nationalobserver--2020-06-30--Joe Hordyski wants to right a wrong

Joe Hordyski wants to right a wrong

They say you ca n't beat city hall - but a former mayor of La Ronge is going to try .
Well , not city hall in this case , town council , but either way Joe Hordyski says he wants to right a wrong .
Hordyski is threatening legal action to reverse the sale of a piece of land in the northern Saskatchewan town for well below market value .
According to the Northern Municipalities Act “ council can not sell or lease any land for less than market value unless there is a public offering and there was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recorded by council , ” Hordyski said But that , Hordyski says , is exactly what council did when it approved the sale of an industrial lot .
“ I just accidentally stumbled on this thing because of the size of it .
If it would have been a normal-sized lot I probably wouldn ’ t have even questioned it , but because of the size of it , I started looking into it and that ’ s where I found the mess.
” • B.C .
First Nations leaders want immediate end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electric vehicles requires economic incentives , just ask Norway Hordyski is planning to run for a seat on town council in November .
He ’ s not sure if he ’ ll run for his former position as mayor , though .
He said that either way , more people need to pay attention to “ what ’ s going on with the leadership ” in their community .
Former mayor and local developer Joe Hordyski said he 's willing to take the Town to court of Queen 's Bench over a land @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Municipalities Act .
Hordyski will be running for town council and has n't decided yet if he will try for his former position as mayor or not .
Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock .
Last September , council approved a purchase offer on a 163-meter by 153-meter lot valued at more than half a million dollars for $ 1,000 plus surveying costs to local developer Scott Klassen .
Hordyski submitted a petition to council last week saying the sale was in violation of the Northern Municipalities Act .
Hordyski said that he will take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a ruling if it ’ s not addressed .
“ It ’ s almost a little bit of a shame that you have to do that because the northern act is basically the municipal government .
They come up with this act , and they set out these rules , but they don ’ t enforce it , ” Hordyski said .
“ I think there ’ s influence .
There ’ s coffee room talk .
It ’ s very difficult to exclude yourself .
You ’ re not supposed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re just supposed to lock yourself right out but that does n't happen I don ’ t think , ” Joe Hordyski .
Before going to council Hordyski said he took the matter to the provincial ombudsman .
He said the ombudsman told him that they do n't enforce the act , but give advice to avoid future issues .
“ That does n't change anything , so the only alternative is to take it to the Queen ’ s Bench and have the courts enforce that northern act , ” Hordyski @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who voted against the land sale , said that he supports Hordyski ’ s push to get clarification on the legality of the land sale , and to prevent that sort of thing from happening again .
“ When you sell something below market , you 'd better give everybody a chance to bid on it .
Maybe nobody cared , but at least it should have been out in the open .
It should have been tendered out , ” Woytowich said .
Hordyski said that while he once had an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ located near one of his own properties on Poirier Street , in the industrial area .
He said that ’ s not the reason why he took the issue to council , though .
“ I ’ m concerned about the sale because the town is getting a bad deal for whatever reason , ” Hordyski said .
Mayor Woytowich is offering to help pay some of Hordyski ’ s legal fees so that the issue can be resolved and to create a precedent for future land sales in La Ronge .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money in , I don ’ t know what it ’ s going to cost him .
I would like ... for the court to make a ruling on stuff like this so that it never happens again.
” La Ronge Mayor Ron Woytowich said he 's willing to put up some of Joe Hordysk 's legal fees if he takes the issue to court .
Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock .
“ I know that he was absolutely right in this complaint that he made and that ’ s why I ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but if he needs a couple of bucks for a lawyer , I ’ ll be happy to throw money in .
We ’ re friends , and besides , he ’ s right.
” Woytowich said .
The mayor said that “ just one or two doors down ” from where the land was purchased on Poirier Street , “ somebody just paid big money for a property that didn ’ t even have a road near it.
” “ I thought that ( the Poirier Street sale ) was just totally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just not right .
I don ’ t care how you look at it , it was wrong and there was no way that I wanted anything to do with it , ” Woytowich said .
In October 2019 , a report signed by the Town of La Ronge acting administrator Robbie Bender maintained that the sale of the Poirier Street lot was in breach of the act and said that if left unaltered a sale for such a low amount could result in “ negative feedback from the public.
” Council was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at fair market value , selling it for less and opening it to the public to bid on , or commissioning another third-party appraisal .
Last year the La Ronge Town Council approved the sale of a piece of land for below market value without putting it up for public bidding .
Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock .
The report said a previous third-party appraisal in 2015 put the fair market value for the lot at more than $ 566,000 including the dedicated land fee .
But Hordyski said that is n't fair market @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was the result of “ an outsider coming in not understanding the development costs.
” Hordyski said that twenty per cent of that , or around $ 100,000 , would be a reasonable price .
But the report said an alternative fair sale price for the lot would have been slioghtly more than $ 17,000 , with taxes and land fees included .
That number was based on the 2017 sale of a comparable piece of property in the area for $ 16,000 .
Council elected to maintain the sale for $ 1,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , despite the risk of blowback from the public .
Councillor Matt Klassen declared conflict of interest and did not participate in the vote because Scott Klassen is his brother .
“ I think there ’ s influence .
There ’ s coffee room talk .
It ’ s very difficult to exclude yourself .
You ’ re not supposed to talk before , during or after , you ’ re just supposed to lock yourself right out but that does n't happen I don ’ t think , ” Hordyski said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that any time a member of council ’ s family or represented organizations are involved , that councillor must declare a conflict and remove themselves from the conversation .
“ I did just that , declared conflict of interest and removed myself completely .
I have not been privy to any conversation or decisions around the topic , ” Klassen said .
Hordyski said that land in the community becomes devalued when it is “ sold for cheap , ” which hurts the value of property overall .
“ I think that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closely .
It ’ s letting us know that there is a value to land .
You have to balance it out in terms of bringing in that tax revenue and what you can afford to give away , ” Hordyski said .
“ When you start to get to the point where the amount of land available for development starts to diminish , you don ’ t go and sell a big parcel of land for little return .
Just because a guy wants a lot that big doesn ’ t mean @ @ @ @ @

