nationalobserver--2020-06-02--Beijing could bar exit of dual Canadians from Hong Kong amid protests

A Canadian legal activist is warning the federal government to grant asylum to democracy activists in Hong Kong and expanded settlement to those with links to Canada before China prevents them from leaving .
The warning came Monday from Avvy Go , the director of the Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic , which has already helped bring Hong Kong pro-democracy activists to Canada .
There are 300,000 Canadians of Hong Kong descent in China , and Go says if Ottawa does n't act now to accommodate those who want to leave , Beijing will prevent them from leaving in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ act is now .
As China continues to crack down on the democracy movement in Hong Kong , it may soon find ways to prohibit Hong Kong activists from leaving that city , period , '' Go said Monday at a joint video press conference hosted by Amnesty International .
`` Even with those who are Canadian citizens , China may refuse to recognize their dual citizenship status and deny their exit from Hong Kong . ''
• How to rebuild after the economic pain from COVID-19 ?
Study Cuba • Canadians protest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Montreal , Toronto and Vancouver MPs from the four major Canadian political parties and one independent senator stood in solidarity with the proposals Go put forward at a virtual press conference convened by Amnesty International .
Canada , along with the United States , Britain and Australia , have condemned Beijing 's imposition of a new national security law that they say violates Hong Kong 's freedom from Chinese communist interference .
`` This is the Beijing government 's most breathtaking , threatening and callous attack yet ... discarding any pretence of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hong Kong was handed over in 1997 , '' said Alex Neve , the secretary general of Amnesty 's Canadian branch .
Go called on the federal government to implement several immigration and asylum measures , to help people get out of Hong Kong before it is too late .
They are : —Expediting family sponsorship applications by Canadians with spouses and parents in Hong Kong .
Beijing could bar exit of dual Canadians from Hong Kong amid protests : lawyer —Granting refugee status to democracy advocates , and offering them stepped-up resettlement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents took to the streets in mass protests against a proposed extradition law from Beijing that was eventually abandoned .
During that unrest , Go 's clinic received requests from Canadians of Hong Kong descent whose relatives participated in pro-democracy protests , she said .
Since Beijing announced the new security law , the clinic is getting calls from Canadians who are worried about their families even though they may not have been involved with the democracy movement , said Go .
`` These are our people .
And as parliamentarians dedicated to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not stand by silently .
I endorse all of the actions , '' said Independent Sen. Marilou McPhedran .
McPhedran said she has travelled across Africa and seen the effect of China 's massive development spending , an influence-buying effort that many analysts say is a power play by Beijing 's ruling communist party .
`` The weaponization of economic support is something that we need to understand better as we look at what is happening in Hong Kong , '' said McPhedran .
`` The violation of the Hong Kong Basic Law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China is saying it is going to do , is in fact a precursor to threats to democracies in many other countries as well . ''

A Canadian legal activist is warning the federal government to grant asylum to democracy activists in Hong Kong and expanded settlement to those with links to Canada before China prevents them from leaving. The warning came Monday from Avvy Go, the director of the Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic, which has already helped bring Hong Kong pro-democracy activists to Canada. There are 300,000 Canadians of Hong Kong descent in China, and Go says if Ottawa doesn't act now to accommodate those who want to leave, Beijing will prevent them from leaving in the future. "The time to act is now. As China continues to crack down on the democracy movement in Hong Kong, it may soon find ways to prohibit Hong Kong activists from leaving that city, period," Go said Monday at a joint video press conference hosted by Amnesty International. "Even with those who are Canadian citizens, China may refuse to recognize their dual citizenship status and deny their exit from Hong Kong."
MPs from the four major Canadian political parties and one independent senator stood in solidarity with the proposals Go put forward at a virtual press conference convened by Amnesty International. Canada, along with the United States, Britain and Australia, have condemned Beijing's imposition of a new national security law that they say violates Hong Kong's freedom from Chinese communist interference. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions "This is the Beijing government's most breathtaking, threatening and callous attack yet ... discarding any pretence of fulfilling China's international promises made when Hong Kong was handed over in 1997," said Alex Neve, the secretary general of Amnesty's Canadian branch.
Go called on the federal government to implement several immigration and asylum measures, to help people get out of Hong Kong before it is too late. They are: Beijing could bar exit of dual Canadians from Hong Kong amid protests: lawyer —Expediting family sponsorship applications by Canadians with spouses and parents in Hong Kong. —Expanding family-reunification sponsorship programs beyond parents and spouses. —Issuing more temporary-resident permits, work visas and student visas. —Granting refugee status to democracy advocates, and offering them stepped-up resettlement options.
Last year, Hong Kong residents took to the streets in mass protests against a proposed extradition law from Beijing that was eventually abandoned. During that unrest, Go's clinic received requests from Canadians of Hong Kong descent whose relatives participated in pro-democracy protests, she said. Since Beijing announced the new security law, the clinic is getting calls from Canadians who are worried about their families even though they may not have been involved with the democracy movement, said Go.


nationalobserver--2020-06-02--Climate change behind increases in extreme rain

The rains soaked southern Alberta for days , unrelenting , saturating soil already sodden with melting snow — and before long Calgary was awash as rivers overflowed their banks .
The province described the 2013 flood as the worst in its history , but it might not be for long .
Research from Environment Canada shows that climate change is behind more extreme rainfalls in Canada and suggests the problem is likely to get worse .
`` If we continue with global warming , we will see continued increase in the frequency and severity of extreme precipitation , '' said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences .
Researchers combined computer models and observed data for the most specific look yet at how climate change affects the kind of damaging rainfalls that turn streets to rivers .
The idea stems from simple physics .
Because warm air holds more moisture than cool air , an atmosphere heated by climate change should hold more water and dump larger amounts of it .
• How to rebuild after the economic pain from COVID-19 ?
Study Cuba • Canadians protest George Floyd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Toronto and Vancouver Showing that , however , is more complex .
Previous research on extreme rainfall patterns has n't been able to achieve a finer scale than the average of the entire Western Hemisphere .
Now , scientists have been able to focus on regions within the United States and Canada — what 's happening , why , and what 's coming down the road .
They began with figures from a variety of locations for the maximum amount of rain falling over a one-day period and over a five-day period @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the probability of those rainfall amounts occurring each year over a 50-year period from 1961 to 2010 .
Three were based on climate models that incorporated real-world data on increasing greenhouse gas levels , while the fourth was calculated directly from observed figures .
All four calculations showed increasing chances of extreme precipitation .
The result from the observed data showed the highest increase , with chances of one-day heavy rainfall increasing by more than five per cent .
`` We 're finding ( that ) extreme precipitation increases in the models that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) agrees well with the increases we 're seeing in the observations , '' Kirchmeier-Young said .
Such studies not only help scientists understand the past .
Comparing modelled results with real-world measurements increases their ability to look ahead .
`` If we have that , we can have more confidence in what the model is telling us what will happen in the future . ''
All three models in the study showed the chance of over-the-top rainfalls is expected to increase far into the future .
`` If we continue with global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the frequency and severity of extreme precipitation , '' Kirchmeier-Young said .
The consequences are serious , she added .
A one-day deluge can create significant flash floods in an urban area ; five-day downpours can swell rivers over their banks — although river floods are complicated by more factors than just rainfall .
Urban planners , builders and regulators are all going to have to take Canada 's coming climate into account .
`` We have to be thinking about what impacts more heavy rainfall will have , '' Kirchmeier-Young said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we 're going to have to be thinking more about and be more concerned with . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1 , 2020

The rains soaked southern Alberta for days, unrelenting, saturating soil already sodden with melting snow — and before long Calgary was awash as rivers overflowed their banks. The province described the 2013 flood as the worst in its history, but it might not be for long. Research from Environment Canada shows that climate change is behind more extreme rainfalls in Canada and suggests the problem is likely to get worse. "If we continue with global warming, we will see continued increase in the frequency and severity of extreme precipitation," said Megan Kirchmeier-Young, co-author of a paper published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences. Researchers combined computer models and observed data for the most specific look yet at how climate change affects the kind of damaging rainfalls that turn streets to rivers. The idea stems from simple physics. Because warm air holds more moisture than cool air, an atmosphere heated by climate change should hold more water and dump larger amounts of it.
Showing that, however, is more complex. Previous research on extreme rainfall patterns hasn't been able to achieve a finer scale than the average of the entire Western Hemisphere. Now, scientists have been able to focus on regions within the United States and Canada — what's happening, why, and what's coming down the road. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions They began with figures from a variety of locations for the maximum amount of rain falling over a one-day period and over a five-day period.
They did four separate calculations for the probability of those rainfall amounts occurring each year over a 50-year period from 1961 to 2010. Three were based on climate models that incorporated real-world data on increasing greenhouse gas levels, while the fourth was calculated directly from observed figures. Climate change behind increases in extreme rain danger: scientists All four calculations showed increasing chances of extreme precipitation. The result from the observed data showed the highest increase, with chances of one-day heavy rainfall increasing by more than five per cent. Five-day rainfalls showed similar patterns, although a lower increase. "We're finding (that) extreme precipitation increases in the models that have this human influence (greenhouse gases) agrees well with the increases we're seeing in the observations," Kirchmeier-Young said. Such studies not only help scientists understand the past. Comparing modelled results with real-world measurements increases their ability to look ahead.
"If we have that, we can have more confidence in what the model is telling us what will happen in the future." All three models in the study showed the chance of over-the-top rainfalls is expected to increase far into the future. "If we continue with global warming, we will see continued increase in the frequency and severity of extreme precipitation," Kirchmeier-Young said.


nationalobserver--2020-06-02--Trans Mountain pipeline construction begins in B.C.

