nationalobserver--2020-09-01--'Nothing we can do:' High water threatens lakeside homes

Lakeside residents are calling on the province to do more to control water levels at Saskatchewan 's Lac La Ronge as they say properties around the lake continue to sustain heavy damage .
Water levels around the lake have exceeded the previous record , set in 2011 , in what the Water Security Agency called a “ record event , ” impacting communities around northern Saskatchewan ’ s Churchill River basin .
Water levels in Lac La Ronge exceeded historic highs in August and residents continue to suffer as many homes in the area are located next to water .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ They need to do something to lower the level of the lake before it freezes this high , ” Lac La Ronge Cabin Association president and town councillor Matt Klassen told Canada ’ s National Observer on Monday .
The La Ronge Town Council passed Klassen ’ s motion to send a letter of concern to the Water Security Agency over damaged property and high water levels last Wednesday .
• The biblical flood that will drown California • Doug Ford facing second lawsuit over environmental assessment changes “ If the lake freezes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the winter , every single dock on the lake will be ruined , ” Klassen said .
“ That is , what is left for docks that haven ’ t already been destroyed.
” Klassen said docks and boat launches aren ’ t the only concern ; he said the water levels are damaging the shorelines , and that trees falling into the lake result in driftwood that boaters could hit .
Only one outflow dam on the lake means more water flowing in than out according to property owners around the lake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Numerous trees are being killed ... and then we have more shrapnel floating around the lake , worrying about boaters hitting that , ” Klassen said .
He said the cost of maintaining the La Ronge dam at Rapid River and dealing with floods over the years isn ’ t sustainable .
He said residents as well as taxpayers are losing money as a result .
“ There are individuals that are investing hugely in their docks at their cottages or at their lakefront properties in town .
Even the municipal Town @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , and every other park owned facility accessing the lake , ” Klassen said .
“ If the lake freezes at this level and then drops throughout the winter , every single dock on the lake will be ruined ... That is , what is left for docks that haven ’ t already been destroyed , ” Matt Klassen .
“ There are some of them where you ’ re walking through a hundred feet of water before you can actually get to the dock.
” Waters encroaching on the shore in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ La Ronge have surpassed historic highs and are starting to normalize .
Photo by Michael Bramadat-Willcock .
Klassen said a cost analysis would have to include both damages to lakeside structures and shorelines , as well as the cost of maintaining the dam — which he characterized as “ trying to find solutions that just aren ’ t working.
” “ They seem to be unable to control the structure at the north end of the lake .
There are 13 inlets into the lake and there ’ s only one where it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
He said there have to be better measures put in place to control the dam .
Water Security Agency spokesperson Patrick Boyle told Canada ’ s National Observer on Monday that the agency shares the community ’ s concerns , but that lake levels are weather dependent .
“ The concerns that local residents and the council there have are the same ones that we do as well , as far as water levels and going into winter , ” Boyle said .
He said that the agency is monitoring the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will depend on how much precipitation there is this fall .
As dead trees fall into the lake floating wood can become a hazard to boaters .
Photo courtesy of Matt Klassen .
Boyle also noted the risk to property if the lake freezes at such a high level .
“ Going high into the winter is certainly something that we ’ re also concerned about , because of spring runoff and how much snow melt you get , ” Boyle said .
He noted that the level was currently 364.92 meters , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Aug. 22 .
Boyle said there isn ’ t much that the WSA can do to control water levels at the dam site before winter hits .
“ There ’ s nothing we can do to lower it faster .
Likewise , we have no ability to manage inflows to the lake , ” Boyle said .
Boyle said the gates at the La Ronge Dam are fully open and have been since May 26 .
He said before that , two radial gates at the dam were fully open and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” through the winter .
So they did everything they could .
“ This is a record event .
It ’ s not something that we ’ ve experienced before so we ’ re learning a lot from this event and where we go from there , ” Boyle said .
Klassen said those answers aren ’ t good enough , and that the dam isn ’ t as open as the agency implies .
A park bench near where the Montreal River meets Lac La Ronge showing water levels near their peak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There ’ s a lot of unanswered questions here , and since the floods of 2011 , we ’ ve seen drastic fluctuations in water levels three times since then , and it ’ s just absolutely not good enough .
We need to have better control of our lake , ” Klassen said .
“ They say the dam is completely open which it isn ’ t .
It ’ s close to completely open , but it ’ s not completely open.
” Klassen said floods in 2011 were more noticeable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 , but this year is more pernicious and just as bad .
`` There was a large amount of rain that came directly through the Montreal River and flooded that area in larger quantities in a shorter amount of time .
This year it was prolonged over more area and through different inlets into the lake , but we ’ re actually sitting right now at a higher level than 2011 , '' Klassen said .
Boyle said that as far as damaged property goes , when an event causes significant losses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Provincial Disaster Assistance Program ( PDAP ) .
Outflows at the La Ronge dam at Rapid River on the northeast end of Lac La Ronge .
Residents want the Water Security Agency to do more to lower lake levels before the winter freeze .
Photo courtesy of Matt Klassen .
The Ministry of Government Relations said in a statement that summer is when most extreme weather events occur in Saskatchewan , and PDAP funding can help communities recover from natural disasters such as flooding .
“ As the 2020 disaster season comes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ check online if they ’ re designated , as eligible , to submit claims to PDAP , ” Government Relations Minister Lori Carr said .
“ This means PDAP will send out adjusters to survey property damage , which allows the program to begin providing financial assistance to start the rebuilding process.
” Within one month after the disaster occurs , the local government authority must submit a request for support including a resolution in council .
To learn more about PDAP , or find the latest update of designated communities , visit @ @ @ @ @

Lakeside residents are calling on the province to do more to control water levels at Saskatchewan's Lac La Ronge as they say properties around the lake continue to sustain heavy damage. Water levels around the lake have exceeded the previous record, set in 2011, in what the Water Security Agency called a “record event,” impacting communities around northern Saskatchewan’s Churchill River basin. Water levels in Lac La Ronge exceeded historic highs in August and residents continue to suffer as many homes in the area are located next to water. Photo submitted by Brandon White. “They need to do something to lower the level of the lake before it freezes this high,” Lac La Ronge Cabin Association president and town councillor Matt Klassen told Canada’s National Observer on Monday. The La Ronge Town Council passed Klassen’s motion to send a letter of concern to the Water Security Agency over damaged property and high water levels last Wednesday.
“If the lake freezes at this level and then drops throughout the winter, every single dock on the lake will be ruined,” Klassen said. “That is, what is left for docks that haven’t already been destroyed.” Klassen said docks and boat launches aren’t the only concern; he said the water levels are damaging the shorelines, and that trees falling into the lake result in driftwood that boaters could hit. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Only one outflow dam on the lake means more water flowing in than out according to property owners around the lake. Photo courtesy of Matt Klassen.
“Numerous trees are being killed... and then we have more shrapnel floating around the lake, worrying about boaters hitting that,” Klassen said. “If the lake freezes at this level and then drops throughout the winter, every single dock on the lake will be ruined... That is, what is left for docks that haven’t already been destroyed,” Matt Klassen. He said the cost of maintaining the La Ronge dam at Rapid River and dealing with floods over the years isn’t sustainable. He said residents as well as taxpayers are losing money as a result. “There are individuals that are investing hugely in their docks at their cottages or at their lakefront properties in town. Even the municipal Town of La Ronge dock is suffering from it, and every other park owned facility accessing the lake,” Klassen said. “There are some of them where you’re walking through a hundred feet of water before you can actually get to the dock.” Waters encroaching on the shore in La Ronge. Water levels in Lac La Ronge have surpassed historic highs and are starting to normalize. Photo by Michael Bramadat-Willcock.
Klassen said a cost analysis would have to include both damages to lakeside structures and shorelines, as well as the cost of maintaining the dam — which he characterized as “trying to find solutions that just aren’t working.” “They seem to be unable to control the structure at the north end of the lake. There are 13 inlets into the lake and there’s only one where it leaves at Rapid River,” Klassen said. He said there have to be better measures put in place to control the dam. Water Security Agency spokesperson Patrick Boyle told Canada’s National Observer on Monday that the agency shares the community’s concerns, but that lake levels are weather dependent.


nationalobserver--2020-08-29--The dirt on transformational soil and how it could help save the world

