nationalobserver--2020-07-04--Walk to pile of bones

Walk to pile of bones

Joined on his walk by a group of supporters , Durocher wants the province to change its tune on suicide prevention .
Métis fiddler Tristen Durocher is walking from La Ronge to Regina to protest the government ’ s refusal to pass a suicide prevention bill .
The Northern Cree drum group performing at a ceremony for Tristen Durocher and his companions on their way to Regina from La Ronge .
By Michael Bramadat-Willcock .
Durocher , of Buffalo Narrows , and his supporters left Thursday from Fairchild Cemetery near La Ronge .
“ I plan on arriving , walking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 'pile of bones ' and playing Amazing Grace for the families who have lost their loved ones and for the mothers who are still grieving the death of their babies , ” Durocher said .
Tristen Durocher plays fiddle in Air Ronge , Sask.
, the evening before embarking on a walk to Regina , where he hopes the legislature will change its stand on suicide prevention in the province .
By Michael Bramadat-Willcock .
Vermette told Canada ’ s National Observer that the bill was not meant to be partisan .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ behalf of constituents .
But Bill 618 — the Saskatchewan Strategy for Suicide Prevention Act — was voted down by Saskatchewan Party members in the legislature .
The bill was put forward by Cumberland NDP MLA Doyle Vermette on behalf of families whose loved ones died by suicide in the province .
“ I ’ m hoping that because it ’ s a fast and people will be watching ... they ’ ll see illustrated bare before their eyes the heartlessness of our elected leaders , ” Durocher said .
Inspired by Mahatma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ British rule in India , Durocher says when he arrives , he will start a hunger strike in front of the legislature until the issue of suicide prevention legislation is addressed .
Tristen Durocher and his companions are heading to Regina in protest of the Saskatchewan government 's failure to pass suicide prevention legislation .
Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock .
“ The lack of action and the complete indifference of our elected members who are in power is lethal and is killing and I ’ m sick of it .
Those are our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told Canada ’ s National Observer on Tuesday .
They are walking 600 kilometres south to the provincial capital of Regina to push the provincial government to act after the defeat of the Opposition 's bill on June 18 .
“ All members in power , who had the capacity , the means and the power to save lives unanimously said no .
That was a beautiful illustration of just how much they don ’ t give a s—t , ” Durocher said .
Vermette said he was exhausted after it was rejected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called to tell him about the walk .
“ This wasn ’ t Doyle Vermette ’ s bill , this wasn ’ t the NDP ’ s bill .
It is our youth and parents who have lost their children to suicide who are demanding it.
” “ I ’ m walking from La Ronge to Regina asking people in our province , people in our country , to give a s—t .
And I ’ m fasting on that lawn ( in front of the legislature ) until they pass meaningful legislation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urgency that we feel.
” Durocher is joined by Christopher Merasty , founder of a men ’ s support group in La Ronge called Men of the North .
The defeat of the suicide prevention bill was the last straw for Merasty , too .
He said he ’ s also tired of watching community members die while the province twiddles its thumbs .
“ If we have a concrete plan in place , and we stick with it , be consistent with it , I ’ m sure that we are going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ address this , and we need to change this.
” Merasty said he wants to provide protection and companionship for Durocher on the walk .
“ This walk is for hope .
Hope that something is going to change in our northern communities here in Saskatchewan for every man , woman and child who lives in our north and right across Canada.
” An average of 144 people die by suicide each year in the province .
Between 2005 and 2019 , more than 2,200 people in Saskatchewan died by suicide , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Suicide is the leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 49 in northern Saskatchewan .
The provincial government has put forward a plan , which it thinks is enough , but critics say that not attaching binding legislation makes it effectively useless .
Rural and Remote Health Minister Warren Kaeding released Pillars for Life : The Saskatchewan Suicide Prevention Plan in May , which outlines a collaborative approach to suicide prevention .
“ Mental health continues to be a high priority for our government , our health system and our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ province ’ s suicide prevention strategy states that it will co-ordinate activities to promote life and reduce risk factors related to death by suicide in Saskatchewan .
“ This plan will guide activities specific to suicide prevention based on Saskatchewan ’ s context .
It was informed by careful consideration of approaches across the country and international best practice , ” Kaeding said .
Vermette maintains that legislation , as opposed to a plan , would be more effective because it would hold institutions accountable .
“ Seven reserves have declared states of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
We kept digging graves .
Politicians came for a weekend , took a few photos , called that consultation and continued to do nothing , ” Durocher said .
Durocher held an intimate smudging ceremony between family and friends on Wednesday in Air Ronge , the day before leaving for Regina .
Coincidence or not , on the same day in 1884 , Louis Riel arrived in Batoche , Sask.
, to assert Métis sovereignty in what is today Western Canada .
“ I just released my first fiddle album , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s this music that the Métis people have used to deal with our grief for hundreds of years , ” Durocher said .
Durocher is walking to the provincial capital accompanied not only by supporters , but also his music .
“ These old traditional tunes that were with us on the old frontiers and at the trading posts and in 1885 and at the church in Batoche .
Our music always helped us keep our spirits intact , ” Durocher said .
Regina is called “ pile of bones ” because it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were piled high during the height of colonial genocide in the Prairies .
Buffalo were slaughtered as the land was settled by agrarian colonists and as a way of eliminating Indigenous peoples ' source of food .
On Thursday morning , the protest walk began with a ceremony at the site of a cemetery where people who have died by suicide are buried .
Lac La Ronge Indian Band chief Tammy Cook-Searson spoke in both Cree and English at the sendoff : “ You ’ re going to bring to light that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We have so many suicides.
” Cook-Searson shared that she lost her sister to suicide .
“ The statistics are there , but we are not only statistics .
These are real people .
These are people that are loved who we lost.
” The ceremony was interlaced with music from the Northern Cree drum group , which came from Alberta to participate in the sendoff .
“ For me , first and foremost , this is a ceremony .
The elders say that spirits wander when they take their own lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re still hurting , and they ’ re still grieving .
This is my way of giving them closure , ” Durocher said .
“ This is my way of calling them to us and saying : Walk with us , see how much we love you , and feel how much we always will .
And I ’ m hoping when we get to that lawn , we have the whole invisible march of the spirits who passed on because of this.
” This year ’ s annual report from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concluded that of the 34 deaths recorded in the provincial child welfare system last year , 29 were Indigenous children ( First Nations or Métis ) and seven of the 34 were deaths by suicide .
“ I ’ ve lived through this , I ’ ve borne witness to this , I ’ ve stood at the graves of children with their families grieving and put on a strong face to fiddle because their little brothers and sisters needed something to look at other than their mothers and grandmothers in the depths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I don ’ t let the kids see me broken .
Never .
But there are times behind closed doors when the tears come and there have been nights where I wasn ’ t sure if they would ever stop and I ’ ve had enough of that.
” If you are or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts , help is available at all hours .
Support can be found at the Canada Suicide Prevention Service website .
If you are in immediate danger , you can call 911 .

