nationalobserver--2020-12-11--Pandemic fuels conspiracy QAnon theories in Canada, experts say

Conspiracy theories , including those propagated by the once-fringe QAnon movement , have gained traction as the COVID-19 pandemic fuels fear , social and economic insecurity , and mistrust in authorities , experts in Canada say .
The reach and visibility of QAnon have grown as its followers ' beliefs mix with misinformation and debunked claims related to the pandemic , said Amarnath Amarasingam , a fellow with the Global Network on Extremism and Technology and a professor in the school of religion at Queen 's University .
It 's hard to say where the discredited QAnon belief system begins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it as a multifaceted conspiracy theory that 's become increasingly overarching since the first so-called `` Q drop , '' a post by an anonymous user called Q on the online forum 4chan in late 2017 .
QAnon draws on and fuels an array of beliefs , he said , from anti-Semitism to white nationalism to the idea that U.S. President Donald Trump is secretly working to take down a cabal of corrupt , Satan-worshipping liberal elites who are abusing and trafficking children for sex .
It 's so absurd it should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Amarasingam .
• Kovrig draws strength from books and exercise as 'two Michaels ' mark two jailed years • Could tidal power be the missing piece to the green energy puzzle ?
• What the provinces and territories have said about COVID-19 vaccine plans so far But Trump 's refusal to denounce QAnon has pushed it into the mainstream , where its ideas are being cherry-picked and sprinkled throughout various movements , including those opposing public health rules aimed at fighting the spread of COVID-19 , he said .
QAnon has become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as some believers view Q as a prophet who arrived to wake up the sleeping masses .
At the same time , Q 's posts are often cryptic and vague , empowering followers to find meaning and apply it to their local concerns .
That makes QAnon nimble .
It 's most prevalent in the U.S. , he said , but signs of QAnon have cropped up online or at rallies in at least 70 countries as people take what they need and leave the rest .
`` They 'll take the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` But they might leave behind the satanic cabal and the child enslavement aspect . ''
It 's as though QAnon 's followers do n't need Q or Trump anymore ; the movement has become a parasite that feeds on broader conspiratorial thinking about `` the all-powerful elite that are harming little people , '' he said .
Anti-mask and anti-vaccination movements are among those drawing from QAnon as a kind of `` floating resource , '' Amarasingam said .
Canada not immune to # QAnon as pandemic fuels conspiracy theories , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And Canada is not immune , he said .
QAnon message boards were set alight after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a United Nations conference this fall that the pandemic is an opportunity to `` reset '' and reimagine economic systems to address challenges such as poverty and climate change , said Amarasingam .
`` They interpreted it as a kind of slip-up , '' he said .
`` Like it was showing evidence that there was this master plan at work , that COVID could have indeed been a hoax that was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about all these new economic and social changes , or large-scale societal shifts . ''
The reframing of the fallout from the pandemic as an anti-government conspiracy theory is dangerous , said Amarasingam , because it could affect whether people get vaccinated and follow public health rules .
A report by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue , a think tank focused on extremism and polarization , found Canada is among the top four countries driving QAnon content on Twitter , alongside the United States , the U.K. and Australia .
The Manitoba man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Rideau Hall near the residences of the prime minister and the Governor General this summer while heavily armed had posted QAnon-related content on social media , said Peter Smith , a researcher with the Canadian Anti-Hate Network .
An Ontario-based woman was responsible for popularizing the QAnon-related conspiracy theory that wardrobes and other furniture sold by the company Wayfair arrived with a trafficked child inside , he said .
And a web-based show run by a Montreal man who spreads QAnon content and false claims about COVID-19 is popular across French-speaking Europe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recently banned from Facebook and YouTube .
Twitter has taken steps to crack down on QAnon-related accounts and content , while groups were removed and banned from Facebook in October .
Smith said Q told followers to use `` camouflage '' and many moved to sites like Parler , which bills itself as the `` world 's premier free speech platform . ''
Others popped up again on Facebook under names like `` Cue , '' he said .
QAnon came alive when disinformation was already surging on social media , said Dr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canadian Practitioners Network for the Prevention of Radicalization and Extremist Violence .
`` The speed of access of information does not give us time to validate it , '' said Hassan , a clinical psychologist who also serves as co-chair on the UNESCO initiative on the prevention of violent radicalization .
And the pandemic has created conditions that stir up conspiratorial thinking , she said , including fear , social and financial insecurity , a sense of being controlled and a shaken trust in government and health authorities .
So , why do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or insane to another ?
They 're trying to find meaning , said Hassan .
In times of crisis , `` we need to understand why this is happening , and often finding a cause involves scapegoating , '' she said .
QAnon relies on certain facts that exist , she added , pointing to child abuse .
`` It 's just how these facts are connected together that appears totally illogical to us . ''
Hassan said people pick and choose what makes sense to them from within the QAnon universe , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the colour of whatever discourse is prevalent in whatever area . ''
Hassan noted she will be watching for the effects of social isolation once COVID-19 outbreaks are under control and public health rules are relaxed .
Although we might think people will be eager to connect with each other again , she said , sometimes the opposite happens .
`` That is an increase in isolation , but also a deterioration of interpersonal and social skills and capacities . ''
Hassan wants better media literacy education and stronger standards for how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ platforms .
Amarasingam , meanwhile , said he 's been part of discussions with major social media companies about how to tackle content related to the Islamic State and al-Qaida , which is in some ways easier to handle than misinformation .
`` When it was ISIS beheading videos , you can make that decision pretty quickly , '' he said .
`` But when you talk about ( Make America Great Again ) or when you talk about lockdown content , it 's not always so clear-cut . ''
This report by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 11 , 2020 .
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship .

Conspiracy theories, including those propagated by the once-fringe QAnon movement, have gained traction as the COVID-19 pandemic fuels fear, social and economic insecurity, and mistrust in authorities, experts in Canada say. The reach and visibility of QAnon have grown as its followers' beliefs mix with misinformation and debunked claims related to the pandemic, said Amarnath Amarasingam, a fellow with the Global Network on Extremism and Technology and a professor in the school of religion at Queen's University. It's hard to say where the discredited QAnon belief system begins and ends, he said, describing it as a multifaceted conspiracy theory that's become increasingly overarching since the first so-called "Q drop," a post by an anonymous user called Q on the online forum 4chan in late 2017. QAnon draws on and fuels an array of beliefs, he said, from anti-Semitism to white nationalism to the idea that U.S. President Donald Trump is secretly working to take down a cabal of corrupt, Satan-worshipping liberal elites who are abusing and trafficking children for sex. It's so absurd it should be the perfect conspiracy theory to ignore, said Amarasingam.
But Trump's refusal to denounce QAnon has pushed it into the mainstream, where its ideas are being cherry-picked and sprinkled throughout various movements, including those opposing public health rules aimed at fighting the spread of COVID-19, he said. QAnon has become almost "socio-religious," said Amarasingam, as some believers view Q as a prophet who arrived to wake up the sleeping masses. At the same time, Q's posts are often cryptic and vague, empowering followers to find meaning and apply it to their local concerns. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions That makes QAnon nimble. It's most prevalent in the U.S., he said, but signs of QAnon have cropped up online or at rallies in at least 70 countries as people take what they need and leave the rest.
"They'll take the anti-deep state stuff," he said. "But they might leave behind the satanic cabal and the child enslavement aspect." Canada not immune to #QAnon as pandemic fuels conspiracy theories, experts say. #conspiracytheories #pandemic It's as though QAnon's followers don't need Q or Trump anymore; the movement has become a parasite that feeds on broader conspiratorial thinking about "the all-powerful elite that are harming little people," he said. Anti-mask and anti-vaccination movements are among those drawing from QAnon as a kind of "floating resource," Amarasingam said. And Canada is not immune, he said. QAnon message boards were set alight after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a United Nations conference this fall that the pandemic is an opportunity to "reset" and reimagine economic systems to address challenges such as poverty and climate change, said Amarasingam.
"They interpreted it as a kind of slip-up," he said. "Like it was showing evidence that there was this master plan at work, that COVID could have indeed been a hoax that was planned by powerful elites to then bring about all these new economic and social changes, or large-scale societal shifts." The reframing of the fallout from the pandemic as an anti-government conspiracy theory is dangerous, said Amarasingam, because it could affect whether people get vaccinated and follow public health rules. A report by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a think tank focused on extremism and polarization, found Canada is among the top four countries driving QAnon content on Twitter, alongside the United States, the U.K. and Australia.


nationalobserver--2020-12-11--A First Nation braves long shifts in wind, rain, cold and dark after COVID-19 cluster

