nationalobserver--2020-12-08--Five things to know about the rollout of first COVID-19 vaccine in Canada

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that a small number of the most vulnerable in Canada could get Pfizer 's COVID-19 vaccine before the holidays .
Here are five things to know about the vaccine 's rollout : Who will get the vaccine first ?
The Public Health Agency of Canada is overseeing the vaccine distribution to the provinces , but provincial governments decide who gets it and when , and puts in place the plan for that to happen .
The National Advisory Committee on Immunizations last week recommended priority be given to residents and workers in long-term care homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the age of 80 and adults living in Indigenous communities .
• This Nova Scotian is ridding the ocean of 'ghost gear' • How a former oil executive shunned fossil fuels and became an activist poet • Farmers call on Ottawa to boost funding for green agriculture But , remote locations , including northern Indigenous reserves , wo n't be getting the Pfizer vaccine for now because of the need to keep it so cold before it is ready for use .
Everything hinges on Health Canada approving the Pfizer vaccine , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coming days .
Trudeau said that if approval comes by the end of the week , Canadians will begin getting vaccinated next week .
How much of the vaccine will Canada get ?
Trudeau said Monday the contract with Pfizer and its German partner , BioNTech , was adjusted this week to reflect that up to 249,000 doses of their vaccine will be delivered to Canada before the end of December .
Five things to know about the rollout of Pfizer 's first COVID vaccine in Canada .
# COVID19 # vaccine # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Andrew Furey said he anticipates receiving 1,950 doses at the receiving site in St. John 's next week .
Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube said four shippers with about 4,000 doses are to go to Quebec next week , which will be distributed to long-term care homes and residential seniors ' homes first .
That would be enough to vaccinate about 2,000 people to start , with Dube saying more doses will arrive between Dec. 21 and Jan. 4 , enough to vaccinate between 22,000 and 28,000 people .
Retired Gen. Rick Hiller @ @ @ @ @ @ @ task force , said a very small number of doses would land in that province next week , but that he anticipates 2.4 million doses in the first three months of next year .
How will be the Pfizer vaccine be distributed ?
Pfizer is shipping its doses from its manufacturing plant in Puurs , Belgium , directly to 14 receiving sites in each province that are equipped with at least one ultralow temperature freezer .
There are two delivery sites in Ontario , Quebec , British Columbia and Alberta , and one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
None of the early shipments are headed for the territories .
Canada and the provinces enacted a `` dry run '' Monday , with empty boxes shipped from Belgium to test Canada 's readiness .
Most provinces indicated they are ready now to receive the vaccine , including having ultralow temperature freezers set up at the receiving sites .
Pfizer 's vaccine has to be kept frozen below -70 C until just before it is diluted to be injected into a patient .
The company has developed special thermal shipping boxes that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dry ice , for up to 10 days .
The shippers can be used as temporary storage on sites where the vaccines are going to be injected as well .
In between they must be stored in ultralow temperature freezers .
The vaccine can be kept in a refrigerator , at temperatures between 2 C and 8 C for up to five days , and then at room temperature for no more than two hours .
Each shipping box is equipped with a GPS-enabled thermal tracker to monitor the location and temperature during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Press was first published Dec. 7 , 2020 .

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that a small number of the most vulnerable in Canada could get Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine before the holidays. Here are five things to know about the vaccine's rollout: Who will get the vaccine first? The Public Health Agency of Canada is overseeing the vaccine distribution to the provinces, but provincial governments decide who gets it and when, and puts in place the plan for that to happen. The National Advisory Committee on Immunizations last week recommended priority be given to residents and workers in long-term care homes, front-line health workers, people over the age of 80 and adults living in Indigenous communities.
But, remote locations, including northern Indigenous reserves, won't be getting the Pfizer vaccine for now because of the need to keep it so cold before it is ready for use. Health Canada approvals Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Everything hinges on Health Canada approving the Pfizer vaccine, with a decision expected on that in the coming days.
Trudeau said that if approval comes by the end of the week, Canadians will begin getting vaccinated next week. Five things to know about the rollout of Pfizer's first COVID vaccine in Canada. #COVID19 #vaccine #Pfizer #Canada How much of the vaccine will Canada get? Trudeau said Monday the contract with Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, was adjusted this week to reflect that up to 249,000 doses of their vaccine will be delivered to Canada before the end of December. Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey said he anticipates receiving 1,950 doses at the receiving site in St. John's next week. Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube said four shippers with about 4,000 doses are to go to Quebec next week, which will be distributed to long-term care homes and residential seniors' homes first.
That would be enough to vaccinate about 2,000 people to start, with Dube saying more doses will arrive between Dec. 21 and Jan. 4, enough to vaccinate between 22,000 and 28,000 people. Retired Gen. Rick Hiller, who is leading Ontario's vaccine task force, said a very small number of doses would land in that province next week, but that he anticipates 2.4 million doses in the first three months of next year. How will be the Pfizer vaccine be distributed?


nationalobserver--2020-12-08--Scientists predict Prairie climate to become drier, grassier and fiery

Federal scientists are predicting a hot , dry and fiery future for the Prairies .
`` In a warming climate , you can expect extreme weather events to occur with increased severity , '' said Dave Sauchyn , a professor at the University of Regina and a lead author in an extensive report released Monday by Natural Resources Canada .
It 's the first in an expected series rounding up the latest research on climate change and its impacts and applying that to different regions of the country .
The Prairies report begins with a warning that the West is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ southern Canada and that those effects are already being seen .
`` In winter , much of Western Canada is warming at three times the global rate , '' Sauchyn said .
• This Nova Scotian is ridding the ocean of 'ghost gear' • How a former oil executive shunned fossil fuels and became an activist poet • Farmers call on Ottawa to boost funding for green agriculture The look of the West can be expected to change .
The report says southern grasslands and central parklands will spread north .
The boreal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are likely to disappear entirely .
Aspen trees are already growing 200 metres higher up mountain slopes as they take advantage of that vanishing habitat .
Overall precipitation is likely to increase , but only in the spring and fall , leading to shoulder-season floods and summer droughts .
`` Almost none of the future scenarios include sufficient increases in precipitation to compensate for the drying effect of warmer temperatures , '' the report says .
`` The worst-case future scenario for the Prairie provinces is the reoccurrence of consecutive years of severe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the 1930s . ''
Some impacts are already here in the form of extreme weather events .
Federal scientists are predicting a hot , dry and fiery future for the # Prairies .
# ClimateChange # climatecrisis The report says 13 of the 20 most costly weather-related disasters since 1983 , when record-keeping began , happened on the Prairies .
Recent research suggests climate change has increased the risk of extreme fires in Western Canada by a factor of between 1.5 and 6 .
`` These events occurred with somewhat greater severity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate , '' Sauchyn said .
The figures do n't tell the whole story .
Droughts , which do n't show up in tallies of insured losses , have cost billions of dollars in lost or unplanted crops .
In years with adequate rainfall , some crops are predicted to do well under climate change .
Spring wheat , the biggest crop in the West , could see yields increase anywhere from eight to 37 per cent in the next 50 years , depending on action against greenhouse gases .
Canola , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to decline by about the same amount .
Water management is going to become a critical issue , especially in the southern plains .
`` There is some response ( from governments ) , but it 's more of a reaction , '' Sauchyn said .
`` What we advocate is more proactive , more of a planning approach . ''
He suggested governments should be cautious of new , water-intensive industries planned for southern watersheds , such as the renewed push for coal mining in southern Alberta .
`` Any kind of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate change lens , '' Sauchyn said .

Federal scientists are predicting a hot, dry and fiery future for the Prairies. "In a warming climate, you can expect extreme weather events to occur with increased severity," said Dave Sauchyn, a professor at the University of Regina and a lead author in an extensive report released Monday by Natural Resources Canada. It's the first in an expected series rounding up the latest research on climate change and its impacts and applying that to different regions of the country. The Prairies report begins with a warning that the West is warming the quickest of any area in southern Canada and that those effects are already being seen. "In winter, much of Western Canada is warming at three times the global rate," Sauchyn said.
The look of the West can be expected to change. The report says southern grasslands and central parklands will spread north. The boreal forest will shrink and some alpine ecosystems are likely to disappear entirely. Aspen trees are already growing 200 metres higher up mountain slopes as they take advantage of that vanishing habitat. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Overall precipitation is likely to increase, but only in the spring and fall, leading to shoulder-season floods and summer droughts.
"Almost none of the future scenarios include sufficient increases in precipitation to compensate for the drying effect of warmer temperatures," the report says. Federal scientists are predicting a hot, dry and fiery future for the #Prairies. #ClimateChange #climatecrisis "The worst-case future scenario for the Prairie provinces is the reoccurrence of consecutive years of severe drought, such as those that occurred in the 1930s." Some impacts are already here in the form of extreme weather events. The report says 13 of the 20 most costly weather-related disasters since 1983, when record-keeping began, happened on the Prairies. Recent research suggests climate change has increased the risk of extreme fires in Western Canada by a factor of between 1.5 and 6. "These events occurred with somewhat greater severity because they were occurring in a warmer climate," Sauchyn said.
The figures don't tell the whole story. Droughts, which don't show up in tallies of insured losses, have cost billions of dollars in lost or unplanted crops. In years with adequate rainfall, some crops are predicted to do well under climate change. Spring wheat, the biggest crop in the West, could see yields increase anywhere from eight to 37 per cent in the next 50 years, depending on action against greenhouse gases. Canola, the second biggest crop, would be likely to decline by about the same amount.


