nationalobserver--2020-04-24--Demand for COVID-19 relief shows extent of northern need

Applications for Cameco ’ s COVID-19 relief fund surpassed the $ 1-million mark in the first 24 hours , but you can still apply .
The uranium giant will be taking fund applications for groups in Saskatoon and northern Saskatchewan until midnight April 28 .
“ We look at the relief fund as simply a response to this unprecedented pandemic that is impacting all of us , ” Jonathan Huntington , Cameco Corporation ’ s vice-president of sustainability and stakeholder relations , told National Observer the day after the fund was announced last week .
Grants are available for charities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nations band offices in northern Saskatchewan that have been impacted by the pandemic .
 “ We can see the hurt , the struggles that are apparent through all of Saskatchewan … and while we can only imagine what the most vulnerable and underprivileged are going through , we do know that we want to help , ” Huntington said .
• Ontario calls on military for help as COVID-19 ravages long-term care • Canada ’ s murky bailout deal for oil and gas will cost us all • COVID-19 is creating a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jackie Ballantyne , outreach program director at Scattered Site emergency homeless shelter in La Ronge , Sask .
making sandwiches as the building floods .
Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock .
“ Our communities can be small , isolated and severely impacted .
This may help them ride through everything that we ’ re going through with COVID-19 , ” Cumberland district MLA Doyle Vermette told National Observer .
“ Cameco has employed so many people over the last few years .
And COVID-19 has impacted many of our northern municipalities .
Many in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ families .
My own son .
So I ’ ve seen how the job cuts have impacted our economy overall , ” Vermette said .
“ We thank them for that , and at this point we ’ ll watch and see who applies , how it works , ” he said .
Vermette suggests applying for any programs that are available , whether they are corporate-sponsored , federal or provincial .
In light of Cameco ’ s generosity , he called on the Saskatchewan government to do more .
“ Our communities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impacted .
This may help them ride through everything that we ’ re going through with COVID-19 , ” Cumberland district MLA Doyle Vermette .
“ We think the provincial government needs to do its part along with our entrepreneurs making sure that the most vulnerable are taken care of.
” Huntington said that just 24 hours into the application process , the company already had over 60 applications from Saskatoon into northern Saskatchewan , with requests already topping $ 1.5 million .
“ We know the need is great .
We know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve taken a small step to help our greater Saskatoon and northern Saskatchewan community … knowing that the need is going to be far greater than the dollars we have , ” Huntington said .
Cameco Corporation CEO Tim Gitzel was instrumental in developing the COVID-19 relief fund .
Photograph courtesy of Cameco .
“ They ’ re doing what they can and that ’ s a lot of money for a company that ’ s under pressure .
I think that ’ s first class , ” said Brooke Dobni , professor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Edwards School of Business .
“ Cameco ’ s been under a lot of financial pressure , obviously because of the markets , but they ’ re doing what they can with what they have , ” Dobni said .
“ Having said that , they ’ re still facing a lot of challenges and sometimes the bigger you are , the harder you fall .
I think they ’ re doing their best to help out the people that have helped them and I credit that.
” Dobni said Cameco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acting in the best interests of shareholders and making decisions on behalf of shareholders by shutting down Cigar Lake mine due to COVID-19 .
“ They ’ re targeting the communities that are impacted in their larger community and I think that they deserve to be commended for the steps they ’ ve taken , ” said Gary Vidal , Conservative MP for Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River .
“ They ’ re being very good corporate citizens here , both to their workforce and to the communities .
I think they ’ ve taken some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to both maintain their workforce , to look after their people and make sure they ’ re safe , ” Vidal said .
The relief fund is open to non-profits , charity organizations , First Nations band offices and communities in northern Saskatchewan , from Saskatoon pushing north up into the Athabasca Basin .
“ There ’ s no question that our four ( mining ) operations are in northern Saskatchewan and we always look at that as our backyard and we try to make a difference and give back in those areas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think that we ’ ll see donation shipments leave Saskatoon that will be a combination of cash and product .
We , for sure , will be donating $ 1 million in cash across all those requests , but I think we 'll see food and shelter supplies and safety equipment put on top of it.
” Huntington hopes that all those in need will apply .
“ Take your best step forward .
Describe how COVID-19 has impacted you and how you could use funds right now to help make your organization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are limited to $ 50,000 per application and can not be used for salaries , staff or building infrastructure costs .
Once approved , 75 per cent of the funding will be released , with the remainder awarded after the first impact report .

Applications for Cameco’s COVID-19 relief fund surpassed the $1-million mark in the first 24 hours, but you can still apply. The uranium giant will be taking fund applications for groups in Saskatoon and northern Saskatchewan until midnight April 28. “We look at the relief fund as simply a response to this unprecedented pandemic that is impacting all of us,” Jonathan Huntington, Cameco Corporation’s vice-president of sustainability and stakeholder relations, told National Observer the day after the fund was announced last week. Grants are available for charities, non-profits, town offices and First Nations band offices in northern Saskatchewan that have been impacted by the pandemic. “We can see the hurt, the struggles that are apparent through all of Saskatchewan … and while we can only imagine what the most vulnerable and underprivileged are going through, we do know that we want to help,” Huntington said.
Jackie Ballantyne, outreach program director at Scattered Site emergency homeless shelter in La Ronge, Sask. making sandwiches as the building floods. Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock. “Our communities can be small, isolated and severely impacted. This may help them ride through everything that we’re going through with COVID-19,” Cumberland district MLA Doyle Vermette told National Observer. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “Cameco has employed so many people over the last few years. And COVID-19 has impacted many of our northern municipalities. Many in the First Nations community. So many families. My own son. So I’ve seen how the job cuts have impacted our economy overall,” Vermette said.
“We thank them for that, and at this point we’ll watch and see who applies, how it works,” he said. “Our communities can be small, isolated and severely impacted. This may help them ride through everything that we’re going through with COVID-19,” Cumberland district MLA Doyle Vermette. Vermette suggests applying for any programs that are available, whether they are corporate-sponsored, federal or provincial. In light of Cameco’s generosity, he called on the Saskatchewan government to do more. “We think the provincial government needs to do its part along with our entrepreneurs making sure that the most vulnerable are taken care of.” Huntington said that just 24 hours into the application process, the company already had over 60 applications from Saskatoon into northern Saskatchewan, with requests already topping $1.5 million.
“We know the need is great. We know the need is widespread. We’ve taken a small step to help our greater Saskatoon and northern Saskatchewan community … knowing that the need is going to be far greater than the dollars we have,” Huntington said. Cameco Corporation CEO Tim Gitzel was instrumental in developing the COVID-19 relief fund. Photograph courtesy of Cameco. “They’re doing what they can and that’s a lot of money for a company that’s under pressure. I think that’s first class,” said Brooke Dobni, professor of strategy at the University of Saskatchewan’s Edwards School of Business.


nationalobserver--2020-04-24--Alejandro Frid examines human impact on Earth in new book Changing Tides

