nationalobserver--2020-10-22--Second confidence showdown for Liberal minority could be on the way

One day after surviving a confidence vote on a Conservative motion , Justin Trudeau 's minority Liberal government faces another Conservative motion that could trigger yet more high-stakes drama over the possibility of a snap election in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic .
The official Opposition is using its second opposition day this week to debate a motion calling for a sweeping probe by the House of Commons health committee into a host of issues relating to the government 's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic .
The motion is so broad and the demand for documents so massive that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its passage would paralyze the government — the same argument used to declare the first Conservative motion a confidence matter .
The government survived the subsequent confidence vote on that motion — which would have created a special committee to investigate the WE Charity affair and other alleged examples of corruption — with NDP , Green and independent MPs grudgingly joining with the Liberals on Wednesday to defeat the motion .
But all opposition parties blamed Prime Minister Trudeau for turning the issue into a confidence matter that threatened to plunge the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rise exponentially as global heating takes the gloves off • A ‘ perfect storm ’ of pre-election uncertainty along the U.S.-Canada border With opposition resentment over the handling of that motion still fresh , the government now has to decide whether to play the same card again on the second Conservative motion .
Today 's motion was actually introduced by Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner at the health committee several weeks ago , where it appeared to have the support of Bloc Quebecois and NDP members .
But Liberal members argued strenuously at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to digest such a massive motion .
Using an argument that 's likely to be repeated by government members today , Liberal MP Darren Fisher told the committee that `` the motion asks public health officials basically to stop what they 're doing to protect Canadians and sift through emails and documents instead . ''
While the motion will be debated in the House of Commons today , it will not be put to a vote until Monday .
Among other things , today 's motion would direct the health committee to scrutinize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rapid COVID-19 testing , the impact of the government 's reliance on World Health Organization recommendations that delayed travel restrictions and wearing of face masks , the Public Health Agency of Canada 's communications strategy , the partial shutdown of the Global Public Health Intelligence Network early warning system and the adequacy of federal health transfer payments to the provinces .
And it would order the government to turn over all memorandums , emails , documents , notes or other records from the Prime Minister 's Office , the Privy Council Office , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Public Health Agency of Canada related to : Calls by the Tories call for a probe into Canada 's COVID-19 health response could prompt second confidence vote .
# cdnpoli # Liberals # CPC — Plans and preparations for the pandemic ; — Communications with the World Health Organization concerning preparations for the pandemic ; — Purchasing of testing products including tests , reagents , swabs , laboratory equipment and other material related to tests used in the diagnosis of COVID-19 .
It would also order the government to release all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Force and its subcommittees and its plans for distributing an eventual vaccine .
The demand for documents concerning the purchase of personal protective equipment could be particularly sensitive for the government .
It has used a national security exemption to keep some procurement contracts secret , arguing that the intense global competition for PPE makes it prudent to protect the names of suppliers of items that are particularly hard to come by , such as N95 respirators , gloves and swabs .

One day after surviving a confidence vote on a Conservative motion, Justin Trudeau's minority Liberal government faces another Conservative motion that could trigger yet more high-stakes drama over the possibility of a snap election in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The official Opposition is using its second opposition day this week to debate a motion calling for a sweeping probe by the House of Commons health committee into a host of issues relating to the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The motion is so broad and the demand for documents so massive that the Liberals are expected to argue that its passage would paralyze the government — the same argument used to declare the first Conservative motion a confidence matter. The government survived the subsequent confidence vote on that motion — which would have created a special committee to investigate the WE Charity affair and other alleged examples of corruption — with NDP, Green and independent MPs grudgingly joining with the Liberals on Wednesday to defeat the motion. But all opposition parties blamed Prime Minister Trudeau for turning the issue into a confidence matter that threatened to plunge the country into an election.
With opposition resentment over the handling of that motion still fresh, the government now has to decide whether to play the same card again on the second Conservative motion. Today's motion was actually introduced by Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner at the health committee several weeks ago, where it appeared to have the support of Bloc Quebecois and NDP members. But Liberal members argued strenuously at that time that they needed more time to digest such a massive motion. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Using an argument that's likely to be repeated by government members today, Liberal MP Darren Fisher told the committee that "the motion asks public health officials basically to stop what they're doing to protect Canadians and sift through emails and documents instead."
While the motion will be debated in the House of Commons today, it will not be put to a vote until Monday. Calls by the Tories call for a probe into Canada's COVID-19 health response could prompt second confidence vote. #cdnpoli #Liberals #CPC Among other things, today's motion would direct the health committee to scrutinize the government's slow progress in approving rapid COVID-19 testing, the impact of the government's reliance on World Health Organization recommendations that delayed travel restrictions and wearing of face masks, the Public Health Agency of Canada's communications strategy, the partial shutdown of the Global Public Health Intelligence Network early warning system and the adequacy of federal health transfer payments to the provinces. And it would order the government to turn over all memorandums, emails, documents, notes or other records from the Prime Minister's Office, the Privy Council Office, various ministers' offices and departments, and the Public Health Agency of Canada related to: — Plans and preparations for the pandemic; — Communications with the World Health Organization concerning preparations for the pandemic;
— Purchasing of personal protective equipment; — Purchasing of testing products including tests, reagents, swabs, laboratory equipment and other material related to tests used in the diagnosis of COVID-19. It would also order the government to release all records related to the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force and its subcommittees and its plans for distributing an eventual vaccine.


nationalobserver--2020-10-23--Alarms sound as Arctic sea ice remains unfrozen at latest date on record

For the first time since records began , the main nursery of Arctic sea ice in Siberia has yet to start freezing in late October .
This article was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of Canada 's National Observer 's collaboration with Climate Desk .
“ The lack of freeze-up so far this fall is unprecedented in the Siberian Arctic region , ” said Zachary Labe , a postdoctoral researcher at Colorado State University .
He says this is in line with the expected impact of human-driven climate change .
Graphs of sea-ice extent in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a healthy seasonal pulse , appear to have flat-lined .
As a result , there is a record amount of open sea in the Arctic .
The trapped heat takes a long time to dissipate into the atmosphere , even at this time of the year when the sun creeps above the horizon for little more than an hour or two each day .
Ocean temperatures in the area recently climbed to more than 5 C above average , following a record breaking heat wave and the unusually early decline of last winter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ annual freeze in the Laptev Sea has been caused by freakishly protracted warmth in northern Russia and the intrusion of Atlantic waters , say climate scientists who warn of possible knock-on effects across the polar region .
“ 2020 is another year that is consistent with a rapidly changing Arctic .
Without a systematic reduction in greenhouse gases , the likelihood of our first ‘ ice-free ’ summer will continue to increase by the mid-21st century , ’ he wrote in an email to the Guardian .
This year ’ s Siberian heat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more likely by industrial and agricultural emissions , according to an earlier study .
The warmer air temperature is not the only factor slowing the formation of ice .
Climate change is also pushing more balmy Atlantic currents into the Arctic and breaking up the usual stratification between warm deep waters and the cool surface .
This also makes it difficult for ice to form .
“ This continues a streak of very low extents .
The last 14 years , 2007 to 2020 , are the lowest 14 years in the satellite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Walt Meier , senior research scientist at the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center .
He said much of the old ice in the Arctic is now disappearing , leaving thinner seasonal ice .
Overall the average thickness is half what it was in the 1980s .
The downward trend is likely to continue until the Arctic has its first ice-free summer , said Meier .
The data and models suggest this will occur between 2030 and 2050 .
“ It ’ s a matter of when , not if , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delayed freeze could amplify feedbacks that accelerate the decline of the ice cap .
It is already well known that a smaller ice sheet means less of a white area to reflect the sun ’ s heat back into space .
But this is not the only reason the Arctic is warming more than twice as fast as the global average .
The Laptev Sea is known as the birthplace of ice , which forms along the coast there in early winter , then drifts westward carrying nutrients across the Arctic , before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fram Strait between Greenland and Svalbard .
If ice forms late in the Laptev , it will be thinner and thus more likely to melt before it reaches the Fram Strait .
This could mean fewer nutrients for Arctic plankton , which will then have a reduced capacity to draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere .
More open sea also means more turbulence in the upper layer of the Arctic ocean , which draws up more warm water from the depths .

This article was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of Canada's National Observer's collaboration with Climate Desk. For the first time since records began, the main nursery of Arctic sea ice in Siberia has yet to start freezing in late October. The delayed annual freeze in the Laptev Sea has been caused by freakishly protracted warmth in northern Russia and the intrusion of Atlantic waters, say climate scientists who warn of possible knock-on effects across the polar region. Ocean temperatures in the area recently climbed to more than 5 C above average, following a record breaking heat wave and the unusually early decline of last winter’s sea ice.
The trapped heat takes a long time to dissipate into the atmosphere, even at this time of the year when the sun creeps above the horizon for little more than an hour or two each day. Graphs of sea-ice extent in the Laptev Sea, which usually show a healthy seasonal pulse, appear to have flat-lined. As a result, there is a record amount of open sea in the Arctic. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “The lack of freeze-up so far this fall is unprecedented in the Siberian Arctic region,” said Zachary Labe, a postdoctoral researcher at Colorado State University. He says this is in line with the expected impact of human-driven climate change.
“2020 is another year that is consistent with a rapidly changing Arctic. Without a systematic reduction in greenhouse gases, the likelihood of our first ‘ice-free’ summer will continue to increase by the mid-21st century,’ he wrote in an email to the Guardian. The delayed annual freeze in the Laptev Sea has been caused by freakishly protracted warmth in northern Russia and the intrusion of Atlantic waters, climate scientists say. #climatechange This year’s Siberian heat wave was made at least 600 times more likely by industrial and agricultural emissions, according to an earlier study. The warmer air temperature is not the only factor slowing the formation of ice. Climate change is also pushing more balmy Atlantic currents into the Arctic and breaking up the usual stratification between warm deep waters and the cool surface. This also makes it difficult for ice to form. “This continues a streak of very low extents. The last 14 years, 2007 to 2020, are the lowest 14 years in the satellite record starting in 1979,” said Walt Meier, senior research scientist at the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center. He said much of the old ice in the Arctic is now disappearing, leaving thinner seasonal ice. Overall the average thickness is half what it was in the 1980s. The downward trend is likely to continue until the Arctic has its first ice-free summer, said Meier. The data and models suggest this will occur between 2030 and 2050. “It’s a matter of when, not if,” he added.
Scientists are concerned the delayed freeze could amplify feedbacks that accelerate the decline of the ice cap. It is already well known that a smaller ice sheet means less of a white area to reflect the sun’s heat back into space. But this is not the only reason the Arctic is warming more than twice as fast as the global average. The Laptev Sea is known as the birthplace of ice, which forms along the coast there in early winter, then drifts westward carrying nutrients across the Arctic, before breaking up in the spring in the Fram Strait between Greenland and Svalbard. If ice forms late in the Laptev, it will be thinner and thus more likely to melt before it reaches the Fram Strait. This could mean fewer nutrients for Arctic plankton, which will then have a reduced capacity to draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.


