nationalobserver--2020-10-06--Ontario's mixed messaging on COVID-19 leading to distrust, experts say

TORONTO — Balancing the fight against COVID-19 with efforts to jump-start the economy in Ontario has highlighted communications problems that have sown confusion and could erode trust in public health advice , experts say .
Steven Hoffman , a professor of global health , law and political science at York University , said much of the fault falls at the feet of the provincial government .
`` The rules are complex and they have n't been communicated as clearly as needed , '' he said .
`` And some of them just do n't make sense . ''
In Ontario @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maximum of 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors .
But the indoor capacity for businesses such as casinos , bars and restaurants is 100 people , as long as they follow all public health guidelines .
`` If it 's in our homes , then we 're allowed to do one thing but if we all go to a casino then more of us can hang out together , '' Hoffman said .
• Canada Pension Plan fuels the climate crisis with our own retirement savings • Alberta ’ s pipeline dreams could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bad Dreams on Burnaby Mountain : Threats of Oil Spills , Explosions and Killer Firestorms He pointed to Thanksgiving as a perfect example that highlights the unclear and conflicting messages authorities are giving to the public .
On Monday , Dr. Barbara Yaffe , the province 's associate chief medical officer of health , advised Ontarians against celebrating the holiday with people outside of their immediate household .
But on Tuesday , Premier Doug Ford told reporters he had told his wife they would not have more than 10 people over for Thanksgiving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they would stick to their `` immediate household '' on the holiday .
Ontario has been experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases recently and brought in tighter restrictions to deal with the second wave of the pandemic , including asking people to pause their social bubbles .
So the public is left with rules and guidelines that are n't congruent , Hoffman said .
`` Maybe I should n't have Thanksgiving at home , but maybe we go have it at a casino , '' he said .
Conflicting messages from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could erode trust in public health advice , experts say .
# onpoli Hoffman said the messaging in Ontario shifted in June when the politicians began talking about easing restrictions and the province came up with a numeric stage system .
`` I was quite concerned in June when the rhetoric around the reopening of society was framed as getting back to business , '' Hoffman said .
`` Stage 1 , Stage 2 , Stage 3 implies that it only goes in one direction . ''
The public has not been properly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of restrictions , thereby making behaviours difficult to change .
`` It is going to be hard to reimpose those layers of protection , and indeed , unfortunately , we 're seeing that right now and it 's been really confusing , '' Hoffman said .
Maya Goldenberg , a philosophy professor at the University of Guelph who examines communications and has a book coming out about vaccine apprehension , said the public needs clear directions from the government .
`` People want consistency and to know that this is part of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directives , '' she said .
`` Without being able to find that common thread , we get suspicious this is not being directed very well . ''
Ford defended his team 's communications on Monday when asked if the public was tuning him out .
`` I totally disagree with that because I 'm out there and talking to the people , '' he said .
Goldenberg said the province 's messaging had been strong and clear through much of the pandemic until about a month ago when schools reopened and mixed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ required tests for students .
That in turn led to massive lineups at assessment centres and overwhelmed laboratories where the tests are processed .
The province said it never directed school boards to demand COVID-19 tests , but recently changed its testing protocols .
Boards have since handed out decision trees that parents are supposed to follow , which is different from the rules sent out last month .
The overwhelming demand for COVID-19 tests in the province over the past month also led to changes at assessment centres .
People seeking a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than simply show up .
Public health officials and epidemiologists across the country have long espoused the need for massive testing in order to stop the spread of the virus .
`` But when the government comes out and says our testing centres are overwhelmed and we 're going to change the criteria for children being tested , it sounds like a resource problem and not a public health directive , '' Goldenberg said .
`` We 're at this point where science was upheld on how to get out of this problem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it creates a lot of mistrust and even confusion from the public about who 's directing our pandemic response right now . ''
She said decisions are being made on resources and cost concerns , which is not wrong , but is different than what much of the public wants at the moment .
`` Right now people want to put health as the first priority , not spending , '' she said .
Goldenberg said politicians deferring to public health officials to justify certain rules in the first few months of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trust with the public .
`` The way to do it well is to have consistent messaging and clear justification for actions being made , '' she said , `` but that 's not happening right now . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 6 , 2020 .

TORONTO — Balancing the fight against COVID-19 with efforts to jump-start the economy in Ontario has highlighted communications problems that have sown confusion and could erode trust in public health advice, experts say. Steven Hoffman, a professor of global health, law and political science at York University, said much of the fault falls at the feet of the provincial government. "The rules are complex and they haven't been communicated as clearly as needed," he said. "And some of them just don't make sense." In Ontario, social gatherings are limited to a maximum of 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors. But the indoor capacity for businesses such as casinos, bars and restaurants is 100 people, as long as they follow all public health guidelines. "If it's in our homes, then we're allowed to do one thing but if we all go to a casino then more of us can hang out together," Hoffman said.
He pointed to Thanksgiving as a perfect example that highlights the unclear and conflicting messages authorities are giving to the public. On Monday, Dr. Barbara Yaffe, the province's associate chief medical officer of health, advised Ontarians against celebrating the holiday with people outside of their immediate household. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions But on Tuesday, Premier Doug Ford told reporters he had told his wife they would not have more than 10 people over for Thanksgiving. He backtracked moments later, tweeting that they would stick to their "immediate household" on the holiday.
Ontario has been experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases recently and brought in tighter restrictions to deal with the second wave of the pandemic, including asking people to pause their social bubbles. Conflicting messages from the Ontario government have led to confusion and could erode trust in public health advice, experts say. #onpoli So the public is left with rules and guidelines that aren't congruent, Hoffman said. "Maybe I shouldn't have Thanksgiving at home, but maybe we go have it at a casino," he said. Hoffman said the messaging in Ontario shifted in June when the politicians began talking about easing restrictions and the province came up with a numeric stage system. "I was quite concerned in June when the rhetoric around the reopening of society was framed as getting back to business," Hoffman said.
"Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3 implies that it only goes in one direction." The public has not been properly prepared through communications to expect a rollback of restrictions, thereby making behaviours difficult to change. "It is going to be hard to reimpose those layers of protection, and indeed, unfortunately, we're seeing that right now and it's been really confusing," Hoffman said.


nationalobserver--2020-10-06--Training, education needed to combat systemic racism against Indigenous women: Rona Ambrose

Combating systemic racism experienced by Indigenous women and girls requires better training and education starting in childhood , says former Opposition leader and ongoing advocate for girls ' rights Rona Ambrose .
Ambrose , the author of a new book celebrating the International Day of the Girl , says teaching kids early about equality equips them to speak up when they witness or experience discrimination later in life .
`` Having these conversations with boys and girls at a really young age is , I think , absolutely essential to really make sure that they absorb what it is to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` And make that part of their identity of that a very , very young age . ''
That a dying Quebec Indigenous woman , Joyce Echaquan , was taunted with racist slurs while in hospital last month by professional adults is `` unconscionable , '' said Ambrose , and there must be accountability for those involved .
• Canada Pension Plan fuels the climate crisis with our own retirement savings • Alberta ’ s pipeline dreams could be riding on the U.S. election • Bad Dreams on Burnaby Mountain : Threats of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Two people have been fired , and a coroner 's inquest will be held into the incident .
On Tuesday , Quebec Premier Francois Legault apologized to her family .
But too often stories like Echaquan 's are met with a collective gasp of shock and then nothing really changes , Ambrose said .
While interim Conservative leader in 2017 , Ambrose introduced a bill that would mandate training for judges to ensure they were n't being influenced by stereotypes when rendering decisions in sexual assault cases .
`` That 's why we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so that people in the highest positions of our system get training , '' she said .
`` But frankly , that kind of training should exist for a lot of people that are interfacing with the public . ''
The bill languished in the Senate , despite a cross-partisan show of support in the House of Commons , and died when an election was called last fall .
Former MP Rona Ambrose , author of a new book celebrating the # InternationalDayoftheGirl , says teaching kids early about equality equips them to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discrimination .
It was reintroduced last week by the Liberals , and Ambrose said the fact it has the backing of the country 's justice minister gives her confidence it will pass .
While the bill is important , efforts to educate must go beyond legislation , she said , and that 's why she 's written the book , along with co-author Jessica Dee Humphreys .
International Day of the Girl : Celebrating Girls Around The World is a project that Ambrose has long had in the works , linked to an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get the UN to agree to setting aside Oct. 11 as the International Day of the Girl .
In writing the book , she said it was important to not skip over the fact that there are girls in Canada who also struggle with inequality .
Included is a story based on that of Shannen Koostachin , whose advocacy for a school in the First Nation community of Attawapiskat drew international attention .
She died in a car accident at the age of 15 in 2010 , and Ambrose said her family is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appears in the book , using a different name .
The story is one of nine featuring girls from around the world who have overcome obstacles often deliberately placed in their way .
Ambrose 's share of the proceeds from the book will go to charity .
`` For me , it 's about teaching kids to be better and great global citizens , '' she said .
`` But then it 's also to raise awareness that there 's a lot of work to be done around gender equality .
And then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenges . ''
A key challenge facing governments now , Ambrose said , is how to respond to the gender inequality created by the COVID-19 pandemic .
During past economic recessions , pouring money into infrastructure projects was a tried-and-true way to spur growth , and it does work , Ambrose said .
Except the jobs those projects create are more likely to go to men , and in the context of the pandemic , women 's livelihoods are under attack .
Jobs in retail or hospitality are dominated by women , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , women are also seeing all the formal and informal supports they had for child care become far less reliable , she said .
The question , Ambrose said , is what the policy response can or should be .
`` Can you fix this with money ?
Or is it fixed with a better testing regime to make sure that we keep daycares and schools open ? ''
she said .
`` And then corporations , companies are going to have to figure out how to stop this backslide and accommodate a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with in the workforce . ''
The Liberals have staked their political credibility on being a `` feminist '' government that will address the so-called `` she-cession '' but Ambrose said her party , under the new leadership of Erin O'Toole , must also stake out turf on that front .
`` Women are pretty good judges of slogans versus action , and they are pretty tough on who they vote for , '' she said .
`` They know what 's good for their families and their communities and their economy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ be up to our party to make the case . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 6 , 2020 .

