nationalobserver--2020-08-25--School bus drivers add to chorus of back-to-school concerns

School bus drivers say that with just weeks to go until a return to classes in Ontario they are still in the dark about the measures being taken to ensure they can safely transport students .
Michelle Lavallee , an elementary school bus driver in Bowmanville in the Durham region outside Toronto , says she won ’ t know her route or how many students will be on it until Sept. 3 , but that another driver she knows has been told she will be driving 74 children on a 72-seat bus .
“ It really makes no sense to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be cohorting , the parents and children have been told when they 're at the bus stops that they need to social distance , yet when they get on the bus they ’ re going to be shoulder-to-shoulder , ” Lavallee said in a phone interview .
The 14-year veteran says her employer has yet to receive personal protective equipment promised by the Ford government and she is undecided on whether to return .
“ It 's hard for me to say right now if I will be returning because I do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she said .
“ I think a school bus needs to be treated as any other indoor space is being treated.
” • As back-to-school looms , what legal options do Ontario ’ s teachers have ?
• O'Toole 's climate plan has a carbon price — just do n't call it a tax • Trudeau confidence vote means NDP holds all the cards — and a chance to ditch TMX for good Lavallee and other bus drivers join teachers , parents , students and teachers ’ unions in raising the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ford government ’ s inadequate measures to keep students and workers safe from the COVID-19 virus that has kept schools shuttered since March .
`` Many of our drivers are senior citizens , more vulnerable to the virus , and right now they 're telling me that they feel like sitting ducks , '' said Debbie Montgomery , the head of the Unifor union ’ s local unit representing some of the drivers .
Debbie Montgomery , a Unifor local president , speaks to reporters while flanked by school bus drivers in Scarborough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supplied by Unifor The government has set aside $ 40 million to cover the cost for extra cleaning of school buses and personal protective equipment for drivers across the province .
It will also provide $ 4 million to boost cleaning protocols in schools and on buses .
Those funds are part of a $ 309 million allocation that critics say is nowhere near enough to ensure the physical distancing and other measures recommended to limit the spread of COVID-19 .
Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath poses on a school bus outside Queen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Photo supplied by Ontario NDP The government has also said school boards can dip into reserve funds to better prepare for the challenges of the new school year , and that these funds could be used to make student transportation safer .
School bus drivers worry about a lack of guidance on how to transport students safely without adequate measures to keep them distanced from each other Several boards have pointing out those funds are already earmarked for other essential projects including major building upgrades .
More than 800,000 students are transported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ontario .

School bus drivers say that with just weeks to go until a return to classes in Ontario they are still in the dark about the measures being taken to ensure they can safely transport students.
Michelle Lavallee, an elementary school bus driver in Bowmanville in the Durham region outside Toronto, says she won’t know her route or how many students will be on it until Sept. 3, but that another driver she knows has been told she will be driving 74 children on a 72-seat bus.
“It really makes no sense to me, because the schools are going to be cohorting, the parents and children have been told when they're at the bus stops that they need to social distance, yet when they get on the bus they’re going to be shoulder-to-shoulder,” Lavallee said in a phone interview.
The 14-year veteran says her employer has yet to receive personal protective equipment promised by the Ford government and she is undecided on whether to return.
“It's hard for me to say right now if I will be returning because I don't know what I am returning to,” she said. “I think a school bus needs to be treated as any other indoor space is being treated.”


nationalobserver--2020-08-28--Montreal-area kids back in school, parents and teachers nervous about it

As tens of thousands of Montreal-area children returned to class Thursday for the first time since the emergence of COVID-19 , government officials spent the day trying to reassure parents and teachers following reports of a few infections connected to schools .
Outside Philippe-Labarre elementary school in the city 's east end , many parents expressed mixed feelings about the return to class .
There were happy cries of welcome as children were reunited with mask-wearing teachers , who directed them to walk under an arch made of balloons and into separate lineups .
`` I think we all have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's unknown , but I do n't freak out about it , '' said Cora Bridgeo , who has children starting first and third grade .
`` I have confidence in the government .
I have confidence in our school system , they put a lot of measures in place . ''
The back-to-school period will test the government 's pandemic plan , which has faced criticism from some doctors and parents ' groups .
Already on Thursday morning , officials announced three employees at three separate east-end schools in Montreal had tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a spokeswoman for the east-end school board , Centre de services scolaires de la Pointe-de-l'Ile , said the infected personnel were not in contact with students and immediately went into self-isolation .
• California reveals that the transition to renewable energy Isn ’ t so simple • O'Toole 's climate plan has a carbon price — just do n't call it a tax • NDP suggests how Liberals should reallocate $ 900 million in WE funds The three staff members got tested on their own initiative , Biron said , `` because they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school with an infected person or because they were experiencing symptoms . ''
Biron said the board is asking employees of the three schools to get tested if they think they could have been infected .
A large teacher 's union said Thursday there was a fourth case involving a staff member at a school on Montreal 's north shore .
Later in the day , a private high school south of Montreal sent an entire class home after learning a child 's parent had tested positive for COVID-19 .
`` I do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time there is going to be a case , particularly a case that is not in school , but who is a parent , we will stop education , '' Arruda , director of national health , said .
Back at Philippe-Labarre , officials said kids can expect lots of hand-washing , some mask-wearing and hallways and schoolyards sectioned off with tape to prevent extra mingling .
Each roomful of kids will be kept in a separate bubble and masks will be required in hallways and in common areas for children in Grade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a spokesman for Montreal 's largest French-language school board , said in many ways things wo n't change .
Quebec Education Minister Jean-Francois Roberge told reporters on Thursday , August 27 , 2020 , most teachers and students are excited to be back at school .
`` There will be a teacher with the same number of kids in the class , '' he said in an interview outside the school .
`` They will attend all the classes that they regularly attend .
We will be able to transport the kids @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we 're always doing . ''
The government has faced criticism from groups who say the plan does n't go far enough and does n't include a distance-learning option for parents who prefer to keep their children home .
More than 150 doctors and scientists also published an open letter this week urging Francois Legault 's government to require social distancing within classrooms , mask-wearing for all students , and to oblige schools to screen children for symptoms of COVID-19 .
Their voices have been added to those of parents ' groups , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sizes , poor school ventilation systems and a lack of online options .
But at Philippe-Labarre , several parents said they felt it was important for their children to regain a school routine , and expressed confidence in the government 's plan despite their worries about COVID-19 .
Bridgeo said the isolation brought on by the pandemic had been hard for her children , and said she felt it was important for them to see their friends and classmates .
She also praised the school for its efforts to reassure and communicate with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said she was excited to be back at school to see her friends and teachers .
She said she was ready to follow safety rules , such as `` wear a mask , put gel on your hands , distance . ''
Hicham Mekkaoui , standing in line with his six and 10-year-old children , seemed less sure .
`` We 're a little stressed this morning because it 's not easy coming back to school during a pandemic , but we have no choice , we have to respect public health , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have felt more comfortable with more physical distancing in the classroom , but he believes the teachers will do their best .
Legault 's government has said the plan was developed with health and education experts , who agree that attending school is the best thing for children 's well-being .
Government officials have noted that elementary schools outside Montreal opened in May without a large spike in cases .
Quebec Education Minister Jean-Francois Roberge told reporters Thursday most teachers and students are excited to be back at school .
`` What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not yet perfect everywhere of course — because it 's new , because we 're adapting — but that it 's going well , '' Roberge said .
For the time being , the education department has banned team sports , among other after school activities , saying students need to remain in their classroom bubbles .
But the province said it plans to review those restrictions in a few weeks .
Teachers ' unions have also raised concerns that the pandemic will exacerbate an existing teacher shortage at a time when more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
A spokesman for one union said many teachers have retired early or have been exempted due to medical conditions , leaving Montreal 's largest school district missing hundreds of staff members as the year starts up .
Gendron said that as of Thursday morning , 75 of the school district 's 69,000 students had requested an exemption due to a medical condition .
He said 379 of 9,000 teachers have also requested to stay home .
It was too early , however , to confirm how many parents have chosen to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27 , 2020 .

