nationalobserver--2020-10-27--Toronto Youth Cabinet leader warns Doug Ford's education minister of 'second pandemic'

The need to deal with a second pandemic — that of systemic racism in education — is just as urgent as the COVID-19 global health crisis , says one young critic pushing for Ontario ’ s government and school boards to up their game .
“ This is an emergency .
We need this to happen ASAP , ” said Stephen Mensah , the education lead for the Toronto Youth Cabinet .
“ What we 're asking for , we can ’ t wait another decade , we ca n't wait for another government to come to power , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mensah , that means ensuring all policy discussions — whether about how to reopen schools safely or anything else — must focus on equity .
“ What I 'm trying to achieve is really bringing people 's energy , yes , to keep the conversation going on safe schools and what-not , but to have a focus on equity and let equity be that guiding factor in regards to all the discussions that they are having , ” he said in an interview .
The cabinet — and a string of groups that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is sending to the province ’ s education minister on Tuesday — wants urgent action and accountability to address anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism entrenched in educational institutions .
• Biden not alone in warning of 'dark winter ' .
Canada 's top physician paints bleak picture , too .
Mensah points out that such racism is evident in the struggles of mostly racialized students to get the necessary technological tools to access education since the pandemic .
“ Equity and anti-racism , sadly , has n't been the focus of discussions , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things that impacts students , I ’ d say , right now , ” said Mensah , whose role on city council ’ s youth advisory body means he often speaks with peers in Toronto and the wider Greater Toronto Area .
Data shows that Toronto neighbourhoods with a higher percentage of racialized residents — which often feature packed buses and busy apartment block elevators — have dealt with higher infection rates .
The letter addressed to Education Minister Stephen Lecce demands a revision of curriculum to introduce mandatory teaching on residential schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and contemporary contributions to Canada throughout elementary and secondary school , per recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission ’ s 2015 report .
It also wants the revision to reflect the contributions of Black individuals to Canada , and not just the country ’ s history of enslavement and disenfranchisement .
The cabinet has conceded to the government ’ s argument that some of its school boards would be unable to collect race-based data before the provincial deadline of 2023 , but it wants them to at least start the work by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the rest of the @ TOYouthCabinet want to make sure the province and its school boards do n't forget the anti-racism work they need to do despite — and because of — COVID-19 .
# OntEd # onpoli It also wants an end to all streaming in grades 9 and 10 by 2023 and the winding down of programs that put police in school settings .
Streaming pushes a disproportionate number of Black youth away from university , and police in schools worsens a school-to-prison pipeline for Black and Indigenous students , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working on policy issues with the Education Ministry tell him that “ the discussions are constantly happening.
” “ But there 's no urgency , ” he says .
“ I do believe that discussions are being held , but it 's a question of urgency .
Are they taking their precious time , so to speak , or are they really trying to get this done quickly ?
” Mensah said one quick step the government could take is to apply the 27 directives Lecce issued to the Peel District School Board @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to all the boards in the province .
“ That 's something they can do immediately , ” he said .
Mensah and cabinet executive director Michael Manu have been hustling for months to gather support for the letter , he said , and were proud to build a coalition behind their youth-led initiative that includes the province ’ s human rights commission and one of its four main teachers unions , the Elementary Teachers ’ Federation of Ontario .
But while it also has the support of the Ontario Federation of Labour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notably absent .
“ We need solidarity .
We need all of these stakeholders in education to come together and to speak a clear , concise , unified message , ” Mensah said , stressing his focus on bringing everyone together .
“ If we do n't have unity in regards to this issue ( addressing racism ) , then we 're not going to get the true results that we want , ” he said .
The alliance is also sending the letter to Premier Doug Ford , Lecce ’ s parliamentary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jones and opposition leaders and critics .
Other signatories include the Urban Alliance on Race Relations , the city ’ s Confronting Anti-Black Racism unit , the Ontario Black History Society , Ontario Alliance of Black School Educators and 11 other parent , teacher and student groups .

The need to deal with a second pandemic — that of systemic racism in education — is just as urgent as the COVID-19 global health crisis, says one young critic pushing for Ontario’s government and school boards to up their game. “This is an emergency. We need this to happen ASAP,” said Stephen Mensah, the education lead for the Toronto Youth Cabinet. “What we're asking for, we can’t wait another decade, we can't wait for another government to come to power, we need this to happen immediately.” For Mensah, that means ensuring all policy discussions — whether about how to reopen schools safely or anything else — must focus on equity. “What I'm trying to achieve is really bringing people's energy, yes, to keep the conversation going on safe schools and what-not, but to have a focus on equity and let equity be that guiding factor in regards to all the discussions that they are having,” he said in an interview. The cabinet — and a string of groups that added their names to a letter it is sending to the province’s education minister on Tuesday — wants urgent action and accountability to address anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism entrenched in educational institutions.
Mensah points out that such racism is evident in the struggles of mostly racialized students to get the necessary technological tools to access education since the pandemic. “Equity and anti-racism, sadly, hasn't been the focus of discussions, however, it is one of the strongest things that impacts students, I’d say, right now,” said Mensah, whose role on city council’s youth advisory body means he often speaks with peers in Toronto and the wider Greater Toronto Area. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Data shows that Toronto neighbourhoods with a higher percentage of racialized residents — which often feature packed buses and busy apartment block elevators — have dealt with higher infection rates.
The letter addressed to Education Minister Stephen Lecce demands a revision of curriculum to introduce mandatory teaching on residential schools, treaties and Indigenous Peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada throughout elementary and secondary school, per recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 2015 report. @StephenMensah_ and the rest of the @TOYouthCabinet want to make sure the province and its school boards don't forget the anti-racism work they need to do despite — and because of — COVID-19. #OntEd #onpoli It also wants the revision to reflect the contributions of Black individuals to Canada, and not just the country’s history of enslavement and disenfranchisement. The cabinet has conceded to the government’s argument that some of its school boards would be unable to collect race-based data before the provincial deadline of 2023, but it wants them to at least start the work by the end of 2021. It also wants an end to all streaming in grades 9 and 10 by 2023 and the winding down of programs that put police in school settings. Streaming pushes a disproportionate number of Black youth away from university, and police in schools worsens a school-to-prison pipeline for Black and Indigenous students, the letter said.
Mensah says friends working on policy issues with the Education Ministry tell him that “the discussions are constantly happening.” “But there's no urgency,” he says. “I do believe that discussions are being held, but it's a question of urgency. Are they taking their precious time, so to speak, or are they really trying to get this done quickly?” Mensah said one quick step the government could take is to apply the 27 directives Lecce issued to the Peel District School Board earlier this year to address systemic racism to all the boards in the province.


nationalobserver--2020-10-27--Canada urged to develop a plan to limit shipping emissions

Canada is being urged to develop a national plan to crack down on the carbon pollution from shipping vessels following heavy criticism over the outcome of international talks meant to address the issue .
NDP environment and climate change critic Laurel Collins , the MP for Victoria , says it ’ s time Canada put in place a formal framework for shipping emissions reductions , complete with specific targets and federal funding for carrying out monitoring and other related tasks .
“ Canada should be taking a leadership role in this , ” Collins said in an interview .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shipping industry ... we can ’ t afford not to do it.
” International shipping was responsible for about two per cent of global energy-related emissions last year , according to the International Energy Agency .
While it is technically the most efficient way to transport cargo in terms of energy compared to weight and distance , maritime emissions have exploded over the past decade and are expected to continue to climb .
Calls for new shipping regulations in Canada are growing following an announcement last week by a working group at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) that disappointed many advocacy organizations that track shipping pollution , including WWF-Canada .
• Biden not alone in warning of 'dark winter ' .
Canada 's top physician paints bleak picture , too .
The working group ’ s draft text , which will now go to a larger IMO committee for approval , proposed reinforcing an existing carbon intensity target of 40 per cent over 2008 levels by 2030 .
This emissions-intensity approach is less ambitious than what the nations meeting at the IMO originally agreed to strive towards in 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from shipping at levels in line with the Paris Agreement .
“ The disappointing outcome makes one thing clear : It ’ s now time for states like Canada to carry forward the goals of the Paris Agreement and address the climate crisis with ambitious national action plans , ” said Andrew Dumbrille , a senior specialist working on sustainable shipping for WWF-Canada .
Dumbrille noted that jurisdictions have been moving to take matters into their own hands .
The European Parliament voted last month to include maritime greenhouse gas emissions in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from 2022 onwards .
As well , U.S. presidential hopeful Joe Biden ’ s climate plan calls for international leadership in reducing emissions from global shipping .
U.S. Democrats have introduced a bill of their own called the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act that would monitor and report carbon pollution from shipping vessels , although the bill 's success likely hinges on who controls Congress and the White House following the Nov. 3 election .
NDP environment and climate change critic Laurel Collins says it ’ s time Canada put in place a formal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canada should be taking a leadership role in this.
” # cdnpoli “ The EU and the U.S. have recently moved ahead , but so far Canada hasn ’ t developed targets , timelines or designated resources to develop a national plan , ” said Dumbrille .
“ With last week ’ s outcome and accelerating climate impacts acutely felt in Arctic states and communities , it ’ s even more urgent for Canada to act.
” The federal government ’ s Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act includes a fuel charge rate for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the type of fuel commonly used by large shipping vessels , so in that sense , the carbon pricing system is already providing coverage .
Canada has also proposed a Clean Fuel Standard , which , if implemented , would limit the carbon content of fuels , thereby encouraging the use of alternatives such as biofuels or technological substitutions like electric vehicles .
But Collins said the federal carbon pricing system doesn ’ t require the provinces and territories to cover marine fuels explicitly , and different jurisdictions can choose how shipping is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serious about it , I would like to see incentives , I ’ d like to see regulations , concrete targets and accountability built in , ” she said .
“ I expect and I hope that this government will put that in place.
” Transport Minister Marc Garneau ’ s press secretary Livia Belcea said the government was committed to protecting the environment and Canadians ’ health from the potential risks of marine pollution .
Belcea pointed to Canada ’ s participation in the North American Emission Control Area , which limits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ southern Canadian waters along the B.C .
and Atlantic coasts , the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes , and extending 200 nautical miles out .
Canada is supporting a proposal to ban heavy fuel oil in the Arctic .
“ Our government takes climate change seriously and is working with the International Maritime Organization on measures to address greenhouse gas emissions and to meet the goals of its initial strategy , including the phasing out of emissions from the sector , ” said Belcea .

