nationalobserver--2020-09-08--Why are elephants dying? The race to solve the mystery of mass die-offs

This article was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of Canada 's National Observer 's collaboration with Climate Desk .
Earlier this year , more than 350 elephants mysteriously died in the Okavango delta in Botswana .
Individuals of all ages and both sexes were affected , with many walking in circles before dying suddenly , collapsing on their faces .
The mass die-off in May and June was described as a “ conservation disaster ” .
Three months later , most surviving elephants have fled .
Last week a plane flew over the Okavango Panhandle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the delta where most of the deaths occurred , and eight elephants were spotted , when normally you would see hundreds , says Dr Niall McCann , director of conservation at UK-based charity National Park Rescue .
“ It is understandable , I ’ m sure you or I would flee if all our friends and relatives were dying , and that ’ s what the elephants appear to have done.
” Elephants are now reported to have started dying in a similar way in neighbouring Zimbabwe .
At the time of writing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected to rise .
Dr Roy Bengis , retired chief state veterinarian of the Kruger national park , says testing fresh carcasses in Zimbabwe could be an opportunity to understand what happened in Botswana , although it is not clear if there is a link between the two incidents .
“ Nowhere do we have anything definitive at this stage .
Not that I want another elephant to die but it would be so great to be able to get a very fresh carcass , ” he says .
• B.C .
only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for housing , MP finds There have been many competing theories about the cause of the deaths in Botswana .
Human-elephant conflicts are common in the Okavango delta , an agricultural area home to 15,000 elephants and 16,000 people , but poisoning or poaching are unlikely to be to blame .
Cyanide was ruled out because no scavengers died and tusks were left intact , according to a commentary piece co-authored by Bengis in the African Journal of Wildlife Research .
Pesticides and anthrax were tested for and also ruled out .
Researchers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Botswana and most samples were collected from animals that had already started rotting .
Samples need to be stored under very specific conditions and quickly transported to international labs with specific equipment to be tested – this was not done , resulting in widespread speculation about possible causes .
After months of work , scientists have whittled the cause down to two leading theories – neurotoxins in algal blooms or a rodent virus known as EMC ( encephalomyocarditis ) .
Local sources estimate that 70 % of elephants in Okavango in Botswana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contained blue-green algal blooms .
Toxins from algae were initially ruled out as a potential cause because elephants were the only species to die ( with the exception of one horse ) .
Now experts think elephants could be more vulnerable to algal bloom toxins because they spend so much time bathing and frolicking in water .
Their long trunks also have a large number of olfactory receptors and they can drink hundreds of litres of water a day , potentially exposing them to more toxins than other species .
Earlier this year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Okavango delta in Botswana .
Individuals of all ages and both sexes were affected , with many walking in circles before dying suddenly , collapsing on their faces Prof Christine Gosden from the University of Liverpool , who has previously studied the toxicology of chemical warfare , says she felt a responsibility to look into the mysterious deaths after reading the story in the Guardian .
Her findings suggest they could be caused by a recently discovered bacterial toxin produced by algae called BMAA ( beta-methylamino-L-alanine ) .
She made the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the behaviour of disoriented whales and dolphins that became beached and died ( and tested positive for BMAA in their brain ) , and reports of elephants walking around in circles before collapsing .
“ They ’ re large mammals and they ’ re showing the same sort of behaviour – they ’ re clearly lost and disoriented , ” she says , describing this connection as a “ giant clue ” .
BMAA has also been found in the brain tissue of people with dementia .
They ’ re showing the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested positive for BMAA ] – they ’ re clearly lost and disorientated BMAA is mainly found in marine environments ( as opposed to fresh water ) and many researchers question whether it is found in high enough concentrations to kill an elephant .
It could be part of a cocktail of toxins , says Dr James Metcalf , a senior researcher at Brain Chemistry Labs , a non-profit research institute in Jackson , Wyoming , who has looked at cyanobacteria in Africa .
“ I would not be surprised to find BMAA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may be a contributing factor , but without the testing it ’ s really hard to say.
” Zebra , wildebeest , white rhinoceros and impala have all died from ingesting toxic algae but there is no literature about elephants dying from neurotoxins in algal blooms .
This might be because pathologists and vets do not initially test for cyanobacteria , and once they decide to do so it is often too late because the tissues have deteriorated or the algal blooms have gone .
Rising temperatures and intensive farming methods are fuelling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , lakes , reservoirs and seas around the world .
Elephants are naive to this potential threat which makes them vulnerable .
“ There ’ s lots of interesting evidence slowly building to suggest that environmental exposure to neurotoxins is having more of an impact on species than we realised .
And goodness knows what ’ s happening with people , ” says McCann .
The fact that the elephant carcasses were close to water holes does not mean water was the source of the poison – frequently sick animals seek out water @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Farming is widespread on the floodplains of the Okavango delta and this year has seen a bumper crop of maize and sorghum because of late rains in 2020 following a string of dry years .
This could have attracted families of elephants to cropland as well an increase in rodents , which defecate and urinate on tufts of grass .
This means they would have been in close contact .
Most grazers eat the leaf part of grass , but elephants grab grass with their trunk and eat the whole tuft ( including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the EMC virus .
Unlike neurotoxins , EMC is a fairly well-known pathogen that most frequently affects elephants in zoos where there are lots of rats – there have been several cases in US zoos and one in Australia .
It caused the death of 64 elephants in Kruger national park between 1993 and 1994 .
“ [ In Botswana ] there were anecdotal stories that these elephants just dropped stone dead in their tracks – and that fits with EMC .
That ’ s one of the characteristics that we saw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Like neurotoxins that can kill in as little as 20 minutes , EMC is a quick death that causes elephants to collapse on their feet ( although it can incubate for for five to 10 days , so elephants can move long distances in that time ) .
The single dead horse could be a clue – not a coincidence – as horses are also vulnerable to EMC .
There were anecdotal stories that these elephants just dropped stone dead in their tracks – and that fits with EMC Normally there is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 83 % of elephants that died in Kruger national park were adult males – but this was not the case with the Okavango deaths .
“ The timing of the mortalities is also of relevance as extensive studies in the Seronga area [ in Okavango ] have identified the months of February to May as peak crop-raiding months , ” researchers wrote in the commentary paper .
“ Crop raiding is not only carried out by males , but by family units predominantly comprising females and young elephants , which would explain the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Botswana government has ruled out EMC because there was no damage or abnormalities found on heart tissue of the animals , but it is not clear how many samples were tested .
Authorities have been contacted for comment .
Scientists are keen to solve the mystery to help mitigate future deaths in more isolated , less resilient elephant populations which may be unable to withstand the loss of so many individuals .
Without proper testing , researchers can not be certain this is not the start of an epidemic .
Awareness about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ importance of testing disease outbreaks in wildlife is greater than ever .
McCann says : “ If this is a toxicity situation then there ’ s the possibility of it spilling into the human population.
” Authorities are being urged to test fresh samples from Zimbabwe as well as rodent faeces and algal blooms in the Okavango delta .
Find more age of extinction coverage here , and follow biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield on Twitter for all the latest news and feature

