nationalobserver--2020-05-11--Canadian military postpones overseas missions due to COVID-19

The Canadian Armed Forces is postponing the deployment of a warship and surveillance aircraft to help enforce United Nations ' sanctions against North Korea because of the COVID-19 pandemic .
The delay is one of numerous changes the Armed Forces is making to its overseas missions following a detailed analysis of the roughly 20 operations that the military is either already conducting or which were due to begin in the coming months .
`` We conducted a detailed analysis of our operations to determine whether further adjustments were required to protect our personnel while ensuring continuity for critical tasks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Campbell said in an email .
`` Following this review , we adjusted some of our operations .
These adjustments range from delaying the deployment of some capabilities , to amending the number of CAF personnel deployed , to modifying the length of deployments while the risks of COVID-19 remain present . ''
The new changes follow an earlier decision to withdraw Armed Forces members from Iraq , scale back Canada 's military training mission in Ukraine and bring back several warships from different parts of the world .
• Doug Ford went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cottage • What 's streaming this week on Netflix and more They also come as the federal government is deploying the majority of the military 's medical personnel to help with long-term care facilities in Quebec and Ontario that have been hit hard by COVID-19 .
The Halifax-class frigate HMCS Calgary and a CP-140 Aurora patrol plane were scheduled to head across the Pacific this month , the latest iteration in Canada 's ongoing contribution to the international effort to prevent North Korea from expanding its nuclear arsenal .
Yet Campbell said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an unspecified amount of time .
The same is true for Canada 's contribution of a C-130 Hercules transport plane to UN operations in Africa .
The aircraft has been based out of Uganda for five days per month since late last year , carrying supplies , peacekeepers and equipment to different missions in the region .
The Armed Forces has also suspended military training efforts in the West Bank , where it is helping the Palestinian Authority build its security forces , and relocated some troops from one area in South Sudan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its support to a French counter-terrorism mission in West Africa , where Canada has been providing a heavy aircraft on an occasional basis to help transport troops and equipment , and cancelled plans to send military trainers to Niger this spring .
The military is also keeping troops on some missions in place longer , rather than replacing them with fresh Forces members as planned .
Those include nine Canadian peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo , 10 in South Sudan , and 55 in the Sinai Peninsula .
`` The decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personnel deployed on select missions was a balance between weighing the acceptable risk factors for our personnel , our ability to sustain the mission , and the impact any changes would have on the mission itself , '' Campbell said .
`` For some operations , this decision is the result of a pause in operational activities by the host or partner nations .
In others , it is preferable to delay the movement of forces in and out of missions at this time . ''
The changes to overseas missions come as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to work — or already working — in long-term care facilities in Ontario and Quebec that have been hit hard by COVID-19 .
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan last week said the military would have 1,350 service members in 25 long-term care facilities in Quebec by mid-May and another 265 in five institutions in Ontario .
Many other troops are currently remaining in their homes in case to stay healthy in case they are required to assist with spring flooding or wildfires across different parts of the country .

The Canadian Armed Forces is postponing the deployment of a warship and surveillance aircraft to help enforce United Nations' sanctions against North Korea because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The delay is one of numerous changes the Armed Forces is making to its overseas missions following a detailed analysis of the roughly 20 operations that the military is either already conducting or which were due to begin in the coming months. "We conducted a detailed analysis of our operations to determine whether further adjustments were required to protect our personnel while ensuring continuity for critical tasks," Forces' spokeswoman Capt. Leah Campbell said in an email. "Following this review, we adjusted some of our operations. These adjustments range from delaying the deployment of some capabilities, to amending the number of CAF personnel deployed, to modifying the length of deployments while the risks of COVID-19 remain present." The new changes follow an earlier decision to withdraw Armed Forces members from Iraq, scale back Canada's military training mission in Ukraine and bring back several warships from different parts of the world.
They also come as the federal government is deploying the majority of the military's medical personnel to help with long-term care facilities in Quebec and Ontario that have been hit hard by COVID-19. The Halifax-class frigate HMCS Calgary and a CP-140 Aurora patrol plane were scheduled to head across the Pacific this month, the latest iteration in Canada's ongoing contribution to the international effort to prevent North Korea from expanding its nuclear arsenal. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Yet Campbell said the deployment has been "deferred" for an unspecified amount of time.
The same is true for Canada's contribution of a C-130 Hercules transport plane to UN operations in Africa. The aircraft has been based out of Uganda for five days per month since late last year, carrying supplies, peacekeepers and equipment to different missions in the region. Canadian military postpones, curtails numerous overseas missions due to COVID-19 The Armed Forces has also suspended military training efforts in the West Bank, where it is helping the Palestinian Authority build its security forces, and relocated some troops from one area in South Sudan to another. It has also curbed its support to a French counter-terrorism mission in West Africa, where Canada has been providing a heavy aircraft on an occasional basis to help transport troops and equipment, and cancelled plans to send military trainers to Niger this spring. The military is also keeping troops on some missions in place longer, rather than replacing them with fresh Forces members as planned. Those include nine Canadian peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 10 in South Sudan, and 55 in the Sinai Peninsula. "The decision to delay or adjust the number of personnel deployed on select missions was a balance between weighing the acceptable risk factors for our personnel, our ability to sustain the mission, and the impact any changes would have on the mission itself," Campbell said.
"For some operations, this decision is the result of a pause in operational activities by the host or partner nations. In others, it is preferable to delay the movement of forces in and out of missions at this time." The changes to overseas missions come as hundreds of Armed Forces members are preparing to work — or already working — in long-term care facilities in Ontario and Quebec that have been hit hard by COVID-19. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan last week said the military would have 1,350 service members in 25 long-term care facilities in Quebec by mid-May and another 265 in five institutions in Ontario.


nationalobserver--2020-05-11--First Nations return to land during COVID-19 pandemic

First Nations leaders who have called on their communities to return to the land to find food during the COVID-19 pandemic are also seeing people reconnect with their traditions .
`` The blood of the Dene is in the land , '' said Dene National Chief Norman Yakeleya in Yellowknife .
`` The land loves the Dene people and we in turn love the land . ''
When the novel coronavirus started spreading across the country , Yakeleya encouraged his members to hunt and fish , and to gather berries and traditional medicines .
There have been just five confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fear of the illness spreading in Indigenous communities is high , he said .
• Doug Ford went against COVID-19 health advice to visit his cottage • What 's streaming this week on Netflix and more Elders still speak about the 1928 flu epidemic that decimated the region , he said .
That summer , a Hudson 's Bay Co. supply ship sailed down the Mackenzie River and spread a virulent strain of influenza to Dene and Inuvialuit along the route .
It 's estimated to have killed up to 15 per cent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Territories .
Yakeleya recalls his grandmother telling him stories of burying up to 15 bodies a day .
What helped the communities heal was reconnecting with the land , and the chief said he 's seeing that again now .
Dene in Fort Good Hope and Fort McPherson have harvested caribou and shared with those unable to hunt , the elderly and the immunocompromised .
`` Our value as Dene , the sharing , has come back and is still alive with the fish , the caribou , '' Yakeleya said .
Hunting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which Yakeleya worries could increase as the pandemic affects the supply chain .
On the shores of Southern Indian Lake in Manitoba , Chief Shirley Ducharme of the O Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation has also called on members to hunt and fish , and to share their bounty .
'Go back to the old way : ' First Nations return to land during COVID-19 pandemic Right now , it 's goose and duck season and the community is excited about boiling the birds in an open-fire pot to get tender meat and soup .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the season to hunt , '' she said .
Restrictions to limit the spread of the virus have made it difficult for the more than 1,100 people on the reserve .
They can no longer travel south , there 's anxiety about food prices , and , like elsewhere , parents need to keep children who are n't going to school occupied .
Manitoba has eased some of its restrictions , but Ducharme said O Pipon-Na-Piwin 's will remain until at least the end of the month , since overcrowding in households @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them at risk .
The First Nation formed a pandemic committee and one of its projects is to arrange for kids and their families to connect with elders to learn traditional skills from their backyards .
That means baking bannock , preparing geese for cooking , gathering traditional medicines , boiling tea and taking part in scavenger hunts .
`` It all entails with traditional and culture things that we have always kept alive and are now carrying on through generations and generations , '' Ducharme said .
Indigenous Services Canada says there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among First Nations across the country as of May 8 .
La Loche , a Dene village in northern Saskatchewan , has been of particular concern as an outbreak there has been linked to the deaths of two elders .
The virus has also spread to nearby First Nations .
There are no confirmed cases involving Manitoba First Nations , but Chief Nelson Genaille of the Sapotaweyak Cree said his community is watching closely and taking precautions .
About 1,000 people live on the reserve about 600 kilometres north of Winnipeg .
Genaille @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look to their own backyards to find traditional sustenance and food .
`` That 's where we are at right now with today 's epidemic : go back to the old way when you were eating something natural . ''
The Sapotaweyak have used social media to connect those who need food to people who are able to hunt and fish .
The First Nation pays for gas for the hunting and delivery trips .
Genaille 's people live on the shores of Lake Winnipegosis , so they already deal with travelling long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He said a return to the land is necessary during these uncertain times when costs and supply are unpredictable .
It 's also reminded a lot of members how important their traditions are .
`` Because of the road restrictions , the only access they do have is back into the wilderness .
We are very privileged where we are situated . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10 , 2020