Combating systemic racism experienced by Indigenous women and girls requires better training and education starting in childhood, says former Opposition leader and ongoing advocate for girls' rights Rona Ambrose. Ambrose, the author of a new book celebrating the International Day of the Girl, says teaching kids early about equality equips them to speak up when they witness or experience discrimination later in life. "Having these conversations with boys and girls at a really young age is, I think, absolutely essential to really make sure that they absorb what it is to be equal," she said. "And make that part of their identity of that a very, very young age." That a dying Quebec Indigenous woman, Joyce Echaquan, was taunted with racist slurs while in hospital last month by professional adults is "unconscionable," said Ambrose, and there must be accountability for those involved.
Two people have been fired, and a coroner's inquest will be held into the incident. On Tuesday, Quebec Premier Francois Legault apologized to her family. But too often stories like Echaquan's are met with a collective gasp of shock and then nothing really changes, Ambrose said. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions While interim Conservative leader in 2017, Ambrose introduced a bill that would mandate training for judges to ensure they weren't being influenced by stereotypes when rendering decisions in sexual assault cases.
"That's why we put forward things like this bill, so that people in the highest positions of our system get training," she said. Former MP Rona Ambrose, author of a new book celebrating the #InternationalDayoftheGirl, says teaching kids early about equality equips them to speak up when they witness or experience discrimination. "But frankly, that kind of training should exist for a lot of people that are interfacing with the public." The bill languished in the Senate, despite a cross-partisan show of support in the House of Commons, and died when an election was called last fall. It was reintroduced last week by the Liberals, and Ambrose said the fact it has the backing of the country's justice minister gives her confidence it will pass. While the bill is important, efforts to educate must go beyond legislation, she said, and that's why she's written the book, along with co-author Jessica Dee Humphreys.
International Day of the Girl: Celebrating Girls Around The World is a project that Ambrose has long had in the works, linked to an achievement during her days in politics to get the UN to agree to setting aside Oct. 11 as the International Day of the Girl. In writing the book, she said it was important to not skip over the fact that there are girls in Canada who also struggle with inequality. Included is a story based on that of Shannen Koostachin, whose advocacy for a school in the First Nation community of Attawapiskat drew international attention.


nationalobserver--2020-10-06--Subscriber exclusive: Richard Fadden on disinformation and national security

In this time of growing disinformation and propaganda , former CSIS head Richard Fadden joins Linda Solomon Wood for an @ @ @ @ @ of disinformation and how it impacts us all .
To celebrate five years of award-winning @ @ @ @ @ s National Observer is releasing an in-depth report on election disinformation , Digital Fractures : @ @ @ @ @ Media , and presenting a special six-part instalment of its Conversations series .
The first @ @ @ @ @ Richard Fadden , former head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and national security adviser @ @ @ @ @ .
Fadden will join National Observer editor-in-chief Linda Solomon Wood on Thursday , Oct. 8 @ @ @ @ @ 7 p.m .
ET .
Register here .

In this time of growing disinformation and propaganda, former CSIS head Richard Fadden joins Linda Solomon Wood for an in-depth conversation on the dangers of disinformation and how it impacts us all.
To celebrate five years of award-winning independent journalism, Canada’s National Observer is releasing an in-depth report on election disinformation, Digital Fractures: Disinformation, Democracy and the Media, and presenting a special six-part instalment of its Conversations series.
The first guest in the series is Richard Fadden, former head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and national security adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Fadden will join National Observer editor-in-chief Linda Solomon Wood on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET. Register here.
In this subscriber exclusive event, Fadden and Solomon Wood will explore the national security implications of disinformation and conspiracy theories. Here in Canada, disinformation has led to violent, extremist attacks and prompted threats toward prominent public figures. Is disinformation a public emergency in Canada and around the world? How concerned should Canadians be, and what can the public do to be better armed against disinformation?
Fadden brings to the conversation a wealth of expertise from close to four decades of experience in high-level security. He was the head of CSIS from 2009 to 2013 and served as national security adviser to both prime minister Trudeau and former prime minister Stephen Harper. Tune in to hear his assessment of this unprecedented information environment.


nationalobserver--2020-10-06--First Nations in New Brunswick file lawsuit to seek declaration of Aboriginal title

Six First Nations in New Brunswick have filed a lawsuit seeking a declaration of title for their traditional lands , which include much of the western half of the province .
Leaders from the Wolastoqey Nation gathered Monday at St. Anne 's Point in Fredericton to announce their claim against the governments of New Brunswick and Canada .
`` We are not interested in kicking any regular folks out of their houses or off their farms , '' Chief Shelley Sabattis of the Welamukotuk First Nation said in a statement .
`` But for three centuries , the Crown has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though they do n't own it . ''
The six chiefs said they are not seeking the return of any land or compensation .
• Canada Pension Plan fuels the climate crisis with our own retirement savings • Alberta ’ s pipeline dreams could be riding on the U.S. election • Bad Dreams on Burnaby Mountain : Threats of Oil Spills , Explosions and Killer Firestorms Instead , they said the lawsuit is aimed at winning recognition that the land in question is subject to Aboriginal title .
If that status is affirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nation will have the right to decide how that land is used and who will benefit from those uses .
The group says the Wolastoqey Nation never ceded ownership of its lands , which means the nation 's Aboriginal title was never extinguished .
The massive parcel of land mentioned in the lawsuit includes the watershed of the Saint John River and the surrounding area .
Wolastoqey means `` people of the beautiful river . ''
Chief Patricia Bernard of the Matawaskiye First Nation said the Wolastoqey Nation signed the Peace and Friendship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1778 , but those treaties did not surrender any land .
`` Our people have lived on and used these lands since time immemorial , '' Bernard said in a statement .
`` We signed treaties with the Crown agreeing to peace and friendship with settlers , but we never gave the land up .
It is still legally ours . ''
Six First Nations in New Brunswick go to court for title over their traditional lands .
# newbrunswick # firstnationsNB The treaties outlined each party 's obligations to the other as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wolastoqey and their allies .
The chiefs said the 1725-26 treaty explicitly acknowledges Wolastoqey title by citing the need for a lawful settlement process if colonists wanted to settle on Wolastoqey lands .
`` Unfortunately , the Crown has consistently failed to honour the treaties made with the Wolastoqey , '' the group said in a statement , adding that the 1725-26 treaty was lost by the Crown until it turned up in an archive in 1983 .
The Indigenous group says the Crown violated the treaty by giving Wolastoqey land to colonists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extract resources .
Chief Ross Perley of the Neqotkuk First Nation says European settlers have used the land and rivers to generate wealth while Indigenous people have been left to struggle in poverty .
`` That ’ s not what we agreed to in the treaties , '' Perley said in a statement .
The chiefs said they have attempted to resolve these issues through negotiation , but that approach has failed .
`` They have acted as if they have sole jurisdiction over the land , and this is simply legally not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paul of the Wotstak First Nation .
`` You can not give away something that is not yours to give . ''
A spokeswoman for the provincial Aboriginal Affairs Department said by email that the government `` is willing to sit down any time with First Nations leaders and work toward real solutions to the issues facing Indigenous people and communities in New Brunswick . ''
She declined comment on the lawsuit because the matter is before the courts .
The Wolastoqey Nation includes : Matawaskiye ( Madawaska Maliseet First Nation ) ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pilick ( Kingsclear First Nation ) ; Sitansisk ( Saint Mary 's First Nation ) ; Welamukotuk ( Oromocto First Nation ) ; and Wotstak ( Woodstock First Nation ) .