nationalobserver--2020-12-08--Liberals about to kick-start talks on new child-care system and funding, Hussen says

Two key federal cabinet ministers marked the anniversary of a landmark report on women 's issues in Canada with a political push for a national daycare system , encouraging provinces and MPs to not stand in the way of the revived promise .
It was 50 years ago Monday that the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada released its final report , which called on all levels of government to immediately start work on national child-care system .
The Liberals , who promised a universal daycare system on the campaign trail in 1993 , have once again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Liberals put some money toward that end in the fall economic statement tabled late last month , but getting there will take time and negotiations with provinces about the fine details of how a program would look .
Families Minister Ahmed Hussen said in an interview Monday that the Liberals would be as `` accommodating as possible '' during what he agreed could be challenging talks .
He argued that provincial and federal politicians should be onside with the essence of what the government wants to put in place — the federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nova Scotian is ridding the ocean of 'ghost gear' • How a former oil executive shunned fossil fuels and became an activist poet • Farmers call on Ottawa to boost funding for green agriculture The Liberals have long sought to pin blame on the NDP for siding with other opposition parties to bring down the minority Paul Martin government in 2005 , which ended talks towards a national child-care system at the time .
`` Ultimately , it 's about the kids and it 's about the parents so that they can go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ truly affordable child care , because that 's the biggest pressure on all levels of government , '' Hussen said .
He added that `` politicians in this country need to support this effort . ''
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland delivered a similar message Monday during an appearance on CTV talk show The Social , as the Liberals vie for public backing for a plan they have yet to fully form .
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said the Liberals need to look in the mirror to find someone to blame for why the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` They 've had the ability and the time to bring in place universal child care and they simply have not done it , '' Singh said Monday on Parliament Hill .
Two key federal cabinet ministers kickstart discussion on the Liberal 's childcare plans .
# cdnpoli # childcare `` Right now , they 're not showing a commitment to universal child care .
They 're not even showing a commitment to keeping the existing level of child care .
Let that be very clear . ''
Child-care experts suggest a national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including building new infrastructure to accommodate the more than two million spaces that are estimated to be needed for widespread coverage , and training new staff .
Freeland acknowledged a longer time frame when asked about a five-year spend on a child-care secretariat to build policy capacity inside the federal government .
`` It 's going to take time , '' Freeland said in the television interview .
`` I 'm not going to promise instant results .
That 's impossible and would be dishonest . ''
The Liberals have promised $ 420 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ educators , the specifics of which will be subject to negotiations with provinces , Hussen said .
That would mean provincial needs would determine how many staff get retained through wage increases , or students trained through the help of bursaries .
Talks will start over the coming months on how that money will be used while at the same time negotiations push ahead on funding arrangements set to expire in March for existing child-care dollars .
`` We have to do two things : continue the current supports through and beyond COVID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ negotiate and try to establish this national system as early as possible , '' Hussen said .

Two key federal cabinet ministers marked the anniversary of a landmark report on women's issues in Canada with a political push for a national daycare system, encouraging provinces and MPs to not stand in the way of the revived promise. It was 50 years ago Monday that the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada released its final report, which called on all levels of government to immediately start work on national child-care system. The Liberals, who promised a universal daycare system on the campaign trail in 1993, have once again pledged to deliver on that goal. The Liberals put some money toward that end in the fall economic statement tabled late last month, but getting there will take time and negotiations with provinces about the fine details of how a program would look. Families Minister Ahmed Hussen said in an interview Monday that the Liberals would be as "accommodating as possible" during what he agreed could be challenging talks. He argued that provincial and federal politicians should be onside with the essence of what the government wants to put in place — the federal New Democrats in particular.
The Liberals have long sought to pin blame on the NDP for siding with other opposition parties to bring down the minority Paul Martin government in 2005, which ended talks towards a national child-care system at the time. "Ultimately, it's about the kids and it's about the parents so that they can go back to work and have access to truly affordable child care, because that's the biggest pressure on all levels of government," Hussen said. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions He added that "politicians in this country need to support this effort."
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland delivered a similar message Monday during an appearance on CTV talk show The Social, as the Liberals vie for public backing for a plan they have yet to fully form. Two key federal cabinet ministers kickstart discussion on the Liberal's childcare plans. #cdnpoli #childcare NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said the Liberals need to look in the mirror to find someone to blame for why the country still lacks universal child care. "They've had the ability and the time to bring in place universal child care and they simply have not done it," Singh said Monday on Parliament Hill. "Right now, they're not showing a commitment to universal child care. They're not even showing a commitment to keeping the existing level of child care. Let that be very clear." Child-care experts suggest a national system could take years to create, including building new infrastructure to accommodate the more than two million spaces that are estimated to be needed for widespread coverage, and training new staff.
Freeland acknowledged a longer time frame when asked about a five-year spend on a child-care secretariat to build policy capacity inside the federal government. "It's going to take time," Freeland said in the television interview. "I'm not going to promise instant results. That's impossible and would be dishonest."


nationalobserver--2020-12-08--AFN to discuss disproportionate impact of COVID-19 and UNDRIP legislation

The Assembly of First Nations is planning to urge the federal Liberal government to do more to deal with the @ @ @ @ @ is having on their communities in a virtual version of its annual general assembly today @ @ @ @ @ Archibald says the pandemic has hit First Nations communities hard , but they have also @ @ @ @ @ in Canada .
She says Canada has an opportunity to take big steps toward improving @ @ @ @ @ services and funding as the country rebuilds its economy .
National Chief Perry Bellegarde , @ @ @ @ @ not seeking re-election next July , is also set to address the meeting of the @ @ @ @ @ 2014 .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8 , 2020 @ @ @ @ @ with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship .

The Assembly of First Nations is planning to urge the federal Liberal government to do more to deal with the disproportionate impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on their communities in a virtual version of its annual general assembly today.
Ontario Regional Chief RoseAnne Archibald says the pandemic has hit First Nations communities hard, but they have also long dealt with inequitable treatment in Canada.
She says Canada has an opportunity to take big steps toward improving the situation through programs, services and funding as the country rebuilds its economy.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to address the general assembly, which was originally scheduled to take place in Halifax this summer but put off due to COVID-19.
Chiefs are set to discuss, among other things, whether they will support legislation the Liberal government introduced this week that would ensure Canadian law is in harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.


nationalobserver--2020-12-07--This Nova Scotian is ridding the ocean of 'ghost gear'

As part of a series highlighting the work of young people in addressing the climate crisis , writer Patricia Lane interviews Alexa Goodman , a Nova Scotia-based clean ocean activist .
The 1990s were personally tough for me .
I spent the decade immersed in action based on climate catastrophe science , trying , and by all accounts failing , to stem the tide .
Hardest of all , death and dementia came to my family .
As my awareness deepened about the growing divide between young and old and rich and poor , grief had become a pretty constant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ further into the abyss of fear and loss or choose the only thing stronger : love .
To choose love is to hope .
But I had forgotten how .
So I made a resolution — one that could last a year or even a decade if need be .
I chose to study hope .
Part of my journey is to seek out promising young people who are contending in evidence-based and impactful ways with the climate crisis and engage them in conversations about hope .
I am grateful for Canada ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solutions journalism , which provides these determined , joyful and , yes , hopeful young people a voice .
Alexa Goodman co-ordinates the remediation of abandoned , lost and discarded fishing gear — otherwise known as “ ghost gear ” — for the Nova Scotia-based non-profit Coastal Action .
At 25 , Alexa co-chairs the 30 organizations that work together in the Fishing Gear Coalition of Atlantic Canada , is the founder and director of the non-profit Stop Trashing It network and is a youth leader with the Sustainable Ocean Alliance .
• @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for green agriculture • National Chief Perry Bellegarde wo n't seek re-election as leader of Assembly of First Nations Alexa Goodman at work cleaning up lost fishing gear from the shoreline at Hawk Beach , N.S .
Photo submitted by Coastal Action Lobster fishers use a lot of gear , and for a variety of reasons , not all of it comes back to shore .
For example , they use three times the length of rope as the depth in which they fish , and it regularly gets lost .
As ocean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more gear , including rope and traps , is left in the ocean each year , creating threats to marine life and fishery sustainability .
This fall , Coastal Action ’ s project retrieved nine tonnes of debris from the ocean off southwest Nova Scotia .
Considering that looking for lost fishing gear in the ocean is a lot like searching for a needle in a haystack , this is an enormous accomplishment .
How did you get into this work ?
I grew up in Montreal and spent my summers in Vermont @ @ @ @ @ @ @ My parents would have to drag me out of the water every weekend .
I started scuba diving at the age of 10 and have always felt most at peace underwater .
Alexa Goodman , 25 , helps to pull abandoned , lost and discarded fishing gear — otherwise known as “ ghost gear ” — from the ocean off southwest Nova Scotia .
When I did my master ’ s degree , plastic pollution was already well understood , but I noticed people lacked the resources to take concrete and meaningful action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I formed Stop Trashing It and challenged my classmates to eliminate one single-use plastic item for a year hoping to shift awareness into action .
Within the first month , 100 people had signed up .
Now , our network has grown to over 1,500 followers , and we have 16 youth ambassadors who meet monthly and support each other to lead low-waste lifestyles .
My master ’ s research combined my passion for protecting the oceans with my concern about plastics pollution and fisheries management .
I spent a summer working as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 12 hours off the coast of Nova Scotia , and learned about the local extent of ghost gear .
The fishers talked about the expense of losing gear , and I discovered how much remains at sea in my postgraduate work as a researcher and private consultant .
Ghost gear retrieval is only possible with fishers ’ expertise , community knowledge and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans .
Coastal Action ’ s project is unique because it ’ s collaborative , bringing together people and organizations for a common cause .
Alexa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gear '' — abandoned fishing equipment that breaks free from fishing boats .
Photo submitted by Coastal Action Tell us about your dad ’ s influence in your life .
He has shown me how to respect and appreciate the ocean and marine life .
He ’ s a great dive partner , and in 2019 , we went on an unforgettable scuba diving trip to the Bahamas .
On one dive , we worked together to remove a piece of fishing line that was caught on the reef .
As we finished @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to check us out .
One of the sharks hung around and seemed to be studying me .
We were eye to eye .
It was such a gift .
My dad taught me that if we treat the environment with respect , it will provide for us .
What does it mean to be a youth leader with the Sustainable Ocean Alliance ?
Sustainable Ocean Alliance provides resources and support to create innovative solutions needed to protect the ocean .
I first got involved at the Ocean Youth Leadership Summit in 2017 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other young leaders also contending with our ocean ’ s crises .
It motivated me to found Stop Trashing it and gave me a network that helps keep me motivated .
What would you like to say to people older than you ?
We need you to carry some of this weight .
We do n't want you to be inspired by us and rest .
We want you to be inspired to keep doing the heavy lifting .
Be the change you are asking us to be .
Do you have any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to help them find their feet ?
When I was in fourth grade , I led a playground cleanup .
I learned I could make a difference at a young age .
While the amount of fishing gear I co-ordinate removing from the ocean is a small percentage of what ’ s out there , it makes a big difference to the creatures who are not impacted by it .
The small things we do add up , and by encouraging others , we build awareness about what ’ s possible when we @ @ @

