 1-800-465-4336 .
“ There 's a lot of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
“ It ’ s so important that if people see an entangled whale that they know to call us , and we can get there as soon as possible.
” But , it ’ s that critical boaters who spot an entangled whale don ’ t try to help by removing gear , Cottrell stressed .
Tristan Ray-Wilks of CETUS said boaters , recreational or commercial , should n't try to remove gear from entangled whales because it may hurt the animal further .
Photo : courtesy of Tristan Ray-Wilks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Research and Conservation and Society , agreed with Cottrell , saying well-meaning but misguided attempts by the public to help whales can make things worse .
Not only is it dangerous , but removing floats or gear can further endanger the animal by making harder to spot and identify what is wrong , said Ray-Wilks .
It can also make a rescue by professionals more difficult or even impossible .
Ray-Wilks was on the water in the area and assisted DFO when the first report came in about an entangled whale off Quadra @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it appears someone had cut away or partially removed some of the gear on the surface of the water , he said .
Now a rope and a trap are tightly affixed to the humpback ’ s body .
And it will be a very difficult task to get loose because now the whale is less visible and rescuers can ’ t easily access the gear .
“ The unfortunate thing with a lot of these entanglements is the public may want to help by cutting off ( gear ) , ” Ray-Wilks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a float , you 're almost sealing the animal ’ s fate , because now looking at it at the surface ... there 's no visible entanglement.
” Rescuers stayed with Checkmate as long as they could Saturday , but the whale has not been sighted since .
The rescue team had better luck Sunday , said Ray-Wilks .
While searching for Checkmate , they found the second entangled whale , X-Ray , south of Campbell River .
The ropes , floats and trap trailing behind and wrapped around X-Ray were more visible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to attach a satellite-tracking buoy and safely cut away a lot of the gear .
However , none of the reported whales have been located again since Sunday , Cottrell said , before heading out on the water again Wednesday .
The third unidentified humpback , caught in a fishing net , will be even harder to find because it ’ s farther north off B.C.
’ s less-populated central coast , he said .
The number of whale entanglements in recreational and commercial fishing gears is skyrocketing , as whale numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jackie Hildering , director for the Marine Education and Research Society ( MERS ) .
The risk to whales is so high that 50 per cent of humpbacks observed of B.C.
’ s coast have scarring from being entangled in fishing gear , said Hildering .
That data doesn ’ t give any indication of the number of whales that have died as a result of being caught in gear because their carcasses will often sink , said Hildering .
The region ’ s humpbacks are named based on their distinctive patterns or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s important for observers to try to note or take photos of the markers or patterns on an entangled humpback 's fluke , dorsal fin , or belly so they might be more easily identified .
“ That way , there ’ s a better chance of making informed decisions about where to look for them , ” said Hildering .
Both Checkmate and X-Ray are juvenile humpbacks known to frequent the inside passage around Campbell River , the Discovery Islands and up to the north end of Vancouver Island , she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bay with an adult humpback named Slits on Sunday .
The best chance for all the whales is for people to call in detailed reports about any sightings but to not approach them to help , said Hildering , adding humpbacks roam hundreds of kilometres and B.C .
waters were extensive .
“ Those who are on the water are crucial , essential , because entanglement is a such a threat , ” said Hildering .
“ But it ’ s essential they know what to do — and more importantly , what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marine mammals and sea turtles found entangled , stranded , distressed , or dead .
Call the toll-free marine mammal incident reporting hotline 24 hours a day , 7 days a week at 1-800-465-4336 , use VHF Channel 16 ( Coast Guard ) , or email [ email protected ]

Marine mammal rescue groups are frantically mobilizing to try to save three entangled humpback whales in B.C. waters. “It’s been a real roller-coaster,” said Paul Cottrell, Pacific marine mammals co-ordinator for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), on Wednesday. Three humpback whales caught up in fishing gear have been reported off the east and north coasts of Vancouver Island to DFO’s marine rescue hotline since Saturday. Its water rescue team is small, but it is scouring the inside passage off east Vancouver Island daily to help the whales, Cottrell said. They removed some gear off one whale named X-Ray, and attached a satellite-tracking buoy to the mammal. But the equipment is not sending signals correctly, Cottrell said.
Another humpback named Checkmate and an unidentified whale still need help. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions But the DFO team and its rescue network have never dealt with so many whales in distress at once, Cottrell said.
“This is exceptional,” he said. “Three is a record for us. We're doing the best we can, and we have a great broad team of people helping.” “It’s been a real roller-coaster,” said Paul Cottrell, DFO marine mammals co-ordinator on the struggle to save three distressed humpback whales entangled in fishing gear off the coast of B.C. One of those teams pitching in is the Marine Mammal Response Network, a coalition of citizens and research, conservation and outreach groups along the coast. The network is on high alert to try locating the whales in hopes they can be rescued, Cottrell said. DFO or Canadian Coast Guard flights in the region are also scanning for the whales. But time is crucial when saving whales wrapped in gear, which can expose them to infection and make swimming and eating difficult.
Cottrell is urging the public, particularly boaters or commercial fishers, who see marine mammals in distress to call the DFO's Marine Mammal Incident Reporting Hotline at 1-800-465-4336. “There's a lot of eyes and ears out there,” he said. “It’s so important that if people see an entangled whale that they know to call us, and we can get there as soon as possible.”