As tens of thousands of Montreal-area children returned to class Thursday for the first time since the emergence of COVID-19, government officials spent the day trying to reassure parents and teachers following reports of a few infections connected to schools. Outside Philippe-Labarre elementary school in the city's east end, many parents expressed mixed feelings about the return to class. There were happy cries of welcome as children were reunited with mask-wearing teachers, who directed them to walk under an arch made of balloons and into separate lineups. "I think we all have a little bit of fear of what's unknown, but I don't freak out about it," said Cora Bridgeo, who has children starting first and third grade. "I have confidence in the government. I have confidence in our school system, they put a lot of measures in place." The back-to-school period will test the government's pandemic plan, which has faced criticism from some doctors and parents' groups. Already on Thursday morning, officials announced three employees at three separate east-end schools in Montreal had tested positive for COVID-19. Valerie Biron, a spokeswoman for the east-end school board, Centre de services scolaires de la Pointe-de-l'Ile, said the infected personnel were not in contact with students and immediately went into self-isolation.
The three staff members got tested on their own initiative, Biron said, "because they had either been in contact outside the school with an infected person or because they were experiencing symptoms." Biron said the board is asking employees of the three schools to get tested if they think they could have been infected. A large teacher's union said Thursday there was a fourth case involving a staff member at a school on Montreal's north shore. Later in the day, a private high school south of Montreal sent an entire class home after learning a child's parent had tested positive for COVID-19. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Quebec's top doctor, Horacio Arruda, told a news conference he thought the private school, College francais, acted excessively cautious.
"I don't want people to think that every time there is going to be a case, particularly a case that is not in school, but who is a parent, we will stop education," Arruda, director of national health, said. Quebec Education Minister Jean-Francois Roberge told reporters on Thursday, August 27, 2020, most teachers and students are excited to be back at school. Back at Philippe-Labarre, officials said kids can expect lots of hand-washing, some mask-wearing and hallways and schoolyards sectioned off with tape to prevent extra mingling. Each roomful of kids will be kept in a separate bubble and masks will be required in hallways and in common areas for children in Grade 5 and up. But Robert Gendron, a spokesman for Montreal's largest French-language school board, said in many ways things won't change. "There will be a teacher with the same number of kids in the class," he said in an interview outside the school. "They will attend all the classes that they regularly attend. We will be able to transport the kids on the bus at the same level we're always doing." The government has faced criticism from groups who say the plan doesn't go far enough and doesn't include a distance-learning option for parents who prefer to keep their children home.
More than 150 doctors and scientists also published an open letter this week urging Francois Legault's government to require social distancing within classrooms, mask-wearing for all students, and to oblige schools to screen children for symptoms of COVID-19. Their voices have been added to those of parents' groups, who have expressed concerns over large class sizes, poor school ventilation systems and a lack of online options. But at Philippe-Labarre, several parents said they felt it was important for their children to regain a school routine, and expressed confidence in the government's plan despite their worries about COVID-19.


nationalobserver--2020-08-28--Pandemic has brought Canada together, pushed Americans apart; poll finds

Canadians believe the COVID-19 crisis has brought their country together , while Americans blame the pandemic for worsening their cultural and political divide , a new international public opinion survey suggests .
Fully two-thirds of Canadian respondents to the Pew Research Center study released Thursday say they believe Canada is more united as a result of the novel coronavirus , while 77 per cent of U.S. participants feel precisely the opposite is true south of the border .
`` In the U.S. , where a patchwork of coronavirus-related restrictions reflects broad disagreement over the best path to economic recovery while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ roughly three-quarters say that the U.S. is more divided than before the coronavirus outbreak , '' the centre said in a release .
`` In contrast , nearly three-quarters in Denmark say there is more unity now than before the coronavirus outbreak .
More than half in Canada , Sweden , South Korea and Australia also say their countries have become more united since the coronavirus outbreak . ''
A similar bilateral gap emerged when those surveyed were asked about how their respective countries responded to the emergency .
• California reveals that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t so simple • O'Toole 's climate plan has a carbon price — just do n't call it a tax • NDP suggests how Liberals should reallocate $ 900 million in WE funds In Canada , 88 per cent of respondents said they approved of their country 's response to COVID-19 , compared with just 47 per cent of Americans who feel the same way about how the U.S. has responded .
The difference of opinion in the U.S. was tied to the political affiliations of those who took part in the survey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Pew research associates who compiled the report .
Of those identified as Republican , 76 per cent cheered the government response , compared with 25 per cent of Democrats .
`` In a way , in the U.S. , we do see these political splits among the two main political parties that may affect the overall views of the U.S. compared with in Canada . ''
A separate online poll conducted over the weekend by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies asked Canadian and Americans alike which of the two countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Fully 87 per cent of Canadian respondents said their country 's response had been `` much '' or `` somewhat '' better than that in the U.S. , while only 38 per cent of Americans agreed .
Nearly as many — 37 per cent — gave the U.S. higher marks than Canada , while 25 per cent gave no answer .
The Pew survey also found a distinct link between respondents disappointed in the response to the pandemic in their country and the likelihood they felt divisions had worsened .
Canadians believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ together , while Americans blame the pandemic for worsening their cultural and political divide , a new international public opinion survey suggests .
`` In every country surveyed , those who think their country has done a bad job of dealing with the coronavirus outbreak are more likely to say that their country is now more divided . ''
The disparate versions of reality in the U.S. when it comes to COVID-19 have been on clear display over the last two weeks as America 's political parties , their eyes squarely on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their national conventions to spin competing narratives .
Joe Biden 's Democrats have excoriated Donald Trump 's response to the pandemic and ensuing economic crisis , accusing the president of `` devastating , inexcusable management '' and his operatives of lying `` through their teeth '' about it .
Republicans , meanwhile , insist the crisis is under control , even as the death toll — 183,000 people to date out of a world-leading six million cases — continues to rise .
Regardless of their political affiliation , Americans surveyed agreed that divisions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic began , Devlin said .
`` This is actually one question where Republicans and Democrats are somewhat united in their answers , '' she said .
`` About three-quarters at least in both parties do feel this sense of national division here . ''
The Canadian portion of the Pew study involved 1,037 respondents across the country who were surveyed by phone between June 15 and July 27 , and the American section had 1,003 U.S. participants who took part between June 16 and July 14 .
Both components of the survey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percentage points , 19 times out of 20 .
The survey , which involved participants from 14 countries including the U.K. , France , Italy , Australia , Japan and South Korea , also found a majority of respondents believe the global spread of COVID-19 could have been mitigated with stronger international co-operation .
That sentiment was especially strong in Europe , which was hit hard by the virus in the earliest days of the pandemic , particularly in Italy and Spain .
In the U.S. , where Trump has largely taken a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respondents said the number of American cases could have been reduced had the country worked more closely with other countries .
Women who took part in the survey reported a disproportionate impact from the pandemic in 12 of the 14 represented countries .
In Canada , 69 per cent reported that their lives had changed either a `` great deal '' or a `` fair amount , '' compared with 57 per cent of men .
`` Women around the world typically do more unpaid work at home than their male counterparts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and this may be amplified by closure of schools and day care centres to combat the spread of COVID-19 , '' Pew reported .
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development has also said that more women than men around the world are employed part-time , `` which is more likely to have been interrupted by the pandemic . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27 , 2020 .