As part of a series highlighting the work of young people in addressing the climate crisis, writer Patricia Lane interviews Alexa Goodman, a Nova Scotia-based clean ocean activist. The 1990s were personally tough for me. I spent the decade immersed in action based on climate catastrophe science, trying, and by all accounts failing, to stem the tide. Hardest of all, death and dementia came to my family. As my awareness deepened about the growing divide between young and old and rich and poor, grief had become a pretty constant companion. I could choose to go further into the abyss of fear and loss or choose the only thing stronger: love. To choose love is to hope. But I had forgotten how. So I made a resolution — one that could last a year or even a decade if need be. I chose to study hope. Part of my journey is to seek out promising young people who are contending in evidence-based and impactful ways with the climate crisis and engage them in conversations about hope. I am grateful for Canada’s National Observer’s commitment to solutions journalism, which provides these determined, joyful and, yes, hopeful young people a voice. Alexa Goodman co-ordinates the remediation of abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear — otherwise known as “ghost gear” — for the Nova Scotia-based non-profit Coastal Action. At 25, Alexa co-chairs the 30 organizations that work together in the Fishing Gear Coalition of Atlantic Canada, is the founder and director of the non-profit Stop Trashing It network and is a youth leader with the Sustainable Ocean Alliance.
Alexa Goodman at work cleaning up lost fishing gear from the shoreline at Hawk Beach, N.S. Photo submitted by Coastal Action Tell us about your work. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Lobster fishers use a lot of gear, and for a variety of reasons, not all of it comes back to shore. For example, they use three times the length of rope as the depth in which they fish, and it regularly gets lost. As ocean storms worsen with a warming climate, more gear, including rope and traps, is left in the ocean each year, creating threats to marine life and fishery sustainability.
This fall, Coastal Action’s project retrieved nine tonnes of debris from the ocean off southwest Nova Scotia. Considering that looking for lost fishing gear in the ocean is a lot like searching for a needle in a haystack, this is an enormous accomplishment. Alexa Goodman, 25, helps to pull abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear — otherwise known as “ghost gear” — from the ocean off southwest Nova Scotia. How did you get into this work? I grew up in Montreal and spent my summers in Vermont at our cottage on Lake Champlain. My parents would have to drag me out of the water every weekend. I started scuba diving at the age of 10 and have always felt most at peace underwater. When I did my master’s degree, plastic pollution was already well understood, but I noticed people lacked the resources to take concrete and meaningful action to change their waste habits. So I formed Stop Trashing It and challenged my classmates to eliminate one single-use plastic item for a year hoping to shift awareness into action. Within the first month, 100 people had signed up. Now, our network has grown to over 1,500 followers, and we have 16 youth ambassadors who meet monthly and support each other to lead low-waste lifestyles.
My master’s research combined my passion for protecting the oceans with my concern about plastics pollution and fisheries management. I spent a summer working as a fisheries observer on Georges Bank, 12 hours off the coast of Nova Scotia, and learned about the local extent of ghost gear. The fishers talked about the expense of losing gear, and I discovered how much remains at sea in my postgraduate work as a researcher and private consultant. Ghost gear retrieval is only possible with fishers’ expertise, community knowledge and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Coastal Action’s project is unique because it’s collaborative, bringing together people and organizations for a common cause. Alexa Goodman releases a lobster from "ghost gear" — abandoned fishing equipment that breaks free from fishing boats. Photo submitted by Coastal Action


nationalobserver--2020-12-04--A news organization struggles through COVID-19

Podcast producer Shaghayegh Tajvidi takes readers behind the scenes of Canada 's National Observer moments during the infernal months of @ @ @ @ @ podcast , produced by the Canadian Centre for Journalism , features Editor-in-Chief Linda Solomon Wood @ @ @ @ @ , Operations Manager Jenny Uechi , National Reporter Emma McIntosh , Ottawa Reporter Carl Meyer @ @ @ @ @ .

Podcast producer Shaghayegh Tajvidi takes readers behind the scenes of Canada's National Observer moments during the infernal months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This podcast, produced by the Canadian Centre for Journalism, features Editor-in-Chief Linda Solomon Wood, Subscriptions Manager Janel Johnson, Operations Manager Jenny Uechi, National Reporter Emma McIntosh, Ottawa Reporter Carl Meyer and Toronto Reporter Alastair Sharp.
Listen.


nationalobserver--2020-12-09--Federal tourism efforts will focus on going local to help hard-hit sector, Joly says

Economic Development Minister Mélanie Joly says federal marketing strategies might need to shift away from attracting foreign visitors to Canada for the foreseeable future , as COVID-19 keeps suppressing travel .
She and her international counterparts have agreed that domestic travel is likely to take priority even after vaccinations begin .
Efforts earlier this year to redirect $ 40 million in marketing budgets yielded some results , Joly says , citing high attendance at Banff National Park in Alberta and visitors to Quebec 's Gaspé region .
The government will likely keep that approach until the pandemic is in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interview that the strategy will likely be to first promote people travelling within their regions , then to travel across the country .
• This Nova Scotian is ridding the ocean of 'ghost gear' • Meng 's lawyers fight on against extradition despite reports of proposed plea deal • Conservatives prepared to talk out the clock on assisted dying bill : O'Toole She says international efforts would come last , once officials in this country are sure other countries have widespread vaccination efforts that would protect Canadians ' health and safety .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for many businesses .
Travel is down and the tourism sector was hit earlier and harder by public health restrictions .
Although the country has recouped just over four-fifths of the approximately three million jobs lost during spring lockdowns at the outset of the pandemic , over one-quarter of the remainder are in what Statistics Canada refers to as the accommodation and food services sector , which includes tourism operators .
Some tourism businesses were unable to operate at full capacity or earn enough during the summer travel season to make it through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those employers will be needed for some time to ensure there are jobs to return to when the pandemic is over , '' said Goldy Hyder , president of the Business Council of Canada .
Last month 's fall economic update offered to inject some long-sought support .
Economic Development Minister Mélanie Joly says the feds will shift to marketing local travel in wake of the pandemic .
# COVID19 # cdnpoli The statement set aside $ 500 million for regional development agencies to spend on tourism businesses through to next June , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employs about 750,000 people and makes up about two per cent of gross domestic product .
It also outlined a new loan program for highly affected sectors like tourism .
The government plans to back low-interest loans of up to $ 1 million that can be repaid over 10 years once things bounce back , Joly said .
`` Then they can generate revenues , potentially more revenue than they thought even possible , because people will want to travel , '' she said in an interview this week .
`` That will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some of the loans and basically get through this tough time . ''
Joly could n't say exactly when the loan program will become available .
She said work is underway with the Business Development Bank of Canada on the fine details , and negotiations with banks to make sure rates offered are below what is currently offered in the market .
`` We know that time is of the essence , '' she said .