nationalobserver--2020-07-30--What I learned about violence in  B.C.'s Peace Valley

As a writer who learns from and focuses on what water has to teach us , I have been following rivers and considering how to build relations grounded in loving and respecting water .
I believe this is crucial for a shared , peaceful future .
Each July for the past five years , I have made a pilgrimage to a sacred site : the Peace Valley in Treaty 8 territory , the ancestral lands of the Dunne-za and Cree people .
The first year there , in 2015 , I did not realize what this journey would become .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrive in the Peace Region just as BC Hydro started clearcutting trees that house eagles ’ nests to make way for the Site C dam .
It was a coincidence that I happened to be there when a river ceremony was called on what the Dunne-za call the walking hills of the Peace Valley .
Overlooking the future site of the dam , I joined a group of Dunne-za and Cree elders , kids , and people of the land drumming and singing for the river in the face of the violence that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fateful day , I met so many people who love that land , that river .
That love is what brings me back year after year , despite the grief and anguish of seeing the devastating harm colonial forces are inflicting on the Peace River .
The valley has changed so much since I was last here a year ago .
The first shock was to see how a channel of the Peace River that flowed downstream from Hudson ’ s Hope had been choked off with dirt berms so that this stretch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a road .
• Rescue team scrambling to find three distressed humpback whales on B.C .
coast • Toronto ’ s Catholic schools struggle with racism , students of colour say The scale of destruction is arrogant insanity .
If people could experience these changes the way local bears , eagles , elk and fish have , they would question the greenwashing of the Site C dam and understand how mega dams are not clean energy .
Seeing the islands in the river , the Jewels of the Peace , that have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ piles of dead trees are strewn throughout the valley .
I make my way through high grass , mulch , and thistles in order to show the scale of one slash pile that will be burned at some point .
Why is so much forest being destroyed and wastefully burned ?
What kind of climate response is this ?
Rita Wong standing in front of a slash pile that will be burned by BC Hydro .
Photo by Stacy Gallagher There are hundreds of these enormous piles throughout the valley .
Much of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Experienced locals estimate the cost at roughly $ 4,000 an hour to burn this wood for no purpose but to destroy it and release its carbon into the atmosphere before the dam floods the valley .
BC Hydro is required to submit quarterly reports to the BC Utilities Commission , but is late with not just one , but two , such reports , in which we can expect to hear of high cost overruns due to such wasteful practices .
One of the ancient wetlands , rare tufa seeps , near the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ logged on the Labour Day holiday weekend last summer , along with another tufa seep destroyed last summer , immeasurable losses that are hard to bear .
There remain some islands that have not been logged yet , which are critical calving grounds for deer , elk , moose and more .
These islands are refuges for endangered wildlife , natural capital and Indigenous cultural heritage that none of us can afford to lose .
`` I had no idea that I would arrive in the Peace Region just as BC Hydro started @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make way for the Site C dam . ''
BC Hydro says it has monitoring plans , but these will not prevent destruction nor magically create refuges in a region that is under intense pressure from fracking , resource extraction , and more .
There is nowhere for the animals to go but towards the slow violence of mass extinction .
And we will go there with them if the dam is built , eliminating a crucial wildlife corridor that needs to be expanded .
It 's agonizing to see this destruction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ West Moberly First Nations to prevent the clearcuts of old growth forests .
At great expense , they and the Prophet River First Nation sought an injunction in 2018 , which was denied .
When the courts weigh “ irreparable harm ” in deciding whether to grant injunctions , why do they value corporate profit more than intergenerational health and survival ?
Now the West Moberly First Nations are set for another court case , with a hearing scheduled by 2023 , while the clearcutting and burning of forests that everyone needs continues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not only those up north , but those of us who live down south as well .
We are in a climate crisis .
Why is B.C .
logging old growth forest anywhere ?
Old growth forests are our first line of defence , and they are being unconscionably destroyed .
The expropriation of people ’ s homes along the river is underway , and will dispossess and threaten many more to come — 97 properties in Hudson ’ s Hope alone , and more throughout the valley .
That river channel that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most expensive roads ever built in B.C.
?
Its banks were the home of Caroline Beam and her family .
Yet , I still have hope that the river will have the final say , whether that happens in my lifetime or beyond .
I feel the power and the spirit of the river each time I visit the Peace .
It is larger than these monuments to colonial power .
The land has been speaking through landslides in 2018 and again this year , through heavy rains , through larger natural forces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On July 23 , there was another evacuation order issued due to a landslide near the dam .
Who ’ s trespassing on whose territory ?
Photo by Rita Wong To get a closer view of the destruction , we go to Protesters ’ Point , which has a shack overlooking where the Rocky Mountain Fort Camp ’ s stewards of the land held off BC Hydro ’ s attack for two months in the freezing cold winter of 2015-16 .
A number of people who supported the camp still face a SLAPP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bullying tactic that has not been changed by incoming or outgoing governments .
Standing above the dam site , we see the debris boom that has been put into place by BC Hydro , what local farmer , Esther Pederson , scathingly calls the “ g-string.
” Esther is one of the people named in the SLAPP suit , whose home overlooks the dam site and who would be displaced by it .
