nationalobserver--2020-12-03--Coastal communities facing climate change need an equitable retreat, geographer says

This article was originally published by Yale Environment 360 and appears here as part of Canada 's National Observer 's collaboration with Climate Desk .
As seas rise and coastal storms intensify , policy-makers and low-lying cities around the globe are increasingly wrestling with the reality of needing to relocate entire communities to higher , safer ground .
Scientists estimate that up to 340 million people in coastal areas could be displaced by 2050 , and 630 million by 2100 , in locations from the United States to Nigeria to the Philippines .
Such widespread , organized retreat from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and funding , but geographer Jola Ajibade warns it also needs to be done in an equitable way .
For that to happen , she says , policy-makers must take into consideration the significant cultural , economic and racial justice impacts on the communities being uprooted .
In an interview with Yale Environment 360 , Ajibade , an assistant professor at Portland State University who studies the politics of climate change adaptation and resilience planning in the global south , talks about how managed retreat programs need to differ in different parts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ programs unfairly target low-income communities and communities of colour , and what relocation plans actually need to be equitable and successful .
• What Indigenous knowledge can teach us about resilience in a time of climate crisis • Shell in court over claims it slowed fossil fuels phase-out • Boil-water advisories in First Nations communities to continue past March 2021 : feds “ How do we move people away from places of risk , ” she says , “ without stripping them of their identity , agency , culture , and indeed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You grew up in Lagos , Nigeria , one of world ’ s most at-risk major cities from sea level rise .
Did you experience flooding during your childhood ?
Jola Ajibade : I grew up in Lagos in an area that typically should have been a swampland .
It shouldn ’ t have been a place where people would build houses .
But as you know , like most cities in the world , with urbanization there was just this expansion of buildings and structures all over the place .
Where I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ijeshatedo .
We didn ’ t know anything about climate change back then ; I just noticed that , as a child , it flooded all the time .
We were living on the first floor of a building and it was flooded almost every time it rained .
When I would ask my mom , “ Why ?
, ” she would tell me , in Yoruba , “ They shouldn ’ t have built in this place .
This is swampland.
” Now that I ’ m working on issues around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m realizing that , indeed , what my mom said at the time was right .
There are areas around the coast , there are areas in certain cities , where it should have just been left to nature .
But I ’ ve noticed that the flooding in Lagos in the last 10 years or more , it isn ’ t isolated anymore .
When I was young , it was isolated to those swampy areas , including where I lived .
But now it is everywhere .
It happens in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So that ’ s one thing that has changed .
It ’ s no longer only the poor being impacted .
It ’ s everyone .
“ How do we move people away from places of risk without stripping them of their identity , agency , culture , and indeed , livelihood ? ''
Geographer Jola Ajibade discusses managed retreat in communities impacted by # climatechange .
e360 : Much of your research focus has been on managed retreat in the global south .
How does retreat differ between that region and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States or Europe ?
Ajibade : There are so many differences .
I will start with one that I don ’ t think is acceptable — what happened in Lagos in 2017 , where about 30,000 people living in [ the informal fishing settlement ] Otodo-Gbame were forcefully kicked out .
I don ’ t call that a buyout .
They were literally kicked out by the government .
There was this policy , the Lagos Climate Change Policy , that said , “ We ’ re going to relocate and resettle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the reality of who has been relocated and who has been moved , it was just the poor .
And they were not given any support , not even given a place to relocate to .
So that was very problematic the way that happened .
In Manila , there are three different types of managed retreat .
After Ondoy in 2009 , the big tropical storm where more than 850 people died and about seven million people were affected in the whole of the Philippines , the government put in place a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they said , they ’ re part of the reason why the city got flooded .
One of the first things they did was to immediately give a few sets of people in certain slum areas money to relocate .
In 2013 , they institutionalized a program called the Oplan LIKAS Program , in which they spent 50 billion pesos ( $ 1 million ) to build new houses in the outskirts of the city and then relocate 100,000 people .
Flooding from Typhoon Ondoy ( Ketsana ) , Philippines , 2009 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Affairs and Trade/Flickr ( CC BY 2.0 ) The issue is that when they finished building… many of the structures were not properly built .
They gave people like 18,000 pesos ( $ 373 ) and said , “ OK , this is the money , don ’ t take any of these things from your slum , they ’ re going to mess up that place you ’ re going .
Just take your bag and clothes and go.
” So people did and when they got there they found out that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just a structure , it was literally nothing else .
In some places , they didn ’ t have electricity , people didn ’ t have forms of livelihood , they had no social services , they had no health care , they had no schools .
The other problem was that some of the new places also got flooded .
It wasn ’ t like they were free of flooding .
I would say retreat in Manila was the way to decongest the city .
It wasn ’ t just about protecting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while that was happening , there was this place called New Clark City that the government was planning to relocate the political class to .
Basically , people who work in the administrative offices in the government in Davao City and Manila City .
In New Clark City , railways have been built , there ’ s even a sport center .
The question is , if they can do that , why couldn ’ t they do the same thing for the poor people ?
e360 : You ’ ve used the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cycle.
” What does that mean , and is that what happened in Manila ?
Ajibade : Yes .
People retreated .
They were like , “ Fine , we ’ ll go.
” But then they got there and they were shocked about what they found and they said , “ No , we ’ re going back.
” And so the retreat and return , in my opinion , was the poor ’ s way of resisting , it was their way of showing their own agency — we agreed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) not going to uphold its end of the bargain , then we ’ re going to resist that type of relocation that doesn ’ t really advance our lives , that doesn ’ t make our life any better .
Many of the people who are living in the Manila slums are actually migrants , typically people who leave rural areas looking for opportunities and then they come to the city .
You don ’ t want to move them back to areas where they don ’ t have anything again .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2012 .
Photo by AusAID via Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade/Flickr ( CC BY 2.0 ) e360 : There is a long history of unjust relocation programs , particularly among Indigenous or low-income communities or communities of colour .
How do you get such groups , that might balk at the idea of government-led managed retreat because of that history , to sign on now , in the face of climate change ?
Ajibade : This is a tough question .
One of my colleagues , A.R .
Siders , has argued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be focused in places where you have low-income communities of colour .
With my global research , I see the same thing .
Retreat is in fact happening to the poor ; we ’ re seeing injustice being reinforced through retreats .
New properties are being built for the wealthy along the coast , while the poor are being moved away from it .
We need specific guidelines , we need specific institutions and consistent policy , on how to retreat and who should retreat and when .
And also who should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Decisions are being made ) to find ways to keep people on the coast , but it is mostly in places that would maintain the wealth of certain groups of people .
In this case ( the U.S. ) , typically white people , in the global south , typically wealthy people .
If we don ’ t have policies and guidelines that are equitable , we ’ re likely to see a repeat of what one may think about as a different form of colonialism — climate colonialism .
We need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who this is happening to .
Who is losing the generational wealth that they might have had but now have lost because they ’ ve been asked to move ?
e360 : What about the cultural implications or loss associated with such relocation programs ?
Ajibade : Exactly .
How do we move people away from places of risk without stripping them of their identity , agency , culture , and indeed , livelihood ?
With retreat , we may see one family get a buyout , but another doesn ’ t or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Those communities lose their own culture piecemeal-fashion .
In the case of Isle de Charles , in Louisiana , the fact that the community has agreed to move as a whole , as one unit , to higher ground , I think is a good thing .
But what is challenging is that they also are saying , “ We still want to be able to maintain this tie to the land that we ’ re leaving , because even though we leaving that land behind , it was a place that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a place that we loved , it was a place that had meaning to us .
And we want to keep some form of ownership.
” But the government is saying , “ No , if you ’ re taking up this new place in the mainland , then you have to forfeit that.
” So in forfeiting the land that you feel very tied to , it says something about losing a part of your identity .
That land is an identity for them , it ’ s something that matters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is when people move , they ’ re moving to a community where people don ’ t know them .
Finding ways to foster that community building and solidarity between relocating communities and receiving communities is another thing that we need to think about .
Flooding in Fiji , image taken Jan. 8 , 2009 .
Photo by snapboot/Flickr ( CC BY 2.0 ) This is the same issue in the case of Kiribati and Fiji : Kiribati has been able to buy some land in Fiji so it can relocate its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when Kiribatians move to Fiji , are they going to be Kiribatians in Fiji or are they taking a new Fiji identity over the long-term .
And do they call themselves Fijians ?
And then if their country or if their island state disappears , when you then say , “ I ’ m a Kiribatian ” but your country is under water , what does that say about your existence ?
e360 : Is there a place that is doing assisted migration the right way ?
That could serve as a model @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people have asked me this and there is no good answer .
Originally , I thought Isle de Jean Charles could be a model , but the more I dug into it , the more I realized that there are a lot of problems .
Even with government support and money , there are still so many issues relating to unequal power relations in how this is playing out .
When we ’ re thinking about what constitutes a successful retreat , it comes back to what exactly are you talking about when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ successful for the people who are relocating ?
Is it successful for the communities who are receiving those people ?
When you receive people into your city or into your community , you gain something , right ?
Those communities , they bring not just their bodies , they bring all of the skills and resources they have as well .
We just need to acknowledge that managed retreat is always going to have trade-offs .