Canadians believe the COVID-19 crisis has brought their country together, while Americans blame the pandemic for worsening their cultural and political divide, a new international public opinion survey suggests. Fully two-thirds of Canadian respondents to the Pew Research Center study released Thursday say they believe Canada is more united as a result of the novel coronavirus, while 77 per cent of U.S. participants feel precisely the opposite is true south of the border. "In the U.S., where a patchwork of coronavirus-related restrictions reflects broad disagreement over the best path to economic recovery while mitigating the spread of the virus, roughly three-quarters say that the U.S. is more divided than before the coronavirus outbreak," the centre said in a release. "In contrast, nearly three-quarters in Denmark say there is more unity now than before the coronavirus outbreak. More than half in Canada, Sweden, South Korea and Australia also say their countries have become more united since the coronavirus outbreak." A similar bilateral gap emerged when those surveyed were asked about how their respective countries responded to the emergency.
In Canada, 88 per cent of respondents said they approved of their country's response to COVID-19, compared with just 47 per cent of Americans who feel the same way about how the U.S. has responded. The difference of opinion in the U.S. was tied to the political affiliations of those who took part in the survey, said Kat Devlin, one of the Pew research associates who compiled the report. Of those identified as Republican, 76 per cent cheered the government response, compared with 25 per cent of Democrats. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions "In a way, in the U.S., we do see these political splits among the two main political parties that may affect the overall views of the U.S. compared with in Canada."
A separate online poll conducted over the weekend by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies asked Canadian and Americans alike which of the two countries they believed had better handled the outbreak. Canadians believe the COVID-19 crisis has brought their country together, while Americans blame the pandemic for worsening their cultural and political divide, a new international public opinion survey suggests. Fully 87 per cent of Canadian respondents said their country's response had been "much" or "somewhat" better than that in the U.S., while only 38 per cent of Americans agreed. Nearly as many — 37 per cent — gave the U.S. higher marks than Canada, while 25 per cent gave no answer. The Pew survey also found a distinct link between respondents disappointed in the response to the pandemic in their country and the likelihood they felt divisions had worsened. "In every country surveyed, those who think their country has done a bad job of dealing with the coronavirus outbreak are more likely to say that their country is now more divided." The disparate versions of reality in the U.S. when it comes to COVID-19 have been on clear display over the last two weeks as America's political parties, their eyes squarely on the Nov. 3 presidential election, have used their national conventions to spin competing narratives.
Joe Biden's Democrats have excoriated Donald Trump's response to the pandemic and ensuing economic crisis, accusing the president of "devastating, inexcusable management" and his operatives of lying "through their teeth" about it. Republicans, meanwhile, insist the crisis is under control, even as the death toll — 183,000 people to date out of a world-leading six million cases — continues to rise. Regardless of their political affiliation, Americans surveyed agreed that divisions in the U.S. have widened since the pandemic began, Devlin said.


nationalobserver--2020-08-28--Canada-China COVID-19 vaccine trials dropped amid political tensions

A COVID-19 vaccine-development partnership between Canada and a Chinese firm has been abandoned , ending clinical trials that were to be conducted by a Dalhousie University research lab .
The National Research Council of Canada said Thursday the CanSino Biologics vaccine intended for phase one clinical trials has not been approved by Chinese customs for shipment to Canada .
`` Due to the delay in the shipment of the vaccine doses to Canada it is evident this specific opportunity is over and the NRC is focusing its team and facilities on other partners and COVID-19 priorities , '' the agency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne downplayed suggestions the vaccine partnership failed because of ongoing political tensions between the two countries .
`` I do n't necessarily think so , '' Champagne told reporters Thursday .
`` I can only speak for the Canadian side .
I would not necessarily link whether that particular opportunity is linked to anything else . ''
• California reveals that the transition to renewable energy Isn ’ t so simple • O'Toole 's climate plan has a carbon price — just do n't call it a tax • @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 900 million in WE funds Relations have been sour since the Chinese detained Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in apparent retaliation for the RCMP 's arrest of Chinese high-tech executive Meng Wanzhou on an American extradition warrant in December 2018 .
Despite the tensions , Champagne said `` we have issues in terms of global health where we can work together . ''
The Canadian Centre for Vaccinology at Dalhousie University was supposed to conduct the trials through a partnership with the NRC and CanSino Biologics .
Dalhousie 's lab had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as June , the NRC said , after Health Canada approved CanSino 's proposal .
The Halifax lab was one of several in Canada and in the U.S. whose work in 2014 led to an Ebola vaccine that was used in West Africa .
Dr. Scott Halperin , the director of the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology , said it was disappointing the CanSino project wo n't be going ahead .
`` The CanSino vaccine is one of the most furthest along of any of the candidate vaccines so it would have been nice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` It 's not the only vaccine that we are working with ... but we certainly do n't like to lose access to any one of them because we need multiple vaccines . ''
A COVID-19 vaccine-development partnership between Canada and a Chinese firm has been abandoned , ending clinical trials that were to be conducted by a Dalhousie University research lab .
Halperin said all of the protocols had been written and approved and had his lab received the vaccine its study would have been `` well along by now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be coming any day , as did the company , '' he said .
`` There was no bad faith on the company — they were trying everything but they could not get ( Chinese ) government approval to ship it .
The request for shipment has n't been denied it just has n't been approved . ''
Halperin said the Halifax lab would be working on other COVID-19 studies and is in discussions with at least six different manufacturers .
Once approvals are granted he said at least two of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month .
`` Things are moving along .
We were n't sitting and waiting for CanSino and doing nothing else . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27 , 2020 .

A COVID-19 vaccine-development partnership between Canada and a Chinese firm has been abandoned, ending clinical trials that were to be conducted by a Dalhousie University research lab. The National Research Council of Canada said Thursday the CanSino Biologics vaccine intended for phase one clinical trials has not been approved by Chinese customs for shipment to Canada. "Due to the delay in the shipment of the vaccine doses to Canada it is evident this specific opportunity is over and the NRC is focusing its team and facilities on other partners and COVID-19 priorities," the agency said in a statement. Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne downplayed suggestions the vaccine partnership failed because of ongoing political tensions between the two countries. "I don't necessarily think so," Champagne told reporters Thursday. "I can only speak for the Canadian side. I would not necessarily link whether that particular opportunity is linked to anything else."
Relations have been sour since the Chinese detained Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in apparent retaliation for the RCMP's arrest of Chinese high-tech executive Meng Wanzhou on an American extradition warrant in December 2018. Despite the tensions, Champagne said "we have issues in terms of global health where we can work together." Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The Canadian Centre for Vaccinology at Dalhousie University was supposed to conduct the trials through a partnership with the NRC and CanSino Biologics. Dalhousie's lab had been ready to start clinical trials as early as June, the NRC said, after Health Canada approved CanSino's proposal.
The Halifax lab was one of several in Canada and in the U.S. whose work in 2014 led to an Ebola vaccine that was used in West Africa. A COVID-19 vaccine-development partnership between Canada and a Chinese firm has been abandoned, ending clinical trials that were to be conducted by a Dalhousie University research lab. Dr. Scott Halperin, the director of the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology, said it was disappointing the CanSino project won't be going ahead. "The CanSino vaccine is one of the most furthest along of any of the candidate vaccines so it would have been nice to do that study," Halperin said. "It's not the only vaccine that we are working with ... but we certainly don't like to lose access to any one of them because we need multiple vaccines." Halperin said all of the protocols had been written and approved and had his lab received the vaccine its study would have been "well along by now." "We thought the shipment would be coming any day, as did the company," he said. "There was no bad faith on the company — they were trying everything but they could not get (Chinese) government approval to ship it. The request for shipment hasn't been denied it just hasn't been approved."


nationalobserver--2020-08-28--Low oil prices, COVID crisis hand Alberta $24.2B deficit

