nationalobserver--2020-09-18--'Stronger than I am:’ The wedge issue that shouldn't have been

As the sun began to set , the 24-year-old musician played Red River Valley on his fiddle and had a few words for youths suffering in the province .
From the steps of the Saskatchewan legislature , the sound of bagpipes filled the air .
And Indigenous tears fell .
Métis suicide prevention advocate Tristen Durocher 's 44-day protest fast in Regina came to an end in a flurry of sound , ceremony and emotion .
Métis suicide prevention advocate Tristen Durocher leads a bagpipe procession to the Saskatchewan legislature in Regina to mark the end of his 44-day fast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bramadat-Willcock “ ( Here 's ) the message I want our young people to know : Whatever courage it took to walk this far , they ’ ve got that inside of themselves and then some , ” Durocher told Canada ’ s National Observer in Regina the day before breaking his fast on Sept. 13 .
Métis musician Tristen Durocher plays Red River Valley by a ceremonial fire that burned at the centre of his tipi for 44 days while he fasted for suicide prevention in Regina .
Video by Michael Bramadat-Willcock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suicides , so many young people , so many attempts .
We introduced a bill two years back , and then we reintroduced it as Bill 618 recently , in 2019 , after the original died on the order paper , ” Vermette told Canada ’ s National Observer in May .
Vermette said he proposed the bill for the people of his constituency , who have seen disproportionately high rates of suicide in their communities , and to address suicide rates in the province .
Pictures of children who died by suicide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tipi at Wascana Park near the legislature in Regina .
Photo by Michael Bramadat-Willcock He stayed in Regina and did not eat for 44 days .
He fasted on the lawn of the Saskatchewan legislature , in front of the place where Saskatchewan Party MLAs unanimously voted down a bill put forward by Cumberland NDP MLA Doyle Vermette that would have legislated a suicide prevention strategy .
“ I met a young man from northern Saskatchewan who lost three very close friends in high school to suicide , and earlier this summer he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s amazing how far you ’ ve walked and that you fasted this long .
You ’ re so strong.
’ I looked at him and said , ‘ You ’ re stronger , ’ ” Durocher said .
And since he had things he wanted to accomplish , he set up a tipi near the government building and surrounded it with memorial photos from the families of northerners who took their own lives .
Durocher and a group of supporters walked more than 600 kilometres from the Anglican cemetery on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fairchild reserve in northern Saskatchewan to the provincial legislature in Regina .
Saskatchewan had the highest suicide rate among the provinces as of 2018 , which Hicks said is the most recent nationally comparable data .
Jack Hicks , an adjunct professor of community health and epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan , was highly critical of the province 's move to reject the bill in a July interview with Canada ’ s National Observer .
A memorial shrine for Saskatchewan residents who took their own lives inside Tristen Durocher 's tipi at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The government of the province with the highest rate of suicide in the country becomes the first province in Canadian history to vote down a totally polite , sane motion calling for serious action on suicide prevention .
That ’ s something , ” Hicks said .
Tristen Durocher plays fiddle at an intimate smudging ceremony in Air Ronge the day before leaving for Regina .
Durocher said music has always helped Métis people through difficult times .
Video by Michael Bramadat-Willcock Hicks also noted that while death by suicide disproportionately impacts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a spike in non-Indigenous cases that pushed Saskatchewan ’ s rates above those of Manitoba in 2018 .
The government put forward a suicide prevention plan in May it says it considers adequate and has reiterated that in statements to Canada ’ s National Observer over the summer .
Called Pillars for Life , the plan co-ordinates activities to promote life and reduce risk factors related to death by suicide .
The Saskatchewan government says it is also investing $ 1.2 million for prevention in 2020-21 .
In the same budget , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 435 million to mental health and addictions services and supports across Saskatchewan — a $ 33-million increase over last year ’ s budget .
“ The tragic loss of a person by suicide is felt not only by family and friends , but by the entire community .
We want to assure the public that suicide prevention is a priority for the government of Saskatchewan , ” spokesperson Matthew Glover told Canada ’ s National Observer in July as Durocher and his supporters walked past Saskatoon towards Regina .
When Durocher arrived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lori Carr met briefly with him .
The two were seen entering Durocher 's tipi and later confirmed the meeting in a press statement .
Carr and Kaeding thanked Durocher for his advocacy for suicide prevention .
But the government ’ s welcome didn ’ t last long .
The Provincial Capital Commission then filed an application to the Court of Queen ’ s Bench to have Durocher 's tipi removed from the legislature 's lawn citing bylaw violations such as rules against overnight camping and fires .
The government also sought to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contempt of a previous Court of Queen ’ s Bench ruling that removed the Justice for our Stolen Children Camp from the same place in 2018 , where a beer garden was slated for Canada Day .
These legal moves prompted Indigenous chiefs to visit Wascana Park to support Durocher .
“ I want to thank you for giving voice to those who don ’ t have a voice .
Giving hope to those who don ’ t feel they have hope , and I hope that we do something more concrete and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Cook-Searson said .
The northern Cree drum group performing at a sendoff ceremony for Tristen Durocher and his companions before leaving for Regina .
Video by Michael Bramadat-Willcock “ You need to provide hope , and Tristen , that ’ s what you ’ re doing ; you ’ re providing hope .
And it ’ s up to us now as the Assembly of First Nations and FSIN and tribal council and treaty areas to put pressure on the decision-making peoples in this house here , ” Assembly of First @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pointing his finger at the legislature .
“ And ( also ) in that house in Ottawa , so legislation ( is put ) in place to adequately deal with this crisis , to provide hope.
” The FSIN ( Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations ) said it is working on its own bill to present to the government .
“ What we ’ re going to do is work with folks like Tristen and many , many others who are affected and hand them a bill based on our recommendations , our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ culture , ” Chief Bobby Cameron said .
Durocher 's day in court came last Friday after being adjourned as requested by Durocher ’ s lawyer Eleanore Sunchild .
Court of Queen ’ s Bench Justice Graeme Mitchell ruled the bylaws unconstitutional and gave the park authority six months to come up with new ones .
( The government has not said if it plans to appeal . )
After the ruling , Mitchell made a surprise appearance at the closing ceremony Sunday and was gifted a Métis sash .
Justice Graeme Mitchell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ceremony for Walking With Our Angels at Wascana Park in Regina on Sept. 13 and was gifted a Métis sash .
Video by Michael Bramadat-Willcock Durocher called the court win a “ silver lining ” and said he remains committed to pushing for a legislated solution to suicide prevention in Saskatchewan .
“ Without sounding overly pessimistic or ungrateful , I did not walk 635 kilometres and quit eating for 44 days to change some Wascana Park bylaws .
That was n't the hill I was ready to die on , ” Durocher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But he said the ruling did make some difference by potentially setting precedent for future use of the space for Indigenous ceremonies and protests .
Two men from the 2018 Justice For Our Stolen Children Camp were at Sunday 's closing ceremony .
Prescott Demas hadn ’ t stepped foot inside a tipi at Wascana Park since a 2018 court order banned him from being on the site where he 'd lived for 197 days .
“ This is very significant .
The space here means a lot to me , ” Demas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and this is a sacred place .
Indigenous people come here because we are drawn to it .
It ’ s part of our identity .
We come here and we feel a sense of power just being in that tipi .
It ’ s an awesome feeling.
” Tory Phenix , who was also part of the 2018 camp , said putting up tipis at Wascana Park is a pastime of his .
“ I had heard about a man who had walked from Lac La Ronge , a person I didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were setting up a tipi in the park , and I got all excited , ” Phenix said .
“ So I came down to the park and everybody was just looking at the tipi poles .
So I said , ‘ Don ’ t mind if I do.
’ I ’ m the tipi guy , it ’ s my thing.
” He said park authority bylaws have never stopped him from doing just that .
“ I do it anyway regardless of whether there are rules about it or not … @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we did our own thing and got into some legal trouble … ” While also political , and now legal , Durocher said his journey has been a traditional and spiritual one from the beginning , and he ended it the same way , with a pipe ceremony .
After the ceremony , Durocher walked to the legislature , cut off his braided hair and tied it to the front door in the shape of a noose before burning it in a ceremonial fire and taking down the tipi later that day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ disgusting criminally negligent indifference ” of the government when it comes to suicide prevention .
“ The burning of it symbolized that we are done allowing our state halls of power to have heartlessness , contempt and ‘ let it burn ’ policies when it comes to the lethal realities taking place on Indigenous communities across the province.
” Durocher said he was tired on his final day of fasting last Saturday , and his feelings about leaving were mixed .
“ The last day is very bittersweet because there ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city of Regina who I will be sad to say goodbye to as they have been coming each morning to smudge and pray .
But I do miss home .
I want to go and I do n't want to say goodbye … at the same time .
A fast ca n't continue forever , ” Durocher said .
Video of Women sing at Tristen Durocher farewell gathering in Regina : Canada 's National Observer .
Women sing at a farewell gathering for Métis musician and suicide prevention advocate Tristen Durocher in Regina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoke with Canada ’ s National Observer after a morning ceremony at the tipi where Durocher broke his fast over a bowl of buffalo soup .
“ We wanted to make sure that these last four days of ceremony were protected by the matriarchs .
He allowed us to have a voice .
We ’ ve reclaimed this space as sacred space , and we don ’ t need a government to tell us that , ” said Joely BigEagle-Kequahtooway from White Bear First Nations .
“ This space has created an energy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ move .
This isn ’ t the end , ” said Denise Pasapa from White Bear First Nations .
“ With ( Durocher 's ) presence here , you can not unsee what he brought , ” Brenda Dubois of the Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation said .
“ You can not unhear what he brought , and you can not unfeel what he brought with him .
It was loud and clear.
” As Durocher prepared for his journey back north , so did the tipi .
It is now with Men of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for northern men founded by Christopher Merasty , who walked to Regina with Durocher and their mutual friend Myles Cook .
“ It ’ s going to be our legacy , ” Merasty told Canada ’ s National Observer once back in La Ronge .
Video of Tristen Durocher 's tipi comes down at Wascana Park in Regina : Canada 's National Observer .
Tristen Durocher 's tipi being is taken down and prepared for its journey north at Wascana Park in Regina on Sept. 13 .
By Michael Bramadat-Willcock Merasty said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a healing place to help northerners deal with difficult issues , such as missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls , intimate partner violence , homophobia and racism .
Merasty said he would also like to take the tipi to more remote communities to share stories and promote healing , and “ just to show them that they ’ re not forgotten.
” Merasty said working with youth during a suicide crisis in the northern village of La Loche had a profound impact on him .
“ We were going through a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ five to six babies there ending their lives within a week .
It was happening on a weekly basis and it was scary , ” Merasty said .
“ Grandmothers and parents were literally handcuffing themselves to their babies so that they would not hurt themselves.
” But he said when the community declared a state of emergency , residents were left to fend for themselves .
“ There was nothing .
There was no help , support or resources .
There was just ‘ good luck , ’ ” Merasty said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he faced another suicide crisis .
In 2016 , girls between the ages of 10 and 14 from multiple northern communities took their own lives in the space of a month .
Merasty ’ s daughter attempted suicide twice more recently , while he was away working at Cigar Lake Mine , 600 kilometres north of La Ronge .
But Merasty does n't see the end of Durocher ’ s Wascana Park demonstration or the court case results in terms of victory or failure .
Rather , Merasty called it “ a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and reconciliation.
” The wedge issue that should n't have been The government and NDP Leader Ryan Meili both released statements to the press on Sept. 10 , Suicide Prevention Day .
“ We want to assure the public that suicide prevention is a priority for the government of Saskatchewan , ” Kaeding said .
“ There are glaring holes in mental health and addictions treatment in our province and it ’ s costing Saskatchewan people their lives .
We need to do better , ” Meili said .
“ The first step @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that you have a problem — and we have a problem with suicide in Saskatchewan.
” Durocher said the government 's statements aren ’ t enough .
“ For us , every day is Suicide Prevention Day.
” He didn ’ t want suicide prevention to become a wedge issue , but said the public should elect a government that will take action .
“ I know ( the government has ) the excuse that ( the legislature is ) adjourned and there is an upcoming election , but they 've had so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opportunity to draft something , ” Durocher told Canada ’ s National Observer on Saturday .
“ We ’ ll take our little victories where we can , but there is still the problem of no meaningful legislation set in place for suicide prevention in the province of Saskatchewan by our political majority.
” Reporters asked Durocher before packing up if he ’ s planning any future advocacy .
He found some humour in the moment .
“ I thought it would be funny to get a pair of sexy pink handcuffs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ‘ I ’ m here to see Scott Moe .
He ’ s been a very bad boy .
Can you take me to him ?
’ ” Durocher said .
“ And then after the guards say , ‘ I ’ m sorry , but you don ’ t have an appointment and this is inappropriate , we ’ re going to have to ask you to leave , ’ I was going to say , ‘ Don ’ t worry , we have a safe word .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he won ’ t use it .
’ ”