In an interview with Yale Environment 360, Ajibade, an assistant professor at Portland State University who studies the politics of climate change adaptation and resilience planning in the global south, talks about how managed retreat programs need to differ in different parts of the globe, how many of these programs unfairly target low-income communities and communities of colour, and what relocation plans actually need to be equitable and successful.
Such widespread, organized retreat from the shore will take massive amounts of planning and funding, but geographer Jola Ajibade warns it also needs to be done in an equitable way. For that to happen, she says, policy-makers must take into consideration the significant cultural, economic and racial justice impacts on the communities being uprooted.
As seas rise and coastal storms intensify, policy-makers and low-lying cities around the globe are increasingly wrestling with the reality of needing to relocate entire communities to higher, safer ground. Scientists estimate that up to 340 million people in coastal areas could be displaced by 2050, and 630 million by 2100, in locations from the United States to Nigeria to the Philippines.
Jola Ajibade: I grew up in Lagos in an area that typically should have been a swampland. It shouldn’t have been a place where people would build houses. But as you know, like most cities in the world, with urbanization there was just this expansion of buildings and structures all over the place.
Yale Environment 360: You grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, one of world’s most at-risk major cities from sea level rise. Did you experience flooding during your childhood?
“How do we move people away from places of risk,” she says, “without stripping them of their identity, agency, culture, and indeed, livelihood?”
Ajibade: There are so many differences. I will start with one that I don’t think is acceptable — what happened in Lagos in 2017, where about 30,000 people living in [the informal fishing settlement] Otodo-Gbame were forcefully kicked out . I don’t call that a buyout. They were literally kicked out by the government.
e360: Much of your research focus has been on managed retreat in the global south. How does retreat differ between that region and in more developed nations, like the United States or Europe?
But I’ve noticed that the flooding in Lagos in the last 10 years or more, it isn’t isolated anymore. When I was young, it was isolated to those swampy areas, including where I lived. But now it is everywhere. It happens in the wealthy areas of the city as well. So that’s one thing that has changed. It’s no longer only the poor being impacted. It’s everyone.
Now that I’m working on issues around climate change and adaptation, I’m realizing that, indeed, what my mom said at the time was right. There are areas around the coast, there are areas in certain cities, where it should have just been left to nature.
Where I grew up, it’s called Ijeshatedo. We didn’t know anything about climate change back then; I just noticed that, as a child, it flooded all the time. We were living on the first floor of a building and it was flooded almost every time it rained. When I would ask my mom, “Why?,” she would tell me, in Yoruba, “They shouldn’t have built in this place. This is swampland.”
One of the first things they did was to immediately give a few sets of people in certain slum areas money to relocate. In 2013, they institutionalized a program called the Oplan LIKAS Program, in which they spent 50 billion pesos ($1 million) to build new houses in the outskirts of the city and then relocate 100,000 people.
In Manila, there are three different types of managed retreat. After Ondoy in 2009, the big tropical storm where more than 850 people died and about seven million people were affected in the whole of the Philippines, the government put in place a plan to relocate the poor because, they said, they’re part of the reason why the city got flooded.
There was this policy, the Lagos Climate Change Policy, that said, “We’re going to relocate and resettle people and infrastructure and industry.” But the reality of who has been relocated and who has been moved, it was just the poor. And they were not given any support, not even given a place to relocate to. So that was very problematic the way that happened.
Flooding from Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana), Philippines, 2009. Photo by AusAID via Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
The issue is that when they finished building… many of the structures were not properly built. They gave people like 18,000 pesos ($373) and said, “OK, this is the money, don’t take any of these things from your slum, they’re going to mess up that place you’re going. Just take your bag and clothes and go.”
So people did and when they got there they found out that the houses were just a shell, just a structure, it was literally nothing else. In some places, they didn’t have electricity, people didn’t have forms of livelihood, they had no social services, they had no health care, they had no schools.
The other problem was that some of the new places also got flooded. It wasn’t like they were free of flooding. I would say retreat in Manila was the way to decongest the city. It wasn’t just about protecting people.
On the other hand, while that was happening, there was this place called New Clark City that the government was planning to relocate the political class to. Basically, people who work in the administrative offices in the government in Davao City and Manila City. In New Clark City, railways have been built, there’s even a sport center. The question is, if they can do that, why couldn’t they do the same thing for the poor people?
e360: You’ve used the phrase, “the retreat and return cycle.” What does that mean, and is that what happened in Manila?
Ajibade: Yes. People retreated. They were like, “Fine, we’ll go.” But then they got there and they were shocked about what they found and they said, “No, we’re going back.”
And so the retreat and return, in my opinion, was the poor’s way of resisting, it was their way of showing their own agency — we agreed to something, if (the government is) not going to uphold its end of the bargain, then we’re going to resist that type of relocation that doesn’t really advance our lives, that doesn’t make our life any better.
Many of the people who are living in the Manila slums are actually migrants, typically people who leave rural areas looking for opportunities and then they come to the city. You don’t want to move them back to areas where they don’t have anything again.
Flood damage in Manila, Philippines, 2012. Photo by AusAID via Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
e360: There is a long history of unjust relocation programs, particularly among Indigenous or low-income communities or communities of colour. How do you get such groups, that might balk at the idea of government-led managed retreat because of that history, to sign on now, in the face of climate change?
Ajibade: This is a tough question. One of my colleagues, A.R. Siders, has argued that in North Carolina, retreat seems to be focused in places where you have low-income communities of colour. With my global research, I see the same thing. Retreat is in fact happening to the poor; we’re seeing injustice being reinforced through retreats. New properties are being built for the wealthy along the coast, while the poor are being moved away from it.
We need specific guidelines, we need specific institutions and consistent policy, on how to retreat and who should retreat and when. And also who should be at the table discussing retreat. (Decisions are being made) to find ways to keep people on the coast, but it is mostly in places that would maintain the wealth of certain groups of people.
In this case (the U.S.), typically white people, in the global south, typically wealthy people. If we don’t have policies and guidelines that are equitable, we’re likely to see a repeat of what one may think about as a different form of colonialism — climate colonialism.
We need to look carefully at the picture of who this is happening to. Who is losing the generational wealth that they might have had but now have lost because they’ve been asked to move?
e360: What about the cultural implications or loss associated with such relocation programs?
Ajibade: Exactly. How do we move people away from places of risk without stripping them of their identity, agency, culture, and indeed, livelihood? With retreat, we may see one family get a buyout, but another doesn’t or they don’t accept it. Those communities lose their own culture piecemeal-fashion.
In the case of Isle de Charles, in Louisiana, the fact that the community has agreed to move as a whole, as one unit, to higher ground, I think is a good thing. But what is challenging is that they also are saying, “We still want to be able to maintain this tie to the land that we’re leaving, because even though we leaving that land behind, it was a place that we’ve lived for years, it was a place that we loved, it was a place that had meaning to us. And we want to keep some form of ownership.”
But the government is saying, “No, if you’re taking up this new place in the mainland, then you have to forfeit that.” So in forfeiting the land that you feel very tied to, it says something about losing a part of your identity. That land is an identity for them, it’s something that matters to them.
The other part of this is when people move, they’re moving to a community where people don’t know them. Finding ways to foster that community building and solidarity between relocating communities and receiving communities is another thing that we need to think about.
Flooding in Fiji, image taken Jan. 8, 2009. Photo by snapboot/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
This is the same issue in the case of Kiribati and Fiji: Kiribati has been able to buy some land in Fiji so it can relocate its people. But there are people asking when Kiribatians move to Fiji, are they going to be Kiribatians in Fiji or are they taking a new Fiji identity over the long-term. And do they call themselves Fijians? And then if their country or if their island state disappears, when you then say, “I’m a Kiribatian” but your country is under water, what does that say about your existence?
e360: Is there a place that is doing assisted migration the right way? That could serve as a model for other communities?
Ajibade: Many people have asked me this and there is no good answer. Originally, I thought Isle de Jean Charles could be a model, but the more I dug into it, the more I realized that there are a lot of problems. Even with government support and money, there are still so many issues relating to unequal power relations in how this is playing out.
When we’re thinking about what constitutes a successful retreat, it comes back to what exactly are you talking about when you say “success.” Is it successful for the people who are relocating? Is it successful for the communities who are receiving those people? When you receive people into your city or into your community, you gain something, right?
Those communities, they bring not just their bodies, they bring all of the skills and resources they have as well. We just need to acknowledge that managed retreat is always going to have trade-offs.


nationalobserver--2020-12-03--Corporate obstructionism endangers meaningful climate action — and the stakes couldn't be higher

