nationalobserver--2020-08-14--US government issues bear advice: friends don't let friends get eaten

This story was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration There are a few potential reactions to being attacked by a bear – stand your ground and attempt to scare it off , run away or perhaps curl up into the fetal position and hope for the best .
The US government has now , however , officially advised against the most cowardly option : pushing over a slower friend to save yourself .
The National Park Service has warned against sacrificing another person to an irate bear “ even if you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” in a rather informal set of recommendations posted on Facebook .
Bear attacks are a rare but real threat in parts of the US , with a man recently videoing his own mangled hand and arm after encountering a grizzly bear in an abandoned shed in Montana .
In a separate incident this week , wildlife officials in Alaska killed four bears suspected of involvement in the death of a man who was mauled while clearing a trail behind his property .
• 'Let it burn ' : Suicide prevention policy likened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s open season on cormorants .
But is the hunt based on science ?
• Feds spending $ 50 million to get surplus food to struggling Canadians There have been a record number of grizzly bear attacks in the Yellowstone region in 2020 , possibly due to the increase in people hiking in the region in search of a respite from pandemic lockdowns .
In the National Park Service ’ s message , anyone coming face-to-face with a bear is advised to “ move away closely and sideways ; this allows you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and avoid tripping .
Moving sideways is also non-threatening to bears.
” People should not run – “ like dogs they will chase fleeing animals ” the message warns – or escape up a tree as both grizzlies and black bears are adept at climbing trees .
The warning then adds : “ Do NOT push down a slower friend ( even if you think the friendship has run its course ) .
” Instead , it is advised that people hold their ground and make noise to identify yourself as a human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We recommend using your voice .
( Waving and showing off your opposable thumb means nothing to the bear ) , ” the message reads .
To reiterate the concern over unscrupulous hikers pushing others to their doom to save themselves , the post ends by stating : “ We apologize to any ‘ friends ’ who were brought on a hike as the ‘ bait ’ or were sacrificed to save the group .
You will be missed .
 ” The National Park Service has warned against sacrificing slower friends in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friendship has run its course ’

This story was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration
There are a few potential reactions to being attacked by a bear – stand your ground and attempt to scare it off, run away or perhaps curl up into the fetal position and hope for the best.
The US government has now, however, officially advised against the most cowardly option: pushing over a slower friend to save yourself.
The National Park Service has warned against sacrificing another person to an irate bear “even if you think the friendship has run its course” in a rather informal set of recommendations posted on Facebook.
Bear attacks are a rare but real threat in parts of the US, with a man recently videoing his own mangled hand and arm after encountering a grizzly bear in an abandoned shed in Montana. In a separate incident this week, wildlife officials in Alaska killed four bears suspected of involvement in the death of a man who was mauled while clearing a trail behind his property.


nationalobserver--2020-08-14--Charges laid against energy firm for hindering Alberta Energy Regulator facility inspections

The Alberta Energy Regulator says it has laid charges against Land Petroleum International Inc. and president Bill Fung for hindering @ @ @ @ @ The provincial regulator says eight charges have been jointly laid against the company and Fung @ @ @ @ @ Conservation Act , which provides for penalties of up to $ 500,000 in fines for @ @ @ @ @ for an individual .
It says the charges are related to facility inspections near Ponoka @ @ @ @ @ 2018 but it ca n't release further detail to ensure the right to a fair @ @

The Alberta Energy Regulator says it has laid charges against Land Petroleum International Inc. and president Bill Fung for hindering AER inspections in 2018.
The provincial regulator says eight charges have been jointly laid against the company and Fung under the Oil and Gas Conservation Act, which provides for penalties of up to $500,000 in fines for a company and $50,000 for an individual.
It says the charges are related to facility inspections near Ponoka in central Alberta in August 2018 but it can't release further detail to ensure the right to a fair prosecution.
Fung and the company are charged with hindering or failing to assist the regulator as well as causing others to contravene provisions under the act.
They are to make a court appearance on Sept. 4 in Ponoka.


nationalobserver--2020-08-14--McKenna calls for measures to protect politicians from threats

Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna said Thursday that new measures must be taken to protect Canadian politicians from threatening behaviour .
Her comments come after police launched an investigation this week into an incident at her constituency office , as well as reports that two other Ottawa-area politicians also faced threats recently .
McKenna , who has spoken out in the past about being a target , said she 's heard from many politicians who have experienced similar incidents , some never reported publicly .
`` It 's not just about me .
There 's been some attention to incidents involving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so many women , from so many men , and it 's really worrying , '' she said after a funding announcement in Ottawa .
`` We need to reflect on this and take action so we can all do our jobs . ''
• 'Let it burn ' : Suicide prevention policy likened to wildfires • In Ontario , it ’ s open season on cormorants .
But is the hunt based on science ?
• Feds spending $ 50 million to get surplus food to struggling Canadians Earlier this week , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yelled obscenities at a member of McKenna 's staff , with the footage posted to social media .
After being told the constituency office in downtown Ottawa was closed due to COVID-19 , the individual yells expletives and insults at the employee about McKenna and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau .
In the aftermath of the 2019 election , vulgar and sexist graffiti had been spray-painted across the front of her campaign office .
During that campaign , she had also spoken to The Canadian Press about how what had started as anonymous online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , sometimes requiring her to have a security detail .
That level of protection is not usually provided to cabinet ministers .
According to data from the RCMP , first reported by the Toronto Star , there has been an increase in the number of threats made against the prime minister and cabinet when compared to last year .
The RCMP say from January to July 2019 , protective policing opened 100 investigations into threats , while from January to July 2020 there have been approximately 130 launched .
Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 , that new measures must be taken to protect Canadian politicians from threatening behaviour .
Following the incident at McKenna 's office , Lisa MacLeod , a member of the Ontario legislature for an Ottawa riding and provincial cabinet minister , gave an interview on local radio condemning the abuse .
She then received threats of her own , her spokesman confirmed Thursday .
`` Minister MacLeod is once again receiving police protection due to both threatening emails and an unexplained mischievous incident to her personal vehicle in Ottawa , '' Derek @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March of 2019 , a woman was charged with making threats against MacLeod , and she was given a police detail , during controversy around changes to the province 's autism strategy .
She was in charge of that file at the time .
Last week , Laura Dudas , an Ottawa city councillor , had a rock hurled through a window of her home while her family was asleep .
`` While I can not speak to the motivations of the person behind this disturbing act , it comes as the latest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ role as a woman in politics , '' she said in a statement posted to social media Thursday .
`` There are too many reports of women politicians being the recipients of vicious online abuse , derogatory comments about their gender , and when online vitriol spills into the real world , violent physical attacks .
This has to stop . ''
Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau , the first woman to ever hold that post , said while she 's never received threats at the same level as McKenna , she has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She said while she does n't physically fear for her own safety , she thinks a light has to be shone on how much abuse is heaped upon politicians .

Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna said Thursday that new measures must be taken to protect Canadian politicians from threatening behaviour. Her comments come after police launched an investigation this week into an incident at her constituency office, as well as reports that two other Ottawa-area politicians also faced threats recently. McKenna, who has spoken out in the past about being a target, said she's heard from many politicians who have experienced similar incidents, some never reported publicly. "It's not just about me. There's been some attention to incidents involving me, but I've heard from so many women, from so many men, and it's really worrying," she said after a funding announcement in Ottawa. "We need to reflect on this and take action so we can all do our jobs."
Earlier this week, a police investigation was launched after someone yelled obscenities at a member of McKenna's staff, with the footage posted to social media. After being told the constituency office in downtown Ottawa was closed due to COVID-19, the individual yells expletives and insults at the employee about McKenna and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions In the aftermath of the 2019 election, vulgar and sexist graffiti had been spray-painted across the front of her campaign office.
During that campaign, she had also spoken to The Canadian Press about how what had started as anonymous online abuse had escalated into in-person verbal assaults, sometimes requiring her to have a security detail. That level of protection is not usually provided to cabinet ministers. Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna said on Thursday, August 13, 2020, that new measures must be taken to protect Canadian politicians from threatening behaviour. According to data from the RCMP, first reported by the Toronto Star, there has been an increase in the number of threats made against the prime minister and cabinet when compared to last year. The RCMP say from January to July 2019, protective policing opened 100 investigations into threats, while from January to July 2020 there have been approximately 130 launched. Following the incident at McKenna's office, Lisa MacLeod, a member of the Ontario legislature for an Ottawa riding and provincial cabinet minister, gave an interview on local radio condemning the abuse. She then received threats of her own, her spokesman confirmed Thursday.
"Minister MacLeod is once again receiving police protection due to both threatening emails and an unexplained mischievous incident to her personal vehicle in Ottawa," Derek Rowland said in an email. In March of 2019, a woman was charged with making threats against MacLeod, and she was given a police detail, during controversy around changes to the province's autism strategy. She was in charge of that file at the time. Last week, Laura Dudas, an Ottawa city councillor, had a rock hurled through a window of her home while her family was asleep.