Anastasia Fyke doesn ’ t have time for millennials .
Sort of .
The fourth-generation buckwheat farmer from Manitoba ( and a millennial herself ) wants to help farmers transform agriculture from Canada ’ s sixth-largest greenhouse gas producer into a carbon sink .
It ’ s an attainable goal , she said — with enough investment .
“ I hear a lot of flak , especially from my own generation , blaming farmers for all these climate things , ” she said .
“ But people aren ’ t willing to pay for it.
” Environment Canada anticipates drought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weather will become more common in the next 50 years , threatening many farms ’ financial and ecological sustainability .
And those natural disasters are only part of the picture , she said .
Canadian farms are already walking a razor ’ s edge when it comes to their financial viability , leaving them little flexibility to deal with natural disasters — or reduce their greenhouse gas emissions .
“ Our # agriculturalsector is structured so the costs associated with improving the # environmental status of # agriculture aren ’ t being rewarded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or an increase in the price the producer receives.
” # cdnpoli # climate “ There ’ s already so much risk when it comes to farming , ” Fyke said .
“ ( Farmers ) take the bulk of risk , and if you look at their profits , gross profits are going up while net profits are not.
” Canadian farmers ’ debt , like greenhouse gas emissions , has risen exponentially over the past 20 years , more than doubling since 2000 to reach $ 115 billion this year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ dropped , hovering below $ 10 billion annually since the mid-1980s — rates unseen since the Great Depression .
That ’ s because there has been a sustained increase in the cost of farming ( fertilizers , fuel , equipment , seeds ) while the price farmers get for their crops have remained relatively stagnant for the past 100 years .
The situation has pushed many out of the business altogether .
Between 1991 and 2011 , the number of Canadian farmers dropped about 25 per cent , a trend that continues today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who remain from pivoting to low-carbon agricultural techniques and , potentially , turn farms into carbon sinks .
“ Our agricultural sector is structured so the costs associated with improving the environmental status of agriculture aren ’ t being rewarded by the increased price of food or an increase in the price the producer receives , ” said David Burton , a soil scientist and professor at Dalhousie University who studies carbon sequestration in agriculture .
“ Canadian farmers participate in a global food system that is mostly based on the least cost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it becomes very difficult to add to these costs of production and still be competitive.
” Healthy soil is rich in organic matter like compost or dead plants , Burton explained .
That ’ s what gives it the structural integrity that plants depend on to access oxygen , CO , nutrients , and water .
It also plays a key role in the biochemical reactions that help plants thrive , and provides a home to plants and other soil-dwellers .
Organic matter is why growing a garden on an old compost pile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primed with the stuff , allowing plants to thrive .
It ’ s also a cheap and efficient way to sequester the carbon dioxide captured in dead plants into the soil instead of letting it escape into the atmosphere .
“ The biggest impact our farm has had on emissions is just the increase year over year of the organic matter locked in our soil , ” said Arzeena Hamir , a mixed vegetable farmer in B.C.
’ s Comox Valley .
She relies on farming techniques that minimize the amount of soil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ straw to increase her beds ’ fertility and structure .
Arzeena Hamir operates a mixed-vegetable farm , growing about 47 different types of vegetables and fruits .
She owns her land , making it easier to invest in soil health and infrastructure like greenhouses .
Photo by Devon Cooke .
Still , those practices aren ’ t widespread .
Over the past century , industrial farming has eaten away at the organic matter in soils by cropping farmland and relying on artificial nitrogen fertilizers to feed the plants instead .
It remains the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That impacted the function of soils and their health , ” Burton , the soil scientist , explained .
It was one of the factors behind the Dust Bowl and it has made farms both less resilient and sustainable .
Those practices have also made many farmers dependent on artificial fertilizers to replace the essential nutrients entwined with organic matter .
Fertilizers that emit nitrous oxide , that are increasingly expensive , and lock farmers into a spiral with significant environmental and financial consequences .
“ Investing in your soil is not something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the short term , ” Hamir said .
“ You ’ re going to be reaping those rewards in decades .
But initially , there ’ s a cost to that , be it seed or land , that ’ s not in production.
” She can afford that investment .
Hamir owns her farm , ensuring she ’ ll reap the benefits of better soils , and sells directly to local consumers for a premium price — a business model that ’ s largely insulated from global market pressures .
🚜 Make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for climate-friendly farming 🤝 Help innovative farmers mentor other farmers 🏆 Reward farmers who reduce their climate risk 👩🌾 Support new and young farmers # BuildBackBetter # CdnAg # ClimateAction https : //t.co/SO6TvVtZbG — Farmers for Climate Solutions ( @ FarmersClimate ) August 28 , 2020 Many farmers can ’ t afford this kind of investment and need to maximize their land ’ s production each year .
Breaking this cycle of high-volume , industrial production on a national scale will take experimentation and federal support and should be a priority for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 relief funds , Fyke , the fourth-generation farmer from Manitoba , said .
“ Right now , if you ’ re a farmer , you ’ re probably struggling to earn a living versus implementing innovative , climate-friendly farming , ” she said .
Editor 's note : This story was updated on Sunday , August 30th to correct a photo credit for the picture of Arzeena Hamir .
The photo was taken by Devon Cooke .

Anastasia Fyke doesn’t have time for millennials. Sort of. The fourth-generation buckwheat farmer from Manitoba (and a millennial herself) wants to help farmers transform agriculture from Canada’s sixth-largest greenhouse gas producer into a carbon sink. It’s an attainable goal, she said — with enough investment. “I hear a lot of flak, especially from my own generation, blaming farmers for all these climate things,” she said. “But people aren’t willing to pay for it.” About eight per cent of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions came from farms in 2018, with the bulk originating from cattle and the degradation of agricultural soil. Artificial nitrogen fertilizers, which are used extensively in industrial agriculture and emit gases such as ammonia, nitrogen oxide, and nitrous oxides, are also to blame.
Nitrous oxide is particularly potent: It is over 300 times more efficient at trapping atmospheric heat than CO 2 , and accounted for about five per cent of Canada’s total emissions in 2018. These emissions are also increasing, climbing 22 per cent since 1992, a trend that’s predicted to continue over the next decade according to a 2020 report by the National Farmers Union. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions That has farmers like Fyke concerned.
Environment Canada anticipates drought, floods, wildfires, and unpredictable weather will become more common in the next 50 years, threatening many farms’ financial and ecological sustainability. “Our #agriculturalsector is structured so the costs associated with improving the #environmental status of #agriculture aren’t being rewarded by the increased price of #food or an increase in the price the producer receives.” #cdnpoli #climate And those natural disasters are only part of the picture, she said. Canadian farms are already walking a razor’s edge when it comes to their financial viability, leaving them little flexibility to deal with natural disasters — or reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. “There’s already so much risk when it comes to farming,” Fyke said. “(Farmers) take the bulk of risk, and if you look at their profits, gross profits are going up while net profits are not.” Canadian farmers’ debt, like greenhouse gas emissions, has risen exponentially over the past 20 years, more than doubling since 2000 to reach $115 billion this year.
Meanwhile, their net incomes have steadily dropped, hovering below $10 billion annually since the mid-1980s — rates unseen since the Great Depression. That’s because there has been a sustained increase in the cost of farming (fertilizers, fuel, equipment, seeds) while the price farmers get for their crops have remained relatively stagnant for the past 100 years. The situation has pushed many out of the business altogether. Between 1991 and 2011, the number of Canadian farmers dropped about 25 per cent, a trend that continues today. It’s also preventing those who remain from pivoting to low-carbon agricultural techniques and, potentially, turn farms into carbon sinks. “Our agricultural sector is structured so the costs associated with improving the environmental status of agriculture aren’t being rewarded by the increased price of food or an increase in the price the producer receives,” said David Burton, a soil scientist and professor at Dalhousie University who studies carbon sequestration in agriculture.


nationalobserver--2020-09-02--Small, storied bookshop big draw on remote B.C. island

Folks from far-flung places land on Cortes Island every summer to swim the lakes , paddle the seas and explore the forests .
Yet a top destination in this B.C .
outdoor adventure paradise is a tiny independent bookstore called Marnie ’ s Books .
The red , cottage-like bookstore punctuated by an aquamarine door is a hive of activity whenever it ’ s open .
Tourists and locals alike trundle up and down the wooden stairs to search the one-room shop for their summer read .
For many returning visitors , it ’ s a rite of summer to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Young along with sons Isaac , 7 , and Owen , 9 , have been coming to Marnie 's Books on Cortes Island for the past four years .
It 's a family summer tradition .
Photo : Rochelle Baker “ It ’ s definitely a tradition for us to come .
It ’ s something we look forward to , ” said Louise Young , flanked by her two young sons and clutching a bundle of books and games .
• The biblical flood that will drown California • B.C .
's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a `` shell game '' , says advocate • 'Nothing we can do : ' High water threatens lakeside homes “ Actually , one of the draws in coming to Cortes is to come to the bookstore.
” Despite its small size , Marnie ’ s has a thoughtful but fun selection of children ’ s options , Young said , adding she typically buys enough to keep her kids reading into fall .
“ The owner knows so much about the books , and is really able to help direct us to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ level of reading , ” she said .
But the bookstore generally just reflects the feel of Cortes Island , Young said .
“ Well , it ’ s very eclectic , open and interesting .
And sort of entrepreneurial but off the grid.
” Boring or mundane chat almost never occurs in room packed with literature , says Cortes Island bookshop owner Marnie Andrews .
“ Books just always give you a stepping stone to an interesting conversation . ''
Those very same descriptors could be applied to bookstore owner Marnie Andrews @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in her nook , loves the connection and conversation that books can spark in her island community .
Photo : Rochelle Baker The 63-year-old former librarian from Haida Gwaii , with a passionate love of literature — and a fierce commitment to sharing that love with others — originally started out by converting a bread truck into a mobile bookstore .
“ I decided to start a store , so I bought a 30-foot McGavin ’ s square aluminum bread truck and my husband changed it into a bookstore , ” said Andrews @ @ @ @ @ @ @ skylights in it and painted it white inside.
” She sold her wares from the bookmobile for five years at farmers ’ markets on both Cortes and neighbouring Quadra Island before deciding to set up something more permanent in 2003 .
At first blush , Cortes — an isolated island community with less than 1,000 permanent residents , separated from the nearest city by a two-ferry journey — may not seem the ideal place to set up shop .
But Cortesians are enthusiastic and avid readers , Andrews said .
“ I love @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cortes .
It ’ s a warm , friendly community that loves its books , ” she said .
The island ’ s love of reading is likely in part the result of the limited activities on offer , especially during the dark , rainy winters , Andrews said .
“ I do n't think anyone would live here that did n't love to read , ” she said .
As such , her 302-square-foot enterprise , plunked in the garden outside the Cortes food co-op , is still in existence 17 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tiny island bookshop continues to survive in an age where many independent and corporate book vendors in large urban centres like Vancouver are gone , or threatened with extinction .
The bookshop ’ s success can ’ t be measured solely by its modest margins , Andrews said , adding she ’ s in the fortunate position of being comfortably retired without a mortgage .
Plus , Andrews profits in a number of other ways .
“ Well , it 's a very fun place and way to indulge one 's love of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ And to share with other book lovers , or folks that you hope will become book lovers , like children.
” One of Andrews ’ joys is watching children grow and mature , both as individuals and readers .
“ It 's been interesting to be here long enough to see little children you saw when they were born , ” she said .
“ And now they 're adults and still love to read , and they still come in to get their books and tell you what they 're @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reading and bringing her kids to Marnie 's Books to read by the wood stove in winter .
Photo : Rochelle Baker One of those grown children is Melissa Campbell , who remembers getting books from Andrews ’ bookmobile .
The mother of three hovers around the central table , piled high with books , with her 13-month-old son bound to her side in a colourful sling .
“ I came back and started reading by the fire here at the store with my first child eight years ago , ” Campbell said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winter ritual with her other children too .
Her kids , like their mother , now love books .
“ Books are absolutely my favourite things .
I ’ m addicted to them , ” Campbell said , suddenly lifting a book to her nose .
“ And the smell of them !
Ohh !
Don ’ t you just love it ?
” Before making her purchase , Campbell , Andrews and another woman waiting in the store ’ s doorway chat about the book she ’ s selected .
Andrews talks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ book and lets Campbell know what other people have said about it .
In some ways , the shop strung with fairy lights feels more like a book club discussion taking place inside somebody ’ s living room .
Andrews says spontaneous engaging discussions among neighbours and strangers break out regularly in the intimate space .
Boring or mundane chat almost never occurs in room packed with literature , she added .
“ Books just always give you a stepping stone to an interesting conversation , ” Andrews said .
“ With them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you can connect , over ideas packed in that lovely form of a book .
”