With COVID-19 cases soaring in Canada and abroad , the immediacy of the pandemic is understandably sidelining public attention on the climate crisis barrelling down the tracks — with catastrophic effects if not reversed over the next 10 years .
The federal government introduced Bill C-12 on Nov. 19 , mandating carbon-reduction accountability from governments on the path to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 .
Earlier this fall , Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the United Nations , warning that “ things are about to get much worse unless we change … Right now , we have a chance — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chance to shift course.
” Mintz fits the category that Seth Klein , in his new book , calls `` new climate denialism '' — verbally accepting the climate science , but denying what the reality means for policy .
CAPP ’ s `` A Vision for Canada ’ s Recovery '' report asserts that an expanding oil and gas sector must be part of the federal government ’ s climate change plan .
And MEG Energy chief executive Derek Evans was quoted as saying : “ We ’ ve got a 60-year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those assets aren ’ t stranded , we need to continue to demonstrate that we ’ re a leader in all aspects of ( environmental , social and governance ) and that we don ’ t have our head stuck in the sand.
” Mark Carney — formerly the Bank of Canada governor , and now United Nations special envoy on climate action — said that one-half of the world 's petroleum reserves can not be used .
`` If we were to burn all those oil and gases , there ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Up to 80 per cent of coal assets will be stranded , ( and ) up to half of developed oil reserves , '' he added .
The Financial Times estimates that meaningful action on global warming would result in $ 900 billion in stranded fossil fuel assets .
The International Energy Agency is forecasting that clean energy initiatives underway will sharply curtail world demand for oil and gas .
Many Canadian and foreign-owned companies see the great commercial potential of clean energy alternatives and are eliminating their reliance on fossil fuels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However , the petroleum establishment ’ s head is stuck firmly in the oilsands .
Its public pronouncements about the need to address climate change are largely a public relations ploy to delay government action .
CAPP insists on the right to continue to extract indefinitely — tantamount to driving down a road while looking through the rearview mirror .
The legislation before Parliament , and the government ’ s pending action plan , must generate genuine anxiety within the industry : that the writing is on the wall and overcoming their petroleum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The rollback of corporate power and influence is a necessary , though far from sufficient , condition for meaningful action on the climate emergency .
Most importantly , broad-based citizen mobilization is essential to ensuring the implementation of emissions reduction measures are commensurate with the urgency of the crisis Paraphrasing Trudeau , the stakes could not be higher .
Bruce Campbell is an adjunct professor at York University 's faculty of environmental studies , senior fellow at Ryerson University 's Centre for Free Expression and former executive director of the Canadian Centre @ @ @ @

While entrenching accountability in legislation is a step forward, the bill does not require governments to make their five-year climate targets, which are set to begin in 2030, legally binding, nor would they face penalties for not meeting them. The government repeated its promise to exceed its existing 2030 Paris target. However, it did not include an urgently needed interim 2025 target. Nor did it include a concrete plan for reducing emissions, which Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson has reportedly said would be released in the coming weeks. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Committee hearings, likely early in the new year, will provide an opportunity for groups to voice the bill’s shortcomings and make recommendations for an action plan. Regulations implementing the legislation normally occur after a bill gains royal assent, which could further delay them, depending on resistance from opposition parties and industry.
The most serious barrier to meaningful law and climate action stems from the power of the petroleum industry to pressure a compliant regulatory agency that sees itself more as a partner with industry, rather than a body whose primary obligation is to protect the public. This is referred to as corporate capture, a phenomenon I have explored in my research on the transportation sector. "The most serious barrier to meaningful law and climate action stems from the power of the petroleum industry to pressure a compliant regulatory agency that sees itself more as a partner with industry," says Bruce Campbell. #cndpoli #climatechange The legislation calls for an advisory panel on regulations and measures to be included in the forthcoming plan, but it will almost certainly include fossil fuel representatives who have a Pavlovian aversion to federal carbon-reduction measures. A technical briefing by officials indicated that the bill’s regulations will spell out emission-reduction obligations for specific sectors, notably petroleum, whose carbon emissions have grown 23 per cent since 2005, accounting for 26 per cent of total emissions, and the transportation sector, whose emissions have grown 14 per cent during this time, accounting for 25 per cent. Industry engagement with regulatory agencies occurs behind closed doors through intense lobbying of senior bureaucrats and politicians to block, delay, dilute or reverse regulations that adversely affect costs. Regulatory capture is more likely to exist alongside an under-resourced regulatory agency. With its independent expertise hollowed out by decades of austerity, the regulators typically do not have sufficient expertise to adequately evaluate industry demands. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), is on record lobbying against almost all proposed climate policies. The fossil fuel industry, according to a study by Environmental Defence, recorded 11,452 lobbying contacts with elected and non-elected federal government officials between 2011 and 2018.
Shortly after the pandemic lockdown started, CAPP pressured Ottawa to suspend inspections for federal regulations, suspend the federal carbon tax and its plan to implement a clean fuel standard, and indefinitely put new climate policies on pause. The clean fuel standard exemplifies the industry’s campaign to subvert regulations that require fossil fuel companies to reduce the carbon intensity of their products and encourage low-cost sources such as electrification. The petroleum industry claims to support a modified version of the standard, but a recently leaked strategy document indicates the goal is ultimately to kill the standard. This message — amplified by funded think tanks and the mainstream media echo chamber — is that "the federal Clean Fuel Standard should be scrapped because it will drive up costs on almost every sector at a time when Canada can least afford it,” writes Bill Bewick, executive director of Fairness Alberta.


nationalobserver--2020-12-03--Costs of climate change are soaring in Canada, yet still barely understood: report

We don ’ t know nearly enough about the ultimate toll the climate crisis will exact upon Canada — but what we do know is already troubling , and should inspire greater action .
That ’ s the conclusion from the first of several sweeping reports on the economic , social and environmental costs of climate change in Canada by the independent , publicly funded Canadian Institute for Climate Choices .
The institute pored over decades of data on the costs of weather-related disasters from both government relief and insurance industry payouts .
Its findings make it clear that volatile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and more costly .
But it also revealed how climate change-related costs are still barely understood today , and these unknown costs are likely to explode far beyond those that are known .
“ The lack of understanding of risk , plus the lack of tools to be able to address risk , create this dead zone , where it ’ s really hard to do anything , ” said adaptation director Ryan Ness in an interview .
• What Indigenous knowledge can teach us about resilience in a time of climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Vancouver restaurants • Widespread lake drainage on tundra another sign of climate change , researchers say “ What we ’ re suggesting is , we have to act on the knowledge we have , and we have enough knowledge to move forward.
” What is already known is stunning : the average cost per weather-related disaster has soared by 1,250 per cent since the 1970s , and the number of catastrophic events has more than tripled since the 1980s .
In the nine years from 2010 to 2019 , there was over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same amount as over the previous 40 years , save for the one-time $ 7-billion Eastern Canada ice storm in 1998 .
As the title of the Dec. 3 report , “ Tip of the Iceberg , ” indicates , these numbers are just the beginning .
There are many more long-term impacts from climate change , such as an estimated $ 1.3-billion cost to dozens of communities across the Northwest Territories due to permafrost thaw .
The average cost per weather-related disaster has soared by 1,250 per cent since the 1970s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has more than tripled since the 1980s , according to a new report from @ ClimateChoices .
# climatechange Such a cost will add to the stretched budgets of northern governments already coping with unaffordable food prices and other stressors such as long-term drinking water advisories .
And all of this doesn ’ t even take into account the many impacts that are just not recorded at all in Canada — things such as the impact on health care that climate change is creating .
“ Canada lacks up-to-date evidence on the potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reads the report .
The institute said the last effort to “ examine a broad range of costs at a national scale ” was done in 2011 , by the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy .
Over the next two years , it expects to publish further reports on health , infrastructure , macroeconomics and the North .
Counting up all the climate unknowns Ness said there are many reasons why it is difficult to cost out climate impacts , but one main issue is that there are so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canada in the first place .
Not only are disasters and extreme weather linked to death , disease and mental health challenges , for example , but there are a range of other consequences .
Wildfire smoke harms lungs , for example , while extreme heat makes kids miss school .
The Fort McMurray wildfire of 2016 was the “ largest single weather-related insurance loss event in Canadian history , ” the report states .
Ocean warming and acidification will also likely impact fisheries , and therefore the food security and prosperity of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while early heat waves can cause havoc for farmers depending on seasonal harvests .
Then there are the economic impacts of extreme weather on Canadian small business operations , or the disruptions to household budgets , as well as the impact of climate refugees on domestic politics and international conflict .
“ Pick an economic sector , pick an infrastructure type , pick a health impact — each one of those is extremely complex to try and figure out what a changing climate means for those impacts , and then how those impacts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Ness said .
Another concern is how all these issues will interact with each other .
Ness gave the example of how climate change could impact the electricity supply , causing power outages in the summer , at the same time as climate-driven heat waves drive up demand for air conditioning .
“ We don ’ t know how much the climate ’ s going to change in the end .
We don ’ t know if there ’ s weird things that are going to happen in those systems ... we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than science might predict , because science is based on past climate and past behaviour , ” he said .
Adaptation policies 'fall far short of what is needed ' The institute said this all suggests that the debate over Canada ’ s progress in tackling climate change needs to broaden from its current focus on reducing carbon pollution to one that also addresses adaptation — or the ways that Canadians can adjust to account for the widening range of climate impacts .
“ Current adaptation policies and investments in Canada fall far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the known risks of climate change , let alone those that are still unclear and unknown .
This has to change , ” the report states .
Its three recommendations are for all orders of government to increase funding for adaptation , more closely co-ordinate their adaptation efforts and examine the current levels of transparency over climate risks .
While the federal and provincial governments have come together previously over climate change , such as the Pan-Canadian Framework , Ness said more detail was needed over which authorities do what and how they @ @ @ @