The double blow of collapsing oil prices and the COVID-19 crisis has pushed Alberta into a historic deficit of $ 24.2 billion — more than triple what the United Conservative government projected in its February budget .
`` There will be some very difficult days ahead and the road to recovery will be slow , '' said Finance Minister Travis Toews , who delivered the first-quarter economic update Thursday .
The Opposition said Toews should have come to the table with a lot more than that .
`` This is the time for government to change direction , '' said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislature .
She called on the government to end the $ 4.7-billion tax cut it gave the province 's largest corporations after last year 's election .
She criticized Toews for not mentioning health , education or child care — what she called the pillars of Alberta 's economy .
• California reveals that the transition to renewable energy Isn ’ t so simple • O'Toole 's climate plan has a carbon price — just do n't call it a tax • NDP suggests how Liberals should reallocate $ 900 million in WE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the University of Calgary , said the update suggests the government is sticking to its pre-pandemic game plan .
`` The budget and the entire fiscal policy of the government 's been kind of tossed out the window here , '' he said .
`` What I was looking for — and what we did n't get — is some kind of indication of where we 're going to go . ''
Toews 's update was a litany of gloom .
Government debt is expected to hit $ 100 billion by the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Revenue is anticipated to drop by $ 11.5 billion — nearly one-quarter .
Corporate taxes are to fall by more than half .
Non-renewable resource revenue , the province 's oily lifeblood , is projected to dissipate by 73 per cent .
Expected growth next year wo n't make up for a nearly nine per cent drop expected in the province 's gross domestic product this year .
Unemployment , now almost 12 per cent , is expected to stay near double-digit levels into 2021 .
A balanced budget is nowhere to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oil prices and the COVID-19 crisis has pushed Alberta into a historic deficit of $ 24.2 billion — more than triple what the United Conservative government projected in its February budget .
`` Right now would be almost impossible to provide a credible date to balance , '' Toews said .
`` We will be looking for every opportunity to ensure we are delivering services most cost effectively .
Alberta can no longer afford to be an outlier in the cost of delivering services . ''
So is a tough talk on taxes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it will be important that Albertans have a discussion on revenue structure and tax structure . ''
Tombe said that talk is inevitable .
He said his calculations suggest that cutting spending to bring Alberta in line with other Canadian provinces wo n't balance the books .
`` That is now not even going to get us close any more . ''
Alberta is one of the lowest-taxed jurisdictions in Canada and remains the only province without a sales tax .
Phillips said the government is spending plenty of money — on corporations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people getting from this ? ''
she asked .
`` We have seen a refusal on the part of this government to ensure they are supporting Albertans directly . ''
The government 's past policies , including cancellation of programs meant to encourage the high-tech and film industries as well as its oilpatch tax relief , have made the problem worse , she said .
Tombe said the days when Alberta governments could expect oil prices to ride to their rescue are probably gone .
Tax changes should be coming , he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the government to look at all sides of the budget . ''
Alberta 's dependence on oil and gas revenue was underlined when Saskatchewan released its fiscal update a half hour later on Thursday .
That province is facing the same pandemic and low oil prices , but because its energy industry is n't nearly as dominant , Saskatchewan is projecting an economic bounce-back to pre-pandemic levels by 2022 and a narrow $ 125-million surplus by 2024 .
Still , do n't count Alberta out , said Tombe .
`` Alberta has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of runway still . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27 , 2020

The double blow of collapsing oil prices and the COVID-19 crisis has pushed Alberta into a historic deficit of $24.2 billion — more than triple what the United Conservative government projected in its February budget. "There will be some very difficult days ahead and the road to recovery will be slow," said Finance Minister Travis Toews, who delivered the first-quarter economic update Thursday. The Opposition said Toews should have come to the table with a lot more than that. "This is the time for government to change direction," said NDP finance critic Shannon Phillips in the legislature. She called on the government to end the $4.7-billion tax cut it gave the province's largest corporations after last year's election. She criticized Toews for not mentioning health, education or child care — what she called the pillars of Alberta's economy.
Trevor Tombe, an economist at the University of Calgary, said the update suggests the government is sticking to its pre-pandemic game plan. "The budget and the entire fiscal policy of the government's been kind of tossed out the window here," he said. "What I was looking for — and what we didn't get — is some kind of indication of where we're going to go." Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Toews's update was a litany of gloom. Government debt is expected to hit $100 billion by the end of the fiscal year next spring. Revenue is anticipated to drop by $11.5 billion — nearly one-quarter.
Corporate taxes are to fall by more than half. Non-renewable resource revenue, the province's oily lifeblood, is projected to dissipate by 73 per cent. The double blow of collapsing oil prices and the COVID-19 crisis has pushed Alberta into a historic deficit of $24.2 billion — more than triple what the United Conservative government projected in its February budget. Expected growth next year won't make up for a nearly nine per cent drop expected in the province's gross domestic product this year. Unemployment, now almost 12 per cent, is expected to stay near double-digit levels into 2021. A balanced budget is nowhere to be seen. "Right now would be almost impossible to provide a credible date to balance," Toews said. Cuts are coming, he suggested.
"We will be looking for every opportunity to ensure we are delivering services most cost effectively. Alberta can no longer afford to be an outlier in the cost of delivering services." So is a tough talk on taxes. "In the longer term, it will be important that Albertans have a discussion on revenue structure and tax structure."


nationalobserver--2020-08-28--'Non-union' bees make blueberries thrive — but only if they have a home

The Delta , B.C.
, farmer is not alone .
Blueberries , raspberries , and tree fruits are some of B.C.
’ s most important crops , worth about $ 370 million combined — and they all depend on bees , butterflies , moths , and other pollinators for a successful harvest .
“ Pollination is always a struggle , ” said Bates , who owns a 90-acre blueberry farm .
It ’ s a shocking decline , one driven by widespread pesticide use and habitat loss — byproducts of industrial agriculture .
That system dominates North America ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , pesticides , and monocrops .
Most food crops consumed globally depend on pollinators , according to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services .
Graph and data by Klein et al .
( 2007 ) /ISPBES “ A number of features of current intensive agricultural practices threaten pollinators and pollination , ” notes a 2016 report by the FAO Intergovernmental Science-Policy platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service .
In North America , # bumblebees are estimated to have seen their relative abundance crash by 97 per cent .
“ A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agricultural practices threaten # pollinators and pollination , ” notes a 2016 # FAO report .
That ’ s not good news for bees — or farmers .
About 85 per cent of food grown globally depends on pollination , and in B.C.
, bees and other pollinators contribute about $ 538 million to B.C .
's agricultural industry .
Faced with declining bee populations , Bates and other farmers who rely on pollination have turned to semi-domesticated honeybees to pollinate their crops .
They hire commercial beekeepers to truck several hundred hives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crops are flowering .
There are about 5,600 commercial beekeepers in Canada who operate roughly 480,000 colonies .
Once the field has been pollinated and the flowers turn to fruit , the beekeeper will pack up the hives , moving them to the next flowering crop , which is sometimes thousands of kilometres away .
“ When you have these very large and very simplified farms , farmers become reliant on bringing out these honeybees , ” said Claire Kremen , a professor of conservation biology at the University of British Columbia who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pollinator habitat on farms in Delta , B.C .
in collaboration with the Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust .
The project aims to encourage farmers to plant some of their fields with pollinator-friendly flowers or to build hedgerows .
There are about 2,700 beekeepers in B.C.
, with more than 5,200 colonies .
Photo by libreshot .
“ It ’ s like honeybees are a kind of input to the farming system that needs to be purchased or supplied , whereas formerly , ( pollination ) was there and available.
” Beyond the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about $ 50,000 each year for roughly 425 hives — Kremen pointed out that they aren ’ t really up to the job .
Native bumblebees are better : They ’ re happy flying through the fields when it ’ s cold or rainy and have a trick to get pollen out of blueberries ’ deep bell-shaped flowers .
“ The bumblebee will grab onto the flower with their legs and , literally , they vibrate with their wings and it shakes the flower .
And it happens that they do it at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pollen come out.
” But bumblebees , unlike their semi-domesticated cousins , don ’ t live in hives that are trucked around the country .
They stay in one place , rarely straying more than 10 kilometres from their hive , and need food throughout the year — not only for the few weeks blueberries are flowering .
Keeping them fed year-round takes biodiverse habitats like hedgerows and hayfields , Kremen said .
Those habitats that don ’ t come cheap in B.C.
’ s Lower Mainland .
Farmland prices in Metro @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 80,000 per acre for parcels of more than 40 acres , according to a 2016 report by researchers at Kwantlen Polytechnic University .
“ It ’ s very challenging for growers here in Delta , ” said Drew Bondar , executive director of the Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust , a farmland advocacy organization that ’ s a partner in Kremer ’ s research project .
The Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust is paying farmers to leave some of their land fallow — ideal habitats for pollinator-friendly species .
The project led by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ value on these fields .
Photo by Drew Bonar .
“ With land costs , ( farmers ) really need to farm most of their acres .
Without actually knowing the economic benefits ( of more pollinator habitat ) , it ’ s hard to justify taking land out of production.
” That ’ s where Kremen ’ s research , which is supported by a $ 161,050 provincial-federal grant , comes in .
The project aims to put a dollar value on native pollinators ’ contribution , helping farmers weigh the cost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ habitats against bringing in honeybees and having more acreage under production .
There ’ s already evidence from other places that increasing pollinator habitat might , in fact , be a boon to farmers .
“ You could see increases in yields anywhere from $ 8,000 per hectare to $ 14,000 per hectare , ” Bondar said , citing studies that have determined the costs of pollination deficits — crops lost to bad pollination .
Pollinators are critical to agriculture globally , supporting 35 per cent of global crop volume .
Graph by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pollinator habitats also support pest-eating insects , helping farmers reduce their pesticide use , and help support agricultural regions ’ overall biodiversity .
About a million species are currently threatened with extinction globally and are going extinct at a rate up to hundreds of times faster than the average established over the past 10 million years .
Still , in 2019 , the UN Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity emphasized the importance of “ promoting good agricultural and agroecological practices … and more integrated landscape and watershed management.
” Those include the kinds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ project will help make more common .
For Bates , whose blueberry farm is home to some plots in the study , those benefits have already started to arrive — even without unionized bees .
“ You go in the fields late at night , and you stand and watch and listen , and the bumblebees are still working .
”