The last thing Byron Harry imagined having to stickhandle during a COVID-19 community lockdown was a cougar leaping onto his truck .
Harry was pulling a graveyard shift at the Klahoose Nation ’ s emergency checkpoint , which was set up to contain a cluster of cases that had broken out in the remote community on B.C.
’ s Cortes Island just days before .
The logistics and operations team leader with the community ’ s emergency operation centre ( EOC ) was sitting in his vehicle working under the glow of his laptop at 3 a.m. when he felt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I was just shocked at first to feel the back of the truck move and wondered what it could be , ” Harry said .
“ Then I could hear something moving around on the roof , but I really didn ’ t see what it was .
But I could hear its nails with every step it took.
” • What the provinces and territories have said about COVID-19 vaccine plans so far • Kovrig draws strength from books and exercise as 'two Michaels ' mark two jailed years • Could tidal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ green energy puzzle ?
Byron Harry , a member of the Klahoose emergency operations team , checks his phone while standing at the community checkpoint Monday .
Photo by Rochelle Baker Harry turned on his vehicle and lights , and the animal jumped onto an adjacent gravel slope and disappeared into the forest and the night .
It turns out wildlife visits to the folks standing sentry on the roadway to the small village in Squirrel Cove would become a fairly regular occurrence .
So would braving long shifts around the clock in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dark to protect their community .
A team of people stepped up to staff the checkpoint 24-7 during the health crisis .
The Klahoose First Nation immediately went into strict lockdown Nov. 26 after getting news an elder tested positive for COVID-19 .
Three more cases were confirmed soon after .
To contain the virus , Chief Kevin Peacey issued a shelter-in-place order asking the 88 people in the community at the time of the outbreak to stay at home in their household bubbles .
Braving long shifts around the clock in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a team of people in Klahoose First Nation have stepped up to protect their community amid a cluster of COVID-19 cases .
Home checks and contact tracing got underway while food , medical supplies and essential items were brought to the checkpoint for pickup or delivered to homes under strict quarantine .
There was no movement in or out of Klahoose except for members of the emergency operations team , essential workers on COVID-19-related business , emergency responders , or people who had to attend essential medical appointments .
The checkpoint was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus in the Klahoose community , said Eva Delorme and Jeannie Hanuse .
The two women regularly worked night shifts , 4 p.m to midnight , at the road barrier until the full lockdown lifted Tuesday morning .
Their last shift Monday was typically wet and cold as it rained non-stop all day .
However , both women shrugged off the conditions , saying it wasn ’ t too bad .
“ It ’ s kind of what you make it , ” said Delorme , warming her hands on the wood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ canopy being hammered by the rain .
Though there were a couple of initial incidents with people resisting the restrictions , the majority of the community on and off reserve respected the precautionary measures and traffic-monitoring protocols , they said .
Folks crossing the checkpoint needed authorization to leave or come on the reserve from the EOC team and typically faced questions about their health , where they ’ ve been or who they ’ ve seen .
A logbook helped monitor anyone coming or going , said Delorme .
Folks working the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or chastise people , she said , they only want to protect their community .
“ We know everyone here .
I mean , I grew up with all these people , ” Delorme said .
The most excitement at the road barrier came from inquisitive wildlife , which , in addition to the cougar , included a wolf , raccoons and a couple visits from a juvenile bear .
“ I was really afraid of the cougar , ” said Hanuse , noting they had bear spray and air horns on hand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the brush , we shine flashlights up into the trees.
” Going for a pee in the bush before the porta potty arrived was quite the adventure , Delorme said with a laugh .
Support for the checkpoint workers from the neighbouring community on Cortes Island has been pouring in , Hanuse said .
Firewood , cakes , cookies , special deliveries and pizzas have all been dropped off for folks enduring the elements at the checkpoint .
“ It ’ s a really good feeling to see that friendliness and care , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kathy Francis , both members of the Klahoose EOC team , also appreciated the encouragement from islanders , both on and off the reserve .
The two women have been pulling double duty , helping manage the health crisis in the community but also doing shifts at the checkpoint .
Robinson said she ’ s proud of everybody who has been working to protect the community , including those who stayed at home and adhered to pandemic protocols .
She credits them all with containing the cluster of COVID-19 in the community so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ real community effort .
And , you know , everybody was unsure what ( was ) going on .
It was amazing , ” Robinson said .
“ They 've all been so dignified in it , and I 'm really proud of them all.
” The Klahoose residents who tested positive for the virus are out of quarantine , and no new cases have emerged .
But Island Health will continue to monitor the community until Dec. 27 , she said .
And though the strict lockdown is now lifted , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added .
It will help prevent outside visitors from entering the community , a measure that mirrors provincial health orders prohibiting social interactions outside household bubbles until Jan. 8 .
The checkpoint and visitor restrictions are all about keeping the community , on both sides of the barriers , safe , Robinson said .
“ It ’ s a really key thing to maintain , and it helped stop COVID-19 , ” she said .
“ That ’ s not to say somebody isn ’ t going to catch it again .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bubble.
” But should that scenario unfold , the Klahoose community has a system in place to deal with the situation , she added .
“ If all of a sudden that happens again , we 're gon na have it on lockdown , ” Robinson said .
“ It protects everybody out there .
It 's not just us , it protects the island as well .
”

The last thing Byron Harry imagined having to stickhandle during a COVID-19 community lockdown was a cougar leaping onto his truck. Harry was pulling a graveyard shift at the Klahoose Nation’s emergency checkpoint, which was set up to contain a cluster of cases that had broken out in the remote community on B.C.’s Cortes Island just days before. The logistics and operations team leader with the community’s emergency operation centre (EOC) was sitting in his vehicle working under the glow of his laptop at 3 a.m. when he felt the tailgate dip. “I guess I was just shocked at first to feel the back of the truck move and wondered what it could be,” Harry said. “Then I could hear something moving around on the roof, but I really didn’t see what it was. But I could hear its nails with every step it took.”
Byron Harry, a member of the Klahoose emergency operations team, checks his phone while standing at the community checkpoint Monday. Photo by Rochelle Baker Harry turned on his vehicle and lights, and the animal jumped onto an adjacent gravel slope and disappeared into the forest and the night. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions It turns out wildlife visits to the folks standing sentry on the roadway to the small village in Squirrel Cove would become a fairly regular occurrence.
So would braving long shifts around the clock in the wind, rain, cold and dark to protect their community. A team of people stepped up to staff the checkpoint 24-7 during the health crisis. Braving long shifts around the clock in the wind, rain, cold and dark, a team of people in Klahoose First Nation have stepped up to protect their community amid a cluster of COVID-19 cases. The Klahoose First Nation immediately went into strict lockdown Nov. 26 after getting news an elder tested positive for COVID-19. Three more cases were confirmed soon after. To contain the virus, Chief Kevin Peacey proclaimed a state of local emergency asking the 88 people in the community at the time of the outbreak to stay at home in their household bubbles. Home checks and contact tracing got underway while food, medical supplies and essential items were brought to the checkpoint for pickup or delivered to homes under strict quarantine. There was no movement in or out of Klahoose except for members of the emergency operations team, essential workers on COVID-19-related business, emergency responders, or people who had to attend essential medical appointments.
The checkpoint was key in helping check the spread of the virus in the Klahoose community, said Eva Delorme and Jeannie Hanuse. The two women regularly worked night shifts, 4 p.m to midnight, at the road barrier until the full lockdown lifted Tuesday morning. Their last shift Monday was typically wet and cold as it rained non-stop all day. However, both women shrugged off the conditions, saying it wasn’t too bad.


nationalobserver--2020-12-11--How a new delivery model could save restaurants struggling with rising costs

High delivery costs are eating into the dwindling profits of restaurant and food companies struggling during the pandemic , but one expert says new pricing models could help them survive .
Michael von Massow , a professor and food economist with the University of Guelph ’ s department of food , agricultural and resource economics , believes the entire business model of food delivery services is broken .
With such high commission rates and low margins , some restaurants are better off staying closed than selling through delivery apps and losing money , he said .
“ Restaurants are n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very much money .
And apps are n't making money , either .
At some point , that has to stop right there , ” said von Massow , who studies the performance of food supply chains .
Vancouver restaurant Pokay on West Broadway .
High delivery costs are eating into the dwindling profits of restaurants struggling during the pandemic .
Photo by Priya Bhat Some food delivery companies have lowered their fees during the pandemic , but not by enough to ensure restaurants survive .
The problem has become so severe that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to limit the amount delivery services can charge restaurants .
• Could tidal power be the missing piece to the green energy puzzle ?
• What the provinces and territories have said about COVID-19 vaccine plans so far • Kovrig draws strength from books and exercise as 'two Michaels ' mark two jailed years During the recent B.C .
election campaign , the NDP government promised to bring in a 15 per cent cap on delivery fees for six months to help restaurants through the pandemic .
In Ontario , the Conservative government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at 20 per cent of meal costs , inclusive of all fees , with fines of up to $ 10 million for non-compliance .
Von Massow says fee caps and regulations provide a short-term solution in times of crisis but should not be used as a long-term option .
Regulation might backfire by leading delivery companies to simply drop unprofitable restaurants , and asking delivery companies to reduce their fees only works to a point ; some delivery companies aren ’ t making money , either , he adds .
Nonetheless , Ian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Foodservices Association , hopes the provincial government will introduce regulations in B.C .
“ Restaurants are n't making money .
Drivers are n't making very much money .
And apps are n't making money , either.
” @ mikevonmassow proposes a new pricing model for B.C .
restaurants struggling with high takeout and delivery costs .
He says delivery costs restaurants now pay are unreasonably high and the status quo can not continue .
“ They 're charging the restaurants up to 30 per cent of the meal cost for delivery .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's no profit left , ” he said .
Von Massow says in order to make money , restaurants will have to increase their prices .
But he warned price hikes must be introduced in increments or customers will flee .
He predicts demand for delivery and food prepared outside homes will continue to rise .
And he said large delivery companies will eventually have to offer restaurants a wide range of choices at different rates , rather than a one-size-fits-all option .
These could include reduced pickup fees instead of zero fees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fee for the complete package .
“ Uber Eats is doing some things to help these restaurants survive , but I think they 're doing it very strategically in a way to maintain connection with those customers , ” von Massow said .
As a short-term solution , the company introduced a delivery-only function at a reduced service charge where restaurants take the order and use the Uber Eats platform to get the food to customers .
The delivery service provider also has a pickup-only option that allows customers to place an order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it up from the restaurant themselves with no delivery charges .
This allows the delivery company to keep users coming to its platform .
Von Massow said this enables Uber Eats to maintain a customer base , keep drivers busy and allows the company to stay engaged with that restaurant .
To help restaurants and retain clients during the pandemic , SkipTheDishes reduced its fees with a rebate program on both takeout and delivery services .
Vancouver restaurant Great Wall Mongolian BBQ .
Some food delivery companies have lowered their fees during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ensure restaurants survive .
Photo by Priya Bhat Von Massow said an entirely different model could also evolve among small restaurants and ghost kitchens ( a cluster of kitchens that come together for food preparation ) .
They could work together to form delivery-service co-operatives , allowing them to set their own delivery prices at a level that makes them money .
Tostenson said his organization is working with B.C .
delivery companies that promise to take orders and deliver them at 15 per cent of the meal cost , significantly less than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we need to create competition with local companies and I think that in the long term , B.C .
will support local B.C .
companies , ” Tostenson said .
“ But it 's going to take a while to get there.
” Von Massow predicts breaking into the food delivery market will not be easy .
Brands like Ubers Eats , DoorDash and SkipTheDishes are familiar names to customers , making marketing a new service a challenge , he said .
As for co-operatives , “ you also have to say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what , and who gets priority ?
” he added , noting restaurants can have clashes over deliveries .