Canada is being urged to develop a national plan to crack down on the carbon pollution from shipping vessels following heavy criticism over the outcome of international talks meant to address the issue. NDP environment and climate change critic Laurel Collins, the MP for Victoria, says it’s time Canada put in place a formal framework for shipping emissions reductions, complete with specific targets and federal funding for carrying out monitoring and other related tasks. “Canada should be taking a leadership role in this,” Collins said in an interview. “We need incentives and mandates for the shipping industry ... we can’t afford not to do it.” International shipping was responsible for about two per cent of global energy-related emissions last year, according to the International Energy Agency. While it is technically the most efficient way to transport cargo in terms of energy compared to weight and distance, maritime emissions have exploded over the past decade and are expected to continue to climb. Calls for new shipping regulations in Canada are growing following an announcement last week by a working group at the UN agency International Maritime Organization (IMO) that disappointed many advocacy organizations that track shipping pollution, including WWF-Canada.
The working group’s draft text, which will now go to a larger IMO committee for approval, proposed reinforcing an existing carbon intensity target of 40 per cent below 2008 levels by 2030. This emissions-intensity approach is less ambitious than what the nations meeting at the IMO originally agreed to strive towards in 2018, which was to cut carbon pollution from shipping at levels in line with the Paris Agreement. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “The disappointing outcome makes one thing clear: It’s now time for states like Canada to carry forward the goals of the Paris Agreement and address the climate crisis with ambitious national action plans,” said Andrew Dumbrille, a senior specialist working on sustainable shipping for WWF-Canada.
Dumbrille noted that jurisdictions have been moving to take matters into their own hands. The European Parliament voted last month to include maritime greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union’s emissions trading system from 2022 onwards. NDP environment and climate change critic Laurel Collins says it’s time Canada put in place a formal framework for shipping emissions reductions: “Canada should be taking a leadership role in this.” #cdnpoli As well, U.S. presidential hopeful Joe Biden’s climate plan calls for international leadership in reducing emissions from global shipping. U.S. Democrats have introduced a bill of their own called the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act that would monitor and report carbon pollution from shipping vessels, although the bill's success likely hinges on who controls Congress and the White House following the Nov. 3 election. “The EU and the U.S. have recently moved ahead, but so far Canada hasn’t developed targets, timelines or designated resources to develop a national plan,” said Dumbrille. “With last week’s outcome and accelerating climate impacts acutely felt in Arctic states and communities, it’s even more urgent for Canada to act.” The federal government’s Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act includes a fuel charge rate for heavy fuel oil, which has been the type of fuel commonly used by large shipping vessels, so in that sense, the carbon pricing system is already providing coverage.
Canada has also proposed a Clean Fuel Standard, which, if implemented, would limit the carbon content of fuels, thereby encouraging the use of alternatives such as biofuels or technological substitutions like electric vehicles. But Collins said the federal carbon pricing system doesn’t require the provinces and territories to cover marine fuels explicitly, and different jurisdictions can choose how shipping is covered. “If they’re serious about it, I would like to see incentives, I’d like to see regulations, concrete targets and accountability built in,” she said. “I expect and I hope that this government will put that in place.”


nationalobserver--2020-10-27--The hidden life of kelp: How sea otters, urchins and starfish make ocean forests

It ’ s ironic that the undersea world is so alien to most of us , since it makes up over 70 per cent of the globe .
The following story is an excerpt from Heart of the Coast : Biodiversity and Resilience on the Pacific Edge by Tyee Bridge — a new , beautifully photographed introduction to B.C .
's coastal ecology , glaciology and archeology done in partnership with the Hakai Institute .
Beginning in 2013 , Burt and her colleagues studied rocky reef areas around Calvert Island on the Central Coast of B.C.
, initially trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were having on undersea ecological communities .
Part of a recovering North Pacific population and expanding across the Central Coast over the past three decades , sea otters are a keystone species that indirectly influence the abundance of kelp forest habitat .
Burt ’ s graduate studies undertaken with the Hakai Institute in British Columbia were focused on the ecological and social impacts of sea otter recovery — including the effects that growing sea otter populations have on coastal Indigenous communities .
Her mentors and colleagues include renowned coastal ecology experts Jane Watson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us only ever see the surface of the ocean , ” she says .
“ When you descend below the surface , it ’ s like going into space .
You feel like you ’ re on another planet , in a zero-gravity environment with all this life that you don ’ t normally get to see.
” Burt has years of experience exploring the ocean floor off British Columbia ’ s Central Coast , but scuba diving still fills her with wonder .
The stipes and fronds of a kelp forest create @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invertebrates like snails and anemones to marine mammals like seals and whales — providing food , hiding places and shelter .
Kelp produce their own food through photosynthesis , absorbing sunlight and organic carbon from the environment .
Like land-based plants and trees , kelp and other algae form the base of the marine food web .
They provide nourishment to the grazing herbivores that feed on them , such as sea urchins and abalone .
In turn , these grazers provide food for predators , such as sea otters and certain species @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Kelp is a type of marine algae .
Also known as seaweed , there are red , green and brown varieties of marine algae , among others .
They can be as small as a human blood cell or reach lengths of over 45 metres .
Rather than using roots — as seagrasses do , which unlike algae are true plants — they cling to the rocky seafloor using growths called holdfasts .
After four years of research , Burt and her colleagues came to a groundbreaking new understanding of the relationships @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — thanks to unexpected discoveries about a previously overlooked bottom-dwelling predator .
Seals are frequent visitors to kelp forests , and grey whales will feed on the crab larvae they find there — as well as use the kelp to hide their calves from killer whales .
Kelp forests in turn provide critical habitat and nutrients to a wide variety of creatures , from the very small to the very large .
Juvenile salmon , herring and rockfish all use kelp beds for habitat , as do crabs , sea stars , abalone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is cute and fuzzy — the other one , less so .
Kelp forests are influenced by a huge range of physical and biological factors .
They are sensitive to temperature , ripped up by storms and affected by currents and waves .
Researchers have also discovered that kelp forests in the northeast Pacific can be dramatically impacted by the presence of two predators .
By creating nearshore habitats rich in fish and other sea life , kelp beds have been significant assets to human coastal communities for thousands of years .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generated by kelp forests has influenced the rise of the kelp highway hypothesis : the idea that the first ice-age human populations to expand southward from Beringia did so by exploiting the rich marine resources of ice-free coastal regions , rather than migrating via an inland corridor between ice sheets .
In 1970 , an ecologist named James A. Estes traveled to Amchitka Island in Alaska ’ s Aleutian archipelago to study sea otters .
The Atomic Energy Commission had sponsored his research there ahead of a contentious nuclear test on the island @ @ @ @ @ @ @ placed him there , his research ended up transforming our modern understanding of coastal ecology .
Observing sea otters and kelp beds on Amchitka — both onshore and during scuba dives — led Estes to question the links between them .
The crucial connection , he discovered , was sea urchins .
Sea urchins are voracious grazers of kelp .
Sea otters , in turn , are equally voracious predators of sea urchins .
But Estes didn ’ t understand the real meaning of what he ’ d seen until a meeting with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ listened to my account of what I had seen while diving , '' Estes recalled in his 2016 memoir Serendipity , `` and what I thought it might mean and then abruptly suggested a simple but radically different change in perspective .
Rather than wondering how the kelp forests affected otters… why not explore how the otters affected the kelp forests ?
” Estes ’ s observations revealed an “ extraordinarily high ” sea otter population around Amchitka , inhabiting a lush undersea world of kelp forests .
To understand the relationship between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an area that was devoid of otters and see what the kelp forests looked like .
He found that about 350 kilometres to the west of Amchitka , off a remote island called Shemya .
As he tells in Serendipity , what he saw when he put on his scuba gear and entered the waters off Shemya shocked him : Estes had seen what is now known as an urchin barren , the result of a trophic cascade .
He would go on to realize that sea otters are a keystone predator that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sea life .
In coastal areas where sea otters regularly consume sea urchins , kelp forests have a greater chance to take hold and endure , and act as an undersea forest habitat for other marine animals .
But when there are not enough predators like sea otters to feed on sea urchins , the urchins graze over and effectively wipe out kelp forests .
Thanks to Estes , and the work of subsequent researchers like David Duggins and Jane Watson , the beneficial effects of sea otters in propagating kelp habitats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and increasingly well known to the general public .
But a new twist on this relationship , usually understood as a three-way interaction between urchins , kelp and sea otters , has recently come out of the work done on the Central Coast by Jenn Burt and her Hakai Institute colleagues .
In the waters around Calvert Island , where surface temperatures dip as low as 8 C , subaquatic researchers need an airtight dry suit along with their usual scuba gear .
Burt and her colleagues also carry a panoply of marine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ box for sampling called a quadrat ; sealable bags for collecting everything from kelp to invertebrates ; a writing slate with data sheets , pencil and built-in ruler ; and meter tapes for measuring survey areas , known as transects .
“ By the time you clip all the gear onto yourself so that you have everything and it doesn ’ t float away , ” Burt says with a laugh , “ it can look like a real gong show.
” For Hakai Institute scientists , undersea surveys bring other challenges .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep research vessels tied up at the dock for days .
When boats are able to go out to gather data — in Burt ’ s case , counting sunflower stars , or performing an undersea experiment to track urchin feeding rates — divers have only 45 to 60 minutes to complete their task before their oxygen runs out .
The need to stick with your “ dive buddy ” and communicate with hand signals or by scrawling on a slate can slow things down , as can murky water .
Perhaps the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Central Coast are rarely still .
Unlike the woods on land , a kelp forest moves with the push and pull of the ocean — and so do the researchers .
Enduring the challenges of underwater experimentation and monitoring , however , can lead to groundbreaking insights .
Burt and her fellow researchers began collecting data in 2013 , not knowing that two years later , the epizootic of sea star wasting disease ( SSWD ) would strike the waters around Calvert Island .
Their timing was serendipitous .
Burt ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before , during and after the arrival of sea otters , which — because of their post-fur trade population recovery — are still recolonizing reef habitats across the North Pacific Rim .
The waters around the Hakai Institute on Calvert Island are at the leading edge of this expansion , and like the Aleutian Islands , are well suited to this sort of study .
There are areas with and without sea otters where researchers can compare the differences in kelp abundance , urchin populations and other aspects of undersea habitat .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 2015 , it suddenly brought a new dimension to the research : a rare opportunity to also look at how predatory sea stars influence coastal rocky reef ecosystems .
“ This is the important element of surprise in science , ” says Burt .
“ We just don ’ t always know what we ’ re going to find.
” The disease outbreak created what is known to researchers as a natural experiment — a unique condition that appears without artificial or planned intervention .
By wiping out huge numbers of sea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ zones , SSWD had created a new set of research conditions .
“ There are so many interactions in the ocean that we don ’ t totally understand and probably never will , because we can ’ t systematically remove and then replace all the animals in the ocean , ” says Burt .
“ But when we have that opportunity to observe a sudden absence of a particular organism , and see what the impacts of that are , we have a lot more understanding .
That ’ s the bigger narrative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really neat.
” Using a dataset collected over four years , Burt and her colleagues learned that sea otters are not the only predators that have a significant effect on urchins , and thus not the only creature that can help ensure the health and abundance of kelp forests : the less cute but nonetheless impressive sunflower star also plays a major role .
On the Central Coast reefs she studied , Burt links the loss of sunflower stars to a startling 300 per cent spike in the population of small and medium-size @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per cent decline in kelp density .
What Burt noticed on underwater surveys after the disease event was that there were more small and medium-size urchins everywhere Burt and her colleagues looked .
That gave the team some hunches about what they wanted to look at more closely in the data .
When they did , says Burt , the insights came not only from her , but from “ looking at the system with some clever modellers , from having coffees with Jim Estes and from talking with people who had seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urchins.
” Sea otters do an excellent job of eating large sea urchins over eight centimetres in diameter , but they tend to leave behind smaller urchins .
These small urchins also readily devour kelp , and if their numbers swell , they begin to thin out kelp forests .
However , these smaller urchins are a favourite food of sunflower stars .
“ Sunflower stars mop up the little sea urchins , ” says Anne Salomon .
“ It was very interesting to learn how they give a helping hand to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ otters.
” Salomon notes that although many ecologists had suspected that sunflower stars played a role in the resilience of kelp forests , that role had not yet been measured or acknowledged .
“ Sea star wasting disease came and did the experiment for us , and research on the Central Coast with Jenn Burt provided evidence of the important role that sunflower stars have , ” says Salomon .
“ It really is like that Joni Mitchell line , ‘ You don ’ t know what you ’ ve got till it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Burt .
“ When you remove an organism from the system , it ’ s then you realize that its impact was actually quite substantial.
” Researchers from British Columbia to California have seen large swaths of kelp forest disappear off the coastline in recent years , a troubling development that appears connected both to rising ocean temperatures and SSWD .
Confirming the previously uncertain role of sunflower stars in kelp-bed ecology will help researchers as they monitor the resilience of kelp beds across the North Pacific Rim and manage their recovery .