nationalobserver--2020-08-14--WE Charity registers as lobbyist, lays off staff

WE Charity registered Thursday as a lobbyist of the federal government — months after it began talks with federal officials about potential programs to help Canadian youths during the COVID-19 pandemic .
The organization 's executive director , Dalal Al-Waheidi , disclosed the registration during testimony before the House of Commons finance committee , which is probing the controversy surrounding the Liberal government 's decision to pay WE Charity up to $ 43.5 million to administer a now-abandoned student grant program .
The controversy has triggered investigations by the federal ethics watchdog into potential breaches of conflict of interest rules @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minister Bill Morneau , both of whom have close family ties to WE Charity .
And it was blamed at least in part for WE Charity 's announcement earlier Thursday that it is scaling back its operations , making dozens of layoffs in Canada and the United Kingdom , while also looking to sell some of its real estate holdings in Toronto .
WE Charity said its financial position has been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and `` recent events , '' prompting it to shift programming and reduce staff .
• @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy likened to wildfires • In Ontario , it ’ s open season on cormorants .
But is the hunt based on science ?
• Feds spending $ 50 million to get surplus food to struggling Canadians In its filing to the federal lobbyist registry , WE Charity disclosed 65 communications with federal officials or ministers in 19 different departments or federal institutions , dating as far back as January 2019 .
It lists 18 individuals , including Al-Waheidi , as in-house lobbyists for the organization .
Craig and Marc Kielburger , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not listed even though they have talked to ministers .
Youth Minister Bardish Chagger 's office immediately reported at least one other inaccuracy in the registration to the lobbying commissioner .
Chagger has testified she had a phone conversation with Craig Kielburger on April 17 about an unsolicited WE proposal for a youth entrepreneurship program , which was ultimately rejected by the government .
She said no one else from her office was involved in the call .
The charity 's report says her chief of staff and others were there .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lobbyists to register within two months of the time when at least one full-time employee spends at least 20 per cent of his or her time in lobbying activities .
Opposition parties last month asked lobbying commissioner Nancy Belanger to investigate whether WE Charity violated the act .
WE Charity registered on Thursday , August 13 , 2020 , as a lobbyist of the federal government — months after it began talks with federal officials about potential programs to help Canadian youths during the COVID-19 pandemic .
`` It 's an incredible coincidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lobby all of these months after all of the lobbying happened , '' Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre told WE Charity representatives at the committee .
Al-Waheidi , who as executive director was the person responsible for registering , said that had WE Charity considered it necessary to register before now , it would have done so .
In previous years , she said the organization spent `` minimal '' time lobbying the federal government , estimating the cost of such activities at one to three per cent of its budget .
More @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communications took place from April to June , primarily with officials in Employment and Social Development Canada and Morneau 's office .
The reports accompanying each communication do not go into details , other than to say `` employment and training '' was discussed .
Ministers and federal bureaucrats have testified they had some discussions with WE Charity in April about an unsolicited youth entrepreneurship proposal the Liberal government ultimately rejected .
From late April to the end of June , communications were presumably about the doomed Canada Student Service Grants program , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ volunteer for community service related to the COVID-19 pandemic .
The reports include a May 5 communication with Rick Theis , director of policy and cabinet affairs at the Prime Minister 's Office .
Sofia Marquez , former head of government and stakeholder relations for WE Charity , told the committee Thursday that communication involved a 30-minute phone call in which she updated Theis on the progress in setting up the grant program .
Trudeau said he did n't learn of the charity 's involvement in the program until May 8 , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diligence as to whether the organization was the best vehicle for delivering the grants .
Cabinet approved the agreement May 22 .
Trudeau and Morneau have both since apologized for not recusing themselves from the cabinet decision .
During her testimony , Al-Waheidi said the controversy has had a `` devastating '' impact on the charity .
`` It is easy to tear things down , '' she told the committee .
`` But I can tell you from personal experience that it 's not easy to build . ''
Over its 25 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` made it cool for kids to care , '' inspiring more than one million Canadian youths to volunteer 70-million hours of their time to more than 3,000 causes .
It has also helped build 1,500 schools and classrooms in poor countries , where more than 200,000 children have been educated .
The controversy over the student grant program has put all that in jeopardy .
The organization announced hours earlier that 16 full-time employees at its Toronto headquarters will be laid off .
Another 51 employees working on fixed-term contracts with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they expire at the end of the month .
WE Charity 's U.K. operations will be centralized in Canada , which means 19 full-time and contract employees in London will be laid off .
The changes come after weeks of intense public scrutiny of WE Charity , its affiliated for-profit organization , ME to WE , as well as the family ties between the WE organization and Trudeau and Morneau .
Last month , WE Charity voluntarily suspended all of its Canadian corporate and school board partnerships after many announced they were cutting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has also cancelled all `` WE Day '' activities for the foreseeable future and is shifting its WE Schools learning programs to a digital-only format .
Al-Waheidi said in a statement that the resulting hit to the charity 's financials , coupled with the effects of the pandemic , has prompted a need for change .
`` We believe now more than ever in the importance of the work that WE Charity is focused on and have confidence that by streamlining our operations in this way , and renewing our focus on international @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward . ''
The charity plans to keep its headquarters , known as the Global Learning Centre , on Queen Street in Toronto , but other real estate holdings will be assessed by the organization to determine which ones could be sold .
This includes a number of buildings on a block near Moss Park in Toronto acquired by the charity as part of a 25th anniversary plan to create a `` campus for good , '' that would have provided free space for youth-led not-for-profits and social enterprises .
The government had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but the agreement to have WE Charity administer the program pegged the cost at $ 543 million .
WE Charity was to be paid up to $ 43.5 million under the agreement , which stipulated that the organization could not make money on the deal .
WE backed out of the deal on July 3 , citing the controversy dogging the program , but not before government had paid the organization $ 30 million for its services .
Scott Baker , WE Charity 's chief operations officer , told the committee that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and is in discussions with the government about returning the remaining $ 8 million as quickly as possible .
He said all the money was put into a separate bank account and was never touched .
Al-Waheidi said WE Charity began working on implementation of the grant program on May 5 , more than two weeks before its involvement was approved by cabinet .
She said the charity understood the risk it was taking in trying to get a head start but believed time was of the essence .
She added that WE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reimburse it for any of the eligible expenses incurred .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13 , 2020 .

WE Charity registered Thursday as a lobbyist of the federal government — months after it began talks with federal officials about potential programs to help Canadian youths during the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization's executive director, Dalal Al-Waheidi, disclosed the registration during testimony before the House of Commons finance committee, which is probing the controversy surrounding the Liberal government's decision to pay WE Charity up to $43.5 million to administer a now-abandoned student grant program. The controversy has triggered investigations by the federal ethics watchdog into potential breaches of conflict of interest rules by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau, both of whom have close family ties to WE Charity. And it was blamed at least in part for WE Charity's announcement earlier Thursday that it is scaling back its operations, making dozens of layoffs in Canada and the United Kingdom, while also looking to sell some of its real estate holdings in Toronto. WE Charity said its financial position has been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and "recent events," prompting it to shift programming and reduce staff.
In its filing to the federal lobbyist registry, WE Charity disclosed 65 communications with federal officials or ministers in 19 different departments or federal institutions, dating as far back as January 2019. It lists 18 individuals, including Al-Waheidi, as in-house lobbyists for the organization. Craig and Marc Kielburger, the brothers who founded WE charity, are not listed even though they have talked to ministers. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Youth Minister Bardish Chagger's office immediately reported at least one other inaccuracy in the registration to the lobbying commissioner.
Chagger has testified she had a phone conversation with Craig Kielburger on April 17 about an unsolicited WE proposal for a youth entrepreneurship program, which was ultimately rejected by the government. She said no one else from her office was involved in the call. The charity's report says her chief of staff and others were there. WE Charity registered on Thursday, August 13, 2020, as a lobbyist of the federal government — months after it began talks with federal officials about potential programs to help Canadian youths during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lobbying Act requires an organization with in-house lobbyists to register within two months of the time when at least one full-time employee spends at least 20 per cent of his or her time in lobbying activities. Opposition parties last month asked lobbying commissioner Nancy Belanger to investigate whether WE Charity violated the act. "It's an incredible coincidence that your organization has suddenly registered to lobby all of these months after all of the lobbying happened," Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre told WE Charity representatives at the committee. Al-Waheidi, who as executive director was the person responsible for registering, said that had WE Charity considered it necessary to register before now, it would have done so. In previous years, she said the organization spent "minimal" time lobbying the federal government, estimating the cost of such activities at one to three per cent of its budget.
More than half of the group's reported communications took place from April to June, primarily with officials in Employment and Social Development Canada and Morneau's office. The reports accompanying each communication do not go into details, other than to say "employment and training" was discussed. Ministers and federal bureaucrats have testified they had some discussions with WE Charity in April about an unsolicited youth entrepreneurship proposal the Liberal government ultimately rejected. From late April to the end of June, communications were presumably about the doomed Canada Student Service Grants program, which was supposed to encourage students to volunteer for community service related to the COVID-19 pandemic.


nationalobserver--2020-08-14--US hurricane experts predict 'extremely active' storm season

This story was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NoaaA ) has predicted an “ extremely active ” hurricane season in the US in an already record-breaking year for storms .
Noaa ’ s Climate Prediction Center said there could be up to 25 storms which have sustained winds of 39mph or greater .
Storms which hit this threshold are named by the agency .
In a normal year , there are usually two storms before August which are named .
This year , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a record which makes 2020 ’ s hurricane season one of the busiest on record in the US .
• 'Let it burn ' : Suicide prevention policy likened to wildfires • In Ontario , it ’ s open season on cormorants .
But is the hunt based on science ?
• Feds spending $ 50 million to get surplus food to struggling Canadians Gerry Bell , the lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at the Climate Prediction Center , said the combined intensity and duration of all storms during the season is predicted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for an “ extremely active ” season .
“ We ’ ve never forecast up to 25 storms , ” Bell said in a press briefing .
“ So this is the first time.
” The previous high was in 2005 , when the agency predicted a maximum of 21 named storms .
Of the 25 possible named storms , Noaa estimates seven to 11 could become hurricanes , which have winds of at least 74mph .
The agency also forecast that three to six storms could become major hurricanes , with winds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ season ends on 30 November .
Noaa said there is an 85 % chance it will be an above-active season , an increase from the May prediction .
“ This year , we expect more , stronger , and longer-lived storms than average , ” Bell said in a statement .
Noaa says there could be 25 storms with winds of 39mph and greater : ‘ We expect more , stronger , and longer-lived storms than average ’ The NoaaA forecast does not predict which of the hurricanes will make landfall , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patterns .
The increase in predicted hurricanes is attributed to warmer than usual sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea , combined with the wind conditions .
There is also growing evidence that warming in the atmosphere and upper ocean , caused by human activity , is creating conditions more suitable for more destructive hurricanes .
Residents in areas more vulnerable to hurricanes have been encouraged to review their preparation plans for a possible storm , and to account for the effects of Covid-19 in that plan .
This week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South Carolina , health officials there advised people to add face masks and cleaning products to their preparations kits because of the virus .
Officials also encouraged people who may need to evacuate to find hotels to go to , or family and friends to stay with , to avoid staying at a shelter , where socially distancing would be in place but is still an environment where the coronavirus could spread more easily .