Economic Development Minister Mélanie Joly says federal marketing strategies might need to shift away from attracting foreign visitors to Canada for the foreseeable future, as COVID-19 keeps suppressing travel. She and her international counterparts have agreed that domestic travel is likely to take priority even after vaccinations begin. Efforts earlier this year to redirect $40 million in marketing budgets yielded some results, Joly says, citing high attendance at Banff National Park in Alberta and visitors to Quebec's Gaspé region. The government will likely keep that approach until the pandemic is in the rear-view mirror. Joly says in an interview that the strategy will likely be to first promote people travelling within their regions, then to travel across the country.
She says international efforts would come last, once officials in this country are sure other countries have widespread vaccination efforts that would protect Canadians' health and safety. But waiting it out won't be easy for many businesses. Travel is down and the tourism sector was hit earlier and harder by public health restrictions. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Although the country has recouped just over four-fifths of the approximately three million jobs lost during spring lockdowns at the outset of the pandemic, over one-quarter of the remainder are in what Statistics Canada refers to as the accommodation and food services sector, which includes tourism operators.
Some tourism businesses were unable to operate at full capacity or earn enough during the summer travel season to make it through the winter. Message from feds to Canadians will be travel local, says Economic Development Minister Mélanie Joly. #COVID19 #cdnpoli #RecoveryPlan "Targeted help for those employers will be needed for some time to ensure there are jobs to return to when the pandemic is over," said Goldy Hyder, president of the Business Council of Canada. Last month's fall economic update offered to inject some long-sought support. The statement set aside $500 million for regional development agencies to spend on tourism businesses through to next June, trying to bolster a sector that normally employs about 750,000 people and makes up about two per cent of gross domestic product. It also outlined a new loan program for highly affected sectors like tourism. The government plans to back low-interest loans of up to $1 million that can be repaid over 10 years once things bounce back, Joly said.
"Then they can generate revenues, potentially more revenue than they thought even possible, because people will want to travel," she said in an interview this week. "That will help them eventually be able to repay some of the loans and basically get through this tough time." Joly couldn't say exactly when the loan program will become available. She said work is underway with the Business Development Bank of Canada on the fine details, and negotiations with banks to make sure rates offered are below what is currently offered in the market.


nationalobserver--2020-12-09--Could tidal power be the missing piece to the green energy puzzle?

This article was originally published by The Huffington Post and appears here as part of Canada 's National Observer 's collaboration with Climate Desk .
NEW YORK ― On a foggy October afternoon , a strange vessel chugged slowly through the East River ’ s mist toward Roosevelt Island .
It looked almost like it was upside down : three 16-foot rotors , attached on a triangular metal base , sat motionless atop the deck of the rusted barge .
They resembled propellers , but weren ’ t there to give the boat thrust .
Instead , they ’ d @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the depths of the tidal flat that stretches from just east of Manhattan to the western shore of Queens .
All you can see from the surface is a set of six bobbing white buoys , but about 30 feet down the turbines are harvesting the kinetic energy of tides to produce electricity .
• This Nova Scotian is ridding the ocean of 'ghost gear' • How a former oil executive shunned fossil fuels and became an activist poet Verdant Energy ’ s East River project will generate just enough electricity to power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largest city , but it marks one of the first serious attempts in the United States to jump-start what could be a multibillion-dollar industry of tidal energy .
More than a dozen states , including New York , have passed laws mandating zero-carbon electricity as a way to slow global warming .
In a dense metropolis like New York City , there ’ s little space to glaze entire fields with solar panels or erect towering forests of wind turbines .
And with the city ’ s last nuclear power plant set to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unclear how it will meet that goal with a meager mishmash of rooftop panels , battery storage and as-yet-unbuilt offshore wind turbines .
That problem isn ’ t unique to New York , and it ’ s propelling a new wave of interest in an age-old concept of tidal energy .
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that shifting tides and crashing waves could produce one-third of the United States ’ electricity needs and roughly 10 per cent of the European Union ’ s .
Costly supply chains and competition from other renewables @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s development for years , leaving behind a wake of bankrupt startups and fruitless experiments .
Still , its advocates hope that growing interest and support from the incoming Biden administration could change that ― and New York ’ s experiment is just the start .
Standing on the eastern shore of Roosevelt Island , a quiet sliver of land in the middle of the East River , John Banigan ― a soft-spoken former investment banker with neatly combed blond hair and a natural fit for boat shoes and a polo shirt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fogging with the breath rising from his face mask .
But it was the fog on the water that had disrupted the Verdant chief executive ’ s carefully laid plans .
Solar and wind are energy powerhouses until the sky is dark or the air is still .
An ancient source of energy — the tides — could soon offer a predictable alternative .
# tidalenergy # greenenergy That afternoon , the barge was supposed to arrive before 3 p.m. , allowing a small armada of tugboats and cranes to hoist the turbines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a precise spot Verdant surveyed and measured for years leading up to this moment .
The foggy weather delayed the effort by hours .
But this project required patience .
The company ― which Banigan said has raised $ 46 million , half from Canadian , Irish and U.S. government grants , and half from private investors ― had already spent more than two decades designing turbines and assessing viable locations .
Now , at last , Banigan believes tidal power is poised for a breakthrough as countries scrambling to reduce climate-changing emissions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their electricity from zero-emissions sources .
Tidal energy , he warned , doesn ’ t work everywhere .
But until batteries become much smaller , cheaper and more efficient than they are today , producing power from the tides offers a dependable source of electricity to augment solar panels and wind turbines .
“ You can ’ t predict when the sun ’ s going to shine and the wind ’ s going to blow , ” Banigan said .
“ There are slack tides , but they ’ re predictable.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the oil- and gas-burning Ravenswood Generating Station , one of New York ’ s dirtiest power plants , loomed as a visual reminder of what ’ s at stake in finding the right mix of clean alternatives to meet the city ’ s electricity needs .
In many ways , this nascent sector harks back to some of humanity ’ s earliest technologies .
People have harnessed kinetic energy from the water as far back as the sixth century , when Irish monks rigged mills that used the flows from coastal inlets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ built the world ’ s first hydroelectric dam in Appleton , Wis. , in 1882 , and dams remain the globe ’ s top source of renewable power .
But it wasn ’ t until 1966 that the energy from high and low tides started generating electricity .
That year , French authorities in the province of Brittany erected the Rance Tidal Power Station .
The 2,461-foot barrage of 24 turbines , stretched across an estuary of the Rance River , was the first tidal energy project in the world .
Today it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may say as much about the relative compactness of tidal projects as it does about how few have been deployed .
The Rance dam and tidal power plant in France on June 24 , 2017 .
Photo by Daniel Jolivet/Flickr ( CC BY 2.0 ) Over the past decade , global investment in solar and wind energy has routinely topped $ 200 billion per year , according to data from the energy research firm BloombergNEF .
But marine energy investment all but evaporated after brief peaks in 2007 and in 2011 , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Power Station , the world ’ s largest tidal array , roughly four decades after the project was first proposed .
But 2019 signalled a new shift , when the tidal power startup SIMEC Atlantis Energy generated enough electricity from a project off the northern coast of Scotland to power more than 2,200 homes .
Unlike the projects in France and South Korea , which are part of a singular , dam-like structure that mimics the design of traditional hydroelectric plants , the Scottish project was designed as an array of underwater turbines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That July , SIMEC Atlantis broke a record for what the company identified as “ the longest period of uninterrupted generation from a multi-megawatt tidal turbine array ever achieved.
” Last August , the company told the Securities and Exchange Commission that it was exporting more than 30 gigawatt hours of electricity to the grid .
But in that same filing , the firm reported a 47 per cent increase in annual losses .
Costs remain high , and that looks unlikely to change until the tidal industry settles on a preferred equipment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off Scotland or in the East River seem promising , and mimic the look and feel of windmills .
But the size and shape of turbines , and how and whether to anchor them to the seafloor or float them on vessels , remain open questions .
The Biden administration has signalled its plans to increase federal research and support for clean energy technologies .
But it ’ s unclear where marine energy might fall on that list of priorities .
Even more uncertain is the price batteries would need to reach to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but predictable new generating method .
Batteries cost $ 1,100 per kilowatt-hour in 2010 , and fell 87 per cent to $ 156 in 2019 , according to BloombergNEF data released last year .
By 2023 , the consultancy forecast the average price to hit about $ 100 per kilowatt-hour .
Investment in the metals needed to make batteries , including cobalt and nickel , lag far behind growing battery demand , estimates from the energy research firm Wood Mackenzie indicate , suggesting there could be a bottleneck in the supply chain .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ before tidal companies can garner enough public support and build an efficient supply chain , it could smother the industry .
“ The benefit of predictable energy from tidal power becomes less powerful if solar-plus-battery or wind-plus-battery can provide the same predictability at a lower price , ” McLean said .
“ That ’ s the challenge tidal energy faces : It ’ s got to get its costs down fast enough that it can continue to generate interest from policy-makers.
” The marine energy sector might draw more interest once technology to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unlike tidal resources , which are mainly concentrated in the northern hemisphere or near small islands , waves could be harvested on virtually any ocean coasts .
“ It ’ s promising because wave energy opportunity is even larger than the tidal opportunity by roughly an order of magnitude , especially on the U.S. West Coast , ” said Levi Kilcher , the head of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory ’ s ocean energy resource research .
“ It ’ s really a large ocean and a lot of energy there , from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” But in the last few years alone , roughly 90 designs for wave technology have been tested , from buoys that sit atop oceans to devices that sit on the seafloor and produce power as waves squish an attached bag .
“ The technology is lagging behind tidal , ” said Andrea Copping , a researcher at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory .
“ It ’ s very hard to do , so it ’ s just not as advanced.
” By the end of next year , Verdant plans to remove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and begin work on commercial models twice the size of those rotors .
Banigan said the company would like to set up a manufacturing site somewhere in New York , possibly in the city , where advocates are pushing to repurpose industrial waterfront property in Brooklyn and the Bronx for clean energy manufacturing , or upstate , which would put Verdant closer to the Canadian market .
But the first commercial projects the company has in the pipeline will be in northwest Wales , Banigan said .
However , Copping said the future @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Asia .
“ Between the Philippines and Indonesia , there are probably thousands and thousands of good sites and demand nearby if you run a cable from a tidal generator half a kilometer to shore , ” she said .
“ Meanwhile Singapore is trying to set themselves up to be the supplier for all this technology in Asia .
They really believe in it.
” Banigan agrees .
Northern Europe , he said , is Verdant ’ s first stop .
But in the mid-2020s , he expects the market in East @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he predicted the tidal industry could generate $ 70 billion a year .
“ We ’ re at something of a tipping point , ” said Banigan , a former investment banker who joined the company after meeting a founder at a business event in Shanghai in 2011 .
“ We see tremendous opportunity ahead .
”