This article was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of Canada's National Observer's collaboration with Climate Desk. Earlier this year, more than 350 elephants mysteriously died in the Okavango delta in Botswana. Individuals of all ages and both sexes were affected, with many walking in circles before dying suddenly, collapsing on their faces. The mass die-off in May and June was described as a “conservation disaster”. Three months later, most surviving elephants have fled. Last week a plane flew over the Okavango Panhandle, an area in the north-west of the delta where most of the deaths occurred, and eight elephants were spotted, when normally you would see hundreds, says Dr Niall McCann, director of conservation at UK-based charity National Park Rescue. “It is understandable, I’m sure you or I would flee if all our friends and relatives were dying, and that’s what the elephants appear to have done.” Elephants are now reported to have started dying in a similar way in neighbouring Zimbabwe. At the time of writing, 22 have died, with numbers expected to rise. Dr Roy Bengis, retired chief state veterinarian of the Kruger national park, says testing fresh carcasses in Zimbabwe could be an opportunity to understand what happened in Botswana, although it is not clear if there is a link between the two incidents. “Nowhere do we have anything definitive at this stage. Not that I want another elephant to die but it would be so great to be able to get a very fresh carcass,” he says.
There have been many competing theories about the cause of the deaths in Botswana. Human-elephant conflicts are common in the Okavango delta, an agricultural area home to 15,000 elephants and 16,000 people, but poisoning or poaching are unlikely to be to blame. Cyanide was ruled out because no scavengers died and tusks were left intact, according to a commentary piece co-authored by Bengis in the African Journal of Wildlife Research. Pesticides and anthrax were tested for and also ruled out. Researchers have been unable to visit the site in Botswana and most samples were collected from animals that had already started rotting. Samples need to be stored under very specific conditions and quickly transported to international labs with specific equipment to be tested – this was not done, resulting in widespread speculation about possible causes. After months of work, scientists have whittled the cause down to two leading theories – neurotoxins in algal blooms or a rodent virus known as EMC (encephalomyocarditis).
Algal blooms Local sources estimate that 70% of elephants in Okavango in Botswana died near waterholes, many of which contained blue-green algal blooms. Toxins from algae were initially ruled out as a potential cause because elephants were the only species to die (with the exception of one horse). Earlier this year, more than 350 elephants mysteriously died in the Okavango delta in Botswana. Individuals of all ages and both sexes were affected, with many walking in circles before dying suddenly, collapsing on their faces Now experts think elephants could be more vulnerable to algal bloom toxins because they spend so much time bathing and frolicking in water. Their long trunks also have a large number of olfactory receptors and they can drink hundreds of litres of water a day, potentially exposing them to more toxins than other species. Prof Christine Gosden from the University of Liverpool, who has previously studied the toxicology of chemical warfare, says she felt a responsibility to look into the mysterious deaths after reading the story in the Guardian. Her findings suggest they could be caused by a recently discovered bacterial toxin produced by algae called BMAA (beta-methylamino-L-alanine).
She made the link after reading about the similarities between the behaviour of disoriented whales and dolphins that became beached and died (and tested positive for BMAA in their brain), and reports of elephants walking around in circles before collapsing. “They’re large mammals and they’re showing the same sort of behaviour – they’re clearly lost and disoriented,” she says, describing this connection as a “giant clue”. BMAA has also been found in the brain tissue of people with dementia. They’re showing the same sort of behaviour [as whales that tested positive for BMAA] – they’re clearly lost and disorientated Prof Christine Gosden BMAA is mainly found in marine environments (as opposed to fresh water) and many researchers question whether it is found in high enough concentrations to kill an elephant. It could be part of a cocktail of toxins, says Dr James Metcalf, a senior researcher at Brain Chemistry Labs, a non-profit research institute in Jackson, Wyoming, who has looked at cyanobacteria in Africa. “I would not be surprised to find BMAA in the brains of elephants. It may be a contributing factor, but without the testing it’s really hard to say.”


nationalobserver--2020-09-08--Wildfires are getting worse. Will forests start to burn themselves out?

This article was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of Canada 's National Observer 's collaboration with Climate Desk .
Thousands of lightning strikes have put California under a “ fire siege ” since mid-August , setting parched grasses , shrubs , and trees ablaze across the state .
Last week , when word got out that wildfires had entered Big Basin Redwoods State Park , many feared for the fate of its namesake redwood forest .
But by Friday , those fears were dispelled .
The “ Mother of the Forest ” and other ancient trees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first time their thick , fire-resistant bark has withstood such heat .
Forests in the West are used to fire , even dependent on fire , and many tree species have adaptations that help them survive or regenerate in the wake of one .
But wildfires are changing , becoming more severe and more frequent .
As the climate warms and heat and drought in the West become more extreme , these shifts are expected to intensify .
The result is a Gordian Knot of feedback loops that threaten Western forests in unprecedented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand how the relationship between forests and fire is changing in response .
One question is whether the increase in fire frequency might eventually burn itself out .
“ There is this hope , I guess you could call it a hope in some way , that that will eventually cause a negative feedback , ” said Brian Buma , an ecologist at the University of Colorado in Denver .
“ You ’ ll get a bunch of fires and everything will be burned up and there won ’ t be a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frequency may go down.
” • B.C .
only gets 0.5 per cent of federal funding for housing , MP finds Buma went looking for evidence of whether this was already happening .
By overlaying maps of fires throughout the Western United States from the past 30 years , a time during which fires have increased in frequency , he could look at whether more recent fires tended to ignite the same areas as older fires , or whether they stopped burning when they hit the perimeter of previous fires .
He published @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Letters in January .
Generally , over shorter , five- to 10-year periods , previously burned areas did not re-burn .
These results support the idea that management practices like prescribed and cultural burns could prevent catastrophic fires , Buma said .
However , overall , re-burns have been increasing , and Buma found that after 10 to 20 years , the fact of a previous fire made no difference as to whether an area would burn .
“ It no longer matters that something burned 20 years ago , it will burn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
Since that number is retrospective , he expects that particularly hot or dry summers in the future could shrink the interval between burns in many places .
Drought was correlated with shorter intervals between fires in much of the study area .
A fire every 20 years could be bad news for forest resilience , which is a measure of how well a forest can grow back to its previous state after a disturbance .
Some species can take as long as 25 years to re-establish after a fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if the forest doesn ’ t recover well , the real estate available to burn may change .
Some forests will convert to shrublands and grasslands , which are much more flammable than trees and regenerate more quickly , potentially increasing fire frequency even more , Buma explained .
Re-burns are just one factor that threaten to suffocate forests .
Temperature , dryness , and available seed can also limit forest regeneration after a fire , especially in lower elevations .
Another recent study published in the journal Global Ecology and Biogeology considered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Southern Rocky Mountains could fare under future climate scenarios .
The Southern Rockies stretch from Southern Wyoming down through Colorado to Northern New Mexico and hold more than 10 million acres of forest defined by ponderosa pine and Douglas fir .
The authors brought together datasets from previous studies of post-fire regeneration of these species and found that in the past 30 years , they have already become less resilient .
Many trees will survive a low-intensity fire , and their seeds will eventually re-establish the forest to what it once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intense fires that have blazed through the West have cleared large areas of forest , making it much harder for seeds to get there .
Even when there are available sources of seed after a fire , if the young trees are plagued by hotter , drier conditions , they might not survive .
Forest re-burns are increasing in frequency .
A fire every 20 years could be bad news for forest resilience , which is a measure of how well a forest can grow back to its previous state after a disturbance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might see a tree that survived a fire in a given area , there weren ’ t even any seedlings on the ground , ” said Kyle Rodman , who conducted the research while earning his PhD at the University of Colorado Boulder .
“ Even though the seed was there to produce those trees , they weren ’ t surviving because it was just so warm and dry.
” Rodman and his co-authors projected what might happen to these forests under two scenarios : one if humans began seriously curbing carbon emissions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2040 , and another if we just go on emitting on our current trajectory through the end of the century .
Even under the more optimistic scenario , less than 20 percent of the study area will remain suitable for these species .
In the worst-case scenario , that number drops to less than 5 percent .
Rodman said these numbers are important to understand what ’ s going on at a broad scale , but that there will be a lot of variability within the region .
“ Ecology is a messy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There are many moving parts that go into deciding what ’ s going to happen .
Some places will be resilient in the future and some places probably won ’ t .
We ’ re trying to build some tools to allow people to get a little bit better sense of what might happen .
”