“I plan on arriving, walking to the front steps of the legislature in 'pile of bones' and playing Amazing Grace for the families who have lost their loved ones and for the mothers who are still grieving the death of their babies,” Durocher said.
Tristen Durocher plays fiddle in Air Ronge, Sask., the evening before embarking on a walk to Regina, where he hopes the legislature will change its stand on suicide prevention in the province. By Michael Bramadat-Willcock.
Joined on his walk by a group of supporters, Durocher wants the province to change its tune on suicide prevention.
Métis fiddler Tristen Durocher is walking from La Ronge to Regina to protest the government’s refusal to pass a suicide prevention bill.
The Northern Cree drum group performing at a ceremony for Tristen Durocher and his companions on their way to Regina from La Ronge. By Michael Bramadat-Willcock.
Durocher, of Buffalo Narrows, and his supporters left Thursday from Fairchild Cemetery near La Ronge.
“I’m hoping that because it’s a fast and people will be watching ... they’ll see illustrated bare before their eyes the heartlessness of our elected leaders,” Durocher said.
Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s peaceful resistance tactics during British rule in India, Durocher says when he arrives, he will start a hunger strike in front of the legislature until the issue of suicide prevention legislation is addressed.
Tristen Durocher and his companions are heading to Regina in protest of the Saskatchewan government's failure to pass suicide prevention legislation. Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock.
“The lack of action and the complete indifference of our elected members who are in power is lethal and is killing and I’m sick of it. Those are our youth and our people,” Durocher told Canada’s National Observer on Tuesday.
They are walking 600 kilometres south to the provincial capital of Regina to push the provincial government to act after the defeat of the Opposition's bill on June 18.
But Bill 618 — the Saskatchewan Strategy for Suicide Prevention Act — was voted down by Saskatchewan Party members in the legislature.
The bill was put forward by Cumberland NDP MLA Doyle Vermette on behalf of families whose loved ones died by suicide in the province.
Vermette told Canada’s National Observer that the bill was not meant to be partisan. Rather, it was put forward on behalf of constituents.
“This wasn’t Doyle Vermette’s bill, this wasn’t the NDP’s bill. It is our youth and parents who have lost their children to suicide who are demanding it.”
Vermette said he was exhausted after it was rejected, but gained fresh hope when Durocher called to tell him about the walk.
“All members in power, who had the capacity, the means and the power to save lives unanimously said no. That was a beautiful illustration of just how much they don’t give a s—t,” Durocher said.
“I’m walking from La Ronge to Regina asking people in our province, people in our country, to give a s—t. And I’m fasting on that lawn (in front of the legislature) until they pass meaningful legislation. I want them to feel the urgency that we feel.”
Durocher is joined by Christopher Merasty, founder of a men’s support group in La Ronge called Men of the North.
Men of the North founder Christopher Merasty is joining Buffalo Narrows fiddler Tristen Durocher in his walk to Regina. Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock.
The defeat of the suicide prevention bill was the last straw for Merasty, too. He said he’s also tired of watching community members die while the province twiddles its thumbs.
“If we have a concrete plan in place, and we stick with it, be consistent with it, I’m sure that we are going to save lives. We need to address this, and we need to change this.”
Merasty said he wants to provide protection and companionship for Durocher on the walk.
“This walk is for hope. Hope that something is going to change in our northern communities here in Saskatchewan for every man, woman and child who lives in our north and right across Canada.”
The northern Cree drum group from Alberta came to La Ronge to perform at the ceremony for Tristen Durocher's walk to Regina. Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock.
An average of 144 people die by suicide each year in the province. Between 2005 and 2019, more than 2,200 people in Saskatchewan died by suicide, according to data from the Saskatchewan Coroners Service.
Suicide is the leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 49 in northern Saskatchewan.
The provincial government has put forward a plan, which it thinks is enough, but critics say that not attaching binding legislation makes it effectively useless.
Rural and Remote Health Minister Warren Kaeding released Pillars for Life: The Saskatchewan Suicide Prevention Plan in May, which outlines a collaborative approach to suicide prevention.
24 year old Tristen Durocher's first album features a picture of himself playing his fiddle in a crowded Saskatoon street, something he intends to repeat when he passes through there on his way to Regina. Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock.
“Mental health continues to be a high priority for our government, our health system and our communities,” Kaeding said.
The province’s suicide prevention strategy states that it will co-ordinate activities to promote life and reduce risk factors related to death by suicide in Saskatchewan.
“This plan will guide activities specific to suicide prevention based on Saskatchewan’s context. It was informed by careful consideration of approaches across the country and international best practice,” Kaeding said.
Vermette maintains that legislation, as opposed to a plan, would be more effective because it would hold institutions accountable.
Curtis McKenzie, a 27-year-old member of Lac La Ronge Indian Band took his own life while at Saskatchewan Penitentiary in Prince Albert in March. Photograph from social media.
“Seven reserves have declared states of emergencies. What good did that do? We kept digging graves. Politicians came for a weekend, took a few photos, called that consultation and continued to do nothing,” Durocher said.
Durocher held an intimate smudging ceremony between family and friends on Wednesday in Air Ronge, the day before leaving for Regina.
Coincidence or not, on the same day in 1884, Louis Riel arrived in Batoche, Sask., to assert Métis sovereignty in what is today Western Canada.
“I just released my first fiddle album, which is kind of funny because here’s this music that the Métis people have used to deal with our grief for hundreds of years,” Durocher said.
Durocher is walking to the provincial capital accompanied not only by supporters, but also his music.
“These old traditional tunes that were with us on the old frontiers and at the trading posts and in 1885 and at the church in Batoche. Our music always helped us keep our spirits intact,” Durocher said.
Tristen Durocher said that music has always accompanied the Métis people as a form of solace during difficult times. Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock.
Regina is called “pile of bones” because it was the site where slaughtered Buffalo bones were piled high during the height of colonial genocide in the Prairies. Buffalo were slaughtered as the land was settled by agrarian colonists and as a way of eliminating Indigenous peoples' source of food.
On Thursday morning, the protest walk began with a ceremony at the site of a cemetery where people who have died by suicide are buried.
Lac La Ronge Indian Band chief Tammy Cook-Searson spoke in both Cree and English at the sendoff: “You’re going to bring to light that we need to do something different for suicide. We have so many suicides.”
Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook-Searson with Emily Cummings. Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock.
Cook-Searson shared that she lost her sister to suicide.
“The statistics are there, but we are not only statistics. These are real people. These are people that are loved who we lost.”
The ceremony was interlaced with music from the Northern Cree drum group, which came from Alberta to participate in the sendoff.
“For me, first and foremost, this is a ceremony. The elders say that spirits wander when they take their own lives because they’re still angry, they’re still hurting, and they’re still grieving. This is my way of giving them closure,” Durocher said.
“This is my way of calling them to us and saying: Walk with us, see how much we love you, and feel how much we always will. And I’m hoping when we get to that lawn, we have the whole invisible march of the spirits who passed on because of this.”
Tristen Durocher with family and supporters at the Anglican church cemetery near La Ronge before his walk to Regina. Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock.
This year’s annual report from provincial children’s advocate Lisa Broda concluded that of the 34 deaths recorded in the provincial child welfare system last year, 29 were Indigenous children (First Nations or Métis) and seven of the 34 were deaths by suicide.
“I’ve lived through this, I’ve borne witness to this, I’ve stood at the graves of children with their families grieving and put on a strong face to fiddle because their little brothers and sisters needed something to look at other than their mothers and grandmothers in the depths of grief,” Durocher said.
“I don’t let the kids see me broken. Never. But there are times behind closed doors when the tears come and there have been nights where I wasn’t sure if they would ever stop and I’ve had enough of that.”
Michael Bramadat-Willcock/Local Journalism Initiative/Canada's National Observer
If you are or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, help is available at all hours. Support can be found at the Canada Suicide Prevention Service website. If you are in immediate danger, you can call 911.


nationalobserver--2020-07-05--Migrant workers call on Ottawa for greater protections amid COVID-19 risks

Migrant workers and other non-permanent residents — many of whom have been working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic — took to the streets in cities across Canada on Saturday , calling on Ottawa to grant them greater rights and protections .
Temporary foreign farm labourers , care workers , international students and undocumented workers who have been working throughout the pandemic as `` essential workers '' say they are being left behind by the Canadian government .
`` Our people are literally starving .
People are dying , not even to grow food , but to grow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers are trapped in homes by employers who wo n't let them out because migrants are seen as carriers of disease , '' said Syed Hussan , executive director of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change .
Many migrant workers have fallen ill and can not access medical treatment , while others have not received wage top-ups offered to other essential workers .
Meanwhile , migrant or undocumented workers and asylum seekers who have lost employment due to the pandemic are ineligible for emergency income supports such as the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all stems from their non-permanent status in Canada .
Canada 's labour laws , social services , health care and education systems offer different levels of access to non-permanent residents — a reality that advocates have long decried as intrinsically unjust .
The pandemic has now exacerbated those inequities and has placed migrant workers at significant personal risk , Hussan said .
`` What we were n't planning for is the absolute misery and chaos that would be caused in a public health pandemic , '' he said .
Demonstrations organized by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Montreal , Toronto , Vancouver and Halifax in front of offices of members of Parliament , including the office of federal Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino .
Around 100 protesters plastered Mendicino ’ s Toronto office windows with posters of Juan Lopez Chapparo , Bonifacio Eugenio Romero , and Rogelio Munez Santos — three migrant workers who died from the COVID-19 virus in June while working on Ontario farms .
Migrant workers and other non-permanent residents — many of whom have been working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic — took to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saturday , calling on Ottawa to grant them greater rights and protections .
Their demands to Mendicino and to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were simple : provide full immigration status to all migrants who are working in Canada .
Alina Przybyl , a member of Migrant Students United , says the struggles migrants face in Canada are wide and vary from person to person , but that all migrants in Canada face a two-tier immigration system that favours the wealthy and privileged .
`` I can ’ t speak for everyone but I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who has migrated to Canada ) has a story like what we ’ re hearing here , '' Pryzybyl said .
Participants in the Montreal demonstration , which was attended by a few hundred people Saturday morning , held signs that read , `` Status for all '' and `` We are all essential , '' among others .
`` It feels very sad that people who have been providing essential services to our society have been left behind , '' said Elroy Ribas , a migrant worker from Mexico .
`` One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very proud about living in Canada is that people care .
But in this context we have n't seen that . ''
The federal Liberals have said they are working on a program to grant permanent residency specifically to asylum-seekers working in health care during the COVID-19 pandemic .
Many of their refugee applications are in limbo due to a backlog at the Immigration and Refugee Board and further delays caused by the pandemic , meaning their status in Canada remains uncertain in the long term .
But Hussan says the government should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ non-permanent residents , not just a select few .
`` Everyone must have the same rights , the same protections .
That 's only possible if everyone has the same status , '' Hussan said .
Floriane Payo , an asylum seeker from Cameroon who came to Canada last year , joined the rally in Montreal on Saturday to demand status for herself and others who 've been working throughout the COVID-19 pandemic who are not in the health-care sector .
Payo was working in a call centre in Montreal at the height @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but the company closed temporarily in April , she said , after a worker tested positive for COVID-19 .
It would be unfair for the government to regularize the status health-care workers only , she said .
`` We too are essential workers , '' said Payo .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4 , 2020 .
— With files from Jillian Kestler-D'Amours in Montreal and Jake Kivanç in Toronto .