Métis musician Tristen Durocher plays Red River Valley by a ceremonial fire that burned at the centre of his tipi for 44 days while he fasted for suicide prevention in Regina. Video by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
As the sun began to set, the 24-year-old musician played Red River Valley on his fiddle and had a few words for youths suffering in the province.
From the steps of the Saskatchewan legislature, the sound of bagpipes filled the air. And Indigenous tears fell.
Métis suicide prevention advocate Tristen Durocher's 44-day protest fast in Regina came to an end in a flurry of sound, ceremony and emotion.
Métis suicide prevention advocate Tristen Durocher leads a bagpipe procession to the Saskatchewan legislature in Regina to mark the end of his 44-day fast for suicide prevention. Video by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
“(Here's) the message I want our young people to know: Whatever courage it took to walk this far, they’ve got that inside of themselves and then some,” Durocher told Canada’s National Observer in Regina the day before breaking his fast on Sept. 13.
He stayed in Regina and did not eat for 44 days. He fasted on the lawn of the Saskatchewan legislature, in front of the place where Saskatchewan Party MLAs unanimously voted down a bill put forward by Cumberland NDP MLA Doyle Vermette that would have legislated a suicide prevention strategy.
“I met a young man from northern Saskatchewan who lost three very close friends in high school to suicide, and earlier this summer he told me, ‘I think it’s amazing how far you’ve walked and that you fasted this long. You’re so strong.’ I looked at him and said, ‘You’re stronger,’” Durocher said.
And since he had things he wanted to accomplish, he set up a tipi near the government building and surrounded it with memorial photos from the families of northerners who took their own lives.
Durocher and a group of supporters walked more than 600 kilometres from the Anglican cemetery on the Lac La Ronge Indian Band’s Fairchild reserve in northern Saskatchewan to the provincial legislature in Regina.
Vermette said he proposed the bill for the people of his constituency, who have seen disproportionately high rates of suicide in their communities, and to address suicide rates in the province.
Pictures of children who died by suicide in northern Saskatchewan surround Tristen Durocher's tipi at Wascana Park near the legislature in Regina. Photo by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
“We’ve had so many suicides, so many young people, so many attempts. We introduced a bill two years back, and then we reintroduced it as Bill 618 recently, in 2019, after the original died on the order paper,” Vermette told Canada’s National Observer in May.
A memorial shrine for Saskatchewan residents who took their own lives inside Tristen Durocher's tipi at Wascana Park. Photo by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
Jack Hicks, an adjunct professor of community health and epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan, was highly critical of the province's move to reject the bill in a July interview with Canada’s National Observer.
Saskatchewan had the highest suicide rate among the provinces as of 2018, which Hicks said is the most recent nationally comparable data.
“The government of the province with the highest rate of suicide in the country becomes the first province in Canadian history to vote down a totally polite, sane motion calling for serious action on suicide prevention. That’s something,” Hicks said.
Video of Métis musician Tristen Durocher: Canada's National Observer.
Tristen Durocher plays fiddle at an intimate smudging ceremony in Air Ronge the day before leaving for Regina. Durocher said music has always helped Métis people through difficult times. Video by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
Hicks also noted that while death by suicide disproportionately impacts northern and Indigenous communities, it was a spike in non-Indigenous cases that pushed Saskatchewan’s rates above those of Manitoba in 2018.
The government put forward a suicide prevention plan in May it says it considers adequate and has reiterated that in statements to Canada’s National Observer over the summer. Called Pillars for Life, the plan co-ordinates activities to promote life and reduce risk factors related to death by suicide.
The Saskatchewan government says it is also investing $1.2 million for prevention in 2020-21. In the same budget, the Ministry of Health is putting a record $435 million to mental health and addictions services and supports across Saskatchewan — a $33-million increase over last year’s budget.
“The tragic loss of a person by suicide is felt not only by family and friends, but by the entire community. We want to assure the public that suicide prevention is a priority for the government of Saskatchewan,” spokesperson Matthew Glover told Canada’s National Observer in July as Durocher and his supporters walked past Saskatoon towards Regina.
Parks and recreation
Ministers Warren Kaeding and Lori Carr talk with Tristen Durocher at the entrance to his tipi at Wascana Park near the legislature in Regina. Photo by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
When Durocher arrived in Regina, ministers Warren Kaeding and Lori Carr met briefly with him.
The two were seen entering Durocher's tipi and later confirmed the meeting in a press statement. Carr and Kaeding thanked Durocher for his advocacy for suicide prevention. But the government’s welcome didn’t last long.
Ministers Warren Kaeding and Lori Carr signed Tristen Durocher's guest book. Kaeding thanked him for his advocacy and Carr called his words “touching.” Photo by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
The Provincial Capital Commission then filed an application to the Court of Queen’s Bench to have Durocher's tipi removed from the legislature's lawn citing bylaw violations such as rules against overnight camping and fires.
The government also sought to have Durocher and his companions found in contempt of a previous Court of Queen’s Bench ruling that removed the Justice for our Stolen Children Camp from the same place in 2018, where a beer garden was slated for Canada Day.
Indigenous leadership
Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook-Searson speaking at a delegation of chiefs in support of Tristen Durocher. FSIN video footage
These legal moves prompted Indigenous chiefs to visit Wascana Park to support Durocher.
Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook-Searson lost her sister to suicide.
“I want to thank you for giving voice to those who don’t have a voice. Giving hope to those who don’t feel they have hope, and I hope that we do something more concrete and pass legislation to do something for suicide,” Cook-Searson said.
Video of The northern Cree drum group: Canada's National Observer.
The northern Cree drum group performing at a sendoff ceremony for Tristen Durocher and his companions before leaving for Regina. Video by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
“You need to provide hope, and Tristen, that’s what you’re doing; you’re providing hope. And it’s up to us now as the Assembly of First Nations and FSIN and tribal council and treaty areas to put pressure on the decision-making peoples in this house here,” Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde said, pointing his finger at the legislature.
“And (also) in that house in Ottawa, so legislation (is put) in place to adequately deal with this crisis, to provide hope.”
The FSIN (Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations) said it is working on its own bill to present to the government. “What we’re going to do is work with folks like Tristen and many, many others who are affected and hand them a bill based on our recommendations, our protocols, our traditions and language and culture,” Chief Bobby Cameron said.
The legal wrangle
Tristen Durocher in his tipi at Wascana Park reading Two Families: Treaties and Government by Cree author and former Crown prosecutor Harold Johnson. Photo by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
Durocher's day in court came last Friday after being adjourned as requested by Durocher’s lawyer Eleanore Sunchild. Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Graeme Mitchell ruled the bylaws unconstitutional and gave the park authority six months to come up with new ones. (The government has not said if it plans to appeal.)
After the ruling, Mitchell made a surprise appearance at the closing ceremony Sunday and was gifted a Métis sash.
Video of Justice Graeme Mitchell gifted a Métis sash at closing ceremony: Canada's National Observer.
Justice Graeme Mitchell made a surprise appearance at the closing ceremony for Walking With Our Angels at Wascana Park in Regina on Sept. 13 and was gifted a Métis sash. Video by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
Durocher called the court win a “silver lining” and said he remains committed to pushing for a legislated solution to suicide prevention in Saskatchewan.
“Without sounding overly pessimistic or ungrateful, I did not walk 635 kilometres and quit eating for 44 days to change some Wascana Park bylaws. That wasn't the hill I was ready to die on,” Durocher told Canada’s National Observer.
But he said the ruling did make some difference by potentially setting precedent for future use of the space for Indigenous ceremonies and protests.