This article was originally published by The Huffington Post and appears here as part of Canada's National Observer's collaboration with Climate Desk. NEW YORK ― On a foggy October afternoon, a strange vessel chugged slowly through the East River’s mist toward Roosevelt Island. It looked almost like it was upside down: three 16-foot rotors, attached on a triangular metal base, sat motionless atop the deck of the rusted barge. They resembled propellers, but weren’t there to give the boat thrust. Instead, they’d be sent overboard, craned gingerly into the depths of the tidal flat that stretches from just east of Manhattan to the western shore of Queens. All you can see from the surface is a set of six bobbing white buoys, but about 30 feet down the turbines are harvesting the kinetic energy of tides to produce electricity.
Verdant Energy’s East River project will generate just enough electricity to power 500 homes in the nation’s largest city, but it marks one of the first serious attempts in the United States to jump-start what could be a multibillion-dollar industry of tidal energy. More than a dozen states, including New York, have passed laws mandating zero-carbon electricity as a way to slow global warming. In a dense metropolis like New York City, there’s little space to glaze entire fields with solar panels or erect towering forests of wind turbines. And with the city’s last nuclear power plant set to close next year, it’s unclear how it will meet that goal with a meager mishmash of rooftop panels, battery storage and as-yet-unbuilt offshore wind turbines. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions That problem isn’t unique to New York, and it’s propelling a new wave of interest in an age-old concept of tidal energy. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that shifting tides and crashing waves could produce one-third of the United States’ electricity needs and roughly 10 per cent of the European Union’s.
Costly supply chains and competition from other renewables and fossil fuels have frustrated the industry’s development for years, leaving behind a wake of bankrupt startups and fruitless experiments. Still, its advocates hope that growing interest and support from the incoming Biden administration could change that ― and New York’s experiment is just the start. Solar and wind are energy powerhouses until the sky is dark or the air is still. An ancient source of energy — the tides — could soon offer a predictable alternative. #tidalenergy #greenenergy A shift in the tides Standing on the eastern shore of Roosevelt Island, a quiet sliver of land in the middle of the East River, John Banigan ― a soft-spoken former investment banker with neatly combed blond hair and a natural fit for boat shoes and a polo shirt ― seemed antsy. His glasses kept fogging with the breath rising from his face mask. But it was the fog on the water that had disrupted the Verdant chief executive’s carefully laid plans. That afternoon, the barge was supposed to arrive before 3 p.m., allowing a small armada of tugboats and cranes to hoist the turbines into the water and place them in a precise spot Verdant surveyed and measured for years leading up to this moment. The foggy weather delayed the effort by hours. But this project required patience. The company ― which Banigan said has raised $46 million, half from Canadian, Irish and U.S. government grants, and half from private investors ― had already spent more than two decades designing turbines and assessing viable locations.
Now, at last, Banigan believes tidal power is poised for a breakthrough as countries scrambling to reduce climate-changing emissions look to generate an exponentially larger share of their electricity from zero-emissions sources. Tidal energy, he warned, doesn’t work everywhere. But until batteries become much smaller, cheaper and more efficient than they are today, producing power from the tides offers a dependable source of electricity to augment solar panels and wind turbines. “You can’t predict when the sun’s going to shine and the wind’s going to blow,” Banigan said. “There are slack tides, but they’re predictable.” Behind him, the four candy-cane smokestacks of the oil- and gas-burning Ravenswood Generating Station, one of New York’s dirtiest power plants, loomed as a visual reminder of what’s at stake in finding the right mix of clean alternatives to meet the city’s electricity needs.


nationalobserver--2020-12-09--Budget officer provokes fresh round of suspicion over Trans Mountain profitability

Canada ’ s parliamentary budget officer has provoked a fresh round of suspicion about the long-term profitability of the Trans Mountain oil pipeline and expansion project .
The Dec. 8 report by Yves Giroux concludes that the government ’ s decision in 2018 to purchase and run the pipeline remains a profitable move only if Ottawa doesn ’ t take further steps to combat climate change , and if the planet maintains its unquenchable thirst for oil .
Both such scenarios are not guaranteed .
The government itself has repeatedly said it will make its climate policy more stringent , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for 2030 .
And everyone from the fossil fuel giant BP to the oil export group OPEC have slashed their long-term oil demand forecasts .
Tuesday 's report asserts that “ the profitability of the Trans Mountain assets is highly contingent on the climate policy stance of the federal government.
” If climate policy “ continues to become more stringent , ” wrote Giroux , it is possible for the value of the Trans Mountain assets to turn negative .
The Trudeau Liberals have tabled legislation , currently at second reading in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emissions by 2050 .
Net-zero emissions means that any carbon pollution emitted from burning fossil fuels like coal , oil or natural gas are offset with other initiatives like carbon-capture technology .
As well , Giroux noted that four-fifths of the pipeline ’ s use has been secured in the form of long-term contracts with energy companies to carry their fossil fuels , with the companies having agreed to pay even if they don ’ t provide the material for transport .
Canada ’ s parliamentary budget officer has provoked a fresh round @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Trans Mountain oil pipeline and expansion project .
# TMX # cdnpoli But , he added , “ there is uncertainty around how much of the remaining 20 per cent capacity of the expanded pipeline system will be used.
” The tolls that the pipeline charges energy firms for this remaining space are higher than for the long-term contracts , but there is no requirement for shippers to use it , wrote Giroux .
There is also uncertainty around whether shippers will reapply for more long-term contracts after their existing ones expire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to continue climbing over the next two decades , but it could peak in 2039 , according to federal energy regulator projections .
In that scenario , the capacity coming from other pipelines would be more than enough to handle future crude oil growth , it said .
“ In light of certain scenarios for oil supply in recent energy market projections , there is a risk that shippers will choose to not re-enter into committed contracts in the 2040s , ” wrote Giroux .
If energy firms don ’ t re-enter these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equal the total cost of providing service , Giroux said — meaning a “ less lucrative ” outcome for Trans Mountain and a lowered value .
Analysts have also raised concerns about the long-term ability of Canada ’ s oilpatch to sell its mostly heavy , sulphur-rich crude oil to markets outside the United States , where 98 per cent of Canada ’ s oil exports are destined .
Finally , there are questions about when exactly the expanded pipeline will open for business , and whether the COVID-19 pandemic will delay the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Crown corporation that owns and operates the pipeline has indicated in company reports that the pandemic “ may increase certain risks related to development of the expansion project schedule .
”

Tuesday's report asserts that “the profitability of the Trans Mountain assets is highly contingent on the climate policy stance of the federal government.” If climate policy “continues to become more stringent,” wrote Giroux, it is possible for the value of the Trans Mountain assets to turn negative. Canada’s parliamentary budget officer has provoked a fresh round of suspicion about the long-term profitability of the Trans Mountain oil pipeline and expansion project. #TMX #cdnpoli The Trudeau Liberals have tabled legislation, currently at second reading in the House of Commons, to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Net-zero emissions means that any carbon pollution emitted from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil or natural gas are offset with other initiatives like carbon-capture technology. As well, Giroux noted that four-fifths of the pipeline’s use has been secured in the form of long-term contracts with energy companies to carry their fossil fuels, with the companies having agreed to pay even if they don’t provide the material for transport. But, he added, “there is uncertainty around how much of the remaining 20 per cent capacity of the expanded pipeline system will be used.” The tolls that the pipeline charges energy firms for this remaining space are higher than for the long-term contracts, but there is no requirement for shippers to use it, wrote Giroux.
There is also uncertainty around whether shippers will reapply for more long-term contracts after their existing ones expire. Canada expects its crude oil production to continue climbing over the next two decades, but it could peak in 2039, according to federal energy regulator projections. In that scenario, the capacity coming from other pipelines would be more than enough to handle future crude oil growth, it said. “In light of certain scenarios for oil supply in recent energy market projections, there is a risk that shippers will choose to not re-enter into committed contracts in the 2040s,” wrote Giroux.


nationalobserver--2020-12-09--Young farmers in B.C. hope new funding will grow their ranks