This story was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NoaaA) has predicted an “extremely active” hurricane season in the US in an already record-breaking year for storms. Noaa’s Climate Prediction Center said there could be up to 25 storms which have sustained winds of 39mph or greater. Storms which hit this threshold are named by the agency. In a normal year, there are usually two storms before August which are named. This year, there have already been nine named storms, a record which makes 2020’s hurricane season one of the busiest on record in the US.
Gerry Bell, the lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at the Climate Prediction Center, said the combined intensity and duration of all storms during the season is predicted to be much higher than the threshold for an “extremely active” season. “We’ve never forecast up to 25 storms,” Bell said in a press briefing. “So this is the first time.” Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The previous high was in 2005, when the agency predicted a maximum of 21 named storms.
Of the 25 possible named storms, Noaa estimates seven to 11 could become hurricanes, which have winds of at least 74mph. The agency also forecast that three to six storms could become major hurricanes, with winds of 111mph or more. Noaa says there could be 25 storms with winds of 39mph and greater: ‘We expect more, stronger, and longer-lived storms than average’ The hurricane season ends on 30 November. Noaa said there is an 85% chance it will be an above-active season, an increase from the May prediction. “This year, we expect more, stronger, and longer-lived storms than average,” Bell said in a statement. The NoaaA forecast does not predict which of the hurricanes will make landfall, because those predictions rely mostly on short-term weather patterns. The increase in predicted hurricanes is attributed to warmer than usual sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, combined with the wind conditions.
There is also growing evidence that warming in the atmosphere and upper ocean, caused by human activity, is creating conditions more suitable for more destructive hurricanes. Residents in areas more vulnerable to hurricanes have been encouraged to review their preparation plans for a possible storm, and to account for the effects of Covid-19 in that plan. This week, when Hurricane Isaias was heading towards South Carolina, health officials there advised people to add face masks and cleaning products to their preparations kits because of the virus.


nationalobserver--2020-08-14--Hate oil companies? ‘We get it,’ says BP.

This story was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration If you think the fossil fuel industry is “ bad , ” there ’ s at least one oil company CEO out there who hears you : Bernard Looney , the recently installed chief of BP .
In a recent interview with the Times of London , Looney said there ’ s no question that oil — his company ’ s main commodity — is becoming increasingly “ socially challenged.
” Even people working within BP started to have doubts about their line @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company was in danger of losing staff , he said , and job candidates were reluctant to join .
“ How do we signal that we ‘ get it ’ in a meaningful way so that people can see BP is leading the change ?
” one slide says .
BP has an uphill battle when it comes to public opinion .
Oil is among the industries that the public trusts the least .
Just 20 big fossil fuel companies , including BP , are responsible for more than a third of carbon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are the catastrophes like Deepwater Horizon in 2010 , when BP ’ s drilling rig exploded and poured 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico , the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history .
In the fallout from the disaster , Dev Sanyal , BP ’ s executive vice president at the time , wrote a document explaining how the fossil fuel industry needed the “ social license to operate ” to continue its business .
That ’ s industry-speak for the idea that a company needs the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business .
The phrase comes from the mining industry — its inventor is believed to be James Cooney , an executive at a Canadian gold mining company responsible for an environmental disaster in 1996 , when a drainage tunnel in the Philippines burst and sent toxic mud into a river and nearby villages , submerging homes .
Oil companies are worried they ’ re losing that license .
And it might explain why they have been recently trying to get woke .
For International Women ’ s Day in March , Shell Oil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stations in California would add an apostrophe to its logo , temporarily becoming She ’ ll ( short for “ She will.
” ) In June , when tens of millions of Americans took to the streets to protest against police brutality and racism , Chevron responded by tweeting that “ black lives matter , ” stating that “ racism has no place in America.
” Long before “ social license to operate ” had become a phrase , oil companies were concerned about what the public thought of them .
The whole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operations .
Early PR whizzes advised the industry to pump out fake news to make sure people heard its version of the story , donate to good causes like the arts to burnish its reputation , and invent fake grassroots groups to advocate for the fossil-fuel cause .
Over the past 30 years , Big Oil has poured more than $ 3.6 billion in reputation-building ads .
But if you look through the spin — yes , there ’ s still a lot of spin — BP ’ s promised cuts to oil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having a real effect on these companies and the future of oil .
The reckoning is real .

This story was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration If you think the fossil fuel industry is “bad,” there’s at least one oil company CEO out there who hears you: Bernard Looney, the recently installed chief of BP. In a recent interview with the Times of London, Looney said there’s no question that oil — his company’s main commodity — is becoming increasingly “socially challenged.” Even people working within BP started to have doubts about their line of work, Looney said. The company was in danger of losing staff, he said, and job candidates were reluctant to join. “There’s a view that this is a bad industry, and I understand that,” he told the Times. Greta Thunberg, the 17-year-old Swedish activist, and the youth climate movement have presented a public relations challenge for oil companies reckoning with a polluting past — and present. BP has publicly acknowledged the stakes with its new campaign to “reimagine energy,” setting some ambitious carbon-cutting targets. Since Looney came on as CEO in February, the company has committed to going “net-zero” by 2050. Last week, the oil giant announced a new aim that’s a little closer on the horizon, cutting oil and gas production by 40 percent in just 10 years.
That’s one of BP’s responses to oil becoming “socially challenged.” Without those moves, Looney said that the company might have lost many employees. “Good people don’t come to work for a bad company — good people have choices,” he told the Times. “A lot of people are really energized about what we’re doing.” An internal company slideshow leaked to Drilled News provides more insight into how BP hopes to curry favor with the public, as well as its own employees. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The branding materials, dated January 2020, explain how “the world changed forever in 2019” as millions of people participated in climate protests. Above a picture of Greta Thunberg, the slideshow ponders how the company can become “a bigger part of the solution,” and goes on to muse about how it could win over the trust of Gen Z.
“How do we signal that we ‘get it’ in a meaningful way so that people can see BP is leading the change?” one slide says. CEO Bernard Looney calls oil “socially challenged.” BP has an uphill battle when it comes to public opinion. Oil is among the industries that the public trusts the least. Just 20 big fossil fuel companies, including BP, are responsible for more than a third of carbon emissions since 1965. And of course there are the catastrophes like Deepwater Horizon in 2010, when BP’s drilling rig exploded and poured 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. In the fallout from the disaster, Dev Sanyal, BP’s executive vice president at the time, wrote a document explaining how the fossil fuel industry needed the “social license to operate” to continue its business. That’s industry-speak for the idea that a company needs the public’s approval to stay in business. The phrase comes from the mining industry — its inventor is believed to be James Cooney, an executive at a Canadian gold mining company responsible for an environmental disaster in 1996, when a drainage tunnel in the Philippines burst and sent toxic mud into a river and nearby villages, submerging homes. Oil companies are worried they’re losing that license. And it might explain why they have been recently trying to get woke. For International Women’s Day in March, Shell Oil announced that one of its women-owned gas stations in California would add an apostrophe to its logo, temporarily becoming She’ll (short for “She will.”) In June, when tens of millions of Americans took to the streets to protest against police brutality and racism, Chevron responded by tweeting that “black lives matter,” stating that “racism has no place in America.” Long before “social license to operate” had become a phrase, oil companies were concerned about what the public thought of them. The whole field of public relations developed alongside their operations. Early PR whizzes advised the industry to pump out fake news to make sure people heard its version of the story, donate to good causes like the arts to burnish its reputation, and invent fake grassroots groups to advocate for the fossil-fuel cause. Over the past 30 years, Big Oil has poured more than $3.6 billion in reputation-building ads.


nationalobserver--2020-08-14--Disease-bearing ticks thrive as climate change heats up US