nationalobserver--2020-10-23--A burning planet: Why we must learn to live with fire

This article was originally published by Yale Environment 360 and appears here as part of Canada 's National Observer 's collaboration with Climate Desk .
There is a paradox at the core of Earth ’ s unravelling firescapes .
The fires are seemingly everywhere , and everywhere more feral .
They are burning from the Arctic to the Amazon , from New South Wales to the West Coast .
They are visible , and their smoke projects their presence in the form of immense palls well removed from the flames .
But equally significant are the fires that aren ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire planet , the only one we know .
It has held fires as long as plants have lived on land .
Removing fire from landscapes that have co-evolved or coexisted with it can be as ruinous as putting fire into landscapes that have no history of it .
The fires we don ’ t see — the fires that should be there and aren ’ t — are an index of ecological loss , like imposing a drought on a normally lush landscape .
• A ‘ perfect storm ’ of pre-election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says he 'd transition America away from oil industry to renewable energy 'over time ' We have too many bad fires — fires that kill people , burn towns and trash valued landscapes .
We have too few good ones — fires that enhance ecological integrity and hold fires within their historic ranges .
At the same time , with the incessant burning of fossil fuels , we have too much combustion on the planet overall .
How did fire ’ s presence on Earth become so deranged ?
The critical contrast lies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unburned landscapes .
It is a dialectic between burning living biomass and burning fossil biomass .
We are taking stuff out of the geologic past , burning it in the present with all kinds of little-understood consequences and passing the effluent into the geologic future .
We inhabit living landscapes .
But we have increasingly powered that world by burning lithic landscapes , that is , once-living biomass now fossilized into such forms as coal and petroleum .
That clash of combustion realms is rippling not only through Earth ’ s fire regimes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its plant and animal life .
Fires in living landscapes come with ecological checks and balances .
Fires in lithic landscapes have no boundaries save those humans impose on themselves .
More and more , fire is shaping the planet as cause , consequence and catalyst .
The scale is vast , the tempo quickening .
Even climate history has become a sub-narrative of fire history .
Add up all of humanity ’ s fire practices — from burning fossil fuels to enabling the burning of rainforest and tropical peat to suppressing fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equivalent of an ice age , complete with sea level changes , mass extinctions , continental-scale shufflings of flora and fauna and peri-pyric effects like smoke palls on the scale of glacial outwash plains .
The ice-aged Pleistocene has segued into a fire-aged Pyrocene .
In simple terms , we are witnessing a fossil-fuel society imposing itself on a fire-prone planet .
The upshot is a new world order ( or disorder ) on fire that is governed by three paradoxes .
`` Here , the issue is not just consequences that will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legacy of an ill-advised past .
Our decision to let fossil fuels replace or remove fire from landscapes has generally left a fire debt that must be paid . ''
# climate First paradox : The more people attempt to take fire out of places that have co-evolved or coexisted with it , the more conditions change that worsen the fire scene .
Biotas degrade , fuels upgrade and fires become uncontrollable .
Removing good fires leaves only bad fires .
This is not a new insight .
A century ago , Northern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to found fire protection on a European model underwritten by forestry that sought to remove fire or to emulate the “ Indian way ” and routinely scrub the surface with “ light ” fires .
Advocates for light burning insisted that if fires were kept out , forests would reassemble and thicken in ways that would invite insects , diseases and massive fires .
Regular burning was widely practiced by newcomers to California as well as Indigenous people ; and variants of the light-burning controversy existed throughout the country .
Forestry condemned all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and irrational .
( Even Aldo Leopold , then establishing a fire protection system for the U.S. Forest Service in the Southwest , opposed light burning . )
It turns out that the educated elite were wrong and the nominal “ primitives ” right .
The first paradox has been proven true around the world .
Second paradox : Despite the expansion of feral flames , so abundantly recorded in global media , the amount of land burned on Earth continues to shrink .
Mostly this is attributable to a reduction in traditional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” passes its shadow over new lands or darkens its presence .
The Earth does not have more fire today than before fossil fuels emerged as a primary source of energy : It has significantly less .
The pyric transition from burning living landscapes to burning lithic ones has systematically sought to replace working flames with alternatives derived from industrial combustion .
Our houses no longer use flame for heating , lighting and cooking ; we rely on electricity , propane and heating oil .
The same transmutation has remade our offices , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longer filled with smoke or suffer through running conflagrations .
We projected that same process onto the countryside .
Farmers had relied on fire to fertilize , fumigate and alter microclimates .
Fire did all this in one catalytic process that self-propagated .
But with the transition to fossil biomass , modern agriculture found surrogates with artificial fertilizers , pesticides and herbicides , and it now had the fossil-fuel-powered machines to distribute them .
Production became more efficient ; transport , more dense .
As agriculture joins a modern economy , working flames @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the process into protected wildlands .
Whatever the wishes and ambitions of forest administrators , what made fire suppression plausible was exactly what had transformed the other habitats of humanity : the firepower made possible by fossil-fuelled machines .
Remove the aircraft , the engines , the chainsaws , the pumps , the bulldozers , the trucks to carry crews on roads carved by graders , and you have to manage fire as humans had previously : You would substitute controlled fires for wildfires and organize the landscape to better accept your burning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done with drip torches ( filled with gas and diesel ) , delivered by UTVs , helicopters and crews carried by vehicle , with firebreaks cut by tractor plows or paved roads .
Open flame began receding .
The total global area burned dropped 25 percent each year between 2003 and 2019 .
NASA Today , barring a transitional phase , the Earth shows one combustion realm or the other .
Landscape fire fades ; what fire persists tends to be outbreaks of feral fire .
We see those oft-disastrous flames .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or the sublimated fires in machines that removed them .
Still , the transition occurs at particular geographic locations .
A disrupted climate , however , globalizes the competition until eventually the two realms of combustion collude .
Like a self-reinforcing dynamo , each is amplifying the other .
Climate is boosting fire , and fires are feeding back into a warming climate .
Third paradox : As we ratchet down our binge-burning of lithic landscapes by cutting our use of fossil fuels , we will have to ratchet up our burning of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in perpetuity .
Fire management is forever .
There is little honest doubt that we need to end fossil-fuel combustion as a generic source of power .
But even if we shut it down tomorrow , we will have to deal with an atmosphere marinated with greenhouse gases for decades , if not centuries , and we still have to manage fire in living landscapes .
The fire that fossil fuels took out of living landscapes we will have to put back , with interest .
Here , the issue is not just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but the legacy of an ill-advised past .
Our decision to let fossil fuels replace or remove fire from landscapes has generally left a fire debt that must be paid .
The need is not just to reduce fuels to help contain wildfires ; those missing fires did biological work for which no single surrogate exists .
We need to reinstate the right kind of fire , and unlike burning fossil fuels , the project will have no end .
The fundamental issue is getting the right fire on the land .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ burning coupled with thinning , grazing or brush crushing .
It may mean working with or loose-herding fires , pushing and pulling wildfires in favorable times and places to expand the range of good fire , or letting fires in remote settings ramble with minimal attention beyond monitoring .
Still , prescribed fire persists as official doctrine and an ideal .
Despite its name , a prescription fire is not a vaccine — fire has none .
But good fire does resemble annual flu shots and can help build some herd immunity against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire attractive — its promise of being scientifically informed and institutionally disciplined — also makes it restrictive .
We aren ’ t getting the burning done at the scale required , especially in places like the American West .
Anthropogenic fire needs more room to manoeuvre — more geographic space , more legal space , more political space , more conceptual space .
Rather than a set-piece fixed to a particular site , prescription burning may need to resemble foraging , allowing burning as the opportunity presents itself over landscapes and across seasons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ box-and-burn approach in which they concentrate firepower on protecting areas where wildfire can threaten communities or municipal watersheds , and then draw big boxes that can be systematically burned out .
It ’ s a hybrid — half suppression , half prescribed fire done under urgent conditions .
Equally , society needs to rethink liability law to reduce the risks incurred by fire officers doing a necessary job and make fire ’ s use a default choice ; adapt air quality regulations to tolerate prescribed smoke ; and tweak National Environmental Policy Act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so they can accommodate the realities of restored fire at a landscape scale .
Video of The Birth and Death of an El Niño The most variable fire seasons occur in South America and South Asia , where the buildup of warm water in the oceans reduces rainfall , leaving rainforests to burn more widely .
NASA .
Living with fire means we work with fire , which means that we adapt to accept fire ’ s presence , but also that we let fire do work for us .
What makes fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ability to act as a broad-spectrum ecological catalyst , and what makes it interesting , its complex synthesis of everything around it , also means that many points of intervention are possible .
We can exploit those properties to advantage .
A single burn can dampen fuels , stimulate foodstuffs like berries and tubers , and improve browse for wildlife .
In a similar way , fire can help catalyze many social responses we need to make anyway .
Powerlines that cast sparks in high winds are a nightmare source of ignition : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a creaky power grid that has long needed replacement .
Communities in the fire equivalents of flood plains need hardening : Let fire help redesign them , and add greenbelts , improve roads and apply zoning that would enhance their overall attractiveness .
Just as green energy jobs can replace those lost in the conversion from fossil fuels , so fire restoration jobs can replace those lost from forest commodity production and a fire suppression business that critics have labeled a fire-industrial complex .
Still , fire is not ecological pixie dust ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fires .
As with wolves , it was easy to hunt fires to near extinction and tricky to reinstate them .
Our science of landscape fires is still primitive — still dominated by a physical representation of fire that reflects its origins as a means to control wildfire .
A genuinely biological theory of fire remains elusive ( that we still consider fire a disturbance is like characterizing rain as a disturbance ) .
Clearly , we not only need a lot of science , but sciences that can better analyze the entangled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ landscapes .
More deeply , we need a working fire culture .
Our hominin ancestors fashioned an alliance with fire in which we each expanded the realm of the other .
We learned from long empirical experience how to live together more or less amiably .
That broke during the Enlightenment and the pyric transition as fire was removed from its ecological context , the deep loam of traditional understanding was stripped away , and a mutual-assistance pact began to look more like a Faustian bargain .
We can survive without a fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fire culture — one that ensures fire ’ s proper place in the landscape .
We have a lot of fire coming at us .
We can fight it and lose .
Or we can renew our ancient alliance and turn what has become an implacable enemy back into an indispensable friend .
That is not a paradox peculiar to our new age of fire .
But it is one , it seems , we must continually relearn .