This article was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of Canada's National Observer's collaboration with Climate Desk. Thousands of lightning strikes have put California under a “fire siege” since mid-August, setting parched grasses, shrubs, and trees ablaze across the state. Last week, when word got out that wildfires had entered Big Basin Redwoods State Park, many feared for the fate of its namesake redwood forest. But by Friday, those fears were dispelled. The “Mother of the Forest” and other ancient trees remained healthy. This was not the first time their thick, fire-resistant bark has withstood such heat. Forests in the West are used to fire, even dependent on fire, and many tree species have adaptations that help them survive or regenerate in the wake of one. But wildfires are changing, becoming more severe and more frequent. As the climate warms and heat and drought in the West become more extreme, these shifts are expected to intensify. The result is a Gordian Knot of feedback loops that threaten Western forests in unprecedented ways, and scientists are racing to understand how the relationship between forests and fire is changing in response. One question is whether the increase in fire frequency might eventually burn itself out. “There is this hope, I guess you could call it a hope in some way, that that will eventually cause a negative feedback,” said Brian Buma, an ecologist at the University of Colorado in Denver. “You’ll get a bunch of fires and everything will be burned up and there won’t be a lot of fuel left, and so fire frequency may go down.”
Buma went looking for evidence of whether this was already happening. By overlaying maps of fires throughout the Western United States from the past 30 years, a time during which fires have increased in frequency, he could look at whether more recent fires tended to ignite the same areas as older fires, or whether they stopped burning when they hit the perimeter of previous fires. He published his findings in the journal Environmental Research Letters in January. Generally, over shorter, five- to 10-year periods, previously burned areas did not re-burn. These results support the idea that management practices like prescribed and cultural burns could prevent catastrophic fires, Buma said. However, overall, re-burns have been increasing, and Buma found that after 10 to 20 years, the fact of a previous fire made no difference as to whether an area would burn. “It no longer matters that something burned 20 years ago, it will burn again more or less just fine,” he said. Since that number is retrospective, he expects that particularly hot or dry summers in the future could shrink the interval between burns in many places. Drought was correlated with shorter intervals between fires in much of the study area. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions A fire every 20 years could be bad news for forest resilience, which is a measure of how well a forest can grow back to its previous state after a disturbance. Some species can take as long as 25 years to re-establish after a fire. After a particularly bad burn, if the forest doesn’t recover well, the real estate available to burn may change. Some forests will convert to shrublands and grasslands, which are much more flammable than trees and regenerate more quickly, potentially increasing fire frequency even more, Buma explained.
Re-burns are just one factor that threaten to suffocate forests. Temperature, dryness, and available seed can also limit forest regeneration after a fire, especially in lower elevations. Another recent study published in the journal Global Ecology and Biogeology considered these factors and looked at how forests in the Southern Rocky Mountains could fare under future climate scenarios. Forest re-burns are increasing in frequency. A fire every 20 years could be bad news for forest resilience, which is a measure of how well a forest can grow back to its previous state after a disturbance. The Southern Rockies stretch from Southern Wyoming down through Colorado to Northern New Mexico and hold more than 10 million acres of forest defined by ponderosa pine and Douglas fir. The authors brought together datasets from previous studies of post-fire regeneration of these species and found that in the past 30 years, they have already become less resilient. Many trees will survive a low-intensity fire, and their seeds will eventually re-establish the forest to what it once was. But the recent, more intense fires that have blazed through the West have cleared large areas of forest, making it much harder for seeds to get there. Even when there are available sources of seed after a fire, if the young trees are plagued by hotter, drier conditions, they might not survive. “In lower-elevation forests where you might see a tree that survived a fire in a given area, there weren’t even any seedlings on the ground,” said Kyle Rodman, who conducted the research while earning his PhD at the University of Colorado Boulder. “Even though the seed was there to produce those trees, they weren’t surviving because it was just so warm and dry.” Rodman and his co-authors projected what might happen to these forests under two scenarios: one if humans began seriously curbing carbon emissions in the near term, by around 2040, and another if we just go on emitting on our current trajectory through the end of the century. Even under the more optimistic scenario, less than 20 percent of the study area will remain suitable for these species. In the worst-case scenario, that number drops to less than 5 percent.


nationalobserver--2020-09-08--Emissions from airplanes nearly doubled in two decades

This article was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of Canada 's National Observer 's collaboration with Climate Desk .
Five months ago , as COVID-19 cases were rising for the first time across the United States and the economy was taking a long walk off a short pier , congressional Democrats and Republicans were busy hashing out the details of a third coronavirus package .
One piece of the package became a sticking point for both parties : emissions from airplanes and cruise ships .
There ’ s more bad news masked as good news in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aviation ’ s contribution to global warming , percentage wise , has remained pretty constant since 2000 .
But in absolute numbers , emissions from aviation are rapidly growing —they only look like they ’ ve stayed constant because other sources of planet-warming gases have also been growing rapidly .
In reality , the warming effect from flying has nearly doubled in less than two decades .
That growth isn ’ t expected to slow anytime soon .
The study doesn ’ t take 2019 and 2020 aviation emissions into account , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factor into the researcher ’ s calculations .
But the crisis is likely to be a hiccup in the aviation industry ’ s upward trajectory .
Already , demand for jet fuel is recovering , especially in the U.S. , where demand for the fuel is outstripping other markets .
In order to mitigate the impact of flying on the environment , we need greener airplanes and a better set of standards for airlines .
In May , the Trump administration appeared to check off that second item .
The Environmental Protection Agency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standard for airplanes .
The rule won ’ t do much to reign in airlines ’ emissions , though , since the standards are so weak many airplanes already meet them .
New research shows that the aviation industry is responsible for a significant chunk of the suffering Americans and people around the world will soon endure as a result of global warming .
If there ’ s a silver lining to the plane contrails , it ’ s that corporate pressure might soon help do what Trump ’ s standards can not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans to purchase up to 6 million gallons of “ sustainable aviation fuel ” for its fleet of Boeing delivery planes .
Sustainable aviation fuels , made from plant oils and crops , don ’ t necessarily emit fewer emissions than conventional fuel during flight , but they ’ re better for the environment if you take their whole life cycle into consideration .
The fuels are currently too expensive to become a ready alternative to jet fuel , but Amazon ’ s purchase could help the industry scale up , which could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ planes ’ carbon footprint .

This article was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of Canada's National Observer's collaboration with Climate Desk. Five months ago, as COVID-19 cases were rising for the first time across the United States and the economy was taking a long walk off a short pier, congressional Democrats and Republicans were busy hashing out the details of a third coronavirus package. One piece of the package became a sticking point for both parties: emissions from airplanes and cruise ships. The aviation industry and cruise lines had been hit particularly hard by the pandemic — a highly infectious and deadly disease doesn’t exactly inspire people to pack into an airplane or cruise ship with throngs of strangers. Democrats wanted those industries to adopt stricter environmental practices and reduce their emissions in exchange for a $50 billion bailout. Republicans accused Democrats of trying to score political points while Americans suffered. Democrats eventually caved and Republicans got a relief package without the climate strings attached.
But new research shows that the aviation industry is responsible for a significant chunk of the suffering Americans and people around the world will soon endure as a result of global warming. A study published on Thursday in the scientific journal Atmospheric Environment unveiled the true contribution global aviation made to anthropogenic climate change between the years 2000 and 2018. It’s the most comprehensive analysis of the sector conducted thus far. The team of international researchers behind the new study say flying is responsible for 3.5 percent of anthropogenic warming. That’s less than a previous estimate that put that number closer to 5 percent, but higher than another estimate that put it at 2 percent. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The difference in estimates has to do in part with how difficult it is to calculate net emissions from airplanes. Planes don’t just emit CO2; they also produce nitrogen oxides, soot, and sulfate particles, all of which have complicated effects on the climate. The researchers took those additional pollutants into account and used computer modeling to sharpen prior estimates.


nationalobserver--2020-09-08--Canadian seed growers vote against corporate merger — for now

The Canadian Seed Growers ’ Association , which represents 3,500 seed growers across Canada , voted against a proposed merger with four other seed industry organizations .
It was a decision Boehm , a farmer and Saskatchewan representative for the National Farmers Union ( NFU ) , hopes will protect farmers ' independence — and the integrity of Canada ’ s food system .
“ The majority of seed growers , in this vote , concluded that no , their interests aren ’ t the same as the interests of the big players in the seed , chemical , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The merger would have brought all these entities under a single umbrella to “ create a more efficient and effective industry organization , ” according to a 2018 white paper by the merger ’ s proponents .
That efficiency , said Boehm , would come at the cost of farmers voicing their concerns .
“ The NFU thought it was really important that seed growers maintain their independence from the corporate sector , ” he said .
And the organization was particularly concerned that consolidation in the industry would be harmful to farmers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in this vote , concluded that no , their interests aren ’ t the same as the interests of the big players in the seed , # chemical , and # pharmaceutical industries , ” Boehm said .
# cdnpoli # seedsovereignty “ It would be part of the process of usurping and taking away seed from farmers and citizens , ” Boehm said , “ and putting it solely in corporate hands.
” The Canadian Seed Trade Association — the merger ’ s key proponent — could not be reached for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ press time .
Still , despite his relief , Boehm expects his advocacy is far from over .
“ This is one little piece .
It ’ ll be an ongoing fight , but for the moment , we ’ re quite happy with the outcome of this particular vote , ” he said .