Jack Bates’ blueberries rely on “non-union” bees. The Delta, B.C., farmer is not alone. Blueberries, raspberries, and tree fruits are some of B.C.’s most important crops, worth about $370 million combined — and they all depend on bees, butterflies, moths, and other pollinators for a successful harvest. “Pollination is always a struggle,” said Bates, who owns a 90-acre blueberry farm. That’s no surprise. Pollinators are in rough shape in British Columbia and beyond. Blueberries are one of B.C.'s most important crops, worth in $161 million in 2018. Photo by Marc Fawcett-Atkinson.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature says that 16.5 per cent of vertebrate pollinators (e.g. birds) are threatened with global extinction. In Europe, nine per cent of bee and butterfly species are threatened, and about a third of their populations are declining. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions And in North America, bumblebees — a vital native pollinator — are estimated to have seen their relative abundance crash by 97 per cent, with the sharpest decline occurring in the past 30 years.
It’s a shocking decline, one driven by widespread pesticide use and habitat loss — byproducts of industrial agriculture. That system dominates North America’s fields and relies heavily on chemical fertilizer, pesticides, and monocrops. In North America, #bumblebees are estimated to have seen their relative abundance crash by 97 per cent. “A number of features of current intensive #agricultural practices threaten #pollinators and pollination,” notes a 2016 #FAO report. Most food crops consumed globally depend on pollinators, according to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Graph and data by Klein et al. (2007) /ISPBES “A number of features of current intensive agricultural practices threaten pollinators and pollination,” notes a 2016 report by the FAO Intergovernmental Science-Policy platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service. That’s not good news for bees — or farmers. About 85 per cent of food grown globally depends on pollination, and in B.C., bees and other pollinators contribute about $538 million to B.C.'s agricultural industry. Faced with declining bee populations, Bates and other farmers who rely on pollination have turned to semi-domesticated honeybees to pollinate their crops. They hire commercial beekeepers to truck several hundred hives of honeybees into their fields while the crops are flowering.
There are about 5,600 commercial beekeepers in Canada who operate roughly 480,000 colonies. Once the field has been pollinated and the flowers turn to fruit, the beekeeper will pack up the hives, moving them to the next flowering crop, which is sometimes thousands of kilometres away. It’s not an ideal system.


nationalobserver--2020-08-28--Unless we change course, the US agricultural system could collapse

This story was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration Picture an ideal dinner plate .
If you ’ re like most Americans , it features a hearty portion of meat , from animals fattened on midwestern corn and soybeans , and a helping of vegetables , largely trucked in from California .
The unique landscapes we rely on to deliver this bounty – the twin jewels of the US food system – are locked in a state of slow-motion ecological unravelling .
California ’ s agricultural sector has flourished from decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the globe ’ s biggest swaths of Mediterranean climate .
The Sierra Nevada , the spine of mountains that runs along California ’ s eastern flank , captures an annual cache of snow that , when it melts , cascades into a network of government-built dams , canals and aqueducts that deliver irrigation water to farmers in the adjoining Central Valley .
In light-snow years , farmers could tap aquifers that had built up over millennia to offset the shortfall .
But the Sierra snowpack has shown an overall declining trend for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California drought of 2012-2016 – and it will dwindle further over the next several decades as the climate warms , a growing body of research suggests .
A 2018 paper by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers articulates the alarming consensus : a “ future of consistent low-to-no snowpack ” for the Sierra Nevada , the irrigation jewel of our vegetable patch .
Even as snowmelt gushing from the mountains dwindles , the Central Valley farming behemoth gets ever more ravenous for irrigation water , switching from annual crops that can be fallowed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which require huge upfront investments and need to be watered every year .
As a result , farm operations are increasingly resorting to tapping the water beneath them .
Between 2002 and 2017 , a period including two massive droughts , farmers siphoned enough water from the valley ’ s aquifers to fill Louisiana ’ s Lake Pontchartrain three times .
• California reveals that the transition to renewable energy Isn ’ t so simple • O'Toole 's climate plan has a carbon price — just do n't call it a tax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 900 million in WE funds As the water vanishes , the ground settles and sinks in uneven and unpredictable ways , a phenomenon known as subsidence .
By 2017 , large sections of the Central Valley were sinking by as much as 2ft a year .
In addition to damaging roads , bridges , houses , sewage pipes and pretty much all built infrastructure , subsidence snarls up the canals that carry snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada .
Thus we have a vicious circle : reduced snowmelt means less water flowing through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to pump more water from underground , causing more subsidence that damages those channels and reduces their flow capacity , pushing farmers to accelerate the cycle by pumping more water from underground .
There ’ s no great mystery about how to halt the withering away of California ’ s water or Iowa ’ s soil Seventeen hundred miles to the east , the prevailing agriculture system consumes a different but equally precious resource : soil .
When white settlers seized what we now call the corn belt from indigenous inhabitants in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ miles of prairies and marshlands , with hundreds of species of perennial wild grasses , legumes and flowers that towered over their heads , with roots plunging just as deep into the earth , burying carbon from the atmosphere and feeding a teeming web of micro-organisms that break down and cycle nutrients .
Aboveground , vast herds of bison ate their way through fields , stimulating new plant growth and recycling nutrients through their manure .
Interactions between Native Americans , plants , animals , microbes and climate left behind a majestic store @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Even today , the US midwest boasts the largest of four major mollisol stores on the planet .
Mollisols develop over millennia yet can be squandered in decades .
US colonial-settler agriculture transformed this ecological niche , a land mass 1.5 times the size of California , into a factory churning out just two crops – corn and soybeans .
This kind of agriculture fouls water as a matter of course .
Since corn and soybeans are planted in the spring and harvested in the fall , the vast majority of corn-belt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , leaving the ground naked when storms hit .
These deluges pummel bare topsoil and send it – and the agrochemicals and manure farmers apply to it – cascading off farms and into streams and creeks that flow into rivers , lakes and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico .
But there ’ s another problem with subjecting the land to the same two crops every year : loss of the region ’ s precious black topsoil .
According to research by the soil scientist Rick Cruse , Iowa – and much of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a rate 16 times the pace of natural replenishment .
Again , climate change is a driver .
Today ’ s farmers encounter a weather regime radically different from that of their grandparents : more intense off-season storms , and thus ever-heavier pressure on the soil .
If global greenhouse gases continue rising , the region faces a 40 % increase in precipitation by the late 21st century , according to the Fourth National Climate Assessment .
The soil that makes one of the globe ’ s most important growing regions so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ degrading a crucial food production region at the very time when climate change and global population growth call for building resilience .
Our food supply comes from an environmentally unsustainable system that is going to unravel There ’ s no great mystery about how to halt the withering away of California ’ s water or Iowa ’ s soil .
California needs to shrink its agricultural footprint to match the scale of its water resources , which means other regions of the US should ramp up their own fruit and vegetable production to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corn belt , US federal farm policy should stop paying farmers to overproduce corn and soybeans , and instead push them to diversify their plantings and keep their land covered all winter – practices known to maintain high levels of production while also preserving soil , decreasing water pollution and slashing the need for pesticides and fertilizers .
Reduced demand for agrichemicals , however , pinches the bottom line of the agrichemical behemoths , and a turn from corn-and-soybean dominance will dent profits for the meat companies that rely on cheap , overproduced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their income into lobbying and campaign finance , and their interests shape US farm policy .
But it doesn ’ t have to be that way .
Just as creating a sane climate policy requires the rise of a social movement to negate the power of the fossil fuel lobby , a better agricultural regime will require a direct political challenge to big agribusiness .
Climate justice and food justice are , in fact , the same fight – the struggle to beat back corporate dominance and make the world livable for @ @