Six First Nations in New Brunswick have filed a lawsuit seeking a declaration of title for their traditional lands, which include much of the western half of the province. Leaders from the Wolastoqey Nation gathered Monday at St. Anne's Point in Fredericton to announce their claim against the governments of New Brunswick and Canada. "We are not interested in kicking any regular folks out of their houses or off their farms," Chief Shelley Sabattis of the Welamukotuk First Nation said in a statement. "But for three centuries, the Crown has been selling off our land, even though they don't own it." The six chiefs said they are not seeking the return of any land or compensation.
Instead, they said the lawsuit is aimed at winning recognition that the land in question is subject to Aboriginal title. If that status is affirmed by the courts, then the Wolastoqey Nation will have the right to decide how that land is used and who will benefit from those uses. The group says the Wolastoqey Nation never ceded ownership of its lands, which means the nation's Aboriginal title was never extinguished. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The massive parcel of land mentioned in the lawsuit includes the watershed of the Saint John River and the surrounding area. Wolastoqey means "people of the beautiful river."
Chief Patricia Bernard of the Matawaskiye First Nation said the Wolastoqey Nation signed the Peace and Friendship Treaties with the Crown between 1725 and 1778, but those treaties did not surrender any land. Six First Nations in New Brunswick go to court for title over their traditional lands. #newbrunswick #firstnationsNB "Our people have lived on and used these lands since time immemorial," Bernard said in a statement. "We signed treaties with the Crown agreeing to peace and friendship with settlers, but we never gave the land up. It is still legally ours." The treaties outlined each party's obligations to the other as conflict ended between the British and the Wolastoqey and their allies. The chiefs said the 1725-26 treaty explicitly acknowledges Wolastoqey title by citing the need for a lawful settlement process if colonists wanted to settle on Wolastoqey lands. "Unfortunately, the Crown has consistently failed to honour the treaties made with the Wolastoqey," the group said in a statement, adding that the 1725-26 treaty was lost by the Crown until it turned up in an archive in 1983.
The Indigenous group says the Crown violated the treaty by giving Wolastoqey land to colonists in the 1700s and allowing them to extract resources. Chief Ross Perley of the Neqotkuk First Nation says European settlers have used the land and rivers to generate wealth while Indigenous people have been left to struggle in poverty. "That’s not what we agreed to in the treaties," Perley said in a statement.


nationalobserver--2020-10-06--Masks will be mandatory in some Quebec high schools

High school students in regions under maximum alert will be required to wear masks inside classrooms , authorities said Monday , as Quebec reported the highest number of daily COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began .
The government also ordered gyms closed and banned organized team sports in high-alert regions such as Montreal and Quebec City , starting Oct. 8 until at least Oct. 28 .
Education Minister Jean-Francois Roberge told reporters Monday the new mask-wearing rule will be in effect for the same time period as the gym closures and the ban on organized team sports .
Also starting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 11 in high-alert regions will move to rotating schedules , spending one day out of every two at home .
`` It 's important to bring forward these new measures because we want to do everything we can to keep our schools open , '' Roberge told reporters .
As of Oct. 1 , there was at least one active case of COVID-19 reported in 636 schools across the province , according to the government .
• Canada Pension Plan fuels the climate crisis with our own retirement savings • Alberta ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. election • Bad Dreams on Burnaby Mountain : Threats of Oil Spills , Explosions and Killer Firestorms The greater Montreal and Quebec City areas , as well as the Chaudiere-Appalaches region south of the provincial capital , are at the maximum , `` red '' COVID-19 alert level .
Bars , restaurants dining areas and most venues are closed in these regions , and indoor and outdoor gatherings are prohibited .
All the restrictions have been imposed until at least Oct. 28 .
On Monday evening , Premier Francois Legault asked Quebecers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notifies users if they have been in contact with anyone who tested positive for COVID-19 .
Legault said he hoped the COVID Alert app would help the province reduce the number of infections and said he was satisfied with its security features .
`` The more Quebecers sign up , the more effective it will be . ''
Quebec joins Manitoba , Ontario , Saskatchewan , New Brunswick , and Newfoundland and Labrador in recommending citizens download the free and voluntary application .
Meanwhile , Junior Education Minister Isabelle Charest said Monday that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organized sports is necessary to stop the spread of COVID-19 .
`` I know how important sports are , '' Charest told reporters .
`` The challenge we 're facing right now , we all need to confront it together , and it demands sacrifices . ''
Quebec high school students in regions under maximum alert will be required to wear masks inside classrooms .
# quebeccovid # wearamask The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League said it was `` disappointed '' by the announcement , as two of its teams are in `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who play in Quebec City ; and the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada , who play in Boisbriand , Que.
, north of Montreal .
In a statement Monday , the league said it planned to explain to public health authorities the `` additional measures '' it was imposing on those two teams .
`` The QMJHL is convinced that these additional measures will go above and beyond what is required to protect our players , staff and officials and enable all of our teams to continue playing . ''
The league also announced Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 .
The Blainville-Boisbriand team and the Sherbrooke Phoenix have suspended all in-person activities , after the teams played twice over the weekend .
Quebec reported 1,191 new COVID-19 cases Monday , the fourth consecutive day authorities reported more than 1,000 new infections , and the highest single-day total since the beginning of the pandemic .
The province has reported a total of 79,650 COVID-19 infections .
Health officials reported two deaths over a 24-hour period attributed to the novel coronavirus , and four that they said occurred at earlier dates , bringing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The province said hospitalizations from COVID-19 went up to 361 , an increase of 27 from the previous day , with 62 people in intensive care — down two from the day before .

High school students in regions under maximum alert will be required to wear masks inside classrooms, authorities said Monday, as Quebec reported the highest number of daily COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began. The government also ordered gyms closed and banned organized team sports in high-alert regions such as Montreal and Quebec City, starting Oct. 8 until at least Oct. 28. Education Minister Jean-Francois Roberge told reporters Monday the new mask-wearing rule will be in effect for the same time period as the gym closures and the ban on organized team sports. Also starting Thursday, students in Grades 10 and 11 in high-alert regions will move to rotating schedules, spending one day out of every two at home. "It's important to bring forward these new measures because we want to do everything we can to keep our schools open," Roberge told reporters. As of Oct. 1, there was at least one active case of COVID-19 reported in 636 schools across the province, according to the government.
The greater Montreal and Quebec City areas, as well as the Chaudiere-Appalaches region south of the provincial capital, are at the maximum, "red" COVID-19 alert level. Bars, restaurants dining areas and most venues are closed in these regions, and indoor and outdoor gatherings are prohibited. All the restrictions have been imposed until at least Oct. 28. On Monday evening, Premier Francois Legault asked Quebecers to download a federal smartphone app that notifies users if they have been in contact with anyone who tested positive for COVID-19. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Legault said he hoped the COVID Alert app would help the province reduce the number of infections and said he was satisfied with its security features. "The more Quebecers sign up, the more effective it will be."
Quebec joins Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador in recommending citizens download the free and voluntary application. Quebec high school students in regions under maximum alert will be required to wear masks inside classrooms. #quebeccovid #wearamask Meanwhile, Junior Education Minister Isabelle Charest said Monday that the new order closing gyms and banning organized sports is necessary to stop the spread of COVID-19. "I know how important sports are," Charest told reporters. "The challenge we're facing right now, we all need to confront it together, and it demands sacrifices." The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League said it was "disappointed" by the announcement, as two of its teams are in "red" zones: the Quebec Remparts, who play in Quebec City; and the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, who play in Boisbriand, Que., north of Montreal. In a statement Monday, the league said it planned to explain to public health authorities the "additional measures" it was imposing on those two teams. "The QMJHL is convinced that these additional measures will go above and beyond what is required to protect our players, staff and officials and enable all of our teams to continue playing."
The league also announced Monday that one Armada player tested positive for COVID-19. The Blainville-Boisbriand team and the Sherbrooke Phoenix have suspended all in-person activities, after the teams played twice over the weekend. Quebec reported 1,191 new COVID-19 cases Monday, the fourth consecutive day authorities reported more than 1,000 new infections, and the highest single-day total since the beginning of the pandemic. The province has reported a total of 79,650 COVID-19 infections. Health officials reported two deaths over a 24-hour period attributed to the novel coronavirus, and four that they said occurred at earlier dates, bringing the province's death toll to 5,884.