Folks from far-flung places land on Cortes Island every summer to swim the lakes, paddle the seas and explore the forests. Yet a top destination in this B.C. outdoor adventure paradise is a tiny independent bookstore called Marnie’s Books. The red, cottage-like bookstore punctuated by an aquamarine door is a hive of activity whenever it’s open. Tourists and locals alike trundle up and down the wooden stairs to search the one-room shop for their summer read. For many returning visitors, it’s a rite of summer to visit Marnie’s. Visitor Louise Young along with sons Isaac, 7, and Owen, 9, have been coming to Marnie's Books on Cortes Island for the past four years. It's a family summer tradition. Photo: Rochelle Baker
“It’s definitely a tradition for us to come. It’s something we look forward to,” said Louise Young, flanked by her two young sons and clutching a bundle of books and games. “Actually, one of the draws in coming to Cortes is to come to the bookstore.” Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Despite its small size, Marnie’s has a thoughtful but fun selection of children’s options, Young said, adding she typically buys enough to keep her kids reading into fall.
“The owner knows so much about the books, and is really able to help direct us to really good books for their age and level of reading,” she said. Boring or mundane chat almost never occurs in room packed with literature, says Cortes Island bookshop owner Marnie Andrews. “Books just always give you a stepping stone to an interesting conversation." But the bookstore generally just reflects the feel of Cortes Island, Young said. “Well, it’s very eclectic, open and interesting. And sort of entrepreneurial but off the grid.” Those very same descriptors could be applied to bookstore owner Marnie Andrews herself. Bookstore owner Marnie Andrews, in her nook, loves the connection and conversation that books can spark in her island community. Photo: Rochelle Baker
The 63-year-old former librarian from Haida Gwaii, with a passionate love of literature — and a fierce commitment to sharing that love with others — originally started out by converting a bread truck into a mobile bookstore. “I decided to start a store, so I bought a 30-foot McGavin’s square aluminum bread truck and my husband changed it into a bookstore,” said Andrews with a laugh. “We put skylights in it and painted it white inside.”


nationalobserver--2020-09-02--When protest can’t be social, protesters take to social media

Iako Patton was one of a handful of climate activists studying at the University of Toronto who decided early on in the pandemic to set up a campus division of the Fridays for Future student protest movement .
The second-year anthropology/art history major is now running social media for the expanding group , as it meets online on Sunday afternoons to plot strategy and plan for a climate strike later this month — the first coordinated global environmental action of the COVID-19 era .
The global movement of young environmentalists demanding climate action from government has had its main weapon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people to the streets for coordinated global protests — neutralized by the pandemic .
It has also been overtaken by the velocity of protest against police brutality and systemic racism sparked by the death of George Floyd at the knee of a white U.S. police officer in May .
But while its downtown campus has laid dormant for almost six months now , the University of Toronto ’ s student climate protesters have been milling about in growing numbers online and joining Black Lives Matter protests in real life .
• The biblical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
's call on Ottawa to decriminalize drug possession a `` shell game '' , says advocate • 'Nothing we can do : ' High water threatens lakeside homes Iako Patton and other members of the Fridays for Future U of T chapter formed since the pandemic have had to make do with small climate protests .
Photo courtesy of Fridays for Future University of Toronto The intersecting and overlapping injustices of racism and environmental degradation are particularly compelling for Patton , who left Toronto in a hurry when the pandemic hit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city from her home on the Kahnawake First Nation reserve outside Montreal .
“ I saw that a lot of people were n't really talking about it in climate organizations and climate activists were skimming over , ” she said , referring to environmental racism , which means the worst effects of climate change are , by policy design , hitting communities of colour the hardest .
“ And I think now , since the resurgence and continued talk of Black Lives Matter and Indigenous sovereignty , that it ’ s really , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” She said her involvement in the climate movement started after a “ switch went off in my brain ” following the Sept. 27 , 2019 , global strike , and has been a gradual and natural shift from the work she ’ s done in her community — related to Indigenous land rights , sovereignty and connection to the land .
Patton remembers speakers from the Mohawk longhouse coming to her elementary school to share the creation stories , the traditional stories of her people .
Climate activists at @ UofT have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justice as they expand their team and plan for the next big global protest , on Sept. 25 “ In all our stories and in all our traditions , in our law , it 's our right to protect the land and the water , ” she said .
“ It ’ s our duty to do that.
” “ I didn ’ t see that it was an option to be silent , it was my duty to speak up and mobilize people , ” she said in a phone interview .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that affects me , it affects my community , it affects all Indigenous people , and I saw it more as my right than anything , and that I have to.
” Alone in the big city , Patton was in search of community when Allie Rougeot , an organizer with the broader Fridays for Future Toronto group , which has been a driving force behind previous protests , checked in on Patton while the Wet ’ suwet ’ en protests were in full swing .
Early this year , before the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blockaded railways across Canada , on both treaty and unceded lands , in support of Wet'suwet'en hereditary leaders ’ resistance to a planned pipeline .
Now she ’ s running the new team ’ s Instagram account , which she has taken from defining their mission and introducing some members , to disseminating graphics about student strikes and climate justice .
It has garnered more than 1,000 followers so far , up from around 30 in June , while about 40 people are included in the group ’ s Slack conversations .
Patton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her schedule , she could spend a couple of hours working on the project , or an entire day researching and compiling statistics on systemic racism and police brutality in Canada or on aspects of environmental racism .
She also got the team ’ s support for a campaign opposing an archeological dig on a traditional Mohawk burial site in Oka , that is opposed by elders from Kahnawake and neighbouring Kanesatake .

Iako Patton was one of a handful of climate activists studying at the University of Toronto who decided early on in the pandemic to set up a campus division of the Fridays for Future student protest movement. The second-year anthropology/art history major is now running social media for the expanding group, as it meets online on Sunday afternoons to plot strategy and plan for a climate strike later this month — the first coordinated global environmental action of the COVID-19 era. The global movement of young environmentalists demanding climate action from government has had its main weapon — the ability to bring millions of people to the streets for coordinated global protests — neutralized by the pandemic. It has also been overtaken by the velocity of protest against police brutality and systemic racism sparked by the death of George Floyd at the knee of a white U.S. police officer in May. But while its downtown campus has laid dormant for almost six months now, the University of Toronto’s student climate protesters have been milling about in growing numbers online and joining Black Lives Matter protests in real life.
Iako Patton and other members of the Fridays for Future U of T chapter formed since the pandemic have had to make do with small climate protests. Photo courtesy of Fridays for Future University of Toronto The intersecting and overlapping injustices of racism and environmental degradation are particularly compelling for Patton, who left Toronto in a hurry when the pandemic hit, and last weekend returned to the big city from her home on the Kahnawake First Nation reserve outside Montreal. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “I saw that a lot of people weren't really talking about it in climate organizations and climate activists were skimming over,” she said, referring to environmental racism, which means the worst effects of climate change are, by policy design, hitting communities of colour the hardest.
“And I think now, since the resurgence and continued talk of Black Lives Matter and Indigenous sovereignty, that it’s really, really hitting a lot of people now.” Climate activists at @UofT have since the pandemic joined those seeking racial justice as they expand their team and plan for the next big global protest, on Sept. 25 She said her involvement in the climate movement started after a “switch went off in my brain” following the Sept. 27, 2019, global strike, and has been a gradual and natural shift from the work she’s done in her community — related to Indigenous land rights, sovereignty and connection to the land. Patton remembers speakers from the Mohawk longhouse coming to her elementary school to share the creation stories, the traditional stories of her people. “In all our stories and in all our traditions, in our law, it's our right to protect the land and the water,” she said. “It’s our duty to do that.” “I didn’t see that it was an option to be silent, it was my duty to speak up and mobilize people,” she said in a phone interview. “Because it's not just something that affects me, it affects my community, it affects all Indigenous people, and I saw it more as my right than anything, and that I have to.”
Alone in the big city, Patton was in search of community when Allie Rougeot, an organizer with the broader Fridays for Future Toronto group, which has been a driving force behind previous protests, checked in on Patton while the Wet’suwet’en protests were in full swing. Early this year, before the pandemic hit, Indigenous people and their supporters blockaded railways across Canada, on both treaty and unceded lands, in support of Wet'suwet'en hereditary leaders’ resistance to a planned pipeline. Iako Patton pictured during the pandemic. Courtesy Iako Patton


nationalobserver--2020-09-02--B.C. teachers want federal funding used to help reduce class sizes