We don’t know nearly enough about what the climate crisis will cost Canada — but what we do know is already troubling, and should inspire greater action. That’s the conclusion from the first of several sweeping reports on the economic, social and environmental costs of climate change in Canada by the independent, publicly funded Canadian Institute for Climate Choices. The institute pored over decades of data on the costs of weather-related disasters from both government relief and insurance industry payouts. Its findings make it clear that volatile weather events have already become more frequent, and more costly. But it also revealed how climate change-related costs are still barely understood today, and these unknown costs are likely to explode far beyond those that are known. “The lack of understanding of risk, plus the lack of tools to be able to address risk, create this dead zone, where it’s really hard to do anything,” said adaptation director Ryan Ness in an interview.
“What we’re suggesting is, we have to act on the knowledge we have, and we have enough knowledge to move forward.” Average disaster cost up 1,250 per cent Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions What is already known is stunning: the average cost per weather-related disaster has soared by 1,250 per cent since the 1970s, and the number of catastrophic events has more than tripled since the 1980s.
In the nine years from 2010 to 2019, there was over $14 billion in disaster costs — the same amount as over the previous 40 years, save for the one-time $7-billion Eastern Canada ice storm in 1998. The average cost per weather-related disaster has soared by 1,250 per cent since the 1970s, and the number of catastrophic events has more than tripled since the 1980s, according to a new report from @ClimateChoices. #climatechange As the title of the Dec. 3 report, “Tip of the Iceberg,” indicates, these numbers are just the beginning. There are many more long-term impacts from climate change, such as an estimated $1.3-billion cost to dozens of communities across the Northwest Territories due to permafrost thaw. Such a cost will add to the stretched budgets of northern governments already coping with unaffordable food prices and other stressors such as long-term drinking water advisories. And all of this doesn’t even take into account the many impacts that are just not recorded at all in Canada — things such as the impact on health care that climate change is creating.
“Canada lacks up-to-date evidence on the potential economic impacts of climate change,” reads the report. The institute said the last effort to “examine a broad range of costs at a national scale” was done in 2011, by the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy. Over the next two years, it expects to publish further reports on health, infrastructure, macroeconomics and the North.


nationalobserver--2020-12-03--History of Indigenous medical experiments poses challenge in building trust amid COVID-19

WINNIPEG — Some leaders and health professionals say they are facing a challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic of persuading Indigenous people to trust a health system that has a history of experimenting on them .
“ There have been some deceitful and terrible things that have been done to our communities historically , ” said Arlen Dumas , the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs ' grand chief .
Dumas looked directly into the camera of his computer during the First Nations COVID-19 Pandemic Response Co-ordination Team ’ s last online update on Friday .
He reassured those listening that Indigenous leaders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past to be repeated .
“ As far as I ’ m involved , things of that sort are never going to happen.
” Many watching the online update commented with concerns about COVID-19 health advice , while others speculated about the use of a vaccine .
Similar worries are echoed on social media pages for Indigenous communities .
• Widespread lake drainage on tundra another sign of climate change , researchers say • What Indigenous knowledge can teach us about resilience in a time of climate crisis • TikTokers come to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understands why there is so much mistrust among Indigenous people .
His own family members have reached out with concerns that a COVID-19 vaccine will be just another experiment .
The skepticism is grounded in real historical wrongs , said Ian Mosby , an assistant professor at Toronto ’ s Ryerson University .
There are many examples in Canadian history of scientists sponsored by the federal government or the government itself doing medical experiments on Indigenous people , he said .
“ The problem is trying to solve it in the middle of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pandemic , and trying to gain that trust , ” Mosby said .
Mosby ’ s research uncovered a long-standing , government-run food experiment on deliberately malnourished Indigenous children in the 1940s .
In one residential school , milk rations were held back for two years .
In another , a special flour that was illegal elsewhere in Canada was given to Indigenous children .
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs ' grand chief says he understands why there is mistrust among Indigenous people over COVID-19 health advice .
`` There have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been done to our communities historically . ''
Indigenous children were also the subject of a tuberculosis vaccine trial in Saskatchewan that began in the 1930s .
Research has shown that so-called Indian Hospitals , which were created to treat Indigenous people with tuberculosis , were rife with medical experimentation .
In recent years , there have been lawsuits over the forced sterilization of Indigenous women and skin grafts performed on Inuit people .
Melanie MacKinnon , who leads the First Nations pandemic response team , has warned that the consequences for not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It ’ s not a game .
We need to take this serious and it is at a critical , critical juncture , '' she told last week ’ s briefing .
Indigenous Services Canada says that , as of Tuesday , there were 4,069 COVID-19 cases on reserves in Canada .
Of those , 1,564 were active .
In Manitoba , infections of Indigenous people living on and off reserve have surged in recent weeks .
First Nations people are also experiencing more severe outcomes , the response team ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there were more than 1,713 active cases among First Nations people on and off reserves in Manitoba .
First Nations patients made up 26 per cent of hospitalizations and 45 per cent of people in intensive care .
So far , 45 First Nations members in the province have died from COVID-19 — the vast majority in the last couple of weeks .
The average age of death was 66 , while it was 83 for Manitoba ’ s overall population .
An Indigenous boy under the age of 10 died last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ initial distribution of a vaccine could begin in the new year .
First Nations leaders across the country has been advocating for their communities to be a priority .

WINNIPEG — Some leaders and health professionals say they are facing a challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic of persuading Indigenous people to trust a health system that has a history of experimenting on them. “There have been some deceitful and terrible things that have been done to our communities historically,” said Arlen Dumas, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs' grand chief. Dumas looked directly into the camera of his computer during the First Nations COVID-19 Pandemic Response Co-ordination Team’s last online update on Friday. He reassured those listening that Indigenous leaders would not allow horrific experiments of the past to be repeated. “As far as I’m involved, things of that sort are never going to happen.” Many watching the online update commented with concerns about COVID-19 health advice, while others speculated about the use of a vaccine. Similar worries are echoed on social media pages for Indigenous communities.
Dumas said he understands why there is so much mistrust among Indigenous people. His own family members have reached out with concerns that a COVID-19 vaccine will be just another experiment. The skepticism is grounded in real historical wrongs, said Ian Mosby, an assistant professor at Toronto’s Ryerson University. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions There are many examples in Canadian history of scientists sponsored by the federal government or the government itself doing medical experiments on Indigenous people, he said.
“The problem is trying to solve it in the middle of an emergency, in the middle of a pandemic, and trying to gain that trust,” Mosby said. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs' grand chief says he understands why there is mistrust among Indigenous people over COVID-19 health advice. "There have been some deceitful and terrible things that have been done to our communities historically." “These solutions needed to start 20, 30, 50 years ago.” Mosby’s research uncovered a long-standing, government-run food experiment on deliberately malnourished Indigenous children in the 1940s. In one residential school, milk rations were held back for two years. In another, a special flour that was illegal elsewhere in Canada was given to Indigenous children. Indigenous children were also the subject of a tuberculosis vaccine trial in Saskatchewan that began in the 1930s. Research has shown that so-called Indian Hospitals, which were created to treat Indigenous people with tuberculosis, were rife with medical experimentation. In recent years, there have been lawsuits over the forced sterilization of Indigenous women and skin grafts performed on Inuit people.
Melanie MacKinnon, who leads the First Nations pandemic response team, has warned that the consequences for not trusting public health orders can be catastrophic. “It’s not a game. We need to take this serious and it is at a critical, critical juncture," she told last week’s briefing. Indigenous Services Canada says that, as of Tuesday, there were 4,069 COVID-19 cases on reserves in Canada. Of those, 1,564 were active.


nationalobserver--2020-12-03--Canada's RCMP must take 'drastic actions' to restore confidence: former Supreme Court justice