nationalobserver--2020-10-06--Time to reimagine the U.S. government

Time to reimagine the U.S. government

As Black Lives Matter protests have exploded across the U.S. , it ’ s clear that the foundation of the country — white supremacy — is its greatest problem .
To confront a problem woven into the fabric of the nation will require a reckoning that could transform , and even unwind , the country .
Even though the divided United States is so neatly summed up by the choice between Trump and Biden , the division isn ’ t simply partisan .
It ’ s also regional , based on class or occupation , city versus rural , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this November was on full display in the first presidential debate .
On one side , there was loud , obnoxious and unorthodox Donald Trump , whose strongman shtick turns on his base .
On the other was Joe Biden , stately and mostly calm .
Biden represents an older political order that has disenfranchised so many , and Trump did his best to dig into this disenfranchisement and convince Americans that his brand of chaotic evil is good , actually .
The U.S. is a nation that was built on genocide and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accounted for either .
The deep inequalities that exist today trace a direct line to the country ’ s foundation .
More than one-quarter of the 38.1 million Americans living in poverty are Indigenous , and more than 20 per cent are Black .
Indeed , the very people on whose backs and whose land the United States is built are the ones who continue to live in the most difficult conditions .
There is a deep crisis of democracy in the U.S. : the American government is too tied to the corporate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it governs .
Partly , that ’ s because governing every American through three levels of government means that the thorniest issues can be passed from jurisdiction to jurisdiction without ever settling on a satisfying resolution .
Eleven years later , and the cry for decentralized government feels more and more like a possible solution to the mess that the not-so-United States finds itself in .
Dismantling the U.S. is an idea that is both radical and centuries-old .
In 2009 , Paul Starobin argued in the Wall Street Journal that Americans should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , like innovative Singapore .
He wrote : “ America ’ s broke , ill-governed and way-too-big nation-like state might be saved , truly saved , not by an emergency federal bailout , but by a merciful carve-up into a trio of republics that would rely on their own ingenuity in making their connections to the wider world.
” The U.S. has profound problems — all settler-colonial states do .
And as fascism rises , police brutality continues unabated and Americans take to their streets to demand rights , it ’ s increasingly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dead end .
If the system was built to oppress , the only way to stop oppression is to destroy the system .
Reparations must be paid , and one estimate places the amount at US $ 10 trillion to $ 12 trillion just to close the wealth gap that exists between Black and white Americans .
But money isn ’ t enough .
Reparations also require a fundamental shift in where Black Americans find themselves in the U.S. , while also giving land back to Indigenous nations that never ceded their territory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the U.S. to face its past and chart a more equitable future , and it ’ s impossible to see this happening governed by the status quo .
The U.S. became the world ’ s most powerful superpower after the Second World War in an era where the prevailing political consensus , liberalism , was that if the markets were not mitigated , people would react with violence .
The liberal consensus meant that both the Republicans and Democrats became big-tent parties that sought to help citizens in different ways by building @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strength , glossing over the political divisions that exist within society , would eventually become its weakness , as the horror of two world wars and the Great Depression fell away from people ’ s minds .
The Republicans , and then the Democrats , caused liberalism to fail in those fundamental promises : the welfare state was destroyed , the manufacturing base that provided good wages and good jobs is gone and inequality threatens social cohesion .
If liberalism falls , it will take its most important example down with it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is still the right time to engage in a democratic process for Americans to redefine what their state looks like .
This could be an example of democracy and self-determination , two words Americans throw around a lot when they are in other countries but which are rarely practised very well domestically .
A new federal arrangement could certainly replicate a colonial structure , but a process that is rooted in reparations and respect for Indigenous sovereignty would have to be created mutually , in a way that avoids doing political business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , even impossible , to imagine democracy operating in a way that is local , decentralized and responds to average people ’ s needs .
But it ’ s exactly how communities in the U.S. right now are co-operating to survive through the pandemic , floods , hurricanes and fires .
Why would it be impossible to apply these principles more broadly to create a new kind of federal arrangement ?
In 2000 , Johan Galtung predicted the U.S. empire would fall in 2025 .
In 2010 , he argued that this might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is elected who seeks to remove the U.S. from foreign engagement .
The fall of this empire would have a profound impact on the U.S. domestically , as so much of politics and the economy have operated in service of the empire .
As Trump has promised to bring U.S. troops home , how will having a domestic military shape the new era of a nation that does not have bases around the world and is no longer the great global military superpower ?
In 2016 , Vice featured Galtung ’ s theory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American fascism would come from a capacity for tremendous global violence ; a vision of American exceptionalism as the 'fittest nation ' ; a belief in a coming final war between good and evil ; a cult of the strong state leading the fight of good against evil ; and a cult of the 'strong leader . '
'' Galtung argued that 15 contradictions would bring the collapse of the empire but also would have profound impacts on the stability of the U.S. as a whole , especially where so many people have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state .
There ’ s little question something major is going to have to happen to course-correct , and it ’ s not simply a Biden presidency .
A Biden victory will diffuse a lot of the anger many Americans feel while also igniting another kind of anger — the fascist organizing that has been so intensely fuelled by Trump .
By eliminating this tier of government entirely , it would radically shift power and devolve decision-making to be closer to average people .
It would fundamentally alter how states operate and would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which to participate : not just in rewriting a constitution that finally interprets `` We the People '' to mean all people , but also in righting historical wrongs through redistribution of wealth , land and power .
It could be a way forward , where people can peacefully engage and bridge the division that threatens the existence of the United States .

The stark decision facing Americans this November was on full display in the first presidential debate. On one side, there was loud, obnoxious and unorthodox Donald Trump, whose strongman shtick turns on his base. On the other was Joe Biden, stately and mostly calm. Biden represents an older political order that has disenfranchised so many, and Trump did his best to dig into this disenfranchisement and convince Americans that his brand of chaotic evil is good, actually. Even though the divided United States is so neatly summed up by the choice between Trump and Biden, the division isn’t simply partisan. It’s also regional, based on class or occupation, city versus rural, and ideological. As Black Lives Matter protests have exploded across the U.S., it’s clear that the foundation of the country — white supremacy — is its greatest problem. To confront a problem woven into the fabric of the nation will require a reckoning that could transform, and even unwind, the country. The U.S. has profound problems — all settler-colonial states do. And as fascism rises, police brutality continues unabated and Americans take to their streets to demand rights, it’s increasingly clear that demanding system reform is a dead end. If the system was built to oppress, the only way to stop oppression is to destroy the system. Dismantling the U.S. is an idea that is both radical and centuries-old. In 2009, Paul Starobin argued in the Wall Street Journal that Americans should consider transforming the U.S. into modern city-states, like innovative Singapore. He wrote: “America’s broke, ill-governed and way-too-big nation-like state might be saved, truly saved, not by an emergency federal bailout, but by a merciful carve-up into a trio of republics that would rely on their own ingenuity in making their connections to the wider world.”
Eleven years later, and the cry for decentralized government feels more and more like a possible solution to the mess that the not-so-United States finds itself in. There is a deep crisis of democracy in the U.S.: the American government is too tied to the corporate world and too unresponsive to the people it governs. Partly, that’s because governing every American through three levels of government means that the thorniest issues can be passed from jurisdiction to jurisdiction without ever settling on a satisfying resolution. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The U.S. is a nation that was built on genocide and through slavery, and it has never accounted for either. The deep inequalities that exist today trace a direct line to the country’s foundation. More than one-quarter of the 38.1 million Americans living in poverty are Indigenous, and more than 20 per cent are Black. Indeed, the very people on whose backs and whose land the United States is built are the ones who continue to live in the most difficult conditions.
Reparations must be paid, and one estimate places the amount at US$10 trillion to $12 trillion just to close the wealth gap that exists between Black and white Americans. But money isn’t enough. Reparations also require a fundamental shift in where Black Americans find themselves in the U.S., while also giving land back to Indigenous nations that never ceded their territory. These two projects must be realized for the U.S. to face its past and chart a more equitable future, and it’s impossible to see this happening governed by the status quo. "If the system was built to oppress, the only way to stop oppression is to destroy the system," @NoLore writes ahead of U.S. #Election2020 The U.S. became the world’s most powerful superpower after the Second World War in an era where the prevailing political consensus, liberalism, was that if the markets were not mitigated, people would react with violence. The liberal consensus meant that both the Republicans and Democrats became big-tent parties that sought to help citizens in different ways by building a welfare state. Liberalism’s strength, glossing over the political divisions that exist within society, would eventually become its weakness, as the horror of two world wars and the Great Depression fell away from people’s minds. The Republicans, and then the Democrats, caused liberalism to fail in those fundamental promises: the welfare state was destroyed, the manufacturing base that provided good wages and good jobs is gone and inequality threatens social cohesion. If liberalism falls, it will take its most important example down with it. And if it doesn’t, it is still the right time to engage in a democratic process for Americans to redefine what their state looks like. This could be an example of democracy and self-determination, two words Americans throw around a lot when they are in other countries but which are rarely practised very well domestically. A new federal arrangement could certainly replicate a colonial structure, but a process that is rooted in reparations and respect for Indigenous sovereignty would have to be created mutually, in a way that avoids doing political business as usual. It might sound lofty, even impossible, to imagine democracy operating in a way that is local, decentralized and responds to average people’s needs. But it’s exactly how communities in the U.S. right now are co-operating to survive through the pandemic, floods, hurricanes and fires. Why would it be impossible to apply these principles more broadly to create a new kind of federal arrangement?
In 2000, Johan Galtung predicted the U.S. empire would fall in 2025. In 2010, he argued that this might happen when an “isolationist” president is elected who seeks to remove the U.S. from foreign engagement. The fall of this empire would have a profound impact on the U.S. domestically, as so much of politics and the economy have operated in service of the empire. As Trump has promised to bring U.S. troops home, how will having a domestic military shape the new era of a nation that does not have bases around the world and is no longer the great global military superpower? In 2016, Vice featured Galtung’s theory and wrote: “He argued that American fascism would come from a capacity for tremendous global violence; a vision of American exceptionalism as the 'fittest nation'; a belief in a coming final war between good and evil; a cult of the strong state leading the fight of good against evil; and a cult of the 'strong leader.'" Galtung argued that 15 contradictions would bring the collapse of the empire but also would have profound impacts on the stability of the U.S. as a whole, especially where so many people have such deep and important grievances with the state. There’s little question something major is going to have to happen to course-correct, and it’s not simply a Biden presidency. A Biden victory will diffuse a lot of the anger many Americans feel while also igniting another kind of anger — the fascist organizing that has been so intensely fuelled by Trump.