This story was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration Picture an ideal dinner plate. If you’re like most Americans, it features a hearty portion of meat, from animals fattened on midwestern corn and soybeans, and a helping of vegetables, largely trucked in from California. The unique landscapes we rely on to deliver this bounty – the twin jewels of the US food system – are locked in a state of slow-motion ecological unravelling. California’s agricultural sector has flourished from decades of easy access to water in one of the globe’s biggest swaths of Mediterranean climate. The Sierra Nevada, the spine of mountains that runs along California’s eastern flank, captures an annual cache of snow that, when it melts, cascades into a network of government-built dams, canals and aqueducts that deliver irrigation water to farmers in the adjoining Central Valley. In light-snow years, farmers could tap aquifers that had built up over millennia to offset the shortfall. But the Sierra snowpack has shown an overall declining trend for decades – most dramatically during the great California drought of 2012-2016 – and it will dwindle further over the next several decades as the climate warms, a growing body of research suggests. A 2018 paper by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers articulates the alarming consensus: a “future of consistent low-to-no snowpack” for the Sierra Nevada, the irrigation jewel of our vegetable patch. Even as snowmelt gushing from the mountains dwindles, the Central Valley farming behemoth gets ever more ravenous for irrigation water, switching from annual crops that can be fallowed in dry years to almond and pistachio groves, which require huge upfront investments and need to be watered every year. As a result, farm operations are increasingly resorting to tapping the water beneath them. Between 2002 and 2017, a period including two massive droughts, farmers siphoned enough water from the valley’s aquifers to fill Louisiana’s Lake Pontchartrain three times.
As the water vanishes, the ground settles and sinks in uneven and unpredictable ways, a phenomenon known as subsidence. By 2017, large sections of the Central Valley were sinking by as much as 2ft a year. In addition to damaging roads, bridges, houses, sewage pipes and pretty much all built infrastructure, subsidence snarls up the canals that carry snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada. Thus we have a vicious circle: reduced snowmelt means less water flowing through government-run irrigation channels, which pushes farmers to pump more water from underground, causing more subsidence that damages those channels and reduces their flow capacity, pushing farmers to accelerate the cycle by pumping more water from underground. There’s no great mystery about how to halt the withering away of California’s water or Iowa’s soil Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Seventeen hundred miles to the east, the prevailing agriculture system consumes a different but equally precious resource: soil. When white settlers seized what we now call the corn belt from indigenous inhabitants in the 19th century, they found thousands of miles of prairies and marshlands, with hundreds of species of perennial wild grasses, legumes and flowers that towered over their heads, with roots plunging just as deep into the earth, burying carbon from the atmosphere and feeding a teeming web of micro-organisms that break down and cycle nutrients. Aboveground, vast herds of bison ate their way through fields, stimulating new plant growth and recycling nutrients through their manure.
Interactions between Native Americans, plants, animals, microbes and climate left behind a majestic store of fertile topsoil that scientists call mollisol. Even today, the US midwest boasts the largest of four major mollisol stores on the planet. Mollisols develop over millennia yet can be squandered in decades. US colonial-settler agriculture transformed this ecological niche, a land mass 1.5 times the size of California, into a factory churning out just two crops – corn and soybeans. Our food supply comes from an environmentally unsustainable system that is going to unravel This kind of agriculture fouls water as a matter of course. Since corn and soybeans are planted in the spring and harvested in the fall, the vast majority of corn-belt farmland lies bare for the winter months, leaving the ground naked when storms hit. These deluges pummel bare topsoil and send it – and the agrochemicals and manure farmers apply to it – cascading off farms and into streams and creeks that flow into rivers, lakes and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico. But there’s another problem with subjecting the land to the same two crops every year: loss of the region’s precious black topsoil. According to research by the soil scientist Rick Cruse, Iowa – and much of the surrounding corn belt – is losing soil at a rate 16 times the pace of natural replenishment. Again, climate change is a driver. Today’s farmers encounter a weather regime radically different from that of their grandparents: more intense off-season storms, and thus ever-heavier pressure on the soil. If global greenhouse gases continue rising, the region faces a 40% increase in precipitation by the late 21st century, according to the Fourth National Climate Assessment. The soil that makes one of the globe’s most important growing regions so productive is vanishing before our eyes, degrading a crucial food production region at the very time when climate change and global population growth call for building resilience. There’s no great mystery about how to halt the withering away of California’s water or Iowa’s soil. California needs to shrink its agricultural footprint to match the scale of its water resources, which means other regions of the US should ramp up their own fruit and vegetable production to make up the difference. In the corn belt, US federal farm policy should stop paying farmers to overproduce corn and soybeans, and instead push them to diversify their plantings and keep their land covered all winter – practices known to maintain high levels of production while also preserving soil, decreasing water pollution and slashing the need for pesticides and fertilizers. Reduced demand for agrichemicals, however, pinches the bottom line of the agrichemical behemoths, and a turn from corn-and-soybean dominance will dent profits for the meat companies that rely on cheap, overproduced feed. These companies divert a share of their income into lobbying and campaign finance, and their interests shape US farm policy. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Just as creating a sane climate policy requires the rise of a social movement to negate the power of the fossil fuel lobby, a better agricultural regime will require a direct political challenge to big agribusiness.


nationalobserver--2020-08-28--Contentious new book argues environmental movement has become 'increasingly apocalyptic'