“Most of us only ever see the surface of the ocean,” she says. “When you descend below the surface, it’s like going into space. You feel like you’re on another planet, in a zero-gravity environment with all this life that you don’t normally get to see.”
Burt has years of experience exploring the ocean floor off British Columbia’s Central Coast, but scuba diving still fills her with wonder.
It’s ironic that the undersea world is so alien to most of us, since it makes up over 70 per cent of the globe.
The following story is an excerpt from Heart of the Coast: Biodiversity and Resilience on the Pacific Edge by Tyee Bridge — a new, beautifully photographed introduction to B.C.'s coastal ecology, glaciology and archaeology done in partnership with the Hakai Institute.
Beginning in 2013, Burt and her colleagues studied rocky reef areas around Calvert Island on the Central Coast of B.C., initially trying to better understand the effect that sea otters were having on undersea ecological communities. Part of a recovering North Pacific population and expanding across the Central Coast over the past three decades, sea otters are a keystone species that indirectly influence the abundance of kelp forest habitat.
Burt’s graduate studies undertaken with the Hakai Institute in British Columbia were focused on the ecological and social impacts of sea otter recovery — including the effects that growing sea otter populations have on coastal Indigenous communities. Her mentors and colleagues include renowned coastal ecology experts Jane Watson and Anne Salomon .
After four years of research, Burt and her colleagues came to a groundbreaking new understanding of the relationships between kelp, urchins and sea otters — thanks to unexpected discoveries about a previously overlooked bottom-dwelling predator.
Seals are frequent visitors to kelp forests, and grey whales will feed on the crab larvae they find there — as well as use the kelp to hide their calves from killer whales.
Kelp forests in turn provide critical habitat and nutrients to a wide variety of creatures, from the very small to the very large. Juvenile salmon, herring and rockfish all use kelp beds for habitat, as do crabs, sea stars, abalone and other snails.
Kelp produce their own food through photosynthesis, absorbing sunlight and organic carbon from the environment. Like land-based plants and trees, kelp and other algae form the base of the marine food web. They provide nourishment to the grazing herbivores that feed on them, such as sea urchins and abalone. In turn, these grazers provide food for predators, such as sea otters and certain species of sea stars like the sunflower star.
Kelp is a type of marine algae. Also known as seaweed, there are red, green and brown varieties of marine algae, among others. They can be as small as a human blood cell or reach lengths of over 45 metres. Rather than using roots — as seagrasses do, which unlike algae are true plants — they cling to the rocky seafloor using growths called holdfasts.
The stipes and fronds of a kelp forest create a three-dimensional lattice that benefits everything from invertebrates like snails and anemones to marine mammals like seals and whales — providing food, hiding places and shelter.
In British Columbia and much of the northeast Pacific, kelp beds are generally composed of clusters of whip-like bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) seen in this photo, as well as giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera). Image courtesy Tavish Campbell.
By creating nearshore habitats rich in fish and other sea life, kelp beds have been significant assets to human coastal communities for thousands of years. The abundance of food now known to be generated by kelp forests has influenced the rise of the kelp highway hypothesis: the idea that the first ice-age human populations to expand southward from Beringia did so by exploiting the rich marine resources of ice-free coastal regions, rather than migrating via an inland corridor between ice sheets.
Kelp forests are influenced by a huge range of physical and biological factors. They are sensitive to temperature, ripped up by storms and affected by currents and waves. Researchers have also discovered that kelp forests in the northeast Pacific can be dramatically impacted by the presence of two predators.
One of them is cute and fuzzy — the other one, less so.
The sea otter connection
In 1970, an ecologist named James A. Estes traveled to Amchitka Island in Alaska’s Aleutian archipelago to study sea otters. The Atomic Energy Commission had sponsored his research there ahead of a contentious nuclear test on the island. Despite the Cold War considerations that placed him there, his research ended up transforming our modern understanding of coastal ecology.
Observing sea otters and kelp beds on Amchitka — both onshore and during scuba dives — led Estes to question the links between them. The crucial connection, he discovered, was sea urchins. Sea urchins are voracious grazers of kelp.
Sea otters, in turn, are equally voracious predators of sea urchins. But Estes didn’t understand the real meaning of what he’d seen until a meeting with veteran ecologist Bob Paine.
“Bob listened to my account of what I had seen while diving," Estes recalled in his 2016 memoir Serendipity, "and what I thought it might mean and then abruptly suggested a simple but radically different change in perspective. Rather than wondering how the kelp forests affected otters… why not explore how the otters affected the kelp forests?”
Estes’s observations revealed an “extraordinarily high” sea otter population around Amchitka, inhabiting a lush undersea world of kelp forests. To understand the relationship between the two, Estes needed to find an area that was devoid of otters and see what the kelp forests looked like. He found that about 350 kilometres to the west of Amchitka, off a remote island called Shemya.
A carpet of green, purple and red sea urchins turning a kelp-bed ecosystem into an urchin barren. Image courtesy Grant Callegari/Hakai Institute.
As he tells in Serendipity, what he saw when he put on his scuba gear and entered the waters off Shemya shocked him:
"When I looked down at the seafloor, I was stunned by the vast numbers of urchins and the absence of kelp… Every place I looked was the same—large and abundant sea urchins over a seafloor of crustose coralline algae with little or no kelp… In the absence of sea otter predation, sea urchins had increased in size and number, and the larger and more abundant urchins had eaten the kelp. This was my 'aha moment,' a profound realization that would set a path for the remainder of my life."
Estes had seen what is now known as an urchin barren, the result of a trophic cascade. He would go on to realize that sea otters are a keystone predator that increases the abundance of a diverse array of sea life. In coastal areas where sea otters regularly consume sea urchins, kelp forests have a greater chance to take hold and endure, and act as an undersea forest habitat for other marine animals.
But when there are not enough predators like sea otters to feed on sea urchins, the urchins graze over and effectively wipe out kelp forests.
Thanks to Estes, and the work of subsequent researchers like David Duggins and Jane Watson, the beneficial effects of sea otters in propagating kelp habitats have been well established among ecologists, and increasingly well known to the general public.
But a new twist on this relationship, usually understood as a three-way interaction between urchins, kelp and sea otters, has recently come out of the work done on the Central Coast by Jenn Burt and her Hakai Institute colleagues.
Researcher Jenn Burt at the helm of a Hakai Institute research vessel. Image courtesy Jenn Burt.
A natural experiment
In the waters around Calvert Island, where surface temperatures dip as low as 8 C, subaquatic researchers need an airtight dry suit along with their usual scuba gear. Burt and her colleagues also carry a panoply of marine science tools: a foldable, two-dimensional box for sampling called a quadrat; sealable bags for collecting everything from kelp to invertebrates; a writing slate with data sheets, pencil and built-in ruler; and meter tapes for measuring survey areas, known as transects.
“By the time you clip all the gear onto yourself so that you have everything and it doesn’t float away,” Burt says with a laugh, “it can look like a real gong show.”
For Hakai Institute scientists, undersea surveys bring other challenges. Rough weather on the outer coast can keep research vessels tied up at the dock for days. When boats are able to go out to gather data — in Burt’s case, counting sunflower stars, or performing an undersea experiment to track urchin feeding rates — divers have only 45 to 60 minutes to complete their task before their oxygen runs out.
Researcher Jenn Burt surveying urchins. Image courtesy Grant Callegari/Hakai Institute.
The need to stick with your “dive buddy” and communicate with hand signals or by scrawling on a slate can slow things down, as can murky water. Perhaps the biggest challenge is that the waters of the Central Coast are rarely still. Unlike the woods on land, a kelp forest moves with the push and pull of the ocean — and so do the researchers.
Enduring the challenges of underwater experimentation and monitoring, however, can lead to groundbreaking insights. Burt and her fellow researchers began collecting data in 2013, not knowing that two years later, the epizootic of sea star wasting disease (SSWD) would strike the waters around Calvert Island. Their timing was serendipitous.
Burt’s original focus was to track ecological communities before, during and after the arrival of sea otters, which — because of their post-fur trade population recovery — are still recolonizing reef habitats across the North Pacific Rim. The waters around the Hakai Institute on Calvert Island are at the leading edge of this expansion, and like the Aleutian Islands, are well suited to this sort of study.
There are areas with and without sea otters where researchers can compare the differences in kelp abundance, urchin populations and other aspects of undersea habitat. When SSWD struck the region during the winter of 2015, it suddenly brought a new dimension to the research: a rare opportunity to also look at how predatory sea stars influence coastal rocky reef ecosystems.
Ochre stars (Pisaster ochraceus) were one of the sea stars hit hardest by SSWD. Image courtesy Grant Callegari/Hakai Institute.
“This is the important element of surprise in science,” says Burt. “We just don’t always know what we’re going to find.”
The disease outbreak created what is known to researchers as a natural experiment — a unique condition that appears without artificial or planned intervention. By wiping out huge numbers of sea stars, including those in nearshore kelp-producing zones, SSWD had created a new set of research conditions.
“There are so many interactions in the ocean that we don’t totally understand and probably never will, because we can’t systematically remove and then replace all the animals in the ocean,” says Burt.
“But when we have that opportunity to observe a sudden absence of a particular organism, and see what the impacts of that are, we have a lot more understanding. That’s the bigger narrative around this research that I think is really neat.”
Using a dataset collected over four years, Burt and her colleagues learned that sea otters are not the only predators that have a significant effect on urchins, and thus not the only creature that can help ensure the health and abundance of kelp forests: the less cute but nonetheless impressive sunflower star also plays a major role.
On the Central Coast reefs she studied, Burt links the loss of sunflower stars to a startling 300 per cent spike in the population of small and medium-size urchins, and to a resulting 30 per cent decline in kelp density.
The underside of a sea urchin showing the dental structure known as Aristotle’s lantern, which it uses to scrape algae and consume kelp. Image courtesy Grant Callegari/Hakai Institute.
What Burt noticed on underwater surveys after the disease event was that there were more small and medium-size urchins everywhere Burt and her colleagues looked. That gave the team some hunches about what they wanted to look at more closely in the data.
When they did, says Burt, the insights came not only from her, but from “looking at the system with some clever modellers, from having coffees with Jim Estes and from talking with people who had seen similar things in other areas with green urchins.”
Sea otters do an excellent job of eating large sea urchins over eight centimetres in diameter, but they tend to leave behind smaller urchins. These small urchins also readily devour kelp, and if their numbers swell, they begin to thin out kelp forests. However, these smaller urchins are a favourite food of sunflower stars.
“Sunflower stars mop up the little sea urchins,” says Anne Salomon. “It was very interesting to learn how they give a helping hand to the apex predator in these areas, sea otters.”
Anne Salomon on a research dive. Image courtesy Mark Wunsch.
Salomon notes that although many ecologists had suspected that sunflower stars played a role in the resilience of kelp forests, that role had not yet been measured or acknowledged.
“Sea star wasting disease came and did the experiment for us, and research on the Central Coast with Jenn Burt provided evidence of the important role that sunflower stars have,” says Salomon.
“It really is like that Joni Mitchell line, ‘You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone,’” says Burt. “When you remove an organism from the system, it’s then you realize that its impact was actually quite substantial.”
Researchers from British Columbia to California have seen large swaths of kelp forest disappear off the coastline in recent years, a troubling development that appears connected both to rising ocean temperatures and SSWD. Confirming the previously uncertain role of sunflower stars in kelp-bed ecology will help researchers as they monitor the resilience of kelp beds across the North Pacific Rim and manage their recovery.