nationalobserver--2020-10-06--Climate strike youth want Annamie Paul’s attention

Annamie Paul wasn ’ t Allie Rougeot ’ s first choice to become leader of the federal Greens , but the young Toronto climate striker is hoping the movement will have her ear regardless .
“ My personal favourites were Dimitri and Meryam , although I also liked Amita ’ s ideas , ” she said , referring to second-place Dimitri Lascaris , Meryam Haddad and Amita Kuttner , who are all positioned left of Paul on the political spectrum .
“ I would have loved to see those younger , more-clearly-on-the-left voices get elected , ” said Rougeot , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote in the leadership contest .
“ They brought in a lot of the strength and courage that young people are showing everywhere else.
” Instead , Toronto lawyer Paul won the race to replace longtime leader Elizabeth May on the weekend , becoming both the first Black person and the first Jewish woman to become permanent leader of a federal party , something Rougeot acknowledged as an “ undeniable historic moment.
” Rougeot said she plans to write to the new leader to invite her to speak to climate strikers , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her behalf in the Oct. 26 Toronto Centre byelection Paul hopes will get her to Ottawa .
• Canada Pension Plan fuels the climate crisis with our own retirement savings • Alberta ’ s pipeline dreams could be riding on the U.S. election • Bad Dreams on Burnaby Mountain : Threats of Oil Spills , Explosions and Killer Firestorms Winning the support of young people behind the climate strikes could provide Paul with a small army of motivated campaigners for that vote .
Allie Rougeot addresses a socially distancing crowd of climate protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ To really attract people like myself , younger people , she really needs to listen and talk to people about what it is that we really want , ” said Emma-Jane Burian , a first-year political science student at the University of Victoria who campaigned in support of Kuttner .
“ Their platform and their approach to campaigning and leadership really inspired me , ” she said of Kuttner , who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns .
“ I saw somebody who was a young person in politics not because they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but because they saw it as a necessity , just like me , ” said Burian , who got involved with the federal Greens last year , frustrated with the lack of engagement from politicians to the massive climate strike movement .
She said Paul has a tough job ahead of her to unify a party that has been riven by internal conflicts and must first ensure everyone ’ s voices are heard .
Young climate strikers say new Green party Leader @ AnnamiePaul has some work to do if she wants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Emma-Jane Burian speaks at a climate protest on Sept. 27 , 2019 .
Photo by Lars Paronen “ We can disagree on ideology , we can disagree and have really important conversations about what should be brought to the table , but we must do it with respect and compassion for each other , ” she said about infighting in the party .
During the leadership campaign , Paul backed the idea of a guaranteed livable income , a policy notion particularly popular with younger people , as well as universal post-secondary education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a ban on fracking and in support of Indigenous self-determination , and for a just transition to a green economy , a common refrain among several federal parties , including the governing Liberals .
Ahead of last month ’ s speech from the throne , where the Trudeau government set out its legislative priorities , Paul said she wanted to see a binding commitment to a 60 per cent cut in greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 , a 12-month extension of emergency benefits that includes students and people with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the formation of a citizens ' assembly to work on electoral reform .
She has also said she wants to strengthen the party ’ s shadow cabinet and back up its policy critique with so-called “ knowledge clusters ” and “ portfolio brain trusts ” to advise its members .
For Rougeot , one of the main organizers of Fridays for Future climate strikes in Toronto , Paul appeared “ highly qualified , extremely intelligent , but possibly not willing to lead a real leap towards a new system.
” She said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attention paid to the overall “ system of extraction and waste ” she and other protesters are fighting against on the streets , including by pushing for polluting industries to be held accountable for cleanup and regeneration of areas they damage .
Rougeot also wants a push for more resources that allow Indigenous communities to “ heal before they can truly thrive , starting with honouring the treaties and restoring their access to their lands.
” “ I do n't see any of that so far in what she says .
For now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including them in the conversation , ’ which is what the Liberals say , too , and we know that 's not even close to enough — when it actually happens , ” she said .
Rougeot , who made clear she was speaking in a personal capacity , said Paul ’ s climate policies centred mostly on “ carbon-focused measures , ” such as pricing , technology and renewables , and that “ this is clearly not enough.
” “ I found her mostly on the ‘ reform ’ side of things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for me and many of the youth , we need a replacement of most institutions and systems , with a focus on co-designing it , ” she said .
The seat Paul is trying to win later this month , which includes Toronto ’ s downtown financial district , will be a tough one for the minor party candidate to take .
It has been in Liberal hands for more than two decades and became vacant when former finance minister Bill Morneau stepped down .
Paul ran in the riding in 2019 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Conservative candidates with almost seven per cent of the vote .

Annamie Paul wasn’t Allie Rougeot’s first choice to become leader of the federal Greens, but the young Toronto climate striker is hoping the movement will have her ear regardless. “My personal favourites were Dimitri and Meryam, although I also liked Amita’s ideas,” she said, referring to second-place Dimitri Lascaris, Meryam Haddad and Amita Kuttner, who are all positioned left of Paul on the political spectrum. “I would have loved to see those younger, more-clearly-on-the-left voices get elected,” said Rougeot, who joined the party in order to vote in the leadership contest. “They brought in a lot of the strength and courage that young people are showing everywhere else.” Instead, Toronto lawyer Paul won the race to replace longtime leader Elizabeth May on the weekend, becoming both the first Black person and the first Jewish woman to become permanent leader of a federal party, something Rougeot acknowledged as an “undeniable historic moment.” Rougeot said she plans to write to the new leader to invite her to speak to climate strikers, but is not currently compelled to campaign on her behalf in the Oct. 26 Toronto Centre byelection Paul hopes will get her to Ottawa.
Winning the support of young people behind the climate strikes could provide Paul with a small army of motivated campaigners for that vote. Allie Rougeot addresses a socially distancing crowd of climate protesters last month. Photo by Alastair Sharp Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “To really attract people like myself, younger people, she really needs to listen and talk to people about what it is that we really want,” said Emma-Jane Burian, a first-year political science student at the University of Victoria who campaigned in support of Kuttner.
“Their platform and their approach to campaigning and leadership really inspired me,” she said of Kuttner, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. Young climate strikers say new Green party Leader @AnnamiePaul has some work to do if she wants them to feel heard and engaged. “I saw somebody who was a young person in politics not because they wanted to be in power or authority, but because they saw it as a necessity, just like me,” said Burian, who got involved with the federal Greens last year, frustrated with the lack of engagement from politicians to the massive climate strike movement. She said Paul has a tough job ahead of her to unify a party that has been riven by internal conflicts and must first ensure everyone’s voices are heard. Emma-Jane Burian speaks at a climate protest on Sept. 27, 2019. Photo by Lars Paronen “We can disagree on ideology, we can disagree and have really important conversations about what should be brought to the table, but we must do it with respect and compassion for each other,” she said about infighting in the party.
During the leadership campaign, Paul backed the idea of a guaranteed livable income, a policy notion particularly popular with younger people, as well as universal post-secondary education and pharmacare. She has also called for a ban on fracking and in support of Indigenous self-determination, and for a just transition to a green economy, a common refrain among several federal parties, including the governing Liberals. Ahead of last month’s speech from the throne, where the Trudeau government set out its legislative priorities, Paul said she wanted to see a binding commitment to a 60 per cent cut in greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2030, a 12-month extension of emergency benefits that includes students and people with disabilities, an inquiry into long-term care and the formation of a citizens' assembly to work on electoral reform.


nationalobserver--2020-10-06--Blueberries could be next in line for U.S. tariffs

Canadian blueberries are big business .
Big enough that they might be next in line for U.S. tariffs .
Last month , the U.S. Department of Commerce requested the country ’ s International Trade Commission investigate whether imported blueberries are seriously harming American producers .
It ’ s an unprecedented move that could hit B.C .
hard : blueberries are B.C.
’ s third-largest export and close to 95 per cent of them are sold in the U.S. “ This could have a negative impact in terms of the value for the product , ” said Anju Gill , executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ But it ’ s way too early to make any kind of speculation ( yet ) because we don ’ t know what the trade remedies ( recommended by the investigation ) are going to be.
” Last year , B.C .
farmers grew about 86,000 tonnes of blueberries , while exports of the fruit were worth about $ 242 million in 2018 .
Most were sent to the U.S. ; together with blueberry producers in the Maritimes , that makes Canada fourth among the country ’ s suppliers , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exported south of the border each year since 2014 .
• Canada Pension Plan fuels the climate crisis with our own retirement savings • Alberta ’ s pipeline dreams could be riding on the U.S. election • Bad Dreams on Burnaby Mountain : Threats of Oil Spills , Explosions and Killer Firestorms Still , we 're not alone .
Chile has been a major supplier for some time , and in the past seven years , Mexico and Peru have also become major players in the industry , with U.S. imports from those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blueberry imports have soared in the past 20 years .
Now , farmers in southeastern U.S. states are saying this berry surge will put them out of business unless the federal government reduces competition from other countries .
Graph by U.S. Department of Commerce/USDA That has caused concern among blueberry growers in Georgia , Florida and other Republican southeastern U.S. states .
And this concern has pushed the Trump administration to ask the U.S. ’ s International Trade Commission — an independent federal judicial body that adjudicates trade-related issues — to investigate whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The commission should reach its decision in about four months .
A so-called “ Section 201 ” investigation examines the impact imports are having on domestic blueberry producers , and if it finds there is a significant negative impact on these farms , it gives the U.S. president several options to protect the domestic industry .
Tariffs and other barriers on imports are among those measures .
“ It ’ s a special safeguard .
Basically , what ( U.S. blueberry producers ) are arguing is that they ’ ve been overwhelmed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Agri-Food Economic Systems Inc. , an Ontario-based research organization that studies agricultural economics .
It ’ s a safeguard because protectionist measures implemented following a Section 201 investigation are exempt from international trade regulations .
This kind of investigation is unique because , unlike other protectionist measures , it assesses the impact of all imports on U.S. farmers , regardless of their country of origin .
That means Canadian blueberries will be evaluated alongside Chilean , Mexican and Peruvian imports .
`` ( U.S. # blueberry producers ) are arguing they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AlMussell , research lead @ AgriFoodEcon .
In response , @ CommerceGov and @ USDA have requested an investigation that might lead to # tariffs on # Canadian # farmers .
Mexican and Peruvian imports seem to be the U.S. government ’ s main concern .
Testimony from farmers , U.S. state representatives from Florida and Georgia ( both Republican states ) and other witnesses all pointed to Mexican imports as a key issue .
Washington state and Oregon — both blue states — are the U.S. 's top blueberry producers by weight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report summarizing hearings that supported the U.S. Department of Commerce ’ s request for the investigation .
Blueberries are among the Lower Mainland 's most important crops and one the industry is striving to protect .
“ We 're working very closely with the federal government , and , together , we will be defending our interests , ” said Anju Gill , executive director of the B.C .
Blueberry Council .
Photo by Wikimedia Commons/Quant08 That discrepancy could be , in part , because Section 201 investigations are designed to minimize temporary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are directly competing with domestic producers for a relatively short time , driving down the prices American growers get for their berries , Mussell explained .
Though with the hotly contested U.S. election less than a month away , there could also be political factors behind the recent announcement .
Regardless , there is a possibility Canadian farmers could avoid tariffs if the investigation finds their berries are not harming American farmers .
Additionally , the CUSMA ( the new NAFTA ) , which came into force earlier this year , also requires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canadian berry imports independently of those imposed on other countries .
If tariffs are imposed , they will probably push up the price of B.C .
blueberries on both sides of the border as farmers and processors try to absorb the additional expense , Gill said .
“ We will have to wait and see .
That ’ s the general sense of how the investigation is expected to go ( because ) it ’ s way too early to make any speculations , ” she said .