Migrant workers and other non-permanent residents — many of whom have been working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic — took to the streets in cities across Canada on Saturday, calling on Ottawa to grant them greater rights and protections. Temporary foreign farm labourers, care workers, international students and undocumented workers who have been working throughout the pandemic as "essential workers" say they are being left behind by the Canadian government. "Our people are literally starving. People are dying, not even to grow food, but to grow flowers and grapes for wine. Domestic workers are trapped in homes by employers who won't let them out because migrants are seen as carriers of disease," said Syed Hussan, executive director of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change. "COVID-19 has exacerbated an existing crisis." Many migrant workers have fallen ill and cannot access medical treatment, while others have not received wage top-ups offered to other essential workers.
Meanwhile, migrant or undocumented workers and asylum seekers who have lost employment due to the pandemic are ineligible for emergency income supports such as the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit, making them even more vulnerable. It all stems from their non-permanent status in Canada. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Canada's labour laws, social services, health care and education systems offer different levels of access to non-permanent residents — a reality that advocates have long decried as intrinsically unjust. The pandemic has now exacerbated those inequities and has placed migrant workers at significant personal risk, Hussan said.
"What we weren't planning for is the absolute misery and chaos that would be caused in a public health pandemic," he said. Migrant workers and other non-permanent residents — many of whom have been working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic — took to the streets in cities across Canada on Saturday, calling on Ottawa to grant them greater rights and protections. Demonstrations organized by the Migrant Rights Network were held Saturday in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Halifax in front of offices of members of Parliament, including the office of federal Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino. Around 100 protesters plastered Mendicino’s Toronto office windows with posters of Juan Lopez Chapparo, Bonifacio Eugenio Romero, and Rogelio Munez Santos — three migrant workers who died from the COVID-19 virus in June while working on Ontario farms. Their demands to Mendicino and to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were simple: provide full immigration status to all migrants who are working in Canada. Alina Przybyl, a member of Migrant Students United, says the struggles migrants face in Canada are wide and vary from person to person, but that all migrants in Canada face a two-tier immigration system that favours the wealthy and privileged.
"I can’t speak for everyone but I think I can say that everyone (who has migrated to Canada) has a story like what we’re hearing here," Pryzybyl said. Participants in the Montreal demonstration, which was attended by a few hundred people Saturday morning, held signs that read, "Status for all" and "We are all essential," among others. "It feels very sad that people who have been providing essential services to our society have been left behind," said Elroy Ribas, a migrant worker from Mexico.


nationalobserver--2020-07-05--Tears, prayer and a white hat as Brazilian cowboy finishes Alaska-Calgary ride

Brazilian long rider Filipe Masetti Leite got off his horse , knelt down and said a prayer with tears rolling down his face when he arrived in the Calgary Stampede grounds after a 13-month ride from Anchorage , Alaska .
The 33-year-old completed a 3,400-kilometre journey on horseback from Alaska to Calgary on Friday , the same day the Calgary Stampede was supposed to begin .
Although the annual event and parade to kick it off were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic , Masetti Leite was crowned this year 's parade marshal .
The usual parade pomp was replaced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ included girlfriend Clara Davel , Stampede president Dana Peers and two uniformed police officers as Masetti Leite plodded through the city toward the Stampede grounds .
He later received a white hat from Calgary 's mayor — the equivalent of a key to the city .
Masetti Leite thanked many people who made his journeys possible and lauded the encouragement he received from those at the Calgary Stampede .
`` What this rodeo means , not only to Canada but to the world , thank you boys and girls , '' he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rodeo grandstand .
`` I 'm a cowboy and the older I get I fear our world ending and I value it so much because the greatest lessons in my life were taught from a man who wears a cowboy hat and spurs and I would not have finished this journey if I were n't a cowboy . ''
When he arrived in Calgary , Masetti Leite was given an award for being the parade 's fan favourite , along with a marshal badge , which he proudly tacked to his shirt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It 's got my name on it .
I 'm not going to take it off , '' he said .
`` What kind of perks can I get in Calgary with this ? ''
Brazilian long rider Filipe Masetti Leite got off his horse , knelt down and said a prayer with tears rolling down his face when he arrived in the Calgary Stampede grounds after a 13-month ride from Anchorage , Alaska .
Masetti Leite moved with his family from Brazil to Calgary when he was nine and later grew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was inspired to become a long rider by Aime Tschiffely , a Swiss school teacher who rode 16,000 kilometres alone from Buenos Aires to New York City in 1925 and wrote about his experiences .
Masetti Leite covered about 16,000 kilometres riding from Calgary to his parents ' home of Espirito Santo do Pinhal , Sao Paulo , between 2012 and 2014 .
In 2016 , he rode 7,350 kilometres from Brazil to Patagonia .
He documented his travels and wrote the book `` Long Ride Home : Guts and Guns and Grizzlies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Saddle . ''
His journey from Alaska to Calgary had its challenges , he said , but he focused on the destination .
`` In those tough moments , when those grizzlies are following us , when we 're crossing the mountains in the middle of three feet of snow and the cold and the wind and the mosquitoes trying to pick me up and carry me away , I was here .
My mind was here .
My heart was here , '' he said .
Peers said he 's been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because it epitomizes the cowboy way of life .
`` I thought , you know , he 'll make a terrific parade marshal , '' he said .
`` Considering everything that 's gone on in the past four months , I feel very fortunate that we 're able to enjoy the day , able to welcome him to Calgary .
`` We had incredible plans and unfortunately those were n't possible , but you learn to adapt and find a way to make it work . ''

Brazilian long rider Filipe Masetti Leite got off his horse, knelt down and said a prayer with tears rolling down his face when he arrived in the Calgary Stampede grounds after a 13-month ride from Anchorage, Alaska. The 33-year-old completed a 3,400-kilometre journey on horseback from Alaska to Calgary on Friday, the same day the Calgary Stampede was supposed to begin. Although the annual event and parade to kick it off were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Masetti Leite was crowned this year's parade marshal. The usual parade pomp was replaced with a small group of supporters that included girlfriend Clara Davel, Stampede president Dana Peers and two uniformed police officers as Masetti Leite plodded through the city toward the Stampede grounds. He later received a white hat from Calgary's mayor — the equivalent of a key to the city.
Masetti Leite thanked many people who made his journeys possible and lauded the encouragement he received from those at the Calgary Stampede. "What this rodeo means, not only to Canada but to the world, thank you boys and girls," he said as he stood on the stage at the rodeo grandstand. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions "I'm a cowboy and the older I get I fear our world ending and I value it so much because the greatest lessons in my life were taught from a man who wears a cowboy hat and spurs and I would not have finished this journey if I weren't a cowboy."
When he arrived in Calgary, Masetti Leite was given an award for being the parade's fan favourite, along with a marshal badge, which he proudly tacked to his shirt. Brazilian long rider Filipe Masetti Leite got off his horse, knelt down and said a prayer with tears rolling down his face when he arrived in the Calgary Stampede grounds after a 13-month ride from Anchorage, Alaska. "Wow! This is beautiful. It's got my name on it. I'm not going to take it off," he said. "What kind of perks can I get in Calgary with this?" Masetti Leite moved with his family from Brazil to Calgary when he was nine and later grew up in Toronto. He said he was inspired to become a long rider by Aime Tschiffely, a Swiss school teacher who rode 16,000 kilometres alone from Buenos Aires to New York City in 1925 and wrote about his experiences.
Masetti Leite covered about 16,000 kilometres riding from Calgary to his parents' home of Espirito Santo do Pinhal, Sao Paulo, between 2012 and 2014. In 2016, he rode 7,350 kilometres from Brazil to Patagonia. He documented his travels and wrote the book "Long Ride Home: Guts and Guns and Grizzlies, 800 Days Through the Americas in a Saddle.'' His journey from Alaska to Calgary had its challenges, he said, but he focused on the destination.


nationalobserver--2020-07-05--Feds committed to protecting, restoring Fraser River salmon stocks says Fisheries Minister

Canada ’ s Minister of Fisheries , Oceans and Coast Guard says she will be responding directly to Tsilhqot ’ in Nation leadership who have called for an immediate meeting on declining Fraser River chinook stocks .
Bernadette Jordan said she had met with Tsilhqot ’ in National Government ( TNG ) tribal chair Chief Joe Alphonse and other TNG representatives in March when they discussed their shared concerns around the health of the wild salmon populations .
“ Across our government , we have been clear that Indigenous peoples have an important role to play when it comes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told Black Press Media in an email .
“ This is a part of my mandate as minister , and it is one we take very seriously .
I look forward to working with the Tsilhqot ’ in Nation on this shared priority to protect and restore the chinook in the Fraser River.
” Additional restrictions announced last month as part of the 2020 fisheries management measures are not enough to reverse the population decline and mitigate extirpation risk facing Fraser River chinook , according to the Tsilhqot ’ in Nation .
Of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ populations assessed , only one is not at risk , DFO said .
Jordan said she is confident the necessary restrictions are in place to help protect the stock without causing unnecessary hardship to industry .
She added the federal government is working extremely hard to restore their population .
In 2016 , the federal and B.C .
governments launched the $ 100-million British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund to assist projects that protect and restore wild salmon populations over the five years .
Jordan said they have also funded other projects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ habitat through programs such as the Oceans Protection Plan , the Coastal Restoration Fund and the Pacific Salmon Endowment Fund .
A four-year Wild Salmon Policy Implementation plan was launched in 2018 .
DFO publishes a yearly report that details the stock numbers and the effectiveness of government ’ s measures .
Canada ’ s Minister of Fisheries , Oceans and Coast Guard says she will be responding directly to Tsilhqot ’ in Nation leadership who have called for an immediate meeting on declining Fraser River chinook stocks .
“ Additionally , restoring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rock slide is a top priority for our government , ” Jordan said .
“ We have poured an incredible amount of resources into that work to ensure we are successful in in this effort .
”