Last Thursday, Terry Boehm breathed a sigh of relief.
The Canadian Seed Growers’ Association, which represents 3,500 seed growers across Canada, voted against a proposed merger with four other seed industry organizations. It was a decision Boehm, a farmer and Saskatchewan representative for the National Farmers Union (NFU), hopes will protect farmers' independence — and the integrity of Canada’s food system.
“The majority of seed growers, in this vote, concluded that no, their interests aren’t the same as the interests of the big players in the seed, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries,” he said.
Seeds are Canada’s third-largest crop, and the industry is worth about $2.6 billion while employing close to 60,000 people — everyone from farmers to plant scientists to breeders. They’re essential to the country’s agricultural industry, both as an export, and to support crops grown domestically, such as wheat, corn, and produce.
It’s big business. A business that, over the past 30 years, has become increasingly imbricated with global seed and fertilizer corporations — threatening the ability of farmers to save and sell seed at affordable prices, said Boehm.


nationalobserver--2020-09-08--COVID-19 drops cloud of financial uncertainty on universities and colleges

The impact of COVID-19 could be “ calamitous ” for some small colleges after international students and the schools they plan to attend have been left hanging in a “ policy quagmire , ” says the head of a website that matches students with post-secondary courses .
The premium rates paid by students coming to Canada from abroad have for years boosted the bottom lines of universities and colleges , and they 're more reliant on them due to cuts to their public funding .
But with the pandemic curtailing movement across borders and gatherings on campus , schools face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ online as possible while hoping students , especially those from abroad , don ’ t choose to stay home and drop out .
“ Students in some countries are going to face a firewall issue ( and ) if an online course in Toronto starts at 2 p.m. , I think that would be 2 a.m. in Beijing .
So how do you do that ?
” said Robert Furtado , the chief executive of education marketplace Course Compare .
Schools must grabble with the need to “ make massive investments in online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said .
“ While at the same time , students are saying that the perceived quality of their learning experience is diminished as a result , and they don ’ t want to pay as much.
” • B.C .
only gets 0.5 per cent of federal funding for housing , MP finds “ That ’ s an extremely difficult situation to be in , ” Furtado said , predicting further disruption in education , online and otherwise .
Furtado said Ottawa had made two promising moves ; announcing $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back in May , and then just last week , tweaking rules so that international students could study online from abroad without losing eligibility for a post-graduation work permit .
But he said the federal government should have allowed universities and colleges to communicate earlier and more clearly to international students , including by confirming they would even be allowed to enroll , which would have helped the schools stem any eventual loss in enrolment and revenue .
“ If you did n't know whether or not you would be able to sell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obviously be highly problematic , and I think that 's effectively what 's happened here , ” he said .
He said Ottawa could also be more proactive , pointing to a pilot program in Australia that will allow international students to return to some research universities under strict conditions before broader restrictions are relaxed , and said providing financial support to those who must quarantine on arrival would limit the risk of losing talent to other jurisdictions .
Robert Furtado , the CEO of CourseCompare , says post-secondary schools need to spend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dip in tuition revenue .
Photo supplied by CourseCompare Even though virtual frosh week has wrapped up and campuses are set to reopen this week , many universities won ’ t know just how bad the financial hit is until various deadlines for tuition payment come due later in the year .
Even though virtual frosh week has wrapped up and campuses are set to re-open thisth week , many universities won ’ t know just how bad the financial hit is until their various deadlines for tuition payment come due later in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at all of our data , the one thing that really strikes me is how much uncertainty still exists around fall pandemic plans , ” Furtado said , adding that post-secondary schools in Canada typically get between 10 per cent and 35 per cent of their total revenue from the 642,000 international students in the country .
“ Private colleges are especially vulnerable to revenue shortfalls , and I think this could be calamitous for some of them , ” he said , noting they often have a particularly large portion of international @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some schools have cut classes , while almost all have had to add some remote component , with more than half saying they would invest heavily in additional technology .
Laurentian University in Sudbury , Ont.
, said earlier this month it was suspending admissions for 17 of its courses , citing low demand .
Dalhousie University in Halifax , N.S.
, said in June that it expects a decline of up to $ 37.8 million in tuition revenue and another $ 12 million in other losses .
Furtado said that 53 per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they have tracked will deliver curriculum online-only , while another 40 per cent plan run a hybrid model balancing in-person and online classes .
The remainder are mostly small , private schools with religious affiliation , often in the Atlantic region , which has created its own COVID-19 bubble , he said .
People wanting to come to New Brunswick , Nova Scotia , Newfoundland and Labrador , and Prince Edward Island must isolate for 14 days on arrival , but residents of the four provinces have been able to travel between them @ @ @ @ @

The impact of COVID-19 could be “calamitous” for some small colleges after international students and the schools they plan to attend have been left hanging in a “policy quagmire,” says the head of a website that matches students with post-secondary courses. The premium rates paid by students coming to Canada from abroad have for years boosted the bottom lines of universities and colleges, and they're more reliant on them due to cuts to their public funding. But with the pandemic curtailing movement across borders and gatherings on campus, schools face the need to move as much curriculum online as possible while hoping students, especially those from abroad, don’t choose to stay home and drop out. “Students in some countries are going to face a firewall issue (and) if an online course in Toronto starts at 2 p.m., I think that would be 2 a.m. in Beijing. So how do you do that?” said Robert Furtado, the chief executive of education marketplace Course Compare. Schools must grabble with the need to “make massive investments in online learning while losing revenue from international students,” he said. “While at the same time, students are saying that the perceived quality of their learning experience is diminished as a result, and they don’t want to pay as much.”
“That’s an extremely difficult situation to be in,” Furtado said, predicting further disruption in education, online and otherwise. Furtado said Ottawa had made two promising moves; announcing $450 million in funding for academic research back in May, and then just last week, tweaking rules so that international students could study online from abroad without losing eligibility for a post-graduation work permit. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions But he said the federal government should have allowed universities and colleges to communicate earlier and more clearly to international students, including by confirming they would even be allowed to enroll, which would have helped the schools stem any eventual loss in enrolment and revenue.
“If you didn't know whether or not you would be able to sell in a given market, that would obviously be highly problematic, and I think that's effectively what's happened here,” he said. Even though virtual frosh week has wrapped up and campuses are set to re-open thisth week, many universities won’t know just how bad the financial hit is until their various deadlines for tuition payment come due later in the year. He said Ottawa could also be more proactive, pointing to a pilot program in Australia that will allow international students to return to some research universities under strict conditions before broader restrictions are relaxed, and said providing financial support to those who must quarantine on arrival would limit the risk of losing talent to other jurisdictions. Robert Furtado, the CEO of CourseCompare, says post-secondary schools need to spend on technology while dealing with a likely dip in tuition revenue. Photo supplied by CourseCompare Uncertainty lingers Even though virtual frosh week has wrapped up and campuses are set to reopen this week, many universities won’t know just how bad the financial hit is until various deadlines for tuition payment come due later in the year.
“When we look at all of our data, the one thing that really strikes me is how much uncertainty still exists around fall pandemic plans,” Furtado said, adding that post-secondary schools in Canada typically get between 10 per cent and 35 per cent of their total revenue from the 642,000 international students in the country. “Private colleges are especially vulnerable to revenue shortfalls, and I think this could be calamitous for some of them,” he said, noting they often have a particularly large portion of international students and smaller alternative revenues streams. Some schools have cut classes, while almost all have had to add some remote component, with more than half saying they would invest heavily in additional technology.


nationalobserver--2020-09-08--U of T architecture promises to design a more just and inclusive future