The author of a report that found a toxic , misogynistic culture in the RCMP says the police force must take some `` drastic actions '' right away to restore confidence .
Former Supreme Court justice Michel Bastarache told a House of Commons committee Wednesday that people expect genuine change that shows a willingness to make tough decisions .
Bastarache recently released an independent report on harassment of women in the RCMP that said fundamental reform is needed to eliminate tolerance of hateful and sexist attitudes .
Bastarache said it is well past time for the federal government to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issues , which have caused incalculable damage .
He was the assessor who oversaw the provision of millions of dollars in compensation to 2,304 women involved in a class-action settlement covering several decades .
• Widespread lake drainage on tundra another sign of climate change , researchers say • What Indigenous knowledge can teach us about resilience in a time of climate crisis • TikTokers come to the rescue of Vancouver restaurants His report , `` Broken Dreams Broken Lives , '' concluded that change can not come from within the RCMP , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki has expressed deep sadness and outrage at the findings .
But she has not fully endorsed Bastarache 's recommendation of an externally led overhaul , instead outlining numerous initiatives to remedy the problems .
MPs on the Commons public safety committee expressed dismay Wednesday at the report 's conclusions and asked Bastarache about the best way forward .
Bastarache told the committee members that if the steps look `` too much like policy changes , '' nobody in the force will believe in them .
`` I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commissioner to establish a real plan for the reform , and to take some drastic actions right away .
I mean , to change some of the structures or change some of the leadership . ''
# RCMP must take some `` drastic actions '' right away to restore confidence , says former judge who wrote a report that found a toxic , misogynistic culture in the force .
# misogyny # Lucki # Bastarache He said if the government has faith in the commissioner , then it should support her , ask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the budget to implement it .
`` It wo n't happen if she 's alone with her project , '' Bastarache said .
Many past promises of reforming the RCMP failed because there was no plan to implement them or , if there was a plan , it did not work , he said .
`` The most important recommendation is to recruit the right people and have the right training programs . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2 , 2020 .

The author of a report that found a toxic, misogynistic culture in the RCMP says the police force must take some "drastic actions" right away to restore confidence.
Former Supreme Court justice Michel Bastarache told a House of Commons committee Wednesday that people expect genuine change that shows a willingness to make tough decisions.
Bastarache recently released an independent report on harassment of women in the RCMP that said fundamental reform is needed to eliminate tolerance of hateful and sexist attitudes.
Bastarache said it is well past time for the federal government to take meaningful and radical action to address these issues, which have caused incalculable damage.
He was the assessor who oversaw the provision of millions of dollars in compensation to 2,304 women involved in a class-action settlement covering several decades.


nationalobserver--2020-12-03--Canadian Armed Forces staff will be ready to distribute COVID-19 vaccine, defence chief says

The Canadian Armed Forces received formal orders last week to start planning for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines , though the military ’ s top commander says preparations have been underway for longer — and that his force will be ready .
The order is contained in a planning directive issued last week by chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance .
It lays out in detail for the first time how the military expects to help with vaccine distribution .
It notes the possibility of having to pick up COVID-19 vaccine doses from the United States and Europe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the military will be asked to help distribute the vaccine while also responding to floods and other emergencies .
The emergence of the directive comes ahead of an expected fight Thursday between the federal Liberal government and the Opposition Conservatives , who are set to introduce a motion in the House of Commons demanding details of Ottawa 's vaccine rollout .
The Conservatives say Canadians need , and deserve , to know when they can expect to be vaccinated against COVID-19 , and who can expect to receive the shots first .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a distribution network .
• What Indigenous knowledge can teach us about resilience in a time of climate crisis • TikTokers come to the rescue of Vancouver restaurants • Widespread lake drainage on tundra another sign of climate change , researchers say While that distribution plan is being led by the Public Health Agency of Canada , the Canadian Armed Forces is expected to play a significant role — as outlined by Vance ’ s order on Nov. 27 establishing what has been called Operation Vector .
The directive was obtained by The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by multiple sources , including the defence chief .
Canada isn ’ t alone in turning to its military for help with vaccines .
The U.S. military has been credited with having laid the groundwork in recent months for creating a distribution network that will get vaccines to Americans quickly once they are ready .
Despite having issued his directive on Operation Vector only last week , Vance said in an interview with The Canadian Press that Ottawa has been working for months on planning the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines .
Those plans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said , adding Canada ’ s military will be ready when the first shipment of doses are ready .
`` We are as well poised as any country , '' he said .
`` And when the vaccines arrive , we 'll be able to support the federal-provincial-territorial rollout plans .
… The actual logistics of rolling it out , we are in the same position that our allies are in . ''
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan also described the work around Operation Vector as `` ongoing planning , '' saying in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ the Canadian Armed Forces has done and continues to do to help Canadians through COVID-19.
” Defence chief says # CAF will be ready after ordering # COVID-19 # vaccine prep last week .
# cdnpoli Vance ’ s order lays out a series of tasks for different parts of the military , all aimed at ensuring the Forces are ready to respond when vaccines become available to Canada .
Those include flying doses `` on short notice '' from Spain , Germany , the U.S. and elsewhere `` to designated points @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also means providing personnel to help with distribution in remote , northern and coastal communities .
Military planners are also preparing to have troops work at vaccine-storage facilities , deliver freezers and other medical supplies to various regions — all while standing ready to also respond to other emergencies .
`` Track 1 vaccines are likely to be delivered to Canadians at the height of the second wave of the pandemic and in the midst of the spring 2021 thaw — a period of heightened flooding risk for many communities , '' Vance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on to say that the `` essential challenge '' will be anticipating where to position troops and equipment `` while preserving adequate capacity to surge in scale to respond to other unforeseen domestic emergencies . ''
In the interview , Vance acknowledged the potential challenge posed by the spring flood season coinciding with a potential surge in COVID-19 cases and efforts to get vaccines to Canadians most at risk of the illness .
To that end , the defence chief said orders will start flowing to different parts of the military for Operation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ troops know exactly what their specific jobs will be in a given situation .
Despite the advance planning , Vance said there remains a large number of unknowns , starting with the specific needs of individual provinces and territories when the actual delivery of a vaccine occurs and doses start flowing into communities .
“ The details of the Armed Forces ’ plan become firm when we understand what support will be required by the provinces and territories , ” he said .

The Canadian Armed Forces received formal orders last week to start planning for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, though the military’s top commander says preparations have been underway for longer — and that his force will be ready. The order is contained in a planning directive issued last week by chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance. It lays out in detail for the first time how the military expects to help with vaccine distribution. It notes the possibility of having to pick up COVID-19 vaccine doses from the United States and Europe on short notice, and outlines concerns the military will be asked to help distribute the vaccine while also responding to floods and other emergencies. The emergence of the directive comes ahead of an expected fight Thursday between the federal Liberal government and the Opposition Conservatives, who are set to introduce a motion in the House of Commons demanding details of Ottawa's vaccine rollout. The Conservatives say Canadians need, and deserve, to know when they can expect to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and who can expect to receive the shots first. That includes how the government is setting up a distribution network.
While that distribution plan is being led by the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Armed Forces is expected to play a significant role — as outlined by Vance’s order on Nov. 27 establishing what has been called Operation Vector. The directive was obtained by The Canadian Press and confirmed to be authentic by multiple sources, including the defence chief. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Canada isn’t alone in turning to its military for help with vaccines. The U.S. military has been credited with having laid the groundwork in recent months for creating a distribution network that will get vaccines to Americans quickly once they are ready.
Despite having issued his directive on Operation Vector only last week, Vance said in an interview with The Canadian Press that Ottawa has been working for months on planning the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Those plans are now "well advanced," he said, adding Canada’s military will be ready when the first shipment of doses are ready. Defence chief says #CAF will be ready after ordering #COVID-19 #vaccine prep last week. #cdnpoli "We are as well poised as any country," he said. "And when the vaccines arrive, we'll be able to support the federal-provincial-territorial rollout plans. … The actual logistics of rolling it out, we are in the same position that our allies are in." Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan also described the work around Operation Vector as "ongoing planning," saying in a statement that it will complement what “the Canadian Armed Forces has done and continues to do to help Canadians through COVID-19.” Vance’s order lays out a series of tasks for different parts of the military, all aimed at ensuring the Forces are ready to respond when vaccines become available to Canada. Those include flying doses "on short notice" from Spain, Germany, the U.S. and elsewhere "to designated points of distribution in Canada." It also means providing personnel to help with distribution in remote, northern and coastal communities.
Military planners are also preparing to have troops work at vaccine-storage facilities, deliver freezers and other medical supplies to various regions — all while standing ready to also respond to other emergencies. "Track 1 vaccines are likely to be delivered to Canadians at the height of the second wave of the pandemic and in the midst of the spring 2021 thaw — a period of heightened flooding risk for many communities," Vance’s order reads. It goes on to say that the "essential challenge" will be anticipating where to position troops and equipment "while preserving adequate capacity to surge in scale to respond to other unforeseen domestic emergencies."


nationalobserver--2020-12-03--UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to be enshrined in Canadian law

The Liberal government is set to introduce long-awaited legislation today to enshrine the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of @ @ @ @ @ .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised during the 2019 election campaign to introduce such a @ @ @ @ @ people , by the end of this year .
The bill is expected to echo @ @ @ @ @ introduced by former NDP MP Romeo Saganash , which the House of Commons passed two @ @ @