This story was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration Growing up in north-eastern Ohio , Kimberly Byce spent much of her childhood running around in the woods , with the greatest threat being mosquito bites or sunburn .
She can ’ t remember her parents ever uttering the word “ tick ” .
And yet , in adulthood , disease-laden ticks now blight her family ’ s life .
Byce ’ s husband Trent Beers has been struck down by Lyme disease twice in the past year , initially misdiagnosed after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t emerge from bed , drenched from night sweats and his mind a fog of confusion .
Their sons Arbor , four , and Abbott , seven , were struck down by raging fevers initially thought to be related to coronavirus , but subsequently confirmed to also be from Lyme disease .
The family has been ravaged by the tiny black-legged , or deer , ticks , a creature the size of a pinhead that can carry Lyme disease and other maladies .
Byce picked two of the ticks off her body @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that has become a constant worry in the family ’ s semi-rural household , located about 30 miles north-east of Columbus , Ohio ’ s capital .
“ It ’ s really wearing on the kids , when they are in the back yard I ’ m spraying them like a maniac which is kind of putting a lot of fear into them , ” Byce said .
“ I feel like some of their carefree childhood is being taken away but there ’ s the threat of a lot of damage .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ am the most diligent person with spraying , keeping to trails , being careful , checking for ticks .
If I can get them on me , anyone can.
” • 'Let it burn ' : Suicide prevention policy likened to wildfires • In Ontario , it ’ s open season on cormorants .
But is the hunt based on science ?
• Feds spending $ 50 million to get surplus food to struggling Canadians That Byce could , in her lifetime , go from never even hearing about the warmth-loving ticks to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ February each year is a possible symptom of a warming climate that , scientists say , is helping push ticks northward and westward from their traditional ranges in the US north-east .
Cases of Lyme disease , a potentially debilitating condition primarily transmitted by black-legged ticks , have doubled over the past two decades to about 30,000 cases a year in the US .
These ticks have spread into the upper reaches of New England and the midwest , while other tick species normally found in warmer southern states , such as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are now popping up in New York and New Jersey .
Infections may now spread further , ironically , due to restrictions imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19 .
National parks and hiking groups have reported huge booms in the number of people seeking to break the monotony of lockdown by heading to walking trails , risking contact with ticks that latch on to people as they brush through vegetation .
“ We know tons of people checking out new trails and parks because they have no other options , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t know what to look for in tick areas , it becomes problematic.
” The clearing of forest for housing and other infrastructure is bringing humans into closer contact with animals that carry disease , such as ticks .
Meanwhile , rising temperatures are allowing ticks to become active earlier in the year and then feed deep into autumn , giving them a better chance of surviving winter .
While ticks usually target animals such as deer and chipmunks , humans can unwittingly become hosts for their blood meal .
“ It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Felicia Keesing , a professor of biology at Bard College who has co-authored research linking the heat of the climate crisis to greater tick activity .
“ We are seeing more tick-borne diseases in more places .
Wherever you find ticks , they are spreading.
” Blood-sucking ticks can spread Lyme disease and are extending beyond their traditional north-eastern range Keesing lives in upstate New York and has recently noticed more nearby hikers than she can ever remember in the past .
Her region has had Lyme disease for decades but is now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bacteria-based diseases carried by ticks , including anaplasmosis , which can cause fever and chills , and a rare but “ frightening ” condition called Powassan virus , which can be fatal .
“ We are getting new pathogens from the old ticks , as well as new ticks moving up from the south with new conditions , ” she said .
A friend of Keesing ’ s recently fell ill and was tested for coronavirus , only to ascertain , through a chance conversation with Keesing , that she probably had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back positive for Lyme disease and Keesing ’ s friend is now on antibiotics , concerned that she may suffer from the longterm effects of muscle aches , fatigue and mental fogginess that can bedevil patients for years .
“ With this Covid pandemic some people have the impression that bacteria is easy to treat with antibiotics and that viruses like coronavirus are the real threat , ” said Keesing .
“ But not all bacteria are easy to treat , which Lyme sufferers are acutely aware of .
We need to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and diagnosing them quickly , too .
”

This story was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration Growing up in north-eastern Ohio, Kimberly Byce spent much of her childhood running around in the woods, with the greatest threat being mosquito bites or sunburn. She can’t remember her parents ever uttering the word “tick”. And yet, in adulthood, disease-laden ticks now blight her family’s life. Byce’s husband Trent Beers has been struck down by Lyme disease twice in the past year, initially misdiagnosed after suffering back pain so bad he couldn’t emerge from bed, drenched from night sweats and his mind a fog of confusion. Their sons Arbor, four, and Abbott, seven, were struck down by raging fevers initially thought to be related to coronavirus, but subsequently confirmed to also be from Lyme disease. The family has been ravaged by the tiny black-legged, or deer, ticks, a creature the size of a pinhead that can carry Lyme disease and other maladies. Byce picked two of the ticks off her body last week, part of a regime that has become a constant worry in the family’s semi-rural household, located about 30 miles north-east of Columbus, Ohio’s capital. “It’s really wearing on the kids, when they are in the back yard I’m spraying them like a maniac which is kind of putting a lot of fear into them,” Byce said. “I feel like some of their carefree childhood is being taken away but there’s the threat of a lot of damage. What’s scary is that I am the most diligent person with spraying, keeping to trails, being careful, checking for ticks. If I can get them on me, anyone can.”
That Byce could, in her lifetime, go from never even hearing about the warmth-loving ticks to fretting about them from as early as February each year is a possible symptom of a warming climate that, scientists say, is helping push ticks northward and westward from their traditional ranges in the US north-east. Cases of Lyme disease, a potentially debilitating condition primarily transmitted by black-legged ticks, have doubled over the past two decades to about 30,000 cases a year in the US. These ticks have spread into the upper reaches of New England and the midwest, while other tick species normally found in warmer southern states, such as the longhorned tick and lone star tick, are now popping up in New York and New Jersey. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Infections may now spread further, ironically, due to restrictions imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19. National parks and hiking groups have reported huge booms in the number of people seeking to break the monotony of lockdown by heading to walking trails, risking contact with ticks that latch on to people as they brush through vegetation.
“We know tons of people checking out new trails and parks because they have no other options,” said Byce. “If you don’t know what to look for in tick areas, it becomes problematic.” Blood-sucking ticks can spread Lyme disease and are extending beyond their traditional north-eastern range The clearing of forest for housing and other infrastructure is bringing humans into closer contact with animals that carry disease, such as ticks. Meanwhile, rising temperatures are allowing ticks to become active earlier in the year and then feed deep into autumn, giving them a better chance of surviving winter. While ticks usually target animals such as deer and chipmunks, humans can unwittingly become hosts for their blood meal. “It’s a nightmare scenario,” said Felicia Keesing, a professor of biology at Bard College who has co-authored research linking the heat of the climate crisis to greater tick activity. “We are seeing more tick-borne diseases in more places. Wherever you find ticks, they are spreading.” Keesing lives in upstate New York and has recently noticed more nearby hikers than she can ever remember in the past. Her region has had Lyme disease for decades but is now being assailed by a brew of new bacteria-based diseases carried by ticks, including anaplasmosis, which can cause fever and chills, and a rare but “frightening” condition called Powassan virus, which can be fatal. “We are getting new pathogens from the old ticks, as well as new ticks moving up from the south with new conditions,” she said.


nationalobserver--2020-08-14--The movies have a summer after all with Russell Crowe, Jamie Foxx, and a singer’s tour of the real A

The movies have a summer after all with Russell Crowe, Jamie Foxx, and a singer’s tour of the real Africa