In June , representatives from three student unions at U of T ’ s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture , Landscape , and Design penned a letter to administrators — endorsed by more than 750 signatories — outlining seven recommendations to advance racial representation and educational initiatives as part of their “ Daniels Do Better ” campaign .
It ’ s part of a growing chorus across the university , including at Trinity College and the faculty of music , calling for change .
Student demands for meaningful changes to faculty hiring , curriculum and resources to “ dismantle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Toronto ’ s architecture school are being heard , its interim dean says , with plans to create a diversity and equity office and create an elder-in-residence program , among other commitments .
“ If we practise our disciplines without consideration of structural inequity , we risk perpetuating unfairness by permanently encoding it into the fabric of the environments in which we live and work , ” he said .
In response to the students ’ campaign , the faculty issued a statement on Friday announcing it would create a diversity and equity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and hire eight students to participate in the committee ’ s work .
Interim dean Robert Wright also addressed new internal resources and steps towards “ decolonizing our curriculum , ” he said in the statement , sent in advance of posting to Canada ’ s National Observer .
Janice Miyagi , a third-year master of architecture student , said the turning point that sparked students to put more pressure on the faculty happened on the heels of “ what I think a lot of us felt was a disappointing statement from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the death of George Floyd.
” ( Floyd , a Black man , was killed in May while in police custody in Minneapolis . )
Architecture and design students criticized the faculty for what they describe as an inadequate adherence to diversity standards , underrepresentation of Black faculty members , and “ an academic climate where Black students often feel isolated , exhausted , unsupported , and systemically undervalued.
” Only one of 88 core faculty members identifies as Black , and two as Indigenous , the letter says , and urges the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Indigenous tenure-track faculty across undergraduate and graduate program streams .
Students are also asking for a revamped curriculum that includes new courses to study the contributions of racialized architects , and for more funding opportunities geared to students who identify as Black , Indigenous and people of colour .
Clara James , a fourth-year architecture student and one of the campaign leaders , also founded Black Students at Daniels to create a network of “ people that you could relate to , ” she said .
“ I was very uncomfortable … not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other students , Black students , and also Black professors , or even learn about anything that had to do with Black people contributing to architecture and design , ” she said .
The architecture profession has long been under scrutiny for a lack of diversity also reflected in academia .
It prompted Chris Daemmrich , a U.S. architectural designer , advocate and former master student at Tulane University in New Orleans , to create the Tu White School of Architecture , a web resource for action “ against white supremacy in design @ @ @ @ @ @ @ T , the faculty attempted to tackle equity issues in 2015 when it established the Daniels Diversity and Equity Committee and committed to 133 recommendations , including those of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission .
But only a handful have been addressed of yet , said Alex Sheinbaum , a second-year master of landscape architecture student , who analyzed the data in a move to increase accountability at the faculty .
“ I think that ’ s a big disappointment … and it ’ s also hurting the future of this field , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discussions , ” she said .
An important demand of the Daniels Do Better campaign was to bring in new voices and perspectives , especially those of students , to the administration , said Randa Omar , president of the architecture student union and an undergrad heading into her fourth year .
“ If it 's the same people who are currently on the faculty , who suddenly have to put on new ‘ lenses ’ and get this new knowledge , that 's not going to happen in a couple months , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office could address this recommendation , but hiring tenure-track faculty to fill this gap will be the university ’ s long-term plan , dean Wright said , though it is working to create anti-bias hiring protocols now .

Student demands for meaningful changes to faculty hiring, curriculum and resources to “dismantle anti-Black racism” at the University of Toronto’s architecture school are being heard, its interim dean says, with plans to create a diversity and equity office and create an elder-in-residence program, among other commitments. In June, representatives from three student unions at U of T’s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design penned a letter to administrators — endorsed by more than 750 signatories — outlining seven recommendations to advance racial representation and educational initiatives as part of their “Daniels Do Better” campaign. It’s part of a growing chorus across the university, including at Trinity College and the faculty of music, calling for change. Architecture and design students criticized the faculty for what they describe as an inadequate adherence to diversity standards, underrepresentation of Black faculty members, and “an academic climate where Black students often feel isolated, exhausted, unsupported, and systemically undervalued.” Janice Miyagi, a third-year master of architecture student, said the turning point that sparked students to put more pressure on the faculty happened on the heels of “what I think a lot of us felt was a disappointing statement from the (previous) dean in response to the death of George Floyd.” (Floyd, a Black man, was killed in May while in police custody in Minneapolis.) In response to the students’ campaign, the faculty issued a statement on Friday announcing it would create a diversity and equity office staffed by a new equity officer and hire eight students to participate in the committee’s work. Interim dean Robert Wright also addressed new internal resources and steps towards “decolonizing our curriculum,” he said in the statement, sent in advance of posting to Canada’s National Observer.
“If we practise our disciplines without consideration of structural inequity, we risk perpetuating unfairness by permanently encoding it into the fabric of the environments in which we live and work,” he said. Interim dean Robert Wright, a professor of landscape architecture at U of T for more than 30 years, poses with sign in his 2020 welcome message to students. Photo via U of T Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Only one of 88 core faculty members identifies as Black, and two as Indigenous, the letter says, and urges the hiring of another three Black and two Indigenous tenure-track faculty across undergraduate and graduate program streams. Students are also asking for a revamped curriculum that includes new courses to study the contributions of racialized architects, and for more funding opportunities geared to students who identify as Black, Indigenous and people of colour.
Clara James, a fourth-year architecture student and one of the campaign leaders, also founded Black Students at Daniels to create a network of “people that you could relate to,” she said. “I was very uncomfortable … not being able to see a lot of other students, Black students, and also Black professors, or even learn about anything that had to do with Black people contributing to architecture and design,” she said. Students call for better diversity & equity initiatives at U of T architecture faculty. “I think that’s a big disappointment…and it’s also hurting the future of this field, that we’re not having these discussions,” said grad student Alex Sheinbaum. The architecture profession has long been under scrutiny for a lack of diversity also reflected in academia. It prompted Chris Daemmrich, a U.S. architectural designer, advocate and former master student at Tulane University in New Orleans, to create the Tu White School of Architecture, a web resource for action “against white supremacy in design education and practice.” Screengrab of website by U.S. architectural designer and advocate calling for more attention to diversity in architecture education. Photo via architecturetuwhite.org At U of T, the faculty attempted to tackle equity issues in 2015 when it established the Daniels Diversity and Equity Committee and committed to 133 recommendations, including those of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. But only a handful have been addressed of yet, said Alex Sheinbaum, a second-year master of landscape architecture student, who analyzed the data in a move to increase accountability at the faculty. “I think that’s a big disappointment … and it’s also hurting the future of this field, that we’re not having these discussions,” she said.


nationalobserver--2020-09-08--Lecce welcomes kids back to school as Elliott halts any lifting of restrictions

Education Minister Stephen Lecce welcomed back “ courageous ” students across Ontario after six months away from the classroom Tuesday , while the province ’ s health minister put the kibosh on any further loosening of pandemic rules amid a spike in COVID-19 cases .
Health Minister Christine Elliott painted that pause as a necessary step the Progressive Conservative government was taking to reduce the spread of the virus among two million students , more than 120,000 teachers and countless other staff going back to school this week and next .
“ We 're really concentrating on getting all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having them remain healthy , ” Elliott said at a news conference with Lecce , Premier Doug Ford , and provincial health authorities .
“ But the reality is that spread in the community will also likely mean spread in the schools.
” “ But you ’ re not behind us , ” actor and political activist Sarah Polley wrote on Twitter .
“ Because your government won ’ t give us smaller class sizes , which is an essential part of keeping everyone safe .
You already know this.
” Lecce acknowledged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between COVID-19 infection rates and poorer communities and provided no detail when asked how the province would address learning gaps caused by the ad-hoc online programming that closed out the last school year and left those with fewer resources further behind their peers .
Ontario welcomes students back to classrooms on the same day it froze the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions due to an increase of cases # onpoli # onted “ School boards , supported by the Ministry of Education , are putting more resources , what we 're calling intensively staffed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ higher risk , ” he said .
Ford and Dr. David Williams , the province ’ s chief medical officer of health , both said a recent increase in the number of daily COVID-19 cases mostly stemmed from large gatherings and new arrivals not adhering to quarantine rules .
The province reported 185 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday and 190 on Monday .
Ford said most people are abiding by public health guidance , but he implored people who are still holding large weddings and other events to postpone them or limit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neighbours to call police on people hosting large gatherings and said the force should be laying charges .
“ We have to start putting the hammer down on people who do n't want to follow protocols and guidelines because it 's going to affect every single one of us , ” he said .
Premier Doug Ford advises university students to avoid large parties around campus at a news conference Tuesday .
Screenshot of livestream He then turned his attention to the image of university students rushing out to all-night parties on campus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was speaking to on the weekend saying her roommates were going to a big party .
“ I always brag ( that ) we have the brightest students anywhere in the world in university and college , ” Ford said .
“ Prove it .
”