High delivery costs are eating into the dwindling profits of restaurant and food companies struggling during the pandemic, but one expert says new pricing models could help them survive. Michael von Massow, a professor and food economist with the University of Guelph’s department of food, agricultural and resource economics, believes the entire business model of food delivery services is broken. With such high commission rates and low margins, some restaurants are better off staying closed than selling through delivery apps and losing money, he said. “Restaurants aren't making money. Drivers aren't making very much money. And apps aren't making money, either. At some point, that has to stop right there,” said von Massow, who studies the performance of food supply chains. Vancouver restaurant Pokay on West Broadway. High delivery costs are eating into the dwindling profits of restaurants struggling during the pandemic. Photo by Priya Bhat
Some food delivery companies have lowered their fees during the pandemic, but not by enough to ensure restaurants survive. The problem has become so severe that governments have indicated they might be prepared to limit the amount delivery services can charge restaurants. During the recent B.C. election campaign, the NDP government promised to bring in a 15 per cent cap on delivery fees for six months to help restaurants through the pandemic. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions In Ontario, the Conservative government has introduced legislation to cap delivery fees at 20 per cent of meal costs, inclusive of all fees, with fines of up to $10 million for non-compliance.
Von Massow says fee caps and regulations provide a short-term solution in times of crisis but should not be used as a long-term option. “Restaurants aren't making money. Drivers aren't making very much money. And apps aren't making money, either.” @mikevonmassow proposes a new pricing model for B.C. restaurants struggling with high takeout and delivery costs. Regulation might backfire by leading delivery companies to simply drop unprofitable restaurants, and asking delivery companies to reduce their fees only works to a point; some delivery companies aren’t making money, either, he adds. Nonetheless, Ian Tostenson, president of the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association, hopes the provincial government will introduce regulations in B.C. He says delivery costs restaurants now pay are unreasonably high and the status quo cannot continue. “They're charging the restaurants up to 30 per cent of the meal cost for delivery. And at 30 per cent, there's no profit left,” he said.
Von Massow says in order to make money, restaurants will have to increase their prices. But he warned price hikes must be introduced in increments or customers will flee. He predicts demand for delivery and food prepared outside homes will continue to rise. And he said large delivery companies will eventually have to offer restaurants a wide range of choices at different rates, rather than a one-size-fits-all option. These could include reduced pickup fees instead of zero fees, specific delivery-only fees and a higher fee for the complete package.


nationalobserver--2020-12-11--Canadian LNG is full of hot air

Canadian LNG is full of hot air

Liquefied natural gas ( LNG ) is lauded as a transition fuel , a replacement for coal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming .
The Canadian government has gone so far as to pursue a provision in the Paris climate accord to gain emissions credits , claiming that its LNG exports to Asia will help reduce air pollution there .
Unfortunately , these claims are backed by little substance .
Yet , at a time when domestic gas is poised to undermine emissions reduction targets , the federal government is considering the development of 18 LNG export @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — which , if built , would represent an annual capacity of 216 million tons .
All this , according to government and industry spokespeople , to help Asian nations reduce their GHG emissions .
Canada ’ s proposed support for Asian climate action efforts are hardly substantive .
The International Energy Agency writes : “ Potential savings of around 100 Mt CO2 from switching ( from coal to gas ) are small relative to China ’ s overall power sector emissions of 4,500 Mt CO2.
” Canadian governments and industry also claim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) will help limit the impact of LNG emissions in Canada .
Current CCS technology is designed to separate CO2 from other gases produced at downstream facilities , such as coal and gas power plants .
However , large-scale CCS operations have struggled to succeed despite decades of research .
How CCS will resolve methane leakage from upstream operations also remains to be seen .
`` As the next 10 years are critical in keeping global warming below a rise of 1.5 C , why is Canada investing in yet another fossil fuel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ? ''
asks Beth Lorimer of @ kairoscanada Eighty-five per cent of known reserves of oil , gas and coal must remain in the ground to have a 50 per cent chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 C , according to an Oil Change International study , which concludes that “ no new oilfields , gas fields , or coal mines should be developed anywhere in the world beyond those that are already in use or under construction.
” And yet , industry and the Canadian governments view gas as the only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ large scale in the short term , a view refuted by several international agencies , including the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis , which writes that a substantial increase in global export capacity is outpacing demand .
The COVID-19 pandemic has further amplified this problem and could have long-lasting impacts on the gas market , according to the International Energy Agency and Global Energy Monitor .
As the next 10 years are critical in keeping global warming below a rise of 1.5 C , why is Canada investing in yet another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our disposal ?
The renewable energy age is upon us .
The future is here .
It is high time that Canada catches up to it .

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is lauded as a transition fuel, a replacement for coal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming. The Canadian government has gone so far as to pursue a provision in the Paris climate accord to gain emissions credits, claiming that its LNG exports to Asia will help reduce air pollution there. Unfortunately, these claims are backed by little substance. LNG development will not only prevent Canada from meeting its emissions reduction targets, it may also be an economic non-starter due to decreased demand for fossil fuels and the increasing affordability of clean energy alternatives. LNG is a gas that has been cooled to liquid form for easy and safe storage and transport. While LNG plants emit 50 to 60 per cent less carbon dioxide than coal plants, their carbon footprint grows substantially when emissions from the entire gas supply chain are factored in, including hydraulic fracturing (fracking), venting and leaks, which release methane, a powerful GHG with a global warming potential 86 times that of CO2 over a 20-year time frame.
Yet, at a time when domestic gas is poised to undermine emissions reduction targets, the federal government is considering the development of 18 LNG export facilities — 13 in B.C. alone — which, if built, would represent an annual capacity of 216 million tons. All this, according to government and industry spokespeople, to help Asian nations reduce their GHG emissions. "As the next 10 years are critical in keeping global warming below a rise of 1.5 C, why is Canada investing in yet another fossil fuel when cleaner alternatives are at our disposal?" asks Beth Lorimer of @kairoscanada Canada’s proposed support for Asian climate action efforts are hardly substantive. The International Energy Agency writes: “Potential savings of around 100 Mt CO2 from switching (from coal to gas) are small relative to China’s overall power sector emissions of 4,500 Mt CO2.” Canadian governments and industry also claim that carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) will help limit the impact of LNG emissions in Canada. Current CCS technology is designed to separate CO2 from other gases produced at downstream facilities, such as coal and gas power plants. However, large-scale CCS operations have struggled to succeed despite decades of research. How CCS will resolve methane leakage from upstream operations also remains to be seen. Eighty-five per cent of known reserves of oil, gas and coal must remain in the ground to have a 50 per cent chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 C, according to an Oil Change International study, which concludes that “no new oilfields, gas fields, or coal mines should be developed anywhere in the world beyond those that are already in use or under construction.” And yet, industry and the Canadian governments view gas as the only affordable option to replace coal on a large scale in the short term, a view refuted by several international agencies, including the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, which writes that a substantial increase in global export capacity is outpacing demand.


nationalobserver--2020-12-11--Canada's new climate plan will look like an 'industrial policy,' Wilkinson says

The federal government ’ s “ updated climate plan ” will look like an “ industrial policy ” that aims to develop a supply chain for low-carbon manufactured products , Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Thursday .
The minister made the remarks during an event with Climate Action Network Canada as world leaders prepare to gather virtually on Dec. 12 for the Climate Ambition Summit marking the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement .
Late Thursday evening , Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave notice that he would be making an announcement with Wilkinson , Infrastructure Minister and former environment minister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the co-founder of environmental NGO Équiterre , on Friday around noon .
“ Canada can , and should , increase its support to meet its fair share of the US $ 100-billion in climate finance , and reaffirm its intention to deliver a much more ambitious 2030 emissions reduction target ahead of the COP26 summit next year in Glasgow.
” On Thursday , in conversation with the minister , Climate Action Network Canada executive director Catherine Abreu pointed out that while the low-carbon economy has grown in Canada in recent years , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heavily in fossil fuels .
“ To what extent can we anticipate that part of your planning to exceed ( the 2030 target ) will be an industrial strategy that helps us grow the clean economy that we know we need for prosperity and jobs in the future as we move away from those fossil fuel investments ?
” asked Abreu .
Canada must “ look at industrial emissions and how we can actually help our Canadian companies to be competitive in a low-carbon world , ” Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it absolutely has to be , ” Wilkinson replied .
He said Canada was “ blessed with many things ” that “ put us in a very advantageous position.
” Canada has an abundance of minerals that can be used to produce batteries for electric vehicles , he said , as well as the manufacturing capacity to assemble the cars and the technology to establish recharging infrastructure .
No country , he added , was better placed to “ actually be developing a supply chain with respect to low-carbon , energy-efficient building products.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ see when we release the updated climate plan is a document that is focused very much on industrial policy , that is really about building a low-carbon economy , at the same time that we are very focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions , ” said Wilkinson .
“ Canada ’ s not alone — Europe has been thinking about this , China ’ s clearly been thinking about this , and our neighbours to the south are thinking about this very actively now with ( U.S. ) president-elect ( Joe ) Biden.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ will feature speeches from Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook , UN Secretary-General António Guterres and others , with countries turning towards planning for COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 .
Abreu told Canada ’ s National Observer the global community is calling on Ottawa to deliver a “ much more ambitious package of climate action at home and increased support abroad , ” as Ban made clear in his op-ed .
“ To make the cut for Saturday ’ s summit , the Canadian government is going to have to offer a transformative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the scale of which has not yet been seen in this country , but is being modelled by other countries that are serious about tackling the climate crisis , ” said Abreu .
In his remarks , Wilkinson mentioned the importance of addressing international climate finance , “ helping developing countries to adapt ” and cut their carbon pollution , but also “ adapting to some of the effects of climate change that , by and large , the industrial world has caused .
”