In an interview from his home office on B.C.
’ s Bowen Island on March 2 , Frid said he is “ aware of human potential to do better than we have so far.
” He bases this optimism , in large part , on his work and experience with Indigenous peoples in a modern context .
Frid , the ecologist and science co-ordinator for the Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance , has not lost sight of the enormous environmental challenges , nor waylaid his astute scientific gaze , but he can imagine a future with positive change .
Human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alejandro Frid ’ s second book , Changing Tides : An Ecologist ’ s Journey to Make Peace with the Anthropocene , offers a refreshing perspective in the face of climate and biodiversity disaster .
It offers hope .
For all his delight in nature , Frid is profoundly aware of “ the precariousness of existence.
” Hard-hitting facts punctuate the book .
For example , he writes that two-thirds of the CO2 that we emit on any given day will spend decades to centuries warming up the atmosphere before the carbon cycle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remain in the atmosphere 1,000 years .
Humans are the cause of these and many other disastrous environmental effects .
Humans are , Frid writes , the dominant force in the current geological epoch , the Anthropocene , a time that arrived only recently , after 11,000 years of stable climate .
“ Clouds of gulls and large groups of Steller sea lions commingle in the small coves where amassing herring roil the water , ” writes Frid about entering Kitasu Bay .
“ Farther out in the bay , three humpback whales @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Flocks of seabirds — black and white surf scoters , their males with bright orange beaks , and common murres in drab grey winter plumage — float as far as the eye can see on a grey surface the rain pricks into tiny ephemeral craters.
” Frid is a kind of Oliver Sacks of ecology .
He ’ s a scientist/poet , who finds wonder all around and passionately describes his many experiences , from the vivid thrill of underwater diving , the joy of fishing for herring with Heiltsuk fishers , spending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friends at a sacred subalpine lake or studying the breeding habits of eulachon or Dungeness crabs .
His respect for people and nature is infectious .
His writing quickens the senses .
Frid would like us to imagine a new story , to see ourselves as survivors .
We must stop telling ourselves we are only capable of destroying our planet , he writes .
Humans have , after all , survived for thousands of years .
“ This reinterpretation of ourselves is not mere fancy … rather , it is consistent with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cultures that took shape millennia ago … and are still very much alive , integrating the traditional and modern , teaching others and learning from others.
” Tending the wild is how Frid describes building clam gardens , a practice that has supported nature and people for over 3,500 years — and continues to this day .
Clam gardens are made of “ rock walls constructed in the low intertidal zone of tidal flats that have been intentionally cleared of boulders and modified to have a gentler slope … ( This ) reduces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tide , which boosts the growth rates and overall productivity of clams harvested for food .
The rock wall itself also enhances biodiversity by creating habitats for sea cucumbers , crabs , sculpins , and other species , “ writes Frid .
Before industrial practices , writes Frid , First Nations living along the northeast Pacific Ocean maintained healthy ecosystems .
They used a variety of ancient techniques , such as selectively harvesting vulnerable fish like yelloweye rockfish , and building environments like clam gardens .
And they continue to find innovative ways @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where hungry grizzlies come into town searching for food , the people have constructed platforms over the Bella Coola River where they drop fish remains .
The fish carcasses feed nutrients to the river , and keep grizzlies from the garbage bins and orchards that they ’ ve turned to as salmon become scarce .
Like all the stories in Changing Tides , the grizzly story intersects with nature , science and people .
Throughout the book , Frid is careful about whose stories he tells .
He understands Indigenous stories belong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believes it is important to live by the laws of the First Peoples .
“ I come from far away , ” explained Frid , who grew up in Mexico .
“ But if I 'm going to live here , I 'm going to be naturalized to the laws of the place .
And I do n't mean the laws of the government of Canada , although , obviously to some extent , I have to do that , but the laws of the first Inhabitants that are still here.
” Humans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t jolted into alternative states , and if they are jolted , as Frid predicts they will be , we must be prepared .
Models for navigating the unpredictable future may be found among Indigenous cultures , which have “ socially complex practices that epitomize sustainability.
” Changing Tides offers many approaches for improving conservation practices , all derived from a combination of modern science and ancient traditions .
Frid believes traditional knowledge and science , both empirical and observation-based , are complementary .
Science can provide information about ecosystems from distant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the naked eye can ’ t see .
Traditional knowledge , passed from generation to generation as stories and laws , offers deep-rooted , place-specific understanding of ecosystems .
Changing Tides not only takes the reader underwater , but dives into human history as well .
The book traces human development from hunter/gatherers and human settlement to the colonization and industrialization of the Anthropocene .
Frid is unabashed in his description of colonial treatment of the First Peoples and its consequences .
Mainstream society is “ blinded by racism ” and has not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ valued .
Over time , Coastal First Nations have protected many culturally and dietarily important species such as salmon , rockfish , halibut , herring and eulachon ( a fatty smelt fish also used for trade ) .
If a species showed signs of decline , fishers chose to capture a replacement fish until the vulnerable population regained its health .
Underlying this practice is a commitment to all living beings and nature .
When First Nations use the phrase , “ all my relations , ” Frid writes , they are “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and mountains as well as people.
” And to the “ permeability of boundaries between the human and non-human world.
” Other ecosystems benefit from the clam gardens as well .
Many were built “ near estuarine root and berry gardens and stone wall traps for salmon , ” he writes .
Stone wall traps , another ancient technology , are up to 100 metres long , and capture and hold fish migrating upstream during falling tides .
Fish can be selectively harvested from these holding pens .
From the 1970s to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cent of the biomass of many rockfish species , which have been harvested by Indigenous fishers for over 9,000 years .
With an estimated population of 8,500 people living along the Barkley Sound middens in southern British Columbia , these fish could easily have been depleted .
But Indigenous fishers developed practices that protected them .
Large , older yelloweye rockfish mothers are essential for the persistence of the species .
They take up to 120 years to grow , live in the deepest waters and produce the most larvae .
Indigenous fishers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waters where they live , but instead they caught yelloweyes that lived in the middle-depth waters , ensuring the stability of the largest female fish , and thus the species .
Fisheries in modern times have targeted the largest fish , and though they say they have not “ overfished ” these species , a more nuanced view reveals they have “ longevity overfished , ” writes Frid .
“ In contrast to the Indigenous portfolio approach , ” writes Frid , “ modern industrial fisheries have a track record of targeting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the near-annihilation of a resource … ( a practice that ) has thrived globally under perverse government subsidies , altering the oceans in irrevocable ways over the past 100 years.
” Because of reckless fishing , not just yelloweye rockfish are threatened , but many other species found along the Pacific Northeast .
In Kitasoo Bay where the Kitasoo/Xai ’ xais and Heiltsuk Nations live , commercial fisheries have wiped out nearly two-thirds of herring biomass , “ year after year , for 13 years in a row.
” Herring have been a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eulachon are another endangered fish .
Frid describes springtime by the Waanukv River when people from the Wuikinuxv Nation sing for the return of this sacred fish .
Their “ melodies , ” he writes , ” … merge with the mist of surrounding waterfalls.
” Eulachon , unimportant in commercial markets , are being incidentally killed as bycatch by trawl fishers after shrimp .
The corollary to destructive industrial and recreational depletion of fish may be quite simple , writes Frid .
“ The greater the degree to which Indigenous people become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of fish and other resources that derive from their ancestral territories , the more likely the sustainability of that resource.
” “ The hereditary chief structure is really paramount to … stewardship principles , ” Frid said during our interview .
Hereditary chiefs are responsible for “ when , where , how , and who gathers resources in their chiefdom , and whether such harvests may extend to people of other lineages , ” he writes .
“ The chiefs also maintain knowledge of resources and sustainable management “ and convey that knowledge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ role of hereditary chiefs has played out between Coastal GasLink , which wants to build a pipeline through Wet ’ suwet ’ en territory , and the Wet ’ suwet ’ en Territory hereditary chiefs .
The pipeline is in conflict with their role as protectors of their land , a role that is quite different from that of the tribal council , as Frid explained .
“ Hereditary chiefs were recognized by the Supreme Court ( of Canada ) in 1997 as being the legal authority on Wet ’ suwet ’ en @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tribal councils , or First Nation councils , are political bodies that were implemented by the Indian Act , basically to manage funds that go into the small footprint of Indian reserves .
But when you look at the vast traditional territories , it 's the hereditary chiefs who are the legal authority .
So in the case of Coastal GasLink , the elected council said , ‘ We 're going to work with you , ’ but the hereditary chiefs opposed that position .
Legally , the elected council did not have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GasLink.
” “ It 's really emblematic of a lot of the themes that I 'm dealing with , ” he continued .
Battles regarding the right of Indigenous people to protect their land and waterways are being fought on many fronts .
The good news , according to Frid , is progress is being made .
He finds hope in a story about Dungeness crab , the Department of Fisheries and Oceans ( DFO ) and the Wuikinuxv , Kitasoo/Xa ’ xais , Nuxalk , and Heiltsuk peoples .
Thirteen years ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Wuikinuxv , Kitasoo/Xa ’ xais , Nuxalk , and Heiltsuk requested closure of commercial and recreational fisheries at their traditional fishing sites .
Legally , they had precedence over the resources , but DFO argued there was no evidence of a conservation problem and allowed commercial fishing to continue .
In 2014 , after many attempts to stop non-traditional fishers , these nations turned to traditional laws , forcing the closure of 10 bays or channels .
Frid , along with people from the four nations , undertook a large-scale ecological experiment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crab populations , and to prove what they had observed .
They continuously monitored 20 sites .
The results showed what they expected — without fisheries , the adult male crabs became more abundant and larger .
They presented the findings to DFO .
DFO claimed the observations were irrelevant .
When the nations threatened to sue , a shift occurred .
A joint technical working group was created between Central Coast First Nations and DFO ’ s scientific staff in 2017 .
“ I … saw a shift in the zeitgeist of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their willingness to work with First Nations in the collaborative management of culturally significant species , ” writes Frid .
“ I believe this shift symbolizes something bigger , something that transcends the Central Coast of British Columbia — a sign that , globally , it may be possible for governance and resource management systems to become inclusive of Indigenous peoples and their wealth of knowledge about ecosystems.
” Frid believes that listening to hereditary chiefs and following , or including , Indigenous laws in environmental decision-making could alter our future .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chiefs who are active in their traditions being part of big decisions about how we manage our relationship to resources … we would be living in a very different world , ” said Frid .
Then he explained how this relates to Coastal GasLink .
“ You have the elected council saying , ‘ We want to develop this gas.
’ You have the hereditary chiefs saying , ‘ We want to protect our traditional territory , we are inseparable from the land.
’ The elected councillors are coming from a very short-term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in which we need to pull people out of immediate poverty no matter the long-term cost.
” “ The hereditary chiefs are coming from really old traditional principles in which they say , ‘ We 're here from the beginning of time and we 're staying here until time ends , ’ ” he continued .
Changing Tides , published by New Society Publishers , is full of stories and examples of how science and traditional knowledge can merge to protect fish and benefit the environment .
It also includes other practical solutions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His last words in the book are : “ We are on a knife edge and this is the time to act.
” We must stop believing that burning fossil fuel equals prosperity , he writes .
We should avoid jet flights , enact carbon laws that cut down on meat-eating , reshape land management , scrap fossil fuel subsidies , and price carbon for its actual damage to the planet .
And we must change how we live , and think about how we live .
For this , we need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Another way to protect the environment and ecosystems is to return to First Peoples the land that belongs to them .
In 2014 , Canada ’ s Supreme Court came down with a ruling honouring an older Supreme Court ruling that recognized oral narratives as legally valid evidence regarding land title .
The recognition of this earlier decision enabled the top court to extend Tsilhqot'in land title from a small reserve to 1,700 square kilometres of land historically and currently used for hunting , fishing and other cultural practices .
Once this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in , Frid writes , resource extraction companies could no longer do business in the titled lands .
The inclusion of traditional Indigenous laws with modern laws , like the combining of science with ancient conservation practices , is yet another way to protect the environment .
With traditional law comes a deeper respect for , and recognition of , the kinship between non-human species and humans .
“ Indigenous peoples do not need the rest of the world to initiate their healing .
What they do need is a just society that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ animals and plants that make everyone whole .
The question is whether the rest of us will choose to live up to our potential of widely practising reciprocity , with each other and with our non-human kin , ” writes Frid .
Frid probably won ’ t publish another book for four years .
He ’ s promised his wife and daughter he ’ d take three years off from book writing ; his full-time job is enough to keep him busy .
So take advantage of the wealth of information and wisdom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an opportunity to turn the negative tide and enjoy some beautiful writing .
At a time when everything feels dark and unknown , Changing Tides , short-listed for the Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize , offers hope and new ways of seeing who we are and what we can be on this troubled Earth .