The B.C .
Teachers ' Federation ( BCTF ) , a union that represents 41,000 public school teachers across the province , is urging the provincial government to use federal funding to reduce class sizes as schools gear up to reopen next week .
The union said it has n't been consulted by the B.C .
government yet about how $ 242.36 million in added federal funding will be allocated , as the Sept. 10 opening date fast approaches .
The province received funding from the federal government to help schools deal with reopening under heightened health and safety standards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ union urged the government to use the funding to reduce class sizes , which it says will allow schools to properly follow social-distancing guidelines .
“ We need to do things differently and that starts with making sure staff and students can actually achieve physical distancing in our schools and classrooms , ” said BCTF President Teri Mooring in a statement on Aug. 26 .
“ Under the government ’ s current plan , that physical distancing just isn ’ t possible.
” • The biblical flood that will drown California • B.C @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drug possession a `` shell game '' , says advocate • 'Nothing we can do : ' High water threatens lakeside homes B.C.
’ s Ministry of Education said provincial funds had already been put to use for schools to get non-medical masks , hand-washing stations , physical barriers and cleaning supplies .
With the additional federal funding on top of their existing $ 45.6 million investment , the ministry said it is looking into enhancing cleaning protocols and increasing capacity for remote learning , but not increasing capacity within schools .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ described as “ rushed ” by the union .
Two parents have taken the ministry to court , citing COVID-19 safety concerns in the lawsuit , with the hope of delaying the return date .
Teachers were also critical of a back-to-school public service announcement from the B.C .
government , saying it was misleading parents regarding what classrooms will look like .
The 30-second ad , which features the province ’ s health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry , shows six students in a spacious classroom .
In reality , teachers said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ classroom .
If this is supposed to be showing us what schools will NOT look like and what trauma informed leadership does NOT look like ... Cohorting helps trace but does not prevent infection .
We need small class sizes where physical distancing is possible just like this ad .
# bced — Janine Fraser ( @ Janfra2 ) August 28 , 2020 In their recommendations for how federal funding should be allocated , the teachers ’ federation said smaller class sizes are a priority , along with strict mask regulations and more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ province 's current plan , B.C .
teachers ca n't practice proper physical distancing in their classrooms .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $ 2 billion in funding for provinces on Aug. 26 , with schools reopening in less than two weeks .
When asked by a reporter why the funds were released so close to the beginning of the school year , he said it was because education falls under provincial jurisdiction .
“ We recognize this is an area of provincial jurisdiction , but the fact is there are real and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said during the announcement .
The federal government said they ’ ve made the funds “ flexible , ” so that schools can decide how to use it .

The B.C. Teachers' Federation (BCTF), a union that represents 41,000 public school teachers across the province, is urging the provincial government to use federal funding to reduce class sizes as schools gear up to reopen next week.
The union said it hasn't been consulted by the B.C. government yet about how $242.36 million in added federal funding will be allocated, as the Sept. 10 opening date fast approaches.
The province received funding from the federal government to help schools deal with reopening under heightened health and safety standards amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The union urged the government to use the funding to reduce class sizes, which it says will allow schools to properly follow social-distancing guidelines.
“We need to do things differently and that starts with making sure staff and students can actually achieve physical distancing in our schools and classrooms,” said BCTF President Teri Mooring in a statement on Aug. 26. “Under the government’s current plan, that physical distancing just isn’t possible.”


nationalobserver--2020-09-02--New Indigenous advisory committee has no power over Canada’s energy projects

An Indigenous Advisory Committee may be comprised of `` respected voices in their communities , '' but it 's unclear how much of a say they 'll have during discussions about future energy projects .
The Canada Energy Regulator announced the committee last week .
The Canada Energy Regulator ( CER ) has only existed for about a year , having taken over the jurisdiction of the National Energy Board , an independent agency that regulated the country ’ s pipelines and power lines for nearly 60 years .
Protesters hold a banner at a Wet'suwet'en solidarity protest in Vaughan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 .
Creative Commons photo “ It is deeply concerning what implications the spill could have on water quality for Semá : th reservation residents , many of whom reported the smell of strong fumes throughout the weekend , ” said Sumas First Nation Chief Dalton Silver in a statement .
He added that Trans Mountain ’ s communication with the community was “ sporadic ” as it cleaned up the spill .
A proposed Trans Mountain expansion project in the region would see the pipeline cut through Lighting Rock , a sacred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communities — which the community will do anything to stop from happening , Silver added in the statement .
The mandate for the Indigenous Advisory Committee for Canada 's Energy Regulator ensures that decision-making power still lies with the federal government .
Tensions between Indigenous communities and Canada ’ s government and oil sector deteriorated earlier this year over a natural gas pipeline project on Wet ’ suwet ’ en territory in B.C .
A court injunction allowed RCMP to shut down railway blockades set up by Indigenous communities in protest , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trudeau ’ s Liberal government promised an overhaul of the energy project regulatory process in 2018 , after the previous government was criticized for failing to uphold the country ’ s legal obligation to consult with Indigenous peoples when projects could adversely affect them .
The new Indigenous Advisory Committee is mandated to help bridge future relations between First Nations and the country ’ s energy industry , but the restrictions of its mandate ensure that decision-making power lies with the federal government .

An Indigenous Advisory Committee may be comprised of "respected voices in their communities," but it's unclear how much of a say they'll have during discussions about future energy projects. The Canada Energy Regulator announced the committee last week. The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) has only existed for about a year, having taken over the jurisdiction of the National Energy Board, an independent agency that regulated the country’s pipelines and power lines for nearly 60 years. After more than a year of public consultations, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government created the new energy regulator as part of a plan to modernize federal energy regulations. A big focus of the modernization process was improving the government’s relationship with Indigenous communities, many of whom are directly impacted by natural gas pipeline projects. On Aug. 26, an Indigenous Advisory Committee of nine members was announced, some with direct ties to energy industries. The committee is described as a “key part of the CER’s commitment to advance reconciliation” put in place to advise the agency on how to approach Indigenous communities and increase their involvement in energy projects.
But while the committee has an overarching advisory role on strategic reconciliation and Indigenous values, its members have no authority over CER-regulated projects, operational matters or regulatory decision-making. The committee will also not advise on any decisions or orders made by the agency, as outlined in their mandate. The National Energy Board, the energy regulator's predecessor, was criticized for its lack of consultation with Indigenous groups over major pipeline projects. Most notably, the Trans Mountain Pipeline which crossed through several unceded, First Nations lands in B.C. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Leaks from the pipeline have also resulted in devastating environmental losses. On June 13, a spill near Abbotsford, B.C., left crude oil over fields used by the Sumas First Nation for pasturing cows near an aquifer the nation uses for their water source. It was the fourth time the pipeline had spilled oil on to the reserve in the last 15 years.
Protesters hold a banner at a Wet'suwet'en solidarity protest in Vaughan, Ont., on Feb. 15, 2020. Creative Commons photo “It is deeply concerning what implications the spill could have on water quality for Semá:th reservation residents, many of whom reported the smell of strong fumes throughout the weekend,” said Sumas First Nation Chief Dalton Silver in a statement. He added that Trans Mountain’s communication with the community was “sporadic” as it cleaned up the spill. The mandate for the Indigenous Advisory Committee for Canada's Energy Regulator ensures that decision-making power still lies with the federal government. A proposed Trans Mountain expansion project in the region would see the pipeline cut through Lighting Rock, a sacred burial and cultural site for two Indigenous communities — which the community will do anything to stop from happening, Silver added in the statement. Tensions between Indigenous communities and Canada’s government and oil sector deteriorated earlier this year over a natural gas pipeline project on Wet’suwet’en territory in B.C. A court injunction allowed RCMP to shut down railway blockades set up by Indigenous communities in protest, and arrest those that ignored the court order. Trudeau’s Liberal government promised an overhaul of the energy project regulatory process in 2018, after the previous government was criticized for failing to uphold the country’s legal obligation to consult with Indigenous peoples when projects could adversely affect them.


nationalobserver--2020-09-01--Canadian farmers rely on 250,000 imported bees. This year, they almost didn't come