It ’ s tough breaking into the industry for new farmers , but recently announced funding in B.C .
could make it easier .
The provincial government 's new Small Farm Business Acceleration Pilot Program will offer up to $ 800,000 to new small-scale farmers for business plan coaching and cost-shared funding for commercial farm infrastructure and equipment .
Through the program , individual farm businesses — which must have an annual gross revenue of less than $ 60,000 in the last two years — can receive a maximum of $ 17,500 .
Sara Dent , the executive director and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ network for young and new ecological farmers across the country , says her organization views the B.C .
government 's new pilot program as a needed investment .
“ It basically means that government is willing to invest in startup , especially at a time where we have market failure conditions for agriculture , where the cost of land and production exceed , generally , what farmers can make farming the land , ” she said .
• Meng 's lawyers fight on against extradition despite reports of proposed plea deal • Conservatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assisted dying bill : O'Toole • This Nova Scotian is ridding the ocean of 'ghost gear ' Sara Dent , executive director and co-founder of the Young Agrarians , hopes the B.C .
government program reaching out to new farmers will set off a renaissance .
Photo courtesy of Sara Dent Dent points to the low number of people becoming farmers as something she hopes to see shift as a result of initiatives like the pilot program .
B.C .
lost about 3,000 farmers between 2011 and 2016 , according to the provincial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the province 's farmers are under the age of 35 .
Yuko Suda , owner of Brave Child Farm in Surrey , has experienced the difficulties of being a new farmer first-hand .
She started her small-scale operation , which focuses on Asian vegetable production , three years ago .
Like almost two-thirds of farmers in the country , Suda doesn ’ t come from a farming background and had to start from scratch .
She says having financial help when starting up would have made a big difference in how much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I think we could have increased production quite dramatically because we would have the right equipment right off the bat .
But the first year ... we went with a cheap ( greenhouse ) tunnel .
And it still works .
And I suppose some people will say , ‘ Well , that 's how you run a business , ’ ” she said .
“ But given that food is not a profitable business , having the right equipment right off the bat , I think , is huge.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to break into the industry , but recently announced provincial funding in B.C .
could make it easier .
Yuko Suda , owner of Brave Child Farm in Surrey , has experienced the difficulties of being a new farmer first-hand .
Photo courtesy of Yuko Suda The government says the program ’ s goal is to help build a stronger food economy following the pandemic and that the number of applicants is expected to exceed available funds .
The program is open to applicants until Dec. 15 .
“ During COVID-19 , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a strong local food economy to put food on the table and keep people working , ” said Agriculture , Food and Fisheries Minister Lana Popham in a press release .
“ B.C.
’ s farmers and food producers have stepped up to the challenges of COVID-19 , and we are working with them to put us on the path to a strong recovery with investments in new and improved programs that will feed people and strengthen our economy.
” Dent sees the program as a stark contrast to where agricultural funding has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support for agriculture at the federal and provincial level has historically gone to medium or large-scale farms .
B.C .
is also behind other provinces in offering support — Quebec has a similar program that has been around for years , offering $ 10,000 to $ 50,000 in funding for young producers .
Ultimately , Dent says young farmers being successful could mean a chain reaction — the start of new farms being able to transition to new generations .
She adds that a program like this being offered annually could be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we really need is a renaissance and people growing food and reconnecting to their food and their food supply as a way to have healthier lives , ” she said .
“ I really think food is the kind of vehicle for change in the world .
”

It’s tough breaking into the industry for new farmers, but recently announced funding in B.C. could make it easier. The provincial government's new Small Farm Business Acceleration Pilot Program will offer up to $800,000 to new small-scale farmers for business plan coaching and cost-shared funding for commercial farm infrastructure and equipment. Through the program, individual farm businesses — which must have an annual gross revenue of less than $60,000 in the last two years — can receive a maximum of $17,500. Sara Dent, the executive director and co-founder of the Young Agrarians, a network for young and new ecological farmers across the country, says her organization views the B.C. government's new pilot program as a needed investment. “It basically means that government is willing to invest in startup, especially at a time where we have market failure conditions for agriculture, where the cost of land and production exceed, generally, what farmers can make farming the land,” she said.
Sara Dent, executive director and co-founder of the Young Agrarians, hopes the B.C. government program reaching out to new farmers will set off a renaissance. Photo courtesy of Sara Dent Dent points to the low number of people becoming farmers as something she hopes to see shift as a result of initiatives like the pilot program. B.C. lost about 3,000 farmers between 2011 and 2016, according to the provincial government, and only nine per cent of the province's farmers are under the age of 35. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Yuko Suda, owner of Brave Child Farm in Surrey, has experienced the difficulties of being a new farmer first-hand. She started her small-scale operation, which focuses on Asian vegetable production, three years ago.
Like almost two-thirds of farmers in the country, Suda doesn’t come from a farming background and had to start from scratch. She says having financial help when starting up would have made a big difference in how much food her farm was able to grow. It’s tough for new farmers to break into the industry, but recently announced provincial funding in B.C. could make it easier. “I think we could have increased production quite dramatically because we would have the right equipment right off the bat. But the first year ... we went with a cheap (greenhouse) tunnel. And it still works. And I suppose some people will say, ‘Well, that's how you run a business,’” she said. “But given that food is not a profitable business, having the right equipment right off the bat, I think, is huge.” Yuko Suda, owner of Brave Child Farm in Surrey, has experienced the difficulties of being a new farmer first-hand. Photo courtesy of Yuko Suda The government says the program’s goal is to help build a stronger food economy following the pandemic and that the number of applicants is expected to exceed available funds. The program is open to applicants until Dec. 15.
“During COVID-19, we have seen the incredible importance of having a strong local food economy to put food on the table and keep people working,” said Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Minister Lana Popham in a press release. “B.C.’s farmers and food producers have stepped up to the challenges of COVID-19, and we are working with them to put us on the path to a strong recovery with investments in new and improved programs that will feed people and strengthen our economy.” Dent sees the program as a stark contrast to where agricultural funding has gone thus far. She says economic support for agriculture at the federal and provincial level has historically gone to medium or large-scale farms.


nationalobserver--2020-12-09--Ottawa under pressure from First Nations as fish farm consultations draw to a close

Ottawa is coming under increasing pressure from First Nations in B.C .
as deadlines around contentious fish farms on the West Coast draw near .
Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan is expected to make a decision this month about whether to renew fish farm licences that are set to expire Dec. 18 in the Discovery Islands region .
Prior to making the decision , Jordan stated the Department of Fisheries and Oceans ( DFO ) would consult with the seven First Nations — Tla'amin , Klahoose , Homalco , K'ómoks , We Wai Kai ( Cape Mudge ) , Wei Wai @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — that have traditional territories in the region ’ s waters .
Bob Chamberlin , a former vice-president of the Union of B.C .
Indian Chiefs and longtime advocate for wild salmon , said formal submissions to DFO have been made by some of the First Nations involved .
Chamberlin , a member of the Kwikwasut'inuxw Haxwa'mis First Nation in the Broughton Archipelago , hopes Jordan heeds the First Nations that want open-net pen fish farms banned in the region to try to stem the massive declines in wild salmon stocks .
• @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 'ghost gear' • Meng 's lawyers fight on against extradition despite reports of proposed plea deal • Conservatives prepared to talk out the clock on assisted dying bill : O'Toole “ You can say , without any drama , these salmon runs are on an extinction curve , ” Chamberlin said , adding it ’ s hard to predict what DFO will decide .
“ I learned it 's not really all that great to be optimistic , ” he said .
“ Who knows what factors the Crown really listens to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve not seen it favour First Nations very often.
” The fish farms in the Discovery Islands region are particularly contentious because they sit along a critical migration route for juvenile Fraser River sockeye salmon , which critics say are at risk from disease and parasites from the aquaculture operations .
However , DFO determined disease from the Discovery Islands aquaculture operations pose little risk to wild Fraser River salmon stocks in September , provoking much criticism from open-net pen detractors .
The minister ’ s decision about the farms ’ fate occurs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which used to number in the millions — are seeing back-to-back historical lows .
It ’ s estimated that fewer than 300,000 fish returned to the Fraser in 2020 , the lowest number since records began in 1983 .
Concern around the fate of Pacific wild salmon — fundamental to First Nations ’ cultural , social and nutritional needs — is high in communities across B.C.
, not just those in the Discovery Islands region , says one wild salmon advocate .
Other factors , such as climate change , habitat loss , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are all compounding the dangers that sea lice and disease from salmon farms can pose to wild salmon , said Chamberlin .
While it ’ s difficult to take immediate steps to address larger , complex problems , banning open-net pens in the Discovery Islands and transitioning to land-based operations is something that can be done now , he added .
“ We have to exert control over the things that we can to make it better for the fish , ” Chamberlin said .
Concern around the fate of Pacific wild salmon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , social and nutritional needs — is high in communities across B.C.
, not just those in the Discovery Islands region , said Chamberlin .
The First Nations Leadership Council ( FNLC ) has also issued a call for DFO to follow the precautionary principle and revoke fish farm licences to protect wild salmon .
The federal Liberal government tabled legislation last week to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples ( UNDRIP ) .
The FNLC wants Ottawa and the fisheries minister to make good on their commitment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ putting an immediate stop to fish farms in the Discovery Islands and moving to land-based aquaculture .
Robert Phillips of the First Nations Summit said DFO needs to abandon the outdated model of fisheries management that has led to the collapse of Pacific salmon fisheries .
There are a host of cumulative stressors for Pacific salmon along migration routes , said the FLNC , adding fundamental changes are needed to rebuild wild stocks and ensure they exist for future generations .
“ We need to change from a fisheries management model that is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ model that is based on rebuilding wild stocks , ” Phillips said .
“ It must be a model based on consent , that recognizes the full jurisdiction and management of First Nations.
” When Jordan launched the recent consultations , she said the federal government is committed to collaborative relationships with First Nations in managing the marine environment .
The final decision on the farms would be “ area-based ” and incorporate Indigenous views and social , economic , geographic and environmental factors .
The fisheries minister has said DFO will come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from open-net pen salmon farming in coastal British Columbia waters by 2025 .
A range of technological methods are being examined by government as alternatives to open-net pen fish farms , according to a 2019 government report .
They include land-based water-recirculating aquaculture systems ( RAS ) and hybrid technologies that start farmed fish on land before transferring them to ocean facilities to reduce the amount of time the salmon spend in ocean waters growing to market size .
As well , floating closed-containment systems and open-ocean systems based far offshore are being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely to come online until five to 10 years down the road .
Terry Beech , Burnaby North-Seymour MP and parliamentary secretary to the fisheries minister , is tasked with heading wider future consultations with First Nations in B.C.
, the aquaculture industry and environmental stakeholders around the transition process .
He ’ s slated to produce an interim report on the process in the spring .