First Nations leaders who have called on their communities to return to the land to find food during the COVID-19 pandemic are also seeing people reconnect with their traditions. "The blood of the Dene is in the land," said Dene National Chief Norman Yakeleya in Yellowknife. "The land loves the Dene people and we in turn love the land." When the novel coronavirus started spreading across the country, Yakeleya encouraged his members to hunt and fish, and to gather berries and traditional medicines. There have been just five confirmed cases in the Northwest Territories, but fear of the illness spreading in Indigenous communities is high, he said.
Elders still speak about the 1928 flu epidemic that decimated the region, he said. That summer, a Hudson's Bay Co. supply ship sailed down the Mackenzie River and spread a virulent strain of influenza to Dene and Inuvialuit along the route. It's estimated to have killed up to 15 per cent of the Indigenous population of the Northwest Territories. Yakeleya recalls his grandmother telling him stories of burying up to 15 bodies a day. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions What helped the communities heal was reconnecting with the land, and the chief said he's seeing that again now. Dene in Fort Good Hope and Fort McPherson have harvested caribou and shared with those unable to hunt, the elderly and the immunocompromised.
"Our value as Dene, the sharing, has come back and is still alive with the fish, the caribou," Yakeleya said. 'Go back to the old way:' First Nations return to land during COVID-19 pandemic Hunting also helps avoid high food costs, which Yakeleya worries could increase as the pandemic affects the supply chain. On the shores of Southern Indian Lake in Manitoba, Chief Shirley Ducharme of the O Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation has also called on members to hunt and fish, and to share their bounty. Right now, it's goose and duck season and the community is excited about boiling the birds in an open-fire pot to get tender meat and soup. "We crave those when it's not the season to hunt," she said.
Restrictions to limit the spread of the virus have made it difficult for the more than 1,100 people on the reserve. They can no longer travel south, there's anxiety about food prices, and, like elsewhere, parents need to keep children who aren't going to school occupied. Manitoba has eased some of its restrictions, but Ducharme said O Pipon-Na-Piwin's will remain until at least the end of the month, since overcrowding in households and some people's health problems put them at risk. The First Nation formed a pandemic committee and one of its projects is to arrange for kids and their families to connect with elders to learn traditional skills from their backyards. That means baking bannock, preparing geese for cooking, gathering traditional medicines, boiling tea and taking part in scavenger hunts.


nationalobserver--2020-05-11--Pipeline projects, the pandemic and the question journalists fail to ask

While the pandemic marches on , it 's another workday at Burnaby Terminal , the oil storage `` tank farm '' that is being doubled in density as part of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project ( TMX ) .
Large vehicles rumble inside the compound and through the electronically controlled perimeter gate .
The clatter of heavy machinery resounds through the nearby forest and neighbourhoods .
Large signs warn obstructing access to this facility could result in arrest — the fate of hundreds of Indigenous-led land , water and climate protectors in 2018 .
A smaller sign , next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , `` Social distancing , where possible , while at ( company ) sites . ''
`` Where possible . ''
That 's a big caveat .
Maintaining a two-metre distance in construction sites is often not possible .
While thousands of B.C .
businesses have closed , schools and libraries gather dust and millions of British Columbians are urged to stay at home — all for good reason — fossil fuel-related expansion projects continue as if they are `` essential services . ''
Both Trans Mountain and LNG Canada ( a consortium @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting significant milestones on their respective projects .
Henry and other provincial authorities have emphasized the precautions mandated specifically for industrial work sites , such as increased sanitation and physical distancing between employees , and procedures for detecting , isolating and removing workers who do become ill. BC Hydro claims to have reduced its workforce , but hundreds remain and residents and officials in vulnerable communities continue to question the adequacy and enforcement of provincial guidelines .
Workers themselves have expressed deep concern for their families ' and their own safety .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the camps are in northern B.C.
, '' says Ben Parfitt , former environmental reporter and now a researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives .
`` There are few critical beds there .
Small , isolated First Nation communities where people live in often crowded housing conditions and lack ready access to health care , can ill-afford to have the virus arrive .
Both First Nation and non-First Nation leaders have raised concerns about the Site C workers ' camp , where several people have come down with COVID-like symptoms .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health Authority warned of an outbreak at the Kearl Lake oilsands work camp near Fort McMurray , Alta.
, on April 18 .
The outbreak has expanded to northern B.C .
via workers travelling between the two provinces .
`` The definition of 'essential service ' is symbolically important , and inherently political .
It 's an important clue as to the vested interests and policy mindset of political and corporate elites . ''
Following a public-health order on April 23 , the province is finally sending inspectors to work camps .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ park rangers , mining inspectors or other B.C .
public-service employees slated for this role are qualified to assess COVID-19-related health-protection procedures .
The risk from fossil fuel `` essential services '' is not confined to the northern region .
Many residents see my hometown , Burnaby , as a fossil fuel sacrifice zone .
The TMX project has long raised the spectre of pipeline ruptures , uncontrollable toxic tank-farm fires , salmon-bearing stream contamination , oil-tanker spills and damage to the livability of surrounding neighbourhoods .
To that brew , add the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Burnaby 's two TMX terminals .
As Elan Gibson , a spokeswoman for Burnaby Residents Opposing Kinder Morgan Expansion ( BROKE ) , put it , the virus is often not symptomatic among its carriers , and workers at both the tank farm and the Westridge terminal `` are going to and from their homes and into our communities each day . ''
The Indigenous-led group Mountain Protectors , working out of the Watch House built next to the tank farm in 2018 , has collected `` ample proof '' TMX is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` social distance and safety measures , '' according to Gibson .
Photographs in the local newspaper appear to confirm this claim .
Encouraged by BROKE , Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley transmitted these concerns to Trans Mountain and B.C .
government authorities .
Are such megaprojects worth adding public-health risks to their indisputable environmental costs ?
The B.C .
government apparently thinks so .
On March 26 , Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth released a list of `` essential services , '' defined as those `` essential to preserving life , health , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the services British Columbians rely on in their daily lives . ''
While not mentioning specific companies or projects , the list identifies `` critical infrastructure service providers , '' including `` oil and natural gas . ''
The list was developed by Emergency Management BC ( EMBC ) in consultation with other government ministries and the Provincial Health Officer .
In legal and operational terms , the designation apparently does n't sharply differentiate essential from non-essential businesses , apart from those ( like beauty salons and casinos ) that have been ordered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to health office guidelines ; industrial work camps have a specific set of rules as well as qualified exemptions , for example , from liability for damage due to COVID-19 exposure , and from ceilings on crowd size in one site .
Rather , the list is intended to `` encourage '' designated businesses to remain open , and to provide a shared framework should further public-health measures be necessary , according to the EMBC 's Joint Information Centre .
Nevertheless , the definition of `` essential service '' is symbolically important , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important clue as to the vested interests and policy mindset of political and corporate elites .
Treating these three projects as `` essential '' to B.C .
's future implies a multifold gamble — that global gas and oil prices and demand will escalate sharply from their current historic lows , that the rest of the world will largely abandon efforts to contain greenhouse gas emissions , that taxpayers are willing to continue subsidizing gas and oil producers and lock Canada into exporting fossil fuels for decades , that we are willing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are becoming demonstrably more fragile and that Canada will continue to play an outsize role in exacerbating climate catastrophes that could make the coronavirus pandemic seem trivial .
None of the megaproject trio currently delivers services to British Columbians .
( Trans Mountain did not respond to requests for comment on whether it is an essential service , and on what grounds . )
Nor are their prospects of being a future economic engine particularly promising .
In the case of TMX , independent analysts like economist Robyn Allan and veteran earth scientist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no large Asian demand for Alberta 's bitumen , TMX will not hugely increase its per-barrel price , relatively few permanent jobs will be created , competing delivery routes will be online soon and there is sufficient export capacity in Canada 's existing pipelines .
Rather than fuelling economic growth , TMX could burden Canadians with $ 9 billion or more in rising construction and insurance costs — costs that have recently shifted Canadian public opinion against the project , according to recent polls .
Similar claims could be made about the dubious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CGL , compounded by tax subsidies to a foreign consortium ( LNG Canada ) and the blatant violation of Indigenous rights and traditional territories .
The stakes are high enough to warrant critical attention from the province 's news media — the institution that should be informing citizens about policies and events that affect them , acting as a watchdog on power and scanning the scene for threats to individual and community well-being .
These are aspects of what media scholars Clifford Christians and his colleagues describe as the `` monitorial '' function @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other ideal functions of the press in a democracy : facilitating a forum for public conversation , identifying and even advocating for necessary social change and collaborating with government and other institutions to support broadly acceptable social purposes .
Though under-recognized in conventional western journalism theory , that collaborative role is often practised by supporting charity campaigns or governments in times of emergency , like war — or pandemics .
I tracked most daily news briefings with Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix from March 30 until April 30 .
Journalists raised numerous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease , the situation of vulnerable groups like the homeless and elderly , strategies for response and much else .
They can take much credit for how well British Columbians generally responded to public-health advice .
But while five out of 224 questions I 've recorded concern risks from the industrial work camps , nobody queried Henry 's repeated references to construction projects and workers as `` essential . ''
Perhaps journalists are reluctant to push their monitorial role in a climate of emergency , and vis-a-vis a personable official whose calm professionalism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hero in B.C .
The demands of a fast-moving story and the distance of most work camps from B.C .
's southwestern metropolitan media may be factors .
But there 's also evidence corporate news media implicitly accept the ideological premises underlying fossil fuel-oriented energy megaprojects .
One recent example : an April 4 column by Vancouver Sun veteran Vaughn Palmer , concerning the pleas from northern B.C .
to suspend Site C construction .
Palmer devoted just three paragraphs to outlining those calls , and 18 to rebuttals by Premier Horgan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the additional price tag of `` another year 's delay '' in the massive river diversion associated with Site C , he concluded , would give the public `` a more rounded picture of the stakes . ''
Corporate media pundits less often include the costs of business as usual as part of a `` more rounded picture . ''
Jay Ritchlin , a David Suzuki Foundation spokesman , suggests subsidies to the fossil fuel megaprojects could be used instead for transitioning to a new type of economy .
The COVID-19 catastrophe requires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