This article was originally published by Yale Environment 360 and appears here as part of Canada's National Observer's collaboration with Climate Desk. There is a paradox at the core of Earth’s unravelling firescapes. The fires are seemingly everywhere, and everywhere more feral. They are burning from the Arctic to the Amazon, from New South Wales to the West Coast. They are visible, and their smoke projects their presence in the form of immense palls well removed from the flames. But equally significant are the fires that aren’t happening. The Earth is a fire planet, the only one we know. It has held fires as long as plants have lived on land. Removing fire from landscapes that have co-evolved or coexisted with it can be as ruinous as putting fire into landscapes that have no history of it. The fires we don’t see — the fires that should be there and aren’t — are an index of ecological loss, like imposing a drought on a normally lush landscape.
We have too many bad fires — fires that kill people, burn towns and trash valued landscapes. We have too few good ones — fires that enhance ecological integrity and hold fires within their historic ranges. At the same time, with the incessant burning of fossil fuels, we have too much combustion on the planet overall. How did fire’s presence on Earth become so deranged? Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The critical contrast lies in a deeper dialectic than burned and unburned landscapes. It is a dialectic between burning living biomass and burning fossil biomass. We are taking stuff out of the geologic past, burning it in the present with all kinds of little-understood consequences and passing the effluent into the geologic future. We inhabit living landscapes.
But we have increasingly powered that world by burning lithic landscapes, that is, once-living biomass now fossilized into such forms as coal and petroleum. That clash of combustion realms is rippling not only through Earth’s fire regimes but its air, its water and its plant and animal life. Fires in living landscapes come with ecological checks and balances. Fires in lithic landscapes have no boundaries save those humans impose on themselves. "Here, the issue is not just consequences that will linger into the future, but the legacy of an ill-advised past. Our decision to let fossil fuels replace or remove fire from landscapes has generally left a fire debt that must be paid." #climate More and more, fire is shaping the planet as cause, consequence and catalyst. The scale is vast, the tempo quickening. Even climate history has become a sub-narrative of fire history. Add up all of humanity’s fire practices — from burning fossil fuels to enabling the burning of rainforest and tropical peat to suppressing fire — and we are creating the fire equivalent of an ice age, complete with sea level changes, mass extinctions, continental-scale shufflings of flora and fauna and peri-pyric effects like smoke palls on the scale of glacial outwash plains. The ice-aged Pleistocene has segued into a fire-aged Pyrocene. In simple terms, we are witnessing a fossil-fuel society imposing itself on a fire-prone planet. The upshot is a new world order (or disorder) on fire that is governed by three paradoxes. First paradox: The more people attempt to take fire out of places that have co-evolved or coexisted with it, the more conditions change that worsen the fire scene. Biotas degrade, fuels upgrade and fires become uncontrollable. Removing good fires leaves only bad fires. This is not a new insight. A century ago, Northern California underwent a hard-fought debate about whether to found fire protection on a European model underwritten by forestry that sought to remove fire or to emulate the “Indian way” and routinely scrub the surface with “light” fires. Advocates for light burning insisted that if fires were kept out, forests would reassemble and thicken in ways that would invite insects, diseases and massive fires. Regular burning was widely practiced by newcomers to California as well as Indigenous people; and variants of the light-burning controversy existed throughout the country.
Forestry condemned all forms of traditional fire lore as primitive and irrational. (Even Aldo Leopold, then establishing a fire protection system for the U.S. Forest Service in the Southwest, opposed light burning.) It turns out that the educated elite were wrong and the nominal “primitives” right. The first paradox has been proven true around the world. Second paradox: Despite the expansion of feral flames, so abundantly recorded in global media, the amount of land burned on Earth continues to shrink. Mostly this is attributable to a reduction in traditional agricultural burning as the “pyric transition” passes its shadow over new lands or darkens its presence. The Earth does not have more fire today than before fossil fuels emerged as a primary source of energy: It has significantly less. The pyric transition from burning living landscapes to burning lithic ones has systematically sought to replace working flames with alternatives derived from industrial combustion. Our houses no longer use flame for heating, lighting and cooking; we rely on electricity, propane and heating oil. The same transmutation has remade our offices, factories and cities, which are no longer filled with smoke or suffer through running conflagrations. We projected that same process onto the countryside.


nationalobserver--2020-10-23--Newt X-ing ahead: B.C. islanders post road signs to help migrating salamanders

Every autumn , B.C .
's Cortes Island rolls out a critical road safety campaign to protect some of the smallest and most vulnerable members of the community — rough-skinned newts .
Friends of Cortes Island ( FOCI ) , a local conservation group , established the Newt X-ing Action Project to protect the little creatures , which face hazardous trips across roadways when they leave their wetland habitats and head into nearby forests to hibernate at the start of the rainy season .
As part of the campaign , FOCI reminds drivers and cyclists to keep their eyes open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posts striking yellow-and-black newt crossing signs at hot spots where the salamanders are most likely to be using the island ’ s roads , said Max Thaysen , FOCI board president .
Max Thaysen , FOCI board president , said Cortes Island 's rough-skinned newts risk death on local roads as they migrate from the wetlands to the forests to hibernate in fall .
Photo by Max Thaysen “ I think it ’ s a heartwarming project .
And they ’ re really cute , ” said Thaysen .
“ People like to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people care about the newts and try to avoid running them over.
” • A ‘ perfect storm ’ of pre-election uncertainty along the U.S.-Canada border • Biden says he 'd transition America away from oil industry to renewable energy 'over time ' The chubby salamanders can reach a maximum length of 22 centimetres tip to tail but are hard to spot on the roads and can be mistaken for leaves , said Thaysen .
That is , unless they are agitated , at which point , rough-skinned newts will curl back their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orange underbellies as a warning to predators .
The newts are the most poisonous amphibians in the Pacific Northwest and can contain enough poison to kill 25,000 mice .
The toxin secreted through their skin , to deter other animals from eating them , is similar to that used by deadly pufferfish .
One of the few predators able to stomach the newts is garter snakes .
Rough-skinned newts will reveal their bright yellow or orange underbellies when threatened .
Photo by Brome McCreary But the salamanders pose little threat to humans unless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; one man died after doing just that , Thaysen said .
A Cortes Island project aims to keep rough-skinned newts from becoming roadkill .
“ It 's a heartwarming project , '' says Max Thaysen .
`` People like to see the signs , and lots of people care about the newts and try to avoid running them over.
” Like most amphibians , the newts play an important role in wetlands , he said .
“ People like seeing them because they can be an indicator of healthy aquatic ecosystems , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re especially sensitive to pollution or toxins in our waterways.
” Road mortality is a significant threat to amphibians and reptiles , both of which are considered the species most at risk in B.C.
, with more than 50 per cent of the species in each group listed as conservation concerns federally and/or provincially .
In March , B.C.
’ s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy released guidelines to help assess , avoid and minimize road impacts on amphibians and reptiles in the province .
A number of communities across B.C @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to protect at-risk species and curb the roadway carnage .
The Fraser Valley Conservancy ( FVC ) group established a tunnel and detours along Chilliwack roadways that bisect wetlands in the Ryder Lake area .
The measures are in place to preserve migrating baby western toads — the size of a dime and dubbed toadlets — as well as other amphibians , such as northern red-legged frogs .
On Vancouver Island , SPLAT — Some Poor Little Amphibians Trampled Project — has also installed tunnels and other mitigation measures along Highway 4 towards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a number of frogs and salamanders , including the rough-skinned newt .
Thaysen said the Newt X-ing Action Project also does work in the spring when the island ’ s salamanders make a return trip to the wetlands to breed .
While drivers should slow down and be cautious , well-meaning people shouldn ’ t try to pick up the newts in an effort to assist them , he said .
“ It ’ s hard to tell which direction they 're headed .
So , helping them cross the road might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thaysen said .
“ Plus , the oils on our hands can be harmful to amphibians of all sorts , ” he said , adding that if people must pick them up they should coat their hands in dirt or mud .
Though protected under B.C.
’ s Wildlife Act , rough-skinned newts are quite common , Thaysen said .
But they merit protection so they stay abundant , he added .
“ They ’ re active users of our roadways and are more vulnerable to being killed in that particular way , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if there were any other creatures that were quite as likely to get run over , we would probably put up signs for them , too.
” Every autumn and spring , the Friends of Cortes Island , a local conservation group , sets out signs warning motorists to be on the lookout for rough-skinned newts .
Photo courtesy of FOCI