Ottawa is coming under increasing pressure from First Nations in B.C. as deadlines around contentious fish farms on the West Coast draw near. Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan is expected to make a decision this month about whether to renew fish farm licences that are set to expire Dec. 18 in the Discovery Islands region. Prior to making the decision, Jordan stated the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) would consult with the seven First Nations — Tla'amin, Klahoose, Homalco, K'ómoks, We Wai Kai (Cape Mudge), Wei Wai Kum (Campbell River) and Kwiakah — that have traditional territories in the region’s waters. Bob Chamberlin, a former vice-president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs and longtime advocate for wild salmon, said formal submissions to DFO have been made by some of the First Nations involved. Chamberlin, a member of the Kwikwasut'inuxw Haxwa'mis First Nation in the Broughton Archipelago, hopes Jordan heeds the First Nations that want open-net pen fish farms banned in the region to try to stem the massive declines in wild salmon stocks.
“You can say, without any drama, these salmon runs are on an extinction curve,” Chamberlin said, adding it’s hard to predict what DFO will decide. “I learned it's not really all that great to be optimistic,” he said. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “Who knows what factors the Crown really listens to or embraces the most? I’ve not seen it favour First Nations very often.”
The fish farms in the Discovery Islands region are particularly contentious because they sit along a critical migration route for juvenile Fraser River sockeye salmon, which critics say are at risk from disease and parasites from the aquaculture operations. Concern around the fate of Pacific wild salmon — fundamental to First Nations’ cultural, social and nutritional needs — is high in communities across B.C., not just those in the Discovery Islands region, says one wild salmon advocate. However, DFO determined disease from the Discovery Islands aquaculture operations pose little risk to wild Fraser River salmon stocks in September, provoking much criticism from open-net pen detractors. The minister’s decision about the farms’ fate occurs as Fraser River sockeye salmon returns — which used to number in the millions — are seeing back-to-back historical lows. It’s estimated that fewer than 300,000 fish returned to the Fraser in 2020, the lowest number since records began in 1983. Other factors, such as climate change, habitat loss, pollution and the Big Bar landslide, are all compounding the dangers that sea lice and disease from salmon farms can pose to wild salmon, said Chamberlin. While it’s difficult to take immediate steps to address larger, complex problems, banning open-net pens in the Discovery Islands and transitioning to land-based operations is something that can be done now, he added.
“We have to exert control over the things that we can to make it better for the fish,” Chamberlin said. Concern around the fate of Pacific wild salmon — fundamental to First Nations’ cultural, social and nutritional needs — is high in communities across B.C., not just those in the Discovery Islands region, said Chamberlin. The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) has also issued a call for DFO to follow the precautionary principle and revoke fish farm licences to protect wild salmon.


nationalobserver--2020-12-09--Climate change mitigation a matter of faith for the United Church of Canada

St. Paul ’ s United Church in Magog , Que.
, was built in 1930 on a quiet tree-lined road in the centre of town .
At its heart was a temperamental , coal-powered furnace nicknamed “ Bessy , ” which struggled to heat the building through its massive cast iron radiators .
Bessy was eventually upgraded to gas , but its reliability had been degrading over its 90-year tenure .
The furnace needed a good six hours to warm up every Sunday , otherwise it would clank and groan loudly from the basement , disrupting the weekly service .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the place felt — well — the pews were n't warm , ” recalls Garth Fields , St. Paul ’ s chairperson .
By spring 2019 , after yet another chilly season spent on cold , hard chairs , the church decided that enough was enough .
It was time for St. Paul ’ s to bring Bessy into the 21st century .
For Rev .
Lee Ann Hogle , finding an environmentally friendly alternative to the gas-powered system was a top priority .
“ The environment is really important to me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all have a responsibility to care for one another .
For not just human life , but all life on Earth.
” • This Nova Scotian is ridding the ocean of 'ghost gear' • Meng 's lawyers fight on against extradition despite reports of proposed plea deal She takes inspiration from the Indigenous Seventh Generation Principle , in which actions are considered intrinsically tied to the repercussions they ’ ll have seven generations from now .
“ In the Genesis 1 myth of creation , God gives humans dominion over all other living @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We have witnessed the devastating effects of domination for the purposes of exploitation .
But dominion can also be interpreted as carrying the responsibility to properly care for our world.
” Hogle isn ’ t alone in this belief .
The United Church of Canada as a whole has been supporting environmental causes for more than 40 years .
In 2015 , the church voted to divest completely from fossil fuels , and has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 .
In 2018 , the church @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which offers up to $ 30,000 to congregations trying to make environmentally friendly renovations .
More than $ 3 million has already been raised for the program .
Renovations are a central focus for the church , as many of its buildings are older and face similar problems as St. Paul ’ s in Magog .
They ’ re inefficient and drafty , and retrofits can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars .
“ We have witnessed the devastating effects of domination for the purposes of exploitation .
But dominion can also be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care for our world , ” says Rev .
Lee Ann Hogle of St. Paul 's United Church .
“ The program was designed in such a way to support the best local solutions , ” explains Christine Boyle , a Vancouver city councillor and an ordained United Church minister who helped design and launch the program .
“ For a lot of buildings , that means new furnaces or heat pumps .
A lot of the buildings needed to be sealed up.
” A number of congregations in Alberta used the money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in addition to heating the buildings — make for “ strong visual statements of the church ’ s priorities , ” says Boyle .
“ Environmentalism is an integral aspect of the United Church ’ s theology , ” she says .
“ As the science of climate change has been made so stark , we need to make that shift into a clean energy future , and we need to make that shift very rapidly.
” St. Paul ’ s got nearly $ 25,000 in funding from the Faithful Footprints program .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to properly insulate the building for Canadian winters and convert the clanky iron radiators into standalone electric units .
“ The radiators weigh hundreds of pounds , ” says Fields .
The contractors had to lift them out of the church with cranes , then manoeuvre through the narrow , dark crawl space below the sanctuary to wire up the new system .
“ It was a pretty dirty job , ” he recalls .
The contractors didn ’ t end up removing Bessy ’ s main unit , however .
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the church ’ s carbon emissions by 15 per cent , and reusing the ancient radiators kept them out of the landfill .
Different areas of the church can now be heated individually with ease , a task that used to cause headaches for staff .
The organ , for instance , is sensitive to temperature drops and needs to be kept warmer than the rest of the church .
Church leaders are so pleased with the success of this project , they ’ re going to repeat the process with their one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Environmental motivations aside , the biggest benefit of the new system is a very tangible one : “ You never have to sit on a cold pew !
” Hogle says , laughing .

St. Paul’s United Church in Magog, Que., was built in 1930 on a quiet tree-lined road in the centre of town. At its heart was a temperamental, coal-powered furnace nicknamed “Bessy,” which struggled to heat the building through its massive cast iron radiators. Bessy was eventually upgraded to gas, but its reliability had been degrading over its 90-year tenure. The furnace needed a good six hours to warm up every Sunday, otherwise it would clank and groan loudly from the basement, disrupting the weekly service. “By the time the parishioners arrived, the place felt — well — the pews weren't warm,” recalls Garth Fields, St. Paul’s chairperson. By spring 2019, after yet another chilly season spent on cold, hard chairs, the church decided that enough was enough. It was time for St. Paul’s to bring Bessy into the 21st century. For Rev. Lee Ann Hogle, finding an environmentally friendly alternative to the gas-powered system was a top priority. “The environment is really important to me,” she says. “We all have a responsibility to care for one another. For not just human life, but all life on Earth.”
She takes inspiration from the Indigenous Seventh Generation Principle, in which actions are considered intrinsically tied to the repercussions they’ll have seven generations from now. Hogle also finds environmentalism depicted in Scripture. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “In the Genesis 1 myth of creation, God gives humans dominion over all other living creatures,” she says. “We have witnessed the devastating effects of domination for the purposes of exploitation. But dominion can also be interpreted as carrying the responsibility to properly care for our world.”
Hogle isn’t alone in this belief. The United Church of Canada as a whole has been supporting environmental causes for more than 40 years. In 2015, the church voted to divest completely from fossil fuels, and has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. “We have witnessed the devastating effects of domination for the purposes of exploitation. But dominion can also be interpreted as carrying the responsibility to properly care for our world,” says Rev. Lee Ann Hogle of St. Paul's United Church. In 2018, the church started its Faithful Footprints grant program, which offers up to $30,000 to congregations trying to make environmentally friendly renovations. More than $3 million has already been raised for the program. Renovations are a central focus for the church, as many of its buildings are older and face similar problems as St. Paul’s in Magog. They’re inefficient and drafty, and retrofits can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. “The program was designed in such a way to support the best local solutions,” explains Christine Boyle, a Vancouver city councillor and an ordained United Church minister who helped design and launch the program. “For a lot of buildings, that means new furnaces or heat pumps. A lot of the buildings needed to be sealed up.” A number of congregations in Alberta used the money to install solar panels, which — in addition to heating the buildings — make for “strong visual statements of the church’s priorities,” says Boyle.
“Environmentalism is an integral aspect of the United Church’s theology,” she says. “As the science of climate change has been made so stark, we need to make that shift into a clean energy future, and we need to make that shift very rapidly.” St. Paul’s got nearly $25,000 in funding from the Faithful Footprints program. With that help, it was able to properly insulate the building for Canadian winters and convert the clanky iron radiators into standalone electric units. “The radiators weigh hundreds of pounds,” says Fields. The contractors had to lift them out of the church with cranes, then manoeuvre through the narrow, dark crawl space below the sanctuary to wire up the new system.