The U.K. is already signalling it will ratchet up its climate target, moving to cut its carbon pollution 68 per cent from 1990 levels by 2030, and net-zero emissions by 2050. Meanwhile, Canada is facing some international criticism for a lack of ambition. Writing in the Hill Times on Dec. 9, former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon urged Canada to “demonstrate greater leadership in the collective effort to tackle climate change.” Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “The world is crying out for bold and responsible leadership to tackle both the pandemic and broader existential threats such as the climate crisis,” Ban wrote.
“Canada can, and should, increase its support to meet its fair share of the US$100-billion in climate finance, and reaffirm its intention to deliver a much more ambitious 2030 emissions reduction target ahead of the COP26 summit next year in Glasgow.” Canada must “look at industrial emissions and how we can actually help our Canadian companies to be competitive in a low-carbon world,” Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Thursday. #cdnpoli On Thursday, in conversation with the minister, Climate Action Network Canada executive director Catherine Abreu pointed out that while the low-carbon economy has grown in Canada in recent years, federal and provincial governments continue to invest heavily in fossil fuels. “To what extent can we anticipate that part of your planning to exceed (the 2030 target) will be an industrial strategy that helps us grow the clean economy that we know we need for prosperity and jobs in the future as we move away from those fossil fuel investments?” asked Abreu. “I think it absolutely has to be,” Wilkinson replied. He said Canada was “blessed with many things” that “put us in a very advantageous position.” Canada has an abundance of minerals that can be used to produce batteries for electric vehicles, he said, as well as the manufacturing capacity to assemble the cars and the technology to establish recharging infrastructure.
No country, he added, was better placed to “actually be developing a supply chain with respect to low-carbon, energy-efficient building products.” “I think what you will see when we release the updated climate plan is a document that is focused very much on industrial policy, that is really about building a low-carbon economy, at the same time that we are very focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Wilkinson. “Canada’s not alone — Europe has been thinking about this, China’s clearly been thinking about this, and our neighbours to the south are thinking about this very actively now with (U.S.) president-elect (Joe) Biden.”


nationalobserver--2020-12-11--Movie reviews: Double dose of Meryl Streep and a couple B.C. films streaming from Whistler

We have more examples this week of big names from the movies turning to streaming services .
Meryl Streep has new films on both Netflix and Crave .
One is directed by Steven Soderbergh .
And Warner Bros. shocked the industry this week by announcing its big films coming up will be shown on HBO Max at the same time they ’ ll be in theatres — if there are any open .
Finding one of those is pretty rare right now .
It 's quite worrying for real film buffs .
But meanwhile , there ’ s lots to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Talk : 4 stars LET THEM ALL TALK : At the start of this pandemic , we all watched a 2011 Steven Soderbergh film called Contagion about a pandemic .
Now here ’ s the latest from him , a bright and witty film about literary matters and reconnecting with old friends and healing old hurts .
Its discussions are mature , and the ambience in which they ’ re delivered is completely natural .
That ’ s because the actors weren ’ t given lines to speak , only outlines of what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was to achieve .
The rest was improvisation .
And what a cast , led by Meryl Streep , Candice Bergen , Dianne Wiest and Lucas Hedges .
Streep is a novelist struggling with a new work but is convinced to travel to England to accept an award .
She won ’ t fly , so her agent ( Gemma Chan ) arranges a trip on the Queen Mary 2 , where during an actual voyage , unbeknownst to the other passengers , the filming took place .
Old friends Wiest and Bergen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too , and during the crossing they gather or split off in various groups to talk .
And that they do smartly .
One thinks she was the model for an earlier novel and resents it .
The agent asks the nephew to find out what the writer ’ s new work is all about because she has not been open about it .
There ’ s also a bestselling mystery writer aboard and a friendly enough older man hovering around .
All the literary talk , therefore , gets an engrossing subplot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point : “ Plot-driven , but like a jigsaw puzzle.
” The film is casual in tone for the most part , and overall a good trip .
( streaming on Crave ) 4 out of 5 THE PROM : Here ’ s a bubbly , exuberant musical that you can take in to help lighten this dreary year .
It ’ s funny , full of big stars singing and dancing ( Meryl Streep hasn ’ t done as much of it since Mamma Mia ! )
and carries a message of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was more successful ( it ’ s too long , scattered in its story and more than a bit erratic ) , but you can ’ t have everything .
As light entertainment , it works just fine .
Streep and James Corden play Broadway performers who , when their latest show bombs , take up a cause to restore their image : “ We ’ re going to be celebrity activists.
” Along with Nicole Kidman as a chorus girl and Andrew Rannells as an out-of-work actor , they head to Indiana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been told she can ’ t go to the prom with her girlfriend as her date .
“ We ’ re going to help that little lesbian whether she likes it or not.
” They barge into a school meeting ( “ We are liberals from Broadway ” ) and pit their narcissism against small-town intolerance in lively dialogue and song .
It was originally a Broadway show , for about nine months 22 years ago .
Now it plays on the split between red and blue states , cities and small towns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is an Indiana native himself and the creator of hit TV series like Glee .
Like that show , it ’ s not subtle .
It ’ s brassy and colourful , with more stars ( Kerry Washington , Keegan-Michael Key , Tracey Ullman , plus some up-and-comers ) and Streep having a great time as an over-the-top diva .
Corden has angered some with his impression of a gay man , but I didn ’ t see a lot wrong with it .
It ’ s just a bit shaky , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 out of 5 TWO MORE FROM THE WHISTLER FILM FESTIVAL : All streaming this year , and therefore available anywhere in B.C .
Check out what , how and when here .
Once they premiere , the films will be available right to the end of the month .
INDIAN ROAD TRIP : If you ’ ve been watching the Trickster series about supernatural matters among Indigenous communities in B.C.
, you ’ ll probably also enjoy this film .
It ’ s got some of the same ambience and a great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reserves , this one anyway .
It ’ s imaged by writer-director Allan W. Hopkins , who grew up on one near Lillooet , and , therefore , I expect his representation is accurate .
One of his characters complains it ’ s stifling there ; everybody knows everything about you .
The rez is “ like one big brain .
It ’ s impossible to have private thoughts , ” he says .
So , Hank ( Ajuawak Kapashesit ) and Cody ( Paul C. Grenier ) are anxious to get out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vancouver , where they imagine eyeing and frolicking with the nudes on Wreck Beach .
But first they have to drive a cranky elder ( Dale Hunter ) to the old reserve from where she was moved years earlier .
She wants to make up with her sister , who had refused to move and now may be dying .
So the road trip is one long drive across the reserve .
They encounter several roadblocks on the way , one by tribal police , another by women , all somehow trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also being pursued by two guys in a car trying to recover some money they ’ re suspected of having taken .
They are called “ Indian con artists ” at one point .
The supernatural is there in the background , but up front , it ’ s a good adventure based , according to Hopkins , on real happenings from where he lived , and repeatedly shows a contrast between the old life and the new .
( WFF , available starting Tuesday ) 3½ out of 5 ALL-IN MADONNA : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identity and how your perceptions of it can be shattered .
A teenager ( Melanie Rose Wilson ) goes through the ordeal when she tries to grow out of her cloistered life .
She has been home-schooled and demands to be allowed to go to public school .
Her controlling father ( Adam Lolacher ) doesn ’ t like it and warns it ’ ll be difficult .
That , she finds , is true .
The kids spout rumours that her dad killed someone .
One gets into a fight with her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and her dad is under suspicion again .
It ’ s a complex story , but very engrossing , with old information being dredged up and an examination of the ways accusations can be twisted .
Arnold Lim , a news videographer in his other life , directed it , first as a short and now full length .
He says growing up as a Korean-Canadian kid in a small B.C .
town taught him what it is like being an outsider .
He put a lot of that feeling into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas near Victoria with a cast almost all from southern Vancouver Island .
The rainforest milieu is strong in the look and feel of the film .
There ’ s one scene full of emotion and anger that ’ s not clearly explained , but the rest plays well .
And take note of Wilson .
Her acting is perfectly natural .
( streaming now from WFF ) 3 out of 5 SAFETY : Sports movies regularly bring us inspiring stories like this , and though this one is relatively low-key , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s dramatic and moving .
And true .
Back in 2006 , Ray McElrathbey , a Black kid from Atlanta got a scholarship to attend and play for Clemson , one of the powerhouses of college football .
It ’ s in South Carolina .
Ray ’ s home life was a mess .
His dad was a gambler and absent .
His mom was an addict and sent to rehab .
His 11-year-old brother Fahmar was to be sent to a foster home .
Ray took him instead , housed him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to carry on with studies and sports despite several close calls at being found out .
We learn you can carry a brother that small in a gym bag and hide him in a laundry bin .
When the ploy is discovered , his teammates come to his aid , even the guy who seemed to be your typical white racist .
A woman student he has been seeing ( Corinne Foxx ) writes about him in the campus paper , and he ’ s famous .
And exposed .
He has broken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t fair , but it ’ s reality , ” says his coach ( James Badge Dale ) .
There are tense , even wrenching , scenes to come before the climax settles it .
Director Reginald Hudlin is a longtime teller of Black stories for both movies and TV .
He delivers solid feelings in this one .
Watch with the family .
( Disney+ ) 3 out of 5 PARALLEL : Sometimes movies come back for obscure reasons .
This one played at the film festival here two years ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judging by the many other write-ups I ’ ve seen , it played elsewhere .
But a company called Vertical Entertainment has now picked it up and is putting it out video on demand .
That ’ s fine because it was filmed here in Vancouver and produced by Bron Studios in Burnaby .
The director is Mexican Isaac Ezban , who likes to explore a sort of Twilight Zone-influenced mystery world .
It ’ s a clever tale , but so twisty that I must admit I occasionally had trouble following it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ ve rented , accidentally find a whole hidden room the size of an attic and a mirror that ’ s a portal to a parallel world .
It has benefits .
Inside , there ’ s lots of time to do what you want .
Come back out and you ’ ve only been away minutes .
The four are software developers who don ’ t have enough time to meet a deadline .
Inside the mirror they can .
One also finds art ideas that she reproduces and puts in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gadgets previously unknown .
Good ideas there , but I got lost a few times ( not sure who was in or out ) .
Of course , there ’ s always a price to pay in stories like this .
Tension mounts nicely along with a cautionary warning , but it ’ s not always clear what ’ s at stake .
The cast includes Kathleen Quinlan , Alyssa Diaz , Martin Wallström and Mark O ’ Brien .
( available VOD ) 2½ out of 5