Symbolic justice
Prescott Demas (left) and Tory Phenix were both involved in the 2018 Justice For Our Stolen Children Camp. Photo by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
Two men from the 2018 Justice For Our Stolen Children Camp were at Sunday's closing ceremony.
Prescott Demas hadn’t stepped foot inside a tipi at Wascana Park since a 2018 court order banned him from being on the site where he'd lived for 197 days. “This is very significant. The space here means a lot to me,” Demas said.
“The tipi is powerful and this is a sacred place. Indigenous people come here because we are drawn to it. It’s part of our identity. We come here and we feel a sense of power just being in that tipi. It’s an awesome feeling.”
Tristen Durocher speaks at Wascana Park in Regina after breaking his 44-day fast. Photo by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
Tory Phenix, who was also part of the 2018 camp, said putting up tipis at Wascana Park is a pastime of his.
“I had heard about a man who had walked from Lac La Ronge, a person I didn’t know, and that they were setting up a tipi in the park, and I got all excited,” Phenix said.
“So I came down to the park and everybody was just looking at the tipi poles. So I said, ‘Don’t mind if I do.’ I’m the tipi guy, it’s my thing.”
Tory Phenix helped set up Durocher's tipi at Wascana Park. Photo by Michael Bramadat-Willcock.
He said park authority bylaws have never stopped him from doing just that.
“I do it anyway regardless of whether there are rules about it or not … at Camp Justice For Our Stolen Children, we did our own thing and got into some legal trouble …”
While also political, and now legal, Durocher said his journey has been a traditional and spiritual one from the beginning, and he ended it the same way, with a pipe ceremony.
After the ceremony, Durocher walked to the legislature, cut off his braided hair and tied it to the front door in the shape of a noose before burning it in a ceremonial fire and taking down the tipi later that day.
He said the noose symbolized the “disgusting criminally negligent indifference” of the government when it comes to suicide prevention.
“The burning of it symbolized that we are done allowing our state halls of power to have heartlessness, contempt and ‘let it burn’ policies when it comes to the lethal realities taking place on Indigenous communities across the province.”
The matriarchs
Brenda Dubois (left), Denise Pasapa and Joely BigEagle-Kequahtooway. Photo by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
Durocher said he was tired on his final day of fasting last Saturday, and his feelings about leaving were mixed.
“The last day is very bittersweet because there’s a beautiful community of matriarchs within the city of Regina who I will be sad to say goodbye to as they have been coming each morning to smudge and pray. But I do miss home. I want to go and I don't want to say goodbye … at the same time. A fast can't continue forever,” Durocher said.
Video of Women sing at Tristen Durocher farewell gathering in Regina: Canada's National Observer.
Women sing at a farewell gathering for Métis musician and suicide prevention advocate Tristen Durocher in Regina. Video by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
Three matriarchs spoke with Canada’s National Observer after a morning ceremony at the tipi where Durocher broke his fast over a bowl of buffalo soup.
“We wanted to make sure that these last four days of ceremony were protected by the matriarchs. He allowed us to have a voice. We’ve reclaimed this space as sacred space, and we don’t need a government to tell us that,” said Joely BigEagle-Kequahtooway from White Bear First Nations.
“This space has created an energy and a spirit that ignites everyone to move. This isn’t the end,” said Denise Pasapa from White Bear First Nations.
“With (Durocher's) presence here, you cannot unsee what he brought,” Brenda Dubois of the Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation said. “You cannot unhear what he brought, and you cannot unfeel what he brought with him. It was loud and clear.”
Healing the north
Men of the North founder Christopher Merasty walked with Tristen Durocher to offer protection on the journey. Photo by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
As Durocher prepared for his journey back north, so did the tipi.
It is now with Men of the North, a support and empowerment group for northern men founded by Christopher Merasty, who walked to Regina with Durocher and their mutual friend Myles Cook.
“It’s going to be our legacy,” Merasty told Canada’s National Observer once back in La Ronge.
Video of Tristen Durocher's tipi comes down at Wascana Park in Regina: Canada's National Observer.
Tristen Durocher's tipi being is taken down and prepared for its journey north at Wascana Park in Regina on Sept. 13. By Michael Bramadat-Willcock
Merasty said he brought the tipi to La Ronge to be a healing place to help northerners deal with difficult issues, such as missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, intimate partner violence, homophobia and racism.
Merasty said he would also like to take the tipi to more remote communities to share stories and promote healing, and “just to show them that they’re not forgotten.”
Merasty said working with youth during a suicide crisis in the northern village of La Loche had a profound impact on him.
“We were going through a suicide crisis. We had probably about five to six babies there ending their lives within a week. It was happening on a weekly basis and it was scary,” Merasty said.
“Grandmothers and parents were literally handcuffing themselves to their babies so that they would not hurt themselves.”
But he said when the community declared a state of emergency, residents were left to fend for themselves.
“There was nothing. There was no help, support or resources. There was just ‘good luck,’” Merasty said.
Later, while living in La Ronge, he faced another suicide crisis. In 2016, girls between the ages of 10 and 14 from multiple northern communities took their own lives in the space of a month.
Merasty’s daughter attempted suicide twice more recently, while he was away working at Cigar Lake Mine, 600 kilometres north of La Ronge.
But Merasty doesn't see the end of Durocher’s Wascana Park demonstration or the court case results in terms of victory or failure. Rather, Merasty called it “a step in the right direction for truth and reconciliation.”
The wedge issue that shouldn't have been
Saskatchewan NDP Leader Ryan Meili with Tristen Durocher. Photo by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
The government and NDP Leader Ryan Meili both released statements to the press on Sept. 10, Suicide Prevention Day.
Rural and Remote Health Minister Warren Kaeding reiterated the government's earlier statements.
“We want to assure the public that suicide prevention is a priority for the government of Saskatchewan,” Kaeding said.
Saskatchewan Party MLAs Terry Jenson and Marv Friesen crossed paths with Christopher Merasty at a Tim Hortons in Warman. Photo by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
“There are glaring holes in mental health and addictions treatment in our province and it’s costing Saskatchewan people their lives. We need to do better,” Meili said.
“The first step to solving an issue is to admit that you have a problem — and we have a problem with suicide in Saskatchewan.”
Durocher said the government's statements aren’t enough. “For us, every day is Suicide Prevention Day.” He didn’t want suicide prevention to become a wedge issue, but said the public should elect a government that will take action.
Tristen Durocher cut off his braids on the steps of the Saskatchewan legislature and made them into a noose to symbolize the government's “disgusting criminally negligent indifference” toward suicide prevention in Saskatchewan. Photo by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
“I know (the government has) the excuse that (the legislature is) adjourned and there is an upcoming election, but they've had so many years, so much time and opportunity to draft something,” Durocher told Canada’s National Observer on Saturday.
“We’ll take our little victories where we can, but there is still the problem of no meaningful legislation set in place for suicide prevention in the province of Saskatchewan by our political majority.”
Sexy pink handcuffs
Tristen Durocher in an interview with Canada's National Observer the day before breaking his fast in Regina. Photo by Michael Bramadat-Willcock
Reporters asked Durocher before packing up if he’s planning any future advocacy. He found some humour in the moment.
“I thought it would be funny to get a pair of sexy pink handcuffs, go into the legislative assembly and say, ‘I’m here to see Scott Moe. He’s been a very bad boy. Can you take me to him?’” Durocher said.
“And then after the guards say, ‘I’m sorry, but you don’t have an appointment and this is inappropriate, we’re going to have to ask you to leave,’ I was going to say, ‘Don’t worry, we have a safe word. It’s ‘reconciliation’ and trust me, he won’t use it.’”
Michael Bramadat-Willcock/Local Journalism Initiative/Canada's National Observer
If you are or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, help is available at all hours. Support can be found at the Canada Suicide Prevention Service website. If you are in immediate danger, you can call 911.
You can learn more about suicide prevention in the province at Saskatchewan.ca.