Every autumn, B.C.'s Cortes Island rolls out a critical road safety campaign to protect some of the smallest and most vulnerable members of the community — rough-skinned newts. Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI), a local conservation group, established the Newt X-ing Action Project to protect the little creatures, which face hazardous trips across roadways when they leave their wetland habitats and head into nearby forests to hibernate at the start of the rainy season. As part of the campaign, FOCI reminds drivers and cyclists to keep their eyes open for the small critters. It also posts striking yellow-and-black newt crossing signs at hot spots where the salamanders are most likely to be using the island’s roads, said Max Thaysen, FOCI board president. Max Thaysen, FOCI board president, said Cortes Island's rough-skinned newts risk death on local roads as they migrate from the wetlands to the forests to hibernate in fall. Photo by Max Thaysen
“I think it’s a heartwarming project. And they’re really cute,” said Thaysen. “People like to see the signs, and lots of people care about the newts and try to avoid running them over.” The chubby salamanders can reach a maximum length of 22 centimetres tip to tail but are hard to spot on the roads and can be mistaken for leaves, said Thaysen. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions That is, unless they are agitated, at which point, rough-skinned newts will curl back their heads to reveal their bright yellow or orange underbellies as a warning to predators.
The newts are the most poisonous amphibians in the Pacific Northwest and can contain enough poison to kill 25,000 mice. A Cortes Island project aims to keep rough-skinned newts from becoming roadkill. “It's a heartwarming project," says Max Thaysen. "People like to see the signs, and lots of people care about the newts and try to avoid running them over.” The toxin secreted through their skin, to deter other animals from eating them, is similar to that used by deadly pufferfish. One of the few predators able to stomach the newts is garter snakes. Rough-skinned newts will reveal their bright yellow or orange underbellies when threatened. Photo by Brome McCreary But the salamanders pose little threat to humans unless they are foolish enough to ingest them; one man died after doing just that, Thaysen said. Like most amphibians, the newts play an important role in wetlands, he said.
“People like seeing them because they can be an indicator of healthy aquatic ecosystems,” Thaysen said. “They’re especially sensitive to pollution or toxins in our waterways.” Road mortality is a significant threat to amphibians and reptiles, both of which are considered the species most at risk in B.C., with more than 50 per cent of the species in each group listed as conservation concerns federally and/or provincially. In March, B.C.’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy released guidelines to help assess, avoid and minimize road impacts on amphibians and reptiles in the province.


nationalobserver--2020-10-23--Here’s where to find every wind turbine in Canada

Want to know the exact location and specifications of every wind turbine in Canada ?
The federal government has you covered .
Natural Resources Canada has published the Canadian Wind Turbine Database , which contains the precise latitude and longitude of every turbine , along with details like its dimensions , its power output , its manufacturer and the date it was commissioned .
For example , users can see that the largest rotor diameter of any wind turbine in Canada belongs to the Moose Lake Wind Project , northwest of Tumbler Ridge , B.C.
, which came online last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a level comparable to the Site C dam .
“ They ’ re getting bigger .
They ’ re getting taller .
Their capacity is growing .
And their sophistication is growing , ” said Levy .
Roughly 60 per cent of Canada ’ s wind turbines were commissioned this decade , with the average age being about nine years old .
British Columbia has the fifth-most turbines by province or territory , at 292 .
In addition to Moose Lake in the northeast , there are seven other wind farms in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ northeast , two in the southern Interior and one on Vancouver Island .
There is also one turbine on Grouse Mountain in the Vancouver area , a tourist attraction with a panoramic viewing area .
Want to know exactly where Canada 's wind turbines are located ?
The federal government 's wind turbine database has you covered .
# RenewableEnergy With 2,663 turbines , or about 40 per cent of the country ’ s total , Ontario has the most overall .
About 30 per cent more of Canada ’ s turbines are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alberta comes in third , with 900 turbines .
Meanwhile , Nova Scotia has 310 turbines , Saskatchewan has 153 , Manitoba has 133 , New Brunswick has 119 , Prince Edward Island has 104 , Newfoundland and Labrador has 27 , Northwest Territories has four and Yukon has two .
By showing where wind power exists , it also shows where it isn ’ t .
For one , there are no offshore wind farms across all of Canada .
Clean Energy BC also says the province has “ vast offshore wind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coast .
“ In each province , there are untapped locations , ” said Levy .
“ I think it points to the opportunity for more renewable energy , more wind energy , under the right conditions with the right level of community engagement and support , and all the other infrastructure that goes with it , from electric lines to access .
”

Want to know the exact location and specifications of every wind turbine in Canada? The federal government has you covered.
Natural Resources Canada has published the Canadian Wind Turbine Database, which contains the precise latitude and longitude of every turbine, along with details like its dimensions, its power output, its manufacturer and the date it was commissioned. There is also an interactive map.
For example, users can see that the largest rotor diameter of any wind turbine in Canada belongs to the Moose Lake Wind Project, northwest of Tumbler Ridge, B.C., which came online last year and is expected by Aeolis Wind Power to "produce energy at a level comparable to large BC Hydro projects, such as the Site C dam."
The massive rotors on Moose Lake’s four turbines are 141 metres in diameter, far beyond the average diameter of the 6,698 wind turbines that are tracked in the database, which is 88 metres.
“For the first time, Canadians have access to centralized geographic and technical information on individual wind turbines that make up individual wind farms, (which) were all collected prior to now very much on an aggregated basis,” said Tom Levy, senior wind engineer at the federal Natural Resources Department.


nationalobserver--2020-10-23--Film reviews: A little-known classic returns, climate activists make a mark and a Chinese legend get

Film reviews: A little-known classic returns, climate activists make a mark and a Chinese legend gets an update