Canada’s Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and Coast Guard says she will be responding directly to Tsilhqot’in Nation leadership who have called for an immediate meeting on declining Fraser River chinook stocks.
Bernadette Jordan said she had met with Tsilhqot’in National Government (TNG) tribal chair Chief Joe Alphonse and other TNG representatives in March when they discussed their shared concerns around the health of the wild salmon populations.
“Across our government, we have been clear that Indigenous peoples have an important role to play when it comes to protecting out natural environment,” Jordan told Black Press Media in an email.
“This is a part of my mandate as minister, and it is one we take very seriously. I look forward to working with the Tsilhqot’in Nation on this shared priority to protect and restore the chinook in the Fraser River.”
Additional restrictions announced last month as part of the 2020 fisheries management measures are not enough to reverse the population decline and mitigate extirpation risk facing Fraser River chinook, according to the Tsilhqot’in Nation.


nationalobserver--2020-07-06--P.E.I. reports 2 new COVID-19 cases linked to man who returned from Nova Scotia

Prince Edward Island reported two more cases of COVID-19 on Sunday , bringing the weekend tally to five after the province went months without a single positive test .
In a news conference Sunday , the province 's chief public health officer , Dr. Heather Morrison , said the cases — both men in their 20s — were in close contact with a local man who had travelled to Nova Scotia and is also believed to have spread the virus to a worker at a seniors ' residence .
`` This cluster of cases is a clear reminder that COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ province and we must remain vigilant , '' Morrison said .
`` At this point there is no evidence of community spread of COVID-19 in our province and the risk of transmission of COVID-19 within the province remains low , '' she said .
The woman who tested positive for the virus worked at Whisperwood Villa , a seniors ' residence in Charlottetown , and listed nine close contacts — all of whom have tested negative for COVID-19 , Morrison said .
• Have the lessons of the 2013 Lac-Mégantic train disaster been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 129 residents at Whisperwood Villa were also tested for COVID-19 on Saturday and their results all came back negative .
Four or five staff members and two residents still need to be tested , she said , and all the residents and staff members will be tested again later this week .
People who visited the residence last Tuesday also will be contacted for testing , Morrison added .
The fifth case on the Island is not believed to be related to the cluster of four cases .
A man in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have the virus on Saturday .
Before this weekend , the province 's last COVID-19 positive test came in late April .
Morrison said public health officials in P.E.I .
and Nova Scotia have been in close communication to trace the COVID-19 cluster .
Prince Edward Island reported two more cases of COVID-19 on Sunday , July 5 , 2020 , bringing the weekend tally to five after the province went months without a single positive test .
The P.E.I .
man travelled to Nova Scotia for personal reasons on June 26 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 29 , Morrison said .
He is believed to have come into contact with someone there who had travelled to the U.S. , who has since tested positive for the virus and is now under quarantine in Nova Scotia , health officials in that province said .
Nova Scotia 's chief public health officer , Dr. Robert Strang , said in the email that the individual does not live in Nova Scotia , but was passing through the province on the way to P.E.I .
`` As this individual is still within the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Quarantine Act , they are now being quarantined under federal authority in Nova Scotia .
We will be able to provide further information as contact tracing work continues , '' Strang said .
Morrison noted that the new COVID-19 cases are not related to seasonal residents of P.E.I .
or to the Atlantic bubble .
As of Friday , residents of P.E.I.
, Nova Scotia , New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador have been allowed to travel freely between the provinces without needing to self-isolate upon arrival .

Prince Edward Island reported two more cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the weekend tally to five after the province went months without a single positive test. In a news conference Sunday, the province's chief public health officer, Dr. Heather Morrison, said the cases — both men in their 20s — were in close contact with a local man who had travelled to Nova Scotia and is also believed to have spread the virus to a worker at a seniors' residence. "This cluster of cases is a clear reminder that COVID-19 is still very much present in our province and we must remain vigilant," Morrison said. "At this point there is no evidence of community spread of COVID-19 in our province and the risk of transmission of COVID-19 within the province remains low," she said. The woman who tested positive for the virus worked at Whisperwood Villa, a seniors' residence in Charlottetown, and listed nine close contacts — all of whom have tested negative for COVID-19, Morrison said.
Morrison said 140 staff members and 129 residents at Whisperwood Villa were also tested for COVID-19 on Saturday and their results all came back negative. Four or five staff members and two residents still need to be tested, she said, and all the residents and staff members will be tested again later this week. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions People who visited the residence last Tuesday also will be contacted for testing, Morrison added.
The fifth case on the Island is not believed to be related to the cluster of four cases. A man in his 50s who had travelled out-of-province was reported to have the virus on Saturday. Prince Edward Island reported two more cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, July 5, 2020, bringing the weekend tally to five after the province went months without a single positive test. Before this weekend, the province's last COVID-19 positive test came in late April. Morrison said public health officials in P.E.I. and Nova Scotia have been in close communication to trace the COVID-19 cluster. The P.E.I. man travelled to Nova Scotia for personal reasons on June 26 and returned to the Island on June 29, Morrison said. He is believed to have come into contact with someone there who had travelled to the U.S., who has since tested positive for the virus and is now under quarantine in Nova Scotia, health officials in that province said.
Nova Scotia's chief public health officer, Dr. Robert Strang, said in the email that the individual does not live in Nova Scotia, but was passing through the province on the way to P.E.I. "As this individual is still within the 14-day isolation period required by the federal Quarantine Act, they are now being quarantined under federal authority in Nova Scotia. We will be able to provide further information as contact tracing work continues," Strang said. Morrison noted that the new COVID-19 cases are not related to seasonal residents of P.E.I. or to the Atlantic bubble.


nationalobserver--2020-07-06--Opposition parties at odds over federal spending as Liberals prepare fiscal snapshot

Opposition parties have laid out their demands for the federal Liberal government as Ottawa prepares to update Canadians on the country 's finances after four months of COVID-19 — and where it expects the economy to head for the rest of the year .
Wednesday 's fiscal snapshot will be the first public assessment of the country 's economic and financial situation since the pandemic started in earnest in March , forcing provinces into lockdown and the Liberal government to start doling out billions in aid in lieu of a federal budget .
The snapshot is expected to give an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rest of the fiscal year playing out , including figures for a potential deficit .
But the Conservatives and NDP made clear Sunday that they want more than just numbers : they want action .
That includes additions , changes and expansions to federal COVID-19 support programs along with more accountability and transparency .
Yet while the Conservatives also called for the Liberals to produce a plan to get government spending under control , the NDP warned against any premature efforts to cut federal assistance .
• Have the lessons of the 2013 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finance critic Pierre Poilievre on Sunday blasted the Liberals ' handling of the economy while small business critic James Cumming underscored the importance of accurate fiscal projections and planning from the government for Canadian business .
`` What business needs as they start to open up is some level of certainty , '' Cumming said during a news conference on Parliament Hill .
`` They need to understand what the government 's finances are to understand how long these programs are going to last to assist them and when they will be starting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of that has a lot to do with the financial health of the government . ''
Federal figures last week showed direct government spending on COVID-19 supports at just over $ 174 billion , which included another increase to the budget for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit .
That is now expected to cost $ 80 billion as eligibility increased to 24 from 16 weeks .
At the same time , Statistics Canada last week reported that the Canadian economy shrank 11.6 per cent in April — the largest monthly drop on record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gross domestic product in March .
Both are expected to hit Ottawa 's bottom line through lost tax revenue .
Parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux has previously predicted that the increased spending and lost revenue could combine to see the federal deficit top $ 250 million this year .
Opposition parties have laid out their demands for the federal Liberal government as Ottawa prepares to update Canadians on the country 's finances after four months of COVID-19 — and where it expects the economy to head for the rest of the year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country — at least for the moment — Poilievre said it was time for the Liberals to produce a plan to start getting what he described as Ottawa 's `` fiscal mess '' under control .
That includes weaning Canadians off the CERB and getting them back to work by phasing out the $ 2,000-per-month benefit based on how much they earn rather than simply cutting off anyone who earns more than $ 1,000 in a month .
`` The government is punishing Canadians for working , '' Poilievre said .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be rewarded when they make the courageous decision to go back to work and make a wage . ''
Poilievre , who also demanded more money for the federal auditor general 's office to better scrutinize government spending during the pandemic , dismissed suggestions that Ottawa needs to keep the taps wide open to stimulate the economy as it starts to reopen .
He instead took aim at various Liberal policies and regulations around natural-resource development , particularly in Alberta and Saskatchewan , as having stunted economic growth and prosperity in Canada .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ way you unleash growth and create a cornucopia of opportunity for our workers and businesses that will generate the wealth , '' he said .
`` More deficit spending does not create jobs and growth . ''
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet also called last week for the CERB to be phased out to encourage Canadians to return to work .
He made an exception for seasonal workers in the arts , hospitality and agricultural industries who will not earn a full income until next summer .
Yet NDP finance critic Peter Julian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefits and support and instead repeated longstanding calls from his party for the federal government to crack down on tax havens and tax wealthy Canadians and businesses to pay for the federal aid .
`` There 's been a call for ... dealing with the economic and financial fallout of the pandemic through cutting services , '' Julian said in an interview .
`` We actually believe that now is the time to handle the pandemic from the revenue side .
We believe in tackling the tax haven problem , which is more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And to put in place a wealth tax . ''
The NDP is also pressing for the Liberals to ease the criteria for businesses to access the federal wage subsidy , which covers up to 75 per cent of employees ' salaries , to encourage more hiring .
And it wants the government to provide promised support for Canadians living with disabilities .
While the fiscal update will be presented in the House of Commons on Wednesday , Julian said the report itself will not require a vote .
However , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the government could be contingent on the Liberals accepting the NDP 's requests .
The Liberals have leaned heavily on the NDP since being elected to a minority government in October .
That included securing NDP support for several confidence motions in the winter and spring that , if defeated , could have triggered a federal election .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5 , 2020 .