More theatres are now open again .
Here in Vancouver , two of the key venues , International Village and 5th Avenue are back .
They ’ re both showing the new Spongebob Movie , probably because Canada gets a head start on the U.S. with that one .
( IV has it in five rooms ) .
Paramount wouldn ’ t give me a preview , though .
But I had lots to cover anyway .
And notice that while we ’ re still waiting for Tenet , the film that was to be the big one this summer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is also by Christopher Nolan and quite possibly a similar mind trip .
We ’ re supposed to get Tenet in a couple of weeks , later than Australia , but again , earlier than the U.S .
Already here or newly streaming are these flicks ... UNHINGED : Russell Crowe makes a great villain and you ’ ll have a scary good time if you ’ re up for it .
It ’ s quite likely that your heart will be racing and that you ’ ll be gasping through some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t felt as much suspense in a movie in some time and here it is relentless , single-purposed and not weighed down by subtext and other matters to interpret .
Just an intense confrontation that will support any trepidation you have about driving in a city these days .
You have no idea what other motorists may do .
Like Crowe in his over-sized pickup , honked at for being slow at a green light , upset when he asks for some civility and only gets an insincere apology .
The woman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) is having a bad day .
She ’ s late driving her son to school , frustrated by a traffic tie-up and now unwittingly triggers an extreme case of road rage .
Crowe says he ’ ll show her what a bad day is really like .
His truck bumps and chases her little car , veering around buses and cabs and wrong-way traffic .
Things get worse when he gets ahold of her phone and learns from it where she ’ s going , where she lives and who she lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bits of dialogue to explain his problem , and whenever he ’ s off-screen , you ’ re tense for a Jaws-like return .
There ’ s a nasty opening scene , but the rest is well-paced dread , menace and action by director Derrick Borte .
( Scotiabank , 5th Avenue , Marine Gateway and suburban theatres . )
3½ out of 5 CRASH : David Cronenberg ’ s most notorious film is back in a sparkling 4K restoration and with a video introduction by the director himself .
He recalls that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Cannes in 1996 ( an understatement in that it was called “ obscene ” and “ subversive ” ) , doesn ’ t mention that it won an award there ( for “ Originality , Daring and Audacity ” ) and expects it may be more widely accepted these days .
Maybe by people who ’ ve seen so much else and worse since then .
It ’ s still an unpleasant , very twisted tale of a TV director ( James Spader ) who has a car accident and becomes aware @ @ @ @ @ @ @ events for sexual thrills .
He tries to revive relations with his wife ( Deborah Kara Unger ) , gets it on with the woman whose car he ran into ( Holly Hunter ) and caresses the wounds of another victim ( Rosanna Arquette ) .
Satire ?
Not that I detected .
Apparently the novel it comes from by British sci-fi writer J.G .
Ballard was critical of people who love to see car crashes , in the movies for instance , but I don ’ t detect any of that here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lurid with lots of sex in cars , very close to graphic , and with plenty of groping .
Elias Koteas plays a guy who photographs car crashes and restages James Dean ’ s fatal one for a rapt audience .
Sexual obsession , alienation , high movie craft .
They ’ re all there , but they left me cold .
It won six Genie Awards , though .
( Rio Theatre , late Friday and Sunday evening . )
2½ out of 5 PROJECT POWER : Miss the super-hero films @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stand-in from Netflix with the usual attributes , lots of action , but some straining in the storytelling .
Not that that matters a lot in this genre .
This one is set in New Orleans , where a powerful new drug is on the street , offering five minutes of super powers to anyone who takes it , but also unpredictability .
Some batches can kill you .
One guy becomes transparent ( yes ) .
One gets only a dent from a bullet that hits him .
Another bursts into flames @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Joseph Gordon-Levitt , as a rule-breaking police detective , and Jamie Foxx , as an ex-soldier , collide and sometimes unite trying to take down the criminals spreading the drug .
Gordon-Levitt teams with a young dealer ( Dominique Fishback ) and Foxx has a personal motivation : He 's trying to rescue his daughter from the gang .
And here 's where the story gets unstable .
She ’ s been captured to extract some of her DNA for , as Amy Landecker playing a developer puts it , “ the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That would be to give people the powers that some animals have .
The catch ?
You don ’ t know what it will be before you take the drug .
It ’ s nonsense , sure , but well assembled by a couple of directors , Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman , who can make you believe it .
They 've done many commercials and a few films .
I enjoyed their first one , the pseudo-documentary , Catfish , 10 years ago .
This one ends in a climactic showdown one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cargo ship .
( Netflix ) 2½ out of 5 THE GREAT GREEN WALL : This would be a perfect companion piece to Beyonce ’ s Black is King .
It , too , is a singer ’ s essay on Africa , but is much wider in scope , with heavy emphasis on current problems .
The popular singer from Mali , Inna Modja , tells us about a project to fight climate change , but gives us a great deal more : civil unrest , rebel groups that kidnap girls , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ falling prey to people smugglers , drought , struggling farmers .
They ’ re all connected , she says .
And sings , either alone or with a variety of bands and artists , on a trip across the continent .
Her route from Senegal on the Atlantic to Djibouti on the Red Sea is the site of an ambitious , but to us little-known , project by several African countries .
They want to hold back the desert south of the Sahara and restore the land by planting millions of trees along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to support the plan , which is going ahead slowly .
In every country she travels to , she shows why it ’ s necessary : farmers working soil that ’ s really just dust , Lake Chad shrunken by 90 per cent , young people drawn to migrate to Europe , high birth rates that will only increase that problem .
Meanwhile , militant groups like Boko Haram raid villages ( there ’ s actual cellphone video ) and there are tales from girls who escaped from them and boys who regret @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
With lots of music along the way and local history from activists , this is a lively , moving and very informative film .
( Streaming from https : //viff.org ) 4 out of 5 THINGS I DO FOR MONEY : I ’ ve been cool on the couple of films I ’ ve seen by Warren P. Sonoda , but this latest one from the busy Canadian director comes close .
It ’ s got an imaginative , though wavering , storyline , moves at a good pace and comes with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pair of brother cello players ( Theodor and Maximilian Aoki , making their film debut ) who actually perform what we hear .
They ’ re trying to get into a music conservatory , but are pressured to pass up an audition and play a fundraiser where a valuable painting will be stolen .
They also inadvertently steal a bag of money causing some Romanian criminals to come after them to get it back .
The film is set in the gritty milieu of Hamilton , Ont.
, and getting out is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get to Banff .
They want to help an ice-skating girlfriend ( Yodit Tewoderos ) get to Winnipeg , and a hit man brought in from Vancouver to get them and the money turns out to be a distant uncle ( played by their actual father , Edward Aoki ) .
Their father in the story is captured and held hostage for a time as the tale gets more and more tangled .
There ’ s a Black woman crime boss , a granny handy with a gun , a shootout in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a twist ending .
That ’ s too much for one short film to bear , but it survives as a pleasing , sometimes exciting , diversion .
( Available on iTunes , Bell , Cineplex , Cogeco , Rogers , Shaw , Telus , and Vimeo . )
3 out of 5 VALLEY OF THE GODS : It ’ s a real place , in Utah near the similarly grand Monument Valley .
Here , it ’ s a springboard for a Polish director ’ s views on the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a murky tale of a reporter ( Josh Hartnett ) trying to write a biography of an industrialist ( John Malkovich ) to expound on inequality .
That ’ s my guess .
The script doesn ’ t say as much or explain .
The connection is the mogul ’ s current project to push uranium mining on Navaho land , which many oppose .
One elder says it causes cancer and kills people .
“ Those are just fairy tales , ” says his grandson who is thinking of the jobs to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debates like that and this film broadens them .
Malkovich lives in a giant mansion .
He has an obsequious butler , a yard of statues of all the people he ever respected , and a huge party where a Rolls-Royce is tossed by a giant catapult and a diva sings opera .
Excess to make a point , it seems .
Elsewhere , elders dance and chant , Hartnett has visions of an ex-wife and wakes up in a rock formation as water pours down out of a hole in an overhang @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it all fits together , but is fascinating to ponder .
It ’ s the only film I know of that was made in both Utah and Poland .
( Now available on BluRay , DVD , digital and VOD . )
3 out of 5