nationalobserver--2020-10-27--Who controls mushroom harvesting on Indigenous lands?

Jordon Gabriel is trying to manage who harvests wild mushrooms on the Líl̓wat First Nation ’ s lands .
Wild mushrooms , berries and other non-timber forest resources growing in the understory of B.C.
’ s forests have largely been ignored in the provincial government ’ s forest management decisions .
It ’ s a regulatory gap that some First Nations in the province have been stepping in to fill — a move both highlighting the value of forests beyond the trees and increasing First Nations ’ jurisdiction over their land .
“ ( We ’ d ) like to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the understory , so that mushrooms continue to come back , ” said Gabriel , co-manager of Líl̓wat Forestry Ventures , a forestry company run by the Líl̓wat First Nation .
Nor is the Líl̓wat First Nation alone .
Several First Nations across B.C .
and the Yukon have started to regulate who can harvest wild foods from their lands , especially for commercial use .
It ’ s a big shift , particularly compared to the province ’ s current laissez-faire approach that lets anyone harvest anywhere on Crown land , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ province .
“ When we look at managing the forest in our forestry department , we look at it sustainably , ” said Klay Tindall , a colleague of Gabriel ’ s at Líl̓wat Forestry Ventures .
“ We look at what inventories of wood are out there , what we can log and what we ’ re keeping behind .
We don ’ t feel like that ’ s being done with some of the other resources out there , specifically these botanical resources.
” • Biden not alone in warning of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ physician paints bleak picture , too .
B.C.
’ s forests have historically been managed almost exclusively for timber , the root of the province ’ s $ 30-billion forestry industry .
That ’ s left non-timber forest resources such as wild mushrooms and berries , and the understory ecosystems that support them , largely sidelined in forest management decisions .
And that has left a data dark hole when it comes to non-timber forest resources , making it difficult to get a sense of the industry ’ s scale .
A 2010 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , roughly $ 3.5 million worth of chanterelle mushrooms were exported to Europe annually .
Other researchers noted that between 2000 and 2003 , about $ 20 million worth of pine mushrooms , or matsutake , were sent to Japan each year .
And a third team found that B.C.
’ s Kootenay Boundary huckleberry harvest is worth between $ 91,000 and $ 685,000 .
“ We don ’ t necessarily know where the mushrooms grow , how old the stands need to be , those types of things .
( And ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mushroom strategy without knowing the proper inventories , ” Tindall said .
It ’ s a knowledge gap the nation is working to fill , in part to provide baseline data for a planned permitting system for commercial and recreational harvesters on their land .
“ You ’ ve got more and more people tramping around , you ’ ve got First Nations where this is an economic driver , and some First Nations now have gone out and ( established ) mushroom permits , ” said William Nikolakis , a lawyer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a professor at the University of British Columbia .
He has worked closely with the Tsilhqot ’ in National Government , which established a wild mushroom harvesting permit in 2018 .
“ First Nations have their own set of laws and rules and norms around how to manage non-timber forest ( resources ) as well as forests .
The Crown is also asserting , in B.C.
, their own laws and sovereignty over non-timber forest products and forest products .
So you ’ ve got this clash of laws , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) like to regulate ( the understory ) so that we can protect the understory , so that mushrooms continue to come back , ” said Jordon Gabriel , co-manager of Líl̓wat Forestry Ventures , a forestry company run by the @ LilwatNation .
So far , no court cases have directly dealt with the question of non-timber forest resources , Nikolakis said .
If one did , it ’ s likely the Crown ( the provincial or federal governments ) would try to limit how much First Nations could regulate non-timber forest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forests that support them .
It ’ s an approach Nikolakis said doesn ’ t sit well with many First Nations because it lets Canada — not First Nations — limit the scope and scale of Aboriginal rights .
And typically , the courts “ define these in very static terms and ( freeze ) them in time.
” “ So many First Nations are going around ( anyway ) and exercising their rights and laws in their own way , giving expression to their own laws.
” And that includes regulating who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s an approach Kukpi7 Ron Ignace , chief of the Skeetchestn Indian Band , took following the Elephant Hill wildfire , which ripped through the First Nation ’ s traditional territory in 2017 .
Anticipating a rush of mushroom pickers seeking fire morels — which only grow the year after a wildfire and are one of B.C.
’ s most important commercial species — he partnered with other Secwépemc communities and the Ts ’ kw ’ aylaxw First Nation of the St ’ at ’ imc Nation to establish a permit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mushroom pickers and buyers ) had to have a permit in order to be allowed to pick mushrooms because it ’ s like thievery ... if they don ’ t pay us for what they ’ re doing on our land , ” Kukpi7 Ignace explained .
“ We told them ( about ) the environmentally sensitive areas they can not go to , the cultural heritage sites that they can not disturb , and we set up a camp for them to stay in ( rather ) than being scattered throughout the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the system was well-received .
A single buyer refused to pay the permit fee ; many pickers and buyers appreciated the garbage disposal , outhouses and search and rescue service the First Nations provided in exchange for greater oversight .
And the province was generally supportive , going so far as to specify in subsequent publications about the morel industry that a permit was required to harvest in the Elephant Hill area .