Michael Shellenberger is many things : nuclear energy advocate , author , and contrarian .
But as he argues in his contentious new book , Apocalypse Never , he ’ s also an apostate to an environmental movement that has become increasingly religious in its approach .
“ The trouble with the new environmental religion , ” he writes , “ is that it has become increasingly apocalyptic , destructive , and self-defeating.
” That ’ s why , he says , he ’ s “ formally apologizing ” on behalf of “ environmentalists everywhere.
” Now , this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behalf of all Christians for the behaviour of the Catholic church .
Shellenberger may have been an environmental activist as a teenager , and he has been willing in the past to acknowledge the threat posed by rising greenhouse gas emissions , but he ’ s been an advocate and lobbyist for the nuclear industry for the better part of two decades .
Rather than focusing on clean power regulations or carbon pricing , Shellenberger believes we ought to be betting on technology — and nuclear technology in particular .
It doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the conflict of interest at work here .
• California reveals that the transition to renewable energy Isn ’ t so simple • O'Toole 's climate plan has a carbon price — just do n't call it a tax • NDP suggests how Liberals should reallocate $ 900 million in WE funds In 2007 , he co-wrote a book ( along with Ted Nordhaus , the nephew of Nobel Prize winner William Nordhaus ) called Break Through : From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility , which embraced a pro-growth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took aim at the environmental movement ’ s willingness to trade prosperity for protection .
But Shellenberger 's new book takes that vision a step or two further , and focuses far more on the alleged dangers posed by those fighting climate change than climate change itself .
“ Climate change is happening , ” he writes .
“ It ’ s just not the end of the world .
It ’ s not even our most serious environmental problem.
” His book , though , very much is a problem for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It represents a strategic retrenchment for the industries and individuals who have long resisted any efforts to take climate change seriously , away from the forward ramparts of rank denialism and towards the higher ground of gradualism .
That ground will be far more difficult to attack , and attempts to overwhelm it more likely to get bogged down in technical minutiae and policy wonkery .
His story will create a permission structure for those who don ’ t want to take climate change seriously , and force those who do to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t going to be pleasant work , either .
As Peter Gleick , a MacArthur Fellow and winner of the 2018 Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization , noted in a recent review for Yale Climate Connections , “ the book suffers from logical fallacies , arguments based on emotion and ideology , the setting up and knocking down of strawman arguments , and the selective cherry-picking and misuse of facts , all interspersed with simple mistakes and misrepresentations of science.
” In a world where science has become increasingly politicized , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mistakes and misrepresentations could do meaningful damage to the public conversation around climate policy .
`` For those looking for a reason not to take climate change seriously , Michael Shellenberger 's argument is a compelling invitation to indifference . ''
Shellenberger isn ’ t the first prominent environmentalist to have an apparent conversion on the road to Damascus .
Patrick Moore , an activist who was involved with Greenpeace in its earliest days ( and who likes to describe himself as a “ founder ” even though Greenpeace has denied that many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years on his decision to turn his back on the organization in 1986 .
In the decades that followed , and particularly the decade that just passed , Moore transformed into a familiar critic of climate policy and even the reality of climate change itself .
His explanation for the shift — that the environmental movement “ abandoned science and logic in favour of emotion and sensationalism ” — is eerily familiar to Shellenberger ’ s .
But if Moore invented the repentant-environmentalist shtick , Shellenberger has perfected it .
His story is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and he will almost certainly sell many thousands of books because of it .
After all , it ’ s clear that he believes sincerely in the environmental virtues of nuclear power , and the role it can play in decarbonizing the global economy .
It ’ s also equally clear that he ’ s willing to overstate its potential benefits and undersell those of renewable technologies , such as wind and solar , in ways and with facts that the average person may not understand or appreciate .
For those looking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change seriously , his argument is a compelling invitation to indifference .
The good news for climate activists is that Shellenberger is swimming against an increasingly strong tide .
Global financial institutions are not as easily swayed by rhetoric , and they are not about to discount the environmental and financial risks associated with climate change .
Morgan Stanley recently announced that it would start reporting on how its loan book and other investments contribute to climate change , and it ’ s hard to imagine that other American banks won ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is joining the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials , whose membership includes 66 financial companies that collectively manage $ 5.3 trillion US of assets .
And while Shellenberger may not believe in the economic and environmental benefits of wind and solar energy , others aren ’ t nearly as skeptical .
Texas , of all places , recently joined the growing list of places that produces more energy from wind and solar than coal , and that list will only grow as the cost of wind and solar continues to drop .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cent of its nearly two trillion euro economic recovery plan will go to climate-oriented investments , while Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has pledged $ 2 trillion worth of spending on things like renewable energy and electric vehicles .
Polemicists like Shellenberger may be able to slow this progress , provided politicians are willing to listen to them , but they can not stop it .
His work will be welcomed by those who seek out reasons not to take climate change seriously , but their numbers seem to shrink with each passing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a rearguard battle , whether they realize it or not .
And while Shellenberger ’ s message will have its audience , it may not age as well as he hopes .
In time , he may even find himself apologizing for his apology .

Michael Shellenberger is many things: nuclear energy advocate, author, and contrarian. But as he argues in his contentious new book, Apocalypse Never, he’s also an apostate to an environmental movement that has become increasingly religious in its approach. “The trouble with the new environmental religion,” he writes, “is that it has become increasingly apocalyptic, destructive, and self-defeating.” That’s why, he says, he’s “formally apologizing” on behalf of “environmentalists everywhere.” Now, this is a bit like Donald Trump apologizing on behalf of all Christians for the behaviour of the Catholic church. Shellenberger may have been an environmental activist as a teenager, and he has been willing in the past to acknowledge the threat posed by rising greenhouse gas emissions, but he’s been an advocate and lobbyist for the nuclear industry for the better part of two decades. Rather than focusing on clean power regulations or carbon pricing, Shellenberger believes we ought to be betting on technology — and nuclear technology in particular. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the conflict of interest at work here.
In 2007, he co-wrote a book (along with Ted Nordhaus, the nephew of Nobel Prize winner William Nordhaus) called Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility, which embraced a pro-growth, pro-technology vision for the future and took aim at the environmental movement’s willingness to trade prosperity for protection. But Shellenberger's new book takes that vision a step or two further, and focuses far more on the alleged dangers posed by those fighting climate change than climate change itself. “Climate change is happening,” he writes. “It’s just not the end of the world. It’s not even our most serious environmental problem.” Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions His book, though, very much is a problem for the environmental movement he pretends to apologize for. It represents a strategic retrenchment for the industries and individuals who have long resisted any efforts to take climate change seriously, away from the forward ramparts of rank denialism and towards the higher ground of gradualism.
That ground will be far more difficult to attack, and attempts to overwhelm it more likely to get bogged down in technical minutiae and policy wonkery. His story will create a permission structure for those who don’t want to take climate change seriously, and force those who do to wade through his argument. "For those looking for a reason not to take climate change seriously, Michael Shellenberger's argument is a compelling invitation to indifference." That isn’t going to be pleasant work, either. As Peter Gleick, a MacArthur Fellow and winner of the 2018 Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization, noted in a recent review for Yale Climate Connections, “the book suffers from logical fallacies, arguments based on emotion and ideology, the setting up and knocking down of strawman arguments, and the selective cherry-picking and misuse of facts, all interspersed with simple mistakes and misrepresentations of science.” In a world where science has become increasingly politicized, especially in the United States, those mistakes and misrepresentations could do meaningful damage to the public conversation around climate policy. Shellenberger isn’t the first prominent environmentalist to have an apparent conversion on the road to Damascus. Patrick Moore, an activist who was involved with Greenpeace in its earliest days (and who likes to describe himself as a “founder” even though Greenpeace has denied that many times), has dined out for years on his decision to turn his back on the organization in 1986. In the decades that followed, and particularly the decade that just passed, Moore transformed into a familiar critic of climate policy and even the reality of climate change itself. His explanation for the shift — that the environmental movement “abandoned science and logic in favour of emotion and sensationalism” — is eerily familiar to Shellenberger’s.
But if Moore invented the repentant-environmentalist shtick, Shellenberger has perfected it. His story is far more compelling than Moore’s, and he will almost certainly sell many thousands of books because of it. After all, it’s clear that he believes sincerely in the environmental virtues of nuclear power, and the role it can play in decarbonizing the global economy. It’s also equally clear that he’s willing to overstate its potential benefits and undersell those of renewable technologies, such as wind and solar, in ways and with facts that the average person may not understand or appreciate. For those looking for a reason not to take climate change seriously, his argument is a compelling invitation to indifference. The good news for climate activists is that Shellenberger is swimming against an increasingly strong tide.