We have more examples this week of big names from the movies turning to streaming services. Meryl Streep has new films on both Netflix and Crave. One is directed by Steven Soderbergh. And Warner Bros. shocked the industry this week by announcing its big films coming up will be shown on HBO Max at the same time they’ll be in theatres — if there are any open. Finding one of those is pretty rare right now. It's quite worrying for real film buffs.
THE PROM : Here’s a bubbly, exuberant musical that you can take in to help lighten this dreary year. It’s funny, full of big stars singing and dancing (Meryl Streep hasn’t done as much of it since Mamma Mia!) and carries a message of inclusion to boot. I wish it was more successful (it’s too long, scattered in its story and more than a bit erratic), but you can’t have everything. As light entertainment, it works just fine.
Streep is a novelist struggling with a new work but is convinced to travel to England to accept an award. She won’t fly, so her agent (Gemma Chan) arranges a trip on the Queen Mary 2, where during an actual voyage, unbeknownst to the other passengers, the filming took place. Old friends Wiest and Bergen and nephew Hedges are invited along, too, and during the crossing they gather or split off in various groups to talk. And that they do smartly. One thinks she was the model for an earlier novel and resents it. The agent asks the nephew to find out what the writer’s new work is all about because she has not been open about it. There’s also a bestselling mystery writer aboard and a friendly enough older man hovering around. All the literary talk, therefore, gets an engrossing subplot, like a book discussed at one point: “Plot-driven, but like a jigsaw puzzle.” The film is casual in tone for the most part, and overall a good trip. (streaming on Crave) 4 out of 5
LET THEM ALL TALK : At the start of this pandemic, we all watched a 2011 Steven Soderbergh film called Contagion about a pandemic. Now here’s the latest from him, a bright and witty film about literary matters and reconnecting with old friends and healing old hurts. Its discussions are mature, and the ambience in which they’re delivered is completely natural. That’s because the actors weren’t given lines to speak, only outlines of what each scene was about and what it was to achieve. The rest was improvisation. And what a cast, led by Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen, Dianne Wiest and Lucas Hedges.
TWO MORE FROM THE WHISTLER FILM FESTIVA L: All streaming this year, and therefore available anywhere in B.C. Check out what, how and when here . Once they premiere, the films will be available right to the end of the month.
It was originally a Broadway show, for about nine months 22 years ago. Now it plays on the split between red and blue states, cities and small towns. The director, Ryan Murphy, is an Indiana native himself and the creator of hit TV series like Glee. Like that show, it’s not subtle. It’s brassy and colourful, with more stars (Kerry Washington, Keegan-Michael Key, Tracey Ullman, plus some up-and-comers) and Streep having a great time as an over-the-top diva. Corden has angered some with his impression of a gay man, but I didn’t see a lot wrong with it. It’s just a bit shaky, that’s all. (Netflix) 3 out of 5
Streep and James Corden play Broadway performers who, when their latest show bombs, take up a cause to restore their image: “We’re going to be celebrity activists.” Along with Nicole Kidman as a chorus girl and Andrew Rannells as an out-of-work actor, they head to Indiana, where a high school girl has been told she can’t go to the prom with her girlfriend as her date. “We’re going to help that little lesbian whether she likes it or not.” They barge into a school meeting (“We are liberals from Broadway”) and pit their narcissism against small-town intolerance in lively dialogue and song.
INDIAN ROAD TRIP: If you’ve been watching the Trickster series about supernatural matters among Indigenous communities in B.C., you’ll probably also enjoy this film. It’s got some of the same ambience and a great deal of reality in depicting life on reserves, this one anyway. It’s imaged by writer-director Allan W. Hopkins, who grew up on one near Lillooet, and, therefore, I expect his representation is accurate. One of his characters complains it’s stifling there; everybody knows everything about you. The rez is “like one big brain. It’s impossible to have private thoughts,” he says.
Courtesy of Whistler Film Festival
So, Hank (Ajuawak Kapashesit) and Cody (Paul C. Grenier) are anxious to get out. They plan a trip south to Vancouver, where they imagine eyeing and frolicking with the nudes on Wreck Beach. But first they have to drive a cranky elder (Dale Hunter) to the old reserve from where she was moved years earlier. She wants to make up with her sister, who had refused to move and now may be dying. So the road trip is one long drive across the reserve. They encounter several roadblocks on the way, one by tribal police, another by women, all somehow trying to halt their journey. They’re also being pursued by two guys in a car trying to recover some money they’re suspected of having taken. They are called “Indian con artists” at one point. The supernatural is there in the background, but up front, it’s a good adventure based, according to Hopkins, on real happenings from where he lived, and repeatedly shows a contrast between the old life and the new. (WFF, available starting Tuesday) 3½ out of 5
ALL-IN MADONNA: Here’s a film all about identity and how your perceptions of it can be shattered. A teenager (Melanie Rose Wilson) goes through the ordeal when she tries to grow out of her cloistered life. She has been home-schooled and demands to be allowed to go to public school. Her controlling father (Adam Lolacher) doesn’t like it and warns it’ll be difficult. That, she finds, is true. The kids spout rumours that her dad killed someone. One gets into a fight with her. Worse, a man goes missing, and her dad is under suspicion again.
Courtesy of Whistler Film Festival
It’s a complex story, but very engrossing, with old information being dredged up and an examination of the ways accusations can be twisted. Arnold Lim, a news videographer in his other life, directed it, first as a short and now full length. He says growing up as a Korean-Canadian kid in a small B.C. town taught him what it is like being an outsider. He put a lot of that feeling into the film, which he shot entirely in areas near Victoria with a cast almost all from southern Vancouver Island. The rainforest milieu is strong in the look and feel of the film. There’s one scene full of emotion and anger that’s not clearly explained, but the rest plays well. And take note of Wilson. Her acting is perfectly natural. (streaming now from WFF) 3 out of 5
SAFETY: Sports movies regularly bring us inspiring stories like this, and though this one is relatively low-key, not big and cheering like some; it’s dramatic and moving. And true. Back in 2006, Ray McElrathbey, a Black kid from Atlanta got a scholarship to attend and play for Clemson, one of the powerhouses of college football. It’s in South Carolina. Ray’s home life was a mess. His dad was a gambler and absent. His mom was an addict and sent to rehab. His 11-year-old brother Fahmar was to be sent to a foster home.
Courtesy of Disney+
Ray took him instead, housed him secretly in his dorm room and tried to carry on with studies and sports despite several close calls at being found out. We learn you can carry a brother that small in a gym bag and hide him in a laundry bin. When the ploy is discovered, his teammates come to his aid, even the guy who seemed to be your typical white racist. A woman student he has been seeing (Corinne Foxx) writes about him in the campus paper, and he’s famous. And exposed. He has broken several NCAA rules. “It ain’t fair, but it’s reality,” says his coach (James Badge Dale). There are tense, even wrenching, scenes to come before the climax settles it. Director Reginald Hudlin is a longtime teller of Black stories for both movies and TV. He delivers solid feelings in this one. Watch with the family. (Disney+) 3 out of 5
PARALLEL: Sometimes movies come back for obscure reasons. This one played at the film festival here two years ago. I reviewed it then, and judging by the many other write-ups I’ve seen, it played elsewhere. But a company called Vertical Entertainment has now picked it up and is putting it out video on demand. That’s fine because it was filmed here in Vancouver and produced by Bron Studios in Burnaby. The director is Mexican Isaac Ezban, who likes to explore a sort of Twilight Zone-influenced mystery world. It’s a clever tale, but so twisty that I must admit I occasionally had trouble following it.
Courtesy of Vertical Entertainment
Four friends move into a house they’ve rented, accidentally find a whole hidden room the size of an attic and a mirror that’s a portal to a parallel world. It has benefits. Inside, there’s lots of time to do what you want. Come back out and you’ve only been away minutes. The four are software developers who don’t have enough time to meet a deadline. Inside the mirror they can. One also finds art ideas that she reproduces and puts in a gallery show. Another finds tech gadgets previously unknown. Good ideas there, but I got lost a few times (not sure who was in or out). Of course, there’s always a price to pay in stories like this. Tension mounts nicely along with a cautionary warning, but it’s not always clear what’s at stake. The cast includes Aml Ameen, Georgia King, Kathleen Quinlan, Alyssa Diaz, Martin Wallström and Mark O’Brien. (available VOD) 2½ out of 5


nationalobserver--2020-12-11--Advocates turn to courts to stop evictions amid growing distrust of Ontario tenancy tribunal