Jordon Gabriel is trying to manage who harvests wild mushrooms on the Líl̓wat First Nation’s lands. Wild mushrooms, berries and other non-timber forest resources growing in the understory of B.C.’s forests have largely been ignored in the provincial government’s forest management decisions. It’s a regulatory gap that some First Nations in the province have been stepping in to fill — a move both highlighting the value of forests beyond the trees and increasing First Nations’ jurisdiction over their land. “(We’d) like to regulate it so that we can protect the understory, so that mushrooms continue to come back,” said Gabriel, co-manager of Líl̓wat Forestry Ventures, a forestry company run by the Líl̓wat First Nation. Nor is the Líl̓wat First Nation alone. Several First Nations across B.C. and the Yukon have started to regulate who can harvest wild foods from their lands, especially for commercial use. It’s a big shift, particularly compared to the province’s current laissez-faire approach that lets anyone harvest anywhere on Crown land, which is about 94 per cent of the province. “When we look at managing the forest in our forestry department, we look at it sustainably,” said Klay Tindall, a colleague of Gabriel’s at Líl̓wat Forestry Ventures. “We look at what inventories of wood are out there, what we can log and what we’re keeping behind. We don’t feel like that’s being done with some of the other resources out there, specifically these botanical resources.”
B.C.’s forests have historically been managed almost exclusively for timber, the root of the province’s $30-billion forestry industry. That’s left non-timber forest resources such as wild mushrooms and berries, and the understory ecosystems that support them, largely sidelined in forest management decisions. And that has left a data dark hole when it comes to non-timber forest resources, making it difficult to get a sense of the industry’s scale. A 2010 study found that between 1995 and 2005, roughly $3.5 million worth of chanterelle mushrooms were exported to Europe annually. Other researchers noted that between 2000 and 2003, about $20 million worth of pine mushrooms, or matsutake, were sent to Japan each year. And a third team found that B.C.’s Kootenay Boundary huckleberry harvest is worth between $91,000 and $685,000. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “We don’t necessarily know where the mushrooms grow, how old the stands need to be, those types of things. (And) it’s really hard to develop a mushroom strategy without knowing the proper inventories,” Tindall said.
It’s a knowledge gap the nation is working to fill, in part to provide baseline data for a planned permitting system for commercial and recreational harvesters on their land. “(We’d) like to regulate (the understory) so that we can protect the understory, so that mushrooms continue to come back,” said Jordon Gabriel, co-manager of Líl̓wat Forestry Ventures, a forestry company run by the @LilwatNation. “You’ve got more and more people tramping around, you’ve got First Nations where this is an economic driver, and some First Nations now have gone out and (established) mushroom permits,” said William Nikolakis, a lawyer specializing in Aboriginal and natural resource law and a professor at the University of British Columbia. He has worked closely with the Tsilhqot’in National Government, which established a wild mushroom harvesting permit in 2018. “First Nations have their own set of laws and rules and norms around how to manage non-timber forest (resources) as well as forests. The Crown is also asserting, in B.C., their own laws and sovereignty over non-timber forest products and forest products. So you’ve got this clash of laws,” he explained. So far, no court cases have directly dealt with the question of non-timber forest resources, Nikolakis said. If one did, it’s likely the Crown (the provincial or federal governments) would try to limit how much First Nations could regulate non-timber forest resources and, by extension, the forests that support them. It’s an approach Nikolakis said doesn’t sit well with many First Nations because it lets Canada — not First Nations — limit the scope and scale of Aboriginal rights. And typically, the courts “define these in very static terms and (freeze) them in time.”
“So many First Nations are going around (anyway) and exercising their rights and laws in their own way, giving expression to their own laws.” And that includes regulating who can harvest mushrooms on their land. It’s an approach Kukpi7 Ron Ignace, chief of the Skeetchestn Indian Band, took following the Elephant Hill wildfire, which ripped through the First Nation’s traditional territory in 2017. Anticipating a rush of mushroom pickers seeking fire morels — which only grow the year after a wildfire and are one of B.C.’s most important commercial species — he partnered with other Secwépemc communities and the Ts’kw’aylaxw First Nation of the St’at’imc Nation to establish a permit system for harvesters. “(The mushroom pickers and buyers) had to have a permit in order to be allowed to pick mushrooms because it’s like thievery ... if they don’t pay us for what they’re doing on our land,” Kukpi7 Ignace explained. “We told them (about) the environmentally sensitive areas they cannot go to, the cultural heritage sites that they cannot disturb, and we set up a camp for them to stay in (rather) than being scattered throughout the forest.”


nationalobserver--2020-10-23--Mushroom pickers find a Wild West in backwoods of rainforest