The Liberal government is set to introduce long-awaited legislation today to enshrine the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canadian law.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised during the 2019 election campaign to introduce such a bill, developed with Indigenous people, by the end of this year.
The bill is expected to echo a private member's bill introduced by former NDP MP Romeo Saganash, which the House of Commons passed two years ago.
That bill stalled in the Senate, where Conservative senators argued it could have unintended legal and economic consequences, and then died when Parliament dissolved.
The UN declaration, which Canada endorsed in 2010, affirms the rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination and to their language, culture and traditional lands.


nationalobserver--2020-12-03--'I saw what I saw': Indigenous services minister responding to truck door arrest in Nunavut

Federal Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller gave a short response when asked about an investigation that found an RCMP officer did not intentionally hit a young Inuk man with his truck door during an arrest in June .
`` I saw what I saw , '' Miller told a news conference Wednesday .
A video of the arrest posted on social media showed a Mountie in Kinngait , Nunavut , knocking down an intoxicated man using the door of a police pickup .
The Ottawa Police Service , which conducted a criminal investigation into the takedown , ruled the arrest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit the man with his truck unintentionally .
Back in June , Miller decried the improper tactic and called the incident `` dehumanizing '' and `` disgraceful . ''
On Wednesday , Miller said there is a need to reform the RCMP and address systemic racism against Indigenous people in Canada .
• Widespread lake drainage on tundra another sign of climate change , researchers say • What Indigenous knowledge can teach us about resilience in a time of climate crisis • TikTokers come to the rescue of Vancouver restaurants `` We will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protect Canadians to account , making sure that we reform the RCMP , '' he said .
`` We do need to get to the bottom of these things .
It further undermines the trust that , ( in ) Indigenous communities in particular , is still quite thin in respect to our police services . ''
Timoon Toonoo , Kinngait 's mayor , told The Canadian Press he ca n't comment on the arrest until the RCMP 's internal investigation is complete .
The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the RCMP met with him on Tuesday to discuss the Ottawa Police Service report 's findings , but he ca n't talk about it yet .
`` They were saying that they could not charge the person who ran over the person because they do not find that person broke the law .
We were on the line for a while and we talked about what happened and not much news came out of the meeting , '' Toonoo said .
Toonoo said he 's tried to reach out to the man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video , but has n't been able to reach him .
The Canadian Press has also reached out to the man , but has not heard back .
`` I saw what I saw , '' Federal Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said after an investigation found an # RCMP officer did not intentionally hit a young Inuk man with his truck door during a June arrest .
# Nunavut In a statement , Nunavut Justice Minister George Hickes said he also ca n't comment on the investigation , but said the arrest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I sincerely hope the individual struck by the vehicle is doing well . ''
`` I understand this event caused a great deal of concern in the community and across the territory , and I recognize we have more work to do to promote reconciliation between the police and Inuit in Nunavut , '' Hickes said .
Timothy Bryan , a sociology professor at Dalhousie University , said regardless of the investigation 's outcome , the arrest was not good police work .
`` This is not what policing should look like .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ at all in the statement from the Ottawa police .
I think it gives the impression that since there was no criminal wrongdoing , there was no wrongdoing .
And I think that ’ s a dangerous tone to set , '' Bryan said .
Hickes noted that Nunavut introduced legislation in the fall that would allow it to use civilian groups to investigate allegations against officers instead of other police forces .
On Monday , RCMP in Iqaluit also started wearing body cameras as part of a national pilot project to promote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's efforts are steps in the right direction , there needs to be more transparency from investigators like the Ottawa Police Service .
He said continuing the cycle of `` police-on-police '' investigations that only look at criminal conduct does a `` disservice '' to Indigenous and other racialized communities .
`` There will come a time when the people in those communities require assistance from police and may not call for it .
It ’ s not just that the policing needs to do no harm , it ’ s that policing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .

Federal Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller gave a short response when asked about an investigation that found an RCMP officer did not intentionally hit a young Inuk man with his truck door during an arrest in June. "I saw what I saw," Miller told a news conference Wednesday. A video of the arrest posted on social media showed a Mountie in Kinngait, Nunavut, knocking down an intoxicated man using the door of a police pickup. The Ottawa Police Service, which conducted a criminal investigation into the takedown, ruled the arrest was "lawful" and the officer hit the man with his truck unintentionally. Back in June, Miller decried the improper tactic and called the incident "dehumanizing" and "disgraceful." On Wednesday, Miller said there is a need to reform the RCMP and address systemic racism against Indigenous people in Canada.
"We will continue to hold those who serve and protect Canadians to account, making sure that we reform the RCMP," he said. "We do need to get to the bottom of these things. It further undermines the trust that, (in) Indigenous communities in particular, is still quite thin in respect to our police services." Timoon Toonoo, Kinngait's mayor, told The Canadian Press he can't comment on the arrest until the RCMP's internal investigation is complete. The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP is also conducting an investigation. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Toonoo said the RCMP met with him on Tuesday to discuss the Ottawa Police Service report's findings, but he can't talk about it yet.
"They were saying that they could not charge the person who ran over the person because they do not find that person broke the law. We were on the line for a while and we talked about what happened and not much news came out of the meeting," Toonoo said. "I saw what I saw," Federal Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said after an investigation found an #RCMP officer did not intentionally hit a young Inuk man with his truck door during a June arrest. #Nunavut Toonoo said he's tried to reach out to the man hit by the truck door in the video, but hasn't been able to reach him. The Canadian Press has also reached out to the man, but has not heard back. In a statement, Nunavut Justice Minister George Hickes said he also can't comment on the investigation, but said the arrest "was very unfortunate" and "I sincerely hope the individual struck by the vehicle is doing well." "I understand this event caused a great deal of concern in the community and across the territory, and I recognize we have more work to do to promote reconciliation between the police and Inuit in Nunavut," Hickes said.
Timothy Bryan, a sociology professor at Dalhousie University, said regardless of the investigation's outcome, the arrest was not good police work. "This is not what policing should look like. But there is no comment on that at all in the statement from the Ottawa police. I think it gives the impression that since there was no criminal wrongdoing, there was no wrongdoing. And I think that’s a dangerous tone to set," Bryan said. Hickes noted that Nunavut introduced legislation in the fall that would allow it to use civilian groups to investigate allegations against officers instead of other police forces.


nationalobserver--2020-12-03--Studies show Canadian banks not so green on climate change

International analyses suggest Canadian financiers are oiling the wheels of the fossil fuel industry at a far greater rate than their peers .
Bankers say they 've made big strides in addressing climate change concerns and promise to reveal how dependent on carbon their portfolios are .
They add the nature of Canada 's resource-driven economy makes large investments in oil and gas all but inevitable .
But critics say not much is changing .
`` There 's no significant decrease in financing , '' said Olaf Weber of the University of Waterloo 's School of Environment , Enterprise and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rainforest Action Network placed RBC , TD and Scotiabank in the global Top 10 for financing fossil fuels , providing more than $ 89 billion to oil and gas companies in 2019 alone .
The Bank of Montreal and CIBC are in 16th and 21st spots with a total of nearly $ 42 billion .
• What Indigenous knowledge can teach us about resilience in a time of climate crisis • TikTokers come to the rescue of Vancouver restaurants • Widespread lake drainage on tundra another sign of climate change , researchers say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paris agreement on climate change , fossil-fuel lending has grown at all five major banks , says the study .
It 's the same story at Export Development Canada , an arm's-length federal agency that helps Canadian industry sell its products abroad .
Last May , Oil Change International ranked the agency second in the world in support for fossil fuels .
Its average $ 10 billion a year outspent everyone but China .
Earlier this month , the International Institute for Sustainable Development ranked Canada last among countries in the Organization for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to end public finance of oil and gas as well as the scale of its support for exploration , production , refining , and transportation .
Only one of the Canadian major banks — TD — has committed to a global effort by 88 banks and financial institutions to standardize how banks tote up their carbon exposure .
`` Canada really sticks out like a sore thumb , '' said Bronwen Tucker of Oil Change International , which advocates for energy transition .
Canadian banks say they 're changing .
Most no longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including RBC , TD and BMO — reject fossil fuel drilling in the Arctic .
International analyses suggest Canadian financiers are oiling the wheels of the # FossilFuel industry at a far greater rate than their peers .
# ClimateChange # banks # canada # climatechange Alec Clark , head of global energy for TD Securities , said his bank has been disclosing its carbon-intensive investments since 2018 .
It has promised to be carbon neutral by 2050 , aligning it with Paris agreement targets , and has pledged to invest $ 100 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Setting out our ambitions provides good context for our clients , '' Clark said .
`` A significant number already have their own ambitions . ''
RBC is working with its clients to be environmentally responsible , said spokesman Andrew Block in an email .
`` We are committed to finding ways to balance the transition to a low-carbon economy while supporting efforts to meet global energy needs and our energy clients .
The world will continue to rely on natural resources and traditional sources of energy for some time . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ executive vice-president , said the agency has committed to reduce the carbon intensity of its investments by 15 per cent by 2023 .
Those reductions will be disclosed , he said .
About $ 3.5 billion has been provided to more than 250 clean technology companies , said Burlock .
`` We have a role to play in the transition to a lower carbon economy . ''
Any lender involved in a significant way in the Canadian economy will be involved with fossil fuels , he said .
`` Oil and gas have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years .
If you look at the profile of our support it really reflects the profile of Canada 's export industry . ''
Clark agrees .
`` Energy is a big part of TD Securities .
It 's a big part of the Canadian economy . ''
That does n't mean investment does n't change , he said .
`` You can be an energy company and still be very focused on doing things in your day-to-day operations that make you less intensely a user or emitter of emissions . ''
As well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evaluate an investment 's environmental , social and governance risks .
Weber points out some estimates say that up to 80 per cent of investments made in Canada already use the criteria .
If they made a difference , he said , we 'd have noticed by now .
`` You can see that it 's not really a radical shift . ''
Amelia Meister of the shareholder activism group Sum Of Us said Canada 's investment in fossil fuels is more than just a mirror of its economy .
It 's a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` I have spoken to executives at banks who have said the fossil fuel industry is a pillar of the Canadian economy and it 's the banks ' responsibility to support the Canadian economy , '' she said .
`` At one point , that may have been true .
We are at a very different point . ''
Tucker said investing in fossil fuel companies has direct impacts on emissions .
New oilfields do n't get opened , oilsands mines do n't get built and pipelines do n't get laid without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pipeline or oilfield ... presents emissions that we ca n't afford even in the near term but also that are going to be locked in for decades .
We are actually at a point where we ca n't expand oil and gas infrastructure any more . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3 , 2020 .