Maybe the film supply is getting thinner .
Today ’ s are old or small , though more than half are very good .
And three other titles new in theatres are obscure .
Disney is dumping a horror movie called The Empty Man , which came to it when it bought 20th Century Fox .
Lupin III is an animated film from Japan about heading off a resurrected Third Reich , and Twiceborn , also from Japan , is a true story about a businessman revered as Buddha reborn .
I couldn ’ t preview them , but I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Nothing like a major win at the Academy Awards to get people interested in your earlier work .
Bong Joon Ho ’ s film Parasite won four Oscars last year , and that prompted the return of this one from 17 years ago .
It ’ s his second full-length feature and comes in a sparkling new restoration .
What really shines is his storytelling talent .
( He directed and co-wrote the film . )
He again shows his preference for mixing social commentary and humour into very grim storylines .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( loosely based on a real case in South Korea in the 1980s that wasn ’ t solved until just recently ) .
A couple of regional cops are investigating .
One , played by Song Kang-ho , who was also in Parasite , is quick to jump to conclusions and is sure that an intellectually disabled local youth is the killer .
His partner is quick with his fists and kicks , and together , they get a confession , they think .
A sharper detective ( Kim Sang-kyung ) is sent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up with his deductive powers .
The real break comes from the only woman on the force ( Ko Seo-hie ) who notices a coincidence : The killings happen when a certain song is requested at a radio station .
It ’ s a break , but not a solution .
The film draws you into the mystery with stylish direction , swirling tension , comic touches about bumbling police and , from outside , the sounds of political unrest .
It ’ s complex and captivating .
( In theatres now at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Victoria , and digital and on demand Nov. 3 ) 4 out of 5 NOW : Here ’ s a perfect companion piece to I Am Greta , which was just here .
This documentary features the climate activists who were inspired by Greta Thunberg .
It ’ s not clear how many of them were already activists before her worldwide fame , but longtime or newbie , they ’ re an impressive lot .
Several are from Germany , since that ’ s where this documentary is from .
So is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has also worked in Los Angeles .
So we get to know people like Felix Finkbeiner , whose group Plant for the Planet advocates planting a trillion trees .
Al Gore inspired him .
Marcella Hansch is fighting plastics .
American Vic Barrett of Youth v. Gov talks of “ environmental racism.
” Zion Lights ( that ’ s her name ) of Extinction Rebellion , Kelsey Juliana , who took a case to the U.S. Supreme Court and others articulate the urgency they feel to fight climate change .
There ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coal mine and thousands marching in city streets .
Thunberg shows up throughout , in the background at first , then speaking loudly in Poland and at the UN ( “ How dare you ” ) .
Observers like singer Patti Smith , film director Wim Wenders , economic anthropologist Jason Hickel and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus offer analysis , praise and warnings .
“ Can the movement turn self-destructive ?
” they ask .
Most intriguing , though , is the growing feeling among the activists that the entire economic system , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enemy .
That ’ s something to watch .
( Available digitally at https : //theimpactseries.net ) 4 out of 5 OVER THE MOON : I enjoyed it , but I wonder how Chinese movie fans will take to this one .
It ’ s an extreme update of a legendary story .
Pretty well all Chinese children are told the tale about a beautiful lady named Chang ' e who lives on the moon .
Apparently , many believe it ’ s true and look for any sign of her on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Originally a harvest festival , it ’ s now a family holiday .
This film starts rather cutesy , but then becomes loud , colourful and strident .
Young Fei Fei believes the story is true and , after her mother dies , builds a rocketship and flies there .
She brings along her pet bunny and an annoying soon-to-be stepbrother .
( He and his mother , voiced by Sandra Oh , have joined the family ) .
On the moon , she ’ s welcomed by Chang ' e , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voice of Phillipa Soo , who was big in the Broadway show Hamilton .
It ’ s far away from Chinese mythology and very Hollywood .
Margaret Cho , Ken Jeong and John Cho , or least their voices and personalities , are in it , too .
Fei Fei is voiced by a newcomer , Cathy Ang .
Co-directors Glen Keane and John Kahrs have extensive experience in animation , and both won Oscars for short films .
So the visual work , though not top-flight , is dazzling .
Some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colour and action we see on the screen both delights and makes you wonder about how sensitive to tradition the film is .
Kids will surely like it .
Careful , though : There are two deaths that have to be grieved and moved beyond .
( Netflix ) 3½ out of 5 OLIVER SACKS : HIS OWN LIFE : For most of us , Oliver Sacks became known when Robin Williams played him in the film Awakenings .
Readers of his books already knew him as a compelling and enthralling thinker about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , how it shapes us , how to treat it right .
He was a neurologist who charmed his readers with real stories in books like The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and offended some in his profession .
They accused him of exploiting his patients by writing about their afflictions .
He makes no apologies in this film , constructed from a series of interviews he gave shortly before his death .
Courtesy of Films We Like He comes off as a smiling and amiable man who explains his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the “ order , stability and mystery.
” He was also haunted by rejection .
He was just a teen when his mother called him an abomination after he revealed he was gay .
He became a biker , got hooked on amphetamines and , after splitting with a partner , resolved never to live with anyone again .
Clumsy in his laboratory work , Sacks was demoted to seeing patients and “ neurological heaven opened ” for him .
The film details his work with catatonic patients , his focus on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of victims of Parkinsonism and Tourette ’ s syndrome and his overriding philosophy : to treat the patient and not the disease .
Science , medicine and personal drama combine precisely in this fascinating documentary .
It ’ s directed by an experienced hand , Ric Burns , brother ( and sometimes associate ) of Ken .
( Vancity Theatre ) 4 out of 5 MAJOR ARCANA : They ’ re the most influential cards in a deck of Tarot cards .
They affect your life , karma and where you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guy named Dink is going through in Vermont .
He has been away for years ( can ’ t explain why ) , is back ( because his dad died and left him a house and property ) and doesn ’ t have much of an idea what he ’ ll do .
So he starts building a house in the woods , reconnects tentatively with the girlfriend he left years ago and argues briskly with his mother .
She figures she should get a share of the property and the money that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the house .
That ’ s the setup for an engrossing visit with a man who is floating through life with no clear purpose .
He says he wandered the West Coast and spent time up in B.C .
( He reminds me so much of guys you might have met up in the Slocan Valley or Lund or elsewhere .
Back-to-the land hippies . )
He has uneven teeth and a craggy face .
But he ’ s an artisan .
Repeatedly through the film , we see him at work : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cutting mortise and tenon joints and raising beams .
His work looks authentic , because he is .
Director Josh Melrod chose Ujon Tokarski to play him when he saw him work on his house .
Lane Bradbury and Tara Summers , as mother and girlfriend , are both experienced actors with a lot of television work .
Together they create a realistic , low-key ambience around a man who has to move on — but where to ?
A quiet , thoughtful but always involving film .
( Vancity Theatre ) 3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s become almost a trend .
Filmmakers use horror movie conventions to post a pungent criticism of society .
The U.S. , the U.K. and now Turkey have joined in .
First-time director Orcun Behram ( he also wrote it ) rants about increasing oppression in his country through the experiences of people in one apartment building .
They ’ re told that as of midnight , a new communication will start up called the Night Bulletin .
It will go to every household in the country and bring on “ a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be “ closer to the ideal order.
” Almost immediately , things go wrong .
A rooftop installer falls to his death .
A tenant reports a black goo oozing into her bathtub .
It seems to be coming from the antenna .
Children hear noises in the walls .
Just pipes making sounds , they ’ re told .
A building superintendent has to ensure the installation is done smoothly and clean up the ooze ( and more ) as we wait for the system to start up and wonder what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opinion will not be tolerated ” is one message it eventually imparts .
There are more , all typical autocratic pronouncements .
And there ’ s more ooze .
The film makes its points clearly enough and builds eerie tension doing it .
I don ’ t understand the ooze , though , except perhaps as a visual representation of harmful ideas engulfing people .
It seems a forced connection .
( on demand at iTunes , Amazon , cable companies and others ) 2½ out of 5

Maybe the film supply is getting thinner. Today’s are old or small, though more than half are very good. And three other titles new in theatres are obscure. Disney is dumping a horror movie called The Empty Man, which came to it when it bought 20th Century Fox. Lupin III is an animated film from Japan about heading off a resurrected Third Reich, and Twiceborn, also from Japan, is a true story about a businessman revered as Buddha reborn. I couldn’t preview them, but I do have these:
MEMORIES OF MURDER : Nothing like a major win at the Academy Awards to get people interested in your earlier work. Bong Joon Ho’s film Parasite won four Oscars last year, and that prompted the return of this one from 17 years ago. It’s his second full-length feature and comes in a sparkling new restoration. What really shines is his storytelling talent. (He directed and co-wrote the film.) He again shows his preference for mixing social commentary and humour into very grim storylines.
Borat, who allegedly embarrassed his country with that first film, is now sent on a mission by his president, who is fuming that he’s the one strongman Trump has not become friends with. He’s to take a present to Pence as an offering, but loses the gift and quickly has to find a new one. How about a young woman? He gets the idea from an old photo of Trump with Jeffrey Epstein. (See? He doesn’t hold back.) His own daughter, a stowaway on the trip and played by Maria Bakalova, would be a fine gift, once she’s cleaned up and dyed blond, and Rudy Giuliani’s a fine recipient. That encounter is mildly embarrassing, but not as lurid as the rumours would have it. The strength of the film is in skewering a whole range of American attitudes — from the Melania fairy-tale video the daughter watches, to the crowd that Borat gets singing along to a virulent anti-Obama song. Little in here is subtle. Enjoy. (Amazon Prime) 3½ out of 5
BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM : Almost 15 years after he first punked America as Kazakhstan’s fourth-best journalist, Sacha Baron Cohen is at it again, and in these darker days, goes even tougher at it. He shows that he’s one of our top satirists. He doesn’t bother with polite discussion and goes for the extreme. There he is walking into a Republican rally in a KKK outfit. Or a Mike Pence speech dressed as Donald Trump while the vice-president proudly proclaims the virus is under control because “we’ve only had 15 cases.” Cohen made the film months ago. What has transpired since is part of the joke, a very dark one, as is the cross-section of Americans he meets: An anti-abortion pastor, Georgia socialites at a debutante ball, gun-holding Trump supporters, and more. It’s hard to tell what is real and what is scripted, and it doesn’t matter too much anyway. There’s much to laugh and cringe at.
NOW : Here’s a perfect companion piece to I Am Greta, which was just here. This documentary features the climate activists who were inspired by Greta Thunberg. It’s not clear how many of them were already activists before her worldwide fame, but longtime or newbie, they’re an impressive lot. Several are from Germany, since that’s where this documentary is from. So is the director, Jim Rakete, although he has also worked in Los Angeles. So we get to know people like Felix Finkbeiner, whose group Plant for the Planet advocates planting a trillion trees. Al Gore inspired him. Marcella Hansch is fighting plastics. American Vic Barrett of Youth v. Gov talks of “environmental racism.” Zion Lights (that’s her name) of Extinction Rebellion, Kelsey Juliana, who took a case to the U.S. Supreme Court, and others articulate the urgency they feel to fight climate change.
A serial killer is at work here (loosely based on a real case in South Korea in the 1980s that wasn’t solved until just recently). A couple of regional cops are investigating. One, played by Song Kang-ho, who was also in Parasite, is quick to jump to conclusions and is sure that a local youth who is intellectually disabled is the killer. His partner is quick with his fists and kicks, and together, they get a confession, they think. A sharper detective (Kim Sang-kyung) is sent down from Seoul and shows them both up with his deductive powers. The real break comes from the only woman on the force (Ko Seo-hie) who notices a coincidence: The killings happen when a certain song is requested at a radio station. It’s a break, but not a solution. The film draws you into the mystery with stylish direction, swirling tension, comic touches about bumbling police, and, from outside, the sounds of political unrest. It’s complex and captivating. (In theatres now at International Village, Cineplex Coquitlam and Odeon Victoria, and digital and on demand Nov. 3.) 4 out of 5
Courtesy of Starhaus Filmproduktion
There’s footage of demonstrators swarming into an open-pit coal mine and thousands marching in city streets. Thunberg shows up throughout, in the background at first, then speaking loudly in Poland and at the UN. (“How dare you?”) Observers like singer Patti Smith, film director Wim Wenders, economic anthropologist Jason Hickel and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus offer analysis, praise and warnings. “Can the movement turn self-destructive?” they ask. Most intriguing, though, is the growing feeling among the activists that the entire economic system, not just fossil fuels, is the enemy. That’s something to watch. (Available digitally at https://theimpactseries.net) 4 out of 5
OVER THE MOON: I enjoyed it, but I wonder how Chinese movie fans will take to this one. It’s an extreme update of a legendary story. Pretty well all Chinese children are told the tale about a beautiful lady named Chang'e who lives on the moon. Apparently, many believe it’s true and look for any sign of her on the night of the annual Moon Festival. Originally a harvest festival, it’s now a family holiday. This film starts rather cutesy, but then becomes loud, colourful and strident.
Courtesy of Netflix
Young Fei Fei believes the story is true, and, after her mother dies, builds a rocketship and flies there. She brings along her pet bunny and an annoying soon-to-be stepbrother. (He and his mother, voiced by Sandra Oh, have joined the family.) On the moon, she’s welcomed by Chang'e, who sings emphatic, show-stopping songs in the voice of Phillipa Soo, who was big in the Broadway show Hamilton. It’s far away from Chinese mythology and very Hollywood. Margaret Cho, Ken Jeong and John Cho, or least their voices and personalities, are in it, too. Fei Fei is voiced by a newcomer, Cathy Ang.
Co-directors Glen Keane and John Kahrs have extensive experience in animation, and both won Oscars for short films. So the visual work, though not top-flight, is dazzling. Some of it was done in Vancouver. The colour and action we see on the screen both delights and makes you wonder about how sensitive to tradition the film is. Kids will surely like it. Careful, though: There are two deaths that have to be grieved and moved beyond. (Netflix) 3½ out of 5
OLIVER SACKS: HIS OWN LIFE: For most of us, Oliver Sacks became known when Robin Williams played him in the film Awakenings. Readers of his books already knew him as a compelling and enthralling thinker about the human brain, how it works, how it shapes us, how to treat it right. He was a neurologist who charmed his readers with real stories in books like The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and offended some in his profession. They accused him of exploiting his patients by writing about their afflictions. He makes no apologies in this film, constructed from a series of interviews he gave shortly before his death.
Courtesy of Films We Like
He comes off as a smiling and amiable man who explains his fascination with science. He was attracted to the “order, stability and mystery.” He was also haunted by rejection. He was just a teen when his mother called him an abomination after he revealed he was gay. He became a biker, got hooked on amphetamines and, after splitting with a partner, resolved never to live with anyone again.
Clumsy in his laboratory work, Sacks was demoted to seeing patients and “neurological heaven opened” for him. The film details his work with catatonic patients, his focus on “the richness” of the experience of victims of Parkinsonism and Tourette’s syndrome and his overriding philosophy: To treat the patient and not the disease. Science, medicine and personal drama combine precisely in this fascinating documentary. It’s directed by an experienced hand, Ric Burns, brother (and sometimes associate) of Ken. (Vancity Theatre) 4 out of 5
MAJOR ARCANA: They’re the most influential cards in a deck of Tarot cards. They affect your life, karma and where you’re going — or exactly what a sketchy guy named Dink is going through in Vermont. He has been away for years (can’t explain why), is back (because his dad died and left him a house and property) and doesn’t have much of an idea what he’ll do. So he starts building a house in the woods, reconnects tentatively with the girlfriend he left years ago and argues briskly with his mother. She figures she should get a share of the property and the money that may be hidden in a walls of the house.
Coutesy of VIFC
That’s the setup for an engrossing visit with a man who is floating through life with no clear purpose. He says he wandered the West Coast and spent time up in B.C. (He reminds me so much of guys you might have met up in the Slocan Valley or Lund or elsewhere. Back-to-the land hippies.) He has uneven teeth and a craggy face. But he’s an artisan. Repeatedly through the film, we see him at work: cutting down trees, shaping logs, cutting mortise and tenon joints and raising beams. His work looks authentic, because he is. Director Josh Melrod chose Ujon Tokarski to play him when he saw him work on his house. Lane Bradbury and Tara Summers, as mother and girlfriend, are both experienced actors with a lot of television work. Together they create a realistic, low-key ambience around a man who has to move on — but where to? A quiet, thoughtful but always involving film. (Vancity Theatre) 3 out of 5
THE ANTENNA: It’s become almost a trend. Filmmakers use horror movie conventions to post a pungent criticism of society. The U.S., the U.K. and now Turkey have joined in. First-time director Orcun Behram (he also wrote it) rants about increasing oppression in his country through the experiences of people in one apartment building. They’re told that as of midnight, a new communication will start up called the Night Bulletin. It will go to every household in the country and bring on “a new era,” and the country will be “closer to the ideal order.”
Courtesy of Dark Star Pictures
Almost immediately, things go wrong. A rooftop installer falls to his death. A tenant reports a black goo oozing into her bathtub. It seems to be coming from the antenna. Children hear noises in the walls. Just pipes making sounds, they’re told. A building superintendent has to ensure the installation is done smoothly and clean up the ooze (and more) as we wait for the system to start up and wonder what it will offer. “Differences of opinion will not be tolerated” is one message it eventually imparts. There are more, all typical autocratic pronouncements. And there’s more ooze. The film makes its points clearly enough and builds eerie tension doing it. I don’t understand the ooze, though, except perhaps as a visual representation of harmful ideas engulfing people. It seems a forced connection. (On demand at iTunes, Amazon, cable companies and others.) 2½ out of 5