Chanterelles , pine mushrooms , morels : British Columbia 's understory is replete with fungi sought by fancy restaurants and foodies worldwide , often for a premium price .
That demand has spurred an unregulated industry , one run largely on cash and deals made from the beds of pickup trucks deep in the B.C .
backcountry .
“ Pickers will go out and pick whatever is flushing at the time and sell it to the field buyers , ” said Joe Stone , a professional wild mushroom harvester based in coastal B.C .
“ ( The field buyers ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are doing the distributing .
( They ) basically have a monopoly and control the price.
” The provincial government doesn ’ t track how many mushrooms are harvested in the province , nor how many are exported , making it difficult to get a clear sense of the industry .
A 1997 estimate plugged the global trade in chanterelles — B.C.
’ s most important commercial mushroom , alongside morels and pine mushrooms ( matsutake ) — at roughly $ 2 billion , with production ranging between 150,000 and 200,000 tonnes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data indicated the region imported roughly $ 3.5 million worth of chanterelles annually from Canada between 1995 and 2005 .
• Biden not alone in warning of 'dark winter ' .
Canada 's top physician paints bleak picture , too .
Meanwhile , pine mushrooms , which are highly sought in Japan , netted around $ 20 million per year between 2000 and 2003 , according to Japanese government data .
“ Most of it goes to export , ” said Jeremy Budd , co-owner of West Coast Wild Foods , one the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That market was severely disrupted this year , as the pandemic shuttered restaurants worldwide , incomes dropped and international flights got scarce .
Like many farmers and fish harvesters who relied heavily on international exports to break even , Budd has started selling more mushrooms locally .
Still , that doesn ’ t mean sales have fully tanked .
International markets have remained open , Stone explained , and the prices he ’ s getting for pine mushrooms ( they ’ re in season now ) have more than doubled since last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That might be , in part , because there are far fewer pickers in the bush this year , reducing the overall supply .
“ In past years , there ’ s been a lot of international pickers , especially on fire morels , ” Stone said .
“ If you go into the right area , like the Yukon or the Kootenays , if there ’ s been a fire there and you go the next year , you ’ re pretty much guaranteed a good pick.
” That draws people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canada and beyond , with many pickers coming from places like Germany , France or the Czech Republic , according to Stone .
And because the industry is almost exclusively cash-based on the ground , many don ’ t bother with work permits or formal documentation , he said .
However , without any form of regulation , it ’ s pretty much impossible to know for sure .
“ It ’ s a bit like the Wild West out there , the last of it , ” Joe Stone , a commercial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the province 's wild mushroom and non-timber forest products industry .
Timber is n't B.C .
's only forest resource .
Wild mushrooms and other non-timber forest products like berries or medicinal plants are also highly sought on international markets , spurring a trade worth millions that 's largely unregulated by the B.C .
government .
Photo by Joe Stone “ Pickers are people we don ’ t know .
If a person has a Czech accent , I don ’ t ask that person , ‘ Hey , where ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t inquire ( about their work status ) , ” Budd said .
“ The workforce are freelancers .
That ’ s how the industry works.
” Furthermore , he said his company is only responsible for buying the mushrooms from “ field buyers ” — people who travel deep into the backcountry to set up trading stations at mushroom picker camps .
They ’ re responsible for the initial purchase , then they sell to larger brokers like Budd , who take care of distribution and exporting .
“ We ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a buying depot in a local town in British Columbia , that depot is open for everybody … Everybody is given the same price , it ’ s all fair , it ’ s exactly perfect — the way it should be , ” he said .
“ It ’ s been left to private cowboy enterprises , ” said Shelby Leslie , CEO of Forest Foods Ltd. , a non-timber forest resource company that supports First Nations wanting to enter the industry .
Companies like Budd ’ s are technically only brokers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which allows them to remain at arm ’ s length from where their products are picked and who picks them — a distance that isn ’ t always beneficial .
For instance , intense commercial huckleberry harvests — another major commercial non-timber forest product grown in B.C .
— in the Kootenays have been problematic .
“ ( There ’ d be ) 40 to 50 people in a camp in a valley with lots of huckleberry , and they would just pick it until there was nothing left .
That would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) traditional territory , in a grizzly bear habitat , ” Leslie said .
That level of harvest infuriated First Nations in the area because the berries are an important traditional food , according to Leslie .
It also triggered concerns among provincial wildlife managers for grizzlies in the area , which depend on the berries to get through the winter .
Commercial harvesting was prohibited in the area this year to protect the bears ’ food — an exception , Leslie explained , to the provincial government ’ s laissez-faire attitude towards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t depend on wild mushrooms nearly to the same degree as huckleberries , meaning they ’ ve been less researched and monitored , and so far , their harvest isn ’ t controlled .
Regulating non-timber forest products — everything from huckleberries to pine mushrooms — is the responsibility of the provincial Ministry of Forest , Lands , Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development .
“ They just refuse to do anything about it , and that ’ s the system that ’ s been in place forever , ” Leslie said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the writ period .
Mushroom patches are scattered in forest across the province , and pickers must spend days driving forest service roads and hiking through thick brush to find their harvest .
It ’ s hard work in a beautiful place Stone said .
Photo by Joe Stone .
Frustrated with the lack of provincial action , some First Nations , including the Tsilhqot ’ in Nation and a coalition of Secwépemc communities , have started to require harvesters and field buyers to purchase permits to pick and buy in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t the only concern .
With only a few companies controlling the distribution of mushrooms , pickers don ’ t always get a fair price , Stone said .
For example , he has been selling chanterelles for roughly $ 3 a pound to several companies , including West Coast Wild Foods .
A pound of chanterelles on the company ’ s website is currently $ 25 .
“ Pickers are the ones out there doing all the work .
They beat up their vehicles … And the field buyers , too , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the work buying from the pickers , and they ’ re not making much more than the pickers .
The guys who are holding all the cards are making all the money , ” he said .
“ The prices , obviously , need to reflect my market conditions … so what you see with the price is simple supply and demand … ( We ’ re ) simply buying at a price where ( we ) can resell at some kind of a ( profit ) margin , and the margin that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all in , which includes the spoilage rate , the travel , the labour , ” he said .
Mushroom pickers can always sell to someone else , he pointed out .
“ Everybody has the choice because there are no contracts where a mushroom picker has to sell their product.
” However , finding someone else to sell to isn ’ t always obvious , Stone said , especially because “ there ’ s lots of shady business that goes on to put new buyers out.
” That ’ s changing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the market in recent years .
Still , Stone would like to see a bit more oversight to bring the industry into the modern era .
“ It ’ s a bit like the Wild West out there , the last of it , ” he said .

Beneath forest canopies, a multimillion-dollar wild mushroom industry lies hidden. Chanterelles, pine mushrooms, morels: British Columbia's understory is replete with fungi sought by fancy restaurants and foodies worldwide, often for a premium price. That demand has spurred an unregulated industry, one run largely on cash and deals made from the beds of pickup trucks deep in the B.C. backcountry. “Pickers will go out and pick whatever is flushing at the time and sell it to the field buyers,” said Joe Stone, a professional wild mushroom harvester based in coastal B.C. “(The field buyers) are buying for the big buyers, who are doing the distributing. (They) basically have a monopoly and control the price.” The provincial government doesn’t track how many mushrooms are harvested in the province, nor how many are exported, making it difficult to get a clear sense of the industry. A 1997 estimate plugged the global trade in chanterelles — B.C.’s most important commercial mushroom, alongside morels and pine mushrooms (matsutake) — at roughly $2 billion, with production ranging between 150,000 and 200,000 tonnes. More recently, European Union trade data indicated the region imported roughly $3.5 million worth of chanterelles annually from Canada between 1995 and 2005.
Meanwhile, pine mushrooms, which are highly sought in Japan, netted around $20 million per year between 2000 and 2003, according to Japanese government data. “Most of it goes to export,” said Jeremy Budd, co-owner of West Coast Wild Foods, one the largest wild food companies in the province. That market was severely disrupted this year, as the pandemic shuttered restaurants worldwide, incomes dropped and international flights got scarce. Like many farmers and fish harvesters who relied heavily on international exports to break even, Budd has started selling more mushrooms locally. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Still, that doesn’t mean sales have fully tanked. International markets have remained open, Stone explained, and the prices he’s getting for pine mushrooms (they’re in season now) have more than doubled since last year, reaching $25 a pound.
That might be, in part, because there are far fewer pickers in the bush this year, reducing the overall supply. “It’s a bit like the Wild West out there, the last of it,” Joe Stone, a commercial wild mushroom picker in B.C., says about the province's wild mushroom and non-timber forest products industry. “In past years, there’s been a lot of international pickers, especially on fire morels,” Stone said. “If you go into the right area, like the Yukon or the Kootenays, if there’s been a fire there and you go the next year, you’re pretty much guaranteed a good pick.” That draws people to the B.C. backwoods from across Canada and beyond, with many pickers coming from places like Germany, France or the Czech Republic, according to Stone. And because the industry is almost exclusively cash-based on the ground, many don’t bother with work permits or formal documentation, he said. However, without any form of regulation, it’s pretty much impossible to know for sure. Timber isn't B.C.'s only forest resource. Wild mushrooms and other non-timber forest products like berries or medicinal plants are also highly sought on international markets, spurring a trade worth millions that's largely unregulated by the B.C. government. Photo by Joe Stone “Pickers are people we don’t know. If a person has a Czech accent, I don’t ask that person, ‘Hey, where’s your papers?’ We don’t inquire (about their work status),” Budd said. “The workforce are freelancers. That’s how the industry works.”
Furthermore, he said his company is only responsible for buying the mushrooms from “field buyers” — people who travel deep into the backcountry to set up trading stations at mushroom picker camps. They’re responsible for the initial purchase, then they sell to larger brokers like Budd, who take care of distribution and exporting. “We’re offering a service. When we open a buying depot in a local town in British Columbia, that depot is open for everybody … Everybody is given the same price, it’s all fair, it’s exactly perfect — the way it should be,” he said. Not everyone agrees.