This debris boom obstruction is a key step in BC Hydro ’ s permanent closure of the Peace River for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years when I ’ ve come to this point , I ’ ve seen eagles soaring above .
This year , it is ravens I see riding the powerful wind , harbingers perhaps of what is to come .
Dunne-za seers or dreamers have foretold that if the dam is built , it will fail .
But this warning has gone unheeded .
I do believe the land will have the last word , on its own time .
The resilience of the land has so much to teach us .
As Anishinaabe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considers the land as one ’ s mother or relation , one does not abandon or give up on them just because they are being abused .
If anything , we need to care more for the land .
And the successful work of West Moberly First Nations and Saulteau First Nation on caribou recovery and Indigenous plants are the kinds of projects we need for a livable future .
Turning the living Peace Valley into a stagnant battery for B.C .
( to export electricity at lower rates than it cost to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ example of both environmental racism and intersectional , systemic violence .
It is like flooding the Great Pyramid of Giza or the Sistine Chapel deliberately .
This mega dam ultimately prevents Dunne-za and Cree peoples from being on their ancestral lands , generation after generation .
Indigenous people ’ s sacred sites and homelands are turned into a sacrifice zone .
In this case , one leaching methane and methyl mercury , making fish uneatable and moving up the food chain to impoverish the biodiversity that all communities are responsible for protecting .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ but the land also teaches me how quickly it can and will grow back if it is not flooded .
Sage growing in the flood zone of the Site C dam , one of the many medicines that currently make their home in the Peace Valley .
Photo by Rita Wong .
We visit Chuu Ehle , also known as Watson Slough , a world-renowned refuge for endangered birds that would be submerged by the Site C dam .
In its vicinity is a spring that flows generously and abundantly that we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and invigorating .
Not only will the dam turn such springs and this stretch of the Peace River into a stagnant , mercury-laden 83-kilometre reservoir , but the Moberly and Halfway rivers will also be backed up , so that more than 100 kilometres of waterways would be choked by the Site C dam .
The massive scale of this destruction in the Peace Valley tips us on a trajectory towards mass extinction .
As a whole , it constitutes irreparable harm not only to the Dunne-za and Cree people of Treaty 8 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Earth who is affected by accelerating climate instability .
If we can learn to flatten the curve for the pandemic , can we also learn to flatten the curve for mass extinction ?
Scientists have suggested that destroying nature only increases the probability of future pandemics .
It is late , but I pray that it is not too late for us to learn how to respect the land and water that hold our future .

As a writer who learns from and focuses on what water has to teach us, I have been following rivers and considering how to build relations grounded in loving and respecting water. I believe this is crucial for a shared, peaceful future. Each July for the past five years, I have made a pilgrimage to a sacred site: the Peace Valley in Treaty 8 territory, the ancestral lands of the Dunne-za and Cree people. The first year there, in 2015, I did not realize what this journey would become. I had no idea that I would arrive in the Peace Region just as BC Hydro started clearcutting trees that house eagles’ nests to make way for the Site C dam. It was a coincidence that I happened to be there when a river ceremony was called on what the Dunne-za call the walking hills of the Peace Valley. Overlooking the future site of the dam, I joined a group of Dunne-za and Cree elders, kids, and people of the land drumming and singing for the river in the face of the violence that was being inflicted upon it. That fateful day, I met so many people who love that land, that river. That love is what brings me back year after year, despite the grief and anguish of seeing the devastating harm colonial forces are inflicting on the Peace River. The valley has changed so much since I was last here a year ago. The first shock was to see how a channel of the Peace River that flowed downstream from Hudson’s Hope had been choked off with dirt berms so that this stretch of the river could be turned into a road.
The scale of destruction is arrogant insanity. If people could experience these changes the way local bears, eagles, elk and fish have, they would question the greenwashing of the Site C dam and understand how mega dams are not clean energy. Seeing the islands in the river, the Jewels of the Peace, that have been logged so far is heartbreaking. Huge piles of dead trees are strewn throughout the valley. I make my way through high grass, mulch, and thistles in order to show the scale of one slash pile that will be burned at some point. Why is so much forest being destroyed and wastefully burned? What kind of climate response is this? Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Rita Wong standing in front of a slash pile that will be burned by BC Hydro. Photo by Stacy Gallagher
There are hundreds of these enormous piles throughout the valley. Much of this was helicopter-logged at great expense. Experienced locals estimate the cost at roughly $4,000 an hour to burn this wood for no purpose but to destroy it and release its carbon into the atmosphere before the dam floods the valley. BC Hydro is required to submit quarterly reports to the BC Utilities Commission, but is late with not just one, but two, such reports, in which we can expect to hear of high cost overruns due to such wasteful practices. "I had no idea that I would arrive in the Peace Region just as BC Hydro started clearcutting trees that house eagles’ nests to make way for the Site C dam." One of the ancient wetlands, rare tufa seeps, near the banks of the Peace River, was logged on the Labour Day holiday weekend last summer, along with another tufa seep destroyed last summer, immeasurable losses that are hard to bear. There remain some islands that have not been logged yet, which are critical calving grounds for deer, elk, moose and more. These islands are refuges for endangered wildlife, natural capital and Indigenous cultural heritage that none of us can afford to lose. BC Hydro says it has monitoring plans, but these will not prevent destruction nor magically create refuges in a region that is under intense pressure from fracking, resource extraction, and more. There is nowhere for the animals to go but towards the slow violence of mass extinction. And we will go there with them if the dam is built, eliminating a crucial wildlife corridor that needs to be expanded. It's agonizing to see this destruction occurring despite the best efforts of the West Moberly First Nations to prevent the clearcuts of old growth forests. At great expense, they and the Prophet River First Nation sought an injunction in 2018, which was denied. When the courts weigh “irreparable harm” in deciding whether to grant injunctions, why do they value corporate profit more than intergenerational health and survival?