While the pandemic marches on, it's another workday at Burnaby Terminal, the oil storage "tank farm" that is being doubled in density as part of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project (TMX). Large vehicles rumble inside the compound and through the electronically controlled perimeter gate. The clatter of heavy machinery resounds through the nearby forest and neighbourhoods. Large signs warn obstructing access to this facility could result in arrest — the fate of hundreds of Indigenous-led land, water and climate protectors in 2018. A smaller sign, next to the guardhouse and gate, says, "Social distancing, where possible, while at (company) sites." "Where possible." That's a big caveat. Maintaining a two-metre distance in construction sites is often not possible. While thousands of B.C. businesses have closed, schools and libraries gather dust and millions of British Columbians are urged to stay at home — all for good reason — fossil fuel-related expansion projects continue as if they are "essential services." Both Trans Mountain and LNG Canada (a consortium of foreign corporations) boast they are meeting significant milestones on their respective projects. TMX would convey toxic diluted bitumen from the Alberta oilsands to the Westridge harbour terminal in Burnaby. LNG Canada's Coastal GasLink (CGL) would bring liquefied "natural" gas from the fracking fields through (as is now notorious) Wet'suwet'en territory to the northern B.C. town of Kitimat. Significant health concerns have been raised about both projects, as well as BC Hydro's Site C hydroelectric dam in the province’s north. Though publicly touted as "green" energy, it is partly intended to provide subsidized electricity to LNG Canada and carries enormous environmental costs of its own, from methane emissions to flooding of Treaty 8 Indigenous territories and some of Canada's richest farmland.
Henry and other provincial authorities have emphasized the precautions mandated specifically for industrial work sites, such as increased sanitation and physical distancing between employees, and procedures for detecting, isolating and removing workers who do become ill. BC Hydro claims to have reduced its workforce, but hundreds remain and residents and officials in vulnerable communities continue to question the adequacy and enforcement of provincial guidelines. Workers themselves have expressed deep concern for their families' and their own safety. "The definition of 'essential service' is symbolically important, and inherently political. It's an important clue as to the vested interests and policy mindset of political and corporate elites." "The scary thing is that many of the camps are in northern B.C.," says Ben Parfitt, former environmental reporter and now a researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. "There are few critical beds there. Small, isolated First Nation communities where people live in often crowded housing conditions and lack ready access to health care, can ill-afford to have the virus arrive. Both First Nation and non-First Nation leaders have raised concerns about the Site C workers' camp, where several people have come down with COVID-like symptoms." Validating such concerns, the Interior Health Authority warned of an outbreak at the Kearl Lake oilsands work camp near Fort McMurray, Alta., on April 18. The outbreak has expanded to northern B.C. via workers travelling between the two provinces. Following a public-health order on April 23, the province is finally sending inspectors to work camps. But there is a legitimate concern about whether park rangers, mining inspectors or other B.C. public-service employees slated for this role are qualified to assess COVID-19-related health-protection procedures. The risk from fossil fuel "essential services" is not confined to the northern region. Many residents see my hometown, Burnaby, as a fossil fuel sacrifice zone. The TMX project has long raised the spectre of pipeline ruptures, uncontrollable toxic tank-farm fires, salmon-bearing stream contamination, oil-tanker spills and damage to the livability of surrounding neighbourhoods.
To that brew, add the potential for incubating a coronavirus outbreak at Burnaby's two TMX terminals. As Elan Gibson, a spokeswoman for Burnaby Residents Opposing Kinder Morgan Expansion (BROKE), put it, the virus is often not symptomatic among its carriers, and workers at both the tank farm and the Westridge terminal "are going to and from their homes and into our communities each day." The Indigenous-led group Mountain Protectors, working out of the Watch House built next to the tank farm in 2018, has collected "ample proof" TMX is not respecting the province's or its own "social distance and safety measures," according to Gibson. Photographs in the local newspaper appear to confirm this claim. Encouraged by BROKE, Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley transmitted these concerns to Trans Mountain and B.C. government authorities.