And notice that while we’re still waiting for Tenet, the film that was to be the big one this summer, Warner Brothers has released Inception, which is also by Christopher Nolan and quite possibly a similar mind trip. We’re supposed to get Tenet in a couple of weeks, later than Australia, but again, earlier than the U.S.
More theatres are now open again. Here in Vancouver, two of the key venues, International Village and 5 th Avenue are back. They’re both showing the new Spongebob Movie, probably because Canada gets a head start on the U.S. with that one. (IV has it in five rooms). Paramount wouldn’t give me a preview, though. But I had lots to cover anyway.
Like Crowe in his over-sized pickup, honked at for being slow at a green light, upset when he asks for some civility and only gets an insincere apology. The woman who honked at him (Caren Pistorius) is having a bad day. She’s late driving her son to school, frustrated by a traffic tie-up and now unwittingly triggers an extreme case of road rage. Crowe says he’ll show her what a bad day is really like. His truck bumps and chases her little car, veering around buses and cabs and wrong-way traffic.
UNHINGED : Russell Crowe makes a great villain and you’ll have a scary good time if you’re up for it. It’s quite likely that your heart will be racing and that you’ll be gasping through some of these 90 minutes. I haven’t felt as much suspense in a movie in some time and here it is relentless, single-purposed and not weighed down by subtext and other matters to interpret. Just an intense confrontation that will support any trepidation you have about driving in a city these days. You have no idea what other motorists may do.
CRASH : David Cronenberg’s most notorious film is back in a sparkling 4K restoration and with a video introduction by the director himself. He recalls that it caused a “huge stir” at Cannes in 1996 (an understatement in that it was called “obscene” and “subversive”), doesn’t mention that it won an award there (for “Originality, Daring and Audacity”) and expects it may be more widely accepted these days. Maybe by people who’ve seen so much else and worse since then. It’s still an unpleasant, very twisted tale of a TV director (James Spader) who has a car accident and becomes aware of a cult-like group that enjoys such events for sexual thrills.
Things get worse when he gets ahold of her phone and learns from it where she’s going, where she lives and who she lives with. It takes only a few bits of dialogue to explain his problem, and whenever he’s off-screen, you’re tense for a Jaws-like return. There’s a nasty opening scene, but the rest is well-paced dread, menace and action by director Derrick Borte.(Scotiabank, 5 th Avenue, Marine Gateway and suburban theatres.) 3½ out of 5
He tries to revive relations with his wife (Deborah Kara Unger), gets it on with the woman whose car he ran into (Holly Hunter) and caresses the wounds of another victim (Rosanna Arquette). Satire? Not that I detected. Apparently the novel it comes from by British sci-fi writer J.G. Ballard was critical of people who love to see car crashes, in the movies for instance, but I don’t detect any of that here. Cronenberg’s script dwells on the lurid with lots of sex in cars, very close to graphic, and with plenty of groping. Elias Koteas plays a guy who photographs car crashes and restages James Dean’s fatal one for a rapt audience. Sexual obsession, alienation, high movie craft. They’re all there, but they left me cold. It won six Genie Awards, though. (Rio Theatre, late Friday and Sunday evening.) 2½ out of 5
PROJECT POWER: Miss the super-hero films this summer? Here's a willing stand-in from Netflix with the usual attributes, lots of action, but some straining in the storytelling. Not that that matters a lot in this genre. This one is set in New Orleans, where a powerful new drug is on the street, offering five minutes of super powers to anyone who takes it, but also unpredictability. Some batches can kill you. One guy becomes transparent (yes). One gets only a dent from a bullet that hits him. Another bursts into flames. It's pure comic book fantasy.
Courtesy Netflix
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as a rule-breaking police detective, and Jamie Foxx, as an ex-soldier, collide and sometimes unite trying to take down the criminals spreading the drug. Gordon-Levitt teams with a young dealer (Dominique Fishback) and Foxx has a personal motivation: He's trying to rescue his daughter from the gang. And here's where the story gets unstable. She’s been captured to extract some of her DNA for, as Amy Landecker playing a developer puts it, “the next evolution of the human species.” That would be to give people the powers that some animals have. The catch? You don’t know what it will be before you take the drug. It’s nonsense, sure, but well assembled by a couple of directors, Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, who can make you believe it. They've done many commercials and a few films. I enjoyed their first one, the pseudo-documentary, Catfish, 10 years ago. This one ends in a climactic showdown one rainy night among the containers on a cargo ship. (Netflix) 2½ out of 5
THE GREAT GREEN WALL: This would be a perfect companion piece to Beyonce’s Black is King. It, too, is a singer’s essay on Africa, but is much wider in scope, with heavy emphasis on current problems. The popular singer from Mali, Inna Modja, tells us about a project to fight climate change, but gives us a great deal more: civil unrest, rebel groups that kidnap girls, forced marriages, child soldiers, migrants falling prey to people smugglers, drought, struggling farmers. They’re all connected, she says. And sings, either alone or with a variety of bands and artists, on a trip across the continent.
Courtesy Blue Ice Docs
Her route from Senegal on the Atlantic to Djibouti on the Red Sea is the site of an ambitious, but to us little-known, project by several African countries. They want to hold back the desert south of the Sahara and restore the land by planting millions of trees along the 8,000-kilometere stretch. Modja is trying to support the plan, which is going ahead slowly. In every country she travels to, she shows why it’s necessary: farmers working soil that’s really just dust, Lake Chad shrunken by 90 per cent, young people drawn to migrate to Europe, high birth rates that will only increase that problem. Meanwhile, militant groups like Boko Haram raid villages (there’s actual cellphone video) and there are tales from girls who escaped from them and boys who regret the killing they were forced to do. With lots of music along the way and local history from activists, this is a lively, moving and very informative film. (Streaming from https://viff.org) 4 out of 5
THINGS I DO FOR MONEY: I’ve been cool on the couple of films I’ve seen by Warren P. Sonoda, but this latest one from the busy Canadian director comes close. It’s got an imaginative, though wavering, storyline, moves at a good pace and comes with stirring music. That’s from a pair of brother cello players (Theodor and Maximilian Aoki, making their film debut) who actually perform what we hear. They’re trying to get into a music conservatory, but are pressured to pass up an audition and play a fundraiser where a valuable painting will be stolen. They also inadvertently steal a bag of money causing some Romanian criminals to come after them to get it back.
Courtesy Raven Banner Releasing
The film is set in the gritty milieu of Hamilton, Ont., and getting out is a great preoccupation. The boys want to get to Banff. They want to help an ice-skating girlfriend (Yodit Tewoderos) get to Winnipeg, and a hit man brought in from Vancouver to get them and the money turns out to be a distant uncle (played by their actual father, Edward Aoki). Their father in the story is captured and held hostage for a time as the tale gets more and more tangled. There’s a Black woman crime boss, a granny handy with a gun, a shootout in the woods, a climactic concert scene and a twist ending. That’s too much for one short film to bear, but it survives as a pleasing, sometimes exciting, diversion. (Available on iTunes, Bell, Cineplex, Cogeco, Rogers, Shaw, Telus, and Vimeo.) 3 out of 5
VALLEY OF THE GODS: It’s a real place, in Utah near the similarly grand Monument Valley. Here, it’s a springboard for a Polish director’s views on the United States. Lech Majewski mixes Navaho mythology and a murky tale of a reporter (Josh Hartnett) trying to write a biography of an industrialist (John Malkovich) to expound on inequality. That’s my guess. The script doesn’t say as much or explain.
Courtesy Well Go USA
The connection is the mogul’s current project to push uranium mining on Navaho land, which many oppose. One elder says it causes cancer and kills people. “Those are just fairy tales,” says his grandson who is thinking of the jobs to come. We’re familiar with debates like that and this film broadens them. Malkovich lives in a giant mansion. He has an obsequious butler, a yard of statues of all the people he ever respected, and a huge party where a Rolls-Royce is tossed by a giant catapult and a diva sings opera. Excess to make a point, it seems. Elsewhere, elders dance and chant, Hartnett has visions of an ex-wife and wakes up in a rock formation as water pours down out of a hole in an overhang. It’s not clear how it all fits together, but is fascinating to ponder. It’s the only film I know of that was made in both Utah and Poland. (Now available on BluRay, DVD, digital and VOD.) 3 out of 5


nationalobserver--2020-08-14--Disease and warming oceans continue to push sea stars to the edge of extinction

Every child who has ever explored a West Coast shore relishes the discovery of a sea star , with its bumpy skin , jumble of arms and striking colours .
But the once common treasure of the tidal pool is at risk of being eradicated along the Pacific coastline from a deadly combination of disease and warming oceans caused by climate change , said biologist Alyssa Gehman .
“ It ’ s hard when you 're thinking about conservation of a species , ” said Gehman .
“ Because climate change , well , that 's a very big problem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2013 , when sea star wasting disease ( or SSWD ) was spotted along the B.C .
and Washington coasts .
It then rapidly began to lay waste to many as 20 different sea star species from Mexico to Alaska , said Gehman , a researcher with the University of British Columbia and the Hakai Institute .
• 'Let it burn ' : Suicide prevention policy likened to wildfires • In Ontario , it ’ s open season on cormorants .
But is the hunt based on science ?
• Feds spending $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ struggling Canadians Alyssa Gehman , a researcher with UBC and Hakai Institute , says some sea stars may be benefiting with the decline of competitors due to the sea star wasting disease .
Photo : Courtesy Keith Holmes The syndrome , linked to a virus , starts as white lesions on the sea stars , but quickly causes their arms to fall off and reduces the creatures to white piles of mush .
“ It looks like they are melting away , ” Gehman said .
“ It ’ s really sad.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the ochre and the sunflower stars , were once abundant on the B.C .
coast , but both were ravaged by SSWD , she said .
The sunflower sea star has been hit especially hard .
“ We should care because it could be a bellwether of things to come , ” Biologist Alyssa Gehman on how disease and warming oceans caused a massive die off of sea stars and continues to imperil the species .
Large , fast and in a range of colours , the sunflower star can boast 15 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a metre across .
But the species has suffered a massive die-off .
There ’ s been up to a 90 per cent decline in overall population , with the complete disappearance of sunflower stars in some southern areas of the U.S. coast , Gehman said .
“ You used to be able to go out during a low tide and turn over some rocks , or look around , and you would find these big , beautiful stars , ” she said .
“ I personally really loved that star .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is devastating.
” The loss is so widespread , persistent and alarming that Gehman and a group of her peers are trying to get the sunflower sea star registered as a threatened species .
Research indicates rising sea temperatures linked to climate change makes the sea stars more vulnerable to a virus that previously had isolated effect on sea star populations — but is now pushing some to the edge of extinction , said Gehman .
Lab experiments also show infected stars die faster and suffer a higher mortality rate in warmer water @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s still not entirely clear what higher temperatures do to the virus in the water , she added .
Aside from the alarming loss of sea stars , their disappearance has larger , ongoing implications for the marine ecosystem , Gehman said .
Both sunflower and ochre stars — the purple and orange starfish found clinging to rocky beaches and piers that people along the B.C .
coast are most likely to recognize — are keystone species .
Both have a disproportionately large influence in their ecosystem , Gehman said .
Ochre stars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bay , allowing other plants and animals to thrive .
Sunflower stars , in particular , are voracious eaters that can swallow sea urchins whole , keeping their populations in check .
But now without this primary predator , sea urchins are mowing down kelp forests .
In British Columbia , the decline in the sunflower star is linked to rising urchin numbers and a 30 per cent decline in kelp forests , a fundamental source of food and habitat for a range of marine animals , including otters , seals and fish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be pockets of recovery of the ochre star along the B.C .
coast , said Gehman .
But what ’ s unclear is how extensive those populations are , and if they will last .
“ On the central coast , we ’ ve definitely seen some recovery , but we also appear to be seeing what look like seasonal outbreaks in the late summer , ” said Gehman , adding , again , warmer water appears to be an aggravating factor .
“ So while we ’ re seeing more ochre stars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Researchers in Oregon also noted an unusual and dramatic jump in baby ochre star populations , but it ’ s not clear if it ’ s a response linked to SSWD or whether the populations can avoid contracting the virus , Gehman said .
Gehman ’ s own research looks at whether different sea star species , such as the leather star , are more resistant to the disease .
However , the sunflower star is still in peril and has only been detected in isolated areas along the B.C.
, Washington and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Islands off the east coast of Vancouver Island recently reported seeing sunflower stars , Gehman said .
“ We ’ re still seeing some , but they are variable , small populations and generally small individuals.
” Biologist Alyssa Gehman says citizen scientists can help researchers monitor sea star populations and incidents of disease by using apps like iNaturalist to record sightings in their areas .
Photo : Courtesy of Keith Holmes It ’ s difficult for researchers and scientists to monitor the entire Pacific coastline for sea stars , Gehman noted .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to educate the public about sea stars and to encourage them to become citizen scientists and help researchers monitor populations in their areas , she said .
An especially useful tool is the iNaturalist app that can be downloaded to cellphones , Gehman said .
If people see sea stars , they can take photos and record data on the app about their sightings and provide valuable information to researchers .
“ Then we can start to track where we 're seeing growth and potential evidence of the recovery of sea stars , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , anywhere we 're seeing pockets of disease.
” Scientists are scrambling to determine how exactly the virus , warm water and other factors might be causing the massive impacts of SSWD .
“ That way , we can identify mitigating factors , so that we can try to lessen the negative effects of climate change on this species , ” Gehman said .
But addressing climate change is the most obvious step to try to ensure sea stars ' survival .
“ We should care because it could be a bellwether of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We should know why and how that happened so that we can get an idea of whether that 's going to happen again in other systems.
” But it ’ s also important just to ensure the magic and beauty of sea stars continue to exist along our coastlines , Gehman said .
“ At a personal level , sea stars are beautiful and interesting and many people love them.
” Anemones and ochre stars along the B.C .
coast .
Some populations of the ochre stars , usually purple or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but are still vulnerable to SSWD .
Photo : Courtesy Grant Callegari