Canadian blueberries are big business. Big enough that they might be next in line for U.S. tariffs. Last month, the U.S. Department of Commerce requested the country’s International Trade Commission investigate whether imported blueberries are seriously harming American producers. It’s an unprecedented move that could hit B.C. hard: blueberries are B.C.’s third-largest export and close to 95 per cent of them are sold in the U.S. “This could have a negative impact in terms of the value for the product,” said Anju Gill, executive director of the B.C. Blueberry Council. “But it’s way too early to make any kind of speculation (yet) because we don’t know what the trade remedies (recommended by the investigation) are going to be.” Last year, B.C. farmers grew about 86,000 tonnes of blueberries, while exports of the fruit were worth about $242 million in 2018. Most were sent to the U.S.; together with blueberry producers in the Maritimes, that makes Canada fourth among the country’s suppliers, with about $132 million worth of berries exported south of the border each year since 2014.
Still, we're not alone. Chile has been a major supplier for some time, and in the past seven years, Mexico and Peru have also become major players in the industry, with U.S. imports from those countries doubling in that time. U.S. blueberry imports have soared in the past 20 years. Now, farmers in southeastern U.S. states are saying this berry surge will put them out of business unless the federal government reduces competition from other countries. Graph by U.S. Department of Commerce/USDA Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions That has caused concern among blueberry growers in Georgia, Florida and other Republican southeastern U.S. states. And this concern has pushed the Trump administration to ask the U.S.’s International Trade Commission — an independent federal judicial body that adjudicates trade-related issues — to investigate whether imports are hurting American blueberry producers. The commission should reach its decision in about four months.
A so-called “Section 201” investigation examines the impact imports are having on domestic blueberry producers, and if it finds there is a significant negative impact on these farms, it gives the U.S. president several options to protect the domestic industry. Tariffs and other barriers on imports are among those measures. "(U.S. #blueberry producers) are arguing they’ve been overwhelmed,” said @AlMussell, research lead @AgriFoodEcon. In response, @CommerceGov and @USDA have requested an investigation that might lead to #tariffs on #Canadian #farmers. “It’s a special safeguard. Basically, what (U.S. blueberry producers) are arguing is that they’ve been overwhelmed,” said Al Mussell, research lead at Agri-Food Economic Systems Inc., an Ontario-based research organization that studies agricultural economics. It’s a safeguard because protectionist measures implemented following a Section 201 investigation are exempt from international trade regulations. This kind of investigation is unique because, unlike other protectionist measures, it assesses the impact of all imports on U.S. farmers, regardless of their country of origin. That means Canadian blueberries will be evaluated alongside Chilean, Mexican and Peruvian imports. Mexican and Peruvian imports seem to be the U.S. government’s main concern. Testimony from farmers, U.S. state representatives from Florida and Georgia (both Republican states) and other witnesses all pointed to Mexican imports as a key issue. Washington state and Oregon — both blue states — are the U.S.'s top blueberry producers by weight. Neither was represented in the September report summarizing hearings that supported the U.S. Department of Commerce’s request for the investigation.
Blueberries are among the Lower Mainland's most important crops and one the industry is striving to protect. “We're working very closely with the federal government, and, together, we will be defending our interests,” said Anju Gill, executive director of the B.C. Blueberry Council. Photo by Wikimedia Commons/Quant08 That discrepancy could be, in part, because Section 201 investigations are designed to minimize temporary “surges,” when imported blueberries are directly competing with domestic producers for a relatively short time, driving down the prices American growers get for their berries, Mussell explained. Though with the hotly contested U.S. election less than a month away, there could also be political factors behind the recent announcement.


nationalobserver--2020-10-06--Three last VIFF picks as 2020 festival nears its end

With the Vancouver International Film Festival winding up Wednesday , I ’ ve got three last recommendations for you .
I couldn ’ t add the closing film , Delete History , because it wasn ’ t available to preview .
It plays only on Wednesday , all day , streaming at VIFF Connect and once in the evening at the VanCity Theatre .
The film is from France and is said to be an “ uproarious satire ” about fighting social media companies .
In one , a woman has a one-night stand and the next day finds a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wants it removed .
Dramatized fiction , apparently .
EVENTS TRANSPIRING , BEFORE , DURING AND AFTER A HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL GAME : The title alone might tell you that this one is a little different from what we ’ re used to .
It ’ s a high school comedy ; there are arty types and jocks , but unlike most movies like this , they ’ re not in cliques and battling each other .
They ’ re just there , hardly paying attention to each other .
Much like things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they do appear to be heading to a confrontation , things do not work out as you ’ d expect .
This is a very funny comedy about low stakes and not the loud blowout others might make it out to be .
It ’ s from — and set in — Calgary , and the humour is absolutely deadpan .
It ’ s 1999 , about the time when writer-director Ted Stenson was in high school .
The boys ’ basketball team is inept and scared of the powerhouse squad they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on their team can dunk , ” one lad says .
The coach tries to motivate them anyway , with little effect .
An assistant is adamant he has a better play strategy ( he read a book about it ) .
Most of the players are distracted talking about the latest movie , The Matrix .
It ’ s existential content .
Is it there ?
And what is it , anyway ?
Meanwhile , down the hall , a theatre group is rehearsing a Shakespeare play that ’ s been twisted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” evident in the school .
Will anybody get it , though ?
Maybe do a sit-in instead , says one .
Or dump blood on the gym floor , says another .
At the gym , one of the referees has to deal with a nagging wife who loads an extra job on him .
All these points will collide , sort of , in this enjoyable , very droll comedy .
( VIFF Connect , with a director interview following ) 3½ out of 5 FIRST WE EAT : Six years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wonderful documentary about her family ’ s attempt to live off the grid .
They had no electricity , phones or internet for nine months in their cabin in the bush near Dawson Creek in the Yukon .
They survived , happy and in good shape , and the film won awards , including most popular Canadian documentary at VIFF .
So how do you follow that ?
With this equally engrossing experiment as Crocker , a former doctor in town , has her clan ( husband and three teens ) living an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Think about that .
They live only 300 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle ; 97 per cent of the food is trucked in .
What can you grow locally ?
Quite a bit , the film reveals , as it visits innovative farmers , the only dairy that far north , hunting and fishing efforts and Indigenous people willing to share how folks lived off the land for thousands of years .
The family learned and adapted .
They discovered soapberries , stored root crops to get them through the winter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coffee and orange pekoe tea .
Sap from birch trees can become syrup .
Salt is hard to find , but you can extract it from mud and even blood .
Yech .
Another odd one : an Indigenous tradition gets them a roasted moose nose .
In fact , Crocker says , it ’ s no place for a vegan .
People have to eat meat to get the vitamin D they can ’ t get from the sun .
The children , who never complained in the first film , do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and recalls what gave her the idea : a blocked road once stopped food coming in .
So how wise is it anywhere to rely on the outside world for food ?
With story shaping by Nettie Wild and sharp editing by Michael Brockington ( both from Vancouver ) , the film has a clear take on the experiment and that question .
Made me think of the always under-pressure Fraser Valley .
Plus , it won an audience award at Hot Docs this year .
4 out of 5 ANOTHER ROUND @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vinterberg isn ’ t as harsh and gripping as my two favourites by him , The Celebration and the Oscar-nominated The Hunt .
It feels insubstantial because I can ’ t believe that the four men in the story would go to such lengths to test out an unlikely theorem .
They seem too level-headed for that .
The theory , apparently actually offered by a Danish psychologist , who the characters name and credit , says that men should have a certain level of alcohol in their bloodstream at all times and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Four friends , who are high school teachers , test it out by drinking every day .
They justify it by writing a scientific paper that tracks their progress .
Mads Mikkelsen plays a history teacher who bores his students before drinking and runs a lively , inspiring class once he has started .
Again , to me , unlikely .
One of his pals coaches little boys in soccer and improves his success , although he seems like a meanie when he won ’ t give a kid a sip from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say why .
Naturally , other things start going amiss .
The history teacher ( Mikkelsen ) gets into arguments with his wife ( Maria Bonnevie ) .
He is seen unsteady and almost stumbling at work .
The men up the scenario from “ harmful consumption ” to “ total oblivion.
” Sounds less like a science experiment and more like a mid-life crisis and immaturity .
Things turn darker , but again , not too believably .
This film is very well acted , though .
Reliable performers like Thomas Bo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group , and Mikkelsen does a wild dance .
That ’ s worth watching .
3 out of 5