Opposition parties have laid out their demands for the federal Liberal government as Ottawa prepares to update Canadians on the country's finances after four months of COVID-19 — and where it expects the economy to head for the rest of the year. Wednesday's fiscal snapshot will be the first public assessment of the country's economic and financial situation since the pandemic started in earnest in March, forcing provinces into lockdown and the Liberal government to start doling out billions in aid in lieu of a federal budget. The snapshot is expected to give an idea of how the government sees the rest of the fiscal year playing out, including figures for a potential deficit. But the Conservatives and NDP made clear Sunday that they want more than just numbers: they want action. That includes additions, changes and expansions to federal COVID-19 support programs along with more accountability and transparency. Yet while the Conservatives also called for the Liberals to produce a plan to get government spending under control, the NDP warned against any premature efforts to cut federal assistance.
Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre on Sunday blasted the Liberals' handling of the economy while small business critic James Cumming underscored the importance of accurate fiscal projections and planning from the government for Canadian business. "What business needs as they start to open up is some level of certainty," Cumming said during a news conference on Parliament Hill. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions "They need to understand what the government's finances are to understand how long these programs are going to last to assist them and when they will be starting to phase out. And a lot of that has a lot to do with the financial health of the government."
Federal figures last week showed direct government spending on COVID-19 supports at just over $174 billion, which included another increase to the budget for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. That is now expected to cost $80 billion as eligibility increased to 24 from 16 weeks. Opposition parties have laid out their demands for the federal Liberal government as Ottawa prepares to update Canadians on the country's finances after four months of COVID-19 — and where it expects the economy to head for the rest of the year. At the same time, Statistics Canada last week reported that the Canadian economy shrank 11.6 per cent in April — the largest monthly drop on record. That follows a 7.5 contraction in gross domestic product in March. Both are expected to hit Ottawa's bottom line through lost tax revenue. Parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux has previously predicted that the increased spending and lost revenue could combine to see the federal deficit top $250 million this year. With COVID-19 in retreat across most of the country — at least for the moment — Poilievre said it was time for the Liberals to produce a plan to start getting what he described as Ottawa's "fiscal mess" under control. That includes weaning Canadians off the CERB and getting them back to work by phasing out the $2,000-per-month benefit based on how much they earn rather than simply cutting off anyone who earns more than $1,000 in a month.
"The government is punishing Canadians for working," Poilievre said. "We think that people on it should be rewarded when they make the courageous decision to go back to work and make a wage." Poilievre, who also demanded more money for the federal auditor general's office to better scrutinize government spending during the pandemic, dismissed suggestions that Ottawa needs to keep the taps wide open to stimulate the economy as it starts to reopen. He instead took aim at various Liberal policies and regulations around natural-resource development, particularly in Alberta and Saskatchewan, as having stunted economic growth and prosperity in Canada.


nationalobserver--2020-07-06--Alberta allowing sandhill crane hunt for this fall

Alberta has announced there will be a sandhill crane hunting season this fall — a hunt that 's been opposed by an environmental group and was previously rejected by the provincial government three times .
The province said in a news release on Sunday that the season launches on September 1 in more than 50 wildlife management units in southern and east-central Alberta .
Environment Minister Jason Nixon says in the release that it `` will support the province 's wildlife management goals and boost local economies . ''
Alberta Conservation Association president Todd Zimmerling says in the same release @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fare '' and that they 've been hunted for many years across the rest of their range .
But Nissa Pettersen of the Alberta Wilderness Association said earlier this year , when the minister told a magazine he 'd asked his department consider a hunt , that despite their healthy numbers , the birds reproduce slowly and are rapidly losing the wetlands where they live .
• Have the lessons of the 2013 Lac-Mégantic train disaster been learned ?
Alberta decided against sandhill crane hunts in 2009 , 2013 and 2014 .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's environment , species and wild places , and providing another opportunity to engage in a pursuit that supports conservation as well as economic activity is a win-win , '' Nixon said in the release .
The province said sandhill crane hunting seasons have existed in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba for more than 50 years , with the sandhill crane population remaining healthy .
It said the number of sandhill cranes in the Alberta has increased steadily in recent years , adding that the hunt is supported by Alberta hunting stakeholders , Environment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Central Flyway Council .
There are more than 600,000 sandhill cranes across North America .
But Pettersen said in April that because the cranes depend on wetlands that are disappearing , and also have a low birth rate , that they might not bounce back from a year of hunting .
Alberta has announced there will be a sandhill crane hunting season this fall — a hunt that 's been opposed by an environmental group and was previously rejected by the provincial government three times .
The Alberta Wilderness Association also said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crane , which uses some of the same migration routes and could be mistaken for either bird .
The Canadian Wildlife Service proposed in December that the province open a fall sandhill season , saying it would provide a new hunting opportunity in Alberta and provide a mechanism to deal with crop depredation issues caused by cranes .
Pettersen discounted concerns about the birds eating crops in the field , noting that when that argument was made during the last debate over hunting , the total of actual complaints against the birds was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need a provincial game bird licence and a federal migratory bird licence to hunt sandhill cranes .
It says the Alberta hunt is expected to add only two per cent to the number of sandhill cranes harvested across North America .
The provincial release says fishing , hunting , trapping , and sport-shooting activities contributed $ 1.8 billion to Alberta 's GDP in 2018 , supporting 11,700 jobs .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5 , 2020 .

Alberta has announced there will be a sandhill crane hunting season this fall — a hunt that's been opposed by an environmental group and was previously rejected by the provincial government three times.
The province said in a news release on Sunday that the season launches on September 1 in more than 50 wildlife management units in southern and east-central Alberta.
Environment Minister Jason Nixon says in the release that it "will support the province's wildlife management goals and boost local economies."
Alberta Conservation Association president Todd Zimmerling says in the same release that the birds make "excellent table fare" and that they've been hunted for many years across the rest of their range.
But Nissa Pettersen of the Alberta Wilderness Association said earlier this year, when the minister told a magazine he'd asked his department consider a hunt, that despite their healthy numbers, the birds reproduce slowly and are rapidly losing the wetlands where they live.


nationalobserver--2020-07-06--Latvia-bound troops turn around, return to Canada due to COVID-19 scare

A military plane carrying Canadian troops to Latvia was forced to turn around and return home because of concerns those on board might have been exposed to COVID-19 .
The Polaris aircraft carrying about 70 military members and aircrew took off from Canadian Forces Base Trenton on July 2 after those on board had spent two weeks in quarantine at the Ontario base , Defence Department spokeswoman Jessical Lamirande said .
All military personnel deploying on overseas missions are required to undergo such quarantine measures as the Canadian Armed Forces has implemented strict measures to ensure troops do not carry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respiratory illness among their unit .
Yet despite those precautions , the plane was forced to turn around in midair after the military received word that someone at CFB Trenton who may have come in contact with the plane and passengers had tested positive for the illness .
`` The health and well-being of our members and that of our allies and partners in Latvia is a priority , '' Lamirande said in a statement .
`` As such , the decision was made to return the aircraft en route — rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible risk of spreading the disease . ''
• Have the lessons of the 2013 Lac-Mégantic train disaster been learned ?
Those on board will now have to undergo another 14 days in isolation at the base before resuming their mission , though Lamirande played down any potential impact the delay would have on Canada 's mission in Latvia .
Canada has 540 troops in Latvia , where they form the core of a 1,500-strong multinational battlegroup established by the NATO military alliance three years ago .
Similar battlegroups led by Britain , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Estonia , Lithuania and Poland , respectively .
The battlegroups were created after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and began to support separatist forces in Ukraine 's eastern regions .
That sparked concerns the Kremlin could launch similar efforts against the Baltics and other parts of eastern Europe .
The battlegroups are designed to defend against a Russian invasion , but their small size means they would almost certainly be overwhelmed in a real war .
Instead , their main utility is to deter against Russian aggression , with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ draw in all of NATO .
The arrival of the 70 Canadian soldiers in Latvia was to mark the start of a rotation of troops , which the Armed Forces has decided will go ahead despite concerns about the pandemic .
Another group of soldiers deploying to the Middle East as part of a similar rotation of Canada 's mission against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant .
Lamirande said that deployment was not affected by the COVID-19 scare .
A military plane carrying Canadian troops to Latvia was forced to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerns those on board might have been exposed to COVID-19 .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5 , 2020 .