nationalobserver--2020-08-28--Coalition of 133 First Nations planning legal challenge of Ford’s Bill 197

The Ford government is poised to face a second court battle over its controversial COVID-19 economic recovery bill , this time from a group representing 133 First Nations in Ontario .
The government did not consult the public before passing Bill 197 , an omnibus piece of legislation that included a contentious rewrite of environmental assessment rules , last month .
The province pushed the bill forward despite a warning from auditor general Bonnie Lysyk , who said the government ’ s failure to consult the public on environmental changes would be “ not compliant ” with Ontario ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virtual meeting on Aug. 20 , Chiefs of Ontario — an organization representing the leadership of 133 First Nations in the province — voted in favour of filing a lawsuit .
In a forthcoming application for judicial review , Chiefs of Ontario plans to ask a judge to rule that the Ford ’ s government passage of the bill was illegal .
“ To us , ( Bill 197 is ) a slap in the face , ” said Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Glen Hare , who was present at the meeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for 33 First Nations communities . )
“ They just feel they can do whatever they want , ” he added , referring to the government .
• California reveals that the transition to renewable energy Isn ’ t so simple • O'Toole 's climate plan has a carbon price — just do n't call it a tax • NDP suggests how Liberals should reallocate $ 900 million in WE funds Bill 197 altered 20 pieces of legislation .
Premier Doug Ford has said it ’ s aimed at kick-starting Ontario ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A coalition of environmental groups has already filed a suit against the province over Bill 197 , asking a judge to find that the passage of the law was illegal due to the clash with the Environmental Bill of Rights .
But the planned challenge by Chiefs of Ontario is likely to take a different angle , as it also centres on treaty rights and the province ’ s duty to consult First Nations .
Chiefs of Ontario was not able to provide a copy of the full resolution voted on at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wasn ’ t immediately clear what the organization ’ s timeline might be for filing the suit .
The office of Ontario Environment Minister Jeff Yurek redirected questions to the environment , conservation and parks ministry .
In a statement , ministry spokesperson Gary Wheeler said the government hasn ’ t yet seen a copy of the resolution or any court filings from Chiefs of Ontario .
“ At this point , it would be premature to comment , ” he said .
Wheeler also said the rewrite of environmental assessments doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government passed its broad overhaul of environmental assessments , it ’ s still writing regulations to outline how its new streamlined process will work .
The ministry is committed to working with Indigenous communities on that , Wheeler said .
The Ford government is poised to face a second court challenge over its passage of omnibus Bill 197 .
This time it 's from Chiefs of Ontario , which represents 133 First Nations .
# onpoli “ We take the duty to consult seriously , and we are committed to consulting with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Wheeler said .
Hare said it often feels like the province views consultation as a box to tick rather than an opportunity to meaningfully engage .
“ I don ’ t think it ’ s going to have any impact what I say , ” Hare said .
“ Why call me now ?
” Hare said Bill 197 is particularly concerning for nations near planned mining projects .
They want the opportunity to have a say in how resources in their traditional territories are used and share the profits , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assessments mean many types of projects will likely be able to avoid a full review .
“ We ’ re affected by it big time , ” Hare said of the bill .
“ It affects our lives , it tries to ruin us.
” Day two of the # COOAssembly2020 has begun !
Priorities on today ’ s agenda include : ➡ # COVID19 Emergency Response ➡ # Bill197 While we miss meeting in person , you can tune into the livestream to catch all the action here : https : //t.co/iD961uGcto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ChiefsofOntario ) August 20 , 2020 Growing number of First Nations have sounded alarms about Bill 197 For weeks , a growing number of First Nations in Ontario have said they ’ re considering legal challenges to the bill .
The Fort Albany and Attawapiskat First Nations sounded alarms in late July .
Then , Mushkegowuk Council — which represents Fort Albany , Attawapiskat and five other nations near James Bay — wrote an open letter to Ford saying the premier didn ’ t respect treaty rights when he passed the bill without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , nations across the province supported the push for a legal challenge to Bill 197 , Mushkegowuk Grand Chief Jonathan Solomon said in a phone interview Wednesday .
Mounting the effort together allows them to pool resources in a way that wouldn ’ t be possible for individuals .
“ It ’ s important that we communicate in regards to what the next steps are , ” Solomon said .
Hare said the way First Nations have collaborated with the province during COVID-19 should show officials how effective the governments can be when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also showed how fast legislators can move to effect change when they try hard enough , he added .
“ Let ’ s keep going this way after COVID , ” he said .
“ Nothing ’ s written in stone .
If they want to change ( Bill 197 ) , they can change it really quick .
So why can ’ t they pull it , and we can work together ?
”

The Ford government is poised to face a second court battle over its controversial COVID-19 economic recovery bill, this time from several First Nations. The government did not consult the public before passing Bill 197, an omnibus piece of legislation that included a contentious rewrite of environmental assessment rules, last month. The province pushed the bill forward despite a warning from auditor general Bonnie Lysyk, who said the government’s failure to consult the public on environmental changes would be “not compliant” with Ontario’s Environmental Bill of Rights. In a virtual meeting on Aug. 20, Chiefs of Ontario — an organization representing the leadership of 133 First Nations in the province — voted in favour of supporting a push by several nations to file a lawsuit. In a forthcoming application for judicial review, the nations plan to ask a judge to rule that the Ford’s government passage of the bill was illegal. “To us, (Bill 197 is) a slap in the face,” said Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Glen Hare, who was present at the Chiefs of Ontario meeting. (The Anishinabek Nation advocates politically for 33 First Nations communities.) “They just feel they can do whatever they want,” he added, referring to the government.
Bill 197 altered 20 pieces of legislation. Premier Doug Ford has said it’s aimed at kick-starting Ontario’s economy after COVID-19 led to widespread shutdowns. A coalition of environmental groups has already filed a suit against the province over Bill 197, asking a judge to find that the passage of the law was illegal due to the clash with the Environmental Bill of Rights. But the planned challenge by Chiefs of Ontario is likely to take a different angle, as it also centres on treaty rights and the province’s duty to consult First Nations. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Chiefs of Ontario was not able to provide a copy of the full resolution voted on at the meeting by publication time. It wasn’t immediately clear what the timeline might be for filing the suit.
The office of Ontario Environment Minister Jeff Yurek redirected questions to the environment, conservation and parks ministry. In a statement, ministry spokesperson Gary Wheeler said the government hasn’t yet seen a copy of the resolution or any court filings from Chiefs of Ontario. The Ford government is poised to face a second court challenge over its passage of omnibus Bill 197. #onpoli “At this point, it would be premature to comment,” he said. Wheeler also said the rewrite of environmental assessments doesn’t mean any immediate changes — though the government passed its broad overhaul of environmental assessments, it’s still writing regulations to outline how its new streamlined process will work. The ministry is committed to working with Indigenous communities on that, Wheeler said. “We take the duty to consult seriously, and we are committed to consulting with Indigenous communities prior to making any decisions,” Wheeler said. Hare said it often feels like the province views consultation as a box to tick rather than an opportunity to meaningfully engage.
“I don’t think it’s going to have any impact what I say,” Hare said. “Why call me now?” Hare said Bill 197 is particularly concerning for nations near planned mining projects. They want the opportunity to have a say in how resources in their traditional territories are used and share the profits, he said, but changes to environmental assessments mean many types of projects will likely be able to avoid a full review. “We’re affected by it big time,” Hare said of the bill. “It affects our lives, it tries to ruin us.”