Frid would like us to imagine a new story, to see ourselves as survivors. We must stop telling ourselves we are only capable of destroying our planet, he writes. Humans have, after all, survived for thousands of years. “This reinterpretation of ourselves is not mere fancy … rather, it is consistent with the world views and actions of Indigenous cultures that took shape millennia ago … and are still very much alive, integrating the traditional and modern, teaching others and learning from others.”
In an interview from his home office on B.C.’s Bowen Island on March 2, Frid said he is “aware of human potential to do better than we have so far.” He bases this optimism, in large part, on his work and experience with Indigenous peoples in a modern context.
Frid, the ecologist and science co-ordinator for the Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance, has not lost sight of the enormous environmental challenges, nor waylaid his astute scientific gaze, but he can imagine a future with positive change. Human change. Seismic in nature.
Ecologist Alejandro Frid’s second book, Changing Tides: An Ecologist’s Journey to Make Peace with the Anthropocene , offers a refreshing perspective in the face of climate and biodiversity disaster. It offers hope.
“Clouds of gulls and large groups of Steller sea lions commingle in the small coves where amassing herring roil the water,” writes Frid about entering Kitasu Bay. “Farther out in the bay, three humpback whales dive and surface and dive again. Flocks of seabirds — black and white surf scoters, their males with bright orange beaks, and common murres in drab grey winter plumage — float as far as the eye can see on a grey surface the rain pricks into tiny ephemeral craters.”
Frid is a kind of Oliver Sacks of ecology. He’s a scientist/poet, who finds wonder all around and passionately describes his many experiences, from the vivid thrill of underwater diving, the joy of fishing for herring with Kitasoo/Xai’xais fishers, spending time in nature with Tsilhqot’in friends at a sacred subalpine lake or studying the breeding habits of eulachon or Dungeness crabs. His respect for people and nature is infectious. His writing quickens the senses.
Changing Tides offers many approaches for improving conservation practices, all derived from a combination of modern science and ancient traditions. Frid believes traditional knowledge and science, both empirical and observation-based, are complementary. Science can provide information about ecosystems from distant parts of the world and observe what the naked eye can’t see. Traditional knowledge, passed from generation to generation as stories and laws, offers deep-rooted, place-specific understanding of ecosystems.
Changing Tides not only takes the reader underwater, but dives into human history as well. The book traces human development from hunter/gatherers and human settlement to the colonization and industrialization of the Anthropocene . Frid is unabashed in his description of colonial treatment of the First Peoples and its consequences. Mainstream society is “blinded by racism” and has not valued traditional knowledge as it should be valued.
For all his delight in nature, Frid is profoundly aware of “the precariousness of existence.” Hard-hitting facts punctuate the book. For example, he writes that two-thirds of the CO2 that we emit on any given day will spend decades to centuries warming up the atmosphere before the carbon cycle captures it. The other third will remain in the atmosphere 1,000 years. Humans are the cause of these and many other disastrous environmental effects. Humans are, Frid writes, the dominant force in the current geological epoch, the Anthropocene, a time that arrived only recently, after 11,000 years of stable climate.
Throughout the book, Frid is careful about whose stories he tells. He understands Indigenous stories belong to Indigenous peoples. But he also believes it is important to live by the laws of the First Peoples. “I come from far away,” explained Frid, who grew up in Mexico. “But if I'm going to live here, I'm going to be naturalized to the laws of the place. And I don't mean the laws of the government of Canada, although, obviously to some extent, I have to do that, but the laws of the first Inhabitants that are still here.”
Humans must be managed so that ecosystems aren’t jolted into alternative states, and if they are jolted, as Frid predicts they will be, we must be prepared. Models for navigating the unpredictable future may be found among Indigenous cultures, which have “socially complex practices that epitomize sustainability.”
Before industrial practices, writes Frid, First Nations living along the northeast Pacific Ocean maintained healthy ecosystems. They used a variety of ancient techniques, such as selectively harvesting vulnerable fish like yelloweye rockfish, and building environments like clam gardens. And they continue to find innovative ways to support nature. In Bella Coola, where hungry grizzlies come into town searching for food, the people have constructed platforms over the Bella Coola River where they drop fish remains. The fish carcasses feed nutrients to the river, and keep grizzlies from the garbage bins and orchards that they’ve turned to as salmon become scarce. Like all the stories in Changing Tides, the grizzly story intersects with nature, science and people.
Tending the wild is how Frid describes building clam gardens, a practice that has supported nature and people for over 3,500 years — and continues to this day. Clam gardens are made of “rock walls constructed in the low intertidal zone of tidal flats that have been intentionally cleared of boulders and modified to have a gentler slope … (This) reduces the time beaches are exposed to low tide, which boosts the growth rates and overall productivity of clams harvested for food. The rock wall itself also enhances biodiversity by creating habitats for sea cucumbers, crabs, sculpins, and other species,“ writes Frid.
Other ecosystems benefit from the clam gardens as well. Many were built “near estuarine root and berry gardens and stone wall traps for salmon,” he writes. Stone wall traps, another ancient technology, are up to 100 metres long, and capture and hold fish migrating upstream during falling tides. Fish can be selectively harvested from these holding pens.
Over time, Coastal First Nations have protected many culturally and dietarily important species such as salmon, rockfish, halibut, herring and eulachon (a fatty smelt fish also used for trade). If a species showed signs of decline, fishers chose to capture a replacement fish until the vulnerable population regained its health. Underlying this practice is a commitment to all living beings and nature. When First Nations use the phrase, “all my relations,” Frid writes, they are “referring to plants, animals, water and mountains as well as people.” And to the “permeability of boundaries between the human and non-human world.”
Biomass destruction by commercial fisheries
From the 1970s to the 1990s, industrial fisheries removed 90 per cent of the biomass of many rockfish species, which have been harvested by Indigenous fishers for over 9,000 years. With an estimated pre-colonial population of 8,500 living along the Barkley Sound middens in southern British Columbia, these fish could easily have been depleted. But Indigenous fishers developed practices that protected them.
Large, older yelloweye rockfish mothers are essential for the persistence of the species. They live up to120 years, occupy the deepest waters and produce the most larvae. Indigenous fishers could have fished them from the deep waters where they live, but instead they caught other rockfish species that are shorter-lived in middle-depth waters, ensuring the stability of the largest female yelloweye rockfish, and thus the species.
According to Frid, "the greater the degree to which Indigenous people become legitimate governance partners in the modern
management of fish... the more likely the sustainability of that resource." Photo by Tristan Blaine
Fisheries in modern times have targeted the largest fish, and though they say they have not “overfished” these species, a more nuanced view reveals they have “longevity overfished,” writes Frid.
“In contrast to the Indigenous portfolio approach,” writes Frid, “modern industrial fisheries have a track record of targeting the best and easiest pickings first … until the near-annihilation of a resource … (a practice that) has thrived globally under perverse government subsidies, altering the oceans in irrevocable ways over the past 100 years.”
Because of reckless fishing, not just yelloweye rockfish are threatened, but many other species found along the Pacific Northeast. During the 1950s and 1960s in British Columbia commercial fisheries have wiped out nearly two-thirds of herring biomass, “year after year, for 13 years in a row.” Herring have been a staple for Indigenous people there for at least 2,500 years.
The eulachon are another endangered fish. Frid describes springtime by the Waanukv River when people from the Wuikinuxv Nation sing for the return of this sacred fish. Their “melodies,” he writes,” … merge with the mist of surrounding waterfalls.” Eulachon, unimportant in commercial markets, are being incidentally killed as bycatch by trawl fishers after shrimp.
The corollary to destructive industrial and recreational depletion of fish may be quite simple, writes Frid. “The greater the degree to which Indigenous people become legitimate governance partners in the modern management of fish and other resources that derive from their ancestral territories, the more likely the sustainability of that resource.”
Hereditary chiefs and Wet’suwet’en
“The hereditary chief structure is really paramount to … stewardship principles,” Frid said during our interview. Hereditary chiefs are responsible for “when, where, how, and who gathers resources in their chiefdom, and whether such harvests may extend to people of other lineages,” he writes. “The chiefs also maintain knowledge of resources and sustainable management“ and convey that knowledge intergenerationally.
A case that exemplifies a role of hereditary chiefs has played out between Coastal GasLink, which wants to build a pipeline through Wet’suwet’en territory, and the Wet’suwet’en Territory hereditary chiefs. The pipeline is in conflict with their role as protectors of their land, a role that is quite different from that of the tribal council, as Frid explained.
“Hereditary chiefs were recognized by the Supreme Court (of Canada) in 1997 as being the legal authority on Wet’suwet’en territory,” he said. “Tribal councils, or First Nation councils, are political bodies that were implemented by the Indian Act, basically to manage funds that go into the small footprint of Indian reserves. But when you look at the vast traditional territories, it's the hereditary chiefs who are the legal authority. So in the case of Coastal GasLink, the elected council said, ‘We're going to work with you,’ but the hereditary chiefs opposed that position. Legally, the elected council did not have the jurisdiction to accept work with Coastal GasLink.”
“It's really emblematic of a lot of the themes that I'm dealing with,” he continued.
Turning things around — Dungeness crabs
Battles regarding the right of Indigenous people to protect their land and waterways are being fought on many fronts. The good news, according to Frid, is progress is being made. He finds hope in a story about Dungeness crab, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the Wuikinuxv, Kitasoo/Xa’xais, Nuxalk, and Heiltsuk peoples.
Thirteen years ago when Dungeness crab populations were declining, the Wuikinuxv, Kitasoo/Xa’xais, Nuxalk, and Heiltsuk requested closure of commercial and recreational fisheries at their traditional fishing sites. Legally, they had precedence over the resources, but DFO argued there was no evidence of a conservation problem and allowed commercial fishing to continue. In 2014, after many attempts to stop non-traditional fishers, these nations turned to traditional laws, forcing the closure of 10 bays or channels.
Frid, along with people from the four nations, undertook a large-scale ecological experiment to see if fisheries were impacting the crab populations, and to prove what they had observed. They continuously monitored 20 sites. The results showed what they expected — without fisheries, the adult male crabs became more abundant and larger. They presented the findings to DFO. DFO claimed the observations were irrelevant. When the nations threatened to sue, a shift occurred.
A joint technical working group was created between Central Coast First Nations and DFO’s scientific staff in 2017.
“I … saw a shift in the zeitgeist of DFO crab managers, who dramatically improved their willingness to work with First Nations in the collaborative management of culturally significant species,” writes Frid. “I believe this shift symbolizes something bigger, something that transcends the Central Coast of British Columbia — a sign that, globally, it may be possible for governance and resource management systems to become inclusive of Indigenous peoples and their wealth of knowledge about ecosystems.”
Frid believes that listening to hereditary chiefs and following, or including, Indigenous laws in environmental decision-making could alter our future.
“If you had a council of hereditary chiefs who are active in their traditions being part of big decisions about how we manage our relationship to resources … we would be living in a very different world,” said Frid. Then he explained how this relates to Coastal GasLink. “You have the elected council saying, ‘We want to develop this gas.’ You have the hereditary chiefs saying, ‘We want to protect our traditional territory, we are inseparable from the land.’ The elected councillors are coming from a very short-term, neoclassical economic, Indian Act context in which we need to pull people out of immediate poverty no matter the long-term cost.”
“The hereditary chiefs are coming from really old traditional principles in which they say, ‘We're here from the beginning of time and we're staying here until time ends,’” he continued.
Two laws, two stories
Changing Tides, published by New Society Publishers, is full of stories and examples of how science and traditional knowledge can merge to protect fish and benefit the environment. It also includes other practical solutions that Frid believes are attainable and imperative. His last words in the book are: “We are on a knife edge and this is the time to act.”
We must stop believing that burning fossil fuel equals prosperity, he writes. We should avoid jet flights, enact carbon laws that cut down on meat-eating, reshape land management, scrap fossil fuel subsidies, and price carbon for its actual damage to the planet. And we must change how we live, and think about how we live. For this, we need stewardship, wisdom, and common sense.
Another way to protect the environment and ecosystems is to return to First Peoples the land that belongs to them. In 2014, Canada’s Supreme Court came down with a ruling honouring an older Supreme Court ruling that recognized oral narratives as legally valid evidence regarding land title. The recognition of this earlier decision enabled the top court to extend Tsilhqot'in land title from a small reserve to 1,700 square kilometres of land historically and currently used for hunting, fishing and other cultural practices. Once this land was returned to the Tsilhqot’in, Frid writes, resource extraction companies could no longer do business in the titled lands.
The inclusion of traditional Indigenous laws with modern laws, like the combining of science with ancient conservation practices, is yet another way to protect the environment. With traditional law comes a deeper respect for, and recognition of, the kinship between non-human species and humans.
“Indigenous peoples do not need the rest of the world to initiate their healing. What they do need is a just society that cares for the land, fish, animals and plants that make everyone whole. The question is whether the rest of us will choose to live up to our potential of widely practising reciprocity, with each other and with our non-human kin,” writes Frid.
Frid probably won’t publish another book for four years. He’s promised his wife and daughter he’d take three years off from book writing; his full-time job is enough to keep him busy. So take advantage of the wealth of information and wisdom in Changing Tides. It’s an opportunity to turn the negative tide and enjoy some beautiful writing. At a time when everything feels dark and unknown, Changing Tides, short-listed for the Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize, offers hope and new ways of seeing who we are and what we can be on this troubled Earth.