nationalobserver--2020-05-11--Like health care, housing is a right

Like health care, housing is a right

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on health-care and economic systems , the United States ’ uniquely bad private health-insurance system will ensure this crisis will ravage American society .
This is because the U.S. health-care system revolves around a complex concept : your health insurance is tied to your employment .
Health care is earned by income and viewed as a privilege , not a right ; a thought that rightly horrifies Canadians .
Canada had the foresight to prevent this back in 1966 , with a universal single-payer system .
It ’ s arguably the leading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decided to go even further , with a single-provider system .
( The National Health Service turned 70 years old last July , and it ’ s considered one of the U.K. ’ s most cherished institutions by its people . )
What makes the American health-care system uniquely dysfunctional in this crisis ?
When the No .
1 public-health directive is for everyone to stay inside , it means the economy will substantially slow down and millions will get laid off .
In fact , in the past month , at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Most of those people have now lost their health insurance .
So , when they or their family get sick during this crisis , they will go tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt , effectively wiping away their futures .
This means they will have no disposable income to spend on their local businesses and communities in order to boost the recovery of the economy .
Anyone can see the vicious anti-recovery problem of America is a systemic feature , not an acute bug ( or virus ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ essentially tied to your employment .
Every month , Canadians go out to their jobs , earn a paycheque , and then transfer a large portion of that income to a landlord in the form of rent or a bank in the form of a mortgage .
It ’ s a transfer of income from the bottom to the top for the purpose of profit for an individual , corporation or bank .
Canada ’ s housing system dictates shelter is earned by income and considered a privilege , not a right ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canadian , but this moral outrage is taken for granted .
• Doug Ford went against COVID-19 health advice to visit his cottage • What 's streaming this week on Netflix and more Shockingly , the average life expectancy of unhoused individuals is half that of those with housing , arguably more devastating than uninsured individuals .
The great moral failing of our society in ignoring this statistic is unhoused individuals haven ’ t been numerous enough to shock our collective senses to action .
But today , several weeks since tens of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their rent , we ’ re seeing the prospect of mass homelessness in a pandemic in front of our eyes .
The utter failures of the federal and provincial patchwork of supports to protect all renters means they either missed their payments , dipped into their savings or went deeper into debt to pay their rent .
The pandemic has exposed a dysfunctional housing system dependent on the incomes of working people , who are being told to stay inside as much as possible , which is slowing down the economy and eliminating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to wipe away their futures by going into debt or using up savings , which will then cause vicious anti-recovery for their local economy and communities .
Sound familiar ?
This is an unprecedented crisis , and we should meet it with an unprecedented response .
Now is the time for all Canadians to start thinking about the changes we need to make to avoid disaster in the long run .
We must replace this dysfunctional for-profit housing system with a universal government-run program .
We must have the moral clarity to say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a right .
Luckily , Canada has a blueprint for doing that .
In 2019 , U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg succinctly articulated that a single-payer health-care system like Canada ’ s was “ a compromise position.
” The providers in the system , like doctors and hospitals , are generally private businesses or organizations , while the provincial governments act as the public payer to contract their services .
The federal government sets the standard for the comprehensive coverage each individual is entitled to .
`` Every month , Canadians go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paycheque and then transfer a large portion of that income to a landlord in the form of rent or a bank in the form of a mortgage . ''
So what could this system look like for housing ?
It could mean housing developers would remain private businesses whose sole clients are municipal and provincial governments .
These governments would take the needs of their residents into account and set the strategies , then shop around among housing developers to find the best solutions .
They would flex their power as governments to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the federal government could set the standards for safe , secure and dignified housing .
Another direction to go would be the single-provider system like the U.K. ’ s health care , where hospitals and health employees are largely provided by the government ’ s National Health Service .
And what could this system look like for housing ?
It could mean the federal government largely provides for the building of housing across the country .
The comprehensive standards of housing are set , and the construction of housing is operated at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and needs are assessed by municipal and provincial governments .
Private housing developers would be largely unnecessary and costs are kept down as there would be no profit margins to satisfy .
Of course , none of this will be easy .
What would happen to the mom-and-pop landlords who need tenants in their basement suites to make mortgage ?
Luckily , those account for only four per cent of total homeowners , but they ’ ll have to be made whole .
Will current homeowners be amenable to no longer considering property @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of course , we must have an answer for how universal housing fits in with the rights of Indigenous Peoples , whose stolen lands all the housing would be built on .
But we ’ ll also need to have the guts to take on the corporate landlord and housing-development lobbyists .
Our economy is not going to be the same coming out of this crisis , and we ’ ll need to make it clear the current system won ’ t make sense going forward .
Some may not want to hear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ test run for us .
As the environmental crisis continues to come toward us , we ’ ll be confronted with many disasters where our homes will be wiped out , or our towns unlivable .
Do we really want to maintain a system where real estate profits drive our decisions during that time ?
We must have a positive vision for our society that will bring us together in the face of that adversity , not divide us .

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on health-care and economic systems, the United States’ uniquely bad private health-insurance system will ensure this crisis will ravage American society. This is because the U.S. health-care system revolves around a complex concept: your health insurance is tied to your employment. Health care is earned by income and viewed as a privilege, not a right; a thought that rightly horrifies Canadians. Canada had the foresight to prevent this back in 1966, with a universal single-payer system. It’s arguably the leading symbol of Canadian identity. The U.K. decided to go even further, with a single-provider system. (The National Health Service turned 70 years old last July, and it’s considered one of the U.K.’s most cherished institutions by its people.) What makes the American health-care system uniquely dysfunctional in this crisis? When the No. 1 public-health directive is for everyone to stay inside, it means the economy will substantially slow down and millions will get laid off. In fact, in the past month, at least 30 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits. Most of those people have now lost their health insurance. So, when they or their family get sick during this crisis, they will go tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt, effectively wiping away their futures. This means they will have no disposable income to spend on their local businesses and communities in order to boost the recovery of the economy. Anyone can see the vicious anti-recovery problem of America is a systemic feature, not an acute bug (or virus). Universal housing During normal times, having housing is essentially tied to your employment. Every month, Canadians go out to their jobs, earn a paycheque, and then transfer a large portion of that income to a landlord in the form of rent or a bank in the form of a mortgage. It’s a transfer of income from the bottom to the top for the purpose of profit for an individual, corporation or bank. Canada’s housing system dictates shelter is earned by income and considered a privilege, not a right; a thought that should rightly horrify every Canadian, but this moral outrage is taken for granted.
Shockingly, the average life expectancy of unhoused individuals is half that of those with housing, arguably more devastating than uninsured individuals. The great moral failing of our society in ignoring this statistic is unhoused individuals haven’t been numerous enough to shock our collective senses to action. But today, several weeks since tens of thousands of renters have failed to pay their rent, we’re seeing the prospect of mass homelessness in a pandemic in front of our eyes. The utter failures of the federal and provincial patchwork of supports to protect all renters means they either missed their payments, dipped into their savings or went deeper into debt to pay their rent. The pandemic has exposed a dysfunctional housing system dependent on the incomes of working people, who are being told to stay inside as much as possible, which is slowing down the economy and eliminating their jobs, which will cause them to wipe away their futures by going into debt or using up savings, which will then cause vicious anti-recovery for their local economy and communities. Sound familiar? Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions This is an unprecedented crisis, and we should meet it with an unprecedented response. Now is the time for all Canadians to start thinking about the changes we need to make to avoid disaster in the long run. We must replace this dysfunctional for-profit housing system with a universal government-run program. We must have the moral clarity to say: like health care, housing is a right.
Luckily, Canada has a blueprint for doing that. "Every month, Canadians go out to their jobs, earn a paycheque and then transfer a large portion of that income to a landlord in the form of rent or a bank in the form of a mortgage." Single-payer In 2019, U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg succinctly articulated that a single-payer health-care system like Canada’s was “a compromise position.” The providers in the system, like doctors and hospitals, are generally private businesses or organizations, while the provincial governments act as the public payer to contract their services. The federal government sets the standard for the comprehensive coverage each individual is entitled to. So what could this system look like for housing? It could mean housing developers would remain private businesses whose sole clients are municipal and provincial governments. These governments would take the needs of their residents into account and set the strategies, then shop around among housing developers to find the best solutions. They would flex their power as governments to keep the costs down by negotiating, and the federal government could set the standards for safe, secure and dignified housing.
Single-provider Another direction to go would be the single-provider system like the U.K.’s health care, where hospitals and health employees are largely provided by the government’s National Health Service. And what could this system look like for housing? It could mean the federal government largely provides for the building of housing across the country. The comprehensive standards of housing are set, and the construction of housing is operated at the federal level, while the strategy and needs are assessed by municipal and provincial governments. Private housing developers would be largely unnecessary and costs are kept down as there would be no profit margins to satisfy.