Education Minister Stephen Lecce welcomed back “courageous” students across Ontario after six months away from the classroom Tuesday, while the province’s health minister put the kibosh on any further loosening of pandemic rules amid a spike in COVID-19 cases. Health Minister Christine Elliott painted that pause as a necessary step the Progressive Conservative government was taking to reduce the spread of the virus among two million students, more than 120,000 teachers and countless other staff going back to school this week and next. “We're really concentrating on getting all of our students back to school safely and having them remain healthy,” Elliott said at a news conference with Lecce, Premier Doug Ford, and provincial health authorities. “But the reality is that spread in the community will also likely mean spread in the schools.” The government has therefore decided to halt any further expansion of the allowed size of social circles or number of people who can attend sporting and other events for four weeks, she said. “We want to keep the community transmission very low, so that it won't get into our schools, so our children will be safe,” she added.
Critics of the provincial government contend that if safety in schools was such a high priority, they would have invested more money to ensure class sizes were small enough to enable adequate physical distancing. Lecce had earlier recorded a short video he posted on Twitter that applauded the “courage” of students going back to school. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “I want you to know every single person, from your parents to your educators, your principals and your government, we are behind you, we are excited for you, and we're proud of your courage, and we’re proud of your commitment to get back into the class safely,” he said.
“But you’re not behind us,” actor and political activist Sarah Polley wrote on Twitter. “Because your government won’t give us smaller class sizes, which is an essential part of keeping everyone safe. You already know this.” Ontario welcomes students back to classrooms on the same day it froze the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions due to an increase of cases #onpoli #onted Learning gaps Lecce acknowledged “there may be some causation” between COVID-19 infection rates and poorer communities and provided no detail when asked how the province would address learning gaps caused by the ad-hoc online programming that closed out the last school year and left those with fewer resources further behind their peers. “School boards, supported by the Ministry of Education, are putting more resources, what we're calling intensively staffed resources, into those communities that have higher risk,” he said. Ford and Dr. David Williams, the province’s chief medical officer of health, both said a recent increase in the number of daily COVID-19 cases mostly stemmed from large gatherings and new arrivals not adhering to quarantine rules.
The province reported 185 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday and 190 on Monday. Ford said most people are abiding by public health guidance, but he implored people who are still holding large weddings and other events to postpone them or limit the number of guests. He encouraged neighbours to call police on people hosting large gatherings and said the force should be laying charges.


nationalobserver--2020-09-08--Class-action lawsuit alleges Google has turned Canadians' electronics into tracking devices

A group of law firms across Canada has teamed up to propose a class-action lawsuit against Google in the Supreme Court of British Columbia alleging the company turns Canadians ’ electronics into tracking devices .
The proposed lawsuit was filed on behalf of millions of Canadians by law firms from British Columbia , Quebec and Ontario .
In a release , the firms said they are seeking compensation for the invasion of privacy , trespass , and consumer protection violations with the intention of getting Google to stop these alleged invasive practices .
“ The claim alleges that Google turns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which it uses to build profiles on almost every Internet user in Canada ; even people Google has no relationship with , all without their consent , ” said Luciana P. Brasil , a partner at B.C .
firm Branch MacMaster LLP , in the release .
“ There is no reason Canadians should tolerate what we say is extensive surveillance of their daily online activities , especially because Canada has laws specifically intended to protect them from such actions.
” “ These two laws work hand-in-hand to govern tech companies like Google @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information , ” said Klein .
“ Admittedly , these laws don ’ t really have much in terms of providing individuals with actual remedies.
” Google Analytics , a software that tracks when and how users get on a website , launched in 2005 .
Photo by Myriam Jessier/Unsplash Klein , who has also advised the Privacy Commissioner of Canada , said Canadian laws haven ’ t really kept up with technology , with some existing before the onset of programs like Google Analytics .
A group of Canadian firms have filed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , claiming the tech giant is turning electronics into tracking devices without consent .
# tech # privacy In some cases , Klein said , lawyers will band together for a class-action lawsuit just to prove that existing legislation isn ’ t enough to keep ever-growing tech companies in check .
“ What happens in Canada is that there ’ s a general frustration that we ’ re kind of helpless in terms of the laws catching up and providing meaningful remedies , ” he said .
“ This is why you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawyers trying to invent new ways to go after these issues.
” Making a big enough deal could even get the attention of Google , which might try to shut the lawsuit down through an out-of-court settlement , said Klein , adding that publicity generated from the case could even make Canadians and lawmakers more aware of persisting privacy issues — regardless if the suit is successful or not .
This isn ’ t the first time Google has been taken to court for privacy issues .
It ’ s one of many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ giant , which operates under the parent company Alphabet Inc. , for issues specifically related to tracking people .
In 2019 , the company agreed to pay $ 13 million US to resolve a class-action lawsuit when it was found that Google cars sent out to capture images for the Street View feature were also collecting private information such as emails and passwords through people ’ s wi-fi networks .
In June , a class-action lawsuit was filed in California seeking at least $ 5 billion US in damages for collecting information on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incognito mode.
” Last month , some Google users were informed they were eligible for a payment of $ 12 US after the company found out that a security flaw let third-party companies take private data from Google Plus user profiles .
In this case , the Canadian firms say they are representing millions of Canadians .
Klein said if the case goes further , the firms will likely set up a website advertising the class-action lawsuit , where potential claimants would have to prove that their device was affected by the alleged @ @ @ @

A group of law firms across Canada has teamed up to propose a class-action lawsuit against Google in the Supreme Court of British Columbia alleging the company turns Canadians’ electronics into tracking devices. The proposed lawsuit was filed on behalf of millions of Canadians by law firms from British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario. In a release, the firms said they are seeking compensation for the invasion of privacy, trespass, and consumer protection violations with the intention of getting Google to stop these alleged invasive practices. “The claim alleges that Google turns Canadians' electronics into tracking devices, which it uses to build profiles on almost every Internet user in Canada; even people Google has no relationship with, all without their consent,” said Luciana P. Brasil, a partner at B.C. firm Branch MacMaster LLP, in the release. “There is no reason Canadians should tolerate what we say is extensive surveillance of their daily online activities, especially because Canada has laws specifically intended to protect them from such actions.” The allegations point specifically to programs such as Google Analytics and Google Ads, which the suit claims are installed in “more than half of global websites.” In 2012, Google said more than 10 million websites used its analytics software, but it hasn't released updated figures since then. The lawsuit claims Google creates “profiles” on people based on the websites they visit, and then uses this information for practices such as targeted advertising without the user’s consent.
“Our governments have passed laws that govern the collection of personal information, and usually when the governments pass law, you have to use that law to fight for your rights,” said Kris Klein, a lawyer at nNovation LLP who has dealt with privacy issues for more than two decades. Klein said the lawsuit has to get through some procedural hurdles before the allegations are even dealt with. The lawsuit has been filed in B.C. Supreme Court, but needs to be approved by a judge before it can go any further. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions But Klein said the case could be interesting given the provincial and federal regulations that are in place to regulate privacy issues. In B.C., there’s the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), and federally there is the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), which regulates private companies in Canada.
“These two laws work hand-in-hand to govern tech companies like Google with respect to the concept of personal information,” said Klein. “Admittedly, these laws don’t really have much in terms of providing individuals with actual remedies.” A group of Canadian firms have filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against @google, claiming the tech giant is turning electronics into tracking devices without consent. #tech #privacy Google Analytics, a software that tracks when and how users get on a website, launched in 2005. Photo by Myriam Jessier/Unsplash Klein, who has also advised the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, said Canadian laws haven’t really kept up with technology, with some existing before the onset of programs like Google Analytics. In some cases, Klein said, lawyers will band together for a class-action lawsuit just to prove that existing legislation isn’t enough to keep ever-growing tech companies in check. “What happens in Canada is that there’s a general frustration that we’re kind of helpless in terms of the laws catching up and providing meaningful remedies,” he said. “This is why you’ve got some courageous and inventive class-action lawyers trying to invent new ways to go after these issues.”
Making a big enough deal could even get the attention of Google, which might try to shut the lawsuit down through an out-of-court settlement, said Klein, adding that publicity generated from the case could even make Canadians and lawmakers more aware of persisting privacy issues — regardless if the suit is successful or not. This isn’t the first time Google has been taken to court for privacy issues. It’s one of many lawsuits specifically calling out the American technology giant, which operates under the parent company Alphabet Inc., for issues specifically related to tracking people. In 2019, the company agreed to pay $13 million US to resolve a class-action lawsuit when it was found that Google cars sent out to capture images for the Street View feature were also collecting private information such as emails and passwords through people’s wi-fi networks.