International analyses suggest Canadian financiers are oiling the wheels of the fossil fuel industry at a far greater rate than their peers. Bankers say they've made big strides in addressing climate change concerns and promise to reveal how dependent on carbon their portfolios are. They add the nature of Canada's resource-driven economy makes large investments in oil and gas all but inevitable. But critics say not much is changing. "There's no significant decrease in financing," said Olaf Weber of the University of Waterloo's School of Environment, Enterprise and Development. A recent study from the Rainforest Action Network placed RBC, TD and Scotiabank in the global Top 10 for financing fossil fuels, providing more than $89 billion to oil and gas companies in 2019 alone. The Bank of Montreal and CIBC are in 16th and 21st spots with a total of nearly $42 billion.
In the 4 1/2 years since the Paris agreement on climate change, fossil-fuel lending has grown at all five major banks, says the study. It's the same story at Export Development Canada, an arm's-length federal agency that helps Canadian industry sell its products abroad. Last May, Oil Change International ranked the agency second in the world in support for fossil fuels. Its average $10 billion a year outspent everyone but China. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Earlier this month, the International Institute for Sustainable Development ranked Canada last among countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in its attempts to end public finance of oil and gas as well as the scale of its support for exploration, production, refining, and transportation.
Only one of the Canadian major banks — TD — has committed to a global effort by 88 banks and financial institutions to standardize how banks tote up their carbon exposure. International analyses suggest Canadian financiers are oiling the wheels of the #FossilFuel industry at a far greater rate than their peers. #ClimateChange #banks #canada #climatechange "Canada really sticks out like a sore thumb," said Bronwen Tucker of Oil Change International, which advocates for energy transition. Canadian banks say they're changing. Most no longer finance thermal coal projects and several — including RBC, TD and BMO — reject fossil fuel drilling in the Arctic. Alec Clark, head of global energy for TD Securities, said his bank has been disclosing its carbon-intensive investments since 2018. It has promised to be carbon neutral by 2050, aligning it with Paris agreement targets, and has pledged to invest $100 billion in renewable energy by 2030. "Setting out our ambitions provides good context for our clients," Clark said. "A significant number already have their own ambitions."
RBC is working with its clients to be environmentally responsible, said spokesman Andrew Block in an email. "We are committed to finding ways to balance the transition to a low-carbon economy while supporting efforts to meet global energy needs and our energy clients. The world will continue to rely on natural resources and traditional sources of energy for some time." Carl Burlock, Export Development Canada's executive vice-president, said the agency has committed to reduce the carbon intensity of its investments by 15 per cent by 2023. Those reductions will be disclosed, he said.


nationalobserver--2020-12-04--Heating with hydrogen a challenge projects in Alberta and Ontario show

It seems like a no-brainer to use clean-burning hydrogen to offset the environmental negatives of natural gas for warming homes , but pilot projects to do just that starting next year illustrate nothing is simple about this trendy new energy source .
As companies consider ways to commercialize hydrogen as a cleaner alternative fuel and projects advance in Fort Saskatchewan , Alta.
, and Markham , Ont.
, most observers concede it will take time and government support to overcome its cost competitiveness issues and lack of infrastructure .
`` All hydrogen is not created equal , '' says Tahra @ @ @ @ @ @ @ program for B.C .
with environmental think tank The Pembina Institute and co-author of a hydrogen primer published in July .
“ If you blend the lowest carbon hydrogen , you 're going to get a much better outcome in terms of climate benefit . ''
Hydrogen has many advantages as an energy source .
When it burns it leaves only water behind — no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases .
It can be used for high-energy-intensity applications such as trucking , shipping and steelmaking .
It can be compressed for energy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and dissipates quickly when released .
• Studies show Canadian banks not so green on climate change • How scientists saved rare seeds from Syria 's war — and are now helping to feed the world But there are disadvantages , too .
Its low ignition temperature and nearly invisible flame when burning pose potential safety issues .
Concentrated hydrogen can damage metal , requiring enhanced protection for pipelines .
The act of creating hydrogen requires energy , whether to tear apart water molecules with the electrolysis method or breaking down natural gas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greenhouse gases .
`` The economics in our view for blue and green ( hydrogen ) are challenged right now but support will increase , costs are bound to come down , so ( it 's ) another good opportunity for us to capitalize on our infrastructure , '' said Al Monaco , CEO of pipeline company Enbridge Inc. , on a recent conference call , echoing the cautious stance taken by many industry leaders .
Almost all of the hydrogen created in Canada today is considered `` grey , '' created by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industrial processes such as refining petroleum or producing fertilizer .
Pembina estimates it costs between 91 cents and $ 1.42 per kilogram to make .
If the carbon dioxide and other pollutants from making grey hydrogen are captured and stored , it becomes `` blue '' hydrogen , but the cost jumps to between $ 1.34 and $ 1.85 per kilogram .
`` Green '' hydrogen is separated from water using only renewable electricity and , while it is the most environmentally benign , it is also the most expensive at between $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to Pembina .
# Hydrogen 's future remains murky despite home heating projects in # Alberta and # Ontario .
Utility subsidiaries of Enbridge and Atco Ltd. are embarking on plans to inject hydrogen into the natural gas stream leading to home furnaces and water heaters in Markham and Fort Saskatchewan .
Electricity can ’ t be stored as is , but at Enbridge ’ s power-to-gas facility in Markham it is used to create hydrogen from water that can be stored until eventually being turned back into electricity with Enbridge 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Markham 's hydrogen is considered green because it is made with intermittent renewable electricity .
The facility opened in 2018 after investments of $ 4.5 million by an Enbridge partnership and $ 4 million by the federal government .
Its operation is supported by a three-year contract from Ontario ’ s electric system operator to supply surplus renewable power .
The system works to level out energy availability but when more hydrogen is created than can be stored , it has to be vented , says Cynthia Hansen , president of gas distribution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solution is to blend the surplus at about two per cent into the local natural gas stream to reduce its overall GHG emissions , a $ 5.2-million project ( with $ 221,000 from the federal government ) expected to begin for about 3,600 customers starting next summer .
Atco , meanwhile , is building a $ 6-million hydrogen blending project backed by $ 2.8 million in Alberta provincial grants and expected to be operational in early 2022 .
It is to deliver about five per cent hydrogen in the gas stream to about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small city just northeast of Edmonton , with the hydrogen coming from an unnamed local supplier .
`` When it starts up it will be grey and then it will transition to blue as the supply in the area builds out , ” said Jason Sharpe , Atco 's general manager of natural gas , estimating it will take two to three years for blue hydrogen to become available .
The Fort Saskatchewan area , with its refineries and petrochemical facilities , is ground zero for carbon capture and storage in Alberta .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2015 , has injected more than five million tonnes of carbon dioxide into underground storage from its oilsands upgrader .
The recently completed Alberta Carbon Trunk Line is a pipeline system designed to collect CO2 from industrial sites in the region and take it to mature oilfields where its permanent storage also results in enhanced oil recovery .
The global market for hydrogen could easily triple from current levels of about $ 200 billion per year by 2050 as countries adopt its use as a decarbonization strategy , according to GLJ , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Canada is well-positioned to become an exporter into this growing market because of its current and potential production , GLJ said .
Pembina 's Jutt , however , says hydrogen usage should be targeted .
While it may make sense to use it for home heating in some regions , that application does n't necessarily make sense in B.C.
, where energy from renewable hydroelectric sources is potentially more environmentally friendly .
Much is riding on promised federal and provincial government regulatory , strategic and financial commitments to hydrogen , as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canada meet its goal of net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 , she added .
`` Businesses will do what 's right for them from an economic perspective but I think everyone 's looking to government for signals that it 's good to invest in these things — hydrogen being one of many fuels that we 'll need to reach our 2050 goals . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4 , 2020 .