Now the West Moberly First Nations are set for another court case, with a hearing scheduled by 2023, while the clearcutting and burning of forests that everyone needs continues in massively funded systemic violence that hurts not only those up north, but those of us who live down south as well. We are in a climate crisis. Why is B.C. logging old growth forest anywhere? Old growth forests are our first line of defence, and they are being unconscionably destroyed. The expropriation of people’s homes along the river is underway, and will dispossess and threaten many more to come — 97 properties in Hudson’s Hope alone, and more throughout the valley. That river channel that is being turned into one of the most expensive roads ever built in B.C.? Its banks were the home of Caroline Beam and her family.


nationalobserver--2020-07-29--'More flooding on top of flooding': Potential failure at northeast Saskatchewan dam

The La Ronge Dam was moved from a hazardous condition to a potential dam failure classification Wednesday as water levels continue to rise in the Churchill River Basin , according to Saskatchewan ’ s Water Security Agency .
`` It 's getting to the point where we ’ re concerned , '' agency spokesperson Patrick Boyle told Canada ’ s National Observer .
Water levels are threatening to breach the La Ronge Dam , northeast of La Ronge .
Resulting overflow would add to an already flooded Churchill River Basin and potentially threaten downstream communities such as Stanley Mission .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Agency Boyle said roughly 500 sandbags are being moved to secure the site , which is upstream from the northern community of Stanley Mission .
• Rescue team scrambling to find three distressed humpback whales on B.C .
coast • What I learned about violence in B.C .
's Peace Valley “ It would result in more flooding on top of flooding .
The other impact would be we would lose the ability to manage the lake level and keep it at a certain range that the community and everyone would be used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said this classification is not a common occurrence at the dam site or in most areas of the province .
This is a result of rainfall in the area recently , including high accumulations on July 25 and July 26 .
The lake level at Lac La Ronge is forecasted to increase by 10 centimetres .
Sandbagging efforts are underway at the La Ronge Dam , with around 500 sandbags being moved to the site as waters rise .
Photo courtesy of the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency Boyle stressed the dam is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ levels are encroaching on the distance between the water and the top of the dam .
Boyle said a dam failure would increase flows in an already flooding region and would push water levels above the record by the time it peaks in late August .
“ It would result in more flooding on top of flooding .
The other impact would be we would lose the ability to manage the lake level and keep it at a certain range that the community and everyone would be used to , ” Patrick Boyle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in place with sandbags and things that have raised ( the height of the dam ) up 0.5 metres .
We still have some room there and there are protections in place , '' Boyle said .
“ With this rainfall amount that came to the area , we ’ re going to see that rise get up to probably where the top of the original dam would be , ” Boyle said .
He said communities that are affected , such as Stanley Mission , still have time to prepare as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Churchill River ( Hudson Bay ) drainage basin .
The basin is a large , interconnected area .
A rise in water levels at the La Ronge Dam could impact communities as far away as Sandy Bay .
Data derived from NASA SRTM , Natural Resources Canada , US Geological Survey , Natural Earth .
Public domain .
The agency classifies dams having low , significant , high , very high , or extreme consequence on the surrounding area based on the estimated results of dam failure as it relates to loss of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic damages , and restoration costs .
La Ronge Dam is classified as “ significant.
” “ We don ’ t want to cause mass panic , '' Boyle said .
`` But we ’ re also trying to ensure that everyone has the most up to date information and knows exactly what the situation is.
” He said the situation is serious , but not imminent and a potential collapse of the dam would likely be a few weeks out , when water levels peak in August .
Water levels in Lac @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many homes in the area are located next to water .
Photograph submitted by Brandon White The agency is assessing what additional mitigation measures can be used , such as adding more material to the dam .
Monitoring will be increased from weekly to daily .
“ We have cameras on the structure all the time .
We ’ re always looking at satellite images , and staff are on site , have been and will be daily going forward , ” Boyle said .
As of Wednesday , the biggest impact downstream @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought to be an increased outflow from the lake into the Churchill River system , which is already experiencing floods .
“ The dam itself is rock with a silt sand core and then there ’ s a gate that we manage the flows with .
So if it was to go , then it ’ s basically like pulling the plug on a sink and the water comes out , '' Boyle said .
A heritage trail next to the Montreal River in Air Ronge , Sask .
Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s not a wave of water , it would be a constant flow.
” This could increase flood peaks and impact communities as far away as Sandy Bay .
More analysis is being done to understand what the impact on current downstream water flows would be if the dam were to fail .
“ We ’ re still doing some modelling … we know it will add some water , so there is going to be some sort of impact , but we don ’ t know what that means @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Boyle said .
He said collecting information on water levels in the northeast region has been challenging .