nationalobserver--2020-04-23--Premier unveils plan to reopen Sask. economy

Premier Scott Moe and Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab announced a five-stage plan Thursday to reopen Saskatchewan ’ s economy starting May 4 .
“ Over the next several weeks , restrictions will be gradually lifted by adding more types of businesses to the allowable businesses list , meaning that they can reopen if they so choose , ” Moe said .
With the announcement , Saskatchewan becomes the first province to detail a plan to restart its economy during the COVID-19 pandemic , including set dates for the first two stages .
On May 4 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as dentistry , optometry , physical therapy , podiatry , occupational therapy and chiropractic treatment .
And recreational activities and facilities ( like fishing , boat launches , golf courses and parks and campgrounds ) will be allowed to open with precautionary measures .
“ All businesses and public venues will be required to continue following physical distancing and cleaning and disinfection practices to protect both employees and customers .
Members of the public will be expected to follow physical-distancing rules and to stay home if they are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calls on military for help as COVID-19 ravages long-term care • Canada ’ s murky bailout deal for oil and gas will cost us all • COVID-19 is creating a food crisis and Canada needs to respond Phase 2 is to start May 19 with the reopening of some retail businesses and personal services , like clothing stores , pawn shops and hairdressers .
A government spokesperson told National Observer the plan will be rolled out the same way across the province , including northern Saskatchewan .
Saskatchewan 's Chief Medical Health Officer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on COVID-19 at the Legislative Building in Regina on March 11 , 2020 .
Photograph by Canadian Press/Michael Bell .
Moe said Lori Carr , the minister responsible for First Nations , Métis and Northern Affairs , touches base with Saskatchewan communities weekly .
“ She continues to be in touch with all municipal leaders across the province and specifically in touch … with those communities where we are working much more closely … from a health-care delivery perspective to ensure that they have the resources from the public safety agency that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We wouldn ’ t expect that municipalities would be requesting to move out of step , if you will , with the province .
In saying that , where there may be a localized flare-up or anything of that nature , we will be working with those municipalities very closely.
” `` Where there may be a localized flare-up or anything of that nature , we will be working with those municipalities very closely , '' Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe .
Moe said he views the move as a collaboration between the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Saskatchewan health authority , community leaders and municipalities .
“ We had a very open conversation with a number of northern leaders as to ( whether we should ) shut northern Saskatchewan down , ” Moe said .
Medical clinic in the far north community of La Ronge , Sask.
, on March 17 , 2020 .
Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock .
“ The local municipal leadership throughout the north had indicated that they would like to monitor and control the access in and out of their communities from a health-care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how we would move forward.
” “ Whenever you have an outbreak or a cluster , it ’ s very complex … If there is a localized cluster , it has to be managed in that broad approach , ” Shahab said .
“ That whole community might need to go under a heightened level of surveillance , which may include increased testing .
And … there may have to be some specific regional restrictions that might have to go in effect for a limited period of time that are not in place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that I think will be very important as we go forward , ” Shahab said .
The premier also addressed the closures of Cameco Corporation 's Cigar Lake uranium mine and SSR Mining 's Seabee Gold operation among others in the province ’ s far north .
Cigar Lake in northern Saskatchewan is the world 's biggest undeveloped uranium deposit .
Underground tunnels at Cigar Lake mine are reinforced with concrete .
Photograph courtesy of Cameco .
“ We are thankful for the efforts and initiatives that have put in place to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , very much safe .
This is another example of the impact this is having on our economy , ” said Moe .
“ We are an export-based economy .
We have uranium , potash , agri-food products , manufactured goods and energy that we provide to the world , and Cameco and others have been very , very proactive in ensuring the safety of their employees in these northern remote camps and locations.
” “ It is important to note that the Government of Saskatchewan has been in regular contact with First @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any concerns raised , ” spokesperson Matthew Glover told National Observer in a written response .
“ Officials from NITHA , ( Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority ) , ISC ( Indigenous Services Canada ) and the Ministry have discussed the needs of First Nations communities , including those in the north , and supply orders .
Shipments of supplies to 15 southern First Nations went out April 9 and a delivery to NITHA ( Prince Albert office ) was scheduled for April 10 , ” Glover said .
On Wednesday , he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Services Canada requests for supplies from nine communities — Wahpeton Dakota Nation , Lac La Ronge , Flying Dust First Nation , Clearwater River Dene Nation , Little Red River Cree Nation , Makwa Sahgaiehcan , Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation , Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation and Stanley Mission — which the province will try to fill .
The Saskatchewan Health Authority has also provided some urgently needed items , such as testing swabs , to address immediate needs , Glover said .
As of Thursday , April 23 there were 331 cases of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Saskatchewan .
Cases and Risk of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan .
According to the health authority , as of Thursday , the province has five new cases of COVID-19 , bringing the total to 331 , including one presumptive positive case .
Fifty-seven of the 331 cases are considered active .
Nine more people have recovered , bringing the provincial total to 270 recoveries .
There are six COVID-19 patients in hospitals across the province , with one in intensive care .
“ In Saskatchewan , our situation is that we have had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , very low infection numbers . ''
Dates for the third , fourth and fifth stages of the reopening plan have not been announced .
Stage 3 will see the gradual reopening of remaining personal services , restaurants , gyms and fitness facilities , licensed establishments and childcare facilities .
The fourth phase will include the reopening of indoor and outdoor recreation and entertainment facilities .
Stage 5 involves a gradual return to normal , with restrictions remaining in place in high-risk areas .
The province said reopening access to elective surgeries , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considered separately , with updates on that plan to come .