It seems like a no-brainer to use clean-burning hydrogen to offset the environmental negatives of natural gas for warming homes, but pilot projects to do just that starting next year illustrate nothing is simple about this trendy new energy source. As companies consider ways to commercialize hydrogen as a cleaner alternative fuel and projects advance in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., and Markham, Ont., most observers concede it will take time and government support to overcome its cost competitiveness issues and lack of infrastructure. "All hydrogen is not created equal," says Tahra Jutt, director of the clean economy program for B.C. with environmental think tank The Pembina Institute and co-author of a hydrogen primer published in July. “If you blend the lowest carbon hydrogen, you're going to get a much better outcome in terms of climate benefit." Hydrogen has many advantages as an energy source. When it burns it leaves only water behind — no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. It can be used for high-energy-intensity applications such as trucking, shipping and steelmaking. It can be compressed for energy storage and transportation. It's non-toxic and dissipates quickly when released.
But there are disadvantages, too. Its low ignition temperature and nearly invisible flame when burning pose potential safety issues. Concentrated hydrogen can damage metal, requiring enhanced protection for pipelines. The act of creating hydrogen requires energy, whether to tear apart water molecules with the electrolysis method or breaking down natural gas molecules through thermal processes which themselves create greenhouse gases. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions "The economics in our view for blue and green (hydrogen) are challenged right now but support will increase, costs are bound to come down, so (it's) another good opportunity for us to capitalize on our infrastructure," said Al Monaco, CEO of pipeline company Enbridge Inc., on a recent conference call, echoing the cautious stance taken by many industry leaders.
Almost all of the hydrogen created in Canada today is considered "grey," created by burning fossil fuel and then used in industrial processes such as refining petroleum or producing fertilizer. Pembina estimates it costs between 91 cents and $1.42 per kilogram to make. #Hydrogen's future remains murky despite home heating projects in #Alberta and #Ontario. If the carbon dioxide and other pollutants from making grey hydrogen are captured and stored, it becomes "blue" hydrogen, but the cost jumps to between $1.34 and $1.85 per kilogram. "Green" hydrogen is separated from water using only renewable electricity and, while it is the most environmentally benign, it is also the most expensive at between $3 and $5 per kilogram, according to Pembina. Utility subsidiaries of Enbridge and Atco Ltd. are embarking on plans to inject hydrogen into the natural gas stream leading to home furnaces and water heaters in Markham and Fort Saskatchewan. Electricity can’t be stored as is, but at Enbridge’s power-to-gas facility in Markham it is used to create hydrogen from water that can be stored until eventually being turned back into electricity with Enbridge's 2.5-megawatt hydrogen fuel cell when needed.
Markham's hydrogen is considered green because it is made with intermittent renewable electricity. The facility opened in 2018 after investments of $4.5 million by an Enbridge partnership and $4 million by the federal government. Its operation is supported by a three-year contract from Ontario’s electric system operator to supply surplus renewable power. The system works to level out energy availability but when more hydrogen is created than can be stored, it has to be vented, says Cynthia Hansen, president of gas distribution and storage for Enbridge. A partial solution is to blend the surplus at about two per cent into the local natural gas stream to reduce its overall GHG emissions, a $5.2-million project (with $221,000 from the federal government) expected to begin for about 3,600 customers starting next summer.


nationalobserver--2020-12-04--Fiscal update shows times of crisis need to be met with resilience, ambition

Times of crisis become moments when we examine what is important to us .
This year , for better or worse , has forced everyone to abandon business as usual , ask tough questions and focus on our top priorities .
This is true for citizens as well as decision-makers .
This week ’ s fiscal update gives us insight into the new reality and future thinking of the federal government as it navigates the risks and realities of a pandemic and its aftermath .
The measures that were reiterated or announced in Supporting Canadians and Fighting COVID-19 , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , reinforced critical lessons for facing short- and long-term environmental and economic challenges ahead .
This update reminds us that in order to have a resilient Canada , we need to meet times of crisis with strong , smart ambition .
We are not yet out of the woods of the COVID-19 pandemic and its widespread impacts , and that was evident .
Announcements of extended financial support for individuals and businesses were made in order to help Canadians weather the next phase of this storm .
Policy has helped protect citizens and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ devastating global crisis , and this latest fiscal update seeks to continue that protection for Canadians well into 2021 .
• Studies show Canadian banks not so green on climate change • How scientists saved rare seeds from Syria 's war — and are now helping to feed the world While the fiscal update made clear that it is not yet time to turn to an economic recovery , there were indications that critical climate action will be a part of the recovery , with frequent reference to Canada ’ s ambitions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support to advance public transit , expand the presence of zero emissions vehicle-charging stations and clean energy grids and incentivize homeowners to make home energy retrofits .
In order to capture and sequester carbon , nature-based solutions such as extensive tree planting , agricultural investments and ecosystem restoration were included , and they will be necessary to reach our climate goals in the long term .
This is smart ambition .
By advancing a clear , ambitious and unified vision for meeting our commitments to the Paris climate accord by 2030 and achieving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can advance stable economic and environmental policies that drive foreign and domestic investment towards innovative technologies , products and services .
This is what is needed to remain globally competitive into the future .
The jobs promised in the fiscal update — one million of them — are directly connected to building a greener and more inclusive economy .
The intersection between job creation , inclusivity and climate action in the update is an important one , and one that deserves ongoing attention when the government releases its plan announced in the throne @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate goal and when that plan is put into action .
The uneven impacts of the pandemic were also , rightly , a focus .
Women , Black and racialized Canadians , Indigenous people and young people have been disproportionately affected , and these inequities were identified as needing to be addressed through measures like access to affordable child care .
As was shown in this update , it is critical that measures addressing this and future crises need to break down barriers if they are to be effective in building a just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While we don ’ t know when we will emerge on the other side of this pandemic , we do know that it will not be the only market shock and crisis we face .
Growing risks of climate change , biodiversity loss and severe weather will impact Canadians ’ health and jobs .
While the challenges ahead are considerable , the fiscal update shows that we can respond quickly and comprehensively in times of crisis .
`` While the fiscal update made clear that it is not yet time to turn to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that critical climate action will be a part of the recovery , '' write @ CircularLiving and Mike Wilson of @ SP_Inst .
# COVID19 # cdnpoli We can look to the future with ambition .
It is worth paying attention to how this now rolls out , so that we turn the plan into action while at the same time learning lessons on how to unite and build a strong , clean economy in challenging times .
We will need to do it again after this pandemic , and it will bear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Irene Whittaker is director of communications at the Smart Prosperity Institute .
Mike Wilson is the institute 's executive director .

Times of crisis become moments when we examine what is important to us. This year, for better or worse, has forced everyone to abandon business as usual, ask tough questions and focus on our top priorities. This is true for citizens as well as decision-makers. This week’s fiscal update gives us insight into the new reality and future thinking of the federal government as it navigates the risks and realities of a pandemic and its aftermath. The measures that were reiterated or announced in Supporting Canadians and Fighting COVID-19, as presented Monday by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, reinforced critical lessons for facing short- and long-term environmental and economic challenges ahead. This update reminds us that in order to have a resilient Canada, we need to meet times of crisis with strong, smart ambition. We are not yet out of the woods of the COVID-19 pandemic and its widespread impacts, and that was evident. Announcements of extended financial support for individuals and businesses were made in order to help Canadians weather the next phase of this storm. Policy has helped protect citizens and our economy from the worst of a devastating global crisis, and this latest fiscal update seeks to continue that protection for Canadians well into 2021.
While the fiscal update made clear that it is not yet time to turn to an economic recovery, there were indications that critical climate action will be a part of the recovery, with frequent reference to Canada’s ambitions of achieving net-zero by 2050. Freeland announced support to advance public transit, expand the presence of zero emissions vehicle-charging stations and clean energy grids and incentivize homeowners to make home energy retrofits. In order to capture and sequester carbon, nature-based solutions such as extensive tree planting, agricultural investments and ecosystem restoration were included, and they will be necessary to reach our climate goals in the long term. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions This is smart ambition. By advancing a clear, ambitious and unified vision for meeting our commitments to the Paris climate accord by 2030 and achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, Canada can advance stable economic and environmental policies that drive foreign and domestic investment towards innovative technologies, products and services. This is what is needed to remain globally competitive into the future.