nationalobserver--2020-10-23--Mushroom pickers find a Wild West in B.C. backwoods

Chanterelles , pine mushrooms , morels : the province ’ s understory is replete with fungi sought by fancy restaurants and foodies worldwide , often for a premium price .
That demand has spurred an unregulated industry , one run largely on cash and deals made from the beds of pickup trucks deep in the B.C .
backcountry .
“ Pickers will go out and pick whatever is flushing at the time and sell it to the field buyers , ” said Joe Stone , a professional wild mushroom harvester based in coastal B.C .
“ ( The field buyers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who are doing the distributing .
( They ) basically have a monopoly and control the price.
” The provincial government doesn ’ t track how many mushrooms are harvested in the province , nor how many are exported , making it difficult to get a clear sense of the industry .
A 1997 estimate plugged the global trade in chanterelles — B.C.
’ s most important commercial mushroom , alongside morels and pine mushrooms ( matsutake ) — at roughly $ 2 billion , with production ranging between 150,000 and 200,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trade data indicated the region imported roughly $ 3.5 million worth of chanterelles annually from Canada between 1995 and 2005 .
• A ‘ perfect storm ’ of pre-election uncertainty along the U.S.-Canada border • Biden says he 'd transition America away from oil industry to renewable energy 'over time ' Meanwhile , pine mushrooms , which are highly sought in Japan , netted around $ 20 million per year between 2000 and 2003 , according to Japanese government data .
“ Most of it goes to export , ” said Jeremy Budd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , one the largest wild food companies in the province .
That market was severely disrupted this year , as the pandemic shuttered restaurants worldwide , incomes dropped and international flights got scarce .
Like many farmers and fish harvesters who relied heavily on international exports to break even , Budd has started selling more mushrooms locally .
Still , that doesn ’ t mean sales have fully tanked .
International markets have remained open , Stone explained , and the prices he ’ s getting for pine mushrooms ( they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doubled since last year , reaching $ 25 a pound .
That might be , in part , because there are far fewer pickers in the bush this year , reducing the overall supply .
“ In past years , there ’ s been a lot of international pickers , especially on fire morels , ” Stone said .
“ If you go into the right area , like the Yukon or the Kootenays , if there ’ s been a fire there and you go the next year , you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That draws people to the B.C .
backwoods from across Canada and beyond , with many pickers coming from places like Germany , France or the Czech Republic , according to Stone .
And because the industry is almost exclusively cash-based on the ground , many don ’ t bother with work permits or formal documentation , he said .
However , without any form of regulation , it ’ s pretty much impossible to know for sure .
“ It ’ s a bit like the Wild West out there , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a commercial wild mushroom picker in B.C.
, says about the province 's wild mushroom and non-timber forest products industry .
Timber is n't B.C .
's only forest resource .
Wild mushrooms and other non-timber forest products like berries or medicinal plants are also highly sought on international markets , spurring a trade worth millions that 's largely unregulated by the B.C .
government .
Photo by Joe Stone “ Pickers are people we don ’ t know .
If a person has a Czech accent , I don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where ’ s your papers ?
’ We don ’ t inquire ( about their work status ) , ” Budd said .
“ The workforce are freelancers .
That ’ s how the industry works.
” Furthermore , he said his company is only responsible for buying the mushrooms from “ field buyers ” — people who travel deep into the backcountry to set up trading stations at mushroom picker camps .
They ’ re responsible for the initial purchase , then they sell to larger brokers like Budd , who take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We ’ re offering a service .
When we open a buying depot in a local town in British Columbia , that depot is open for everybody … Everybody is given the same price , it ’ s all fair , it ’ s exactly perfect — the way it should be , ” he said .
“ It ’ s been left to private cowboy enterprises , ” said Shelby Leslie , CEO of Forest Foods Ltd. , a non-timber forest resource company that supports First Nations wanting to enter the industry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ technically only brokers for the mushrooms , he explained , which allows them to remain at arm ’ s length from where their products are picked and who picks them — a distance that isn ’ t always beneficial .
For instance , intense commercial huckleberry harvests — another major commercial non-timber forest product grown in B.C .
— in the Kootenays have been problematic .
“ ( There ’ d be ) 40 to 50 people in a camp in a valley with lots of huckleberry , and they would just pick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That would be in a ( First Nation ’ s ) traditional territory , in a grizzly bear habitat , ” Leslie said .
That level of harvest infuriated First Nations in the area because the berries are an important traditional food , according to Leslie .
It also triggered concerns among provincial wildlife managers for grizzlies in the area , which depend on the berries to get through the winter .
Commercial harvesting was prohibited in the area this year to protect the bears ’ food — an exception , Leslie explained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laissez-faire attitude towards non-timber forest products .
Grizzlies don ’ t depend on wild mushrooms nearly to the same degree as huckleberries , meaning they ’ ve been less researched and monitored , and so far , their harvest isn ’ t controlled .
Regulating non-timber forest products — everything from huckleberries to pine mushrooms — is the responsibility of the provincial Ministry of Forest , Lands , Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development .
“ They just refuse to do anything about it , and that ’ s the system that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leslie said .
The ministry was not available for comment during the writ period .
Mushroom patches are scattered in forest across the province , and pickers must spend days driving forest service roads and hiking through thick brush to find their harvest .
It ’ s hard work in a beautiful place Stone said .
Photo by Joe Stone .
Frustrated with the lack of provincial action , some First Nations , including the Tsilhqot ’ in Nation and a coalition of Secwépemc communities , have started to require harvesters and field @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buy in their traditional territories .
And over-harvesting isn ’ t the only concern .
With only a few companies controlling the distribution of mushrooms , pickers don ’ t always get a fair price , Stone said .
For example , he has been selling chanterelles for roughly $ 3 a pound to several companies , including West Coast Wild Foods .
A pound of chanterelles on the company ’ s website is currently $ 25 .
“ Pickers are the ones out there doing all the work .
They beat up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , too , are doing ( a lot ) of the work buying from the pickers , and they ’ re not making much more than the pickers .
The guys who are holding all the cards are making all the money , ” he said .
“ The prices , obviously , need to reflect my market conditions … so what you see with the price is simple supply and demand … ( We ’ re ) simply buying at a price where ( we ) can resell at some kind of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the margin that we hope for is above our costs all in , which includes the spoilage rate , the travel , the labour , ” he said .
Mushroom pickers can always sell to someone else , he pointed out .
“ Everybody has the choice because there are no contracts where a mushroom picker has to sell their product.
” However , finding someone else to sell to isn ’ t always obvious , Stone said , especially because “ there ’ s lots of shady business that goes on to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s changing , with some new buyers and distributors breaking into the market in recent years .
Still , Stone would like to see a bit more oversight to bring the industry into the modern era .
“ It ’ s a bit like the Wild West out there , the last of it , ” he said .