Premier Scott Moe and Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab announced a five-stage plan Thursday to reopen Saskatchewan’s economy starting May 4. “Over the next several weeks, restrictions will be gradually lifted by adding more types of businesses to the allowable businesses list, meaning that they can reopen if they so choose,” Moe said. With the announcement, Saskatchewan becomes the first province to detail a plan to restart its economy during the COVID-19 pandemic, including set dates for the first two stages. On May 4, the province will open access to medical services such as dentistry, optometry, physical therapy, podiatry, occupational therapy and chiropractic treatment. And recreational activities and facilities (like fishing, boat launches, golf courses and parks and campgrounds) will be allowed to open with precautionary measures. “All businesses and public venues will be required to continue following physical distancing and cleaning and disinfection practices to protect both employees and customers. Members of the public will be expected to follow physical-distancing rules and to stay home if they are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms,” said Moe.
Phase 2 is to start May 19 with the reopening of some retail businesses and personal services, like clothing stores, pawn shops and hairdressers. A government spokesperson told National Observer the plan will be rolled out the same way across the province, including northern Saskatchewan. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Saskatchewan's Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab speaks during an update on COVID-19 at the Legislative Building in Regina on March 11, 2020. Photograph by Canadian Press/Michael Bell.
Moe said Lori Carr, the minister responsible for First Nations, Métis and Northern Affairs, touches base with Saskatchewan communities weekly. "Where there may be a localized flare-up or anything of that nature, we will be working with those municipalities very closely," Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe. “She continues to be in touch with all municipal leaders across the province and specifically in touch … with those communities where we are working much more closely … from a health-care delivery perspective to ensure that they have the resources from the public safety agency that they may require,” Moe said. “We wouldn’t expect that municipalities would be requesting to move out of step, if you will, with the province. In saying that, where there may be a localized flare-up or anything of that nature, we will be working with those municipalities very closely.” Moe said he views the move as a collaboration between the province, the chief medical health officer, the Saskatchewan health authority, community leaders and municipalities. “We had a very open conversation with a number of northern leaders as to (whether we should) shut northern Saskatchewan down,” Moe said.
Medical clinic in the far north community of La Ronge, Sask., on March 17, 2020. Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock. “The local municipal leadership throughout the north had indicated that they would like to monitor and control the access in and out of their communities from a health-care perspective and we agreed that that is how we would move forward.” “Whenever you have an outbreak or a cluster, it’s very complex … If there is a localized cluster, it has to be managed in that broad approach,” Shahab said.


nationalobserver--2020-04-24--Concerns raised over landlord participation in rent-relief program

A new federal program that would cover 75 per cent of commercial rent over a three-month period for eligible small businesses , charities and non-profits dealing with the economic fallout of COVID-19 is being welcomed as a good first step , but also leading to concerns it could leave too many firms out in the cold .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the program , called the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance ( CECRA ) , was the product of negotiations with all provinces and territories , and would help take the pressure off small businesses that have had to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen their revenue plummet , and are worried about losing their office or shop space .
“ British Columbia is pleased to partner with the federal government on the CECRA , a welcome next step that will help thousands of commercial-property owners and tenants in British Columbia , '' B.C .
Finance Minister Carole James said in a statement .
The program will launch in the province in `` mid-May '' and be able to offer $ 300 million in combined federal-provincial relief , with B.C .
contributing about $ 80 million , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johns , who has been calling on the government for weeks to put together a commercial-rent strategy , and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business ( CFIB ) both welcomed news of the program , but also pointed out that it gave landlords the choice whether to participate .
Johns , the MP for Courtenay-Alberni , said in an interview with National Observer that the program would significantly help some small businesses in his riding .
But he said it came with gaps that needed to be addressed promptly .
• 1 in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infected with COVID-19 , antibody study finds • Ontario calls on military for help as COVID-19 ravages long-term care • Canada ’ s murky bailout deal for oil and gas will cost us all “ We ’ re happy to see them take some steps , but it wasn ’ t quick enough — lots of businesses are already gone , ” he said .
The NDP is calling for an immediate moratorium on commercial-rent evictions .
Without further support , many more Canadian businesses are going to falter , Johns said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thousands of businesses closed over the next 30 days.
” You spoke , we listened .
We ’ ve partnered with the provinces and territories to help small businesses who are the hardest hit by this crisis by reducing their rent by 75 % .
Learn more about the new Canada Emergency Rent Assistance details here ➡ https : //t.co/IUi0vONIhF # CdnPoli pic.twitter.com/a0qcBafyab — Mary Ng ( @ mary_ng ) April 24 , 2020 CECRA is open to small businesses , charities and non-profits that are paying less than $ 50,000 a month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ due to COVID-19 public-health orders or had at least a 70 per cent drop in revenue compared to what they were making before the coronavirus pandemic .
A new federal program that would cover 75 per cent of commercial rent over a three-month period for eligible small businesses is being welcomed as a good first step , but also leading to concerns it could leave too many firms out in the cold .
The program will allow the property owners renting space to these businesses to obtain a forgivable loan from the Canada @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50 per cent of their rent for the period of April to June .
In exchange , property owners must sign an agreement committing them to lowering the rent their tenants pay by at least 75 per cent over the same period , and must agree not to evict their tenants during this time .
The loan will be forgiven when the landlord can show they ’ ve passed on the rent reduction to the tenant .
In other words , Ottawa will ultimately cover 50 per cent of the cost while provinces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and small businesses cover the final quarter .
NDP MP Gord Johns asks Small-Business Minister Mary Ng about supports for small businesses during a parliamentary committee on April 23 , 2020 .
Gord Johns YouTube Federal government ministers said at a press conference in Ottawa on Friday that the program would give both small-business owners who are renting property and commercial landlords confidence that tenants can stay in place and make rent payments .
“ We ’ ve heard loud and clear from small-business owners that you need help with your rent .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Small-Business Minister Mary Ng .
CFIB executive vice-president Laura Jones said in a statement she was pleased to see the program moving forward , given that more than 40 per cent of small businesses the organization surveyed have seen a revenue drop of at least 70 per cent .
But she added the rent-relief program may be “ too reliant on landlords to administer.
” Only a bit more than half , or 54 per cent , surveyed “ trust their landlord to be reasonable , ” while a third , or 33 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ In particular , as landlords do not have to participate and will be expected to accept some losses under the program , they may choose to ignore it , even if their tenants badly need it , ” Jones said .
Asked to explain why the program relied on the participation of landlords , Finance Minister Bill Morneau portrayed the logic as striking a balance for both landlords ’ and tenants ’ interests , so that it “ provides a very good incentive for both parties.
” He pointed out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through “ enormous challenges , ” landlords “ also have been going through challenges — because in many cases , businesses have not been able to pay.
” Johns faulted the government for negotiating agreements with the provinces without first putting a commercial-rent moratorium in place .
Many small businesses in the country are “ on the cliff of going out of business , the biggest collapse of Canadian small business in our country ’ s history , ” he said .
📣 News Release : Almost half of # BCbusiness that are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopen—says our latest # COVID19 pulse check survey .
https : //t.co/xBArIRhaY1 pic.twitter.com/BJes9q34cA — BC Chamber ( @ bcchamberofcom ) April 21 , 2020 On Tuesday , the B.C .
Chamber of Commerce released a survey of 1,284 businesses showing that a majority of those with fewer than five employees are least likely to find federal relief programs helpful , usually because they don ’ t qualify .
The survey also showed that 43 per cent can only continue operating for up to three months , and only about half of businesses that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restrictions are eased , with a strong minority , 38 per cent , unsure if they can .
Johns argued that the rent program ’ s eligibility — it doesn ’ t help those small businesses that have not closed entirely and have more than 30 per cent of their revenue — glosses over the fact that many businesses are still barely making ends meet even though they have pivoted to selling products for pickup or delivery .
Despite their entrepreneurial spirit , he said , “ those businesses are now going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jones also said the organization was concerned about an “ all-or-nothing threshold of a 70 per cent revenue reduction.
” That will leave “ many hard-hit businesses without the relief they need , ” she said .
Trudeau said those businesses with no revenue at all , and that therefore can ’ t make even the 25 per cent of their rent , can still access the Canada Emergency Business Account that is supposed to forgive $ 10,000 worth of a $ 40,000 loan if the rest is repaid before the end of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ represents an average month 's rent for a small business in this country , which means a quarter of that can actually last for four months , ” the prime minister said .
“ We recognize that COVID-19 is hitting some people harder than others , some areas harder than others .
And unfortunately , this is something that we are grappling with .
We are trying to help as many people as possible .
”