A military plane carrying Canadian troops to Latvia was forced to turn around and return home because of concerns those on board might have been exposed to COVID-19.
The Polaris aircraft carrying about 70 military members and aircrew took off from Canadian Forces Base Trenton on July 2 after those on board had spent two weeks in quarantine at the Ontario base, Defence Department spokeswoman Jessical Lamirande said.
All military personnel deploying on overseas missions are required to undergo such quarantine measures as the Canadian Armed Forces has implemented strict measures to ensure troops do not carry COVID-19 to another country or spread the respiratory illness among their unit.
Yet despite those precautions, the plane was forced to turn around in midair after the military received word that someone at CFB Trenton who may have come in contact with the plane and passengers had tested positive for the illness.
"The health and well-being of our members and that of our allies and partners in Latvia is a priority," Lamirande said in a statement. "As such, the decision was made to return the aircraft en route — rather than land in Latvia — to avoid the possible risk of spreading the disease."


nationalobserver--2020-07-06--The future of the Conservative Party and how Trump's America strong-armed Canada

Canada 's Conservatives are “ completely clued out ” about the unpopularity of hard-right social policies and are essentially “ campaigning against themselves , ” two leading political commentators argued in an online panel discussion last Monday .
Answering questions from Canada 's National Observer editor-in-chief Linda Solomon Wood , columnists Bruce Livesey and Sandy Garossino spent an hour tackling wide-ranging questions about why today 's Canadian conservative movement has moved so far to the right , its hopes for retaking power in the face of an increasingly progressive populace , and how evangelical Christians and Big Oil got a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social conservative base is enormously powerful , ” Livesey told Solomon Wood and the audience of 100 participants on the Zoom webinar , part of Conversations , sponsored by Canada 's National Observer .
“ The reason ( leadership rivals ) Peter MacKay and Erin O'Toole have taken the positions they 're doing — which are ludicrous in terms of ever trying to get elected — is because the base has this enormous social conservative element .
In order to win the leadership , you 've got to pander to them.
” Video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canada ’ s Conservative Party Linda Solomon Wood interviews Bruce Livesey and Sandy Garossino about the future of the Conservative Party • Have the lessons of the 2013 Lac-Mégantic train disaster been learned ?
But that 's precisely what has lost them repeated elections , and will only worsen their chances over time , he said .
Livesey — an award-winning investigative journalist with experience on CBC 's flagship shows The Fifth Estate and The National , Global News ' 16×9 , and PBS 's Frontline — most recently did an analysis on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Observer entitled , How Stephen Harper is destroying the Conservative party .
He said he interviewed between 25 and 30 sources for his story , and other than a couple political scientists as experts , focused almost entirely on hearing from Conservative members past and present .
“ I tried to basically interview just Conservatives … people within the party , both from when they used to be called the PC ( Progressive Conservative ) party all the way up to the current generation , ” Livesey said .
“ There 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talk to me … It was a big challenge ; given that I was going to talk to them about Stephen Harper , there seemed to be a bit of a concern.
” But some did want to talk , and could be broadly lumped into two camps : the long-ousted progressive wing of the party , once nicknamed “ Red Tories ” ; and the more recent alumni and strategists of the Harper era .
“ If you talked to the sort of Red Tories — the 'liberal ' wing of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they think the party 's stuck in a ditch , ” Livesey said .
“ The more interesting thing was finding the younger generation who were around Harper in some capacity , who are beginning to realize — having lost two back-to-back elections — that something was wrong.
” Who took # cdnpoli 's @ CPC_HQ hostage ?
Top @ natobserverpolitical analysts @ Livesey416 & @ Garossino tackle wide-ranging questions on how Evangelicals and oil barons got strangleholds on the party—and how Red Tories could retake their movement What exactly is wrong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loyalists .
Some expressed hope to find a better leader than Andrew Scheer to save their flagging fortunes .
But others , Livesey said , had started to see problems in the party 's offerings to voters altogether .
“ That 's the contradiction the party 's in at the moment , ” Livesey , author of the book Thieves of Bay Street , said .
“ The base just thinks , 'We just need the next Stephen Harper to lead us back into power . '
“ Abortion and gay marriage — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social conservatives all agitated , and they want to have something done about them .
Harper was brilliant at keeping that element under a lock and key .
Scheer was not … nobody trusted him on those issues .
The social conservative base is an enormous problem for that party.
” Whoever wins the leadership of the party , Livesey predicted , must “ basically ignore what the base is ” if they want to win enough seats outside Alberta , the Prairies and rural Ontario .
Garossino , meanwhile , agreed that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hardline on divisive issues such as LGBTQ rights and abortion is only hurting the party more with each utterance and campaign plank .
The popular longtime columnist with Canada 's National Observer spent years previously as a Crown prosecutor and trial lawyer and Vancouver community advocate .
She is also a keen observer of Canadian and American political trends , admitting Monday she 's a big nerd for electoral data and crunching riding numbers .
While she and Livesey admitted few Tories are likely paying heed to this publication , they ought to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electoral data .
When it comes to hard-right social issues , the numbers do n't lie .
“ They 're actually campaigning against themselves the more they play to that , ” Garossino said .
“ It does n't play in any of the areas that the federal Conservatives need to take power .
They have got to get into the 905 — the ( Greater Toronto Area ) — and they 've got to get into Quebec.
” According to the most recent polls , the Conservatives are indeed trailing behind the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to portray Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a reckless spendthrift , contemptuous of accountability and the rule of law .
A new poll released June 28 by respected pollster Léger Marketing placed Liberals at 40 per cent support , double-digits ahead of Conservatives in voter intentions compared to the Tories ' 28 per cent .
( The survey of 1,524 Canadians gave the NDP 17 per cent support , the Bloc Québecois seven per cent , and Greens one point behind ; the online poll 's margin of error could be considered equivalent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results mirrored another opinion survey last week .
But yet another poll by Ekos Research found an even starker divide when it comes to gender last week , with Liberals leading among women with a staggering 24 per cent lead over the Tories , which held a slight lead over the Grits among men .
Multi-poll aggregator 338Canada , meanwhile , ran 250,000 statistical election simulations using recent polls and predicted a 189-seat Liberal seat majority if an election were held now , with the Tories trailing at 94 seats ( a party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a majority government ) .
But both Livesey and Garossino reminded participants in the Zoom event that key to electoral victory in Canada is commanding broad support across the most vote-rich , densely populated urban centres — particularly the Greater Toronto Area suburbs , Montreal , and B.C .
's Lower Mainland .
It was a lesson former Prime Minister Stephen Harper understood despite his past social-conservative , Reform Party roots .
That 's something Livesey believes the Conservatives have lost sight of completely .
He has little hope the once-moderate stalwarts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soon because of the need to survive the hard-right base that serves as a gauntlet for would-be leaders .
“ They 're not taking into consideration the electoral math that plays into this , ” he explained .
“ The Tories ' base gets them about 30 per cent of the vote , but to win a minority , you need around 35 , a majority around 40 .
“ That means you 've got to convince ... the very seat-rich urban hubs like Vancouver , Toronto , Montreal … that you represent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem with the party now .
They have completely clued out to the fact that those voters do n't want to vote for that particular platform.
” In his June 25 analysis , Livesey argued former prime minister Stephen Harper remains the most powerful force in today 's party , but may be , in fact , undermining “ the very thing he created ” as his successor Scheer steers the party sharply towards the far right on issues such as abortion and LGBTQ rights .
It 's something Tory supporters should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far-right administration in the pandemic-gutted United States faces “ potential devastation of unbelievable proportions because of the failure of this one man , ” Garossino said .
But the roots of the crisis go back decades to Reagan-era right-wing neoliberal movements , she and Livesey agreed , as billionaires and corporations were effectively handed the keys to power in the U.S. Today , with tens of millions of unemployed losing their private health benefits , the chickens are now coming home to roost in that country .
“ If you look at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a program that began in the '70s and '80s to , in effect , ensure the state did nothing for the average American citizen , ” Livesey said .
“ ( It marked ) the end of the so-called welfare state — the New Deal type of government — and the capture of the state by largely the billionaire class.
” But although the Tea Party has n't taken hold to the same extent north of the 49th parallel , similar hardline right movements have found sympathy in many parts of Canada @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Conservative party , ought to worry about similar political movements here gaining any more foothold than they have .
But it was actually Canada 's Reagan-era Conservative leader who garnered some positive attention in Monday 's online discussion .
Faced with a stark ideological choice today , Tories might look for inspiration — and success — to former PM Brian Mulroney .
“ The PCs recognized they had to be a centre party to win power .
The person most genius at figuring that out was Mulroney , he won two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Quebec .
They had the 'big tent ' approach , that social conservatives , Red Tories , environmentalists , people from all walks of life , fiscal conservatives , could all be under the same umbrella . ''
Livesey said .
Mulroney was also considered a leader on environmental issues , and even stalwart Conservative architect Tom Flanagan told Livesey he hoped for some critical Tory reflection on their climate change and carbon pricing policies .
“ There is increasing awareness they have to be better on that front , ” Livesey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a very cynical way.
” But it 's not just the evangelicals trying to steer the Tory ship .
Another powerful force in the country has leveraged influence extremely effectively .
Livesey and Garossino said other than the Tories ' social conservative base , the party also has been held “ hostage ” by the oil industry lobby and some of Harper 's former entourage , such as Jason Kenney , now Alberta premier .
Garossino has frequently commented on the state of Canada 's Conservatives , most recently in her May @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dissolves , in which she argued that Harper continues to “ control his chastened party ” from the sidelines , but as “ the right ’ s energy and narrative has been seized by Trumpian ideologues , ” the Canadian electoral as moved on and is no longer interested .
Canada 's Conservatives ought to ponder those trends carefully before selecting their next leader , Garossino said , but she 's not hopeful .
“ To get to be a contender nationally , you have to get past the base , which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she said .
“ They 're almost fighting against themselves.
” Could the Red Tories stage a Mulroney-inspired comeback — and retake the reins from today 's increasingly unpalatable oil and religious party wings ?
That remains to be seen .
Editor 's Note : Next Monday July 6 , Emilee Gilpin talks with Linda Solomon Wood about how Covid-19 is devastating Indigenous communities in Brazil .
To register , go here .
The interview with Sandy Garossino and Bruce Livesey is part of Conversations with Linda Solomon Wood , sponsored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ features topics around COVID-19 , the economy , politics and climate change .
If you 'd like advanced notice about our fall line-up , subscribe here .
To see the entire series of interviews in the Conversations series on video , head over to our YouTube channel .