Beneath forest canopies, a multimillion-dollar wild mushroom industry lies hidden. Chanterelles, pine mushrooms, morels: British Columbia's understory is replete with fungi sought by fancy restaurants and foodies worldwide, often for a premium price. That demand has spurred an unregulated industry, one run largely on cash and deals made from the beds of pickup trucks deep in the B.C. backcountry. “Pickers will go out and pick whatever is flushing at the time and sell it to the field buyers,” said Joe Stone, a professional wild mushroom harvester based in coastal B.C. “(The field buyers) are buying for the big buyers, who are doing the distributing. (They) basically have a monopoly and control the price.” The provincial government doesn’t track how many mushrooms are harvested in the province, nor how many are exported, making it difficult to get a clear sense of the industry. A 1997 estimate plugged the global trade in chanterelles — B.C.’s most important commercial mushroom, alongside morels and pine mushrooms (matsutake) — at roughly $2 billion, with production ranging between 150,000 and 200,000 tonnes. More recently, European Union trade data indicated the region imported roughly $3.5 million worth of chanterelles annually from Canada between 1995 and 2005.
Meanwhile, pine mushrooms, which are highly sought in Japan, netted around $20 million per year between 2000 and 2003, according to Japanese government data. “Most of it goes to export,” said Jeremy Budd, co-owner of West Coast Wild Foods, one the largest wild food companies in the province. That market was severely disrupted this year, as the pandemic shuttered restaurants worldwide, incomes dropped and international flights got scarce. Like many farmers and fish harvesters who relied heavily on international exports to break even, Budd has started selling more mushrooms locally. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Still, that doesn’t mean sales have fully tanked. International markets have remained open, Stone explained, and the prices he’s getting for pine mushrooms (they’re in season now) have more than doubled since last year, reaching $25 a pound.
That might be, in part, because there are far fewer pickers in the bush this year, reducing the overall supply. “It’s a bit like the Wild West out there, the last of it,” Joe Stone, a commercial wild mushroom picker in B.C., says about the province's wild mushroom and non-timber forest products industry. “In past years, there’s been a lot of international pickers, especially on fire morels,” Stone said. “If you go into the right area, like the Yukon or the Kootenays, if there’s been a fire there and you go the next year, you’re pretty much guaranteed a good pick.” That draws people to the B.C. backwoods from across Canada and beyond, with many pickers coming from places like Germany, France or the Czech Republic, according to Stone. And because the industry is almost exclusively cash-based on the ground, many don’t bother with work permits or formal documentation, he said. However, without any form of regulation, it’s pretty much impossible to know for sure. Timber isn't B.C.'s only forest resource. Wild mushrooms and other non-timber forest products like berries or medicinal plants are also highly sought on international markets, spurring a trade worth millions that's largely unregulated by the B.C. government. Photo by Joe Stone “Pickers are people we don’t know. If a person has a Czech accent, I don’t ask that person, ‘Hey, where’s your papers?’ We don’t inquire (about their work status),” Budd said. “The workforce are freelancers. That’s how the industry works.”
Furthermore, he said his company is only responsible for buying the mushrooms from “field buyers” — people who travel deep into the backcountry to set up trading stations at mushroom picker camps. They’re responsible for the initial purchase, then they sell to larger brokers like Budd, who take care of distribution and exporting. “We’re offering a service. When we open a buying depot in a local town in British Columbia, that depot is open for everybody … Everybody is given the same price, it’s all fair, it’s exactly perfect — the way it should be,” he said. Not everyone agrees.


nationalobserver--2020-10-22--Biden says he'd transition America away from oil industry to renewable energy 'over time'

Vice President Joe Biden stated near the end of the presidential debate on Thursday that he would “ transition ” America away from dependence on oil , if elected president .
“ Would you close down the oil industry ?
” Trump asked .
“ I would transition from the oil industry , yes , ” Biden responded .
The first 20 minutes of the debate in Nashville , Tenn. , was dominated by COVID-19 and featured measured exchanges and cool tempers , a far cry from the hectoring and haranguing that was a dominant feature of last month 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't last the whole 90 minutes , however .
There were flashes of anger and frustration on both sides throughout the night , although this time the discussion did n't immediately collapse into insults and name-calling thanks to brief two-minute periods with muted microphones .
Donald Trump showed a measure of restraint during the first part of Thursday 's presidential debate , shrugging off Joe Biden 's attacks over his handling of the pandemic and accusing the Democratic nominee of planning to shut down the country .
More than 220,000 Americans are dead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the outset — deaths that happened on the president 's watch .
Nearly as many more could die before the end of the year , he added .
`` If you hear nothing else I say tonight , hear this , '' Biden said .
`` Anyone who 's responsible for not taking control — in fact , saying ... ' I take no responsibility , ' initially — anyone who 's responsible for that many deaths should not remain as president of the United States of America . ''
Trump , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vaccine is imminent — `` a matter of weeks , '' he claimed , though he added that timeline is not guaranteed — and that the severity of the pandemic is fading , even though the opposite is true .
`` We 're rounding the corner , '' he insisted .
`` It 's going away . ''
After last month 's interruptive , insult-riddled clash , Biden and Trump were each given a two-minute window every 15 minutes when their rival 's microphone was turned off .
The Trump campaign described @ @ @ @ @ @ @ give the Democratic nominee an unfair advantage , but the president was clearly showing more restraint than he did during the initial clash in Ohio .
That may be because he 's been sliding in the polls , particularly since the last debate .
Even though more than 47 million Americans have already cast ballots , the rest of the country may only now be paying close attention to the race .
Unlike last time , Biden was able to better enunciate positions on issues like health care , immigration , climate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to rebut Trump 's efforts to brand him and his family as having enriched themselves during his tenure as vice-president .
But Trump managed to land a few blows of his own , accusing Biden of planning to ban fracking , a major issue in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania , and of stumping for the costly Green New Deal , a climate-change plan championed by progressive Democrats in Congress .
Biden insisted neither claim is true .
But he saved his most strenuous denial for Trump 's most dubious charge .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ disputed as it was explosive , the New York Post disclosed emails supposedly retrieved from a laptop belonging to the former vice-president 's son that refer to a meeting between his father and an adviser to Ukrainian energy giant Burisma .
Subsequent Post reports based on the material , which was provided to the newspaper by longtime Trump operative Rudy Giuliani , allege a business agreement involving the Bidens and a Chinese company .
Indeed , one of Trump 's guests at the debate Thursday was Tony Bobulinski , a former associate of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emails are legitimate and make reference to the elder Biden as `` the big guy . ''
`` All of the emails , the emails , the horrible emails of the kind of money that you were raking in — you and your family , '' Trump said .
`` It should have never happened .
And I think you owe an explanation to the American people . ''
The former vice-president , who has dismissed the whole saga as a `` last-ditch effort '' to smear him and his family , laughed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out the president 's steadfast refusal to release his tax returns .
`` I did my job ( as vice-president ) impeccably , '' Biden insisted .
`` The guy who got in trouble in Ukraine was this guy , '' he said , pointing at Trump , `` trying to bribe the Ukrainian government to say something negative about me , which they would not do , and did not do because it never , ever , ever happened . ''
And he turned the charge of wrongdoing in China around on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president has a bank account there , which Trump did not deny .
`` My son has not made money in terms of this thing about ... China .
The only guy who made money from China is this guy . ''
The debate , hosted by Belmont University , was moderated by NBC News correspondent Kristen Welker .
Topics included American families , race relations , climate change , national security and leadership .
During last month 's clash in Ohio , Trump interrupted , antagonized and irritated his Democratic rival @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wallace and eliciting an exasperated plea for order from Biden himself : `` Will you shut up , man ? ''
The version of Trump on display that night showed up a few times Thursday .
This time , Biden mostly laughed him off .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22 , 2020 .