With the Vancouver International Film Festival winding up Wednesday, I’ve got three last recommendations for you. I couldn’t add the closing film, Delete History, because it wasn’t available to preview. It plays only on Wednesday, all day, streaming at VIFF Connect and once in the evening at the VanCity Theatre. The film is from France and is said to be an “uproarious satire” about fighting social media companies. In one, a woman has a one-night stand and the next day finds a sex tape of it online. She wants it removed. Dramatized fiction, apparently.
EVENTS TRANSPIRING, BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER A HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL GAME : The title alone might tell you that this one is a little different from what we’re used to. It’s a high school comedy; there are arty types and jocks, but unlike most movies like this, they’re not in cliques and battling each other. They’re just there, hardly paying attention to each other. Much like things usually are at school. And when they do appear to be heading to a confrontation, things do not work out as you’d expect. This is a very funny comedy about low stakes and not the loud blowout others might make it out to be. It’s from — and set in — Calgary, and the humour is absolutely deadpan.
It’s 1999, about the time when writer-director Ted Stenson was in high school. The boys’ basketball team is inept and scared of the powerhouse squad they’re about to play. “Everybody on their team can dunk,” one lad says. The coach tries to motivate them anyway, with little effect. An assistant is adamant he has a better play strategy (he read a book about it). Most of the players are distracted talking about the latest movie, The Matrix. It’s existential content. Is it there? And what is it, anyway? Meanwhile, down the hall, a theatre group is rehearsing a Shakespeare play that’s been twisted into an attack on “the patriarchy” evident in the school. Will anybody get it, though? Maybe do a sit-in instead, says one. Or dump blood on the gym floor, says another. At the gym, one of the referees has to deal with a nagging wife who loads an extra job on him. All these points will collide, sort of, in this enjoyable, very droll comedy. (VIFF Connect, with a director interview following) 3½ out of 5
A high school comedy, a timely healthy eating experiment and a mid-life bender are among @NatObserver’s final recommendations for #VIFF2020
FIRST WE EAT: Six years ago, Suzanne Crocker brought us a wonderful documentary about her family’s attempt to live off the grid. They had no electricity, phones or internet for nine months in their cabin in the bush near Dawson Creek in the Yukon. They survived, happy and in good shape, and the film won awards, including most popular Canadian documentary at VIFF. So how do you follow that? With this equally engrossing experiment as Crocker, a former doctor in town, has her clan (husband and three teens) living an entire year eating only locally sourced food. Think about that. They live only 300 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle; 97 per cent of the food is trucked in. What can you grow locally?
Courtesy of VIFF
Quite a bit, the film reveals, as it visits innovative farmers, the only dairy that far north, hunting and fishing efforts and Indigenous people willing to share how folks lived off the land for thousands of years. The family learned and adapted. They discovered soapberries, stored root crops to get them through the winter and had to completely forgo chocolate, coffee and orange pekoe tea. Sap from birch trees can become syrup. Salt is hard to find, but you can extract it from mud and even blood. Yech. Another odd one: an Indigenous tradition gets them a roasted moose nose. In fact, Crocker says, it’s no place for a vegan. People have to eat meat to get the vitamin D they can’t get from the sun. The children, who never complained in the first film, do this time. Crocker insists, though, and recalls what gave her the idea: a blocked road once stopped food coming in. So how wise is it anywhere to rely on the outside world for food? With story shaping by Nettie Wild and sharp editing by Michael Brockington (both from Vancouver), the film has a clear take on the experiment and that question. Made me think of the always under-pressure Fraser Valley. Plus, it won an audience award at Hot Docs this year. 4 out of 5
ANOTHER ROUND: The latest from Danish director Thomas Vinterberg isn’t as harsh and gripping as my two favourites by him, The Celebration and the Oscar-nominated The Hunt. It feels insubstantial because I can’t believe that the four men in the story would go to such lengths to test out an unlikely theorem. They seem too level-headed for that. The theory, apparently actually offered by a Danish psychologist, who the characters name and credit, says that men should have a certain level of alcohol in their bloodstream at all times and that 0.5 per cent is too low. Four friends, who are high school teachers, test it out by drinking every day. They justify it by writing a scientific paper that tracks their progress.


nationalobserver--2020-10-06--Fight COVID-19 conspiracies with science literacy, Canada’s top scientist says

U.S. President Donald Trump spent the spring promoting one baseless COVID-19 theory after another , from highlighting unproven anti-malarial drugs to suggesting unsafe behaviour like injecting disinfectant or irradiating bodies with ultraviolet light .
The proliferation of these kinds of miracle cures or conspiracy theories about the novel coronavirus is presenting a health hazard to Canadians , Canada ’ s chief science adviser is warning — and the media , scientists and the public all have a role to play in pushing back against such disinformation .
“ This is something that is not just theoretically damaging but can actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerned about this , and there ’ s not an easy solution , ” said Mona Nemer in an interview Monday .
Since she was brought into the role in 2017 on a Liberal promise to ensure federal scientists aren ’ t muzzled and that their work isn ’ t falsified or ignored , Nemer has lived at the intersection of politics and science in Ottawa .
But with the pandemic , her job has changed considerably .
She now plays several prominent roles in the government ’ s COVID-19 response , co-ordinating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research network and participating in the government-funded Immunity Task Force .
“ The important gave way to the urgent , ” Nemer said , describing how her work has changed .
Mona Nemer @ chiefscican talks to @ natobserver about how her work has changed dramatically with the # COVID19 pandemic and why it is important to continue funding fundamental science to prepare for the next crisis : “ Before , we could have more time for foresight , taking a step back , seeing how we can improve things , opportunities for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and so on.
” At the onset of the pandemic , the pace quickened dramatically .
Nemer was meeting with expert panels about twice a week , she said , and was authoring regular notes , “ in a much more accelerated manner , ” to Trudeau , as well as meeting with other government leadership .
In the early days , discussions focused on how to prepare for the virus to arrive in Canada .
“ We thought that we could be , perhaps , a bit more spared than other countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government was faced with many difficult decisions , from health issues to economic impacts , she said .
2/9 As # COVID19 research emerges , # Publichealth experts & researchers across 🇨🇦 critically evaluate the strength of new evidence before recommending safe ways to change practices .
Prevention MUST be layered .
# LayerUpCOVID — Dr. Theresa Tam ( @ CPHO_Canada ) April 8 , 2020 The COVID-19 focus has also given her a front-row seat to the way the public has reacted to Ottawa ’ s efforts to provide the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She says she has been dismayed at the way that misinformation has crept into the public discourse about COVID-19 , exploiting cracks in knowledge or communication failures .
“ It ’ s a societal problem , and we each have a role to play in it .
Media have important roles to play , and scientists have important roles to play , because they need to be present , they need to reach out — but also reach out in different ways from the way we ’ ve done it over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ example is how chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam 's advice changed this spring on wearing non-medical masks .
At first , the evidence available was that homemade masks were primarily useful in protecting others .
But as more evidence was collected , studies demonstrated the role of masks in asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission , and how they offered a layer of protection .
These moments , when scientific advice evolves , are `` fertile ground for conspiracies , ” said Nemer .
“ It ’ s disheartening to see that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we talked so much about science , publicly , and the public embraced it .
But as things went on , and some of the recommendations changed — and maybe the communication was not ideal throughout — then the public started questioning.
” With better science literacy , more Canadians would be able to understand the scientific method and scientific approaches to crises , said Nemer .
If they did , she said , “ they would understand that we had no data ” about COVID-19 at first .
Scientists were relying on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be obtained .
The advice changed because the scientific community became better informed , she said .
“ Things do change , and it ’ s not because scientists do not know what they ’ re talking about.
” There is still so much we don ’ t know about the long-term impacts of COVID-19 , which is why research into its lingering effects is critical .
https : //t.co/cDVaZ8UJ6P — Dr. Mona Nemer ( @ ChiefSciCan ) September 15 , 2020 When it comes to science , however , the fundamentals are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Nemer ’ s major roles is to review the funding and operations of Canada ’ s major research facilities and the federal government ’ s laboratories .
Asked whether she felt some of this funding is now obsolete due to the virus , Nemer said it was quite the opposite — that there are pitfalls to seeing everything through a coronavirus lens .
“ I think this is actually a very dangerous thing that we have to make sure doesn ’ t happen .
The reason we ’ re able to mobilize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ totally unrelated things that we have funded in the past and we have done in the past — whether it 's in physics , or math , or basic virology , or medicine , ” said Nemer .
“ When I put together my expert committee , I could n't have COVID-19 experts — the virus didn ’ t exist , and the disease didn ’ t exist .
However , I called upon folks who are infectious disease specialists , who are virologists , mathematicians , epidemiologists.
” Canadians have to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crisis at hand , she said , while at the same time , not losing sight of being prepared for an unknown future crisis .
“ I think the whole resilience of the system , the preparedness for emergencies , including at the level of science and technology , is extremely important .
And we know some challenges , like climate change and environmental sustainability , but we don ’ t know others — we don ’ t know what other emergencies we ’ re going to need to deal with .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be prepared by continuously funding these other areas that may seem less important for the COVID response right now .
”