It then rapidly began to lay waste to many as 20 different sea star species from Mexico to Alaska, said Gehman, a researcher with the University of British Columbia and the Hakai Institute.
The problem surfaced in 2013, when sea star wasting disease (or SSWD) was spotted along the B.C. and Washington coasts.
“It’s hard when you're thinking about conservation of a species,” said Gehman. “Because climate change, well, that's a very big problem to address.”
But the once common treasure of the tidal pool is at risk of being eradicated along the Pacific coastline from a deadly combination of disease and warming oceans caused by climate change, said biologist Alyssa Gehman.
Every child who has ever explored a West Coast shore relishes the discovery of a sea star, with its bumpy skin, jumble of arms and striking colours.
“It looks like they are melting away,” Gehman said. “It’s really sad.”
The syndrome, linked to a virus, starts as white lesions on the sea stars, but quickly causes their arms to fall off and reduces the creatures to white piles of mush.
Large, fast and in a range of colours, the sunflower star can boast 15 to 24 arms that might span up to a metre across.
The sunflower sea star has been hit especially hard.
Two of the most affected sea stars, the ochre and the sunflower stars, were once abundant on the B.C. coast, but both were ravaged by SSWD, she said.
“I personally really loved that star. And so seeing that level of die-off is devastating.”
“You used to be able to go out during a low tide and turn over some rocks, or look around, and you would find these big, beautiful stars,” she said.
But the species has suffered a massive die-off. There’s been up to a 90 per cent decline in overall population, with the complete disappearance of sunflower stars in some southern areas of the U.S. coast, Gehman said.
The loss is so widespread, persistent and alarming that Gehman and a group of her peers are trying to get the sunflower sea star registered as a threatened species.
Research indicates rising sea temperatures linked to climate change makes the sea stars more vulnerable to a virus that previously had isolated effect on sea star populations — but is now pushing some to the edge of extinction, said Gehman.
Lab experiments also show infected stars die faster and suffer a higher mortality rate in warmer water, she said.
But it’s still not entirely clear what higher temperatures do to the virus in the water, she added.
Ripple effect on marine ecosystems
Aside from the alarming loss of sea stars, their disappearance has larger, ongoing implications for the marine ecosystem, Gehman said.
Both sunflower and ochre stars — the purple and orange starfish found clinging to rocky beaches and piers that people along the B.C. coast are most likely to recognize — are keystone species.
Both have a disproportionately large influence in their ecosystem, Gehman said. Ochre stars keep mussel colonies along rocky shorelines at bay, allowing other plants and animals to thrive.
Sunflower stars, in particular, are voracious eaters that can swallow sea urchins whole, keeping their populations in check.
But now without this primary predator, sea urchins are mowing down kelp forests.
In British Columbia, the decline in the sunflower star is linked to rising urchin numbers and a 30 per cent decline in kelp forests, a fundamental source of food and habitat for a range of marine animals, including otters, seals and fish.
However, there does seem to be pockets of recovery of the ochre star along the B.C. coast, said Gehman.
But what’s unclear is how extensive those populations are, and if they will last.
“On the central coast, we’ve definitely seen some recovery, but we also appear to be seeing what look like seasonal outbreaks in the late summer,” said Gehman, adding, again, warmer water appears to be an aggravating factor.
“So while we’re seeing more ochre stars, the disease is not gone.”
Researchers in Oregon also noted an unusual and dramatic jump in baby ochre star populations, but it’s not clear if it’s a response linked to SSWD or whether the populations can avoid contracting the virus, Gehman said.
Gehman’s own research looks at whether different sea star species, such as the leather star, are more resistant to the disease.
However, the sunflower star is still in peril and has only been detected in isolated areas along the B.C., Washington and Alaska coasts.
Divers in the Discovery Islands off the east coast of Vancouver Island recently reported seeing sunflower stars, Gehman said.
“We’re still seeing some, but they are variable, small populations and generally small individuals.”
Citizen scientists can monitor sea stars
Biologist Alyssa Gehman says citizen scientists can help researchers monitor sea star populations and incidents of disease by using apps like iNaturalist to record sightings in their areas. Photo: Courtesy of Keith Holmes
It’s difficult for researchers and scientists to monitor the entire Pacific coastline for sea stars, Gehman noted.
So, there’s a push to educate the public about sea stars and to encourage them to become citizen scientists and help researchers monitor populations in their areas, she said.
An especially useful tool is the iNaturalist app that can be downloaded to cellphones, Gehman said.
If people see sea stars, they can take photos and record data on the app about their sightings and provide valuable information to researchers.
“Then we can start to track where we're seeing growth and potential evidence of the recovery of sea stars,” Gehman said.
“And also, anywhere we're seeing pockets of disease.”
Scientists are scrambling to determine how exactly the virus, warm water and other factors might be causing the massive impacts of SSWD.
“That way, we can identify mitigating factors, so that we can try to lessen the negative effects of climate change on this species,” Gehman said.
But addressing climate change is the most obvious step to try to ensure sea stars' survival.
“We should care because it could be a bellwether of things to come,” Gehman said.
“We should know why and how that happened so that we can get an idea of whether that's going to happen again in other systems.”
But it’s also important just to ensure the magic and beauty of sea stars continue to exist along our coastlines, Gehman said.
“At a personal level, sea stars are beautiful and interesting and many people love them.”
Rochelle Baker/Local Journalism Initiative/Canada's National Observer


nationalobserver--2020-08-14--Feds give $50 million to feed Canadians surplus food. Some hope it's just a start

Ron Lemire is a “ produce guy , ” but COVID-19 educated him in milk and meat .
That ’ s because since March , the president of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association has joined forces with eight other non-profits .
Together , they laid the groundwork to move millions of kilograms of surplus food from producers to hungry Canadians .
Their plans will soon go live thanks to the $ 50-million federal Surplus Food Rescue Program , details of which were announced Thursday by Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau .
It ’ s an unprecedented boost for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for years .
“ It ’ s significant , the waste that we see , the amount of food that never gets eaten , ” said Lemire .
The pandemic has made the waste problem worse — most hotels and restaurants were forced to close in March , stranding about 5.8 million kilograms of food — but Canada ’ s food system was already wasteful .
Statistics Canada reported in June that one in seven Canadians ( 14.5 per cent ) didn ’ t have enough food during the previous month — a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2018 .
A 2019 report by Second Harvest found that about 35.5 billion kilograms of food is wasted in Canada annually .
Of that loss , 32 per cent — worth $ 49.5 billion — is edible and could be avoided .
“ This problem is not just a pandemic problem , ” said Tammara Soma , a professor of resource and environmental management at Simon Fraser University and an expert in food waste .
“ We have a system where we are constantly overproducing , even before the pandemic.
” That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Program is important to deal with an immediate problem for farmers and people without enough food , it only makes sense as part of a long-term strategy to invest in infrastructure that will help reduce food waste , increase communities ’ resilience , and get food to hungry Canadians for years to come .
The problem of food waste runs deeper than COVID-19 , said Tammara Soma , professor of resource and environmental management at Simon Fraser University .
Addressing it will take investments in infrastructure to support local production , processing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Tammara Soma Some of this infrastructure used to exist in Canada , but has vanished in the past several decades .
For instance , B.C .
lost most of its processing facilities in the 1990s after NAFTA made it easier for Canadian produce , meat , and fish to be exported for processing at plants in the United States , where labour is cheaper .
Not only did this make the province ’ s supply chains longer , it encouraged farmers to grow one or two crops in large quantities for distribution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be wasted if market conditions changed and their crops were stranded .
Almost two-thirds of food in Canada is wasted before it reaches store shelves , noted Second Harvest ’ s 2019 report .
Meanwhile , Soma explained , British Columbians started to rely on imported foods that are more vulnerable to disruptions like COVID-19 or climate change .
Investing in local processing capacity , increasing supports for farmers , so they can grow more diverse crops that are better adapted to local needs , and helping food banks and charities increase their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canada looks to reduce food waste and hunger , she said .
“ We need to be very strategic with this because moving perishable food around without a proper long-term strategy is not going to solve the waste issue and is not going to solve the food security issue.
” It 's also relies heavily on fossil fuels , she noted Food loss and waste ( FLW ) contributes about 56.5 million tonnes to Canada 's carbon emissions annually .
That 's the equivalent of 7.2 million smartphone charges .
Table by Martin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gains made through the program aren ’ t lost is also top of mind for Lemire .
In fact , it is one of the best parts of the federal initiative , he said .
“ This enables us to create a legacy plan where , even if there are no federal monies , the connections that are being created between food and charities is fundamental .
They existed in the past , but now they ’ re much more structured and uniform , ” Lemire said .
That means future surpluses , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distributed more efficiently across the country .
Still , that might not be enough to really eliminate food insecurity , according to Graham Riches , a professor emeritus of social work at UBC whose research focused on hunger .
He noted that the first food banks and food charities appeared in Canada during a recession in the 1980s , and modelled an American approach to reducing hunger .
That approach focused on food corporations redirecting surplus food to , and funding , food banks and charities — not increasing people ’ s incomes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their own food .
Focusing on redistribution instead of income doesn ’ t really solve the problem , Riches said .
Hungry people remain without the means to feed themselves , while food donations have a relatively minimal impact on reducing food waste — in Canada , only about 0.1 per cent of food wasted after harvest and processing is recovered in Canada , he noted .
Graham Riches has been studying food security and poverty since the 1960s .
`` Food insecurity is an income problem .
It 's not a food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ courtesy Graham Riches .
Lori Nikkel , the CEO of Second Harvest , agreed .
“ Food security has nothing to do with food , ” she said .
“ Food security is about income .
Only when you can buy your own food will you be food secure.
” Fixing the systemic failures underpinning hunger in Canada and B.C .
is more complex than a $ 50-million program can allow , she said .
They ’ re challenges that existed before the pandemic .
She hopes they won ’ t be as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 — a hope she 's seen grow since the government 's increased interest in the problem during the pandemic .
Still , she 's delighted by the funding .
“ This isn ’ t going to solve food insecurity , but it ’ s going to help support people with food right now .
”