nationalobserver--2020-12-09--Is a COVID-weary public buying the Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s austerity shtick?

In a recent open letter to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland , the CTF argued that “ Canada ’ s debt is about to hit $ 1 trillion .
Temporary programs are too expensive to go on forever .
We need an economic recovery that ’ s realistic in the long term.
” You have to hand it to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation .
In the face of a pandemic and an unprecedented surge in government spending and economic support that has widespread public approval , the organization remains steadfast in its belief that governments ought to be doing less rather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consistently quoted in , and featured by , mainstream media organizations across the country whenever there is a dollar of government spending worth talking about .
Its ubiquity may drive progressives up the wall , but they can ’ t pretend its media strategy isn ’ t effective .
But make no mistake : Despite its predictability , the Canadian Taxpayers Federation has punched way above its weight over the course of its existence .
After all , the organization only has five voting members , and it counts just 235,000 supporters across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 0.6 per cent of the Canadian population .
And for the last 30 years , it has lived up to that objective by campaigning against every new tax measure imaginable and for every possible reduction in pay or compensation for public-sector workers .
Its goal ?
“ To do all things and take all steps possible to have government at all levels recognize and realize that deficit financing can not continue and must be opposed by reductions in expenditures rather than increases in taxes.
” The Canadian Taxpayers Federation traces its roots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saskatchewan Federation of Taxpayers and something called the Resolution One Association , which Link Byfield — son of Alberta Report founder Ted Byfield — created in 1989 .
Meanwhile , the organization has served as a de facto farm team for the Canadian conservative movement , with high-profile alumni serving in a wide variety of offices and roles .
The biggest success is unquestionably Alberta Premier ( and former CTF CEO ) Jason Kenney , but the roster of former employees includes elected officials like former Wildrose MLA Derek Fildebrandt and Conservative MP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Candice Malcolm and Toronto Sun editor Adrienne Batra , along with a litany of current and former political staffers across the country .
All of that is at risk right now , though .
While it has long managed to cloak its obsession with fiscal austerity in the rhetorical finery of fiscal populism , the current moment is putting the lie to all that .
After all , millions of Canadian businesses and households have gotten by this year because of the investments the federal government made in programs like the Canada Emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy ( CEWS ) .
And what was the Canadian Taxpayers Federation ’ s reaction to those programs ?
Worrying that people might be fraudulently claiming benefits on behalf of their horses .
No , really .
But for all the joking about horses that greeted federal director Aaron Wudrick ’ s suggestion that equine-related CERB fraud might be worth the government ’ s attention , his organization 's response to the pandemic has revealed the danger that can come with being a one-trick pony .
Its allergic reaction to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well in more normal times , but recent times have been anything but normal .
And as many Canadians have discovered over the course of the last year , governments can play a crucial role in our lives .
That role isn ’ t about to shrink any time soon , either , given that vaccines for COVID-19 will be delivered by governments over the course of the next year .
Don ’ t expect the Canadian Taxpayers Federation to change its tune , though .
Rather than reckoning with the new political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will almost certainly try to bring us back to the one we just left behind .
It will demand spending cuts , reject new taxes or tax increases and fearmonger about debt and deficits , as Ontario director Jasmine Moulton did in a recent op-ed for the Toronto Sun .
“ Perhaps the scariest part of Ontario ’ s recent budget was the forecast of double-digit deficits for years to come , ” she wrote .
“ Each Ontarian ’ s portion of the provincial debt is already $ 25,000 .
Add in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to $ 50,000 .
That ’ s $ 200,000 in government debt owed by a family of four.
” The real question is whether the public , and the media , will be as open to the familiar prescription of spending cuts and lower taxes as they have been in the past .
That ’ s because the organization is starting to sound a little bit like the doctors who continued practising bloodletting deep into the 19th century long after more effective and credible procedures had been developed .
Yes , the Canadian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of inflation , even though we haven ’ t seen any of it for the better part of 20 years .
And it will swear up and down that Canadians can ’ t afford a single penny of new taxes , even though that ’ s demonstrably false .
But after a year in which government spending saved millions of Canadians from outright ruin , those Canadians may have finally realized that the treatment being prescribed by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation is worse than the alleged disease .

You have to hand it to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. In the face of a pandemic and an unprecedented surge in government spending and economic support that has widespread public approval, the organization remains steadfast in its belief that governments ought to be doing less rather than more. In a recent open letter to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, the CTF argued that “Canada’s debt is about to hit $1 trillion. Temporary programs are too expensive to go on forever. We need an economic recovery that’s realistic in the long term.” Its proposed solution? Cutting taxes, reducing government spending and salaries and defunding the CBC. If nothing else, the CTF is consistent. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation traces its roots back to a 1990 alliance between the Saskatchewan Federation of Taxpayers and something called the Resolution One Association, which Link Byfield — son of Alberta Report founder Ted Byfield — created in 1989. Its goal? “To do all things and take all steps possible to have government at all levels recognize and realize that deficit financing cannot continue and must be opposed by reductions in expenditures rather than increases in taxes.”
And for the last 30 years, it has lived up to that objective by campaigning against every new tax measure imaginable and for every possible reduction in pay or compensation for public-sector workers. But make no mistake: Despite its predictability, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation has punched way above its weight over the course of its existence. After all, the organization only has five voting members, and it counts just 235,000 supporters across the country — just a smidge more than 0.6 per cent of the Canadian population. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions And yet it is consistently quoted in, and featured by, mainstream media organizations across the country whenever there is a dollar of government spending worth talking about. Its ubiquity may drive progressives up the wall, but they can’t pretend its media strategy isn’t effective.
Meanwhile, the organization has served as a de facto farm team for the Canadian conservative movement, with high-profile alumni serving in a wide variety of offices and roles. The biggest success is unquestionably Alberta Premier (and former CTF CEO) Jason Kenney, but the roster of former employees includes elected officials like former Wildrose MLA Derek Fildebrandt and Conservative MP John Williamson and media personalities like columnist Candice Malcolm and Toronto Sun editor Adrienne Batra, along with a litany of current and former political staffers across the country. "(The Canadian Taxpayers Federation's) allergic reaction to any new government spending may have played well in more normal times, but recent times have been anything but normal," says @maxfawcett. All of that is at risk right now, though. While it has long managed to cloak its obsession with fiscal austerity in the rhetorical finery of fiscal populism, the current moment is putting the lie to all that. After all, millions of Canadian businesses and households have gotten by this year because of the investments the federal government made in programs like the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS). And what was the Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s reaction to those programs? Worrying that people might be fraudulently claiming benefits on behalf of their horses. No, really. But for all the joking about horses that greeted federal director Aaron Wudrick’s suggestion that equine-related CERB fraud might be worth the government’s attention, his organization's response to the pandemic has revealed the danger that can come with being a one-trick pony. Its allergic reaction to any new government spending may have played well in more normal times, but recent times have been anything but normal. And as many Canadians have discovered over the course of the last year, governments can play a crucial role in our lives. That role isn’t about to shrink any time soon, either, given that vaccines for COVID-19 will be delivered by governments over the course of the next year.
Don’t expect the Canadian Taxpayers Federation to change its tune, though. Rather than reckoning with the new political landscape we’re in, it will almost certainly try to bring us back to the one we just left behind. It will demand spending cuts, reject new taxes or tax increases and fearmonger about debt and deficits, as Ontario director Jasmine Moulton did in a recent op-ed for the Toronto Sun. “Perhaps the scariest part of Ontario’s recent budget was the forecast of double-digit deficits for years to come,” she wrote. “Each Ontarian’s portion of the provincial debt is already $25,000. Add in federal debt, and that number grows to $50,000. That’s $200,000 in government debt owed by a family of four.” The real question is whether the public, and the media, will be as open to the familiar prescription of spending cuts and lower taxes as they have been in the past. That’s because the organization is starting to sound a little bit like the doctors who continued practising bloodletting deep into the 19th century long after more effective and credible procedures had been developed.