nationalobserver--2020-09-18--The phrase 'natural disaster' is going up in smoke

This article was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of Canada 's National Observer 's collaboration with Climate Desk .
Wildfires recently turned the West Coast into a hazy orange hellscape , scorching a record-breaking amount of land in California and blanketing the whole region with lung-clogging smoke .
The fires have already burned thousands of houses , driven Oregonians from their homes , and killed dozens of people .
And it ’ s not even peak wildfire season yet .
In recent years , news articles , academic studies , and entire books have been devoted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ misnomer .
A group called # NoNaturalDisasters uses its platform to educate journalists and call out organizations that use the phrase .
Organizations are getting on board , too : The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk recently declared , “ There is no such thing as a truly ‘ natural ’ disaster.
” Last year , Greenpeace eviscerated the phrase in a viral tweet .
We really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really need you to stop calling them ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not natural , it ’ s # climatechange .
— Greenpeace ( @ Greenpeace ) January 24 , 2019 The expression ’ s popularity has slipped over the last decade , according to Google Ngram , a tool that tracks how often words are used in books .
“ It ’ s used for so many things that it ’ s lost the punch that it originally had , ” said Kory Stamper , a lexicographer .
“ And so we want punchier language .
We want language that conveys the severity of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot more profit in focusing on fighting against nature than in fighting against social inequality , ” said Jason @ vonmeding , an associate professor at the University of Florida .
# Naturaldisasters # Climatecrisis # Socialinequality Originally from ancient Greek , disaster meant bad star , reflecting a belief that fate was written in the stars and that gods punished humans through floods , earthquakes , droughts , and more .
Over the centuries , that connotation of disaster faded , and according to Wald , the addition of natural kept @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If a tsunami came crashing ashore , people focused on the water itself rather than the shoddily built or unwisely located homes it destroyed .
Natural disaster first appeared in English around 1750 , Stamper said , and it didn ’ t take long before someone noticed its flaws .
In 1755 , an earthquake and tsunami struck Lisbon , Portugal , killing tens of thousands of people .
At the time , the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote that nature “ did not construct twenty thousand houses of six to seven stories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s inhabitants had been more spread out and “ lightly lodged , ” he said , the damage would have been minimal .
The phrase was used in a weird , sporadic way for most of its history , Stamper said , but it picked up steam in the 1950s and later as federal , state , and local governments began putting more resources toward addressing potential hazards — like warning systems and building codes for earthquakes — with funding earmarked for natural disasters .
The expression ’ s use peaked around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since , she said .
There ’ s a compelling explanation for why governments popularized the phrase : It provides them with a convenient defense if they mess up .
“ There are politicians who love to call them natural because that gets them off the hook , ” said Terry Cannon , a research fellow at The Institute of Development Studies in the United Kingdom who studies climate change and disaster vulnerability .
Back in January , during Australia ’ s most catastrophic fire season on record , Prime Minister Scott Morrison @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response to the bushfires was inadequate .
“ There is no doubt natural disasters are termed that way because that is what they are — they are natural disasters , ” he said .
“ They wreak this sort of havoc when they affect our country and they have for a very long time.
” Another factor : money .
“ There ’ s a lot more profit in focusing on fighting against nature than in fighting against social inequality , ” said Jason von Meding , an associate professor at the University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ institutions take advantage of it .
“ More sea walls , better mapping or hazard monitoring isn ’ t going to solve those social problems , ” he said , “ and yet most of our funding is going to technological innovation.
” Increasingly , however , people are grasping the message that disasters in nature often aren ’ t “ natural.
” In some cases , when people use the phrase now , they do so only to explain why the expression is wrong .
“ And while [ the wildfires ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disaster , they are smudged with human fingerprints , ” wrote Kale Williams , a reporter at the Oregonian , last week .
Dale Smith , a writer at the tech news site CNET , recently wrote that “ ‘ natural disaster ’ is something of a misnomer.
” A good number of academic articles mention the phrase simply to critique how others have used it .
Over the last five years or so , substitutes like extreme weather events and unnatural disaster have become more popular .
“ Scientists Warn That Fires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” read a headline earlier this week in Futurism , a science and tech site .
The Atlantic ’ s recent podcast series about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was titled “ Floodlines : The Story of an Unnatural Disaster.
” “ That people have started using alternate terms , ” Stamper said , “ tells me that we might be more ready to move away from natural disaster than we were 15 years ago .
Back then , almost everything was a natural disaster.
” Still , von Meding cautions that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the root of the problem — the denial of human responsibility — and it can lead people to become hyperfocused on correcting language .
“ You can say that you ’ re not going to use the language natural disaster anymore , and sure , that ’ s a little bit of a win , ” von Meding said .
“ But if you ’ re not also talking about power and inequity and injustice and structural violence , then are you really solving anything , or are you just being PC @ @

This article was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of Canada's National Observer's collaboration with Climate Desk. Wildfires recently turned the West Coast into a hazy orange hellscape, scorching a record-breaking amount of land in California and blanketing the whole region with lung-clogging smoke. The fires have already burned thousands of houses, driven Oregonians from their homes, and killed dozens of people. And it’s not even peak wildfire season yet. You expect to see the phrase natural disaster all over the news when hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic explosions, floods, or fires cause a lot of deaths and property damage. This fire season, however, politicians and other people are beginning to ditch natural disaster for phrases that are more specific — and more accurate. “These are not just wildfires,” Washington Governor Jay Inslee said during a press conference last week. “They are climate fires.” Oregon Governor Kate Brown wrote on Twitter that her state was experiencing an “unprecedented fire event.”
These megafires aren’t exactly “natural,” after all — they’re magnified by the hotter, drier climate humans have created, along with a century of forest fire suppression that left more fuel to burn. And 85 percent of the time, wildfires are started by people — a smoldering cigarette, an unquenched campfire, a gender reveal party gone wrong. You could argue that even the wild in wildfires is a bit misleading. The supposed “naturalness” of disasters has been questioned since the phrase first appeared in the English language a couple hundred years ago. Mother Nature might be behind earthquakes and tsunamis, but the resulting disaster isn’t necessarily nature’s fault. The problem is that we’ve built our towns and cities in the path of hurricanes, wildfires, and floods — and governments aren’t doing a great job of protecting those who need it most. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “There’s no question that if you live in a trailer park, you’re much more susceptible to the ravages of a tornado than if you live in a more stably built house,” said Priscilla Wald, a professor of English at Duke University. The expression natural disaster obscures the inequities in society, she said: “It’s about denying the ways in which human beings make our world.”
In recent years, news articles, academic studies, and entire books have been devoted to explaining why natural disaster is a misnomer. A group called #NoNaturalDisasters uses its platform to educate journalists and call out organizations that use the phrase. Organizations are getting on board, too: The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk recently declared, “There is no such thing as a truly ‘natural’ disaster.” Last year, Greenpeace eviscerated the phrase in a viral tweet. “There’s a lot more profit in focusing on fighting against nature than in fighting against social inequality,” said Jason @vonmeding, an associate professor at the University of Florida. #Naturaldisasters #Climatecrisis #Socialinequality We
really
really
really
really
really
really
really
really
really
really
really
really
really
really
really
really
really
really
really
need you to stop calling them ‘natural’ disasters. They’re not natural, it’s #climatechange. — Greenpeace International (@Greenpeace) January 24, 2019 The expression’s popularity has slipped over the last decade, according to Google Ngram, a tool that tracks how often words are used in books. “It’s used for so many things that it’s lost the punch that it originally had,” said Kory Stamper, a lexicographer. “And so we want punchier language. We want language that conveys the severity of these things.” Originally from ancient Greek, disaster meant bad star, reflecting a belief that fate was written in the stars and that gods punished humans through floods, earthquakes, droughts, and more. Over the centuries, that connotation of disaster faded, and according to Wald, the addition of natural kept the emphasis on factors outside human control. If a tsunami came crashing ashore, people focused on the water itself rather than the shoddily built or unwisely located homes it destroyed. Natural disaster first appeared in English around 1750, Stamper said, and it didn’t take long before someone noticed its flaws. In 1755, an earthquake and tsunami struck Lisbon, Portugal, killing tens of thousands of people. At the time, the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote that nature “did not construct twenty thousand houses of six to seven stories” in Lisbon; if the city’s inhabitants had been more spread out and “lightly lodged,” he said, the damage would have been minimal.
The phrase was used in a weird, sporadic way for most of its history, Stamper said, but it picked up steam in the 1950s and later as federal, state, and local governments began putting more resources toward addressing potential hazards — like warning systems and building codes for earthquakes — with funding earmarked for natural disasters. The expression’s use peaked around the early 2000s and has remained high since, she said. There’s a compelling explanation for why governments popularized the phrase: It provides them with a convenient defense if they mess up. “There are politicians who love to call them natural because that gets them off the hook,” said Terry Cannon, a research fellow at The Institute of Development Studies in the United Kingdom who studies climate change and disaster vulnerability. Back in January, during Australia’s most catastrophic fire season on record, Prime Minister Scott Morrison was asked if his government’s response to the bushfires was inadequate. “There is no doubt natural disasters are termed that way because that is what they are — they are natural disasters,” he said. “They wreak this sort of havoc when they affect our country and they have for a very long time.”