Shock-and-awe pandemics

Renowned draconian economist Milton Friedman famously observed , “ Only a crisis — actual or perceived — produces real change .
When that crisis occurs , the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around.
” Recognition of this reality led to a new political-economic paradigm called “ disaster capitalism.
” Coined by Naomi Klein in her 2007 book The Shock Doctrine : The Rise of Disaster Capitalism , disaster capitalism may be defined as the practice of taking advantage of a major disaster to adopt policies the population would be less likely to accept under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conceived by Friedman at the Chicago School of Economics .
Known as “ economic shock treatment , ” or “ shock therapy , ” it predicts that the speed and scope of significant change in times of crisis create a psychological state in the public that facilitates change acceptance .
Any port in a storm .
There is also typically an element of the misdirection theatrical magicians term “ sleight of hand.
” It can be difficult to keep your eye on the political ball when a Category 5 hurricane has just blown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broken , battle tanks are rolling through town or the impending doom of a terrifying pandemic are featured 24-7 in every news media source on the planet .
Fear focuses our attention in the way increased adrenaline levels caused by the “ fight or flight ” response to danger can cause tunnel vision .
The roar of Panthera leo close by in the African night , a charging bull elephant or the rattle of a diamondback .
The lizard part of our brain blocks out information it determines unimportant to survival in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pliocene Darwinian biology for political and economic gain .
The military application of shock doctrine has a lengthy history .
The U.S. National Defence University Institute for Strategic Studies publication Shock and Awe — Achieving Rapid Dominance outlines tactics dating back to Sun Tzu in 500 BC : “ Shock and awe are actions that create fears , dangers and destruction that are incomprehensible to the people at large , specific elements/sectors of the threat society , or the leadership .
Nature in the form of tornadoes , hurricanes , earthquakes , floods @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can engender shock and awe.
” The term was popularized by the Bush administration in 2003 , selling an invasion of Iraq .
Klein described a brutal and recurring tactic by right-wing governments : “ After a shocking event — a war , coup , terrorist attack , market crash or natural disaster — they exploit the public ’ s disorientation , suspend democracy , push through radical free-market policies that enrich the ( one per cent ) at the expense of the poor and middle class.
” Previously unsellable policies are suddenly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went against COVID-19 health advice to visit his cottage • What 's streaming this week on Netflix and more Historical examples abound : Pinochet ’ s coup in Chile in 1973 , the Falklands War in 1982 , the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989 , the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 , the Asian financial crisis in 1997 , the World Trade Centre in 2001 , hurricane Katrina in 2005 were all devasting events followed by the implementation of radical free-market agendas such as bailouts , privatization , outsourcing , tax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of democracy .
Income tax was introduced in Canada as a temporary war measure in 1917 .
The current COVID-19 pandemic presents the next opportunity to break out “ one per cent ” back-shelf policies gathering dust in anticipation of just the right moment to slide one by distracted taxpayers .
While the world cowers in isolation under a blanket of intense media fearmongering and government-ordered closures , U.S. President Donald Trump is dusting off some old ideas — such as a suspension of the payroll tax , which could bankrupt social security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or privatize it completely .
This idea has been lying around for a long time .
President George W. Bush pushed for it .
So did Joe Biden during his time as a senator .
Corporate bailouts have been discussed .
Trump has already said taxpayers will be kicking in : “ We are working very closely with the cruise-line industry , likewise with the airline industry .
They ’ re two great industries , and we ’ ll be helping them through this patch.
” By “ we , ” he means @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitality industry could provide financial benefit to him personally .
The president has also met with health-insurance companies , likely to discuss further bailouts .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canadian taxpayers will provide a $ 82-billion aid package — more than three per cent of annual GDP — which includes $ 55 billion in tax deferrals to help businesses .
Speculation is now rampant in the media regarding probable change following COVID-19 , and social media commentary suggests there is a general acceptance amongst the population things will never be the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the implementation of disaster-capitalism policies .
Expect sweeping legislative change in the months to come .
`` The current COVID-19 pandemic presents the next opportunity to break out 'one per cent ' back-shelf policies gathering dust in anticipation of just the right moment to slide one by distracted taxpayers . ''

Renowned draconian economist Milton Friedman famously observed, “Only a crisis — actual or perceived — produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around.” Recognition of this reality led to a new political-economic paradigm called “disaster capitalism.”
Coined by Naomi Klein in her 2007 book The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, disaster capitalism may be defined as the practice of taking advantage of a major disaster to adopt policies the population would be less likely to accept under normal circumstances. It is a tactic conceived by Friedman at the Chicago School of Economics. Known as “economic shock treatment,” or “shock therapy,” it predicts that the speed and scope of significant change in times of crisis create a psychological state in the public that facilitates change acceptance. Any port in a storm.
There is also typically an element of the misdirection theatrical magicians term “sleight of hand.” It can be difficult to keep your eye on the political ball when a Category 5 hurricane has just blown your house away, the levee has broken, battle tanks are rolling through town or the impending doom of a terrifying pandemic are featured 24-7 in every news media source on the planet. Fear focuses our attention in the way increased adrenaline levels caused by the “fight or flight” response to danger can cause tunnel vision. The roar of Panthera leo close by in the African night, a charging bull elephant or the rattle of a diamondback. The lizard part of our brain blocks out information it determines unimportant to survival in the moment. Shock doctrine insidiously exploits our Pliocene Darwinian biology for political and economic gain.
The military application of shock doctrine has a lengthy history. The U.S. National Defence University Institute for Strategic Studies publication Shock and Awe — Achieving Rapid Dominance outlines tactics dating back to Sun Tzu in 500 BC: “Shock and awe are actions that create fears, dangers and destruction that are incomprehensible to the people at large, specific elements/sectors of the threat society, or the leadership. Nature in the form of tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, uncontrolled fires, famine and disease can engender shock and awe.” The term was popularized by the Bush administration in 2003, selling an invasion of Iraq.
Klein described a brutal and recurring tactic by right-wing governments: “After a shocking event — a war, coup, terrorist attack, market crash or natural disaster — they exploit the public’s disorientation, suspend democracy, push through radical free-market policies that enrich the (one per cent) at the expense of the poor and middle class.” Previously unsellable policies are suddenly justified in crisis.


nationalobserver--2020-05-11--Quebec reopens some elementary schools, daycares

Quebec children have begun heading back to class today for the first time since March as the province reopens elementary schools and daycares outside the Montreal area .
Quebec is the first province to open schools following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic , and school officials say it will be far from business as usual .
Students are being met by staff wearing masks and in some cases face shields , and they are being told to follow physical-distancing rules and wash their hands frequently .
Libraries , gyms and cafeterias will be closed , and children will spend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Attendance is n't mandatory , and some school boards have indicated that most parents are keeping their children home for now .
• Pipeline projects , the pandemic and the question journalists fail to ask • Like health care , housing is a right Schools in the Montreal area , which continues to be hit hard by the novel coronavirus , will remain closed until at least May 25 , while high schools and junior colleges wo n't be back until the fall .
At Ecole St-Gerard in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu , southeast of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ photos on coloured dots painted on the ground outside the school to mark distancing .
A school bus pulled in with a lone student aboard .
Marie Fortin watched as her twin seven-year-old daughters each received a squirt of hand sanitizer from a staff member wearing a mask .
She said sending her kids to school was `` important for their routines . ''
She said she felt reassured after seeing all the preparations done by staff , including sectioning off classrooms with tape , devising a game around handwashing , and cleaning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feel unsafe at all , '' she said .
Marie-Claude Audet , a special education teacher , said about half the school 's parents had elected to send their children .
The school is bringing them back gradually , beginning Monday with kindergarten and first grade .
Quebec has faced some pushback on the decision to reopen schools ahead of any other province , despite having the country 's highest COVID-19 caseload by far .
Some educators and parents have raised questions over issues such as school bus transport , staff safety and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ classrooms , which are supposed to have a maximum of 15 students each .
But Premier Francois Legault has defended his decision , noting the risk to young people is limited and that it 's better to open things up gradually rather than all at once .
He said children , especially those with special needs , will benefit from seeing their teachers and classmates .
`` Life needs to continue , '' Legault said when he announced the reopening .
He said there likely wo n't be a vaccine for over a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kept home until then .