Trans Mountain says it has reached another `` key milestone '' in the project to triple capacity of a pipeline moving oil from the Edmonton area to port in Burnaby , B.C .
A statement says construction on a seven-kilometre section of the line has begun in Kamloops .
It says a crew of up to 50 is preparing the area , but the workforce will grow to about 600 during peak construction later this summer or early fall .
The federal Crown corporation says completion of the Kamloops section of pipeline is expected in about seven months .
Kamloops @ @ @ @ @ @ @ construction area that is to see 185-kilometres of pipe laid from just north of the city to the summit of the Coquihalla Highway .
• How to rebuild after the economic pain from COVID-19 ?
Study Cuba • Canadians protest George Floyd killing and racism in Canada in Montreal , Toronto and Vancouver Trans Mountain delivers about 300,000 barrels of petroleum products daily , but expansion is expected to boost that to 890,000 barrels and increase the number of tankers through Vancouver 's harbour to more than one a day .
`` It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ region and an important step forward on the path to building this critical piece of infrastructure , '' Ian Anderson , president and CEO of Trans Mountain , says in the statement .
Construction spending in the Kamloops area is expected to be more than $ 450 million over the next two years , with additional workforce spending of more than $ 40 million .
Pipe installation began in Alberta late last year and the first section of pipe , near Edmonton , is 60 per cent complete , the company said last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the entire expansion project was originally estimated at $ 7.4 billion , but Anderson said in February the budget had grown to $ 12.6 billion .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1 , 2020

Trans Mountain says it has reached another "key milestone" in the project to triple capacity of a pipeline moving oil from the Edmonton area to port in Burnaby, B.C.
A statement says construction on a seven-kilometre section of the line has begun in Kamloops.
It says a crew of up to 50 is preparing the area, but the workforce will grow to about 600 during peak construction later this summer or early fall.
The federal Crown corporation says completion of the Kamloops section of pipeline is expected in about seven months.
Kamloops is part of Trans Mountain's Interior construction area that is to see 185-kilometres of pipe laid from just north of the city to the summit of the Coquihalla Highway.


nationalobserver--2020-06-02--Americans protesting police behaviour met with hardline anti-riot tactics

Americans venting their grief and anger at the death of George Floyd in police custody are being confronted nightly with tear gas , rubber bullets and truncheon-wielding , armour-clad riot police — the merciless approach they set out to protest in the first place .
It 's a response not to the peaceful protests against racial injustice that have raged across the country for a full week since Floyd 's death , but to the pockets of destruction — police cruisers set ablaze , rocks and bricks sailing into police lines — that some activists say risk marring the underlying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country 's black community .
The `` militarization '' of urban police forces across the U.S. , as well as in major Canadian cities , is a symptom of a decades-long arms race between criminals and the cops that 's been going on since the days of gangsters and Tommy guns , said Arthur Rizer , a former police officer and military lieutenant-colonel who now works at R Street Institute , a Washington think tank .
Modern police officers are well aware of the effect their methods , appearance and equipment have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who has spent the last several years surveying his former colleagues and researching their attitudes towards the evolution of their jobs and tactics .
`` They know that it scares the public , and they 're OK with it , '' he said .
• How to rebuild after the economic pain from COVID-19 ?
Study Cuba • Canadians protest George Floyd killing and racism in Canada in Montreal , Toronto and Vancouver `` We have police forces around this country that are feeling like they 're at war , and when you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you want all the tools necessary to win that war .
And I find that to be the scary part of it . ''
In Washington , D.C. , clashes between protesters and police in the shadow of a darkened White House are becoming a nightly feature in a part of the city usually overrun with scooter-riding tourists , strolling family members and merchants hawking T-shirts and American flags .
Tear gas and smoke from concussion grenades wafted over Lafayette Square again Monday as protesters found themselves confronting a newly aggressive police presence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members of the National Guard — at the precise moment President Donald Trump emerged from the White House to deliver a statement in the Rose Garden .
`` I am your president of law and order and an ally of all peaceful protesters , but in recent days our nation has been gripped by professional anarchists , violent mobs , arsonists , looters , criminals , rioters , antifa and others , '' Trump declared .
`` These are not acts of peaceful protest .
These are acts of domestic terror . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` all available federal resources , civilian and military '' to enforce nightly curfews , dispatching thousands more `` heavily armed soldiers '' on D.C. streets , and confirmed that he had encouraged state governors and mayors to summon National Guard resources in order to `` dominate the streets . ''
If they do n't , he added , `` I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them . ''
Moments later , a defiant-looking president marched directly through Lafayette Square to survey the damage and to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ John 's Episcopal Church , a tiny historical building that caught fire Sunday .
Once there , he brandished a Bible and posed for photos .
Activists , including some of Floyd 's own family members , pleaded Monday for an end to the violence .
`` If I 'm not over here wilding out , if I 'm not over here blowing stuff up , if I 'm not over here messing up my community , then what are you all doing ? ''
Floyd 's brother Terrence said during an emotional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the scene of his brother 's killing .
`` Let 's do this another way .
Let 's stop thinking that our voice do n't matter , and vote . ''
Earlier in the day , Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms , a Democrat , made it clear during an interview on CNN that she 'll take no advice from Trump , even if he is the president of the United States .
`` Leaders lead , and he is not leading — he is causing further disruption to our cities , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of police compassion , as well — including footage of officers joining peaceful marches , providing solace to weeping protesters , taking a knee in a show of solidarity and paying silent tribute at Floyd 's makeshift memorial .
Former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin , the man seen on cellphone video kneeling on Floyd 's neck for nearly nine minutes , has been charged with manslaughter and third-degree murder , but activists are demanding charges against the other three officers involved .
To move forward , municipalities must embrace the need for extensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ implicit bias '' training for police officers to help them better understand the inherent risk of applying different standards to different people , a group of big-city mayors told presumptive Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden in a virtual roundtable discussion Monday .
`` The most precious and valuable and powerful tool is constitutional engagement with members of the community , '' said Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot .
But she pointed to the almost unanimous condemnation of the actions of the police in Minneapolis , including from the law enforcement community , as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there in America 20 years ago .
`` The fact that we were uniform , police and community alike , in denouncing this officer , who dishonoured and besmirched his badge — it may not feel like it , but that was a big moment that we ca n't forget , '' Lightfoot said .
`` That to me is momentous , and I do n't want to lose sight of that . ''
Rizer said he does n't believe there 's a direct line between Trump 's embrace of authoritarian rhetoric and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the streets every night to enforce the law .
What it does do , he said , is encourage those with the necessary power and influence to work all the harder on countermanding some of that influence to help ensure that marginalized Americans , including communities of colour and those in low-income neighbourhoods , are n't provoked into escalating things further .
`` It 's very disheartening , to be honest , because I 've been working with members of his inner circle on trying to do some stuff that 's good , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so much harder , '' Rizer said .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1 , 2020 .

Americans venting their grief and anger at the death of George Floyd in police custody are being confronted nightly with tear gas, rubber bullets and truncheon-wielding, armour-clad riot police — the merciless approach they set out to protest in the first place. It's a response not to the peaceful protests against racial injustice that have raged across the country for a full week since Floyd's death, but to the pockets of destruction — police cruisers set ablaze, rocks and bricks sailing into police lines — that some activists say risk marring the underlying call for just and equal treatment for the country's black community. The "militarization'' of urban police forces across the U.S., as well as in major Canadian cities, is a symptom of a decades-long arms race between criminals and the cops that's been going on since the days of gangsters and Tommy guns, said Arthur Rizer, a former police officer and military lieutenant-colonel who now works at R Street Institute, a Washington think tank. Modern police officers are well aware of the effect their methods, appearance and equipment have on public attitudes, said Rizer, who has spent the last several years surveying his former colleagues and researching their attitudes towards the evolution of their jobs and tactics. "They know that it scares the public, and they're OK with it,'' he said.
"We have police forces around this country that are feeling like they're at war, and when you feel like you're at war, you want all the tools necessary to win that war. And I find that to be the scary part of it.'' In Washington, D.C., clashes between protesters and police in the shadow of a darkened White House are becoming a nightly feature in a part of the city usually overrun with scooter-riding tourists, strolling family members and merchants hawking T-shirts and American flags. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Tear gas and smoke from concussion grenades wafted over Lafayette Square again Monday as protesters found themselves confronting a newly aggressive police presence. That included officers on horseback and members of the National Guard — at the precise moment President Donald Trump emerged from the White House to deliver a statement in the Rose Garden.
"I am your president of law and order and an ally of all peaceful protesters, but in recent days our nation has been gripped by professional anarchists, violent mobs, arsonists, looters, criminals, rioters, antifa and others," Trump declared. As Americans protest police behaviour, hardline anti-riot tactics draw fire "These are not acts of peaceful protest. These are acts of domestic terror." He promised a dramatic crackdown by mobilizing "all available federal resources, civilian and military" to enforce nightly curfews, dispatching thousands more "heavily armed soldiers" on D.C. streets, and confirmed that he had encouraged state governors and mayors to summon National Guard resources in order to "dominate the streets." If they don't, he added, "I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them." Moments later, a defiant-looking president marched directly through Lafayette Square to survey the damage and to pay a photo-op visit to boarded-up St. John's Episcopal Church, a tiny historical building that caught fire Sunday. Once there, he brandished a Bible and posed for photos.
Activists, including some of Floyd's own family members, pleaded Monday for an end to the violence. "If I'm not over here wilding out, if I'm not over here blowing stuff up, if I'm not over here messing up my community, then what are you all doing?" Floyd's brother Terrence said during an emotional visit to the memorial in Minneapolis at the scene of his brother's killing. "Let's do this another way. Let's stop thinking that our voice don't matter, and vote."