Vice President Joe Biden stated near the end of the presidential debate on Thursday that he would “transition” America away from dependence on oil, if elected president. “Would you close down the oil industry?” Trump asked. “I would transition from the oil industry, yes,” Biden responded. “That’s a big statement,” Trump commented. “It is a big statement, because…the oil industry pollutes, significantly,” Biden responded.
“It has to be replaced by renewable energy over time,” Biden added. “And I’d stop giving to the oil industry—I’d stop giving them federal subsidies. [Trump] won’t give federal subsidies to solar and wind. Why are we giving it to the oil industry?” A Presidential candidate just said he would wind down the oil industry, eliminate fossil fuel subsidies and focus on building renewables. That is epic. #climatemergency #hope #Debate2020 — Tzeporah Berman (@Tzeporah) October 23, 2020 Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Trump showed a measure of restraint during the first part of Thursday's presidential debate, shrugging off Joe Biden's attacks over his handling of the pandemic and accusing the Democratic nominee of planning to shut down the country.
The first 20 minutes of the debate in Nashville, Tenn., was dominated by COVID-19 and featured measured exchanges and cool tempers, a far cry from the hectoring and haranguing that was a dominant feature of last month's initial clash. Donald Trump showed a measure of restraint during the first part of Thursday's presidential debate, shrugging off Joe Biden's attacks over his handling of the pandemic and accusing the Democratic nominee of planning to shut down the country. The relative calm didn't last the whole 90 minutes, however. There were flashes of anger and frustration on both sides throughout the night, although this time the discussion didn't immediately collapse into insults and name-calling thanks to brief two-minute periods with muted microphones. More than 220,000 Americans are dead of the novel coronavirus, Biden said at the outset — deaths that happened on the president's watch. Nearly as many more could die before the end of the year, he added. "If you hear nothing else I say tonight, hear this," Biden said.
"Anyone who's responsible for not taking control — in fact, saying ... 'I take no responsibility,' initially — anyone who's responsible for that many deaths should not remain as president of the United States of America." Trump, as he often does, insisted that a vaccine is imminent — "a matter of weeks," he claimed, though he added that timeline is not guaranteed — and that the severity of the pandemic is fading, even though the opposite is true. "We're rounding the corner," he insisted. "It's going away."


nationalobserver--2020-10-23--As Canada notches new daily record in cases, Trudeau touts vaccine deals

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is trying to offer Canadians modest hope about progress in testing and vaccine development after Canada notched an all−time high of new COVID−19 cases in a day .
Trudeau told a news conference Friday that the government is spending $ 214 million towards the development of COVID−19 vaccines , signing deals with two Canadian biotech firms .
But even as he touted Canada ’ s portfolio of potential vaccines , Trudeau warned it ’ s unlikely that any of these candidates will be ready to distribute to Canadians this year or early next year .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrive yesterday , but they won ’ t , '' said Trudeau .
`` There ’ s still a number more months of work to do . ''
Trudeau said his government signed a $ 173−million contract with Quebec ’ s Medicago to secure the rights to buy 76 million doses of its vaccine , should it meet health and safety standards .
The funding will also be used to establish a production facility in Quebec City , he said .
• A ‘ perfect storm ’ of pre-election uncertainty along the U.S.-Canada @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America away from oil industry to renewable energy 'over time' • Here ’ s where to find every wind turbine in Canada Ottawa is also investing $ 18.2 million in a potential vaccine from British Columbia ’ s Precision NanoSystems .
Meanwhile , the National Research Council is spending $ 23 million to support other Canadian vaccine initiatives , Trudeau said .
The prime minister said Canada has signed six agreements with a number of companies taking part in the global race to produce a safe and effective vaccine for COVID−19 .
Two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pfizer , have asked Health Canada to review their products , which are undergoing clinical trials .
It ’ s reasonable to expect that vaccines will start to roll out at some point in 2021 , said Trudeau , but even then , supply will be limited , and high−risk populations will be prioritized for inoculation .
`` We have experts busy evaluating exactly how and where and in which way to distribute these vaccines , '' said Trudeau .
The prime minister also said Canada has acquired `` hundreds of thousands '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Abbott .
`` As we move forward into the coming months and perhaps look at loosening some of the border restrictions internationally , we will be able to have data to rely on to make sure that we are first and foremost keeping Canadians safe , '' Trudeau .
# cndpoli Two trucks carrying kits have already arrived in Ontario , said Trudeau , and provincial and territorial authorities will decide how to best deploy the tests as they ’ re rolled out across the country .
But new innovations and investments will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID−19 if Canadians do their part to curb the contagion ’ s spread , Trudeau said .
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam told reporters Friday that a record 2,788 new illnesses were reported Thursday , bringing the country ’ s total tally to just over 209,000 COVID−19 cases , including more than 9,800 deaths .
Case counts have increased by an average of 2,488 cases per day over the past seven days , said Tam , and the death toll rose by an average of 23 people per day .
Hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week , she said , including more than 200 people in critical care .
Tam said authorities need the public ’ s help to rein in infection rates through practices such as limiting in−person contacts , wearing masks and physical distancing .
`` Pandemics are whole−society events , '' said Tam .
`` That means the impacts extend across society not only by affecting those who become ill , but also by impacting the health , social and economic systems that affect our overall well−being . ''
The economic fallout of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as Le Chateau on Friday became the latest clothing chain to announce it would be closing its doors .
The Montreal−based company said it ’ s seeking court protection from creditors as it plans to liquidate its assets , including shutting down its 123 stores .
The more than 60−year−old retailer said the eventual closures will eliminate about 1,400 jobs .
Meanwhile , the travel and tourism industry is holding out hope for the success of an Alberta pilot project aimed at reducing quarantine time for international travellers through testing .
Starting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coutts land border crossing into the U.S. in southern Alberta and the Calgary International Airport will be offered tests on a voluntary basis .
Premier Jason Kenney has said people who test negative won ’ t be subjected to the usual 14−day quarantine requirement on the condition that they promise to get a second test six or seven days later .
`` We ’ re interested in seeing the results of this pilot project , but it is only a pilot project , '' Trudeau said Friday .
`` As we move forward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at loosening some of the border restrictions internationally , we will be able to have data to rely on to make sure that we are first and foremost keeping Canadians safe . ''
But as Alberta works to welcome back global guests , officials in other provinces are raising alarm about dwindling resources to look after locals .
Quebec ’ s deputy premier warned Friday that a surge in infections in the Quebec City area is pushing the local health−care network to the `` brink of a service breakdown . ''
The Capitale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has seen active cases per 100,000 people soar from 79 to 161 in three weeks — the highest rate in the province .
A Quebec health institute offered a less grim forecast Friday , projecting that the province ’ s health system should have the capacity to handle the number of COVID−19 patients expected to need care in the next four weeks .
Quebec has seen the number of COVID−19 hospitalizations dip by 25 over the past two days .
The province also reported 905 new COVID−19 cases Friday and 12 more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 826 new cases of COVID−19 and nine new deaths linked to the virus .
Ontario Premier Doug Ford told reporters he ’ s considering clamping down on another Toronto−area region where case counts are surging .
Ford said he ’ d decide by Monday whether Halton Region will join Toronto , Peel Region , York Region and Ottawa in facing tougher lockdown measures .
Manitoba reported a total of 163 new infections Friday , most concentrated in Winnipeg , and the positivity rate is now up to 6.5 per cent .
The province @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the latest death linked to an outbreak at Winnipeg ’ s Parkview Place that has killed a total of 15 people .
New Brunswick is reporting two new cases of COVID−19 in the Campbellton region , which is one of two areas that saw significant outbreaks two weeks ago .
Newfoundland and Labrador is asking passengers who travelled on Air Canada Flight 7484 from Toronto to Deer Lake on Oct. 12 to get tested in relation to a new COVID−19 case announced on Thursday .
This report by The Canadian Press was @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is trying to offer Canadians modest hope about progress in testing and vaccine development after Canada notched an all−time high of new COVID−19 cases in a day. Trudeau told a news conference Friday that the government is spending $214 million towards the development of COVID−19 vaccines, signing deals with two Canadian biotech firms. But even as he touted Canada’s portfolio of potential vaccines, Trudeau warned it’s unlikely that any of these candidates will be ready to distribute to Canadians this year or early next year. "We are hopeful that the vaccines will arrive yesterday, but they won’t," said Trudeau. "There’s still a number more months of work to do." Trudeau said his government signed a $173−million contract with Quebec’s Medicago to secure the rights to buy 76 million doses of its vaccine, should it meet health and safety standards. The funding will also be used to establish a production facility in Quebec City, he said.
Ottawa is also investing $18.2 million in a potential vaccine from British Columbia’s Precision NanoSystems. Meanwhile, the National Research Council is spending $23 million to support other Canadian vaccine initiatives, Trudeau said. The prime minister said Canada has signed six agreements with a number of companies taking part in the global race to produce a safe and effective vaccine for COVID−19 . Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Two more American vaccine makers, Moderna and Pfizer, have asked Health Canada to review their products, which are undergoing clinical trials.
It’s reasonable to expect that vaccines will start to roll out at some point in 2021, said Trudeau, but even then, supply will be limited, and high−risk populations will be prioritized for inoculation. "As we move forward into the coming months and perhaps look at loosening some of the border restrictions internationally, we will be able to have data to rely on to make sure that we are first and foremost keeping Canadians safe," Trudeau. #cndpoli "We have experts busy evaluating exactly how and where and in which way to distribute these vaccines," said Trudeau. The prime minister also said Canada has acquired "hundreds of thousands" of rapid test kits from medical company Abbott. Two trucks carrying kits have already arrived in Ontario, said Trudeau, and provincial and territorial authorities will decide how to best deploy the tests as they’re rolled out across the country. But new innovations and investments will only prove effective in the fight against COVID−19 if Canadians do their part to curb the contagion’s spread, Trudeau said.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam told reporters Friday that a record 2,788 new illnesses were reported Thursday, bringing the country’s total tally to just over 209,000 COVID−19 cases, including more than 9,800 deaths. Case counts have increased by an average of 2,488 cases per day over the past seven days, said Tam, and the death toll rose by an average of 23 people per day. Hospitals treated an average of 1,000 COVID−19 patients last week, she said, including more than 200 people in critical care. Tam said authorities need the public’s help to rein in infection rates through practices such as limiting in−person contacts, wearing masks and physical distancing.