Quebec children have begun heading back to class today for the first time since March as the province reopens elementary schools and daycares outside the Montreal area. Quebec is the first province to open schools following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and school officials say it will be far from business as usual. Students are being met by staff wearing masks and in some cases face shields, and they are being told to follow physical-distancing rules and wash their hands frequently. Libraries, gyms and cafeterias will be closed, and children will spend most of the day at their desks. Attendance isn't mandatory, and some school boards have indicated that most parents are keeping their children home for now.
Schools in the Montreal area, which continues to be hit hard by the novel coronavirus, will remain closed until at least May 25, while high schools and junior colleges won't be back until the fall. At Ecole St-Gerard in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, southeast of Montreal, children posed for parents' photos on coloured dots painted on the ground outside the school to mark distancing. A school bus pulled in with a lone student aboard. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Marie Fortin watched as her twin seven-year-old daughters each received a squirt of hand sanitizer from a staff member wearing a mask. She said sending her kids to school was "important for their routines."
She said she felt reassured after seeing all the preparations done by staff, including sectioning off classrooms with tape, devising a game around handwashing, and cleaning and disinfecting. Quebec reopens some elementary schools, daycares after COVID-19 shutdowns "We don't feel unsafe at all," she said. Marie-Claude Audet, a special education teacher, said about half the school's parents had elected to send their children. The school is bringing them back gradually, beginning Monday with kindergarten and first grade. Quebec has faced some pushback on the decision to reopen schools ahead of any other province, despite having the country's highest COVID-19 caseload by far. Some educators and parents have raised questions over issues such as school bus transport, staff safety and the challenges of enforcing distancing requirements in classrooms, which are supposed to have a maximum of 15 students each.
But Premier Francois Legault has defended his decision, noting the risk to young people is limited and that it's better to open things up gradually rather than all at once. He said children, especially those with special needs, will benefit from seeing their teachers and classmates. "Life needs to continue,'' Legault said when he announced the reopening.


nationalobserver--2020-05-12--Funds to fight COVID-19 in meat plants might not move for months

Tens of millions of federal dollars aimed at helping food processors deal with a rash of COVID-19 outbreaks might not move until the end of September , and there are no details about what the requirements will be to qualify .
The $ 77.5-million Emergency Processing Fund Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced last week is intended to help food processors adapt to COVID-19 protocols , including gaining access to more protective equipment for workers .
It is also supposed to help upgrade and reopen shuttered meat facilities that have had to close after becoming infected by COVID-19 .
On Sunday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced it will temporarily close its doors after at least 64 workers tested positive .
That is the second temporary closure of a Cargill plant in recent weeks .
One in High River , Alta.
, closed after about 350 cases of the novel coronavirus were linked to it .
The number eventually rose to 1,500 , including nearly half the plant 's 2,000 workers .
The plant has since re-opened .
• Pipeline projects , the pandemic and the question journalists fail to ask • Like health care , housing is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Just read the writing on the wall .
Workers in meat-packing plants often work shoulder to shoulder slaughtering and butchering animals for food .
Many of them also share living quarters and transportation to and from work .
Cargill Ltd. , the Canadian subsidiary of an American-based multinational , has said it has installed transparent shields between workers ' stations where possible , supplied protective gear , and put on shuttle buses modified for safety so workers do n't have to carpool .
A company representative did n't immediately return a call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about who will have access to the federal funds to improve conditions at food plants , and what the requirements will be , are still being worked out , according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada .
`` The Emergency Processing Fund is being finalized and we will continue our consultations with provinces , territories and stakeholders as the parameters of the program are developed , '' the federal department said in a statement in response to questions Monday .
As for when the money is expected to doled out , the department said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than Sept. 30 .
In the meantime the Canadian Food Inspection Agency will order non-meat inspectors into meat plants under threat of discipline , according to the union representing agriculture workers .
Funds to fight COVID-19 in meat plants might not move for months , feds say The agency has instructed some of its non-meat-inspection staff to train up to be deployed to meat slaughter plants that have seen outbreaks of COVID-19 , the Agriculture Union said in a statement Monday , asserting that the federal food-safety agency will treat refusals as acts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ represents more than 6,500 employees of federal agricultural agencies , called the approach `` heavy-handed '' and `` unacceptable . ''
`` CFIA is ordering its staff to work in facilities that obviously are not safe , and without the proper personal protective gear , '' president Fabian Murphy said in the release .
The union says 18 of 37 inspectors working at the Cargill plant in High River have tested positive for the virus , and so have three of six inspectors at another plant .
In a statement , the CFIA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public health advice and obeys protocols put in place at the plants to mitigate risk of exposure to the virus .
`` When cases of COVID-19 occur in a food processing establishment , the CFIA works with local public health authorities to determine the level of risk of exposure for CFIA employees , and their need for self-isolation and/or referral to health services for testing , '' the agency said .
The statement also noted that inspectors complete a self-assessment before and after each shift related to their health , and masks and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separate statement about ongoing plant closures due to COVID-19 , Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said Sunday it is important essential workers feel safe .
`` We fully recognize the health concerns of workers in certain meat plants .
As with all essential workers — proper measures must be in place , if workers can continue to provide essential services to Canadians during these critical times , '' the minister said .

Tens of millions of federal dollars aimed at helping food processors deal with a rash of COVID-19 outbreaks might not move until the end of September, and there are no details about what the requirements will be to qualify. The $77.5-million Emergency Processing Fund Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced last week is intended to help food processors adapt to COVID-19 protocols, including gaining access to more protective equipment for workers. It is also supposed to help upgrade and reopen shuttered meat facilities that have had to close after becoming infected by COVID-19. On Sunday another Cargill meat-processing plant south of Montreal announced it will temporarily close its doors after at least 64 workers tested positive. That is the second temporary closure of a Cargill plant in recent weeks. One in High River, Alta., closed after about 350 cases of the novel coronavirus were linked to it. The number eventually rose to 1,500, including nearly half the plant's 2,000 workers. The plant has since re-opened.
Workers in meat-packing plants often work shoulder to shoulder slaughtering and butchering animals for food. Many of them also share living quarters and transportation to and from work. Cargill Ltd., the Canadian subsidiary of an American-based multinational, has said it has installed transparent shields between workers' stations where possible, supplied protective gear, and put on shuttle buses modified for safety so workers don't have to carpool. A company representative didn't immediately return a call from The Canadian Press Monday. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Details about who will have access to the federal funds to improve conditions at food plants, and what the requirements will be, are still being worked out, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
"The Emergency Processing Fund is being finalized and we will continue our consultations with provinces, territories and stakeholders as the parameters of the program are developed," the federal department said in a statement in response to questions Monday. Funds to fight COVID-19 in meat plants might not move for months, feds say As for when the money is expected to doled out, the department said that will happen "no later" than Sept. 30. In the meantime the Canadian Food Inspection Agency will order non-meat inspectors into meat plants under threat of discipline, according to the union representing agriculture workers. The agency has instructed some of its non-meat-inspection staff to train up to be deployed to meat slaughter plants that have seen outbreaks of COVID-19, the Agriculture Union said in a statement Monday, asserting that the federal food-safety agency will treat refusals as acts of insubordination. The union, which represents more than 6,500 employees of federal agricultural agencies, called the approach "heavy-handed" and "unacceptable."
"CFIA is ordering its staff to work in facilities that obviously are not safe, and without the proper personal protective gear," president Fabian Murphy said in the release. The union says 18 of 37 inspectors working at the Cargill plant in High River have tested positive for the virus, and so have three of six inspectors at another plant. In a statement, the CFIA said the agency follows national and local public health advice and obeys protocols put in place at the plants to mitigate risk of exposure to the virus.


nationalobserver--2020-05-12--Provinces begin reopening amid COVID-19 pandemic

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says Ottawa and Washington are working on plans to deal with an increase in cross-border @ @ @ @ @ begin reopening .
There 's currently a Canada-U.S. ban on non-essential travel , which is @ @ @ @ @ .
British Columbia is allowing a partial reopening of its economy starting May 19 , @ @ @ @ @ long weekend .