nationalobserver--2020-09-18--Scrambling to Defuse the ‘Feral Swine Bomb’

Nic Peach squinted through binoculars at two dots in the distance , tracking what he assumed were a pair of turkeys .
But the creatures were not moving like turkeys , which he was hunting on his grandfather ’ s farm in Little Britain , Ontario .
As they moved closer , Peach could see they were pigs , rooting in the ground .
Large , hairy pigs .
One of them was massive .
“ My jaw dropped , ” he recalls .
That was the first day of the turkey hunt in spring 2019 , and at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters , where he ’ d learned about wild swine , an invasive species that causes economic , health , and ecosystem havoc .
He knew it was rare to glimpse these creatures , which are excellent at hiding .
He also knew that , counterintuitively , he shouldn ’ t shoot , as gunfire makes other pigs in the group , called a sounder , flee , and hunted pigs wise up around humans .
• How 393 million firearms may lead to carnage in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Climate strikers are trying to trademark Erin O ’ Toole ’ s ‘ Take Back Canada ’ slogan There are as many as 9 million feral swine across the U.S. , their populations having expanded from about 17 states to 38 over the last three decades .
Canada doesn ’ t have comparable data , but Ryan Brook , a University of Saskatchewan biologist who researches wild pigs , predicts that they will occupy 386,000 square miles across the country by the end of 2020 , and they ’ re currently expanding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I ’ ve heard it referred to as a feral swine bomb , ” says Dale Nolte , manager of the National Feral Swine Damage Management Program at the United States Department of Agriculture .
“ They multiply so rapidly .
To go from a thousand to two thousand , it ’ s not a big deal .
But if you ’ ve got a million , it doesn ’ t take long to get to 4 [ million ] , then 8 million.
” Most wild pigs are a mixture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The problem with the hybrids is you get all of the massive benefits of all of that genetics .
It creates what we ’ d call super pigs , ” says Brook .
Domestic pigs have been bred to be fertile year-round and have big litters — now averaging more than 10 in each — and also to grow large .
( Farmers limit their diets in captivity , but they fatten up when they graze at will in the wild . )
Boars , meanwhile , have heavy fur and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winter months .
Wild or domestic , the species is highly intelligent with a keen sense of smell .
Over the last few decades , wild pigs in some regions have grown to unmanageable numbers : Texas has about 1.5 million and spends upwards of $ 4 million annually controlling them , with little hope of eradicating the population .
Florida , Georgia , and California also have vast populations .
“ Pig populations are completely out of control , ” Brook says of North America in general .
“ The efforts to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of what ’ s currently needed.
” He says that his province of Saskatchewan will soon have more wild pigs than people .
“ I ’ ve heard it referred to as a feral swine bomb , ” says Nolte .
“ They multiply so rapidly .
To go from a thousand to two thousand , it ’ s not a big deal .
But if you ’ ve got a million , it doesn ’ t take long to get to 4 [ million ] , then 8 million.
” Years ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worth the money , but today these animals are responsible for an estimated $ 2.5 billion worth of damage in the U.S. each year , mostly by mowing down farmers ’ crops , as well as attacking calves , lambs , and pregnant livestock , and destroying native plants , animals , and precious habitats .
A feral pig can host at least 30 viral and bacterial diseases , along with nearly 40 parasites .
If African swine fever were to arrive in North America , feral pigs could be pivotal in spreading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ ve heard it referred to as a feral swine bomb .
They multiply so rapidly .
To go from a thousand to two thousand , it ’ s not a big deal .
But if you ’ ve got a million it doesn ’ t take long to get to 4 then 8 million.
” Dale Nolte on wild pigs @ USDA_APHIS Two notable places in North America are tapping into new resources to prevent , track , and cull pig populations .
The province of Ontario has an emerging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and is educating the public , collecting data , and testing how to track and remove swine .
Meanwhile , the state of Montana , which is currently free of wild pigs , has a snappy public education campaign , support from local groups , and strict laws .
“ These are the areas where there ’ s been the greatest response and media attention , ” says Nolte .
Both jurisdictions are also relying on wild pig conferences , published studies on topics such as the impact of hunting on wild pigs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take down a sounder in seconds .
“ We have better advice now than was available even five , six years ago , ” says Nolte .
The question is whether these regions can defuse the pig bomb before it goes off .
Pigs go wild by escaping their farm enclosures .
“ Any pig outside of a fence is a problem , ” says Jeremy Downe , invasive species policy adviser with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry ( MNRF ) .
An offspring from a farmed pig born in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tusks — all pigs grow them , but farmers cut them off their piglets — and likely more fur , especially if it ’ s a hybrid between a native pig and a wild boar .
Wild swine have an average range of as much as 30 square miles .
They ’ ll roam further if someone shoots at them , plus they become nocturnal when hunted , and thus harder to track .
While federal and state authorities use aerial shooting to systematically target and kill whole sounders of pigs , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recreational hunting as a way to reduce their pig populations , it has backfired dramatically when surviving animals spread across the state .
In some places , for-profit hunting outfits have worsened the problem by importing feral pigs .
“ It causes problems when people move animals to establish new populations for hunting , ” says Nolte .
This is how Montana first became concerned about wild pigs .
In 2013 , a resident brought in three feral hogs from Texas for a shoot .
The Montana Department of Livestock , which had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from other states , found out and had the animals destroyed .
The state took the incident so seriously that it passed legislation in 2015 banning hunting of feral swine , as well as owning or transporting them , imposing fine of up to $ 10,000 on lawbreakers .
“ Any pig outside of a fence is a problem , ” says Downe .
In 2018 , the state reported a sighting near its border with Saskatchewan and sent up planes to see if the creatures had crossed over — they had not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attention , ” says assistant state veterinarian Tahnee Szymanski .
Her department , the Montana Department of Livestock , partnered with the Montana Invasive Species Council — the former has responsibility for hands-on work while the latter runs public education — and got information from the USDA and other groups to create a collaborative plan .
Last November , Montana hosted the Feral Swine Summit , inviting representatives from the ranching industry , local tribes , and neighboring states .
At the same time , it launched an education campaign with the catchy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ borrowed from nearby Washington and Oregon — that encouraged residents to call a 24-hour hotline with sightings so staff could trap and kill the creatures .
It ’ s had reports of potbelly pigs near Billings , which staff rounded up and returned to their owner .
Another tip revealed a man who had brought in boars from Texas for hunting .
He didn ’ t know he was breaking the law , and staff killed the still-penned-in pigs .
Szymanski says the state has looked into using surveillance tools , if needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearby states and groups within its borders with a stake in pig control to stay feral pig free .
“ The goal is to stay this way forever and not have them come in , ” says Szymanski .
Ontario has moved more slowly to deal with pigs in the 400,000-square-mile province .
“ We ’ re not talking in the thousands , ” Downe says of how many wild pigs roam Ontario .
Starting in 2018 , the MNRF began tracking pigs and informing the public about them .
“ With all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” says Downe , who was part of the team that created an information web page with links to report sightings , plus one to the iNaturalist web site , where people can upload pictures and comment .
To date , the ministry has had reports of around 400 pigs outside of fences .
After a public education campaign in late 2019 , the ministry launched a pilot tracking program with two wildlife technicians doing site visits .
They were trained by experienced officials from New York State on how to trap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t had a lot of luck , to be quite honest , ” says Downe , likely because most site visits happened months after sightings .
The pilot team also put out bait and trail cameras and educated people about feral pigs before it paused work in March because of Covid-19 .
( It should ramp up again soon . )
However , while Peach ’ s work colleagues reported his pig sighting , no one ever came to check on things , and he never saw the creatures again either .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ submission to the Ontario government to have feral pigs officially considered an invasive species in the province , which would open up the possibility for more rules , including banning hunting .
“ There ’ s political and stakeholder support for greater action , ” says Downe .
Both Ontario and Montana are taking advantage of research and reports by other states and provinces .
Szymanski says research in Colorado , for example , found that hunted pigs will up their travelling range to as far as 100 miles — data that convinced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Ontario has also looked to research , including a 2019 study by Brook that assessed different methods for detecting and mapping pigs .
Ontario has been involved in the virtual 2020 Wild Pig Conference , which ran in June and featured presentations about topics such as using GPS devices to track pigs in Florida and pigs ’ impact on wild turkeys .
The province is also gaining insights from the new , national steering committee on feral swine in Canada , which had its first meeting in January .
Marnie Zimmer of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who ’ s heading up that committee , says when regions share information with each other , they find affordable tools : “ It ’ s knowing what works best , and what we can do with the money that we do have , and how we can spend it wisely and most effectively.
” Zimmer and others laud Montana ’ s prevention efforts .
“ Montana has done a fantastic job , with their ‘ Squeal on Pigs ’ campaign and public education and outreach , ” she says .
Wild Swine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as well as cross-breed with domesticated pigs .
Photo by Kevin Jackson on Unsplash Ontario gets kudos for its commitment to collecting local data and combining it with evidence from elsewhere .
“ I would give them an ‘ A ’ for their efforts .
They ’ ve been very practical and smart in how they ’ ve proceeded , ” says Brook , but he also calls the waffling over a hunting ban a “ critical error.
” Those who work with feral hogs want to see evidence that early prevention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Twenty years ago , an investment of $ 300,000 would have been huge in Saskatchewan , ” says Brook , who emphasizes the value of mobilizing as early as possible .
With other regions across North American at risk of feral swine taking hold — including North Dakota and Canada ’ s Yukon Territory — evidence that early investments can work really matter .
“ Prevention is critical in those areas where no feral pigs are established , ” says Zimmer .
“ It ’ s definitely better to get ahead @ @ @ @ @