Flying 250,000 bees across the Pacific is complicated .
Especially in a pandemic .
It ’ s a challenge Rod Scarlett knows well .
When most international flights stopped in March , thousands of queen bees were stranded abroad , and Scarlett , the executive director of the Canadian Honey Council , had to figure out how to get them to Canada before the spring thaw .
“ The early spring is when we really need queens from an area that can provide them .
That is , Australia , New Zealand , the U.S. and Chile , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cent of their colonies during the winter , Scarlett explained , and the colonies that aren ’ t killed can emerge from the season weakened — a major issue for Canadian beekeepers , and the farmers relying on them to pollinate crops early in the season .
“ You have to have queens early in the year so that you have a productive colony , ” Scarlett said .
Flying 250,000 # bees across the Pacific is complicated .
Especially in a # pandemic .
Bees are key to # BC $ 370 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and tree fruit crops and contribute about $ 538 million to the provincial economy .
# AAFC # COVID19 # food They ’ re built from bee larvae and fed a special diet by the colony to become sexually mature .
Once they reach maturity , the young queen will fly out of the colony and mate , before returning to lay eggs for several years .
Those eggs become worker bees , who leave the colony each day to collect pollen and nectar , the ingredients for honey and the queen ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Without a strong queen , worker bees won ’ t leave the colony in search of pollen .
That search leads to plant pollination — the sole purpose for the third of Canada ’ s commercial bee colonies used for commercial crop pollination .
These beekeepers need to know their colonies will be searching for pollen when the crops they ’ re hired to pollinate are flowering .
And so , Canada import bees — queens , or two-pound packages of worker bees and queens — from warmer ( and bee-disease free ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ packaged ” bees to replace a colony that got decimated over the winter .
Sixty-eight per cent fewer bee packages made it to Canada this year because of the pandemic .
Photo by vastateparkstaff/Wikimedia Commons “ We get a majority of these queens from a quarantined area in Northern California and from Hawaii , ” Scarlett said — a problem when the pandemic hit .
“ Flights became an issue , particularly Hawaii because all of a sudden , commercial flights stopped .
And that ’ s how bees normally came in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was an emergency for beekeepers and farmers across the country : How would several hundred thousand bees cross the Pacific ?
There weren ’ t many options , especially because bees need to travel in climate-controlled cargo holds .
FedEx and UPS couldn ’ t deliver Hawaiian bees across the Canadian border .
Chartering a plane to the U.S. state — let alone other bee-producing regions such as Australia , New Zealand and Chile — was prohibitively expensive .
And Air Canada , usually the main bee transporter , stopped flying all animals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 began to reshape our reality , there was a real possibility that the bees would not be imported , ” wrote Marie-Claude Bibeau , the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food in an op-ed .
“ The outlook was grim.
” Some good news to highlight about our favorite pollinators and honeymakers !
🐝 # Beesinflight # CdnAg https : //t.co/6JcBTN2rRt — Marie-Claude Bibeau ( @ mclaudebibeau ) April 17 , 2020 Scarlett agrees .
“ It was a stressful two weeks , ” he said .
The situation was serious enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coordinating an exemption for honeybees from Air Canada ’ s zoological travel ban that allowed bees to be flown into — and across — Canada .
About 202,000 queen bees had entered Canada as of Sept. 1st , compared to 236,000 last year , according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada .
Fewer packaged bees made it into the country , with 68 per cent less packages arriving this year than last .
Scarlett isn ’ t concerned by these lower numbers .
After all , the situation could have been much , much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broken , roughly $ 2 billion worth of crops Canada-wide would have failed .
That 's a lot worse than shelves emptied of toilet paper .

Flying 250,000 bees across the Pacific is complicated. Especially in a pandemic. It’s a challenge Rod Scarlett knows well. When most international flights stopped in March, thousands of queen bees were stranded abroad, and Scarlett, the executive director of the Canadian Honey Council, had to figure out how to get them to Canada before the spring thaw. “The early spring is when we really need queens from an area that can provide them. That is, Australia, New Zealand, the U.S. and Chile,” he said. Bees are essential to B.C.’s agricultural sector — the province’s $370 million blueberry, raspberry and tree fruit crops depend on them — and contribute an estimated $538 million to the provincial economy overall. It’s a contribution that has become even more important over the past several decades.
Populations of bees and other pollinators have declined drastically in Canada and elsewhere. That's not good; globally, about a third of food crops depend on pollinators to be successful. Photo by Terry Lucas/Wikimedia Commons Habitat loss and pesticides have decimated native pollinator populations — for instance, bumblebees (a key native pollinator) have seen their relative abundance crash by 97 per cent, with the sharpest decline occurring in the past 30 years. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions In contrast, honeybees aren’t native to North America. They hibernate to survive Canada’s harsh winters and aren’t always successful.
Beekeepers lose roughly 20 per cent of their colonies during the winter, Scarlett explained, and the colonies that aren’t killed can emerge from the season weakened — a major issue for Canadian beekeepers, and the farmers relying on them to pollinate crops early in the season. Flying 250,000 #bees across the Pacific is complicated. Especially in a #pandemic. Bees are key to #BC $370 million #blueberry, #raspberry, and tree fruit crops and contribute about $538 million to the provincial economy. #AAFC #COVID19 #food “You have to have queens early in the year so that you have a productive colony,” Scarlett said. Queen bees are a bee colony’s raison d’être. They’re built from bee larvae and fed a special diet by the colony to become sexually mature. Once they reach maturity, the young queen will fly out of the colony and mate, before returning to lay eggs for several years. Those eggs become worker bees, who leave the colony each day to collect pollen and nectar, the ingredients for honey and the queen’s exclusive meal: royal jelly. Without a strong queen, worker bees won’t leave the colony in search of pollen. That search leads to plant pollination — the sole purpose for the third of Canada’s commercial bee colonies used for commercial crop pollination. These beekeepers need to know their colonies will be searching for pollen when the crops they’re hired to pollinate are flowering.
And so, Canada import bees — queens, or two-pound packages of worker bees and queens — from warmer (and bee-disease free) places. Canadian beekeepers will also import “packaged” bees to replace a colony that got decimated over the winter. Sixty-eight per cent fewer bee packages made it to Canada this year because of the pandemic. Photo by vastateparkstaff/Wikimedia Commons “We get a majority of these queens from a quarantined area in Northern California and from Hawaii,” Scarlett said — a problem when the pandemic hit.


nationalobserver--2020-09-02--How SUVs conquered the world – at the expense of its climate