A new federal program that would cover 75 per cent of commercial rent over a three-month period for eligible small businesses, charities and non-profits dealing with the economic fallout of COVID-19 is being welcomed as a good first step, but also leading to concerns it could leave too many firms out in the cold. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the program, called the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA), was the product of negotiations with all provinces and territories, and would help take the pressure off small businesses that have had to close due to public-health orders or have seen their revenue plummet, and are worried about losing their office or shop space. “British Columbia is pleased to partner with the federal government on the CECRA, a welcome next step that will help thousands of commercial-property owners and tenants in British Columbia," B.C. Finance Minister Carole James said in a statement. The program will launch in the province in "mid-May" and be able to offer $300 million in combined federal-provincial relief, with B.C. contributing about $80 million, she said. NDP small-business critic Gord Johns, who has been calling on the government to put together a commercial-rent strategy, and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) both welcomed news of the program, but also pointed out that it gave landlords the choice whether to participate. Johns, the MP for Courtenay-Alberni, said in an interview with National Observer that the program would significantly help some small businesses in his riding. But he said it came with gaps that needed to be addressed promptly.
“We’re happy to see them take some steps, but it wasn’t quick enough — lots of businesses are already gone,” he said. The NDP is calling for an immediate moratorium on commercial-rent evictions. Without further support, many more Canadian businesses are going to falter, Johns said, and Canadians could see “hundreds of thousands of businesses closed over the next 30 days.” Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions http://twitter.com/mary_ng/status/1253807085868978181
Forgivable loans to cover rent CECRA is open to small businesses, charities and non-profits that are paying less than $50,000 a month in rent and have either temporarily closed due to COVID-19 public-health orders or had at least a 70 per cent drop in revenue compared to what they were making before the coronavirus pandemic. A new federal program that would cover 75 per cent of commercial rent over a three-month period for eligible small businesses is being welcomed as a good first step, but also leading to concerns it could leave too many firms out in the cold. The program will allow the property owners renting space to these businesses to obtain a forgivable loan from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation that will cover 50 per cent of their rent for the period of April to June. In exchange, property owners must sign an agreement committing them to lowering the rent their tenants pay by at least 75 per cent over the same period, and must agree not to evict their tenants during this time. The loan will be forgiven when the landlord can show they’ve passed on the rent reduction to the tenant. In other words, Ottawa will ultimately cover 50 per cent of the cost while provinces and territories cover another 25 per cent and small businesses cover the final quarter.
Video of Gord Johns asks minister for small business supports NDP MP Gord Johns asks Small-Business Minister Mary Ng about supports for small businesses during a parliamentary committee on April 23, 2020. Gord Johns YouTube


nationalobserver--2020-04-24--Alberta premier calls energy transition an 'ideological scheme'

`` Our focus is on getting people back to work , not pie-in-the-sky ideological schemes , '' Kenney said , flanked by his energy and environment ministers .
`` With the oil and gas market taking such a hit , when do you start thinking about a transition away from fossil fuels ? ''
Tom Ross , the reporter for Calgary 's 660 News , asked .
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney lashed out Friday at a reporter who asked him whether a transition toward renewable energy might be on the table as global crude prices plummet .
Kenney also called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
He then left the news conference , saying he had to go call the prime minister and other premiers , and left his energy and environment ministers to continue answering questions .
Here is video of that exchange between Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and a reporter asking about the Green New Deal # ableg # cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/PSdIViikbW '' That kind of question in the middle of an economic crisis from a Calgary-based media outlet really , frankly , throws me for a loop .
Sounds like you 're reporting for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , referring to a Vancouver-based indie media outlet that published an article critical of the Alberta premier on Friday morning .
Kenney had called Friday 's press conference to unveil how his government would roll out $ 1 billion in grants under an oilpatch-aid package released by the federal government the previous Friday .
That package offered Canada 's oil and gas sector , which is largely centred in Alberta , a combined $ 2.5 billion .
That figure includes $ 1.7 billion to fund the cleanup of aging oil and gas wells @ @ @ @ @ @ @ democracy .
To use Jason Kenney ’ s own words , it suggests that any other way of thinking or speaking about politics is an existential threat . ''
`` It ’ s either you ’ re with us or against us ... You ’ re in Calgary , so you should be with us , '' she said .
University of Calgary political scientist Melanee Thomas said in an interview that Kenney 's response to the reporter 's question is a `` hallmark of polarized politics , '' conflating oil and gas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's been a pattern with the premier 's rhetoric , she said .
`` When you don ’ t take that transition seriously and you don ’ t plan for it , that ’ s when people face pain , '' she said .
`` The fact that the Government of Alberta is refusing to consider what that transition would even look like ... is problematic for Albertans . ''
Kenney pointed to projections showing that demand for oil will continue to increase for decades , scenarios that are also consistent with catastrophic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Environmental Defence , a green non-profit , said in an interview .
Transition is coming , she added , and if there is n't a plan to help oil and gas workers , those people will suffer , just as cod fisherman in Newfoundland suffered when that industry collapsed in the '90s .
Analysts expect oil prices to recover once the pandemic ends and demand returns , but it 's unclear when that will be .
The budget Kenney unveiled in February , which relied on $ 58 per barrel of oil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — is essentially out the window , and the premier has said Alberta 's deficit stands to triple .
American crude briefly went negative earlier this week , meaning sellers pay buyers to take the product away .
At one point last month , Canadian crude cost about US $ 3 per barrel , less than a Big Mac .
Oil prices have tanked in the recent months as the COVID-19 pandemic has brought petroleum demand to a halt .
And the situation has been worsened by a price war between Russia and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the market with cheap oil .
Now , unwanted crude is rapidly filling up storage capacity , and people with physical oil are quickly running out of places to put it .
Here ’ s the end of that exchange , the moment the Premier says he is leaving for a call with the PM and the other Premiers .
pic.twitter.com/NHPTxu3vog Alberta 's new $ 1-billion Site Rehabilitation Program , which will give grants to oilfield contractors for the cleanup of inactive wells , will be largely paid for with those federal funds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ energy companies are required to clean the remnants of wells after they 're done producing and return the land to its natural state .
But after the last oil downturn in 2014 , many companies with significant cleanup responsibility are under serious financial strain and unable to pay the bill .
An Orphan Well Association ( OWA ) , funded by an industry levy and occasional government loans , handles the cleanup of wells that belonged to companies that have gone bankrupt without taking care of their environmental responsibilities .
( Wells with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
) There are also 91,000 inactive wells in Alberta that need to be decommissioned , many belonging to companies that remain solvent .
Another 73,000 wells have been decommissioned , but the land they sit on still needs to be reclaimed , or returned to its natural state .
The federal government 's bailout package is meant to address both orphan wells and inactive ones .
The program Kenney announced Friday will address inactive wells , beginning May 11 , he said .
The province projects it will create 5,300 jobs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to oilfield-services companies , often the economic backbone of communities in rural Alberta , for well cleanup work .
Depending on the well owner 's ability to pay for cleanup , the government grant will cover between 25 and 100 per cent of the cost , Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage said .
The province will give grants in $ 100-million increments .
It 's not clear where future rounds of funding will go .
Though the idea of creating jobs to handle well cleanup is a good one , the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allow companies to pass the buck to taxpayers , critics said Friday .
The government should have set up the program as loans that would eventually need to be repaid rather than grants , said Nikki Way , a senior analyst for the Pembina Institute , a clean-energy think tank .
The announcement also left out many details , she said , including whether bankrupt companies whose wells would have been transferred to the OWA would receive the grants .
`` It should be on industry to pick up the pieces of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' she said in a phone interview , adding that the industry has committed to footing such costs through the OWA .
“ We really should not be providing these dollars to wells that were on track to go to the OWA.
” Levin said the program should have included strings to hold companies accountable for their messes , and it should have oversight from Indigenous stakeholders and municipalities .
( Some struggling oil and gas companies have stopped paying municipal taxes , denting local government balance sheets , and have failed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wells sit on . )
“ What we see is a bailout to companies who have n't cleaned up their own mess , with no conditions to ensure it doesn ’ t continue , '' Levin said .
Albertans and Canadians should be outraged that their tax dollars are going to companies that failed to set aside enough money to fulfil their environmental responsibilities , said Regan Boychuk , co-founder and lead researcher of the Alberta Liabilities Disclosure Project , an advocacy group that pushes for government accountability on oil and gas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law are clear : industry , not taxpayers , must fund the cleanup of old oil and gas infrastructure , '' he said in a statement .
`` By releasing $ 1 billion in Canadians ’ tax dollars as grants , not loans , to industry , the Alberta government is bailing out oil and gas companies that have profited from our public resources , but now refuse to adequately fund their own cleanup . ''
It could take more than 2,800 years to clean up some of the wells dotting Alberta 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alberta Energy Regulator has told industry .
And in a private presentation in 2018 , a high-ranking official from the Alberta Energy Regulator estimated it could cost $ 260 billion to clean up all environmental liabilities , including problematic wells , pipelines and tailings ponds .
The presentation , brought to light by National Observer , Global News and the Toronto Star , described that figure as “ likely less than the actual cost '' and warned liabilities from conventional wells were growing .
Alberta 's reliance on oil become a political 'house @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's United Conservative government has hitched its wagon to the oil and gas industry .
And as that industry becomes less viable long-term , that presents an increasing level of political risk , Thomas said .
Kenney is likely aware that the question of a green transition is a fair one , she added .
But previous Alberta politicians who have pointed to a future beyond oil and gas have felt the consequences — the late premier Jim Prentice , for example , was handed a devastating election loss when he said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the province off the highs and lows of the petroleum business .
If Kenney relaxes any of the government 's `` rigid assumptions '' about the viability of the industry , he could face repercussions from its oil and gas-supporting base , Thomas said .
“ I think they ’ ve painted themselves into a corner , '' she added .
`` It ’ s like a house of cards .
If they start to give on any part of this , it all starts to fall apart.
” Admitting that Alberta must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low-carbon world could also mean admitting that ventures like the government 's $ 30-million `` war room , '' which counters negative narratives about Alberta energy , might have been the wrong move , Thomas said .
The same could apply to the government 's recent decision to invest $ 1.5 billion in the Keystone XL pipeline after laying off education workers .
Thomas said she doubts the Alberta government will change direction unless the current oil-price downturn stretches on into 2021 , a deeply dire scenario that could `` unsettle '' the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t think this is good governance , '' Thomas said .
`` Being able to be open-minded to the point where you can engage with being flexible is a hallmark of better policy . ''
Levin said Alberta would be better served by beginning to make a plan now to help oil and gas workers through a transition to renewable energy .
Canada is currently in the midst of a historic injection of federal money into the economy , with Ottawa pouring cash into keeping businesses and people afloat during COVID-19 — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ green , job-creating industries like renewable energy , she said .
This week , a report by the left-wing think tank Progress Alberta found that Alberta Investment Management Corp. , or AIMCo , lost millions of dollars after investing $ 1.1 billion in junior and intermediate oil and gas firms .
At least one of the those firms went bankrupt despite the infusion of cash .
`` This industry has been on a decline for a very long time , '' Levin said , pointing to the AIMCo 's losses .
“ Throwing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to save them . ''