This article was originally published by Undark and appears here as part of Canada's National Observer's collaboration with Climate Desk. Nic Peach squinted through binoculars at two dots in the distance, tracking what he assumed were a pair of turkeys. But the creatures were not moving like turkeys, which he was hunting on his grandfather’s farm in Little Britain, Ontario. As they moved closer, Peach could see they were pigs, rooting in the ground. Large, hairy pigs. One of them was massive. “My jaw dropped,” he recalls. That was the first day of the turkey hunt in spring 2019, and at the time Peach worked as conservation outreach coordinator for the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, where he’d learned about wild swine, an invasive species that causes economic, health, and ecosystem havoc. He knew it was rare to glimpse these creatures, which are excellent at hiding. He also knew that, counterintuitively, he shouldn’t shoot, as gunfire makes other pigs in the group, called a sounder, flee, and hunted pigs wise up around humans.
There are as many as 9 million feral swine across the U.S., their populations having expanded from about 17 states to 38 over the last three decades. Canada doesn’t have comparable data, but Ryan Brook, a University of Saskatchewan biologist who researches wild pigs, predicts that they will occupy 386,000 square miles across the country by the end of 2020, and they’re currently expanding at about 35,000 square miles a year. “I’ve heard it referred to as a feral swine bomb,” says Dale Nolte, manager of the National Feral Swine Damage Management Program at the United States Department of Agriculture. “They multiply so rapidly. To go from a thousand to two thousand, it’s not a big deal. But if you’ve got a million, it doesn’t take long to get to 4 [million], then 8 million.” Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Most wild pigs are a mixture of domestic breeds and European wild boar. “The problem with the hybrids is you get all of the massive benefits of all of that genetics. It creates what we’d call super pigs,” says Brook. Domestic pigs have been bred to be fertile year-round and have big litters — now averaging more than 10 in each — and also to grow large. (Farmers limit their diets in captivity, but they fatten up when they graze at will in the wild.) Boars, meanwhile, have heavy fur and other attributes that help them brave the winter months. Wild or domestic, the species is highly intelligent with a keen sense of smell.
Over the last few decades, wild pigs in some regions have grown to unmanageable numbers: Texas has about 1.5 million and spends upwards of $4 million annually controlling them, with little hope of eradicating the population. Florida, Georgia, and California also have vast populations. “Pig populations are completely out of control,” Brook says of North America in general. “The efforts to deal with them are about 1 percent of what’s currently needed.” He says that his province of Saskatchewan will soon have more wild pigs than people. “I’ve heard it referred to as a feral swine bomb. They multiply so rapidly. To go from a thousand to two thousand, it’s not a big deal. But if you’ve got a million it doesn’t take long to get to 4 then 8 million.” Dale Nolte on wild pigs @USDA_APHIS “I’ve heard it referred to as a feral swine bomb,” says Nolte. “They multiply so rapidly. To go from a thousand to two thousand, it’s not a big deal. But if you’ve got a million, it doesn’t take long to get to 4 [million], then 8 million.” Years ago, preventing feral pig populations hardly seemed worth the money, but today these animals are responsible for an estimated $2.5 billion worth of damage in the U.S. each year, mostly by mowing down farmers’ crops, as well as attacking calves, lambs, and pregnant livestock, and destroying native plants, animals, and precious habitats. A feral pig can host at least 30 viral and bacterial diseases, along with nearly 40 parasites. If African swine fever were to arrive in North America, feral pigs could be pivotal in spreading this devastating and deadly porcine disease. Two notable places in North America are tapping into new resources to prevent, track, and cull pig populations. The province of Ontario has an emerging population of a few hundred pigs, and is educating the public, collecting data, and testing how to track and remove swine. Meanwhile, the state of Montana, which is currently free of wild pigs, has a snappy public education campaign, support from local groups, and strict laws. “These are the areas where there’s been the greatest response and media attention,” says Nolte. Both jurisdictions are also relying on wild pig conferences, published studies on topics such as the impact of hunting on wild pigs, and experts who know how to take down a sounder in seconds. “We have better advice now than was available even five, six years ago,” says Nolte.
The question is whether these regions can defuse the pig bomb before it goes off. Pigs go wild by escaping their farm enclosures. “Any pig outside of a fence is a problem,” says Jeremy Downe, invasive species policy adviser with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF). An offspring from a farmed pig born in the wild will be feral, with tusks — all pigs grow them, but farmers cut them off their piglets — and likely more fur, especially if it’s a hybrid between a native pig and a wild boar. Wild swine have an average range of as much as 30 square miles. They’ll roam further if someone shoots at them, plus they become nocturnal when hunted, and thus harder to track. While federal and state authorities use aerial shooting to systematically target and kill whole sounders of pigs, when states like California and Texas have encouraged recreational hunting as a way to reduce their pig populations, it has backfired dramatically when surviving animals spread across the state. In some places, for-profit hunting outfits have worsened the problem by importing feral pigs. “It causes problems when people move animals to establish new populations for hunting,” says Nolte.


nationalobserver--2020-09-18--The land is our dinner table

The land is our dinner table

Sitting in the northwest of what is now known as the province of British Columbia , the Gitanyow community is a distinct part of the Gitxsan people .
In Gitxsan law , there are house groups , led by a head chief , with four to five subchiefs on the men 's and women 's side , Chief Malii told me .
Each house group will have 150 to 200 members , while some are bigger .
Each has an oral history that describes where the group originated and migrated from .
The Canadian government denied and minimized rights of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chief Malii remembered .
If a company wanted to start a major project , be it mining , oil , forestry , they would write a generic letter , he said , and ask for comments or feedback , with little intent to consult and accommodate , let alone seek consent .
The Supreme Court of Canada has been an important domain for Indigenous peoples to assert their histories , cultures , legal systems and rights .
A number of SCC victories , some cases spanning decades , regarding Indigenous peoples rights , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for nation-to-nation business in Canada .
“ When the decision came down on Haida , ( the court ) said where it impacts Aboriginal interests , companies are required to not only consult , but seek to accommodate the Indigenous group , ” Chief Malii said .
“ After Haida , we said they have to consult with our Aboriginal interest — which is the house group , the territory , thousands of years of history — and we began to frame out letters in that way.
” “ We were successful in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ house territory and house boundaries are an Aboriginal right , ” Chief Malii said , which was a huge step in a direction he was proud to go .
“ The court also said the traditional law of the Gitanyow — oral history , lands system , laws — need to continue down into the future , which is very similar to sustainability.
” Environmental interest groups often talk about sustainable green futures , green economies , conservation strategies , but these words and concepts can be traced back to Indigenous cosmologies of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greater whole .
There 's a reason why Indigenous peoples occupy five per cent of the world 's land mass , and protect 80 per cent of the world 's biodiversity .
If you adopt a Gitanyow house territory perspective , you understand that you can ’ t have too much activity in one territory or it won ’ t function for the future house members , Chief Malii told me .
“ If you blend science with traditional law , you can say with good proof that these animals wo n't come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or the fish will dry up if you continue , ” he said .
Chief Malii would be sitting at negotiation tables , helping draft letters , or going toe-to-toe in court battles , trying to articulate the wisdom and wishes of his elders into a language the Canadian governments and courts could understand .
“ Elders would say , 'What about the moose in that watershed , or what about those fish ? '
” Chief Malii told me .
So he and his community articulated their right to accommodation as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their territory .
Only after three court decisions did the Gitanyow get a commitment to develop a land use plan they could stand behind , he said .
It has taken them 10 years to develop what they use today .
“ We said , 'We 're not interested beyond the traditional boundaries of the Gitanyow , that 's another nation , and they can do what they want . '
We want each house territory to be sustainable , no matter the size , because that 's our traditional law .
”