This article was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of Canada 's National Observer 's collaboration with Climate Desk .
They are the hulking cars that have conquered the world .
Spreading from the heartlands of the US to a new generation of eager buyers in China to dominate even the twisting , narrow streets of Europe , the sports utility vehicle , or SUV , has bludgeoned its way to automobile supremacy with a heady mix of convenience and marketing muscle .
The rise of the SUV as the world ’ s pre-eminent car has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this new status – the altered patterns of urban life , air quality , pedestrian safety , where to park the things – are still coming into focus .
But it ’ s increasingly clear that SUVs ’ most profound impact is playing out within the climate crisis , where their surging popularity is producing a vast new source of planet-cooking emissions .
Last year , the International Energy Agency made a finding that stunned even its own researchers .
SUVs were the second largest cause of the global rise in carbon dioxide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all shipping , aviation , heavy industry and even trucks , usually the only vehicles to loom larger than them on the road .
• The biblical flood that will drown California • 'Nothing we can do : ' High water threatens lakeside homes Each year , SUVs belch out 700 megatonnes of CO2 , about the entire output of the UK and Netherlands combined .
If all SUV drivers banded together to form their own country , it would rank as the seventh largest emitter in the world .
Climate activists may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oil pipelines and ladle enough guilt on to flying that flygskam , or “ flight shame ” , has spread from Sweden around the world but a mammoth , and growing , cause of the climate crisis has crept up almost unnoticed around us .
“ The global rise of SUVs is challenging efforts to reduce emissions , ” Fatih Birol , executive director of the IEA , admitted .
SUVs raced to a new milestone in 2019 , surpassing 40 % of all car sales worldwide for the first time .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and garages now contain more than 200m SUVs , eight times the number from a decade ago .
SUVs ’ share of car sales in the UK has tripled over the past 10 years , in Germany last year one in three cars sold was an SUV .
Combining the weight of an adult rhinoceros and the aerodynamics of a refrigerator , SUVs require more energy to move around than smaller cars and therefore emit more CO2 , overshadowing the car industry ’ s climate gains from fuel efficiency improvements and the nascent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the Guardian illustrate , for the first time in detail , how much worse for the climate SUVs are than smaller vehicles , and how they have helped transform our cities .
• In the US , SUVs emit 14 % more carbon dioxide than small passenger cars on average , a wider disparity than in the European Union but smaller than China .
• These differences add up to a hefty toll in emissions – all of the SUVs sold in the US just in 2018 will in a single year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if they were smaller cars .
Over a 15-year lifetime of the vehicles , the extra pollution is on a par with the entire annual emissions of Norway .
• Over a 15-year lifespan , the SUVs sold in the US in 2018 will emit 429.5m tonnes of CO2 .
In China , the emissions will amount to 482m tonnes of CO2 , while in the EU the vehicles will expel 129m tonnes of CO2 .
Combined , these emissions will be three times higher than what the UK emits from all sources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ avert the worst of the climate catastrophe , the transport sector needs to be completely decarbonized , ” said Sebastian Castellanos , a researcher at the New Urban Mobility Alliance who calculated the emissions .
“ With the explosion in SUV sales , we are moving even farther away from our goal of decarbonizing the sector.
” This global phenomenon has its roots and impetus in the US , where in the 1980s the car industry carved out a new category called the “ sport-utility vehicle ” , a sort of mash-up between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ traditional American family car .
After successfully lobbying lawmakers to class these vehicles as light trucks rather than cars , binding SUVs to less stringent fuel efficiency standards , the industry set about slotting them into almost every arena of American life .
Once a workhorse that lugged tools around or was used for bumpy off-road driving , the SUV morphed into the default option for families puttering around suburbia and even for people in the cores of densely populated cities .
The look and cost of SUVs stretched to suit all tastes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boxy , spartan offering considered the first SUV , has spawned successors ranging from the compact Kia Sportage to the sporty Mercedes ML .
The industry found that American drivers enjoy the lofty seating position of SUVs , as well as the capacity and the comforting feel of security their bulk provides , even if half of all journeys taken in the US are mundane trips of under three miles to run errands rather than high-octane adventures in the Rocky Mountains .
For many Americans , SUVs invoke alluring qualities of fortitude and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one now , ” said Stephanie Brinley , principal automotive analyst at IHS Markit .
“ The family car is now a utility vehicle and not a sedan .
Millennials like them , baby boomers like them .
Americans like to take all of their stuff with them and automakers figured this out.
” Marketing for SUVs is now so broad it no longer seems jarring to see ads of a beefy car-truck zooming around urban streets to take its occupant to a yoga class or to grab a coffee .
Ford was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Bronco , a model infamous for being driven by OJ Simpson as he was chased by a phalanx of police cars in 1994 , that it rolled out an eight-part podcast series in celebration .
“ Car companies looked at things that people value , such as macho-ness , ruggedness and protection of the family , and leveraged that , ” said Harvey Miller , professor and director of the Center for Urban and Regional Analysis at Ohio State University .
“ These SUVs are named after mountains and other places you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ created a market that pushes our buttons.
” As Bloomberg ’ s Nat Bullard noted in a recent tweet : “ We don ’ t buy cars here .
We buy big cars built on truck bodies , and we buy trucks and drive them like cars.
” The US is now indisputably an SUV nation , a transformation that has had profound consequences for American cities as well as the global climate .
This new reality is a logical endpoint to a century of lobbying and cajoling by the car industry to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas shared by pedestrians , market stands and early vehicles to mega-highways that slice disproportionately through communities of colour ; where jaywalking is a punishable act and where so much space is required for the 95 % of the time our cars sit idle that Los Angeles , for example , devotes an area larger than the land mass of Manhattan just for parking .
To Miller , SUVs are a monument to a broader American failure that has seen pedestrians and cyclists forsaken for endless miles of road building , with non-car @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ beg buttons ” to pause traffic to enter roads that should be egalitarian public spaces .
SUVs , according to Miller , not only bring a stew of pollution and an element of fear to those attempting to traverse roads on foot or bike , they are fundamentally inefficient .
“ You are taking a 200lb package , a human , and wrapping it in a 6,000lb shipping container , ” he said .
“ For some reason we think that is a good way to move through a city .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of business in a week.
” Alarm has also been raised over the safety of SUVs , given that during accidents their elevated stature tends to strike pedestrians and cyclists on the upper torso and then crushes them under the wheels .
“ They are killing machines , ” said Miller .
“ They cause a lot of damage to the global climate , to air quality and to the people they hit .
SUVs are terrible for cities and neighborhoods , they serve no purpose there .
You don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to buy a gallon of milk.
” Taming SUV emissions will largely come down to fuel efficiency improvements and a significant shift to electric versions .
Firms including Nissan , General Motors and , of course , Tesla have started to roll out electric SUVs , nudging the driving range up to 300 miles without a charge .
But the challenge is steep – today , only about one in every 100 vehicles sold in the US is electric , recharging stations are still sparse and the price of oil – and therefore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plummeted to record lows .
A deeper-rooted reform would involve a reimagining of US towns and cities as places largely without cars , a previously unthinkable scenario before the pandemic emptied streets and saw outdoor diners , skateboarders and strolling couples take their place on the reclaimed tarmac .
The crisis of 2020 has given Americans a glimpse of a different sort of urban life , one more readily associated with Amsterdam or Venice , although there is little sign the clamor for SUVs is weakening .
“ Most Americans can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crappy public transit .
It ’ s all they ’ ve ever seen , ” said Miller .
“ Now that SUVs are here they are difficult to unwind but if we want sustainable , healthy cities we have to do it.
” Europe , with its more embedded culture of walking , cycling and public transport , is now staging something of a backlash against the SUV , with protests held in Germany over the vehicles ’ climate impact and calls in the UK , home of the “ Chelsea tractor ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advertising SUVs because they spew out huge volumes of air pollutants that lodge harmful particles in the lungs and can even lead to brain damage .
Not so in America , where the era of the SUV is far from threatened .
IHS Markit forecasts SUVs will make up half of all US car sales this year for the first time , strengthening further to 54 % of sales by 2025 .
General Motors , Fiat Chrysler and Ford are increasingly now SUV , rather than car , makers .
“ The dominance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Brinley .
“ We will just see them as the norm .
”

Last year, the International Energy Agency made a finding that stunned even its own researchers. SUVs were the second largest cause of the global rise in carbon dioxide emissions over the past decade, eclipsing all shipping, aviation, heavy industry and even trucks, usually the only vehicles to loom larger than them on the road.
But it’s increasingly clear that SUVs’ most profound impact is playing out within the climate crisis, where their surging popularity is producing a vast new source of planet-cooking emissions.
The rise of the SUV as the world’s pre-eminent car has been so rapid that the consequences of this new status – the altered patterns of urban life, air quality, pedestrian safety, where to park the things – are still coming into focus.
They are the hulking cars that have conquered the world. Spreading from the heartlands of the US to a new generation of eager buyers in China to dominate even the twisting, narrow streets of Europe, the sports utility vehicle, or SUV, has bludgeoned its way to automobile supremacy with a heady mix of convenience and marketing muscle.
This article was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of Canada's National Observer's collaboration with Climate Desk.
Each year, SUVs belch out 700 megatonnes of CO2, about the entire output of the UK and Netherlands combined. If all SUV drivers banded together to form their own country, it would rank as the seventh largest emitter in the world.
Combining the weight of an adult rhinoceros and the aerodynamics of a refrigerator, SUVs require more energy to move around than smaller cars and therefore emit more CO2, overshadowing the car industry’s climate gains from fuel efficiency improvements and the nascent electric vehicle market.
SUVs raced to a new milestone in 2019, surpassing 40% of all car sales worldwide for the first time. The world’s roads, parking lots and garages now contain more than 200m SUVs, eight times the number from a decade ago. SUVs’ share of car sales in the UK has tripled over the past 10 years, in Germany last year one in three cars sold was an SUV.
Climate activists may hurl themselves in the path of new oil pipelines and ladle enough guilt on to flying that flygskam, or “flight shame”, has spread from Sweden around the world but a mammoth, and growing, cause of the climate crisis has crept up almost unnoticed around us.
In the US, SUVs emit 14% more carbon dioxide than small passenger cars on average, a wider disparity than in the European Union but smaller than China.
Emissions analysis commissioned by the Guardian illustrate, for the first time in detail, how much worse for the climate SUVs are than smaller vehicles, and how they have helped transform our cities.
These differences add up to a hefty toll in emissions – all of the SUVs sold in the US just in 2018 will in a single year emit 3.5m tonnes more in CO2 than if they were smaller cars. Over a 15-year lifetime of the vehicles, the extra pollution is on a par with the entire annual emissions of Norway.
Over a 15-year lifespan, the SUVs sold in the US in 2018 will emit 429.5m tonnes of CO2. In China, the emissions will amount to 482m tonnes of CO2, while in the EU the vehicles will expel 129m tonnes of CO2. Combined, these emissions will be three times higher than what the UK emits from all sources in a single year.
“To avert the worst of the climate catastrophe, the transport sector needs to be completely decarbonized,” said Sebastian Castellanos, a researcher at the New Urban Mobility Alliance who calculated the emissions. “With the explosion in SUV sales, we are moving even farther away from our goal of decarbonizing the sector.”
This global phenomenon has its roots and impetus in the US, where in the 1980s the car industry carved out a new category called the “sport-utility vehicle”, a sort of mash-up between a truck, a minivan and the traditional American family car. After successfully lobbying lawmakers to class these vehicles as light trucks rather than cars, binding SUVs to less stringent fuel efficiency standards, the industry set about slotting them into almost every arena of American life.
Once a workhorse that lugged tools around or was used for bumpy off-road driving, the SUV morphed into the default option for families puttering around suburbia and even for people in the cores of densely populated cities. The look and cost of SUVs stretched to suit all tastes – the 1984 Jeep Cherokee, a boxy, spartan offering considered the first SUV, has spawned successors ranging from the compact Kia Sportage to the sporty Mercedes ML.
The industry found that American drivers enjoy the lofty seating position of SUVs, as well as the capacity and the comforting feel of security their bulk provides, even if half of all journeys taken in the US are mundane trips of under three miles to run errands rather than high-octane adventures in the Rocky Mountains. For many Americans, SUVs invoke alluring qualities of fortitude and independence.
“Pretty much everyone wants one now,” said Stephanie Brinley, principal automotive analyst at IHS Markit. “The family car is now a utility vehicle and not a sedan. Millennials like them, baby boomers like them. Americans like to take all of their stuff with them and automakers figured this out.”
Marketing for SUVs is now so broad it no longer seems jarring to see ads of a beefy car-truck zooming around urban streets to take its occupant to a yoga class or to grab a coffee. Ford was so thrilled with its recent relaunch of the Bronco, a model infamous for being driven by OJ Simpson as he was chased by a phalanx of police cars in 1994, that it rolled out an eight-part podcast series in celebration.
“Car companies looked at things that people value, such as macho-ness, ruggedness and protection of the family, and leveraged that,” said Harvey Miller, professor and director of the Center for Urban and Regional Analysis at Ohio State University. “These SUVs are named after mountains and other places you’ll never go to. They created a market that pushes our buttons.”
As Bloomberg’s Nat Bullard noted in a recent tweet: “We don’t buy cars here. We buy big cars built on truck bodies, and we buy trucks and drive them like cars.” The US is now indisputably an SUV nation, a transformation that has had profound consequences for American cities as well as the global climate.
The SUV city
This new reality is a logical endpoint to a century of lobbying and cajoling by the car industry to turn American city streets from raucous communal areas shared by pedestrians, market stands and early vehicles to mega-highways that slice disproportionately through communities of colour; where jaywalking is a punishable act and where so much space is required for the 95% of the time our cars sit idle that Los Angeles, for example, devotes an area larger than the land mass of Manhattan just for parking.
To Miller, SUVs are a monument to a broader American failure that has seen pedestrians and cyclists forsaken for endless miles of road building, with non-car users forced to push what he calls “beg buttons” to pause traffic to enter roads that should be egalitarian public spaces.
SUVs, according to Miller, not only bring a stew of pollution and an element of fear to those attempting to traverse roads on foot or bike, they are fundamentally inefficient. “You are taking a 200lb package, a human, and wrapping it in a 6,000lb shipping container,” he said. “For some reason we think that is a good way to move through a city. If Amazon used that rationale it would be out of business in a week.”
Image by Pixaby from Pexels
Alarm has also been raised over the safety of SUVs, given that during accidents their elevated stature tends to strike pedestrians and cyclists on the upper torso and then crushes them under the wheels. “They are killing machines,” said Miller. “They cause a lot of damage to the global climate, to air quality and to the people they hit. SUVs are terrible for cities and neighborhoods, they serve no purpose there. You don’t need them to run to the store to buy a gallon of milk.”
Taming SUV emissions will largely come down to fuel efficiency improvements and a significant shift to electric versions. Firms including Nissan, General Motors and, of course, Tesla have started to roll out electric SUVs, nudging the driving range up to 300 miles without a charge. But the challenge is steep – today, only about one in every 100 vehicles sold in the US is electric, recharging stations are still sparse and the price of oil – and therefore gasoline at the pump – has recently plummeted to record lows.
A deeper-rooted reform would involve a reimagining of US towns and cities as places largely without cars, a previously unthinkable scenario before the pandemic emptied streets and saw outdoor diners, skateboarders and strolling couples take their place on the reclaimed tarmac. The crisis of 2020 has given Americans a glimpse of a different sort of urban life, one more readily associated with Amsterdam or Venice, although there is little sign the clamor for SUVs is weakening.
“Most Americans can’t imagine anything else other than highways and crappy public transit. It’s all they’ve ever seen,” said Miller. “Now that SUVs are here they are difficult to unwind but if we want sustainable, healthy cities we have to do it.”
Europe, with its more embedded culture of walking, cycling and public transport, is now staging something of a backlash against the SUV, with protests held in Germany over the vehicles’ climate impact and calls in the UK, home of the “Chelsea tractor” insult, for a tobacco-style ban on advertising SUVs because they spew out huge volumes of air pollutants that lodge harmful particles in the lungs and can even lead to brain damage.
Not so in America, where the era of the SUV is far from threatened. IHS Markit forecasts SUVs will make up half of all US car sales this year for the first time, strengthening further to 54% of sales by 2025. General Motors, Fiat Chrysler and Ford are increasingly now SUV, rather than car, makers.
“The dominance of SUVs is only going to stretch,” said Brinley. “We will just see them as the norm.”