nationalobserver--2020-06-02--Elementary schools re-open in B.C. with health measures in place

About one-third of children in the kindergarten to Grade 5 age group returned to classrooms in British Columbia on Monday , according to the province ’ s top health official .
Parents in British Columbia have the option of sending their kids back to elementary schools part-time , as part of new re-opening measures that kicked in on June 1 .
For the Vancouver School Board , families with kids enrolled in elementary schools should have already been given details on May 28 about their child ’ s schedule .
Only students whose families have filled out a form indicating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ classes will be allowed into the building , the school board has indicated .
The board said Monday that General Brock Elementary School , a Kindergarten-to-Grade 7 public school on Main and 33rd Ave. in Vancouver , had 52 students for the day .
The school usually has 245 students .
• How to rebuild after the economic pain from COVID-19 ?
Study Cuba • Canadians protest George Floyd killing and racism in Canada in Montreal , Toronto and Vancouver The provincial government , school districts and Dr. Bonnie Henry have all said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many pandemic precautions are now in place across school districts .
“ We are ready for this , ” said Henry during Monday ’ s coronavirus briefing to reporters .
“ Our public health teams are ready to jump in , should we need to.
” Video of Dr. Bonnie Henry - Message to BC Teachers and Staff Horgan : B.C .
would not open schools if unsafe Even so , some teachers have expressed apprehension about returning to classrooms , after 41 Quebec students and staff tested positive for COVID-19 following reopening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to B.C .
Education Minister Rob Fleming asking the government to keep schools closed until September , for example , has gathered over 34,000 signatures as of Monday evening .
About one-third of children in the kindergarten to Grade 5 age group returned to classrooms in British Columbia on Monday , according to the province ’ s top health official .
The petition by Patricia Cullen argues that young children can ’ t be counted on to follow sanitization protocols , or alert adults to the fact that they might be feeling some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it takes issue with B.C .
Premier John Horgan ’ s position that the re-opening of schools part-time will be “ welcome news ” for parents who have to go back to work , and kids who have found it hard to consume education online .
“ Yes , educating from home has been an additional stress for everyone involved .
But changing it up now , again , for only four weeks is an additional , unnecessary risk and stressor for everyone involved , ” the petition reads .
Horgan has said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do a “ dry run ” for teachers , support staff and administrators to “ get a sense of what physical-distancing schools will look like.
” Each school district has different configurations for how they will operate , and Horgan said that will inform how the province prepares for next September ’ s back-to-school event .
“ There ’ s apprehension , absolutely , among parents , among some teachers and among some support staff , ” Horgan said May 20 .
But , he said , the province would not be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feel it was safe .
It is the B.C .
government ’ s position that science has shown that “ children under 19 are at low risk of transmitting COVID-19 and suspending schools only has modest impacts in minimizing the spread of the virus , ” according to the province ’ s website .
Henry has acknowledged that students and teachers are still at risk of becoming infected , however low that risk may be .
She said she would “ not be surprised ” if B.C .
had “ one or two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks .
`` But that 's okay .
We know how to deal with this , we know that it is not easily spread , and we know we can prevent it by putting in place the measures that we have in our schools , and it 's going to be a bit of a challenge , ” said Henry .
She has also said that B.C.
, with its lower case count compared to Ontario or Quebec , is in a unique position .
If B.C .
was Quebec , in terms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she would not be comfortable sending kids back to school .
Video of Message from Superintendent Chris Kennedy - May 25 , 2020 Health officers 'not going anywhere ' says Henry In a video message to teachers posted this weekend , Henry reassured them that school health officers , public health nurses and healthy school co-ordinators “ are not going anywhere ” along with the BC Centre for Disease Control and her own office .
Each school district has to get its safety plan approved and posted online .
Those plans indicate how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own contexts .
The education ministry says it is limiting the number of students in schools by staggering their schedules : for kindergarten to Grade 5 , this could mean attending on alternating days , while for Grades 6 to 12 , students are expected to go to school about once a week .
Gatherings and crowds are not allowed , while the ministry is requiring regular cleaning of high-contact surfaces like door knobs twice a day , cleaning the school building daily , and frequent handwashing and hand-sanitizing by everyone is encouraged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” of sanitizer and cleaning stations .
Other rules include spacing desks apart , scheduling lunch and recess differently , boosting outside time , forbidding sharing of items like pens or pencils , and limiting each seat on school buses to one household of children .
About 5,000 students are already in classrooms , many of whom are the children of essential service workers .

About one-third of children in the kindergarten to Grade 5 age group returned to classrooms in British Columbia on Monday, according to the province’s top health official. Parents in British Columbia have the option of sending their kids back to elementary schools part-time, as part of new re-opening measures that kicked in on June 1. For the Vancouver School Board, families with kids enrolled in elementary schools should have already been given details on May 28 about their child’s schedule. Only students whose families have filled out a form indicating they want their kids to attend in-person classes will be allowed into the building, the school board has indicated. The board said Monday that General Brock Elementary School, a Kindergarten-to-Grade 7 public school on Main and 33rd Ave. in Vancouver, had 52 students for the day. The school usually has 245 students.
The provincial government, school districts and Dr. Bonnie Henry have all said schools are safe to attend, and many pandemic precautions are now in place across school districts. “We are ready for this,” said Henry during Monday’s coronavirus briefing to reporters. “Our public health teams are ready to jump in, should we need to.” Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Video of Dr. Bonnie Henry - Message to BC Teachers and Staff
Horgan: B.C. would not open schools if unsafe Even so, some teachers have expressed apprehension about returning to classrooms, after 41 Quebec students and staff tested positive for COVID-19 following reopening measures in that province. About one-third of children in the kindergarten to Grade 5 age group returned to classrooms in British Columbia on Monday, according to the province’s top health official. A petition to B.C. Education Minister Rob Fleming asking the government to keep schools closed until September, for example, has gathered over 34,000 signatures as of Monday evening. The petition by Patricia Cullen argues that young children can’t be counted on to follow sanitization protocols, or alert adults to the fact that they might be feeling some of the various COVID-19 symptoms. And it takes issue with B.C. Premier John Horgan’s position that the re-opening of schools part-time will be “welcome news” for parents who have to go back to work, and kids who have found it hard to consume education online.
“Yes, educating from home has been an additional stress for everyone involved. But changing it up now, again, for only four weeks is an additional, unnecessary risk and stressor for everyone involved,” the petition reads. Horgan has said one reason behind the June re-opening was to do a “dry run” for teachers, support staff and administrators to “get a sense of what physical-distancing schools will look like.” Each school district has different configurations for how they will operate, and Horgan said that will inform how the province prepares for next September’s back-to-school event.