“The social conservative base is enormously powerful,” Livesey told Solomon Wood and the audience of 100 participants on the Zoom webinar, part of Conversations, sponsored by Canada's National Observer. “The reason (leadership rivals) Peter MacKay and Erin O'Toole have taken the positions they're doing — which are ludicrous in terms of ever trying to get elected — is because the base has this enormous social conservative element. In order to win the leadership, you've got to pander to them.”
Answering questions from Canada's National Observer editor-in-chief Linda Solomon Wood, columnists Bruce Livesey and Sandy Garossino spent an hour tackling wide-ranging questions about why today's Canadian conservative movement has moved so far to the right, its hopes for retaking power in the face of an increasingly progressive populace, and how evangelical Christians and Big Oil got a stranglehold on the right.
Canada's Conservatives are “completely clued out” about the unpopularity of hard-right social policies and are essentially “campaigning against themselves,” two leading political commentators argued in an online panel discussion last Monday.
He said he interviewed between 25 and 30 sources for his story, and other than a couple political scientists as experts, focused almost entirely on hearing from Conservative members past and present.
Livesey — an award-winning investigative journalist with experience on CBC's flagship shows The Fifth Estate and The National, Global News' 16×9, and PBS's Frontline — most recently did an analysis on the state of the Conservatives for the National Observer entitled, How Stephen Harper is destroying the Conservative party .
But that's precisely what has lost them repeated elections, and will only worsen their chances over time, he said.
“That's the contradiction the party's in at the moment,” Livesey, author of the book Thieves of Bay Street, said. “The base just thinks, 'We just need the next Stephen Harper to lead us back into power.'
What exactly is wrong, however, he found divisive amongst loyalists. Some expressed hope to find a better leader than Andrew Scheer to save their flagging fortunes. But others, Livesey said, had started to see problems in the party's offerings to voters altogether.
“If you talked to the sort of Red Tories — the 'liberal' wing of the party — there was no surprise there that they think the party's stuck in a ditch,” Livesey said. “The more interesting thing was finding the younger generation who were around Harper in some capacity, who are beginning to realize — having lost two back-to-back elections — that something was wrong.”
But some did want to talk, and could be broadly lumped into two camps: the long-ousted progressive wing of the party, once nicknamed “Red Tories”; and the more recent alumni and strategists of the Harper era.
“I tried to basically interview just Conservatives … people within the party, both from when they used to be called the PC (Progressive Conservative) party all the way up to the current generation,” Livesey said. “There's a lot of people who wouldn't talk to me … It was a big challenge; given that I was going to talk to them about Stephen Harper, there seemed to be a bit of a concern.”
Whoever wins the leadership of the party, Livesey predicted, must “basically ignore what the base is” if they want to win enough seats outside Alberta, the Prairies and rural Ontario.
“Abortion and gay marriage — those are the two issues that get social conservatives all agitated, and they want to have something done about them. Harper was brilliant at keeping that element under a lock and key. Scheer was not … nobody trusted him on those issues. The social conservative base is an enormous problem for that party.”
Hard Right
Garossino, meanwhile, agreed that infighting over who can be the most hardline on divisive issues such as LGBTQ rights and abortion is only hurting the party more with each utterance and campaign plank.
The popular longtime columnist with Canada's National Observer spent years previously as a Crown prosecutor and trial lawyer and Vancouver community advocate. She is also a keen observer of Canadian and American political trends, admitting Monday she's a big nerd for electoral data and crunching riding numbers. While she and Livesey admitted few Tories are likely paying heed to this publication, they ought to at least pay attention to the dismal electoral data.
When it comes to hard-right social issues, the numbers don't lie.
“They're actually campaigning against themselves the more they play to that,” Garossino said. “It doesn't play in any of the areas that the federal Conservatives need to take power. They have got to get into the 905 — the (Greater Toronto Area) — and they've got to get into Quebec.”
According to the most recent polls, the Conservatives are indeed trailing behind the Liberals — despite Scheer's repeated attempts to portray Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a reckless spendthrift, contemptuous of accountability and the rule of law.
A new poll released June 28 by respected pollster Léger Marketing placed Liberals at 40 per cent support, double-digits ahead of Conservatives in voter intentions compared to the Tories' 28 per cent. (The survey of 1,524 Canadians gave the NDP 17 per cent support, the Bloc Québecois seven per cent, and Greens one point behind; the online poll's margin of error could be considered equivalent to 2.5 per cent.) The results mirrored another opinion survey last week.
But yet another poll by Ekos Research found an even starker divide when it comes to gender last week, with Liberals leading among women with a staggering 24 per cent lead over the Tories, which held a slight lead over the Grits among men.
Multi-poll aggregator 338Canada, meanwhile, ran 250,000 statistical election simulations using recent polls and predicted a 189-seat Liberal seat majority if an election were held now, with the Tories trailing at 94 seats (a party needs a minimum 170 seats to win a majority government).
But both Livesey and Garossino reminded participants in the Zoom event that key to electoral victory in Canada is commanding broad support across the most vote-rich, densely populated urban centres — particularly the Greater Toronto Area suburbs, Montreal, and B.C.'s Lower Mainland. It was a lesson former Prime Minister Stephen Harper understood despite his past social-conservative, Reform Party roots.
That's something Livesey believes the Conservatives have lost sight of completely. He has little hope the once-moderate stalwarts of the party will regain control any time soon because of the need to survive the hard-right base that serves as a gauntlet for would-be leaders.
“They're not taking into consideration the electoral math that plays into this,” he explained. “The Tories' base gets them about 30 per cent of the vote, but to win a minority, you need around 35, a majority around 40.
“That means you've got to convince ... the very seat-rich urban hubs like Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal … that you represent their interests. That is the programmatic problem with the party now. They have completely clued out to the fact that those voters don't want to vote for that particular platform.”
Stuck on Harper
In his June 25 analysis, Livesey argued former prime minister Stephen Harper remains the most powerful force in today's party, but may be, in fact, undermining “the very thing he created” as his successor Scheer steers the party sharply towards the far right on issues such as abortion and LGBTQ rights.
It's something Tory supporters should be extremely wary of, particularly as the far-right administration in the pandemic-gutted United States faces “potential devastation of unbelievable proportions because of the failure of this one man,” Garossino said. But the roots of the crisis go back decades to Reagan-era right-wing neoliberal movements, she and Livesey agreed, as billionaires and corporations were effectively handed the keys to power in the U.S.
Today, with tens of millions of unemployed losing their private health benefits, the chickens are now coming home to roost in that country.
“If you look at the trajectory, this is the sum result of a program that began in the '70s and '80s to, in effect, ensure the state did nothing for the average American citizen,” Livesey said. “(It marked) the end of the so-called welfare state — the New Deal type of government — and the capture of the state by largely the billionaire class.”
But although the Tea Party hasn't taken hold to the same extent north of the 49th parallel, similar hardline right movements have found sympathy in many parts of Canada.
Canadians, and particularly those loyal to the Conservative party, ought to worry about similar political movements here gaining any more foothold than they have. But it was actually Canada's Reagan-era Conservative leader who garnered some positive attention in Monday's online discussion.
Faced with a stark ideological choice today, Tories might look for inspiration — and success — to former PM Brian Mulroney.
“The PCs recognized they had to be a centre party to win power. The person most genius at figuring that out was Mulroney, he won two solid majorities … and destroyed the Liberals in Quebec. They had the 'big tent' approach, that social conservatives, Red Tories, environmentalists, people from all walks of life, fiscal conservatives, could all be under the same umbrella." Livesey said.
“It worked until it didn't work.”
Mulroney was also considered a leader on environmental issues, and even stalwart Conservative architect Tom Flanagan told Livesey he hoped for some critical Tory reflection on their climate change and carbon pricing policies.
“There is increasing awareness they have to be better on that front,” Livesey said, “even if it is in a very cynical way.”
But it's not just the evangelicals trying to steer the Tory ship. Another powerful force in the country has leveraged influence extremely effectively. Livesey and Garossino said other than the Tories' social conservative base, the party also has been held “hostage” by the oil industry lobby and some of Harper's former entourage, such as Jason Kenney, now Alberta premier.
Garossino has frequently commented on the state of Canada's Conservatives, most recently in her May 27 column, Stephen Harper's power dissolves, in which she argued that Harper continues to “control his chastened party” from the sidelines, but as “the right’s energy and narrative has been seized by Trumpian ideologues,” the Canadian electorate has moved on and is no longer interested.
Canada's Conservatives ought to ponder those trends carefully before selecting their next leader, Garossino said, but she's not hopeful.
“To get to be a contender nationally, you have to get past the base, which is far more conservative than the Canadian public,” she said. “They're almost fighting against themselves.”
Could the Red Tories stage a Mulroney-inspired comeback — and retake the reins from today's increasingly unpalatable oil and religious party wings? That remains to be seen.
Editor's Note: Next Wednesday, July 8, Emilee Gilpin talks with Linda Solomon Wood about how Covid-19 is devastating Indigenous communities in Brazil. To register, go here. The interview with Sandy Garossino and Bruce Livesey is part of Conversations with Linda Solomon Wood, sponsored by Canada's National Observer. Conversations features topics around COVID-19, the economy, politics and climate change. If you'd like advanced notice about our fall line-up, subscribe here. To see the entire series of interviews in the Conversations series on video, head over to our YouTube channel.


nationalobserver--2020-07-06--Have the lessons of the 2013 Lac-Mégantic train disaster been learned?