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says Ottawa and Washington are working on plans to deal with an increase in cross-border traffic as states and provinces begin reopening.
There's currently a Canada-U.S. ban on non-essential travel, which is set to expire next week.
British Columbia is allowing a partial reopening of its economy starting May 19, right after the Victoria Day long weekend.
The mayor of the provincial capital says the city wants to lend some support by spicing up the downtown core.
Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said Monday the recipe for a successful restaurant recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic could involve adding outdoor patios, parking lots, sidewalks and even streets to allow for physical distancing.


nationalobserver--2020-05-12--Oilpatch welcomes federal aid despite climate change conditions

A federal financing relief package for large Canadian companies was applauded by the oil and gas sector and the Alberta government on Monday despite conditions that could link the aid to an individual company 's climate change goals .
In Edmonton , Alberta Finance Minister Travis Toews welcomed the announcement , saying that the province 's large companies , particularly in oil and gas and aviation , need relief quickly .
`` We know that the ( financial ) need could be great .
We 've seen some recovery in energy prices , that 's very welcome , but these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by no means close to profitable for the industry , '' said Toews .
While the province still needs to see the details of the federal plan , he said he is pleased there is no cap on the bridge financing offer .
He added oil and gas companies should n't face problems with the requirement to help meet federal climate change commitments .
• Pipeline projects , the pandemic and the question journalists fail to ask • Like health care , housing is a right • Yes , oil is dead .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Oilsands producer Cenovus Energy Inc. is pleased that Ottawa recognizes large corporations need help as well as the small and medium-sized ones , said spokeswoman Sonja Franklin .
`` Today 's announcement is an important signal for the markets that the government will stand behind viable businesses in this country , '' she said in an email .
`` The federal government recognizes which sectors contribute most significantly to its revenues and needs to ensure these sectors — like oil and gas — will be there to help it pay off the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the COVID-19 relief . ''
The company is in a strong financial position with access to more than $ 6 billion in liquidity , she added , but government support is important because there 's no way to know when low oil prices will recover .
Cenovus has set targets of 30 per cent greenhouse gas emissions intensity reduction and flat overall emissions by 2030 , as well as achieving net zero GHG emissions by 2050 , and therefore should have no problem meeting federal climate change requirements , she said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to addressing the industry 's request for short-term financial liquidity help and will likely be well used as long as there are no issues with accessing the funds , said Tim McMillan , CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers .
`` I think this is essential .
Not all companies are going to need to tap into this sort of liquidity ... but some that are normally high-quality , stable companies likely will be looking for this program to provide a certain amount of liquidity for them , '' he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oil and gas companies is extensive , both voluntary and as required by regulators , he added , which means most companies should be able to meet Ottawa 's requirements .
`` This is a non-sector-specific program and when we compare what we 've been doing for the last several years compared to other industries in Canada , I think we 're probably one or two steps ahead , '' he said .
`` This would be a requirement that may be a challenge for some industries — I think for our larger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the kind of stuff we 've been reporting on for a period of time already . ''
Companies that apply for public support should be willing to say how they will adapt to new rules with regard to climate change , said Greenpeace Canada senior energy strategist Keith Stewart .
`` There have to be some real teeth in how this is implemented , but it makes sense that companies seeking public support agree to limit dividends and executive pay , forgo tax havens and start aligning their business model with Canada 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

A federal financing relief package for large Canadian companies was applauded by the oil and gas sector and the Alberta government on Monday despite conditions that could link the aid to an individual company's climate change goals. In Edmonton, Alberta Finance Minister Travis Toews welcomed the announcement, saying that the province's large companies, particularly in oil and gas and aviation, need relief quickly. "We know that the (financial) need could be great. We've seen some recovery in energy prices, that's very welcome, but these prices that we're seeing today are by no means close to profitable for the industry," said Toews. While the province still needs to see the details of the federal plan, he said he is pleased there is no cap on the bridge financing offer. He added oil and gas companies shouldn't face problems with the requirement to help meet federal climate change commitments.
Oilsands producer Cenovus Energy Inc. is pleased that Ottawa recognizes large corporations need help as well as the small and medium-sized ones, said spokeswoman Sonja Franklin. "Today's announcement is an important signal for the markets that the government will stand behind viable businesses in this country," she said in an email. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions "The federal government recognizes which sectors contribute most significantly to its revenues and needs to ensure these sectors — like oil and gas — will be there to help it pay off the massive debt it's accumulating as part of the COVID-19 relief."
The company is in a strong financial position with access to more than $6 billion in liquidity, she added, but government support is important because there's no way to know when low oil prices will recover. Oilpatch welcomes federal aid for large firms despite climate change conditions Cenovus has set targets of 30 per cent greenhouse gas emissions intensity reduction and flat overall emissions by 2030, as well as achieving net zero GHG emissions by 2050, and therefore should have no problem meeting federal climate change requirements, she said. The federal program goes a long way to addressing the industry's request for short-term financial liquidity help and will likely be well used as long as there are no issues with accessing the funds, said Tim McMillan, CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. "I think this is essential. Not all companies are going to need to tap into this sort of liquidity ... but some that are normally high-quality, stable companies likely will be looking for this program to provide a certain amount of liquidity for them," he said. Environmental and climate change reporting by oil and gas companies is extensive, both voluntary and as required by regulators, he added, which means most companies should be able to meet Ottawa's requirements.
"This is a non-sector-specific program and when we compare what we've been doing for the last several years compared to other industries in Canada, I think we're probably one or two steps ahead," he said. "This would be a requirement that may be a challenge for some industries — I think for our larger oil and gas companies, this is the kind of stuff we've been reporting on for a period of time already." Companies that apply for public support should be willing to say how they will adapt to new rules with regard to climate change, said Greenpeace Canada senior energy strategist Keith Stewart.


nationalobserver--2020-05-12--Archaic paper records hold up real-time COVID-19 data

The old-fashioned way Canada records deaths means the country could be missing out on data important to addressing the COVID-19 crisis .
The confirmed number of COVID-19 deaths — about 4,900 across Canada as of Monday afternoon — represents people who have tested positive for the viral disease .
Experts suggest that may not tell the whole story .
Testing protocols vary province to province , making confirmed cases an imperfect measure of the true impact of the virus .
Comparing the total number of deaths to previous years could offer a better insight , and the government is working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that information .
• Pipeline projects , the pandemic and the question journalists fail to ask • Like health care , housing is a right • Yes , oil is dead .
Just read the writing on the wall .
But according to Laura Rosella , an associate professor of public health at the University of Toronto , it 's difficult to get the data quickly enough for it to be useful in Canada .
`` The way we gather death information is quite archaic , '' said Rosella , who also serves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's Population Health Analytics Laboratory .
When someone dies in Canada , a doctor typically fills out a death certificate on paper and faxes it to the provincial body responsible for processing those statistics .
That means it can take several years to get verified data about the number of people who die in a given year .
The numbers are also sometimes reported by hospitals or coroners using different methods , resulting in different numbers — which then need to be reconciled to be of any use .
`` Our system is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ real-time feedback of mortality , '' Rosella said , making it hard for governments to make data-driven decisions .
Former federal health minister Jane Philpott , who has been on the front lines in the battle against COVID-19 at Markham Stouffville Hospital in Markham , Ont.
, expressed her frustration with Canada 's data situation .
`` We are infuriatingly decades behind in data technology for public health , '' Philpott , a former Liberal and then Independent MP who is set to take on a new role as dean at the health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote on Twitter Sunday .
In a crisis , governments often work to speed up the process for certain types of deaths .
Canada 's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said that 's what happened during the opioids crisis , for example , as the government looked for new ways to record overdose deaths .
She said Ottawa hopes to use the same methods to get more timely access to COVID-19 data .
`` We have highlighted some of the gaps in real-time information on the COVID-19 deaths themselves , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ottawa .
`` We are doing our very best with the provinces to try to see if we can address those gaps . ''
Data in the United Kingdom shows a greater spike in total deaths since March than total confirmed COVID-19 cases would suggest , according to The Health Foundation in Britain .
Information about how many more people are dying overall this year compared to 2019 would also give insight into some of the other consequences of the pandemic , Tam said .
Doctors across the country have noted lower rates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may not be going to the hospital when they need help .
`` Excess mortality is something we have to look at in parallel with the COVID-19 deaths , '' she said .
Comparing the number of deaths to previous years is often used to look back on a flu season to measure how severe it was , said Rosella , who often uses mortality data in her research .
She said there are many areas of research and public health that would benefit from more up-to-date information .
`` I actually think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health system , '' she said .
`` Without the timely information , we actually ca n't act on it and ca n't use as an indicator in a meaningful way . ''
There 's been talk for years about improving Canada 's processes by making them digital and creating a national database or registry , she said .
But those improvements require investment , and so far there 's been no action .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12 , 2020 .