“ It ’ s not an area where we have a huge amount of data either , and getting in to get measurements is difficult .
We ’ re looking at all these things right now.
” The forecast for the next week is hot and dry in the area .
Boyle said that could help with evaporation on the lake , “ but we ’ re still going to see that increase ( in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ certainly something we ’ re taking seriously and trying to ensure that everyone understands what stage we ’ re at .
”

The La Ronge Dam was moved from a hazardous condition to a potential dam failure classification Wednesday as water levels continue to rise in the Churchill River Basin, according to Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency. "It's getting to the point where we’re concerned," agency spokesperson Patrick Boyle told Canada’s National Observer. Water levels are threatening to breach the La Ronge Dam, northeast of La Ronge. Resulting overflow would add to an already flooded Churchill River Basin and potentially threaten downstream communities such as Stanley Mission. Photograph courtesy of the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency Boyle said roughly 500 sandbags are being moved to secure the site, which is upstream from the northern community of Stanley Mission.
“It would result in more flooding on top of flooding. The other impact would be we would lose the ability to manage the lake level and keep it at a certain range that the community and everyone would be used to,” Boyle said. Boyle said this classification is not a common occurrence at the dam site or in most areas of the province. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions This is a result of rainfall in the area recently, including high accumulations on July 25 and July 26. The lake level at Lac La Ronge is forecasted to increase by 10 centimetres.
Sandbagging efforts are underway at the La Ronge Dam, with around 500 sandbags being moved to the site as waters rise. Photo courtesy of the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency Boyle stressed the dam is not in imminent danger of failing, but levels are encroaching on the distance between the water and the top of the dam. “It would result in more flooding on top of flooding. The other impact would be we would lose the ability to manage the lake level and keep it at a certain range that the community and everyone would be used to,” Patrick Boyle. Boyle said a dam failure would increase flows in an already flooding region and would push water levels above the record by the time it peaks in late August. “We have some mitigation measures in place with sandbags and things that have raised (the height of the dam) up 0.5 metres. We still have some room there and there are protections in place," Boyle said. “With this rainfall amount that came to the area, we’re going to see that rise get up to probably where the top of the original dam would be,” Boyle said.
He said communities that are affected, such as Stanley Mission, still have time to prepare as the situation develops. A map of the Churchill River (Hudson Bay) drainage basin. The basin is a large, interconnected area. A rise in water levels at the La Ronge Dam could impact communities as far away as Sandy Bay. Data derived from NASA SRTM, Natural Resources Canada, US Geological Survey, Natural Earth. Public domain. The agency classifies dams having low, significant, high, very high, or extreme consequence on the surrounding area based on the estimated results of dam failure as it relates to loss of life, environmental and cultural impacts, economic damages, and restoration costs. La Ronge Dam is classified as “significant.”


nationalobserver--2020-07-31--WE fallout expected to continue following Trudeau testimony

The WE controversy that has been dogging the Liberals is expected to continue to follow Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government after Trudeau 's appearance before a House of Commons committee Thursday .
Opposition MPs on the Commons finance committee are now pushing to hear from more junior staffers in the prime minister 's office , and demanding access to cabinet documents .
They want more detailed answers about why WE Charity began working on and incurring expenses for the now-abandoned student-volunteering program on May 5 , when it had not yet been approved by cabinet .
Trudeau 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ committee that another Trudeau aide talked to WE that same day , though she said he referred WE to the public service to talk about anything substantial .
WE 's Craig and Marc Kielburger have said those permanent officials told WE it could incur expenses before being awarded the agreement .
• Rescue team scrambling to find three distressed humpback whales on B.C .
coast • What I learned about violence in B.C .
's Peace Valley • Coastal residents lose right to board before tourists on BC Ferries They said they wanted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and started work knowing they could lose money if cabinet said no .
In the rare appearance by the prime minister at the committee Thursday , Trudeau said he had initially pushed back when he learned the public service had chosen WE Charity to run the Canada Student Service Grant in early May .
He said he knew his own and his family 's long-standing ties to the WE organization would lead to significant scrutiny and wanted to ensure all due diligence was done .
The prime minister testified that he did n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public service to run the program until May 8 , which was just hours before the arrangement was to be taken to cabinet for approval .
That 's when , Trudeau said , he put the brakes on the deal .
`` WE knew that the selection of WE Charity would be closely scrutinized .
We wanted to make sure that the process and decision were the best possible in the circumstances , so I decided to pull the CSSG proposal from the cabinet agenda for May 8 so that further work could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ committee .
The WE controversy that has been dogging the Liberals is expected to continue to follow Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government after Trudeau 's appearance before a House of Commons committee on Thursday , July 30 , 2020 .
`` We pulled the item from the agenda so that we could be doing the right thing , the way . ''
The public service later came back on May 21 to reaffirm its recommendation that WE was the only organization that could run the student-volunteer program , Trudeau said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it as a `` binary choice '' — either they moved ahead with WE Charity to deliver the program or they would n't go ahead with it at all .
Trudeau acknowledged his family 's involvement with WE : his mother , brother and wife have participated in and spoken at WE events , and have been paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees and expenses , although he testified the amounts were not previously known to him .
He stressed that he did not have any conversations with the Kielburger brothers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not receive any preferential treatment by him or anyone else in the government .