nationalobserver--2020-10-27--COVID-19 death toll in Canada surpasses 10,000

More than 10,000 Canadians have died due to COVID-19 , a grim milestone reached by a pandemic that is far from over .
Twenty-eight new deaths reported in Quebec , Ontario , Manitoba and Alberta pushed the death toll to 1,001 on Tuesday .
Canada crossed the threshold of 5,000 deaths on May 12 , a little over two months after the first death was reported .
COVID-19 case counts slowed across the country through the summer , but have taken a big jump in many areas this fall , with new daily highs reached regularly in Central and Western @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic a `` horrific national tragedy , '' and warned that Canadians should brace for more .
• Biden not alone in warning of 'dark winter ' .
Canada 's top physician paints bleak picture , too .
`` Families have lost loved ones , been devastated by these tragedies , and we need to know that there are more tragedies to come , '' he told a briefing in Ottawa .
The death toll has climbed much more slowly since April and May , when outbreaks in long-term care homes and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ novel coronavirus resulted in a higher proportion of fatal infections .
However , the pandemic has grown deadlier over the past month .
More than 600 COVID-19-related fatalities have been reported in October so far compared with 165 COVID-19 in September , according to the Public Health Agency of Canada .
Ontario reported 827 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday , and four new deaths due to the virus .
Quebec , where residents in its biggest cities will have to live with partial lockdowns for at least another four weeks , reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more deaths .
Manitoba tallied its highest daily number of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began , with health officials reporting 184 new infections on Tuesday and three more deaths .
More than 10,000 Canadians have died due to COVID-19 , a grim milestone reached by a pandemic that is far from over .
Alberta reported another two deaths from COVID-19 .
The pandemic 's second wave could jeopardize large gatherings with friends and family over Christmas after a reined-in Thanksgiving .
`` It ’ s frustrating knowing that unless we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be the kinds of family gatherings we want to have at Christmas , '' Trudeau said .
He sought to spur hope ahead of a `` tough winter . ''
`` We will get through this .
Vaccines are on the horizon .
Spring and summer will come and they will be better than this winter , '' he said .
But the current situation he summed up with a single verb .
`` This sucks .
It really , really does . ''
The prime minister encouraged residents to continue to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , despite frustrations over conflicting information on Halloween as well as varying COVID-19 testing requirements for students .
Dr. Theresa Tam , Canada 's chief public health officer , has suggested hockey sticks as a tool to hand out Halloween treats , while others are resorting to candy chutes or self-serve stations .
But the Ontario government has recommended against trick-or-treating in parts of the province that have been hardest hit by the resurgence of the novel coronavirus .
Meanwhile , school reopening plans sowed confusion about what symptoms in students demanded COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ centres and overwhelming laboratories where the tests are processed .
And Quebec Premier François Legault had his own ideas Tuesday about the prospects for a festive holiday in December .
`` I really hope and I 'm confident that in 28 days we 'll be able to maybe not have big parties , for Christmas , but to be able to see our families , '' he said in his own briefing .
In Prince Edward Island , chief public health officer Dr. Heather Morrison had unwelcome news for residents hoping to reunite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the December holidays .
`` While we are always evaluating our decisions and guidance using the best available evidence , I do not expect right now that we will be reducing the 14-day self-isolation requirement prior to the Christmas holiday season , '' she told a briefing in Charlottetown .
Under their bubble arrangement , the Atlantic provinces limit who can enter and require people who do come in from outside the region to quarantine for two weeks .
Mixed messaging threatens to chip away at trust in public health advice , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor emeritus at Ryerson University 's School of Public Health .
Dance studios in Ontario 's `` hot zones '' have been allowed to stay open , while gyms have been forced to shutter along with cinemas , casinos and performing arts venues , he noted .
`` Quite honestly I don ’ t know why a distinction is made between those two , '' Sly said .
Trudeau said circumstances have changed since the spring , when little was known about the novel coronavirus and there was one main message : `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be a little more targeted ( now ) .
But yeah , that means a little more complicated in our messages , '' he said Tuesday .
Epidemiologists across the country have stressed the need for massive testing in order to stop the spread of the virus .
Sly pointed to Germany as a model , despite a recent spike in case numbers .
Authorities there have made both rapid testing and `` open public testing , '' which lets asymptomatic people access tests , crucial weapons in the war against viral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and , at the other end after the fact , contact tracing .
And we ’ ve been not prepared for these things — behind the 8-ball , '' Sly said .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27 , 2020 .

More than 10,000 Canadians have died due to COVID-19, a grim milestone reached by a pandemic that is far from over. Twenty-eight new deaths reported in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta pushed the death toll to 1,001 on Tuesday. Canada crossed the threshold of 5,000 deaths on May 12, a little over two months after the first death was reported. COVID-19 case counts slowed across the country through the summer, but have taken a big jump in many areas this fall, with new daily highs reached regularly in Central and Western Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the pandemic a "horrific national tragedy," and warned that Canadians should brace for more.
"Families have lost loved ones, been devastated by these tragedies, and we need to know that there are more tragedies to come," he told a briefing in Ottawa. The death toll has climbed much more slowly since April and May, when outbreaks in long-term care homes and a lack of medical knowledge about the novel coronavirus resulted in a higher proportion of fatal infections. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions However, the pandemic has grown deadlier over the past month. More than 600 COVID-19-related fatalities have been reported in October so far compared with 165 COVID-19 in September, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Ontario reported 827 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, and four new deaths due to the virus. More than 10,000 Canadians have died due to COVID-19, a grim milestone reached by a pandemic that is far from over. Quebec, where residents in its biggest cities will have to live with partial lockdowns for at least another four weeks, reported 963 new cases of COVID-19 and 19 more deaths. Manitoba tallied its highest daily number of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, with health officials reporting 184 new infections on Tuesday and three more deaths. Alberta reported another two deaths from COVID-19. The pandemic's second wave could jeopardize large gatherings with friends and family over Christmas after a reined-in Thanksgiving.
"It’s frustrating knowing that unless we’re really, really careful, there may not be the kinds of family gatherings we want to have at Christmas," Trudeau said. He sought to spur hope ahead of a "tough winter." "We will get through this. Vaccines are on the horizon. Spring and summer will come and they will be better than this winter," he said.


nationalobserver--2020-10-27--Trump lets Canadian aluminum producers out of national security doghouse

Donald Trump has officially let Canadian aluminum producers out of the national-security doghouse — for now .
The U.S. president formally signed a proclamation today exempting Canadian aluminum exports from punitive Section 232 tariffs .
But the proclamation reserves the right to reimpose the 10 per cent levies , ostensibly on national security grounds , if aluminum exports spike again before the end of the year .
The move makes official a commitment the Trump administration made last month , just hours before Canada was to impose retaliatory measures on U.S. products .
The tariffs , first imposed in 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response to what the U.S. trade representative 's office said was an unauthorized increase in Canadian exports .
• Biden not alone in warning of 'dark winter ' .
Canada 's top physician paints bleak picture , too .
Producers in Canada disputed the claim , arguing that they were forced to retool their product lines as a result of a pandemic-related drop in demand for specialized components .
`` I have determined that imports of aluminum from Canada will no longer threaten to impair the national security , '' the proclamation reads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ … in the event that the volume of imports of these articles from Canada in the remaining months of 2020 exceeds the quantities that the United States expects . ''
The expected quantities are listed : 83 million kilograms in September and November , and 70 million in October and December .
The proclamation goes on to note the U.S. will be watching closely , and that the two countries will consult again in December to examine import levels and expected market conditions next year .
And it says tariffs could make a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meetings .
Donald Trump has officially let Canadian aluminum producers out of the national-security doghouse — for now .
`` I may also consider reimposing the tariff … based on the outcome of consultations between the United States and Canada in December 2020 and expected market conditions in 2021 . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27 , 2020 .

Donald Trump has officially let Canadian aluminum producers out of the national-security doghouse — for now.
The U.S. president formally signed a proclamation today exempting Canadian aluminum exports from punitive Section 232 tariffs.
But the proclamation reserves the right to reimpose the 10 per cent levies, ostensibly on national security grounds, if aluminum exports spike again before the end of the year.
The move makes official a commitment the Trump administration made last month, just hours before Canada was to impose retaliatory measures on U.S. products.
The tariffs, first imposed in 2018, were reinstated briefly in August in response to what the U.S. trade representative's office said was an unauthorized increase in Canadian exports.


nationalobserver--2020-10-27--Top public servant offers to testify about redactions to WE Charity documents

The country 's top public servant is offering to testify about controversial redactions to some 5,000 pages of documents the government released on the WE Charity affair .
Ian Shugart , clerk of the Privy Council , made the offer Tuesday in a letter to the House of Commons finance committee .
The committee has been stalled for several weeks over a Conservative motion denouncing the redactions as a breach of committee members ' privileges as MPs .
Liberal members of the committee have been filibustering the motion , arguing that public servants should be given a chance to explain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ documents before they 're officially rebuked for doing so .
In his letter , Shugart says he and his colleagues would be pleased to appear at the committee to explain their decisions .
• Biden not alone in warning of 'dark winter ' .
Canada 's top physician paints bleak picture , too .
The committee had demanded that the documents be turned over without redactions and that it be left to the parliamentary law clerk , Philippe Dufresne , to decide whether anything needed to be blacked out to maintain personal privacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the documents were turned over to the committee in August , large chunks had already been blacked out .
In letters to the committee at the time , Shugart and other senior public servants explained the redactions were to maintain personal privacy and cabinet confidences and to delete portions of records that had nothing to do with the WE Charity affair .
Indeed , Shugart argued that the unredacted records included cabinet confidences that would normally have been blacked out .
However , Dufresne told the committee that it was not up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ redact .
“ The House and its committees are the appropriate authority to determine whether any reasons for withholding the documents should be accepted or not , ” he wrote in a letter to the committee .
“ One such measure is the committee ’ s decision to have my office make the necessary redactions to protect personal information and the public servants providing assistance in this matter.
” The country 's top public servant is offering to testify about controversial redactions to some 5,000 pages of documents the government released on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to testify could potentially break the impasse that has paralyzed the finance committee for weeks now as Liberals filibuster opposition attempts to reopen investigations into the WE Charity affair .
The Commons ethics committee has also been stalled over the WE affair , which revolves around the government 's decision to pay the charity $ 45.3 million to administer a student services grant program , despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 's close family ties to the organization .
The ethics committee had been stuck for weeks on a Conservative motion calling for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trudeau , his wife , mother and brother over the past 12 years .
That motion was scaled back Monday to apply only to the prime minister and his wife , Sophie Grégoire Trudeau , on the initiative of NDP member Charlie Angus .
Even so , a Bloc Québécois MP , who was filling in at the last minute for a colleague on the committee , accidentally voted with the Liberal members to defeat the amended motion .
The Bloc blamed a translation problem for the foul-up .
A Bloc spokesman said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the Commons clerk about the possibility of redoing the vote .
If that is not possible , Julien Coulombe-Bonnafous said the party will try to introduce a similar — but not identical — motion on speaking fees next week .
`` Considering that this is a mistake and there has been a technical problem , we are confident that all parties will work together , '' he said .