U.S. President Donald Trump spent the spring promoting one baseless COVID-19 theory after another, from highlighting unproven anti-malarial drugs to suggesting unsafe behaviour like injecting disinfectant or irradiating bodies with ultraviolet light. The proliferation of these kinds of miracle cures or conspiracy theories about the novel coronavirus is presenting a health hazard to Canadians, Canada’s chief science adviser is warning — and the media, scientists and the public all have a role to play in pushing back against such disinformation. “This is something that is not just theoretically damaging but can actually damage your well-being. So I am concerned about this, and there’s not an easy solution,” said Mona Nemer in an interview Monday. “What I see out of all this is a more urgent need to increase science literacy among the public, and then the public will (understand) what’s happening and provide the proper pressure on politicians for the proper use of scientific knowledge and evidence-based decision-making.” http://twitter.com/ChiefSciCan/status/1311835318706933760
'The important gave way to the urgent' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced this month that Nemer had been reappointed to her position for another two years, effective Sept. 25. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Nemer's office, which is in the federal industry department, is tasked in part with providing scientific advice to Trudeau and cabinet, and advising on processes to ensure science is taken into account in decision-making.
Since she was brought into the role in 2017 on a Liberal promise to ensure federal scientists aren’t muzzled and that their work isn’t falsified or ignored, Nemer has lived at the intersection of politics and science in Ottawa. Mona Nemer @chiefscican talks to @natobserver about how her work has changed dramatically with the #COVID19 pandemic and why it is important to continue funding fundamental science to prepare for the next crisis: But with the pandemic, her job has changed considerably. She now plays several prominent roles in the government’s COVID-19 response, co-ordinating task forces, creating the CanCOVID virus research network and participating in the government-funded Immunity Task Force. “The important gave way to the urgent,” Nemer said, describing how her work has changed. “Before, we could have more time for foresight, taking a step back, seeing how we can improve things, opportunities for the country, opportunities for science, and so on.” At the onset of the pandemic, the pace quickened dramatically. Nemer was meeting with expert panels about twice a week, she said, and was authoring regular notes, “in a much more accelerated manner,” to Trudeau, as well as meeting with other government leadership.
In the early days, discussions focused on how to prepare for the virus to arrive in Canada. “We thought that we could be, perhaps, a bit more spared than other countries,” said Nemer. But soon the government was faced with many difficult decisions, from health issues to economic impacts, she said. http://twitter.com/CPHO_Canada/status/1247687574870724609


nationalobserver--2020-10-07--Young Canadians want big changes after COVID-19

If midnight represents the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic — with dusk its beginning and dawn the reprieve — then it ’ s probably about 10 p.m. right now , recent graduate David Thibodeau says .
“ I think the worst is still yet to come , I do n't think we 've quite hit that peak yet , ” he said .
“ I always knew that a second wave was coming , but I just did n't know it was going to be as extreme as it has been.
” A month ago , Thibodeau says , his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closer to midnight , roughly the same view that emerged from a Canada 2020 survey done in mid-September and released last week .
More than half of the almost 1,600 people the progressive think tank and its research partners polled between Sept. 9 and 13 said the country remains in the darkest parts of the night , while more than a third said we are emerging from the worst of the pandemic .
Those younger than 35 years old were more likely to say Canada is in the “ early dawn , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Canada Pension Plan fuels the climate crisis with our own retirement savings • Alberta ’ s pipeline dreams could be riding on the U.S. election Alex Paterson , executive director of Canada 2020 , agreed that future versions of the survey planned for the coming months could push back into the evening on that scale , since the pandemic has moved into a second wave of infections in many parts of the country and shorter winter days are on the way .
“ There are going to have to be tremendous wells @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another over the next six to eight months , ” Paterson said .
Alex Paterson , the executive director of Canada 2020 , speaks with John Heilemann , host of The Circus on Showtime .
Photo by Matthew Usherwood The survey 's findings also suggest a groundswell of support , especially among younger people , for government to take bold steps to help Canada recover from the pandemic and also address the inequalities and injustices it has exposed and exacerbated .
Thibodeau 's views are aligned with most of the younger people polled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic has created opportunities for Canada to fix structural problems and “ implement big ideas that we haven ’ t had the chance to explore yet.
” Sixty per cent of the younger people surveyed agreed that government should use this opportunity to introduce new programs and services , compared to half of the overall group .
A recent @ Canada2020 survey suggests a groundswell of support , especially among younger people , for government to take bold steps to help Canada recover from the pandemic and address the inequalities it has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ younger cohort said they either “ support ” or “ strongly support ” a Canadian guaranteed income program , compared to 40 per cent overall .
“ That there is such support among younger generations for big initiatives coming out of this , for me , is encouraging , ” said Canada 2020 ’ s Paterson .
“ Hopefully , generationally , we have a restoring of faith in our ability to collectively do big things through government , ” he added .
“ And young people think big.
” And a much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per cent versus 34 per cent ) said they either support or strongly support a deferral of rent payments for as long as landlords do not have to pay their mortgages .
“ It ’ s young people who are in those ( minimum wage ) jobs , that are in those circumstances , ” Paterson said .
More than a third of young people surveyed said they strongly support divesting from fossil fuels and investing in clean energy , compared to less than a quarter of the overall survey group .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to look at the finances , but if we invest appropriately now , we won ’ t have to worry about it in the future , ” Thibodeau said , noting that spending on a green recovery and future-proof infrastructure would create well-paying jobs .
Younger people were also more likely to strongly support diverting funding from police to health care , increasing minimum wage and unemployment insurance , and granting permanent residency to non-citizens who worked through the pandemic .
“ Younger people care more about global citizenship , ” Paterson said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seems to find purchase with older generations as opposed to younger generations.
” On questions about police , younger people were also much more supportive of forcing officers to wear body cameras and to increase their training on systemic racism and sexual violence .

If midnight represents the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic — with dusk its beginning and dawn the reprieve — then it’s probably about 10 p.m. right now, recent graduate David Thibodeau says. “I think the worst is still yet to come, I don't think we've quite hit that peak yet,” he said. “I always knew that a second wave was coming, but I just didn't know it was going to be as extreme as it has been.” A month ago, Thibodeau says, his assessment might have been that it was closer to midnight, roughly the same view that emerged from a Canada 2020 survey done in mid-September and released last week. More than half of the almost 1,600 people the progressive think tank and its research partners polled between Sept. 9 and 13 said the country remains in the darkest parts of the night, while more than a third said we are emerging from the worst of the pandemic. Those younger than 35 years old were more likely to say Canada is in the “early dawn,” meaning the worst has already passed.
Alex Paterson, executive director of Canada 2020, agreed that future versions of the survey planned for the coming months could push back into the evening on that scale, since the pandemic has moved into a second wave of infections in many parts of the country and shorter winter days are on the way. “There are going to have to be tremendous wells of compassion that we tap for one another over the next six to eight months,” Paterson said. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Alex Paterson, the executive director of Canada 2020, speaks with John Heilemann, host of The Circus on Showtime. Photo by Matthew Usherwood
The survey's findings also suggest a groundswell of support, especially among younger people, for government to take bold steps to help Canada recover from the pandemic and also address the inequalities and injustices it has exposed and exacerbated. A recent @Canada2020 survey suggests a groundswell of support, especially among younger people, for government to take bold steps to help Canada recover from the pandemic and address the inequalities it has exposed. Thibodeau's views are aligned with most of the younger people polled by the think tank. He said the pandemic has created opportunities for Canada to fix structural problems and “implement big ideas that we haven’t had the chance to explore yet.” Sixty per cent of the younger people surveyed agreed that government should use this opportunity to introduce new programs and services, compared to half of the overall group. Forty-four per cent of the younger cohort said they either “support” or “strongly support” a Canadian guaranteed income program, compared to 40 per cent overall. “That there is such support among younger generations for big initiatives coming out of this, for me, is encouraging,” said Canada 2020’s Paterson. “Hopefully, generationally, we have a restoring of faith in our ability to collectively do big things through government,” he added. “And young people think big.”
And a much higher portion of young people (48 per cent versus 34 per cent) said they either support or strongly support a deferral of rent payments for as long as landlords do not have to pay their mortgages. “It’s young people who are in those (minimum wage) jobs, that are in those circumstances,” Paterson said. More than a third of young people surveyed said they strongly support divesting from fossil fuels and investing in clean energy, compared to less than a quarter of the overall survey group.