nationalobserver--2020-06-02--Montreal protesters galvanized by U.S. riots

In a grainy cellphone video , you can see four Service de police de la Ville de Montréal ( SPVM ) officers standing around a man .
There ’ s yelling .
You can hear a Taser and the sound of gunshots .
The officers move toward the man in the red sweatshirt and one hits him twice with a baton .
The man , 58-year-old Pierre Coriolon , was having a mental health crisis when officers killed him .
The incident happened on June 27 , 2017 , and was another in a string of deadly encounters between Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Montreal police killed Bony Jean-Pierre in Montreal-North and in 2018 , Montreal police killed Nicholas Gibbs , a 23-year-old father of three young children .
On March 12 , 2020 , Montreal police responded to a domestic violence call in the Hochelaga neighbourhood and shot and killed a 54-year-old man .
His name and other identifying information has not been released .
Activists have been organizing around police brutality in Montreal for years , so when rallies were called across Canada to protest police brutality and anti-Black racism , it wasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the largest and loudest .
Organizers say that between 10,000 and 15,000 people took to the streets on Sunday , calling for racial justice and an end to police brutality .
• How to rebuild after the economic pain from COVID-19 ?
Study Cuba • Canadians protest George Floyd killing and racism in Canada in Montreal , Toronto and Vancouver Rally co-organizer Vincent Mousseau said that there was a moment created by the protests held across the U.S. demanding justice for George Floyd , Breonna Taylor and so many others who have died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A lot of people are galvanized and politicized through what happens in the U.S. … I ’ ve noticed that Quebec society is more connected to the United States than they are to what happens in English Canada … But for us as organizers , we thought it was integral to talk about what ’ s happening in Canada , ” they said .
The Montreal organizers ensured that their rally responded to local incidents of police violence , and not just where an incident was captured on camera .
Mousseau said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executive director of the Native Women 's Shelter of Montreal , to start the event by highlighting the May 7 arrest of a Cree woman who was having a mental health crisis .
Police arrived with a K-9 unit to respond and witnesses told APTN that they counted 17 police officers present for the arrest .
Mousseau , an anti-racist and anti-oppressive social worker said that the organizers were surprised by how big the turnout was .
They tried to have enough masks and hand sanitizer to diminish the spread of COVID-19 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rally against police racism and brutality they had ever seen in Montreal .
After three hours , the Montreal police declared the rally illegal .
Police sprayed the protesters who remained with pepper spray and rubber bullets , and some people smashed storefront windows .
Videos taken from the clash show protesters running away from tear gas .
“ A lot of people are galvanized and politicized through what happens in the U.S. … I ’ ve noticed that Quebec society is more connected to the United States than they are to what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police ’ s reputation for racial profiling is well-known , and the rally gave thousands of people a moment to express their frustration and desire for change .
A 2019 report into racial profiling and the Montreal police showed that while crime had been relatively stable from 2014 to 2017 , police interventions rose by 143 per cent .
But that increase wasn ’ t experienced evenly — Arabs , especially Arab youth , Black people and Indigenous people were far more likely to be stopped by Montreal police than were white people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Indigenous women are 11 times more likely than white women to be stopped by police .
Cases of their own Emilie Nicolas , activist and columnist for Le Devoir , says that Montrealers don ’ t need to have images from the United States to spurn them to action ; there are more than enough examples in Montreal for people to be angry over .
Like Coriolan , Gibbs ’ death was also caught on camera .
Before there was Black Lives Matter , Nicolas says that there was Montreal activism , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teenager Fredy Villanueva .
He was killed by Montreal police in Montreal North in 2008 and two of his friends were shot and injured .
Movements grew to demand justice for Villanueva , like Montréal-Nord Républik ’ s social forum and Hoodstock , a music and arts festival .
Activists say Montreal-North is over policed , and one of the consistent demands from local activists is that the SPVM reduce the number of officers who patrol there .
Nicolas says that the best indicator of where Montreal police are likely to be present @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but instead on where the highest populations of racialized Montrealers live .
Montreal-North is also the location of one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in Canada .
The day following the rally , Premier François Legault again told reporters there ’ s no such thing as systemic discrimination in Quebec .
Nicolas and Mousseau both argue that at the heart of the problem is Quebec politicians ’ refusal to contend seriously with systemic racism .
From the police , through to the city and the province , people who hold positions of power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racism impacts racialized people , especially as seen in the city ’ s police force .

In a grainy cellphone video, you can see four Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) officers standing around a man. There’s yelling. You can hear a Taser and the sound of gunshots. The officers move toward the man in the red sweatshirt and one hits him twice with a baton. The man, 58-year-old Pierre Coriolan, was having a mental health crisis when officers killed him. The incident happened on June 27, 2017, and was another in a string of deadly encounters between Black men and police: in 2016, Montreal police killed Bony Jean-Pierre in Montreal-North and in 2018, Montreal police killed Nicholas Gibbs, a 23-year-old father of three young children. On March 12, 2020, Montreal police responded to a domestic violence call in the Hochelaga neighbourhood and shot and killed a 54-year-old man. His name and other identifying information has not been released. Activists have been organizing around police brutality in Montreal for years, so when rallies were called across Canada to protest police brutality and anti-Black racism, it wasn’t a surprise that Montreal’s was the largest and loudest. Organizers say that between 10,000 and 15,000 people took to the streets on Sunday, calling for racial justice and an end to police brutality.
Spurred by U.S. protests Rally co-organizer Vincent Mousseau said that there was a moment created by the protests held across the U.S. demanding justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many others who have died at the hands of police. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “A lot of people are galvanized and politicized through what happens in the U.S. … I’ve noticed that Quebec society is more connected to the United States than they are to what happens in English Canada … But for us as organizers, we thought it was integral to talk about what’s happening in Canada,” they said.
The Montreal organizers ensured that their rally responded to local incidents of police violence, and not just where an incident was captured on camera. Mousseau said that it was important for Nakuset, the executive director of the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal, to start the event by highlighting the May 7 arrest of a Cree woman who was having a mental health crisis. Police arrived with a K-9 unit to respond and witnesses told APTN that they counted 17 police officers present for the arrest. “A lot of people are galvanized and politicized through what happens in the U.S. … I’ve noticed that Quebec society is more connected to the United States than they are to what happens in English Canada." Mousseau, an anti-racist and anti-oppressive social worker said that the organizers were surprised by how big the turnout was. They tried to have enough masks and hand sanitizer to diminish the spread of COVID-19, but said that the numbers outpaced any rally against police racism and brutality they had ever seen in Montreal. After three hours, the Montreal police declared the rally illegal. Police sprayed the protesters who remained with pepper spray and rubber bullets, and some people smashed storefront windows. Videos taken from the clash show protesters running away from tear gas. Montreal police’s reputation for racial profiling is well-known, and the rally gave thousands of people a moment to express their frustration and desire for change. A 2019 report into racial profiling and the Montreal police showed that while crime had been relatively stable from 2014 to 2017, police interventions rose by 143 per cent. But that increase wasn’t experienced evenly — Arabs, especially Arab youth, Black people and Indigenous people were far more likely to be stopped by Montreal police than were white people. For example, the report found that Indigenous women are 11 times more likely than white women to be stopped by police.
Cases of their own Emilie Nicolas, activist and columnist for Le Devoir, says that Montrealers don’t need to have images from the United States to spurn them to action; there are more than enough examples in Montreal for people to be angry over. Like Coriolan, Gibbs’ death was also caught on camera. Before there was Black Lives Matter, Nicolas says that there was Montreal activism, driven by outrage over the murder of teenager Fredy Villanueva. He was killed by Montreal police in Montreal North in 2008 and two of his friends were shot and injured. Movements grew to demand justice for Villanueva, like Montréal-Nord Républik’s social forum and Hoodstock, a music and arts festival.


nationalobserver--2020-06-02--If life before this was ‘normal,’ I don’t want to go back

There is no going back to “ normal.
” 2020 has been one of the most intense years of our lifetime .
Yes , the world has experienced global health pandemics before , but never at the peak of our technological development .
Yes , mass groups of people have taken to the streets to demand justice before , but not at this time , not in this way .
Things are different , and rightfully so .
If “ normal ” refers to life before COVID-19 , then normal across North and South America meant the ongoing targeted murder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Indigenous people and people of colour .
“ Normal ” meant the ongoing expansion of unfettered capitalism , the destruction of the planet , gross inequality and the dominance of a 'profit over people ' culture across the globe .
Normal meant that a man named Derek Chauvin , who had a history of violence against people of colour , could occupy a position that armed him with a uniform , a gun and a toxic power complex .
It meant Chauvin was able to detain an innocent Black man named George Floyd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s neck for eight long minutes until he died face-down on the cement while Floyd and everyone around begged Chauvin to stop .
People have taken to the streets because that is how chemical reactions work .
Ask any scientist .
Do you ask fire why it blew up when it had alcohol poured into its face ?
Why do we question the reactions of people who are doing whatever they can with what they have , where they are , to speak out against injustice , to fight back against an armed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buildings in gentrified neighbourhoods where Black , brown and Indigenous people still sleep in the streets ?
Why do we question the ways victims of violence act out against their oppressors ?
As academic , philosopher , political activist Angela Davis stated in a 1970 interview while she was detained in a prison in San Francisco for protesting the racist American state : “ Because of the way this society is organized , because of the violence that exists on the surface everywhere , you have to expect that there are going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expect these things as reactions .
“ When you talk about a revolution , most people think violence , without realizing that the real content of any kind of revolutionary thrust lies in the goals you are striving for , not in the ways you reach them , ” she said .
The media have focused on the buildings burned , but we must also remember what is fueling the fires : The pure rage of the injustice of George Floyd 's death , a retraumatizing filmed event that reminded the world of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been wrongfully killed without any kind of justice .
But it is also a hunger for change that drives people to the streets , across the entire world , during a pandemic .
It is the values that people carry in their hearts , a vision for a better world , a belief in justice , a clarity around what it means to be good , what it means to develop without destroying , and what it is that connects us in times of crisis .
I would rather live in a world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incites global outrage , then a world where we are so numbed , so brainwashed , so desensitized that we do nothing , say nothing , feel nothing .
But while most understand the pervasive issues that plague our societies , we do n't often hear about the solutions .
We often consume the suffering of over-targeted and over-exploited peoples as a kind of poverty porn , the news of more death , more violence and more injustice normalized .
While we need to examine the legacies of violence , dispossession and inequality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we need to also uphold the knowledge systems , ancestral strength and resilience that will lead us into a better tomorrow .
We need to know that when we burn it all down , we will be ready and able to put people in positions of power who embody the principles lacking in today 's world .
We need to know that we will have alternative energy solutions , job opportunities , and laws and policies that protect and promote diversity , rather than condemn it .
And we need to do the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ practice what we preach .
That 's why , as managing director of the First Nations Forward , I started a Facebook Live interview series .
Because as we cry for injustice and point to the problems , we must also uplift the solutions .
Indigenous Peoples make up five per cent of the worlds ' population , occupy 22 per cent of the worlds ' land mass and yet protect 80 per cent of the worlds ' biodiversity .
Let that sink in .
What that means , to me , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have existed for thousands of years because they work .
While civilizations have risen and fallen over time , leaders come and gone , laws written and abolished , there are still groups of people , across the world , practicing traditions , laws and protecting cultures that were practiced by ancestors thousands of years ago .
And there are still people , who resist , grow , love and live , despite all the forces that would have it otherwise .
The First Nations Forward series welcomes Indigenous knowledge carriers , chiefs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , elders to share their stories , knowledge and perspectives on how we got to where we are today and where we need to be going tomorrow .
The conversations have , and will continue to explore , natural laws and governance , food sovereignty , various forms of ancestral resilience and healing , creative resistance and more .
There are ways for us to retain balance .
There are solutions available to the current climate crisis , but in order for us to develop the kind of social cohesion needed to implement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ listening to the right people .
This does n't mean placing the burden on Indigenous people and people of colour , many of whom are trying to survive ongoing colonialism , industrial development or who are in the process of healing , self-determination , and the revitalization of languages , laws and lands .
It means we need to take Indigenous knowledge systems as serious solutions to the environmental problems we face .
It means we need to put people in positions of power who know these truths in their blood and bones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world where the murder of innocent Black boys and men is not a normalized reality , where Indigenous women do not get murdered or go missing and turned into a statistic , where reconciliation means reparation , where people are n't shot with rubber bullets and tear gas for demanding accountability and change , and where every system of power is representative of the society it 's meant to serve .
I want to live in a world that listens and respects the natural world , rather than trying to dominate , colonize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live in a world where diverse worldviews and ways of being are celebrated , and where at the very least , at the very very least , everyone has the right to BREATHE .