By the time Stephanie Cox turned to a Hamilton divisional court earlier this month to protect her client from imminent eviction , she says she 'd tried and failed 28 times to deliver a legal document to Ontario 's Landlord and Tenant Board ( LTB ) .
With barely more than a week to appeal the decision and little hope of reaching the board in time , the legal clinic lawyer bypassed the tenancy tribunal 's review process and went to court .
Within 36 hours , she 'd won a stay , allowing her client to remain in her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Marie , Maija Laitinen was preparing for divisional court after she says the tenancy tribunal refused to acknowledge a review request on a stale eviction order .
Laitinen , executive director of the Algoma Community Legal Clinic , also says the LTB was n't getting to its pile of incoming faxes fast enough to call off the sheriff or consider the appeal .
While preparing that appeal filing , Laitinen 's office also helped the tenant reach a deal with their landlord , allowing for the entire case to be set aside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distrust in the LTB ’ s processes means legal clinic lawyers are increasingly turning to the courts to handle urgent eviction matters amid a second wave of COVID-19 infections , according to multiple lawyers who spoke to National Observer , including Cox and Laitinen .
• Could tidal power be the missing piece to the green energy puzzle ?
• What the provinces and territories have said about COVID-19 vaccine plans so far • Premiers ' demands for long-term health funding take backseat to pandemic The LTB tribunal is one of several quasi-judicial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employment and other seemingly less serious disputes out of the courts .
But advocates say its online version , which was set up after the March-to-July moratorium on eviction proceedings , has been sclerotic and unjust , with notices and requests going missing or never arriving in both directions .
“ The way they ’ ve designed the proceedings , they are set up to fail , ” Cox said in a phone interview .
In response to queries from National Observer , a Tribunals Ontario spokesperson said the body strives for fairness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adding that the LTB stacked hearing schedules earlier to clear its backlog but was working to refine the process .
The Tribunals Ontario spokesperson also said adjudicators are free to issue orders in a case if someone involved is absent .
The body says it does not track hearing outcomes and eviction orders .
Earlier this week , the provincial legislature passed NDP MPP Suze Morrison ’ s motion calling for an immediate ban on residential evictions .
But Premier Doug Ford has so far been silent on whether he ’ ll implement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until the province enters a “ post-pandemic recovery period.
” Neither Ford 's office nor the office of the housing minister responded to National Observer 's requests for comment on the troubles at the tribunals and the growing calls for a halt to eviction hearings .
Amid a growing distrust in the Ontario tenancy tribunal 's processes , some legal clinic lawyers say they have turned to the courts to handle urgent eviction matters amid a second wave of COVID-19 infections .
The way the tribunal has operated since it shuttered buildings and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , advocates say .
“ It ’ s honestly like a Kafka novel when you ’ re going through it , ” Laitinen said .
“ The Landlord and Tenant Board is so broken .
It ’ s taking so long for them to determine matters , and it is taking so long for tenants to even bring a request that parties are left to resolve things on their own without recourse to this adjudicative body .
It 's not serving any function , really.
” The lawyers point to a number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even though the hearings are being held digitally , the LTB will not accept online payment for a review fee .
And faxes are piling up in offices because most staff are working from home .
“ The reason why we ’ re not getting any kind of response for the tribunal is nobody is there , ” said Susan Campbell , a legal clinic lawyer in Muskoka Parry Sound who went to court this week following a colleague ’ s fruitless month-long attempt to file an LTB review request .
During proceedings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shepherded into virtual hearing rooms , where adjudicators work through a docket of claims that lawyers like Cox and Laitinen say are mostly for evictions .
Meanwhile , legal clinic lawyers from various regional teams announce themselves at the start of a block of proceedings and tenants seeking help must publicly share contact information so they can connect offline .
According to Cox , the tribunals have left it to legal clinics already operating on shoestring budgets to provide physical locations for tenants who don ’ t have the phone minutes or computer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tribunal offices remain shuttered for all but emergency in-person hearings .
Tenants who get disconnected or fail to rejoin these hearings after they are sent off to mediate with their landlord have had their cases treated as though they failed to show up at an in-person hearing , resulting in eviction orders , multiple lawyers told Canada 's National Observer .
When asked how the system might be adjusted to improve its accessibility , Campbell said : “ There ’ s a really simple solution ; they should have people at the Landlord @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When it comes to the case Cox took to court earlier this month , the legal clinic lawyer says she 'd do it again .

By the time Stephanie Cox turned to a Hamilton divisional court earlier this month to protect her client from imminent eviction, she says she'd tried and failed 28 times to deliver a legal document to Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). With barely more than a week to appeal the decision and little hope of reaching the board in time, the legal clinic lawyer bypassed the tenancy tribunal's review process and went to court. Within 36 hours, she'd won a stay, allowing her client to remain in her home. Elsewhere, in Sault Ste. Marie, Maija Laitinen was preparing for divisional court after she says the tenancy tribunal refused to acknowledge a review request on a stale eviction order. Laitinen, executive director of the Algoma Community Legal Clinic, also says the LTB wasn't getting to its pile of incoming faxes fast enough to call off the sheriff or consider the appeal. While preparing that appeal filing, Laitinen's office also helped the tenant reach a deal with their landlord, allowing for the entire case to be set aside. Across the province, a growing distrust in the LTB’s processes means legal clinic lawyers are increasingly turning to the courts to handle urgent eviction matters amid a second wave of COVID-19 infections, according to multiple lawyers who spoke to National Observer, including Cox and Laitinen.
The LTB tribunal is one of several quasi-judicial provincial bodies designed to keep tenancy, employment and other seemingly less serious disputes out of the courts. But advocates say its online version, which was set up after the March-to-July moratorium on eviction proceedings, has been sclerotic and unjust, with notices and requests going missing or never arriving in both directions. “The way they’ve designed the proceedings, they are set up to fail,” Cox said in a phone interview. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions In response to queries from National Observer, a Tribunals Ontario spokesperson said the body strives for fairness but that in-person service remains closed, adding that the LTB stacked hearing schedules earlier to clear its backlog but was working to refine the process.
The Tribunals Ontario spokesperson also said adjudicators are free to issue orders in a case if someone involved is absent. The body says it does not track hearing outcomes and eviction orders. Amid a growing distrust in the Ontario tenancy tribunal's processes, some legal clinic lawyers say they have turned to the courts to handle urgent eviction matters amid a second wave of COVID-19 infections. Earlier this week, the provincial legislature passed NDP MPP Suze Morrison’s motion calling for an immediate ban on residential evictions. But Premier Doug Ford has so far been silent on whether he’ll implement the request to hold off on evictions until the province enters a “post-pandemic recovery period.” Neither Ford's office nor the office of the housing minister responded to National Observer's requests for comment on the troubles at the tribunals and the growing calls for a halt to eviction hearings. The way the tribunal has operated since it shuttered buildings and made virtual hearings standard has posed challenges, advocates say. “It’s honestly like a Kafka novel when you’re going through it,” Laitinen said. “The Landlord and Tenant Board is so broken. It’s taking so long for them to determine matters, and it is taking so long for tenants to even bring a request that parties are left to resolve things on their own without recourse to this adjudicative body. It's not serving any function, really.”
The lawyers point to a number of serious problems with the new system. Even though the hearings are being held digitally, the LTB will not accept online payment for a review fee. And faxes are piling up in offices because most staff are working from home. “The reason why we’re not getting any kind of response for the tribunal is nobody is there,” said Susan Campbell, a legal clinic lawyer in Muskoka Parry Sound who went to court this week following a colleague’s fruitless month-long attempt to file an LTB review request. During proceedings, tenants from across the province are shepherded into virtual hearing rooms, where adjudicators work through a docket of claims that lawyers like Cox and Laitinen say are mostly for evictions. Meanwhile, legal clinic lawyers from various regional teams announce themselves at the start of a block of proceedings and tenants seeking help must publicly share contact information so they can connect offline.


nationalobserver--2020-12-11--Trudeau goes it alone with new climate plan, proposes carbon price hike