He also says he did n't talk to his staff about WE Charity or its proposed involvement in the volunteering program until May 8 , although he has since learned policy staff in his office had been working with the Privy Council Office and other departments , and they knew that WE Charity was under consideration to run the effort .
The prime minister and Telford also both noted that Sophie Gregoire Trudeau 's work with WE , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been unpaid except for expenses covered by the organization , all of which had been cleared by the ethics commissioner .
The Conservatives and NDP have called on federal ethics watchdog Mario Dion to widen his probe of Trudeau to include these expenses .
Dion is already investigating Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau for possible violations of the Conflict of Interest Act for not recusing themselves during cabinet discussions about the WE deal .

The WE controversy that has been dogging the Liberals is expected to continue to follow Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government after Trudeau's appearance before a House of Commons committee Thursday. Opposition MPs on the Commons finance committee are now pushing to hear from more junior staffers in the prime minister's office, and demanding access to cabinet documents. They want more detailed answers about why WE Charity began working on and incurring expenses for the now-abandoned student-volunteering program on May 5, when it had not yet been approved by cabinet. Trudeau's chief of staff Katie Telford told the committee that another Trudeau aide talked to WE that same day, though she said he referred WE to the public service to talk about anything substantial. WE's Craig and Marc Kielburger have said those permanent officials told WE it could incur expenses before being awarded the agreement.
They said they wanted to get the program going quickly, and started work knowing they could lose money if cabinet said no. In the rare appearance by the prime minister at the committee Thursday, Trudeau said he had initially pushed back when he learned the public service had chosen WE Charity to run the Canada Student Service Grant in early May. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions He said he knew his own and his family's long-standing ties to the WE organization would lead to significant scrutiny and wanted to ensure all due diligence was done.
The prime minister testified that he didn't learn WE had been chosen by the public service to run the program until May 8, which was just hours before the arrangement was to be taken to cabinet for approval. The WE controversy that has been dogging the Liberals is expected to continue to follow Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government after Trudeau's appearance before a House of Commons committee on Thursday, July 30, 2020. That's when, Trudeau said, he put the brakes on the deal. "WE knew that the selection of WE Charity would be closely scrutinized. We wanted to make sure that the process and decision were the best possible in the circumstances, so I decided to pull the CSSG proposal from the cabinet agenda for May 8 so that further work could be done," Trudeau told the committee. "We pulled the item from the agenda so that we could be doing the right thing, the way." The public service later came back on May 21 to reaffirm its recommendation that WE was the only organization that could run the student-volunteer program, Trudeau said.
Telford testified that the civil servants presented it as a "binary choice" — either they moved ahead with WE Charity to deliver the program or they wouldn't go ahead with it at all. Trudeau acknowledged his family's involvement with WE: his mother, brother and wife have participated in and spoken at WE events, and have been paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees and expenses, although he testified the amounts were not previously known to him. He stressed that he did not have any conversations with the Kielburger brothers during this time and that WE Charity did not receive any preferential treatment by him or anyone else in the government.


nationalobserver--2020-07-31--Streaming a less-Primal Nicolas Cage, contemporary Arab Blues and Beyonce’s thoughts  in Black is Ki

Streaming a less-Primal Nicolas Cage, contemporary Arab Blues and Beyonce’s thoughts  in Black is King

It starts today with a line-up ranging from the very well-known , like The Maltese Falcon , The Lady from Shanghai and Double Indemnity to some less famous , like Black Angel , Desert Fury and So Dark The Night .
See the whole list at thecinematheque.ca .
The movies really need Tenet , Christopher Nolan ’ s sci-fi thriller , it seems .
It was to be this summer ’ s blockbuster and playing by now .
But it ’ s been postponed three times because of COVID-19 and has just been rescheduled to open Aug. 26 in Europe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Following its changing prospects and its importance to the industry has been quite a drama .
In one highlight there ’ s a knife fight while a snake slithers around .
The film , made in Puerto Rico and seemingly on several below-decks of a huge ship , delivers jolts and fluid visuals from a very mobile camera but then resolves everything with a near-fizzle .
( Available digitally now and on DVD Aug. 11 ) Cage ’ s big game hunter expects to sell the jaguar for a million dollars and end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take the assassin ( played with sneering relish by Canadian Kevin Durant ) to trial in the U.S. A former zoo employee ( Famke Janssen ) is also on board .
She can offer informed animal behaviour advice to Cage and get taken prisoner by Durant .
Nicolas Cage fans will be happy .
He ’ s back with another of his nutty films that don ’ t tax your brain too much and toss out enough thrills to keep you interested .
A down point though : Cage is relatively level-headed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are controlled right out of existence .
He ’ s still got lots to do though .
Consider this : He ’ s on a freighter sailing from Brazil to Mexico with a rare white jaguar in one cage and a captured assassin in another .
What if they got loose ?
There are poisonous snakes aboard too .
A script like that practically writes itself .
The film does too as directed by Nicholas Powell , who previously worked with Cage on Outcast ( 2014 ) and spent years doing and directing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all too common here , but they do help make a pleasant diversion out of this culture-clash comedy .
The clash is between a woman who has been away for years and returned to the conservative city she grew up in .
Selma has been living in Paris and returns to Tunis after the Arab spring supposedly loosened society a bit .