nationalobserver--2020-09-06--Is Vancouver’s Broadway subway project worth its $2.8 billion price tag?

B.C .
Premier John Horgan announced on Sept. 3 that Acciona-Ghella was awarded a $ 1.7 billion contract to begin construction on the Broadway subway line , an extension that will enable SkyTrain service from VCC-Clark Station to Broadway and Arbutus .
With a hefty price tag and 5-year timeline before the line is complete , B.C .
officials have insisted that the extensions will help with Vancouver ’ s economic recovery from COVID-19 pandemic losses , while also ensuring a more sustainable future .
The train is set to increase transit capacity by three-and-half times along Broadway , one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Public transit actually has very good job creation per dollar invested if you compare it to other kinds of infrastructure spending , ” said Eric Doherty , a registered city planner at Ecopath Planning and environmental consultant .
“ That being said , subways are kind of at the bottom end of that , they 're very capital intensive.
” While overall the extension is a “ very , very ” good investment in improving traffic flow , Doherty said considering that Canada is in the midst of a climate emergency , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough in terms of quickly cutting down the province ’ s greenhouse gas emissions .
On the same day that the construction contract was announced , an independent analysis from five groups found that based on the federal government ’ s own numbers on methane emissions , Canada is far behind its goal to cut down the greenhouse gas by 40 to 45 per cent below it ’ s 2012 levels by its set deadline of 2025 .
• B.C .
only gets 0.5 per cent of federal funding for housing , MP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The race to solve the mystery of mass die-offs This discussion about greenhouse gases has persisted for many years .
A 2017 study from the University of Toronto found the amount of greenhouse gases emitted during the construction process of subway lines can take up to 11 years to offset , in optimistic cases .
That timeline can lengthen to 35 years in worst case scenarios .
“ Rapid Transit on the surface , electric bus rapid transit lines , bus lanes , bike lanes , pedestrian streams —- all of those things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investment , ” says Doherty .
Subway constructions are difficult and costly projects because of the labour and material needed to dig underground and lay tracks .
On top of that , stations need to be built and additional cost for access to the lines , things like escalators and elevators , also come into effect .
Given the time and billions of dollars that need to be spent — why do many governments steer towards subway lines ?
Vancouver is expected to welcome one million more residents over the next 30 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expanding public transit on the surface comes at the cost of getting cars off the street , especially in dense cities like Vancouver .
While Vancouver has dedicated some money to expanding and increasing the efficiency of bus routes , Doherty said they ’ re not a “ leading city ” when it comes to sustainability — that is , focusing on getting more cars off the road and reallocating that space to public transit , bikes and pedestrians .
Vancouver 's Broadway subway project comes with a hefty price tag of $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
“ If you shrink the amount of road space , people change how they get around and the number of cars and the greenhouse gas pollution shrinks , ” said Doherty .
Vancouver ’ s Broadway corridor is the busiest bus route in North America recording more than 100,00 0 trips each day , according to TransLink , the organization that runs the city ’ s public transit .
On Thursday , Michele Ladrak , president of B.C.
’ s Rapid Transit Company said that Vancouver expects to see one million new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Frank , an urban planning expert and professor at the University of British Columbia , said while sustainability is a goal to keep in mind , Vancouver has to deal with the more important , pressing issue of increasing its transit capacity , especially as people return to work and the city ’ s population is expected to grow .
While above-ground transit routes such as streetcars and buses may be quicker to build and marked as more sustainable , Frank said they wouldn ’ t do much in terms of increasing capacity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ If we ’ re going to spend this much money , we should solve the transportation problem that we have , ” said Frank .
“ Spending this much money and not increasing the level of service on Broadway would be very poorly received by the public.
” And in terms of sustainability , while Frank agrees that subway projects produce more greenhouse gases in their construction phase , he said in the long term it ’ s not that big a deal .
“ Over 30 years , once those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greenhouse gas emissions would become irrelevant , kind of a rounding error.
” The focus , in Frank ’ s opinion , should be on the greenhouse gas emissions created by ridership .
And in high density areas like Broadway , increasing capacity will create efficiencies in getting more people across in less rides , offsetting its initial emissions issue .
When it comes to balancing the issue of sustainability against addressing the immediate need for increased transit , Frank said the best option is a little bit of both systems , dividing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ground , and increasing capacity through subway lines where needed .
But both Doherty and Frank can agree on one thing — infrastructure spending will always help in an economic downturn .
“ The actual construction of the line is a job-creation activity , ” said Frank , adding that the funding put into the project from the federal and provincial governments will create a “ multiplier effect ” -- with increased mobility giving people opportunities to make and put more money back into the economy , the province has a better chance @ @ @ @ @ @

B.C. Premier John Horgan announced on Sept. 3 that Acciona-Ghella was awarded a $1.7 billion contract to begin construction on the Broadway subway line, an extension that will enable SkyTrain service from VCC-Clark Station to Broadway and Arbutus. With a hefty price tag and 5-year timeline before the line is complete, B.C. officials have insisted that the extensions will help with Vancouver’s economic recovery from COVID-19 pandemic losses, while also ensuring a more sustainable future. The train is set to increase transit capacity by three-and-half times along Broadway, one of the city's busiest routes. “Public transit actually has very good job creation per dollar invested if you compare it to other kinds of infrastructure spending,” said Eric Doherty, a registered city planner at Ecopath Planning and environmental consultant. “That being said, subways are kind of at the bottom end of that, they're very capital intensive.” While overall the extension is a “very, very” good investment in improving traffic flow, Doherty said considering that Canada is in the midst of a climate emergency, the subway line won’t do enough in terms of quickly cutting down the province’s greenhouse gas emissions. On the same day that the construction contract was announced, an independent analysis from five groups found that based on the federal government’s own numbers on methane emissions, Canada is far behind its goal to cut down the greenhouse gas by 40 to 45 per cent below it’s 2012 levels by its set deadline of 2025.
This discussion about greenhouse gases has persisted for many years. A 2017 study from the University of Toronto found the amount of greenhouse gases emitted during the construction process of subway lines can take up to 11 years to offset, in optimistic cases. That timeline can lengthen to 35 years in worst case scenarios. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “Rapid Transit on the surface, electric bus rapid transit lines, bus lanes, bike lanes, pedestrian streams —- all of those things have a much bigger impact per billion investment,” says Doherty.
Subway constructions are difficult and costly projects because of the labour and material needed to dig underground and lay tracks. On top of that, stations need to be built and additional cost for access to the lines, things like escalators and elevators, also come into effect. Vancouver's Broadway subway project comes with a hefty price tag of $2.8 billion. Is it worth it? Given the time and billions of dollars that need to be spent — why do many governments steer towards subway lines? Vancouver is expected to welcome one million more residents over the next 30 years. (Randy Laybourne/Unsplash) Doherty said expanding public transit on the surface comes at the cost of getting cars off the street, especially in dense cities like Vancouver. While Vancouver has dedicated some money to expanding and increasing the efficiency of bus routes, Doherty said they’re not a “leading city” when it comes to sustainability — that is, focusing on getting more cars off the road and reallocating that space to public transit, bikes and pedestrians. “If you shrink the amount of road space, people change how they get around and the number of cars and the greenhouse gas pollution shrinks,” said Doherty.
Vancouver’s Broadway corridor is the busiest bus route in North America recording more than 100,00 0 trips each day, according to TransLink, the organization that runs the city’s public transit. On Thursday, Michele Ladrak, president of B.C.’s Rapid Transit Company said that Vancouver expects to see one million new residents and 600,000 news jobs. Lawrence Frank, an urban planning expert and professor at the University of British Columbia, said while sustainability is a goal to keep in mind, Vancouver has to deal with the more important, pressing issue of increasing its transit capacity, especially as people return to work and the city’s population is expected to grow.