The old-fashioned way Canada records deaths means the country could be missing out on data important to addressing the COVID-19 crisis. The confirmed number of COVID-19 deaths — about 4,900 across Canada as of Monday afternoon — represents people who have tested positive for the viral disease. Experts suggest that may not tell the whole story. Testing protocols vary province to province, making confirmed cases an imperfect measure of the true impact of the virus. Comparing the total number of deaths to previous years could offer a better insight, and the government is working with Statistics Canada to gather and analyze that information.
But according to Laura Rosella, an associate professor of public health at the University of Toronto, it's difficult to get the data quickly enough for it to be useful in Canada. "The way we gather death information is quite archaic," said Rosella, who also serves as the scientific director for the university's Population Health Analytics Laboratory. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions When someone dies in Canada, a doctor typically fills out a death certificate on paper and faxes it to the provincial body responsible for processing those statistics.
That means it can take several years to get verified data about the number of people who die in a given year. Archaic paper records submitted by fax hold up real-time COVID-19 data The numbers are also sometimes reported by hospitals or coroners using different methods, resulting in different numbers — which then need to be reconciled to be of any use. "Our system is not set up for any type of real-time feedback of mortality," Rosella said, making it hard for governments to make data-driven decisions. Former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who has been on the front lines in the battle against COVID-19 at Markham Stouffville Hospital in Markham, Ont., expressed her frustration with Canada's data situation. "We are infuriatingly decades behind in data technology for public health," Philpott, a former Liberal and then Independent MP who is set to take on a new role as dean at the health sciences faculty at Queen's University, wrote on Twitter Sunday.
In a crisis, governments often work to speed up the process for certain types of deaths. Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said that's what happened during the opioids crisis, for example, as the government looked for new ways to record overdose deaths. She said Ottawa hopes to use the same methods to get more timely access to COVID-19 data.


nationalobserver--2020-05-12--Ottawa examining new, existing tools to get web giants to pay up

The federal heritage minister says if new tools are needed to get digital giants to pay for Canadian content , they will be built .
Steven Guilbeault says he is watching how other countries are trying to get companies such as Facebook and Google to pay for the copyrighted content that appears on their online platforms .
Australia and France have moved ahead on measures to help domestic media outlets , which often say they are losing ad money to international digital giants .
With a global decline in ad dollars due to the COVID-19 pandemic , calls are growing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Guilbeault says Australia and France have regulatory or legislative options that might not be on the table in Canada .
• Pipeline projects , the pandemic and the question journalists fail to ask • Like health care , housing is a right • Yes , oil is dead .
Just read the writing on the wall .
But he told the House of Commons industry committee Monday night that he is reviewing what is , or what might be needed .
Facebook and Google have both said they are strong supporters of local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ causes they support in the countries where they have a presence .
But Guilbeault says the government is still examining the issue closely .
`` We 've said for many months that we want the web giants to do their fair share , and clearly right now they 're not , '' he said in response to a question from fellow Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith .
`` If we can use existing tools to make that happen , we will , and if we need to create new tools , we will .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ publishers banded together and published an open letter demanding the government force digital companies to share advertising revenues with Canadian media outlets .
Ottawa examining new , existing tools to get web giants to pay up : Guilbeault While the sector was already struggling ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic , a dramatic decline in advertising revenue has placed significant additional pressure on the companies .
One estimate suggests 50 community newspapers have closed since the outbreak of the pandemic , with 100 media outlets making cuts to operations in six-week period .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their jobs , indicates an analysis conducted by the local news research project at Ryerson University 's School of Journalism , the journalism news site J-Source and the Canadian Association of Journalists .
In March , the Liberal government announced a $ 30-million ad campaign for COVID-19 awareness as a stop-gap measure as it moves to roll out additional support to the media industry in the form of tax credits announced last year .
Guilbeault said the ads were placed in more than 900 newspapers , on 500 radio and television stations and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 97 per cent of the money was spent in Canadian media , he said .
He did not say where the remaining three per cent of funds were spent .
Both Facebook and Google have , in the past , pointed to their own financial support of local journalism , both in Canada and other countries .
Facebook has given US $ 5,000 grants to around 80 Canadian news outlets in recent weeks as part of a major financial effort to support COVID-19 related journalism here and in the United States .
Google @ @ @ @ @ @ @ initiative program to some Canadian media outlets .

The federal heritage minister says if new tools are needed to get digital giants to pay for Canadian content, they will be built. Steven Guilbeault says he is watching how other countries are trying to get companies such as Facebook and Google to pay for the copyrighted content that appears on their online platforms. Australia and France have moved ahead on measures to help domestic media outlets, which often say they are losing ad money to international digital giants. With a global decline in ad dollars due to the COVID-19 pandemic, calls are growing louder for Canada to follow suit. Guilbeault says Australia and France have regulatory or legislative options that might not be on the table in Canada.
But he told the House of Commons industry committee Monday night that he is reviewing what is, or what might be needed. Facebook and Google have both said they are strong supporters of local journalism, pointing to related funds and causes they support in the countries where they have a presence. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions But Guilbeault says the government is still examining the issue closely.
"We've said for many months that we want the web giants to do their fair share, and clearly right now they're not," he said in response to a question from fellow Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith. Ottawa examining new, existing tools to get web giants to pay up: Guilbeault "If we can use existing tools to make that happen, we will, and if we need to create new tools, we will." Earlier this month, several Canadian publishers banded together and published an open letter demanding the government force digital companies to share advertising revenues with Canadian media outlets. While the sector was already struggling ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic, a dramatic decline in advertising revenue has placed significant additional pressure on the companies. One estimate suggests 50 community newspapers have closed since the outbreak of the pandemic, with 100 media outlets making cuts to operations in six-week period.
As many as 2,000 people have also lost their jobs, indicates an analysis conducted by the local news research project at Ryerson University's School of Journalism, the journalism news site J-Source and the Canadian Association of Journalists. In March, the Liberal government announced a $30-million ad campaign for COVID-19 awareness as a stop-gap measure as it moves to roll out additional support to the media industry in the form of tax credits announced last year. Guilbeault said the ads were placed in more than 900 newspapers, on 500 radio and television stations and in 12 different languages.


nationalobserver--2020-05-12--Wet'suwet'en elected chiefs call on Carolyn Bennett to resign

The elected leadership of several First Nations split over a natural gas pipeline in northern British Columbia are calling for the immediate resignation of Crown–Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett .
In a statement released Monday , four elected Wet'suwet'en chiefs say the process by which the province , the federal government and the nation 's hereditary leaders arrived at a proposed memorandum of understanding on Wet'suwet'en rights and title is unacceptable .
In addition to calling for Bennett 's resignation , the elected chiefs are also asking the B.C .
and federal governments to reject the current memorandum and begin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from elected leaders .
Elected chiefs Rosemarie Skin of Skin Tyee Nation , Dan George of Ts'ilh Kaz Koh First Nation , Maureen Luggi of Wet'suwet'en First Nation and Patricia Prince of Nee Tahi Buhn Indian Band say elected council members were not permitted to see the draft memorandum until Thursday .
Details of the memorandum are sparse , but an agreement was reached on Feb. 29 , and on April 29 the B.C .
government said Wet'suwet'en clans had completed their review and given their support to sign it .
The memorandum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and title more broadly , rather than an agreement related to the pipeline .
The statement from the elected chiefs indicates the Office of the Wet'suwet'en , which is comprised of the nation 's hereditary leadership , has invited the federal and provincial governments to sign the memorandum this coming Thursday .
They say their nations met virtually with hereditary leaders as well as with Minister Bennett and her provincial counterpart in B.C.
, Indigenous Relations Minister Scott Fraser , to voice their concerns last week .
This report by The Canadian Press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

The elected leadership of several First Nations split over a natural gas pipeline in northern British Columbia are calling for the immediate resignation of Crown–Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett.
In a statement released Monday, four elected Wet'suwet'en chiefs say the process by which the province, the federal government and the nation's hereditary leaders arrived at a proposed memorandum of understanding on Wet'suwet'en rights and title is unacceptable.
In addition to calling for Bennett's resignation, the elected chiefs are also asking the B.C. and federal governments to reject the current memorandum and begin the negotiation process again with full participation from elected leaders.
"We feel it is important to reiterate that we agree with the pursuit of negotiations for Wet'suwet'en Rights and Title, but we take issue with the improper consultation with respect to an MOU which would lead to negotiations," their statement says.
"This lack of proper consultation and secrecy means the governments are acting in bad faith contrary to the Honour of the Crown."