Four years ago , Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared side by side with premiers as he announced a “ pan-Canadian ” climate plan .
On Friday , he unveiled his new “ federal ” strategy , flanked by members of his cabinet .
The difference was immediately obvious , as Trudeau acknowledged in his remarks how the government still needed to talk turkey with the provinces and territories .
“ This plan for a healthy environment and a healthy economy was developed for the federal government , ” Trudeau said in Ottawa .
“ We look forward to working with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we move forward.
” Trudeau ’ s new climate plan proposes growing the carbon price , tightening federal rules and injecting $ 15 billion worth of initiatives into the economy .
His government is hoping that these efforts will result in steeper cuts to Canada ’ s carbon pollution that go beyond current measures .
A key part of the plan involves accelerating the growth of the carbon price each year .
The current federal carbon pricing system is set at $ 30 per tonne of greenhouse gas equivalent , and is designed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to $ 50 per tonne in 2022 .
Four years ago , Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared side by side with premiers as he announced a “ pan-Canadian ” climate plan .
On Friday , he unveiled his new “ federal ” strategy , flanked by members of his own cabinet .
# cdnpoli The new plan proposes that the increase would accelerate in 2023 to $ 15 more per tonne each year , reaching $ 170 per tonne in 2030 .
This carbon price increase would need to be discussed with provinces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wilkinson .
“ The pricing proposal is a proposal .
We will be reaching out to discuss with provinces and territories going forward , ” he said .
“ We ’ ve been very clear as a government that our view is that a price on pollution is the most efficient way to reduce emissions ... all of the provinces and territories are aware of that , and that conversation will continue.
” The Pembina Institute called the “ significant ” increase in the price a “ smart ” move .
“ This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to tackle emissions that are contributing to climate change that is already costing Canadians billions of dollars , ” said Linda Coady , executive director , and Isabelle Turcotte , federal policy director .
Meanwhile , Conservative environment critic Dan Albas called the proposal a broken promise , and said it was “ shameful ” the Liberals “ failed to properly consult provinces on their plan.
” “ The environment is an area of shared jurisdiction and Canada ’ s Conservatives will respect the jurisdiction of the provinces and territories by scrapping Trudeau @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Alberta ’ s Environment Minister Jason Nixon said Friday afternoon that the province would be reviewing and providing feedback on the federal strategy when draft regulations become available .
But he took an initial shot at the plan for a higher carbon price , calling it “ yet another attack on Alberta ’ s economy and on Alberta ’ s jurisdiction.
” ‘ There is no vaccine against a polluted planet ’ Trudeau unveiled the plan Friday as new federal forecasts showed a rapid surge in COVID-19 cases , raising alarm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ticking upwards in the coming weeks .
The prime minister sought to tie the two crises together in his remarks , telling Canadians that science is a not a “ buffet ” where people can “ pick and choose ” which scientific conclusions to believe and which to ignore .
“ If we trust scientists with our health , as we do , then we must also trust their research and their expertise when it comes to other existential threats — and that includes climate change , ” he said .
“ There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The $ 15-billion plan is broken up into five elements that involve carbon pricing , slashing energy waste through retrofit programs , boosting zero-emissions vehicles , promoting hydrogen and other alternative fuels as well as carbon capture technology and nature-based solutions .
The government is proposing “ adjustments ” to the output-based pricing system for large industrial emitters , as well as strengthening the “ benchmark ” criteria it uses to evaluate the strength of provincial carbon pricing systems that it accepts in place of its own .
As Wilkinson discussed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attempt to align Canada 's “ climate and industrial policies ” by proposing “ performance standards , investments and incentives ” to ensure Canadian businesses are tuned towards low-carbon products and services .
Climate Action Network Canada executive director Catherine Abreu said the plan showed Canada was “ finally joining countries representing 50 per cent of global GDP that know strong economic policy hinges on strong environmental policy.
” “ With this plan , people and communities across Canada can see themselves joining the huge clean economy that is taking over global markets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , however , have announced that they are stopping the expansion of fossil fuel investments , Abreu noted , while Canadian governments “ continue to double down on fossil fuels.
” The plan acknowledges how greenhouse gas emissions from “ Canada ’ s industrial sector , including oil and gas production , ” are 37 per cent of Canada ’ s total carbon pollution .
“ Working with large final emitters is essential to Canada ’ s climate goals , ” it says .
Canada ’ s top 25 highest-emitting facilities represented 118 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Eight of those are coal-fired power plants , which the government is moving to phase out by 2030 .
The remaining 17 “ are a mix of oilsands , steel , refining , and a pipeline.
” Three-quarters of those 17 facilities are in Alberta , the home of the oilpatch .
“ Through targeted support to large emitters in the oil and gas sector , cement , iron , and steel sectors , this can enable near-term deployment of technologies to reduce emissions at the ‘ megatonne ’ scale , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 85 million tonnes ’ of new pollution cuts The government said that the new proposed actions , if fully implemented , are projected to result in emissions reductions of “ at least 85 million tonnes ” beyond the current Pan-Canadian Framework .
That would , in theory , exceed Canada ’ s current target of 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 , instead resulting in about a 32 per cent cut to 2005 levels by that date .
Government officials said this should not be interpreted as Canada ’ s new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will ultimately be informed by the coming engagement with premiers , Indigenous leaders and others , they said .
Canada is also already projected to overshoot its current 2030 target by 15 per cent .
“ It 's good to see policies that can , if implemented quickly and with the greatest stringency possible , take Canada 's climate ambitions further than our current insufficient Paris pledge , ” said Abreu .
“ It is also good to see a significant investment of $ 15 billion in climate action .
However , these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made by our closest trading partners in the European Union and the United States under a new Biden administration .
”

Four years ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared side by side with premiers as he announced a “pan-Canadian” climate plan. On Friday, he unveiled his new “federal” strategy, flanked by members of his cabinet. The difference was immediately obvious, as Trudeau acknowledged in his remarks how the government still needed to talk turkey with the provinces and territories. “This plan for a healthy environment and a healthy economy was developed for the federal government,” Trudeau said in Ottawa. “We look forward to working with the provincial governments and all Canadians as we move forward.” It was a different image than the one on Dec. 9, 2016, when Trudeau rolled out the Pan-Canadian Framework while seated with premiers and talked about “co-operation and collaboration.” Most of those premiers have now changed, and some provinces are now recalcitrant in the face of Liberal environmental policy, taking the fight over the carbon price all the way to the Supreme Court.
Trudeau, in turn, couldn't help but play defence when asked what would happen if the Supreme Court ruled against the federal government. “There are some jurisdictions that still don't understand that the only way to build a strong economy for the future is to protect the environment at the same time,” he said. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “There are some places in this country that still want to make pollution free again.”
Carbon price rising to $170 per tonne Trudeau’s new climate plan proposes growing the carbon price, tightening federal rules and injecting $15 billion worth of initiatives into the economy. His government is hoping that these efforts will result in steeper cuts to Canada’s carbon pollution that go beyond current measures. Four years ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared side by side with premiers as he announced a “pan-Canadian” climate plan. On Friday, he unveiled his new “federal” strategy, flanked by members of his own cabinet. #cdnpoli A key part of the plan involves accelerating the growth of the carbon price each year. The current federal carbon pricing system is set at $30 per tonne of greenhouse gas equivalent, and is designed to rise by $10 per year to $50 per tonne in 2022. The new plan proposes that the increase would accelerate in 2023 to $15 more per tonne each year, reaching $170 per tonne in 2030. This carbon price increase would need to be discussed with provinces and territories, said Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson.
“The pricing proposal is a proposal. We will be reaching out to discuss with provinces and territories going forward,” he said. “We’ve been very clear as a government that our view is that a price on pollution is the most efficient way to reduce emissions ... all of the provinces and territories are aware of that, and that conversation will continue.” The Pembina Institute called the “significant” increase in the price a “smart” move.


nationalobserver--2020-12-11--Former inmate in N.L. alleges guard performed dental work on him while another filmed

ST. JOHN ’ S , N.L .
— A former inmate of a Newfoundland and Labrador jail is suing the province , a dentist and two correctional officers after a guard allegedly performed a dental procedure on him while he was sedated .
The lawsuit says the incident happened while the former inmate was receiving authorized dental surgery from a licensed surgeon , and it alleges that the surgeon allowed one of the officers to take part while the other officer filmed it .
A statement of claim filed in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court by St. John ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plaintiff Blair Anthony Harris was an inmate at the Bishop ’ s Falls Correctional Centre for men in central Newfoundland when he was taken on Oct. 16 to a dental clinic in Gander , N.L.
, for major surgery .
The claim says dental surgeon Dr. Louis Bourget performed the surgery and alleges that he allowed Ron McDonald , one of the two guards with Harris , to perform a procedure while Harris was sedated .
Roy Goodyear , the other guard , is alleged to have filmed the surgery and later to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staff .
Harris is suing Bourget , Bourget ’ s dental company , the province , McDonald and Goodyear , as well as the dental company that owns Gander Family Dental , where the surgery is alleged to have happened .
It does not specify at this point the damages being sought .
• Tipping point ?
Experts say the Paris agreement changed the climate on climate • Could tidal power be the missing piece to the green energy puzzle ?
• What the provinces and territories have said about COVID-19 vaccine plans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ ve had issues with respect to abuse of inmates at the correctional facilities .
And a case has never been tested as to whether there ’ s a positive duty on the part of corrections officers to step in and stop a fellow officer from harming someone , ” Buckingham said in an interview this week .
“ So we want this to go to court to test , in this province , whether there ’ s a positive duty on a guard to step in and stop a harm.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bizarre and strange case that ’ s going to make good law in this province , ” he said .
Neither he nor his client has seen the alleged video in question , he said .
According to the claim , Harris remembers waking up from the surgery with a bump on his head and a bruise on his cheek , but he wasn ’ t aware anything was amiss until he was approached a month later by the jail ’ s assistant superintendent and the province ’ s superintendent of prisons .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to management and they had obtained it , according to the claim .
The lawsuit says the incident happened while the former inmate was receiving authorized dental surgery from a licensed surgeon , and it alleges that the surgeon allowed one of the officers to take part while the other officer filmed it .
The claim says that the next day , Harris was told the two guards had been `` terminated from their employment '' by the province .
A few days later , Harris had to go back to a dentist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ N.L .
— because his mouth was in pain , the claim says .
According to the claim , the dentist told him there were teeth fragments remaining in his gums and it would take another surgery to remove them .
The allegations contained in the lawsuit have not been tested in court , and none of the parties named has filed a defence .
Buckingham said all parties except McDonald and Goodyear have been served notice of the legal action .
Buckingham said in the interview that Harris “ lived in fear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the jail after he was told about the video , and he was ultimately given an early release , “ likely because of this.
” “ He was concerned about even going to a dentist again with guards .
He can now perhaps go on his own , ” Buckingham said .
Bourget has offices in both Gander and Halifax .
Calls from the Canadian Press this week to his office in Halifax seeking comment were not returned .
On Wednesday , the office said he was unavailable for comment because he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calls a receptionist said he was unavailable .
Bourget is listed as a licensed dental surgeon by provincial dental boards in Nova Scotia , New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador .
He is also listed under the `` Our Team '' section of Gander Family Dental ’ s website .
In an interview Wednesday , Gander Family Dental co-owner Dr. Pat Redmond said Bourget merely rents an office in the building and a spot at the facility ’ s front reception desk .
Redmond said Gander Family Dental has never had a patient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own patients , records and staff .
`` The relationship that ’ s on that website isn ’ t accurate , '' Redmond said .
`` That may have been when he first came here , we were gon na have that relationship , but we didn ’ t . ''
A separate phone number is listed to make appointments with Bourget in Gander , and the receptionist who answered on Wednesday said he was not in the province .
Nobody answered on Friday .
On Friday , Bourget ’ s page @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he was staff , but the first line of his biography had been updated to say he `` operates his own oral surgery practice on our premises . ''
In an email Friday morning , the RCMP confirmed it is investigating an incident concerning Bishop ’ s Falls correctional officers and the investigation is ongoing , but it did not elaborate .
Danielle Barron , a spokeswoman for the province ’ s Justice Department confirmed in an email Friday that the province has received the statement of claim from Harris .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matters before the courts or those anticipated to be before the courts , '' Barron said .
She would not comment on the employment status of the two correctional officers , citing an obligation to `` maintain confidentiality related to employees ’ personal information and work history . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11 , 2020 .