2020 has been one of the most intense years of our lifetime. Yes, the world has experienced global health pandemics before, but never at the peak of our technological development. Yes, mass groups of people have taken to the streets to demand justice before, but not at this time, not in this way.
Things are different, and rightfully so. If “normal” refers to life before COVID-19, then normal across North and South America meant the ongoing targeted murder and imprisonment of Black, brown and Indigenous people and people of colour. “Normal” meant the ongoing expansion of unfettered capitalism, the destruction of the planet, gross inequality and the dominance of a 'profit over people' culture across the globe.
Normal meant that a man named Derek Chauvin, who had a history of violence against people of colour, could occupy a position that armed him with a uniform, a gun and a toxic power complex. It meant Chauvin was able to detain an innocent Black man named George Floyd and place his knee on Floyd’s neck for eight long minutes until he died face-down on the cement while Floyd and everyone around begged Chauvin to stop.
With all due respect, screw normal.
People have taken to the streets because that is how chemical reactions work. Ask any scientist. Do you ask fire why it blew up when it had alcohol poured into its face? Why do we question the reactions of people who are doing whatever they can with what they have, where they are, to speak out against injustice, to fight back against an armed military state, to take down corporate buildings in gentrified neighbourhoods where Black, brown and Indigenous people still sleep in the streets? Why do we question the ways victims of violence act out against their oppressors?
As academic, philosopher, political activist Angela Davis stated in a 1970 interview while she was detained in a prison in San Francisco for protesting the racist American state: “Because of the way this society is organized, because of the violence that exists on the surface everywhere, you have to expect that there are going to be such explosions, you have to expect these things as reactions.
“When you talk about a revolution, most people think violence, without realizing that the real content of any kind of revolutionary thrust lies in the goals you are striving for, not in the ways you reach them,” she said.
The media have focused on the buildings burned, but we must also remember what is fueling the fires: The pure rage of the injustice of George Floyd's death, a retraumatizing filmed event that reminded the world of every Black person who has been wrongfully killed without any kind of justice.
But it is also a hunger for change that drives people to the streets, across the entire world, during a pandemic. It is the values that people carry in their hearts, a vision for more equitable societies, a belief in justice, a clarity around what it means to be good, how to develop without destroying, and what it is that connects us in times of crisis.
I would rather live in a world where the murder of an innocent person incites global outrage, than one where we are so numbed, so brainwashed, so desensitized that we do nothing, say nothing, feel nothing.
But while most understand the pervasive issues that plague our societies, we don't often hear about the solutions. We often consume the suffering of over-targeted and over-exploited peoples as a kind of poverty porn, the news of more death, more violence and more injustice normalized. While we need to examine the legacies of violence, dispossession and inequality woven into the fabric of today, we need to also uphold the knowledge systems, ancestral strength and resilience that will lead us into a better tomorrow.
We need to know that when we burn it all down, we will be ready and able to put people in positions of power who embody the principles lacking in today's world. We need to know that we will have alternative energy solutions, job opportunities, and laws and policies that protect and promote diversity, rather than condemn it. And we need to do the personal work necessary to be able to practice what we preach.
That's why, as managing director of the First Nations Forward, I started a Facebook Live interview series. Because as we cry for injustice and point to the problems, we must also uplift the solutions.
Indigenous Peoples make up five per cent of the worlds' population, occupy 22 per cent of the worlds' land mass and yet protect 80 per cent of the worlds' biodiversity.
Let that sink in.
What that means, to me, is that ancient lineages, traditions and cultures have existed for thousands of years because they work. While civilizations have risen and fallen over time, leaders come and gone, laws written and abolished, there are still groups of people, across the world, practicing traditions, laws and protecting cultures that were practiced by ancestors thousands of years ago. And there are still people, who resist, grow, love and live, despite all the forces that would have it otherwise.
The First Nations Forward series welcomes Indigenous knowledge-carriers, chiefs, politicians, leaders, community members, elders to share their stories, knowledge and perspectives on how we got to where we are today and where we need to be going tomorrow. The conversations have, and will continue to explore, natural laws and governance, food sovereignty, various forms of ancestral resilience and healing, creative resistance and more.
There are ways for us to retain balance. There are solutions available to the current climate crisis, but in order for us to develop the kind of social cohesion needed to implement these solutions, we need to start listening to the right people.
This doesn't mean placing the burden on Indigenous people and people of colour, many of whom are trying to survive ongoing colonialism, industrial development or who are in the process of healing, self-determination, and the revitalization of languages, laws and lands. And it doesn't pretend that all Indigenous peoples want the same things or have the same ideas about conservation and development.
It means we need to take Indigenous knowledge systems as serious solutions to the environmental problems we face and make room for voices that have been largely ignored, misunderstood or demonized. It means we need to put people in positions of power who know these truths in their blood and bones.
I want to live in a world where the murder of innocent Black boys and men is not a normalized reality, where Indigenous women do not get murdered or go missing and turned into a statistic, where reconciliation means reparation, where people aren't shot with rubber bullets and tear gas for demanding accountability and change, and where every system of power is representative of the society it's meant to serve.
I want to live in a world that listens and respects the natural world, rather than trying to dominate, colonize and control it. I want to live in a world where diverse worldviews and ways of being are celebrated, and where at the very least, at the very very least, everyone has the right to BREATHE.


nationalobserver--2020-06-02--Canada protests police violence, racism in shadow of U.S. tumult