July 6 , 2020 , is the seventh anniversary of the Lac-Mégantic oil train disaster , which killed 47 people and orphaned 26 children , spilled an unprecedented six million litres of explosive Bakken shale oil , and incinerated the centre of this Québec town .
It was the worst rail accident since Confederation .
The people of Lac-Mégantic were victims of a safety regulatory regime that failed catastrophically .
Seven years after this tragedy what has been learned ?
Is the transportation of oil by rail safer ?
Are the tracks sound and well-maintained ?
Are the tank cars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s safety oversight system improved ?
Have the railways become more attentive to safety , especially when it conflicts with costs ?
In the wake of the disaster , a rebalancing of the relationship between regulator and regulated industry was needed — to shift from a collaborative-deferential-partnership relationship to one of appropriate tension , where the different roles and priorities of regulator and regulated industry are clearly acknowledged .
This has not happened .
The railways ’ ability to delay , dilute , block , reverse proposed regulations that collide with costs is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tragedy , lobbying intensity soared with precisely this purpose .
The government responded to the disaster with a flurry of safety measures : ministerial orders , legislative changes , etc .
How effective have these been ?
The centrepiece of the safety regulatory regime is safety management systems [ SMS ] .
They are generally understood to be a “ formalized framework for integrating safety into the daily operations of an organization , including the necessary organizational structures , accountabilities , policies and procedures .
Government sets the rules companies must follow to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , staff work-rest rules , track maintenance standards , whistleblower protections , among others .
SMS was introduced almost two decades ago as an added safety layer to direct on-site , inspection-based oversight .
It soon became a substitute — in effect , company self-regulation .
Inspections dwindled and oversight increasingly became a paper exercise — reviewing company books .
To this day , there remain huge discrepancies between recommendations made by multiple investigations — Transportation Safety Board ( TSB ) , parliamentary committees , legislative reviews , auditor general reports calling for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Transport Canada ’ s tepid response .
Auditor General Reports have concluded SMS contains serious flaws .
Safety Management systems have been on the TSB ’ s watch list since it was created in 2010 as “ among those issues posing the greatest risk to Canada ’ s transportation system.
” The railways are still refusing to implement fatigue management practices in accordance with the scientific evidence .
Their mandated whistleblower protection provisions are not being used by workers for fear of recriminations .
Their risk management practices are inadequate and hidden from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there remain huge discrepancies between recommendations made by multiple investigations into the Lac-Mégantic oil train disaster , which killed 47 people and orphaned 26 children . ''
Since Lac-Mégantic , there have been seven major derailments of trains carrying dangerous goods , recently near Guernsey , Saskatchewan ( December 2019 and February 2020 ) which together spilled 3.1 million litres of diluted bitumen from the most crash-resistant model tank cars .
All were due to broken rails or other track infrastructure problems .
A TSB March 2020 advisory noted Transport Canada ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in their risk assessments were set in 2012 .
These rules did not take into account the huge increase in oil by rail traffic since then .
They have still not been updated .
A CBC investigation obtained hundreds of Transport Canada inspection reports documenting track safety problems along that 183-kilometre section of CP Rail ’ s Saskatchewan line over a four-year period .
At no point did it order the company to stop running these mega trains .
During this time , CP registered a seven-fold increase in oil train traffic along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alternative routes for transporting dangerous goods around heavily populated areas ?
It was recommended long ago by the inquiry into 1979 Mississauga CP derailment , which forced the evacuation of 200,000 people .
Municipalities have called repeatedly for trains to be rerouted , as has the Transportation Safety Board .
There has been zero progress in this regard .
For cost-efficiency reasons , railways have been unwilling to interchange cargo with other companies whose tracks circumvent urban areas .
They interchange regularly , but only when it suits their economic interests .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rerouting .
Rerouting may be the single most important measure to reduce the risk of dangerous goods disasters .
Remote-control satellite-based systems for monitoring and controlling train movements ( Positive Train Control ) and electro-pneumatic braking systems ( ECP ) are technological innovations that should have been implemented years ago .
The former is almost completely in place in the U.S. , though the Trump administration rolled back regulations requiring these advanced braking systems .
In Canada , there has been no concrete action by the railways , and no mandate from Transport @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a recommendation from a National Research Council report over seven years ago .
Another essential safety component requires companies to implement fatigue management practices in accordance with the latest scientific evidence .
Since 1994 , the Transportation Safety Board has identified sleep-related fatigue as a contributing or risk factor in at least 31 rail accidents .
Despite the latest fatigue management regulations introduced in 2015 , the railways continue to stonewall .
Thus , the answer to the question : Have the lessons of Lac-Mégantic been learned ?
Not by a longshot .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ What lessons have been learned — by the regulator ; by industry ?
The lessons learned from Lac-Mégantic by industry can be found in industry calculations : What has been the price for political leaders and senior bureaucrats ?
No accountability from politicians other than the transport minister at the time being shuffled off to another portfolio .
There were reports of resignations , retirements and relocations of several senior officials in the department — all hidden from public view .
What have been the legal consequences ?
No politician or senior official @ @ @ @ @ @ @ settled behind closed doors .
A commission of inquiry was never authorized .
Oil trains — although volumes have been somewhat reduced during the pandemic — continue to roll through towns and cities across Canada .
The window is still open for history to repeat itself .
We should not have to wait for another disaster to rediscover that the lessons of Lac-Mégantic have not been learned .

July 6, 2020, is the seventh anniversary of the Lac-Mégantic oil train disaster, which killed 47 people and orphaned 26 children, spilled an unprecedented six million litres of explosive Bakken shale oil, and incinerated the centre of this Québec town. It was the worst rail accident since Confederation. The people of Lac-Mégantic were victims of a safety regulatory regime that failed catastrophically. Seven years after this tragedy what has been learned? Is the transportation of oil by rail safer? Are the tracks sound and well-maintained? Are the tank cars sufficiently crash-resistant? Has the government’s safety oversight system improved? Have the railways become more attentive to safety, especially when it conflicts with costs? In the wake of the disaster, a rebalancing of the relationship between regulator and regulated industry was needed — to shift from a collaborative-deferential-partnership relationship to one of appropriate tension, where the different roles and priorities of regulator and regulated industry are clearly acknowledged. This has not happened. The railways’ ability to delay, dilute, block, reverse proposed regulations that collide with costs is undiminished. In the months following the tragedy, lobbying intensity soared with precisely this purpose.
The government responded to the disaster with a flurry of safety measures: ministerial orders, legislative changes, etc. How effective have these been? The centrepiece of the safety regulatory regime is safety management systems [SMS]. They are generally understood to be a “formalized framework for integrating safety into the daily operations of an organization, including the necessary organizational structures, accountabilities, policies and procedures. Government sets the rules companies must follow to ensure they are implementing prescribed risk assessments, staff work-rest rules, track maintenance standards, whistleblower protections, among others. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions SMS was introduced almost two decades ago as an added safety layer to direct on-site, inspection-based oversight. It soon became a substitute — in effect, company self-regulation. Inspections dwindled and oversight increasingly became a paper exercise — reviewing company books.
To this day, there remain huge discrepancies between recommendations made by multiple investigations — Transportation Safety Board (TSB), parliamentary committees, legislative reviews, auditor general reports calling for major reform of the system--and Transport Canada’s tepid response. "To this day, there remain huge discrepancies between recommendations made by multiple investigations into the Lac-Mégantic oil train disaster, which killed 47 people and orphaned 26 children." Auditor General Reports have concluded SMS contains serious flaws. Safety Management systems have been on the TSB’s watch list since it was created in 2010 as “among those issues posing the greatest risk to Canada’s transportation system.” The railways are still refusing to implement fatigue management practices in accordance with the scientific evidence. Their mandated whistleblower protection provisions are not being used by workers for fear of recriminations. Their risk management practices are inadequate and hidden from public scrutiny. Since Lac-Mégantic, there have been seven major derailments of trains carrying dangerous goods, recently near Guernsey, Saskatchewan (December 2019 and February 2020) which together spilled 3.1 million litres of diluted bitumen from the most crash-resistant model tank cars. All were due to broken rails or other track infrastructure problems. A TSB March 2020 advisory noted Transport Canada’s track safety rules that companies use in their risk assessments were set in 2012. These rules did not take into account the huge increase in oil by rail traffic since then. They have still not been updated. A CBC investigation obtained hundreds of Transport Canada inspection reports documenting track safety problems along that 183-kilometre section of CP Rail’s Saskatchewan line over a four-year period. At no point did it order the company to stop running these mega trains. During this time, CP registered a seven-fold increase in oil train traffic along the route.
Have the railways found alternative routes for transporting dangerous goods around heavily populated areas? It was recommended long ago by the inquiry into 1979 Mississauga CP derailment, which forced the evacuation of 200,000 people. Municipalities have called repeatedly for trains to be rerouted, as has the Transportation Safety Board. There has been zero progress in this regard. For cost-efficiency reasons, railways have been unwilling to interchange cargo with other companies whose tracks circumvent urban areas. They interchange regularly, but only when it suits their economic interests. And Transport Canada has been unwilling to mandate rerouting. Rerouting may be the single most important measure to reduce the risk of dangerous goods disasters. Remote-control satellite-based systems for monitoring and controlling train movements (Positive Train Control) and electro-pneumatic braking systems (ECP) are technological innovations that should have been implemented years ago. The former is almost completely in place in the U.S., though the Trump administration rolled back regulations requiring these advanced braking systems. In Canada, there has been no concrete action by the railways, and no mandate from Transport Canada to require these safety-enhancing technologies despite a recommendation from a National Research Council report over seven years ago.