Sitting in the northwest of what is now known as the province of British Columbia, the Gitanyow community is a distinct part of the Gitxsan people.
In Gitxsan law, there are house groups, led by a head chief, with four to five subchiefs on the men's and women's side, Chief Malii told me. Each house group will have 150 to 200 members, while some are bigger. Each has an oral history that describes where the group originated and migrated from.
The Canadian government denied and minimized rights of Indigenous peoples back in the 1980s, Chief Malii remembered. If a company wanted to start a major project, be it mining, oil, forestry, they would write a generic letter, he said, and ask for comments or feedback, with little intent to consult and accommodate, let alone seek consent.
The Supreme Court of Canada has been an important domain for Indigenous peoples to assert their histories, cultures, legal systems and rights. A number of SCC victories, some cases spanning decades, regarding Indigenous peoples rights, territories and practices have set critical precedents for nation-to-nation business in Canada.
“When the decision came down on Haida, (the court) said where it impacts Aboriginal interests, companies are required to not only consult, but seek to accommodate the Indigenous group,” Chief Malii said. “After Haida, we said they have to consult with our Aboriginal interest — which is the house group, the territory, thousands of years of history — and we began to frame out letters in that way.”
Delgamuukw
“We were successful in getting the court to say the Wilp house territory and house boundaries are an Aboriginal right,” Chief Malii said, which was a huge step in a direction he was proud to go. “The court also said the traditional law of the Gitanyow — oral history, lands system, laws — need to continue down into the future, which is very similar to sustainability.”
Environmental interest groups often talk about sustainable green futures, green economies, conservation strategies, but these words and concepts can be traced back to Indigenous cosmologies of interconnection, reciprocity and responsibility to the greater whole.
There's a reason why Indigenous peoples occupy five per cent of the world's land mass, and protect 80 per cent of the world's biodiversity.
If you adopt a Gitanyow house territory perspective, you understand that you can’t have too much activity in one territory or it won’t function for the future house members, Chief Malii told me.
“If you blend science with traditional law, you can say with good proof that these animals won't come back, the berries won't grow, or the fish will dry up if you continue,” he said.
Chief Malii would be sitting at negotiation tables, helping draft letters, or going toe-to-toe in court battles, trying to articulate the wisdom and wishes of his elders into a language the Canadian governments and courts could understand.
“Elders would say, 'What about the moose in that watershed, or what about those fish?'” Chief Malii told me. So he and his community articulated their right to accommodation as the right to choose how to use their territory.
Only after three court decisions did the Gitanyow get a commitment to develop a land use plan they could stand behind, he said. It has taken them 10 years to develop what they use today.
“We said, 'We're not interested beyond the traditional boundaries of the Gitanyow, that's another nation, and they can do what they want.' We want each house territory to be sustainable, no matter the size, because that's our traditional law.”


nationalobserver--2020-09-19--Conservative, Bloc leaders both test positive for COVID-19, Quebec premier in isolation

Conservative Leader Erin O ’ Toole and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet have both tested positive for the novel coronavirus , with five days to go before the Speech from the Throne signals the return of Parliament .
The news of O ’ Toole ’ s positive test result led Quebec Premier François Legault , who had met with O ’ Toole earlier in the week , to self-isolate and get tested himself .
“ No one is immune to contagion , ” he said .
The Conservative Party confirmed late Sept. 18 that O ’ Toole had received a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tory leader had said earlier this week that he , his family and some of his staff would get tested , after a staff member had tested positive .
Meanwhile Ontario Public Health self-isolation requirements would have O ’ Toole isolating for at least 14 days following his test results , if he continues to show no symptoms .
The federal parties have been negotiating over what system to implement in Parliament to ensure that MPs can still carry out their duties while following public health protocols .
Both O'Toole and Prime Minister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want the House of Commons chamber to fill up with 338 MPs when votes are called .
Conservative Leader Erin O ’ Toole and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet have both tested positive for COVID-19 .
The news of O ’ Toole led Quebec Premier François Legault to self-isolate and get tested himself .
But they are split on what system to implement over the coming months .
The Liberals have proposed temporary videoconference voting , to be replaced with electronic voting via a smartphone app once the program has been tested .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting system , and are particularly suspicious of app-based voting .
They have suggested keeping MPs in Ottawa and having vote counting be staggered .
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister , Quebec Premier François Legault , Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney meet in Ottawa on Sept. 18 , 2020 .
Legault Facebook Photo Ottawa in second wave , says medical officer Legault changed his stance on self-isolating on Friday evening , after initially saying this week that his meeting , indoors with masks off , with the newly-elected Conservative leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exposure.
” On Friday , Legault met with Ontario Premier Doug Ford , Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister in Ottawa .
The four premiers held a press conference where they asked the federal government for an extra $ 28 billion to pay for health care .
Canada ’ s capital city of Ottawa is seeing a surge of coronavirus cases and is now in a second wave , according to medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches .
`` We ca n't sustain a rapid rise in cases , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not come as a surprise ... and neither should this : you already know what to do .
Wear a mask , stay home if you 're sick , maintain distancing & wash your hands .
Remember : limiting close contacts = reducing COVID-19 transmission .
This virus is not stronger than us .
https : //t.co/hCymKt6x53 — Ottawa Public Health ( @ ottawahealth ) September 18 , 2020 Ottawa By-Law said the “ warning phase ” for issuing tickets for not wearing a mask in indoor settings “ is ending.
” Individuals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victim surcharge .
The city saw its social gathering limit downgraded by the Ontario government .
The province of Ontario recorded over 400 new cases of COVID-19 on Sept. 18 .
Other hotspots targeted by the province are Toronto and the Peel region .
There have been an array of complaints from people in multiple cities across the province waiting in long lines to get tested for COVID-19 .
Ford is set to make an announcement in Toronto Saturday morning with the province ’ s health minister and associate chief medical officer of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president of the Public Health Agency of Canada , Tina Namiesniowski , announced she would be stepping down .
The agency is co-ordinating the national COVID-19 response .
On Friday , Trudeau said two by-elections in the Toronto-area ridings of Toronto Centre and York Centre will be held on Oct. 26 .
Facing questions about holding elections during a second wave , the prime minister said Thursday that “ we all should have tremendous confidence in Elections Canada to be able to bring forward strong measures to keep us safe and allow for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the people.
” The far-right People ’ s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier , who lost his seat in the 2019 federal election , is running in York Centre .

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet have both tested positive for the novel coronavirus, with five days to go before the Speech from the Throne signals the return of Parliament. The news of O’Toole’s positive test result led Quebec Premier François Legault, who had met with O’Toole earlier in the week, to self-isolate and get tested himself. “No one is immune to contagion,” he said. The Conservative Party confirmed late Sept. 18 that O’Toole had received a positive test for the virus. The Tory leader had said earlier this week that he, his family and some of his staff would get tested, after a staff member had tested positive. O’Toole’s wife and children tested negative, the party’s statement also indicated, and O’Toole remains in isolation and is “feeling well.” http://twitter.com/francoislegault/status/1307139727066357762
O’Toole’s test results followed a Bloc statement Friday morning that Blanchet had tested positive for COVID-19. It said he will remain in isolation at his residence and is “doing perfectly well.” Bloc caucus members have also been self-isolating after Blanchet’s partner had tested positive. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The positive test results for the two leaders mean that they will likely miss the Speech from the Throne on Sept. 23. The Bloc said Blanchet would be in isolation until Sept. 26.
Meanwhile Ontario Public Health self-isolation requirements would have O’Toole isolating for at least 14 days following his test results, if he continues to show no symptoms. Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet have both tested positive for COVID-19. The news of O’Toole led Quebec Premier François Legault to self-isolate and get tested himself. The federal parties have been negotiating over what system to implement in Parliament to ensure that MPs can still carry out their duties while following public health protocols. Both O'Toole and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have said they don't want the House of Commons chamber to fill up with 338 MPs when votes are called. But they are split on what system to implement over the coming months. The Liberals have proposed temporary videoconference voting, to be replaced with electronic voting via a smartphone app once the program has been tested. The Conservatives are skeptical of any remote voting system, and are particularly suspicious of app-based voting. They have suggested keeping MPs in Ottawa and having vote counting be staggered.
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister, Quebec Premier François Legault, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney meet in Ottawa on Sept. 18, 2020. Legault Facebook Photo Ottawa in second wave, says medical officer Legault changed his stance on self-isolating on Friday evening, after initially saying this week that his meeting, indoors with masks off, with the newly-elected Conservative leader O'Toole, was just a “low-risk exposure.”


nationalobserver--2020-09-21--Facebook suspends, then reinstates hundreds of accounts linked to anti-Coastal GasLink event

Facebook reinstated hundreds of social media accounts linked to a virtual event protesting the Coastal GasLink pipeline Monday , after suspending them for several days without explanation .
In a statement , Facebook said its team had lifted the suspensions after a review , but did not explain how the incident had happened .
For three days , the personal accounts of more than 200 people with posting privileges on Facebook pages belonging to environmental and Indigenous organizations were locked .
“ Our systems mistakenly removed these accounts and content , ” a company spokesperson said .
Facebook pages are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , via their individual personal accounts .
The suspensions left administrators of 18 pages representing Indigenous and environmental groups unable to post , use Facebook Messenger or log in , a phenomenon known colloquially as ‘ Facebook jail.
’ Oftentimes , bans on Facebook are done by the social media platform ’ s algorithm , with no human involvement , a system that has been known to make mistakes .
If someone complains that a post has violated copyright , for example , the company says it may “ promptly remove ” that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Facebook removed content about hand-making fabric face masks to combat COVID-19 by mistake .
“ The timing was more than suspect , ” said Delee Nikal , who is Wet ’ suwet ’ en from the Gidimt'en clan .
# bcpoli It ’ s not clear what led to the ban in the case of the Wet ’ suwet ’ en support rally .
Facebook ’ s notices to the account holders said they had posted content that “ infringes or violates others ’ rights or otherwise violates the law , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s National Observer .
Stackl said when Facebook reinstated the accounts , it told the organizations that it did not suspend them in response to a third-party complaint .
“ I find that really hard to believe , ” Morgan said , referring to Facebook ’ s explanation .
Coastal GasLink did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
Nikal pointed to the fact that Facebook has allowed far-right groups to organize on its platform .
Last month , The Verge reported that the social media company declined to take action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that used Facebook to encourage armed people to go to a Black Lives Matter Protest in Kenosha , Wis. Later , a 17-year-old gunman was arrested for allegedly shooting two people at the march .
“ In blocking peaceful protests and actions , while allowing calls for action which resulted in violence and death , Facebook has indicated that they side with the conservatives and alt-right , ” Nikal said .