"That kind of question in the middle of an economic crisis from a Calgary-based media outlet really, frankly, throws me for a loop. Sounds like you're reporting for the Tyee or something," he added, referring to a Vancouver-based indie media outlet that published an article critical of the Alberta premier on Friday morning.
"Our focus is on getting people back to work, not pie-in-the-sky ideological schemes," Kenney said, flanked by his energy and environment ministers.
"With the oil and gas market taking such a hit, when do you start thinking about a transition away from fossil fuels?" Tom Ross, the reporter for Calgary's 660 News, asked.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney lashed out Friday at a reporter who asked him whether a transition toward renewable energy might be on the table as global crude prices plummet.
Kenney also called the Green New Deal a "fantasy." He then left the news conference, saying he had to go call the prime minister and other premiers, and left his energy and environment ministers to continue answering questions.
Here is video of that exchange between Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and a reporter asking about the Green New Deal #ableg #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/PSdIViikbW
"When you don’t take that transition seriously and you don’t plan for it, that’s when people face pain," she said. "The fact that the Government of Alberta is refusing to consider what that transition would even look like ... is problematic for Albertans."
Kenney pointed to projections showing that demand for oil will continue to increase for decades, scenarios that are also consistent with catastrophic levels of global warming, Julia Levin of Environmental Defence, a green non-profit, said in an interview. Transition is coming, she added, and if there isn't a plan to help oil and gas workers, those people will suffer, just as cod fisherman in Newfoundland suffered when that industry collapsed in the '90s.
Analysts expect oil prices to recover once the pandemic ends and demand returns, but it's unclear when that will be. The budget Kenney unveiled in February, which relied on $58 per barrel of oil — an optimistic projection at the time — is essentially out the window, and the premier has said Alberta's deficit stands to triple .
American crude briefly went negative earlier this week, meaning sellers pay buyers to take the product away. At one point last month, Canadian crude cost about US$3 per barrel, less than a Big Mac.
Oil prices have tanked in the recent months as the COVID-19 pandemic has brought petroleum demand to a halt. And the situation has been worsened by a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia, which have both flooded the market with cheap oil. Now, unwanted crude is rapidly filling up storage capacity , and people with physical oil are quickly running out of places to put it.
"It’s corrosive to democracy. To use Jason Kenney’s own words, it suggests that any other way of thinking or speaking about politics is an existential threat."
"It’s either you’re with us or against us ... You’re in Calgary, so you should be with us," she said.
University of Calgary political scientist Melanee Thomas said in an interview that Kenney's response to the reporter's question is a "hallmark of polarized politics," conflating oil and gas with Alberta's very identity. That's been a pattern with the premier's rhetoric, she said.
Kenney had called Friday's press conference to unveil how his government would roll out $1 billion in grants under an oilpatch-aid package released by the federal government the previous Friday. That package offered Canada's oil and gas sector, which is largely centred in Alberta, a combined $2.5 billion. That figure includes $1.7 billion to fund the cleanup of aging oil and gas wells.
Alberta's new $1-billion Site Rehabilitation Program, which will give grants to oilfield contractors for the cleanup of inactive wells, will be largely paid for with those federal funds, Kenney said.
Here’s the end of that exchange, the moment the Premier says he is leaving for a call with the PM and the other Premiers. pic.twitter.com/NHPTxu3vog — Emma McIntosh (vacation mode) (@EmmaMci) April 24, 2020
Well-cleanup program lacks measures to hold polluters accountable, critics say
In Alberta, energy companies are required to clean the remnants of wells after they're done producing and return the land to its natural state. But after the last oil downturn in 2014, many companies with significant cleanup responsibility are under serious financial strain and unable to pay the bill.
An Orphan Well Association (OWA), funded by an industry levy and occasional government loans, handles the cleanup of wells that belonged to companies that have gone bankrupt without taking care of their environmental responsibilities. (Wells with no viable owner are called "orphans.")
There are also 91,000 inactive wells in Alberta that need to be decommissioned, many belonging to companies that remain solvent. Another 73,000 wells have been decommissioned, but the land they sit on still needs to be reclaimed, or returned to its natural state.
The federal government's bailout package is meant to address both orphan wells and inactive ones.
The program Kenney announced Friday will address inactive wells, beginning May 11, he said. The province projects it will create 5,300 jobs, with the first round of grants going to oilfield-services companies, often the economic backbone of communities in rural Alberta, for well cleanup work.
Depending on the well owner's ability to pay for cleanup, the government grant will cover between 25 and 100 per cent of the cost, Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage said.
The province will give grants in $100-million increments. It's not clear where future rounds of funding will go.
Though the idea of creating jobs to handle well cleanup is a good one, the way the government is executing the program could allow companies to pass the buck to taxpayers, critics said Friday.
The government should have set up the program as loans that would eventually need to be repaid rather than grants, said Nikki Way, a senior analyst for the Pembina Institute, a clean-energy think tank. The announcement also left out many details, she said, including whether bankrupt companies whose wells would have been transferred to the OWA would receive the grants.
"It should be on industry to pick up the pieces of the wells that fall through the cracks," she said in a phone interview, adding that the industry has committed to footing such costs through the OWA.
“We really should not be providing these dollars to wells that were on track to go to the OWA.”
Levin said the program should have included strings to hold companies accountable for their messes, and it should have oversight from Indigenous stakeholders and municipalities. (Some struggling oil and gas companies have stopped paying municipal taxes, denting local government balance sheets, and have failed to make lease payments to landowners whose property the wells sit on.)
“What we see is a bailout to companies who haven't cleaned up their own mess, with no conditions to ensure it doesn’t continue," Levin said.
Albertans and Canadians should be outraged that their tax dollars are going to companies that failed to set aside enough money to fulfil their environmental responsibilities, said Regan Boychuk, co-founder and lead researcher of the Alberta Liabilities Disclosure Project, an advocacy group that pushes for government accountability on oil and gas cleanup costs.
"Provincial and federal law are clear: industry, not taxpayers, must fund the cleanup of old oil and gas infrastructure," he said in a statement. "By releasing $1 billion in Canadians’ tax dollars as grants, not loans, to industry, the Alberta government is bailing out oil and gas companies that have profited from our public resources, but now refuse to adequately fund their own cleanup."
It could take more than 2,800 years to clean up some of the wells dotting Alberta's landscape, a senior official from the Alberta Energy Regulator has told industry.
And in a private presentation in 2018, a high-ranking official from the Alberta Energy Regulator estimated it could cost $260 billion to clean up all environmental liabilities, including problematic wells, pipelines and tailings ponds. The presentation, brought to light by National Observer, Global News and the Toronto Star, described that figure as “likely less than the actual cost" and warned liabilities from conventional wells were growing.
A September 2018 presentation given by an Alberta Energy Regulator official estimates it could take thousands of years for oil and gas companies to return some of the land they've used to a natural state. (Alberta Energy Regulator handout)
Alberta's reliance on oil become a political 'house of cards'
From the start, Kenney's United Conservative government has hitched its wagon to the oil and gas industry. And as that industry becomes less viable long-term, that presents an increasing level of political risk, Thomas said.
Kenney is likely aware that the question of a green transition is a fair one, she added. But previous Alberta politicians who have pointed to a future beyond oil and gas have felt the consequences — the late premier Jim Prentice, for example, was handed a devastating election loss when he said he was working on a plan to get the province off the highs and lows of the petroleum business.
If Kenney relaxes any of the government's "rigid assumptions" about the viability of the industry, he could face repercussions from its oil and gas-supporting base, Thomas said.
“I think they’ve painted themselves into a corner," she added. "It’s like a house of cards. If they start to give on any part of this, it all starts to fall apart.”
Admitting that Alberta must have a plan to transition to a low-carbon world could also mean admitting that ventures like the government's $30-million "war room," which counters negative narratives about Alberta energy, might have been the wrong move, Thomas said. The same could apply to the government's recent decision to invest $1.5 billion in the Keystone XL pipeline after laying off education workers.
Thomas said she doubts the Alberta government will change direction unless the current oil-price downturn stretches on into 2021, a deeply dire scenario that could "unsettle" the United Conservative base.
"I don’t think this is good governance," Thomas said. "Being able to be open-minded to the point where you can engage with being flexible is a hallmark of better policy."
Levin said Alberta would be better served by beginning to make a plan now to help oil and gas workers through a transition to renewable energy. Canada is currently in the midst of a historic injection of federal money into the economy, with Ottawa pouring cash into keeping businesses and people afloat during COVID-19 — those funds could be used to support green, job-creating industries like renewable energy, she said.
This week, a report by the left-wing think tank Progress Alberta found that Alberta Investment Management Corp., or AIMCo, lost millions of dollars after investing $1.1 billion in junior and intermediate oil and gas firms. At least one of the those firms went bankrupt despite the infusion of cash.
"This industry has been on a decline for a very long time," Levin said, pointing to the AIMCo's losses. “Throwing money at these companies isn’t going to save them."