Protests against police brutality spread from the United States to Canada over the weekend , sparked in part by last week ’ s death of a young Black woman in Toronto , as critics argue that systemic racism festers just as deeply here .
Thousands of people took to Toronto ’ s streets on Saturday , while similar events took place in Montreal , Vancouver and other Canadian cities this weekend , and more are planned .
The protests come amid a week of tense confrontations in cities across the United States , sparked by the death of George Floyd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his life pleading with a Minneapolis police officer to take his knee off Floyd ’ s neck .
But Canadian protesters and the Black community here are also calling for a reckoning with race that broader Canadian society has not yet faced .
“ We buy into the myth that the 49th parallel creates a widely different racial experience at our own peril , ” said Sandy Hudson , a co-founder of the Toronto chapter of the Black Lives Matter protest movement .
For Hudson , the latest outrages are both exhausting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ old fights about racial profiling and on to the pointed question of removing police funding .
Anti-racism protests spread to Canada following the death of a young Black woman in the presence of police last week , as critics call for a broader reckoning with race and racism north of the border She questioned why police needed to be the ones to respond to the call Korchinski-Paquet ’ s mother made , which related to her mental health , and said too many such Canadian cases result in the death of a person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agencies could take on many of the roles that police are either ill-equipped to handle or that end up with them using excessive force , including noise complaints and fare evasion .
The anger and desire to stand up against the systems designed to keep people of colour down were seemingly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic that has hit their communities particularly hard .
“ The coronavirus puts another level of stress on people , ” Hudson said .
“ The economic and institutional anti-Blackness creates an economic divide where Black people are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conditions than others.
” Bailey said the latest round of police violence and resulting outrage seems to have struck a deeper chord with a wider section of society .
“ It feels different , because it is bumping up against a confluence of other things ... it ’ s like the stars aligning but not so magical , ” she said about the latest protests .
The pandemic , coupled with the rise of hate and of race-baiting in recent years , makes the situation seem more urgent , she said , even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ All of these things together are making it more widely felt , but no different that Andrew Loku or any of the other times power has been wielded in a way that ends with a Black body in the streets , ” she said .
Loku was shot dead by Toronto police in 2015 .
A sweeping 2018 interim report on race and policing from the Ontario Human Rights Commission , written in the wake of his death , found a Black person in Toronto was nearly 20 times more likely than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killed by police .
Hudson and others said that the stiffest challenge facing those trying to deal with racism in Canada is in convincing the comfortable majority that it exists .
“ Canada ’ s anti-Blackness comes in the form of denial , ” she said , pointing out how quickly the scandal of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau smearing himself in blackface and brownface on multiple occasions was forgiven .
For Lekan Olawoye , the coming battle will take place in the boardrooms of corporate Canada .
“ It ’ s difficult to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see , the enemy that doesn ’ t even believe it is an enemy , ” said Olawoye , who founded the Black Professionals in Tech Network and strives to break down barriers for people of colour in the technology industry .
“ But they are killing you slowly , they ’ re killing you softly , they ’ re killing you in boardrooms , they ’ re killing you in interviews , they ’ re killing you in grocery stores , all over the place , ” he said .
Racism is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if you are not the target of it , said Melanee Thomas , an associate professor of political science at the University of Calgary .
While a white person likely feels no tension when they visit a store , for example , a person of colour will often find themselves following by security , she said .
“ Nobody follows me around the store thinking I ’ m going to do something nefarious , and it ’ s because I ’ m so white I ’ m translucent , ” Thomas said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the founding of Canada , pointing to the reserve system set up to house Indigenous communities forced off land that was then given to white settlers , and the historical role of police to maintain a certain type of order .
“ We have to get comfortable telling the uncomfortable truths , and knowing what that means for us , ” she said , of where white Canadians need to take these conversations .
Hundreds of people march in an anti-racism demonstration in Calgary on Monday , June 1 , 2020 .
Photo @ @ @

Protests against police brutality spread from the United States to Canada over the weekend, sparked in part by last week’s death of a young Black woman in Toronto, as critics argue that systemic racism festers just as deeply here. Thousands of people took to Toronto’s streets on Saturday, while similar events took place in Montreal, Vancouver and other Canadian cities this weekend, and more are planned. The protests come amid a week of tense confrontations in cities across the United States, sparked by the death of George Floyd, who spent the last eight minutes of his life pleading with a Minneapolis police officer to take his knee off Floyd’s neck. In Toronto, protesters marched to the headquarters of the city’s police force to demand answers after 29-year-old Regis Korchinski-Paquet fell to her death from her 24th storey apartment while alone inside with police officers on Wednesday evening. https://www.instagram.com/p/CA3JBsagNWB/
The catalysts are not unrelated, with images of injustice occurring outside of Canada just as traumatic for those who experience the same challenges here. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “It’s like we sleep in the same water bed,” said Garvia Bailey, an independent journalist. “If they move we feel the ripples of it. And for Black people in our psyche, if you open up social media and see a man dying in front of your eyes, the geography at that point doesn’t matter.”
But Canadian protesters and the Black community here are also calling for a reckoning with race that broader Canadian society has not yet faced. Anti-racism protests spread to Canada following the death of a young Black woman in the presence of police last week, as critics call for a broader reckoning with race and racism north of the border “We buy into the myth that the 49th parallel creates a widely different racial experience at our own peril,” said Sandy Hudson, a co-founder of the Toronto chapter of the Black Lives Matter protest movement. For Hudson, the latest outrages are both exhausting but also an opportunity to move beyond old fights about racial profiling and on to the pointed question of removing police funding. She questioned why police needed to be the ones to respond to the call Korchinski-Paquet’s mother made, which related to her mental health, and said too many such Canadian cases result in the death of a person of colour. (In April, police in Brampton shot and killed 26-year-old D'Andre Campbell, whom his family said suffered from mental illness.)
Hudson argued that civilian agencies could take on many of the roles that police are either ill-equipped to handle or that end up with them using excessive force, including noise complaints and fare evasion. Pandemic heightens tensions The anger and desire to stand up against the systems designed to keep people of colour down were seemingly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic that has hit their communities particularly hard.


nationalobserver--2020-06-02--OPINION: If life before this was ‘normal,’ I don’t want to go back

There is no going back to “ normal.
” 2020 has been one of the most intense years of our lifetime .
Yes , the world has experienced global health pandemics before , but never at the peak of our technological development .
Yes , mass groups of people have taken to the streets to demand justice before , but not at this time , not in this way .
Things are different , and rightfully so .
If “ normal ” refers to life before COVID-19 , then normal across North and South America meant the ongoing targeted murder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Indigenous people and people of colour .
“ Normal ” meant the ongoing expansion of unfettered capitalism , the destruction of the planet , gross inequality and the dominance of a 'profit over people ' culture across the globe .
Normal meant that a man named Derek Chauvin , who had a history of violence against people of colour , could occupy a position that armed him with a uniform , a gun and a toxic power complex .
It meant Chauvin was able to detain an innocent Black man named George Floyd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s neck for eight long minutes until he died face-down on the cement while Floyd and everyone around begged Chauvin to stop .
People have taken to the streets because that is how chemical reactions work .
Ask any scientist .
Do you ask fire why it blew up when it had alcohol poured into its face ?
Why do we question the reactions of people who are doing whatever they can with what they have , where they are , to speak out against injustice , to fight back against an armed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buildings in gentrified neighbourhoods where Black , brown and Indigenous people still sleep in the streets ?
Why do we question the ways victims of violence act out against their oppressors ?
As academic , philosopher , political activist Angela Davis stated in a 1970 interview while she was detained in a prison in San Francisco for protesting the racist American state : “ Because of the way this society is organized , because of the violence that exists on the surface everywhere , you have to expect that there are going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expect these things as reactions .
“ When you talk about a revolution , most people think violence , without realizing that the real content of any kind of revolutionary thrust lies in the goals you are striving for , not in the ways you reach them , ” she said .
The media have focused on the buildings burned , but we must also remember what is fueling the fires : The pure rage of the injustice of George Floyd 's death , a retraumatizing filmed event that reminded the world of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been wrongfully killed without any kind of justice .
I would rather live in a world where the murder of an innocent person incites global outrage , than a world where we are so numbed , so brainwashed , so desensitized that we do nothing , say nothing , feel nothing .
But while most understand the pervasive issues that plague our societies , we do n't often hear about the solutions .
We often consume the suffering of over-targeted and over-exploited peoples as a kind of poverty porn , the news of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ injustice normalized .
While we need to examine the legacies of violence , dispossession and inequality woven into the fabric of today , we need to also uphold the knowledge systems , ancestral strength and resilience that will lead us into a better tomorrow .
We need to know that when we burn it all down , we will be ready and able to put people in positions of power who embody the principles lacking in today 's world .
We need to know that we will have alternative energy solutions , job @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protect and promote diversity , rather than condemn it .
And we need to do the personal work necessary to be able to practice what we preach .
That 's why , as managing director of the First Nations Forward , I started a Facebook Live interview series .
Because as we cry for injustice and point to the problems , we must also uplift the solutions .
Let that sink in .
What that means , to me , is that ancient lineages , traditions and cultures have existed for thousands of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have risen and fallen over time , leaders come and gone , laws written and abolished , there are still groups of people , across the world , practicing traditions , laws and protecting cultures that were practiced by ancestors thousands of years ago .
And there are still people , who resist , grow , love and live , despite all the forces that would have it otherwise .
The First Nations Forward series welcomes Indigenous knowledge carriers , chiefs , politicians , leaders , community members , elders to share their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we got to where we are today and where we need to be going tomorrow .
The conversations have , and will continue to explore , natural laws and governance , food sovereignty , various forms of ancestral resilience and healing , creative resistance and more .
There are ways for us to retain balance .
There are solutions available to the current climate crisis , but in order for us to develop the kind of social cohesion needed to implement these solutions , we need to start listening to the right people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burden on Indigenous people and people of colour , many of whom are trying to survive ongoing colonialism , industrial development or who are in the process of healing , self-determination , and the revitalization of languages , laws and lands .
It means we need to take Indigenous knowledge systems as serious solutions to the environmental problems we face .
I want to live in a world where the murder of innocent Black boys and men is not a normalized reality , where Indigenous women do not get murdered or go missing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reconciliation means reparation , where people are n't shot with rubber bullets and tear gas for demanding accountability and change , and where every system of power is representative of the society it 's meant to serve .
I want to live in a world that listens and respects the natural world , rather than trying to dominate , colonize and control it .
I want to live in a world where diverse worldviews and ways of being are celebrated , and where at the very least , at the very very least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .


nationalobserver--2020-06-03--Trudeau expresses 'concern' over Israeli, Chinese policies