Ron Lemaire is a “produce guy,” but COVID-19 educated him in milk and meat. That’s because since March, the president of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association has joined forces with eight other non-profits. Together, they laid the groundwork to move millions of kilograms of surplus food from producers to hungry Canadians. Their plans will soon go live thanks to the $50-million federal Surplus Food Rescue Program, details of which were announced Thursday by Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau. “The benefit of getting the $50 million from the federal government is one thing,” Lemaire said. “The challenge will be to move food into the communities that need it.” Statistics Canada reported in June that one in seven Canadians (14.5 per cent) didn’t have enough food during the previous month — a four per cent increase from data collected in 2018. About 19 per cent of Canadian households with children reported lacking food in May. And Canadians absent from work due to the pandemic were about three times as likely to be food insecure compared to those who kept working.
About 35.5 billion kilograms of food is wasted in Canada each year. Thirty-two percent of that loss is edible and could be avoided. Photo courtesy of Paul Stewart. The funding will support distribution networks established by national food charities and organizations, including Food Banks Canada, Second Harvest, and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, to better reach those in need. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions These three organizations will receive more than $11 million each to move food from producers to local food banks and food charities across the country.
It’s an unprecedented boost for efforts the organizations have been working on for years. Statistics Canada reported in June that one in seven Canadians (14.5 per cent) didn’t have enough food during the previous month — a four per cent increase from data collected in 2018. “It’s significant, the waste that we see, the amount of food that never gets eaten,” said Lemaire. The pandemic has made the waste problem worse — most hotels and restaurants were forced to close in March, stranding about 5.8 million kilograms of food — but Canada’s food system was already wasteful. A 2019 report by Second Harvest found that about 35.5 billion kilograms of food is wasted in Canada annually. Of that loss, 32 per cent — worth $49.5 billion — is edible and could be avoided.
“This problem is not just a pandemic problem,” said Tammara Soma, a professor of resource and environmental management at Simon Fraser University and an expert in food waste. “We have a system where we are constantly overproducing, even before the pandemic.” That means, while the Surplus Food Rescue Program is important to deal with an immediate problem for farmers and people without enough food, it only makes sense as part of a long-term strategy to invest in infrastructure that will help reduce food waste, increase communities’ resilience, and get food to hungry Canadians for years to come. The problem of food waste runs deeper than COVID-19, said Tammara Soma, professor of resource and environmental management at Simon Fraser University. Addressing it will take investments in infrastructure to support local production, processing, storage, and distribution. Photo courtsey of Tammara Soma


nationalobserver--2020-08-14--Ford government starts two-year study of how climate crisis will impact Ontario

Ontario is embarking on a two-year study of how the climate crisis will affect the economy , key infrastructure and communities , the province said Friday .
The impact assessment will be done by the independent non-profit Climate Risk Institute .
Though it ’ s an important first step to help the province prepare for and adapt to the fallout of the climate crisis , the government ’ s efforts to reduce carbon emissions are still lacking , said Sarah Buchanan , clean economy program manager at the green non-profit Environmental Defence .
“ They ’ ve got one half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the actual plan to reduce greenhouse emissions in Ontario ?
” Buchanan said .
“ This is like watching your house burn down , and instead of calling the firefighters , calling your insurance company.
” The impact assessment delivers a key promise from the government ’ s 2018 environment plan .
( The plan was criticized by green advocates , who called it scant , and by Ontario auditor general Bonnie Lysyk , who said it was “ not based on sound evidence or sufficient detail . )
• In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on cormorants .
But is the hunt based on science ?
• 'Let it burn ' : Suicide prevention policy likened to wildfires • Feds spending $ 50 million to get surplus food to struggling Canadians “ Our government is committed to tackling climate change by reducing greenhouse emissions and helping communities and families prepare for the effects of our changing climate , ” said Environment Minister Jeff Yurek in a press release Friday .
“ I look forward to receiving the results of Ontario ’ s first-ever climate change impact assessment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Indigenous communities and local partners make more informed decisions on planning and infrastructure investments to keep communities healthy and safe.
” The Ottawa-based Climate Risk Institute is aimed at helping decision-makers build resilience for the impacts of the changing climate .
In Ontario , the climate crisis is expected to bring severe storms , heat waves , floods and wildfires that happen more frequently and intensely .
The institute will examine how that will shape Ontario using climate data , land use patterns and socio-economic projections , the government said in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mandated to consult Indigenous communities , the public and “ key economic sectors.
” “ The Climate Risk institute is pleased to be leading this climate change impact assessment of vulnerabilities to Ontario ’ s natural environment , economies , and communities , which is critical for prioritizing decisions that protect and create resilient investments , livelihoods , ecosystems , and public health and safety , ” said Al Douglas , president of the Climate Risk Institute , in the government ’ s press release .
“ The assessment will support decisions that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and will allow for a more strategic approach to climate change adaptation planning in Ontario.
” Ontario is embarking on a two-year study of how the climate crisis will affect the economy , key infrastructure and communities .
# onpoli Paul Kovacs , chair of the government ’ s advisory panel on climate change , said in the press release that the assessment is a crucial step to help the province prepare for extreme weather to come .
Buchanan said she ’ s glad the province is doing the assessment , but also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cancellations of green energy programs .
If Ontario doesn ’ t work to reduce emissions , it risks missing a crucial and tightening window for lessening the impacts of the climate crisis , she added .
“ What are you actually doing to reduce carbon pollution ?
What are you actually doing to fight climate change ?
” she said .
“ It ’ s really frustrating to see this attitude of giving up on a problem that we need to take action on to reduce how horrible it ’ s going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
”

Ontario is embarking on a two-year study of how the climate crisis will affect the economy, key infrastructure and communities, the province said Friday. The impact assessment will be done by the independent non-profit Climate Risk Institute. Though it’s an important first step to help the province prepare for and adapt to the fallout of the climate crisis, the government’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions are still lacking, said Sarah Buchanan, clean economy program manager at the green non-profit Environmental Defence. “They’ve got one half of the equation here, but where’s the actual plan to reduce greenhouse emissions in Ontario?” Buchanan said. “This is like watching your house burn down, and instead of calling the firefighters, calling your insurance company.” The impact assessment delivers a key promise from the government’s 2018 environment plan. (The plan was criticized by green advocates, who called it scant, and by Ontario auditor general Bonnie Lysyk, who said it was “not based on sound evidence or sufficient detail.)
“Our government is committed to tackling climate change by reducing greenhouse emissions and helping communities and families prepare for the effects of our changing climate,” said Environment Minister Jeff Yurek in a press release Friday. “I look forward to receiving the results of Ontario’s first-ever climate change impact assessment, which will help the province, municipalities, Indigenous communities and local partners make more informed decisions on planning and infrastructure investments to keep communities healthy and safe.” Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The Ottawa-based Climate Risk Institute is aimed at helping decision-makers build resilience for the impacts of the changing climate. In Ontario, the climate crisis is expected to bring severe storms, heat waves, floods and wildfires that happen more frequently and intensely.
The institute will examine how that will shape Ontario using climate data, land use patterns and socio-economic projections, the government said in the press release. It will also be mandated to consult Indigenous communities, the public and “key economic sectors.” Ontario is embarking on a two-year study of how the climate crisis will affect the economy, key infrastructure and communities. #onpoli “The Climate Risk institute is pleased to be leading this climate change impact assessment of vulnerabilities to Ontario’s natural environment, economies, and communities, which is critical for prioritizing decisions that protect and create resilient investments, livelihoods, ecosystems, and public health and safety,” said Al Douglas, president of the Climate Risk Institute, in the government’s press release. “The assessment will support decisions that are informed by science and local knowledge and will allow for a more strategic approach to climate change adaptation planning in Ontario.” Paul Kovacs, chair of the government’s advisory panel on climate change, said in the press release that the assessment is a crucial step to help the province prepare for extreme weather to come. Buchanan said she’s glad the province is doing the assessment, but also pointed to the government’s broad cancellations of green energy programs. If Ontario doesn’t work to reduce emissions, it risks missing a crucial and tightening window for lessening the impacts of the climate crisis, she added.