nationalobserver--2020-04-24--Scheer refuses to address MP's controversial criticism of health officer

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer refused Thursday to address controversial comments by a member of his caucus who is also seeking to replace him as leader .
Derek Sloan , an MP from rural Ontario and one of four candidates in the leadership race , sent an email to supporters about chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam , asking `` does she work for Canada or China '' in guiding this country 's response to the COVID-19 pandemic .
His allegations are connected to Tam 's work with the World Health Organization , which has come under suspicion for basing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 on reportedly false information from China about the emergence and spread of the novel coronavirus there .
`` Dr. Tam must go ! ''
he wrote .
`` Canada must remain sovereign over decisions .
The UN , the WHO , and Chinese Communist propaganda can never again have a say over Canada 's public health ! ''
Tam was born in Hong Kong , and Sloan 's challenge of her was labelled as racist by Liberal members of Parliament and one of Sloan 's caucus colleagues , Conservative Michelle Rempel Garner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NYC may have been infected with COVID-19 , antibody study finds • Ontario calls on military for help as COVID-19 ravages long-term care • Canada ’ s murky bailout deal for oil and gas will cost us all `` I ca n't believe I have to say this ( and profuse apologies to her to have to be part of a public object lesson to an MP ) , but Dr. Tam is of Asian heritage .
So when you say , 'does she work for China or for Canada ' many people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dual loyalties , '' Rempel Garner wrote on Twitter .
`` The dual loyalty canard has long been an anti-Semitic trope , or used to perpetuate racist stereotypes . ''
She said if Sloan wanted to level criticism , he should n't have made it personal , accusing him of doing so on purpose or not thinking it through clearly .
In an email to The Canadian Press , Sloan said his remarks were about Tam 's decisions , not her personally .
`` I do n't know Dr Tam .
I have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personally attacked her .
She is , though , a public figure of a very high rank and profile .
Dr Tam is not immune from criticism , '' he said .
While there were calls for Scheer to denounce Sloan 's earlier remarks , in a tense back-and-forth with reporters Thursday the outgoing party leader refused to discuss them at all .
Scheer is to step down once his replacement is chosen , a process currently on hold due to the widespread shutdown of Canada to stop the spread of COVID-19 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment on leadership candidates or on policy announcements or positions that leadership candidates have taken , '' he said , a message he repeated several times .
`` I 'll leave it to each leadership candidate to speak for themselves and explain their views and ultimately it will be up to members to select the next leader of the party . ''
Tam said she 's working over 20 hours a day with the goal of protecting the health of Canadians .
`` My singular focus is to work with all of my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control , '' she said .
`` I do n't let noise detract me from doing that . ''
Sloan 's hard stance on China is one that 's been echoed across the conservative world , including by his fellow competitors in the leadership race .
He 's added his name to a letter signed by two other leadership candidates , Erin O'Toole and Peter MacKay , as well as over 100 political analysts and figures globally , alleging a widespread coverup by China of the scope of the problem caused by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lewis , has also been critical of China , saying the country ca n't be trusted as a source for Canadian supplies .
In an email , she suggested criticism of Sloan was going too far .
`` In a free and democratic society like Canada , we should be able to question the WHO , the government , and even government officials without being accused of racism , '' said Lewis , who is of Jamaican descent .
Scheer has previously refused to express his own confidence in Tam .
He said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government acted on some pieces of advice , and not others , and his job is to press the government on those matters .
`` Why were they so reliant on information that was coming out of the WHO instead of listening to domestic Canadian voices who were advising this government to take this threat much more seriously much earlier on ? ''
he asked .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23 , 2020 .

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer refused Thursday to address controversial comments by a member of his caucus who is also seeking to replace him as leader. Derek Sloan, an MP from rural Ontario and one of four candidates in the leadership race, sent an email to supporters about chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam, asking "does she work for Canada or China" in guiding this country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. His allegations are connected to Tam's work with the World Health Organization, which has come under suspicion for basing its guidance on how to respond to COVID-19 on reportedly false information from China about the emergence and spread of the novel coronavirus there. "Dr. Tam must go!" he wrote. "Canada must remain sovereign over decisions. The UN, the WHO, and Chinese Communist propaganda can never again have a say over Canada's public health!" Tam was born in Hong Kong, and Sloan's challenge of her was labelled as racist by Liberal members of Parliament and one of Sloan's caucus colleagues, Conservative Michelle Rempel Garner.
"I can't believe I have to say this (and profuse apologies to her to have to be part of a public object lesson to an MP), but Dr. Tam is of Asian heritage. So when you say, 'does she work for China or for Canada' many people will think you're suggesting she has dual loyalties," Rempel Garner wrote on Twitter. "The dual loyalty canard has long been an anti-Semitic trope, or used to perpetuate racist stereotypes." Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions She said if Sloan wanted to level criticism, he shouldn't have made it personal, accusing him of doing so on purpose or not thinking it through clearly.
In an email to The Canadian Press, Sloan said his remarks were about Tam's decisions, not her personally. Scheer refuses to acknowledge MP's controversial criticism of health officer "I don't know Dr Tam. I have never met her. I have not personally attacked her. She is, though, a public figure of a very high rank and profile. Dr Tam is not immune from criticism," he said. While there were calls for Scheer to denounce Sloan's earlier remarks, in a tense back-and-forth with reporters Thursday the outgoing party leader refused to discuss them at all. Scheer is to step down once his replacement is chosen, a process currently on hold due to the widespread shutdown of Canada to stop the spread of COVID-19. "As a rule I don't comment on leadership candidates or on policy announcements or positions that leadership candidates have taken," he said, a message he repeated several times.
"I'll leave it to each leadership candidate to speak for themselves and explain their views and ultimately it will be up to members to select the next leader of the party." Tam said she's working over 20 hours a day with the goal of protecting the health of Canadians. "My singular focus is to work with all of my colleagues to get this epidemic wave under control," she said.