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waded Tuesday into the foreign policies of Israel and China , expressing concerns over separate but controversial positions that he says undermine peace in both places .
Trudeau denounced Israel 's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank .
And he said he has expressed Canada 's disagreement over the proposed annexation directly to Israel 's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz , the country 's `` alternate '' prime minister under a power-sharing agreement .
`` I 've been very direct with the Israeli leaders , '' Trudeau said .
`` We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to delay any prospect of lasting peace in the Middle East .
So , we should be working while respecting the concept of dialogue .
And we are very concerned . ''
Trudeau reiterated Canada 's view on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians — Canada favours a two-state solution and does not approve of `` unilateral '' actions by either side .
• How to rebuild after the economic pain from COVID-19 ?
Study Cuba • Canadians protest George Floyd killing and racism in Canada in Montreal , Toronto and Vancouver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directly to Prime Minister Netanyahu and alternate prime minister Benny Gantz the importance of staying away from measures that are unilateral and our deep concerns and disagreement with their proposed policy of annexation . ''
Bessma Momani , a Middle East expert at the University of Waterloo , said Trudeau 's comments could be viewed as a move to win support among Arab countries in Canada 's bid for a temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council .
`` Annexation of the West Bank is clearly an issue that most UN members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be seen favourably by those states sill trying to gauge what kind of Canada they would get on the coveted UNSC , '' she said .
Adam Chapnick , a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada , said while Trudeau 's comments could be viewed as a move to win support for the council bid , they are more likely an attempt to differentiate Canadian Middle East policy from U.S. President Donald Trump 's .
Trump 's Middle East policy is in sync with Israel 's annexation plan , and has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One could interpret ( Trudeau 's ) statement as a message to the international community that Canada simply does not back Washington on this issue , '' said Chapnick , the author of a recent book on the Security Council .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waded on Tuesday , May 2 , 2020 , into the foreign policies of Israel and China , expressing concerns over separate but controversial positions that he says undermine peace in both places .
Trudeau 's statement was n't enough to sway a pro-Palestinian group in Canada that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them not to support Canada 's Security Council campaign against Norway and Ireland .
`` Today 's comments by the prime minister do not change this long-standing entrenched track record of acting as an asset for Israel .
Ireland and Norway have not voted against any UN resolution on support of Palestine during this century , '' said Karen Rodman , a spokeswoman for Just Peace Advocates , a coalition of 100 organizations and people .
Trudeau also called on China to engage constructively with the people of Hong Kong after Beijing imposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fuelled widescale protests .
He said Canada is concerned about its 300,000 citizens in Hong Kong `` and millions of others who are fighting for justice and peace . ''
Canada , Britain , the United States and Australia have jointly denounced the new law as a violation of Hong Kong 's freedom from Chinese communist interference .
`` We will continue to stand up for peace , for dialogue , for de-escalation of tensions and for Beijing to engage constructively with the people of Hong Kong , '' the prime minister said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activist called on the federal government to grant asylum to democracy activists in Hong Kong and expand settlement to those with links to Canada before China prevents them from leaving .
`` Canada is a country that has always welcomed people around the world fleeing persecution and violence , '' Trudeau said Tuesday .
`` We have a strong immigration system that looks at individual cases , looks at systemic challenges and responds to them . ''
Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne discussed the Hong Kong situation with U.S. Secretary of State Mike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Five Eyes '' intelligence-sharing group from Britain , Australia and New Zealand on Monday .

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waded Tuesday into the foreign policies of Israel and China, expressing concerns over separate but controversial positions that he says undermine peace in both places. Trudeau denounced Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank. And he said he has expressed Canada's disagreement over the proposed annexation directly to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, the country's "alternate" prime minister under a power-sharing agreement. "I've been very direct with the Israeli leaders," Trudeau said. "We deplore such actions, which are going to delay any prospect of lasting peace in the Middle East. So, we should be working while respecting the concept of dialogue. And we are very concerned." Trudeau reiterated Canada's view on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians — Canada favours a two-state solution and does not approve of "unilateral" actions by either side.
"I have highlighted both publicly and directly to Prime Minister Netanyahu and alternate prime minister Benny Gantz the importance of staying away from measures that are unilateral and our deep concerns and disagreement with their proposed policy of annexation." Bessma Momani, a Middle East expert at the University of Waterloo, said Trudeau's comments could be viewed as a move to win support among Arab countries in Canada's bid for a temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions "Annexation of the West Bank is clearly an issue that most UN members disagree with and this is likely to be seen favourably by those states sill trying to gauge what kind of Canada they would get on the coveted UNSC," she said.
Adam Chapnick, a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada, said while Trudeau's comments could be viewed as a move to win support for the council bid, they are more likely an attempt to differentiate Canadian Middle East policy from U.S. President Donald Trump's. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waded on Tuesday, May 2, 2020, into the foreign policies of Israel and China, expressing concerns over separate but controversial positions that he says undermine peace in both places. Trump's Middle East policy is in sync with Israel's annexation plan, and has been rejected by the Palestinians. "One could interpret (Trudeau's) statement as a message to the international community that Canada simply does not back Washington on this issue," said Chapnick, the author of a recent book on the Security Council. Trudeau's statement wasn't enough to sway a pro-Palestinian group in Canada that is sending letters to UN ambassadors urging them not to support Canada's Security Council campaign against Norway and Ireland. "Today's comments by the prime minister do not change this long-standing entrenched track record of acting as an asset for Israel. Ireland and Norway have not voted against any UN resolution on support of Palestine during this century," said Karen Rodman, a spokeswoman for Just Peace Advocates, a coalition of 100 organizations and people.
Trudeau also called on China to engage constructively with the people of Hong Kong after Beijing imposed a new national security law that has fuelled widescale protests. He said Canada is concerned about its 300,000 citizens in Hong Kong "and millions of others who are fighting for justice and peace." Canada, Britain, the United States and Australia have jointly denounced the new law as a violation of Hong Kong's freedom from Chinese communist interference. "We will continue to stand up for peace, for dialogue, for de-escalation of tensions and for Beijing to engage constructively with the people of Hong Kong," the prime minister said.


nationalobserver--2020-06-03--Climate change threatens glass sponge reefs unique to Pacific Northwest

Warming ocean temperatures and acidification caused by climate change are threatening the survival of glass sponge reefs unique to the waters of the Pacific Northwest , a new study from researchers at the University of British Columbia has found .
The study 's lead author Angela Stevenson likens the sponges to `` living dinosaurs . ''
They 're made of silica , the compound that makes up sand and glass , and the creatures grow on top of the skeletons of previous generations .
`` They 're not the fish and the orca that we hear about all the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us will never see , '' said Stevenson , who did the study as a postdoctoral fellow at the university 's department of zoology .
The glass sponge reefs play a crucial role in their ecosystem by feeding on tiny particles of organic matter .
The 19 known reefs in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and B.C .
's mainland can filter about 100 billion litres of water each day , removing 75 to 90 per cent of microbes , said Stevenson .
• How to rebuild after the economic pain from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ George Floyd killing and racism in Canada in Montreal , Toronto and Vancouver `` It 's a huge load that these sponges are taking on and we have to be able to protect them . ''
The results of the study , published in the journal Scientific Reports , show the effects of climate change on ocean waters could have serious impacts on the sponges , which have n't been found anywhere else except off the coasts of B.C .
and Alaska .
Researchers found ocean acidification and warming , both alone and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' filtration capacity , which could starve the creatures .
The sponges also became weaker and more elastic , said Stevenson , meaning reefs could become brittle and collapse under the weight of newer generations of living sponges , which grow around seven centimetres a year .
Glass sponges are deep-dwelling creatures that do n't like to be disturbed , said Stevenson , which means it 's been difficult for scientists to study how they respond to environmental changes .
By carefully managing their food intake and conditions in their aquariums , Stevenson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Howe Sound over the course of four months .
Warming ocean temperatures and acidification caused by climate change are threatening the survival of glass sponge reefs unique to the waters of the Pacific Northwest , a new study from researchers at the University of British Columbia has found .
Chris Harley , a zoology professor and Stevenson 's postdoctoral supervisor at UBC , says the sponges are `` extremely hard to keep happy in the lab , '' and Stevenson is one of the first to figure out how to do it for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks .
Stevenson altered the water 's temperature and acidity levels based on projections of future ocean conditions , though she said such temperatures have already been observed in the sponges ' natural habitat .
In 2016 , for example , she said the sponges were saved by a couple of cooler periods that allowed them to feed again .
`` If it were n't for those brief cooler periods , we could have had several months of warming mirroring the experiments or the conditions I had in the lab , and then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The oldest known skeletal base of a glass sponge reef is around 9,000 years old , said Stevenson , and fossil records show different species of reef-building sponges dating back 40 million years .
Canadian geologists discovered the glass sponge reefs off the coast of B.C .
while mapping the sea floor in the mid-1980s .
The reefs found in the outer Hecate Strait near Haida Gwaii cover around 500 square kilometres of the sea floor , but that 's based on data from 2001 and more reefs are still being discovered , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sponges the best possible chance of survival in the face of ongoing climate change , Stevenson said it 's important to reduce other pressures , including water pollution that can clog their filtration system .
In 2017 , Fisheries and Oceans Canada established a 2,410-kilometre protected area around four glass sponge reefs in the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound , but a subsequent study of fishing activity suggested that boundary be expanded .