The country's top public servant is offering to testify about controversial redactions to some 5,000 pages of documents the government released on the WE Charity affair. Ian Shugart, clerk of the Privy Council, made the offer Tuesday in a letter to the House of Commons finance committee. The committee has been stalled for several weeks over a Conservative motion denouncing the redactions as a breach of committee members' privileges as MPs. Liberal members of the committee have been filibustering the motion, arguing that public servants should be given a chance to explain why they blacked out portions of the documents before they're officially rebuked for doing so. In his letter, Shugart says he and his colleagues would be pleased to appear at the committee to explain their decisions.
The committee had demanded that the documents be turned over without redactions and that it be left to the parliamentary law clerk, Philippe Dufresne, to decide whether anything needed to be blacked out to maintain personal privacy or cabinet confidences. Nevertheless, when the documents were turned over to the committee in August, large chunks had already been blacked out. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions In letters to the committee at the time, Shugart and other senior public servants explained the redactions were to maintain personal privacy and cabinet confidences and to delete portions of records that had nothing to do with the WE Charity affair. Indeed, Shugart argued that the unredacted records included cabinet confidences that would normally have been blacked out.
However, Dufresne told the committee that it was not up to the public servants to decide what to redact. The country's top public servant is offering to testify about controversial redactions to some 5,000 pages of documents the government released on the WE Charity affair. “The House and its committees are the appropriate authority to determine whether any reasons for withholding the documents should be accepted or not,” he wrote in a letter to the committee. “One such measure is the committee’s decision to have my office make the necessary redactions to protect personal information and the public servants providing assistance in this matter.” Shugart's offer to testify could potentially break the impasse that has paralyzed the finance committee for weeks now as Liberals filibuster opposition attempts to reopen investigations into the WE Charity affair. The Commons ethics committee has also been stalled over the WE affair, which revolves around the government's decision to pay the charity $45.3 million to administer a student services grant program, despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's close family ties to the organization.
The ethics committee had been stuck for weeks on a Conservative motion calling for the release of all speaking fees paid to Trudeau, his wife, mother and brother over the past 12 years. That motion was scaled back Monday to apply only to the prime minister and his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, on the initiative of NDP member Charlie Angus. Even so, a Bloc Québécois MP, who was filling in at the last minute for a colleague on the committee, accidentally voted with the Liberal members to defeat the amended motion. The Bloc blamed a translation problem for the foul-up. A Bloc spokesman said Tuesday that the party is in discussion with the Commons clerk about the possibility of redoing the vote. If that is not possible, Julien Coulombe-Bonnafous said the party will try to introduce a similar — but not identical — motion on speaking fees next week.


nationalobserver--2020-10-27--Where Indigenous people can get health care without feeling afraid

The idea is simple , says Jennifer Brazeau , executive director of the Native Friendship Centre in Quebec ’ s Lanaudiere region : provide “ a culturally secure space ” where Indigenous people can get health care without feeling afraid .
Brazeau said a reluctance to seek health services in Joliette , Que.
, has grown over the past month after an Atikamekw mother of seven died in a local hospital after filming staff hurling racial slurs at her .
Joyce Echaquan ’ s Sept. 28 death has shaken the province , raising questions about systemic racism in health care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government to both recognize the problem and take concrete action to stop it .
In Joliette , where about two per cent of the city ’ s 47,000 residents identifies as Indigenous , Brazeau said the long-standing need for a clinic where members of the community feel safe is more pressing than ever .
The proximity clinic , called Mirerimowin , will welcome its first patients Tuesday afternoon in a room at the Native Friendship Centre in the city about 75 kilometres northeast of Montreal .
• Biden not alone in warning of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ physician paints bleak picture , too .
“ When we launched this , we even had pregnant women wanting to know if they could have their babies here , because they don ’ t want to go to the hospital , ” Brazeau said in a recent interview .
The clinic will operate two afternoons per month , serving patients who are Indigenous and do not already have access to a doctor .
Patients need to make appointments , and if the clinic can not accommodate their needs , staff will try to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Brazeau said .
Dr. Samuel Boudreault , a Universite Laval professor and a physician in a family medicine group that is affiliated with the regional health agency , is one of two doctors volunteering at the clinic .
He said the doctors as well as medical residents will collaborate with social workers at the Native Friendship Centre to make sure patients are comfortable and get medical followups after their treatment .
`` There is part of the population — and I think Indigenous people are clearly part of that — that does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health system as the average person , '' Boudreault said in an interview Monday .
Joliette 's proximity clinic is not the first of its kind in Quebec .
Native Friendship Centres opened similar facilities in recent years in Val d ’ Or , over 500 kilometres north of Montreal in the Abitibi-Temiscamingue region , and in La Tuque in central Quebec .
The idea is simple , says Jennifer Brazeau , executive director of the Native Friendship Centre in Quebec ’ s Lanaudiere region : provide “ a culturally secure space ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without feeling afraid .
The model works because it allows Indigenous people to feel more at ease accessing care , said Sebastien Brodeur-Girard , professor in the Indigenous studies department at Universite du Quebec en Abitibi-Temiscamingue .
“ People are scared , ” said Brodeur-Girard , who was on the research team of a provincial inquiry known as the Viens Commission , which concluded last year that systemic discrimination against Indigenous peoples exists in Quebec ’ s public services .
He said several people testified during the Viens Commission hearings about being discriminated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and complaints had been filed long before Echaquan ’ s death .
“ Joliette ’ s case is not exceptional , '' Brodeur-Girard said in an interview , adding that similar issues exist across Quebec and Canada .
“ Knowing they will be poorly received , that they will be pushed aside , that they won ’ t be believed , that they will be subjected to discriminatory comments , some ( Indigenous ) people will avoid going to the hospital until it ’ s too late , ” he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ proximity clinic will help tackle , but the project has limited resources and for now it will only be able to see eight patients per month .
Brazeau said she participated in a meeting in June with the local health agency and asked for material resources and medical personnel to be able to keep the clinic open one full day per week .
“ So far they haven ’ t mobilized to get any of those resources , and so we ’ re making do with what we have , '' she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as an exam table , and the doctor will bring his equipment with him.
” In an email , a spokeswoman for the regional health agency , Helene Gaboury , said the agency is aiding the clinic because doctors from the family medicine group are involved , and they are technically agency employees .
Gaboury said the doctors who offer services at the clinic will bring the equipment they need with them , `` like when they provide at-home support.
” Asked what the regional health agency is doing to make sure Indigenous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said it held a workshop for staff over two days in mid-October to raise awareness on the realities Indigenous people face .
It is also working with the Universite du Quebec en Abitibi-Temiscamingue “ to offer mandatory training for all staff and physicians '' beginning at the end of November , Gaboury added .
Brazeau said the Native Friendship Centre needs more support from the health agency , however , if it wants to expand the clinic to meet the community 's needs .
Quebec also needs to recognize that systemic racism exists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fix the problem , she said : `` It would be important for them to listen to us .
That ’ s the first step . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27 , 2020 .

The idea is simple, says Jennifer Brazeau, executive director of the Native Friendship Centre in Quebec’s Lanaudiere region: provide “a culturally secure space” where Indigenous people can get health care without feeling afraid. Brazeau said a reluctance to seek health services in Joliette, Que., has grown over the past month after an Atikamekw mother of seven died in a local hospital after filming staff hurling racial slurs at her. Joyce Echaquan’s Sept. 28 death has shaken the province, raising questions about systemic racism in health care and leading to calls for the provincial government to both recognize the problem and take concrete action to stop it. In Joliette, where about two per cent of the city’s 47,000 residents identifies as Indigenous, Brazeau said the long-standing need for a clinic where members of the community feel safe is more pressing than ever. The proximity clinic, called Mirerimowin, will welcome its first patients Tuesday afternoon in a room at the Native Friendship Centre in the city about 75 kilometres northeast of Montreal.
“When we launched this, we even had pregnant women wanting to know if they could have their babies here, because they don’t want to go to the hospital,” Brazeau said in a recent interview. The clinic will operate two afternoons per month, serving patients who are Indigenous and do not already have access to a doctor. Patients need to make appointments, and if the clinic cannot accommodate their needs, staff will try to guide and accompany them to other services, Brazeau said. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Dr. Samuel Boudreault, a Universite Laval professor and a physician in a family medicine group that is affiliated with the regional health agency, is one of two doctors volunteering at the clinic.
He said the doctors as well as medical residents will collaborate with social workers at the Native Friendship Centre to make sure patients are comfortable and get medical followups after their treatment. The idea is simple, says Jennifer Brazeau, executive director of the Native Friendship Centre in Quebec’s Lanaudiere region: provide “a culturally secure space” where Indigenous people can get health care without feeling afraid. "There is part of the population — and I think Indigenous people are clearly part of that — that does not have as easy access to the health system as the average person," Boudreault said in an interview Monday. Joliette's proximity clinic is not the first of its kind in Quebec. Native Friendship Centres opened similar facilities in recent years in Val d’Or, over 500 kilometres north of Montreal in the Abitibi-Temiscamingue region, and in La Tuque in central Quebec. The model works because it allows Indigenous people to feel more at ease accessing care, said Sebastien Brodeur-Girard, professor in the Indigenous studies department at Universite du Quebec en Abitibi-Temiscamingue. “People are scared,” said Brodeur-Girard, who was on the research team of a provincial inquiry known as the Viens Commission, which concluded last year that systemic discrimination against Indigenous peoples exists in Quebec’s public services.
He said several people testified during the Viens Commission hearings about being discriminated against when seeking health care in Joliette, and complaints had been filed long before Echaquan’s death. “Joliette’s case is not exceptional," Brodeur-Girard said in an interview, adding that similar issues exist across Quebec and Canada. “Knowing they will be poorly received, that they will be pushed aside, that they won’t be believed, that they will be subjected to discriminatory comments, some (Indigenous) people will avoid going to the hospital until it’s too late,” he said.