She starts practicing as a psychotherapist .
There ’ s determination and charm in the performance of Golshifteh Farahani in the lead .
Relatives sneer , calling her a “ Paris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a post-colonial snob ” but the clients come and bring a steady line of off-beat characters and attitudes .
Among the most notable : a man with paranoid fears about Mossad , an imam suffering depression and a salon owner who clashes with her mom .
Less welcome is a cop who finds she has no business license and sends her to the Health Ministry to get one .
The bureaucracy she encounters there is very funny .
There are amusing jokes about many cultural elements , no alcohol , hair coverings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the film into a light but sophisticated comedy that feels more North American than North African .
( Streaming from the VanCity Theatre at https : //viff.org ) It would seem a wrong time for a horror movie like this .
This one starts with a promising idea but then turns almost completely unpleasant .
Also it tries to elevate itself with some allegedly deep thoughts , thanks to writer-director and cast member Jay Baruchel .
“ Real art is born of truth . ''
“ Truth is cold-hearted and unforgiving.
” Those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may be true , but they don ’ t attach well to this story .
They sit only as musings before and after the carnage which is what the film is really delivering .
Jay plays the publisher of Slasherman , a long-running tale based on a serial killer .
Jesse Williams ( known for Grey ’ s Anatomy ) is the writer , now looking for a fit ending for the last issue .
They ’ re on their way from Toronto to a New York comic convention along with their girlfriends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and DeGrassi graduate Niamh Wilson ) .
The Interstate I-90 they drive just happens to be the road the killer used to frequent .
A radio interview along the way stirs him up again and the film gives us creepy encounters and ever-bloodier attacks , often on dark stretches of road .
And occasional lofty but half-baked thoughts about life imitating art and the psychology of killers .
( To rent or buy at all digital and on-demand platforms ) With fewer titles review this week , I was overjoyed to find this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prominent but definitely worth your time .
Then I noticed that The Guardian found it too , in a series about writers in film .
Maybe it ’ ll have a second life .
It was the opening film at the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival back three years ago , but I ’ m not aware that it ever came back .
It ’ s from Argentina , with apparently some Spanish input and is droll and funny and wise .
Oscar Martinez stars as a revered novelist in Spain who wins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the small town in Argentina where he grew up to come visit and be celebrated .
He ’ s reluctant ; then decides why not , and goes .
He ’ s welcomed by a fawning mayor and many townspeople .
Some have even read his works , after all : his novels are all based on life there .
One man praises him for writing a character who he is sure is his father .
A young woman who knows his work very well seduces him .
Things also turn bad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One man blasts him for ripping off local stories .
Relations with an old friend , who is now married to his former girlfriend , turn sour .
Pressed to act as a judge in a local art contest , he gets a real test of his tolerance .
It adds immensely to this contrast of big city versus small town , worldly vs provincial attitudes .
And it seems to be true : you can ’ t go home again .
( Netflix ) This is the most anticipated film of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promoted by Disney+ , though not made available for review .
It is superstar Beyoncé ’ s dissertation on the experiences , culture and need for self-affirmation of Black people .
At least that ’ s what it looks like from the trailer , and she is known for her advocacy as a supporter of Black Lives Matter , and other causes .
Her film , which seems to have the feel of an extended music video , includes many Black artists , many from Africa .
She also hired two young filmmakers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Blitz Bazawule ) to help her direct it .
What it actually is , though , has puzzled people who have studied the trailer .
It ’ s said to be a companion piece to a video album she put out a year ago after she voiced Nala in the re-make of The Lion King .
The songs here pick up on that to tell the story of a young king ’ s betrayal and efforts to reclaim his throne and self-identity .
That ’ s what the press release says .
Critics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black Panther .
And that Beyoncé relies too much on images of tribal Africa and also echoes scenes from other films that were made in Africa .
For instance , Beyoncé riding a horse while dressed in an animal hide and wearing a crown of zebu horns looks familiar to them .
No matter .
Both the source and the message are bound to make this film a hit .
( Disney+ )

It starts today with a line-up ranging from the very well-known, like The Maltese Falcon, The Lady from Shanghai and Double Indemnity to some less famous, like Black Angel, Desert Fury and So Dark The Night. See the whole list at thecinematheque.ca .
The movies really need Tenet, Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller, it seems. It was to be this summer’s blockbuster and playing by now. But it’s been postponed three times because of COVID-19 and has just been rescheduled to open Aug. 26 in Europe and a day later in Canada. Following its changing prospects and its importance to the industry has been quite a drama.
Cage’s big game hunter expects to sell the jaguar for a million dollars and end his financial misfortune. American agents expect to take the assassin (played with sneering relish by Canadian Kevin Durant) to trial in the U.S. A former zoo employee (Famke Janssen) is also on board. She can offer informed animal behavior advice to Cage and get taken prisoner by Durant.
Nicolas Cage fans will be happy. He’s back with another of his nutty films that don’t tax your brain too much and toss out enough thrills to keep you interested. A down point though: Cage is relatively level-headed in this one. His signature freakouts are controlled right out of existence. He’s still got lots to do though. Consider this: He’s on a freighter sailing from Brazil to Mexico with a rare white jaguar in one cage and a captured assassin in another. What if they got loose? There are poisonous snakes aboard too. A script like that practically writes itself. The film does too as directed by Nicholas Powell, who previously worked with Cage on Outcast (2014) and spent years doing and directing stunts.