nationalobserver--2020-09-02--COVID-19 causes delays for student refugee resettlement program

A non-profit organization that resettles refugees from six asylum countries to pursue their educations at Canadian post-secondary schools is hoping COVID-19 international travel restrictions will ease in time for this year ’ s cohort to arrive for the winter semester .
The Student Refugee Program , run by World University Service of Canada ( WUSC ) , recruits students to further their education at 98 campus partners across the country .
Over the last four decades , the organization has resettled 1,900 young refugees who passed the rigorous application , examination and interview process to attend post-secondary school in Canada @ @ @ @ @ @ @ programming at WUSC , said the pandemic is affecting each of the asylum countries — Uganda , Kenya , Jordan , Malawi , Tanzania and Lebanon — differently .
Some refugee camps and service providers have not been able to facilitate virtual interviews yet for 2021 applicants because the virus has forced closures .
Students at Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya , in 2017 .
Photo by Lorenzo Moscia/WUSC About 130 students were meant to arrive this fall , but the COVID-19 closures affected visa offices and embassies .
• The biblical flood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can do : ' High water threatens lakeside homes “ I think some students have rolled with it , and other students , of course , it 's very disappointing , ” said Mylks .
“ Depending on the stability of the situation they 're living in presently , it can be quite upsetting to not have a confirmed travel date.
” Some students are taking the time to continue working on their language skills or volunteering with local public health and education initiatives .
In the 2018-19 academic year , WUSC resettled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 1,000 staff , faculty and volunteers , according to its annual report .
Campus partnerships are an important part of its funding model .
Student levy fees in 2018-19 raised $ 3 million for the program , which allowed it to expand recruitment and add Uganda as part of its roster of asylum countries .
Syrian refugees have also participated in the program .
On average , the fee costs Canadian students less than $ 5 per semester , the WUSC annual report states .
Alykhan Jetha , a third-year economics and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and president of the WUSC local committee at Trinity College , is helping to steer his team remotely as the campus faces COVID-19 closures .
“ I think some students have rolled with it , and other students , of course , it 's very disappointing .
Depending on the stability of the situation they 're living in presently , it can be quite upsetting to not have a confirmed travel date.
” Around this time , his committee would be preparing for student arrivals from the asylum countries .
But pandemic travel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least December , Jetha said , giving the Canadian students time to implement reforms and improve how they serve incoming refugee students .
WUSC Local Committee at the University of Toronto .
Photo by WUSC UTSC , via Facebook The focus of WUSC is to empower students , Jetha said , “ I think a big part of that empowerment comes from controlling your own finances.
” To that end , his group is working on expediting how sponsored students file reimbursement claims for their eligible supplies and textbooks and inviting them to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A WUSC engineering student who arrived last summer said he is finding the adjustment to life in Canada more difficult now because of the limited work opportunities due to the pandemic .
Still , he said his goal is not to “ make money…I want to make a difference in society.
” The student – who requested not to be named because he wishes to keep his migration status private – said he applied to at least 20 jobs in the last few months .
“ It was hard saving money , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now volunteering with his local WUSC chapter and hopes his efforts will help to expand the program to other campuses in Canada .

A non-profit organization that resettles refugees from six asylum countries to pursue their educations at Canadian post-secondary schools is hoping COVID-19 international travel restrictions will ease in time for this year’s cohort to arrive for the winter semester. The Student Refugee Program, run by World University Service of Canada (WUSC), recruits students to further their education at 98 campus partners across the country. Over the last four decades, the organization has resettled 1,900 young refugees who passed the rigorous application, examination and interview process to attend post-secondary school in Canada. Christine Mylks, manager of overseas programming at WUSC, said the pandemic is affecting each of the asylum countries — Uganda, Kenya, Jordan, Malawi, Tanzania and Lebanon — differently. Some refugee camps and service providers have not been able to facilitate virtual interviews yet for 2021 applicants because the virus has forced closures. Students at Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya, in 2017. Photo by Lorenzo Moscia/WUSC
About 130 students were meant to arrive this fall, but the COVID-19 closures affected visa offices and embassies. “I think some students have rolled with it, and other students, of course, it's very disappointing,” said Mylks. “Depending on the stability of the situation they're living in presently, it can be quite upsetting to not have a confirmed travel date.” Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Some students are taking the time to continue working on their language skills or volunteering with local public health and education initiatives.
In the 2018-19 academic year, WUSC resettled 128 refugees with the support of more than 1,000 staff, faculty and volunteers, according to its annual report. “I think some students have rolled with it, and other students, of course, it's very disappointing. Depending on the stability of the situation they're living in presently, it can be quite upsetting to not have a confirmed travel date.” Campus partnerships are an important part of its funding model. Student levy fees in 2018-19 raised $3 million for the program, which allowed it to expand recruitment and add Uganda as part of its roster of asylum countries. Syrian refugees have also participated in the program. On average, the fee costs Canadian students less than $5 per semester, the WUSC annual report states. Alykhan Jetha, a third-year economics and math student at the University of Toronto and president of the WUSC local committee at Trinity College, is helping to steer his team remotely as the campus faces COVID-19 closures. Around this time, his committee would be preparing for student arrivals from the asylum countries. But pandemic travel restrictions will delay student sponsorships until at least December, Jetha said, giving the Canadian students time to implement reforms and improve how they serve incoming refugee students. WUSC Local Committee at the University of Toronto. Photo by WUSC UTSC, via Facebook
The focus of WUSC is to empower students, Jetha said, “I think a big part of that empowerment comes from controlling your own finances.” To that end, his group is working on expediting how sponsored students file reimbursement claims for their eligible supplies and textbooks and inviting them to take on leadership positions with the committee. A WUSC engineering student who arrived last summer said he is finding the adjustment to life in Canada more difficult now because of the limited work opportunities due to the pandemic. Still, he said his goal is not to “make money…I want to make a difference in society.” The student – who requested not to be named because he wishes to keep his migration status private – said he applied to at least 20 jobs in the last few months. “It was hard saving money, especially with the pandemic.” He is now volunteering with his local WUSC chapter and hopes his efforts will help to expand the program to other campuses in Canada.