Warming ocean temperatures and acidification caused by climate change are threatening the survival of glass sponge reefs unique to the waters of the Pacific Northwest, a new study from researchers at the University of British Columbia has found. The study's lead author Angela Stevenson likens the sponges to "living dinosaurs." They're made of silica, the compound that makes up sand and glass, and the creatures grow on top of the skeletons of previous generations. "They're not the fish and the orca that we hear about all the time. They are animals that most of us will never see," said Stevenson, who did the study as a postdoctoral fellow at the university's department of zoology. The glass sponge reefs play a crucial role in their ecosystem by feeding on tiny particles of organic matter. The 19 known reefs in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and B.C.'s mainland can filter about 100 billion litres of water each day, removing 75 to 90 per cent of microbes, said Stevenson.
"It's a huge load that these sponges are taking on and we have to be able to protect them." The results of the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, show the effects of climate change on ocean waters could have serious impacts on the sponges, which haven't been found anywhere else except off the coasts of B.C. and Alaska. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Researchers found ocean acidification and warming, both alone and in combination, rapidly reduced the sponges' filtration capacity, which could starve the creatures.
The sponges also became weaker and more elastic, said Stevenson, meaning reefs could become brittle and collapse under the weight of newer generations of living sponges, which grow around seven centimetres a year. Warming ocean temperatures and acidification caused by climate change are threatening the survival of glass sponge reefs unique to the waters of the Pacific Northwest, a new study from researchers at the University of British Columbia has found. Glass sponges are deep-dwelling creatures that don't like to be disturbed, said Stevenson, which means it's been difficult for scientists to study how they respond to environmental changes. By carefully managing their food intake and conditions in their aquariums, Stevenson was able to study sponges harvested from Howe Sound over the course of four months. Chris Harley, a zoology professor and Stevenson's postdoctoral supervisor at UBC, says the sponges are "extremely hard to keep happy in the lab," and Stevenson is one of the first to figure out how to do it for more than just a few days or weeks. Stevenson altered the water's temperature and acidity levels based on projections of future ocean conditions, though she said such temperatures have already been observed in the sponges' natural habitat.
In 2016, for example, she said the sponges were saved by a couple of cooler periods that allowed them to feed again. "If it weren't for those brief cooler periods, we could have had several months of warming mirroring the experiments or the conditions I had in the lab, and then you would see irreversible damage." The oldest known skeletal base of a glass sponge reef is around 9,000 years old, said Stevenson, and fossil records show different species of reef-building sponges dating back 40 million years.


nationalobserver--2020-06-03--Federal aid needed for care home systems ahead of second wave

The federal government must do more to help provinces prepare long-term care homes for the next wave of COVID-19 , the Ontario Long Term Care Association says .
Association CEO Donna Duncan is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to quickly negotiate an agreement with provincial governments to deliver funds to help long-term care systems ramp up preparations as soon as possible .
`` We need to act fast , '' she said , noting many experts think the second-wave of novel coronavirus infections will hit no later than September .
She is looking for an agreement along the lines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and provincial governments to flow money for mental health and home care .
Those agreements — more than $ 11 billion over a decade — required provinces to produce plans for how the funds would be allocated .
Duncan said she does n't have a specific national dollar figure in mind but is looking for everything from money to hire more workers , to prioritizing the delivery of personal protective equipment and rapid on-site COVID-19 testing , as well as infrastructure funds that will help make some of the older , smaller homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients when they become ill. • How to rebuild after the economic pain from COVID-19 ?
Study Cuba • Canadians protest George Floyd killing and racism in Canada in Montreal , Toronto and Vancouver Last week , Trudeau said long-term care was on the agenda when he and premiers had their weekly COVID-19 conference call .
He has not yet put any specifics on the table and has noted the provinces have jurisdiction .
`` I said to the premiers , our government will be there to support them as we work together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care they deserve , '' Trudeau said Friday .
Duncan 's organization represents about 70 per cent of the 626 long-term care homes in Ontario , but she said it is working with national and other provincial associations as well .
Long-term care homes have borne the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada to date , with more than 4,000 residents dying in Ontario and Quebec alone .
The Canadian Armed Forces deployed more than 1,000 members to care homes in Quebec and Ontario which were unable to look after patients with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , the military reported serious problems in homes in both provinces .
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is mulling over a full-scale overhaul of his province 's system for caring for seniors in their final years , while Ontario Premier Doug Ford has promised an independent commission to investigate the failings of his province 's care homes starting in July .
The federal government must do more to help provinces prepare long-term care homes for the next wave of COVID-19 , the Ontario Long Term Care Association says .
Duncan said the commission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the workers who care for them need something a whole lot faster than that .
`` We 're a bit concerned that everyone wants to be reflective now , as if this is over , '' she said .
`` It is not over .
This is the beginning .
Let 's not become complacent .
We have got to keep focused on keeping this out of our homes and protecting our seniors . ''
In Ontario , more than 5,000 care-home residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19 , almost one-fifth of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to date .
As of Tuesday , 1,465 residents had died of it , representing almost two-thirds of the province 's total death count .
Another 1,825 long-term care home workers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and seven have died .
There are still outbreaks at more than 1,000 facilities in Ontario , affecting at least 1,000 patients and more than 900 staff .
More than 2,000 long-term care residents have died in Quebec , and thousands more have been infected .
A handful of care homes saw every single resident test positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of long-term care homes in British Columbia have also died of COVID-19 .
In Ontario , Duncan said long-term care homes where residents live in three- or four-patient rooms were the hardest hit by the outbreaks .
Others that saw outbreaks use fans instead of air conditioning , which contributed to the spread of infected droplets , and have things like carpeting which is harder to keep clean .
She wants funds to fix some of those issues , including immediately preparing to reduce rooms to a maximum of two patients .
However @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to find space for 10,000 beds .
The federal-provincial agreements should also look to the future , said Duncan , where an aging population is going to drive up the need for more long-term care homes .
In Ontario alone , she said 100,000 new beds and 100,000 new workers will be needed over the next 15 years .
But the looming threat of another wave of infections is `` what keeps me up at night , '' said Duncan .
She said the fear and stigma about working in long-term care homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aggressive recruitment and skills-training initiative is going to be crucial , along with better pay for those workers .
She believes two or three months is enough time to do some decent skill-building and recruitment drives .
Ottawa , which is helping provinces procure protective equipment like face masks , shields and medical gowns and gloves , needs to be sure to include long-term care homes on its priority list , she said .
In the preparations for the first wave , hospitals were the focus for those things , and care-home workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are solutions , but it is going to take resolve and creativity to put them into action .
`` We 're all going to have to problem solve together and try to figure this out , '' she said .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3 , 2020 .

The federal government must do more to help provinces prepare long-term care homes for the next wave of COVID-19, the Ontario Long Term Care Association says. Association CEO Donna Duncan is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to quickly negotiate an agreement with provincial governments to deliver funds to help long-term care systems ramp up preparations as soon as possible. "We need to act fast," she said, noting many experts think the second-wave of novel coronavirus infections will hit no later than September. She is looking for an agreement along the lines of the 2017 deals signed between Ottawa and provincial governments to flow money for mental health and home care. Those agreements — more than $11 billion over a decade — required provinces to produce plans for how the funds would be allocated. Duncan said she doesn't have a specific national dollar figure in mind but is looking for everything from money to hire more workers, to prioritizing the delivery of personal protective equipment and rapid on-site COVID-19 testing, as well as infrastructure funds that will help make some of the older, smaller homes better able to prevent infection and isolate patients when they become ill.
Last week, Trudeau said long-term care was on the agenda when he and premiers had their weekly COVID-19 conference call. He has not yet put any specifics on the table and has noted the provinces have jurisdiction. "I said to the premiers, our government will be there to support them as we work together to ensure that our elders receive the care they deserve," Trudeau said Friday. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Duncan's organization represents about 70 per cent of the 626 long-term care homes in Ontario, but she said it is working with national and other provincial associations as well.
Long-term care homes have borne the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada to date, with more than 4,000 residents dying in Ontario and Quebec alone. The Canadian Armed Forces deployed more than 1,000 members to care homes in Quebec and Ontario which were unable to look after patients with so many staff members sick. The federal government must do more to help provinces prepare long-term care homes for the next wave of COVID-19, the Ontario Long Term Care Association says. Last week, the military reported serious problems in homes in both provinces. Quebec Premier Francois Legault is mulling over a full-scale overhaul of his province's system for caring for seniors in their final years, while Ontario Premier Doug Ford has promised an independent commission to investigate the failings of his province's care homes starting in July. Duncan said the commission and investigations are welcome but the residents and the workers who care for them need something a whole lot faster than that. "We're a bit concerned that everyone wants to be reflective now, as if this is over," she said. "It is not over. This is the beginning. Let's not become complacent. We have got to keep focused on keeping this out of our homes and protecting our seniors."
In Ontario, more than 5,000 care-home residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19, almost one-fifth of all the confirmed cases in the province to date. As of Tuesday, 1,465 residents had died of it, representing almost two-thirds of the province's total death count. Another 1,825 long-term care home workers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and seven have died. There are still outbreaks at more than 1,000 facilities in Ontario, affecting at least 1,000 patients and more than 900 staff.