In one highlight there’s a knife fight while a snake slithers around. The film, made in Puerto Rico and seemingly on several below-decks of a huge ship, delivers jolts and fluid visuals from a very mobile camera but then resolves everything with a near-fizzle. (Available digitally now and on DVD Aug. 11)
ARAB BLUES: 3 stars
Stereotypes and easy jokes are all too common here, but they do help make a pleasant diversion out of this culture-clash comedy. The clash is between a woman who has been away for years and returned to the conservative city she grew up in. Selma has been living in Paris and returns to Tunis after the Arab spring supposedly loosened society a bit. She starts practicing as a psychotherapist.
Courtesy Films We Like
There’s determination and charm in the performance of Golshifteh Farahani in the lead. Relatives sneer, calling her a “Paris intellectual.” A woman says she’s a post-colonial snob” but the clients come and bring a steady line of off-beat characters and attitudes. Among the most notable: a man with paranoid fears about Mossad, an imam suffering depression and a salon owner who clashes with her mom. Less welcome is a cop who finds she has no business license and sends her to the Health Ministry to get one. The bureaucracy she encounters there is very funny. There are amusing jokes about many cultural elements, no alcohol, hair coverings, sexual orientation, and they make the film into a light but sophisticated comedy that feels more North American than North African. (Streaming from the VanCity Theatre at https://viff.org )
BLACK IS KING: 4 stars
This is not only the most anticipated film of the week, it is also the most imaginative, dazzling in its visuals and music and most importantly, strong in what it has to say. Black lives matter is part of it. Black pride, self-respect, being part of an important lineage are also in there. They’re assembled by Beyoncé in a glorious celebration that plays like a music video. There’s almost no dialogue, but a bit of voice-over talk and many songs often with elaborate dance sequences. They all build on the message: you’re important; you’re part of something way bigger, don’t let them get you down.
Beyonce image courtesy of Disney +
It’s a spin-off from Beyoncé’s voice work in the re-make of The Lion King and the accompanying album she put out. “We are all connected” is repeated from it but this film goes way beyond. African tribal scenes abound, but so do scruffy villages and then scary urban streets in the US. That’s contrasted with sights of celebrity luxury with limos and big houses and in one cute scene Beyoncé and hubby Jay-Z eating dinner in front of the TV. Elsewhere, we get rappers riding like gangsters, models (including Naomi Campbell) posing and showgirls dancing. The images keep coming in sprightly edits and superb cinematography. A couple of young filmmakers originally from Ghana helped direct them and many African performers appear. There are Biblical references, including a Black baby floated off like baby Moses in a basket, and one of the best songs sounds like a rousing gospel number. Altogether these elements without an actual storyline evoke a rich cultural history and this affirmation: “We have always been wonderful. Black is King.” (Streaming on Disney+) 4 out of 5
RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE: 2 stars
It would seem a wrong time for a horror movie like this. This one starts with a promising idea but then turns almost completely unpleasant. Also it tries to elevate itself with some allegedly deep thoughts, thanks to writer-director and cast member Jay Baruchel. “Real art is born of truth." “Truth is cold-hearted and unforgiving.” Those sentiments read out from a graphic novel may be true, but they don’t attach well to this story. They sit only as musings before and after the carnage which is what the film is really delivering.
Courtesy Elevation Pictures
Jay plays the publisher of Slasherman, a long-running tale based on a serial killer. Jesse Williams (known for Grey’s Anatomy) is the writer, now looking for a fit ending for the last issue. They’re on their way from Toronto to a New York comic convention along with their girlfriends (Fast and Furious regular Jordana Brewster and DeGrassi graduate Niamh Wilson). The Interstate I-90 they drive just happens to be the road the killer used to frequent. A radio interview along the way stirs him up again and the film gives us creepy encounters and ever-bloodier attacks, often on dark stretches of road. And occasional lofty but half-baked thoughts about life imitating art and the psychology of killers. (To rent or buy at all digital and on-demand platforms)
THE DISTINGUISHED CITIZEN: 4 stars
With fewer titles review this week, I was overjoyed to find this one way back in Netflix. Not prominent but definitely worth your time. Then I noticed that The Guardian found it too, in a series about writers in film. Maybe it’ll have a second life. It was the opening film at the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival back three years ago, but I’m not aware that it ever came back. It’s from Argentina, with apparently some Spanish input and is droll and funny and wise.
Courtesy Arco Libre
Oscar Martinez stars as a revered novelist in Spain who wins a Nobel Prize and gets an invitation from the small town in Argentina where he grew up to come visit and be celebrated. He’s reluctant; then decides why not, and goes. He’s welcomed by a fawning mayor and many townspeople. Some have even read his works, after all: his novels are all based on life there. One man praises him for writing a character who he is sure is his father. A young woman who knows his work very well seduces him. Things also turn bad though, into a nightmare actually. One man blasts him for ripping off local stories. Relations with an old friend, who is now married to his former girlfriend, turn sour. Pressed to act as a judge in a local art contest, he gets a real test of his tolerance. It adds immensely to this contrast of big city versus small town, worldly vs provincial attitudes. And it seems to be true: you can’t go home again. (Netflix)