Facebook reinstated hundreds of social media accounts linked to a virtual event protesting the Coastal GasLink pipeline Monday, after suspending them for several days without explanation. In a statement, Facebook said its team had lifted the suspensions after a review, but did not explain how the incident had happened. For three days, the personal accounts of more than 200 people with posting privileges on Facebook pages belonging to environmental and Indigenous organizations were locked. “Our systems mistakenly removed these accounts and content,” a company spokesperson said. The suspension happened Saturday, days before the organizations had planned to host an online day of action asking supporters to call and send messages to U.S. private investment company KKR & Co. Inc., a key backer of Coastal GasLink. The rally, originally scheduled for Monday through a Facebook event, was also in support of members of the Wet’suwet’en Nation who have opposed the pipeline project, which would cut through their unceded traditional territory. Last week, before the accounts were suspended, the groups had decided to reschedule for Sept. 28, but hadn’t yet updated the Facebook event, said Annie Morgan, an event organizer and member of the Wet’suwet’en Solidarity Team.
“The timing was more than suspect,” said Delee Nikal, who is Wet’suwet’en from the Gidimt'en clan. (A Gidimt’en Facebook page where community members share updates about their efforts to oppose the pipeline was affected by the suspensions.) “We would like to have transparency in this situation.” Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Though Facebook said it had reinstated all account privileges Monday night, several people remained unable to access their accounts, said Valentina Stackl of Greenpeace, one of the organizations affected. Facebook did not immediately respond to questions about why that might be the case.
Facebook pages are typically run by a team of administrators, via their individual personal accounts. The suspensions left administrators of 18 pages representing Indigenous and environmental groups unable to post, use Facebook Messenger or log in, a phenomenon known colloquially as ‘Facebook jail.’ “The timing was more than suspect,” said Delee Nikal, who is Wet’suwet’en from the Gidimt'en clan. #bcpoli Oftentimes, bans on Facebook are done by the social media platform’s algorithm, with no human involvement, a system that has been known to make mistakes. If someone complains that a post has violated copyright, for example, the company says it may “promptly remove” that content. In one case this spring, Facebook removed content about hand-making fabric face masks to combat COVID-19 by mistake. It’s not clear what led to the ban in the case of the Wet’suwet’en support rally. Facebook’s notices to the account holders said they had posted content that “infringes or violates others’ rights or otherwise violates the law,” according to screenshots provided to Canada’s National Observer. Stackl said when Facebook reinstated the accounts, it told the organizations that it did not suspend them in response to a third-party complaint.
“I find that really hard to believe,” Morgan said, referring to Facebook’s explanation. Coastal GasLink did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nikal pointed to the fact that Facebook has allowed far-right groups to organize on its platform. Last month, The Verge reported that the social media company declined to take action when users complained about a militia group that used Facebook to encourage armed people to go to a Black Lives Matter Protest in Kenosha, Wis. Later, a 17-year-old gunman was arrested for allegedly shooting two people at the march.


nationalobserver--2020-09-21--School’s back in Ontario, and COVID-19 cases keep rising

With Ontario ’ s students now largely learning again after a long hiatus , COVID-19 cases tied to schools are showing up as cases provincewide surpass 400 a day .
School cases are emerging mostly in bigger population centres , such as Toronto and Ottawa , where most of the new cases overall are occurring , according to government data .
The rate of infection at and tied to schools will be a key test of Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce ’ s decision to send children back to elementary classes without reducing their numbers per classroom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Monday , bringing the cumulative total to 90 COVID-19 cases related to 75 Ontario schools ; 33 students and 26 staff , plus 31 unidentified people .
“ Three schools have declared outbreaks , and two of them have closed , ” Dr. Barbara Yaffe , Ontario associate chief medical officer of health , said at an afternoon news conference .
• The government must invest more in tackling climate change • 'Stronger than I am : ’ The wedge issue that should n't have been Cases have shown up among both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mostly elementary-grade Catholic schools in Ottawa .
One of them was closed by public health officials on the weekend after two staff and two students tested positive , the first junior school to shutter again after the extended summer break .
The government website tracking school cases and closures has not yet registered that weekend closure , which will show up in Tuesday ’ s data .
A high school in Pembroke , northwest of Ottawa , was closed last week after three staff became infected .
At least one of them had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Mail reported .
Cases are also emerging in a number of school boards in the Greater Toronto Area , including in Brampton , Mississauga and Toronto itself .
“ With the rising cases and the circulation of the virus in the community , it is no surprise we are seeing cases in our congregate settings , including schools , ” Yaffe said .
Ontario notched 425 new positive cases overall on Monday , the biggest single-day tally in months and part of a distinct move higher in case numbers in the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported 18 more cases of COVID-19 over the weekend , with a second school closing , as overall cases in the province top 400 again .
# onpoli # onted # OntEdOnline Toronto recorded 175 of those cases , while Peel ( which includes Mississauga and Brampton ) added 84 and Ottawa had 60 .
The rising tally pushed Ford on the weekend to limit the number of people allowed to gather socially to 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors across the province , after initially restricting only those in Toronto , Peel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had previously allowed gatherings of up to 50 people indoors and 100 outside .
But the restrictions do not apply in “ staffed businesses , ” including restaurants , movie theatres , banquet halls and gyms , and are instead designed to go after what Ford has described as “ wild parties.
” In schools , teachers and parents complain that students are being packed into classes with 30 or more of their peers , and risk reigniting a larger spread in the broader community , and unions have filed health and safety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the government last week promised to up capacity so people no longer have to wait in hours-long lines at some testing centres .
But Yaffe said the percentage of tests coming back positive was also “ slowly creeping up ” and was now at around 1.5 per cent , including more infections contracted in workplaces including restaurants and bars , largely among staff .
The Toronto District School Board appears to still be scrambling to get its teachers , students and curricula aligned as more than 72,000 students elect to attend virtual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ m teaching Grade 1 in the virtual school — apparently , ” said Laura Tenenbaum , who identified on Twitter as a Grade 8 teacher in the TDSB .
“ I still have no shell in Brightspace and no class list !
I thought school was starting tomorrow !
!
!
!
Help !
!
!
” The board is the country ’ s largest , with more than 250,000 students in total .
A teacher in the neighbouring Peel District School Board said they still didn ’ t have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would reach out to their assigned students by the end of last week .
“ My students have n't heard from me because I do n't know who they are , ” said a teacher who identified as Ms. Krispanis on Twitter .
“ Frustrated , anxious , upset , ” she wrote .
The Progressive Conservative government meanwhile said on Monday that it plans to ‘ cohort ’ parliamentarians into smaller groups at Queen ’ s Park to ensure the legislature is not forced to close .
“ What we want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possibly can is turning this into a Zoom parliament , ” government House leader Paul Calandra said , referring to the video conferencing service that has proven popular since the pandemic forced many people to work remotely .
The government will send 35 MPPs into the legislature to face 14 members of the official NDP opposition in three-week cycles , he said .
Independents , including the Greens ’ Mike Schreiner and a handful of Liberals , will be granted more flexibility , he said .
The premier , Calandra and the ministers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will not be assigned to a cohort .

With Ontario’s students now largely learning again after a long hiatus, COVID-19 cases tied to schools are showing up as cases provincewide surpass 400 a day. School cases are emerging mostly in bigger population centres, such as Toronto and Ottawa, where most of the new cases overall are occurring, according to government data. The rate of infection at and tied to schools will be a key test of Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce’s decision to send children back to elementary classes without reducing their numbers per classroom. An additional 18 school cases emerged on Monday, bringing the cumulative total to 90 COVID-19 cases related to 75 Ontario schools; 33 students and 26 staff, plus 31 unidentified people. “Three schools have declared outbreaks, and two of them have closed,” Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Ontario associate chief medical officer of health, said at an afternoon news conference.
Cases have shown up among both students and staff in a string of mostly elementary-grade Catholic schools in Ottawa. One of them was closed by public health officials on the weekend after two staff and two students tested positive, the first junior school to shutter again after the extended summer break. The government website tracking school cases and closures has not yet registered that weekend closure, which will show up in Tuesday’s data. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions A high school in Pembroke, northwest of Ottawa, was closed last week after three staff became infected. At least one of them had mingled among three classes, the Globe and Mail reported.
Cases are also emerging in a number of school boards in the Greater Toronto Area, including in Brampton, Mississauga and Toronto itself. Ontario's schools reported 18 more cases of COVID-19 over the weekend, with a second school closing, as overall cases in the province top 400 again. #onpoli #onted #OntEdOnline “With the rising cases and the circulation of the virus in the community, it is no surprise we are seeing cases in our congregate settings, including schools,” Yaffe said. Ontario notched 425 new positive cases overall on Monday, the biggest single-day tally in months and part of a distinct move higher in case numbers in the last week or so. Toronto recorded 175 of those cases, while Peel (which includes Mississauga and Brampton) added 84 and Ottawa had 60. The rising tally pushed Ford on the weekend to limit the number of people allowed to gather socially to 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors across the province, after initially restricting only those in Toronto, Peel and Ottawa last week.
The province had previously allowed gatherings of up to 50 people indoors and 100 outside. But the restrictions do not apply in “staffed businesses,” including restaurants, movie theatres, banquet halls and gyms, and are instead designed to go after what Ford has described as “wild parties.” In schools, teachers and parents complain that students are being packed into classes with 30 or more of their peers, and risk reigniting a larger spread in the broader community, and unions have filed health and safety complaints.