nationalobserver--2020-09-09--New York’s plastic bag ban survived the pandemic

It ’ s a great time for New Yorkers to start investing in reusable grocery bags .
Late last month , a state supreme court judge in Albany upheld a statewide ban on plastic carryout bags after considering a lawsuit led by a longtime plastic bag manufacturing company .
The court also rejected a loophole in the new regulations that would have allowed the distribution of thicker plastic bags , which advocates say do not comply with the spirit of the ban .
The New York state legislature passed a law back in 2019 largely prohibiting vendors in the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ customers .
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ( DEC ) then drafted regulations to govern the law ’ s implementation in February of this year .
The regulations stated that stores could hand out plastic bags only if the bags are washable , have an attached strap that does not stretch or wear with use , can be used at least 125 times , and can carry 22 pounds .
They also said that reusable plastic bags should be at least one-hundredth of an inch thick .
Environmental groups like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regulations could undermine the plastic bag ban by exempting thicker plastic bags .
Just after the regulations were issued , a lawsuit led by the plastic bag maker Poly-Pak Industries was filed against the state of New York and the DEC in hopes of stopping the ban .
The suit was filed right before the ban was supposed to go into effect in early March .
In May , Earthjustice submitted an amicus brief on behalf of three leading environmental groups : WE ACT for Environmental Justice , Beyond Plastics , and Clean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organizations argued on behalf of the ban and asked for the loophole to be closed .
The state court ultimately endorsed the substance of the brief by upholding the ban and striking down the exemption for thicker plastic bags .
“ We see the use of plastic bags as a climate change and community health problem , ” said Victoria Bogdan Tejeda , an associate attorney at Earthjustice .
“ [ Thicker plastic bags were ] not what the legislature intended… .
It wanted to end the use of plastic bags , full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plastics are derived from fossil fuels and that plastic manufacturing often produces substantial air pollution in industrial areas around the country .
They hope that other states follow New York ’ s lead .

This article was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of Canada's National Observer's collaboration with Climate Desk. It’s a great time for New Yorkers to start investing in reusable grocery bags. Late last month, a state supreme court judge in Albany upheld a statewide ban on plastic carryout bags after considering a lawsuit led by a longtime plastic bag manufacturing company. The court also rejected a loophole in the new regulations that would have allowed the distribution of thicker plastic bags, which advocates say do not comply with the spirit of the ban. The New York state legislature passed a law back in 2019 largely prohibiting vendors in the state from distributing single-use plastic carryout bags to customers. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) then drafted regulations to govern the law’s implementation in February of this year. The regulations stated that stores could hand out plastic bags only if the bags are washable, have an attached strap that does not stretch or wear with use, can be used at least 125 times, and can carry 22 pounds. They also said that reusable plastic bags should be at least one-hundredth of an inch thick. Environmental groups like Earthjustice worried that the language of the regulations could undermine the plastic bag ban by exempting thicker plastic bags. Just after the regulations were issued, a lawsuit led by the plastic bag maker Poly-Pak Industries was filed against the state of New York and the DEC in hopes of stopping the ban. The suit was filed right before the ban was supposed to go into effect in early March.
In May, Earthjustice submitted an amicus brief on behalf of three leading environmental groups: WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Beyond Plastics, and Clean and Healthy New York. The three organizations argued on behalf of the ban and asked for the loophole to be closed. The state court ultimately endorsed the substance of the brief by upholding the ban and striking down the exemption for thicker plastic bags. “We see the use of plastic bags as a climate change and community health problem,” said Victoria Bogdan Tejeda, an associate attorney at Earthjustice. “[Thicker plastic bags were] not what the legislature intended…. It wanted to end the use of plastic bags, full stop.” Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Environmental advocates point out that plastics are derived from fossil fuels and that plastic manufacturing often produces substantial air pollution in industrial areas around the country. They hope that other states follow New York’s lead.


nationalobserver--2020-09-09--Microplastic pollution devastating soil species

This article was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of Canada 's National Observer 's collaboration with Climate Desk .
Microplastic pollution causes significant damage to populations of soil-dwelling mites , larvae and other tiny creatures that maintain the fertility of the land , research has found .
The study notes that discarded bags , cups , threads and other forms of plastic waste are concentrated more in the earth than the oceans , with similarly dire consequences for the abundance of species that live below the surface .
Mites , roundworms , springtails and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visible to the human eye , but they play an essential role in recycling carbon and nitrogen and breaking down organic matter into a form that bacteria can consume .
• B.C .
only gets 0.5 per cent of federal funding for housing , MP finds They are increasingly threatened by oil-based synthetic refuse .
The new paper , published in Proceedings of the Royal Society , notes that humanity has produced 6,300 million metric tonnes of plastic waste since 1950 , of which 79 % has accumulated in landfills or leaked into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what they say is the first ever field study of how this is likely to affect the abundance of microarthropods , nematodes and micro-organisms such as fungi and bacteria .
The scientists divided a plot of subtropical land in Jinfoshan , Chongqing in China into six blocks , each containing four test areas .
Each area was deliberately contaminated with four different densities of low-density polyethylene fragments : zero , 5 , 10 and 15 grams per sq metre .
After leaving the plastic to seep into the soil for 287 days , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the species found inside .
At the highest level of plastic contamination , they found a significant decrease of the most common species , oribatid mites ( down 15 % ) , and even greater declines of three other arthropods – Diptera ( fly ) larvae ( down 30 % ) , Lepidoptera ( moth and butterfly ) larvae ( down 41 % ) and Hymenoptera ( ants ) ( down 62 % ) – in comparison to the control plots .
Among nematodes , they found a reduction of 20 % .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the paper concludes “ the effects of microplastics strongly cascade through the soil food webs , leading to the modification of microbial functioning with further potential consequences on soil carbon and nutrient cycling ” .
Discarded bags , cups , threads and other forms of plastic waste are concentrated more in the earth than the oceans , with similarly dire consequences for the abundance of species that live below the surface a new study finds .
@ royalsociety The authors call for further study at different depths and in other environments , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consumers is clear : “ We call for a reduction in the use of plastics and to avoid burying plastic wastes in soils , as this may bring adverse ecological consequences on soil communities and biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial ecosystems .
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This article was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of Canada's National Observer's collaboration with Climate Desk. Microplastic pollution causes significant damage to populations of soil-dwelling mites, larvae and other tiny creatures that maintain the fertility of the land, research has found. The study notes that discarded bags, cups, threads and other forms of plastic waste are concentrated more in the earth than the oceans, with similarly dire consequences for the abundance of species that live below the surface. Mites, roundworms, springtails and other forms of microarthropod and nematode are barely visible to the human eye, but they play an essential role in recycling carbon and nitrogen and breaking down organic matter into a form that bacteria can consume.
They are increasingly threatened by oil-based synthetic refuse. The new paper, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society, notes that humanity has produced 6,300 million metric tonnes of plastic waste since 1950, of which 79% has accumulated in landfills or leaked into the natural environment. The authors conducted what they say is the first ever field study of how this is likely to affect the abundance of microarthropods, nematodes and micro-organisms such as fungi and bacteria. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The scientists divided a plot of subtropical land in Jinfoshan, Chongqing in China into six blocks, each containing four test areas. Each area was deliberately contaminated with four different densities of low-density polyethylene fragments: zero, 5, 10 and 15 grams per sq metre.