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — A former inmate of a Newfoundland and Labrador jail is suing the province, a dentist and two correctional officers after a guard allegedly performed a dental procedure on him while he was sedated. The lawsuit says the incident happened while the former inmate was receiving authorized dental surgery from a licensed surgeon, and it alleges that the surgeon allowed one of the officers to take part while the other officer filmed it. A statement of claim filed in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court by St. John’s lawyer Bob Buckingham on Dec. 4 says plaintiff Blair Anthony Harris was an inmate at the Bishop’s Falls Correctional Centre for men in central Newfoundland when he was taken on Oct. 16 to a dental clinic in Gander, N.L., for major surgery. The claim says dental surgeon Dr. Louis Bourget performed the surgery and alleges that he allowed Ron McDonald, one of the two guards with Harris, to perform a procedure while Harris was sedated. Roy Goodyear, the other guard, is alleged to have filmed the surgery and later to have shown the video to correctional centre staff. Harris is suing Bourget, Bourget’s dental company, the province, McDonald and Goodyear, as well as the dental company that owns Gander Family Dental, where the surgery is alleged to have happened. It does not specify at this point the damages being sought.
“In this province ... we’ve had issues with respect to abuse of inmates at the correctional facilities. And a case has never been tested as to whether there’s a positive duty on the part of corrections officers to step in and stop a fellow officer from harming someone,” Buckingham said in an interview this week. “So we want this to go to court to test, in this province, whether there’s a positive duty on a guard to step in and stop a harm.” Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Buckingham admits the case is unusual.
“But hopefully it’s a bizarre and strange case that’s going to make good law in this province,” he said. The lawsuit says the incident happened while the former inmate was receiving authorized dental surgery from a licensed surgeon, and it alleges that the surgeon allowed one of the officers to take part while the other officer filmed it. Neither he nor his client has seen the alleged video in question, he said. According to the claim, Harris remembers waking up from the surgery with a bump on his head and a bruise on his cheek, but he wasn’t aware anything was amiss until he was approached a month later by the jail’s assistant superintendent and the province’s superintendent of prisons. They told him someone reported the video to management and they had obtained it, according to the claim. The claim says that the next day, Harris was told the two guards had been "terminated from their employment" by the province. A few days later, Harris had to go back to a dentist — this time in Grand Falls-Windsor, N.L. — because his mouth was in pain, the claim says. According to the claim, the dentist told him there were teeth fragments remaining in his gums and it would take another surgery to remove them.
The allegations contained in the lawsuit have not been tested in court, and none of the parties named has filed a defence. Buckingham said all parties except McDonald and Goodyear have been served notice of the legal action. Buckingham said in the interview that Harris “lived in fear” about what could happen to him in the jail after he was told about the video, and he was ultimately given an early release, “likely because of this.” “He was concerned about even going to a dentist again with guards. He can now perhaps go on his own,” Buckingham said.


nationalobserver--2020-12-11--Kids need media literacy education to match rise of social networks, experts say

Kids in Canada need greater access to up-to-date media literacy education to help them navigate what ’ s real and what ’ s fake or misleading online , experts say .
The rise of social media has led to the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation , which is spread intentionally , said Dr. Ghayda Hassan , a clinical psychologist and the director of the Canadian Practitioners Network for the Prevention of Radicalization and Extremist Violence .
`` Because of the speed of access to information , cognitively , people do not have time to process and to validate the kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are a lot of biases that interfere , '' said Hassan , who is also a UNESCO co-chair for the prevention of radicalization .
`` The fact that information is often on social media propagated by individuals that we may like , that we may trust or that we may directly know , gives them more credibility , '' she said in an interview .
The COVID-19 pandemic is stoking fear and fuelling social and economic instability , creating conditions that intensify conspiratorial thinking , she said , adding she ’ s concerned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Could tidal power be the missing piece to the green energy puzzle ?
• What the provinces and territories have said about COVID-19 vaccine plans so far • Kovrig draws strength from books and exercise as 'two Michaels ' mark two jailed years Hassan is calling for stronger standards for how social media companies manage content on their platforms and a national strategy and mandatory curriculums covering digital media literacy in schools .
`` It has to become obligatory material , just as you teach math to kids . ''
School curriculums @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media literacy for nearly 20 years , but the material largely hasn ’ t been updated to reflect how media has changed since the 1990s , said Matthew Johnson , the director of education for the Ottawa-based non-profit MediaSmarts .
`` The model today is not of a distribution chain , but of a network that is functionally infinite , '' he said .
`` In theory , anybody on YouTube can have as large an audience as a TV news network or a world leader . ''
Tools and signals that may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and broadcast media in the past , such as bylines or photo credits , may not be as useful for authenticating information on social media .
Some of those signals or markers of reliability , such as a professional-looking website , may even be counterproductive , said Johnson .
The COVID-19 pandemic is stoking fear and fuelling social and economic instability , creating conditions that intensify conspiratorial thinking , one expert says .
# misinformation # disinformation `` That ’ s often extremely misleading , '' he said .
`` The people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we look at that , and so they will put a lot of effort into making something that looks good . ''
The extent to which media literacy is actually taught varies by province and territory , said Johnson .
For example , B.C .
has what he called an excellent digital literacy curriculum , but it ’ s not mandatory .
In Ontario , where media literacy is part of the evaluated language arts curriculum , he said it receives the least classroom time among other components .
`` We don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what teachers are actually teaching and what students are actually learning at a national level . ''
MediaSmarts offers parents , teachers and students tips for authenticating information , from fact-checking tools to finding and verifying original sources and checking others to assess the veracity and intent of a story .
It draws on key concepts in media and digital media literacy , including that digital media has unexpected audiences , that online experiences are shaped by the social networks and search engines themselves , and that what we do online can have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freelance journalist and the co-founder of TeachingKidsNews.com , a website she describes as a transparent source of news for kids that also helps them understand how credible news is made and how to spot content that ’ s deceptive or misleading .
`` Fake news , as it gets better , starts to better mimic journalism .
So , really , what it comes down to now is critical thinking , '' said Grant , who began delivering in−class media literacy workshops around a decade ago .
She aims to help youth recognize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and break out of them by seeking out diverse sources of information .
The goal is also a healthy skepticism that asks , `` What seems off about this ?
What is missing ?
Where are the points of view ?
Why did this person write this article or post ? ''
said Grant .

Kids in Canada need greater access to up-to-date media literacy education to help them navigate what’s real and what’s fake or misleading online, experts say. The rise of social media has led to the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation, which is spread intentionally, said Dr. Ghayda Hassan, a clinical psychologist and the director of the Canadian Practitioners Network for the Prevention of Radicalization and Extremist Violence. "Because of the speed of access to information, cognitively, people do not have time to process and to validate the kind of information they receive, so there are a lot of biases that interfere," said Hassan, who is also a UNESCO co-chair for the prevention of radicalization. "The fact that information is often on social media propagated by individuals that we may like, that we may trust or that we may directly know, gives them more credibility," she said in an interview. The COVID-19 pandemic is stoking fear and fuelling social and economic instability, creating conditions that intensify conspiratorial thinking, she said, adding she’s concerned that young people are particularly vulnerable.
Hassan is calling for stronger standards for how social media companies manage content on their platforms and a national strategy and mandatory curriculums covering digital media literacy in schools. "It has to become obligatory material, just as you teach math to kids." Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions School curriculums in each province and territory have included media literacy for nearly 20 years, but the material largely hasn’t been updated to reflect how media has changed since the 1990s, said Matthew Johnson, the director of education for the Ottawa-based non-profit MediaSmarts.
"The model today is not of a distribution chain, but of a network that is functionally infinite," he said. "In theory, anybody on YouTube can have as large an audience as a TV news network or a world leader." The COVID-19 pandemic is stoking fear and fuelling social and economic instability, creating conditions that intensify conspiratorial thinking, one expert says. #misinformation #disinformation Tools and signals that may have worked on stories from traditional print and broadcast media in the past, such as bylines or photo credits, may not be as useful for authenticating information on social media. Some of those signals or markers of reliability, such as a professional-looking website, may even be counterproductive, said Johnson. "That’s often extremely misleading," he said. "The people who intentionally spread misinformation or disinformation know that we look at that, and so they will put a lot of effort into making something that looks good." The extent to which media literacy is actually taught varies by province and territory, said Johnson. For example, B.C. has what he called an excellent digital literacy curriculum, but it’s not mandatory. In Ontario, where media literacy is part of the evaluated language arts curriculum, he said it receives the least classroom time among other components.
"We don’t have any good recent data about what teachers are actually teaching and what students are actually learning at a national level." MediaSmarts offers parents, teachers and students tips for authenticating information, from fact-checking tools to finding and verifying original sources and checking others to assess the veracity and intent of a story. It draws on key concepts in media and digital media literacy, including that digital media has unexpected audiences, that online experiences are shaped by the social networks and search engines themselves, and that what we do online can have real-world impacts.