nationalobserver--2020-09-02--Eight candidates on the ballot for race to succeed Elizabeth May as Green Party leader

Eight candidates have made it to the final ballot in the race to succeed leader Elizabeth May , the Green Party of Canada said Wednesday .
The Green Party hasn ’ t held a leadership contest for 14 years .
Its new pick will take over at a pivotal time , in a moment where talk of a green economic recovery from COVID-19 is gaining momentum and the possibility of a snap election this fall looms .
“ Despite the immense challenges of running a campaign during a pandemic , these remarkable individuals have energized and engaged our members from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said interim Green Party Leader Jo-Ann Roberts in a statement Wednesday .
The new leader will be announced on Oct. 3 after the results of the ranked-ballot vote are tallied .
The deadline for requesting a mail-in ballot was last week , but party members who have already done so can begin submitting names once their ballots arrive — likely within the next week , party spokesperson Rosie Emery said .
Online voting will run from Sept. 26 until Oct. 3 at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time .
• The biblical flood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can do : ' High water threatens lakeside homes Elizabeth May , the MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands , stepped down in November after the last federal election .
In that vote , the Greens picked up three seats in Parliament , their best result ever .
( May will retain her seat after the new leader is chosen and remains the party ’ s parliamentary leader . )
“ We ’ re not any longer a group of people in the wilderness , ” May said in June .
“ Right now it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the policies of the Green Party are the policies everyone ’ s talking about.
” May has not officially endorsed a candidate .
With eight on the ballot , the leadership hopefuls face a deep field .
Annamie Paul — a Toronto-based lawyer with extensive experience in international affairs who ran for the Greens against former finance minister Bill Morneau in 2019 — emerged as the front-runner over the summer .
As of the end of July , her campaign had raised $ 121,000 , more than twice as much as any other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the total money raised for the leadership race .
If elected , Paul would be the first Black woman to become leader of a federal party .
Two former Liberals are also running : Glen Murray , who was Ontario environment minister under former premier Kathleen Wynne , and David Merner , a B.C .
lawyer who ditched his former party over its support for pipelines .
The new leader of the @ CanadianGreens will take over at a pivotal time , in a moment where talk of a green recovery from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a snap election this fall looms on the horizon .
Other candidates include Amita Kuttner , an astrophysicist and diversity advocate ; Quebec-based immigration lawyer Meryam Haddad , who is running as a socialist and has pushed plans for a Green New Deal ; lawyer Dimitri Lascaris , a former justice critic for the party ; lawyer Andrew West , the attorney general critic for the Ontario Greens ; and Dr. Courtney Howard , an emergency physician from Yellowknife who is the first female president of the non-profit Canadian Association of Physicians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Nova Scotia computer scientist and veteran Judy Green , dropped out of the race on Aug. 30 and endorsed West .
With some candidates pitching a centrist approach and others pushing the party further left , Green Party executive director Prateek Awasthi said in a statement that the outcome of the vote will be important .
“ While they all share Green values , these contestants offer divergent political views , and unique experiences , ” Awasthi said .
“ Each would lead the party and govern the country differently .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the promise the Green Party offers Canada at this time .
”

Eight candidates have made it to the final ballot in the race to succeed leader Elizabeth May, the Green Party of Canada said Wednesday. The Green Party hasn’t held a leadership contest for 14 years. Its new pick will take over at a pivotal time, in a moment where talk of a green economic recovery from COVID-19 is gaining momentum and the possibility of a snap election this fall looms. “Despite the immense challenges of running a campaign during a pandemic, these remarkable individuals have energized and engaged our members from coast to, coast, to coast,” said interim Green Party Leader Jo-Ann Roberts in a statement Wednesday. “That’s no small feat.” The new leader will be announced on Oct. 3 after the results of the ranked-ballot vote are tallied. The deadline for requesting a mail-in ballot was last week, but party members who have already done so can begin submitting names once their ballots arrive — likely within the next week, party spokesperson Rosie Emery said. Online voting will run from Sept. 26 until Oct. 3 at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time.
Elizabeth May, the MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands, stepped down in November after the last federal election. In that vote, the Greens picked up three seats in Parliament, their best result ever. (May will retain her seat after the new leader is chosen and remains the party’s parliamentary leader.) “We’re not any longer a group of people in the wilderness,” May said in June. “Right now it’s clear in the pandemic that the policies of the Green Party are the policies everyone’s talking about.” Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions May has not officially endorsed a candidate. With eight on the ballot, the leadership hopefuls face a deep field.
Annamie Paul — a Toronto-based lawyer with extensive experience in international affairs who ran for the Greens against former finance minister Bill Morneau in 2019 — emerged as the front-runner over the summer. As of the end of July, her campaign had raised $121,000, more than twice as much as any other candidate and representing more than a third of the total money raised for the leadership race. The new leader of the @CanadianGreens will take over at a pivotal time, in a moment where talk of a green recovery from COVID-19 is gaining momentum and the possibility of a snap election this fall looms on the horizon. If elected, Paul would be the first Black woman to become leader of a federal party. Two former Liberals are also running: Glen Murray, who was Ontario environment minister under former premier Kathleen Wynne, and David Merner, a B.C. lawyer who ditched his former party over its support for pipelines. Other candidates include Amita Kuttner, an astrophysicist and diversity advocate; Quebec-based immigration lawyer Meryam Haddad, who is running as a socialist and has pushed plans for a Green New Deal; lawyer Dimitri Lascaris, a former justice critic for the party; lawyer Andrew West, the attorney general critic for the Ontario Greens; and Dr. Courtney Howard, an emergency physician from Yellowknife who is the first female president of the non-profit Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. A ninth candidate, Nova Scotia computer scientist and veteran Judy Green, dropped out of the race on Aug. 30 and endorsed Merner.
With some candidates pitching a centrist approach and others pushing the party further left, Green Party executive director Prateek Awasthi said in a statement that the outcome of the vote will be important. “While they all share Green values, these contestants offer divergent political views, and unique experiences,” Awasthi said. “Each would lead the party and govern the country differently. The calibre of these contestants speaks volumes for the promise the Green Party offers Canada at this time.”


nationalobserver--2020-09-02--After MP’s offensive tweet, O’Toole says Tories will counter anti-Semitism

New Conservative Party Leader Erin O'Toole says he didn ’ t issue a statement about an offensive tweet from one of his MPs because it was taken down before he saw it .
MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay , the party ’ s environment critic , retweeted a video Saturday morning of Liberal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland interviewing George Soros , a billionaire philanthropist who is often the subject of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories , in 2009 when Freeland was a journalist .
Canadians should be “ alarmed ” by Freeland and Soros ’ closeness , Findlay wrote in the since-deleted post .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the tweet was already down and Ms. Findlay had apologized for it , ” O'Toole told reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday when asked why he didn ’ t make a statement about the incident .
O'Toole didn ’ t answer when asked if he had spoken to Findlay about it .
But he said he did call “ some leaders from the Jewish community , ” and said Conservatives under his leadership would continue to be strong advocates against anti-Semitism .
• The biblical flood that will drown California • 'Nothing we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lakeside homes Findlay apologized in a followup tweet , but didn ’ t address her comments about Freeland and Soros .
“ Earlier today , I thoughtlessly shared content from what I am now learning is a source that promotes hateful conspiracy theories .
I have removed the tweets and apologize to anyone who thinks I would want to endorse hateful rhetoric , ” she wrote Saturday afternoon .
On Wednesday , O ’ Toole announced his core parliamentary team , naming Manitoba MP Candice Bergen as the party ’ s deputy leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leader , a pivotal role that leads the party ’ s day-to-day duties in the House of Commons .
Quebec MP Gerard Deltell will replace Bergen in that role .
Meanwhile , MP Richard Martel will be O ’ Toole ’ s political lieutenant for Quebec .
O ’ Toole ’ s house leadership team also includes MPs from Alberta and Ontario , but none from British Columbia .
“ When I found out about it the tweet was already down , '' new Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole told reporters Wednesday .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ government in waiting , ” echoing words uttered by former leader Andrew Scheer on election night in 2019 , and said he 's working on a new shadow cabinet and having discussions about writing a new platform .
“ Conservatives are united and passionate to get to work , ” O ’ Toole said .

New Conservative Party Leader Erin O'Toole says he didn’t issue a statement about an offensive tweet from one of his MPs because it was taken down before he saw it.
MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay, the party’s environment critic, retweeted a video Saturday morning of Liberal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland interviewing George Soros, a billionaire philanthropist who is often the subject of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, in 2009 when Freeland was a journalist. Canadians should be “alarmed” by Freeland and Soros’ closeness, Findlay wrote in the since-deleted post.
“When I found out about it, the tweet was already down and Ms. Findlay had apologized for it,” O'Toole told reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday when asked why he didn’t make a statement about the incident.
O'Toole didn’t answer when asked if he had spoken to Findlay about it. But he said he did call “some leaders from the Jewish community,” and said Conservatives under his leadership would continue to be strong advocates against anti-Semitism.
Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre retweeted Findlay’s post Saturday, but hasn’t commented publicly.