They say you can't beat city hall - but a former mayor of La Ronge is going to try. Well, not city hall in this case, town council, but either way Joe Hordyski says he wants to right a wrong. Hordyski is threatening legal action to reverse the sale of a piece of land in the northern Saskatchewan town for well below market value. According to the Northern Municipalities Act “council cannot sell or lease any land for less than market value unless there is a public offering and there was no public process that was initiated or recorded by council,” Hordyski said But that, Hordyski says, is exactly what council did when it approved the sale of an industrial lot. “I just accidentally stumbled on this thing because of the size of it. If it would have been a normal-sized lot I probably wouldn’t have even questioned it, but because of the size of it, I started looking into it and that’s where I found the mess.”
Hordyski is planning to run for a seat on town council in November. He’s not sure if he’ll run for his former position as mayor, though. He said that either way, more people need to pay attention to “what’s going on with the leadership” in their community. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Former mayor and local developer Joe Hordyski said he's willing to take the Town to court of Queen's Bench over a land sale that he says broke the Northern Municipalities Act. Hordyski will be running for town council and hasn't decided yet if he will try for his former position as mayor or not. Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock.
Last September, council approved a purchase offer on a 163-meter by 153-meter lot valued at more than half a million dollars for $1,000 plus surveying costs to local developer Scott Klassen. “I think there’s influence. There’s coffee room talk. It’s very difficult to exclude yourself. You’re not supposed to talk before, during or after you’re just supposed to lock yourself right out but that doesn't happen I don’t think,” Joe Hordyski. Hordyski submitted a petition to council last week saying the sale was in violation of the Northern Municipalities Act. Hordyski said that he will take the issue to the Queen's Bench for a ruling if it’s not addressed. “It’s almost a little bit of a shame that you have to do that because the northern act is basically the municipal government. They come up with this act, and they set out these rules, but they don’t enforce it,” Hordyski said. Before going to council Hordyski said he took the matter to the provincial ombudsman. He said the ombudsman told him that they don't enforce the act, but give advice to avoid future issues. “That doesn't change anything, so the only alternative is to take it to the Queen’s Bench and have the courts enforce that northern act,” Hordyski said.
La Ronge Mayor Ron Woytowich, who voted against the land sale, said that he supports Hordyski’s push to get clarification on the legality of the land sale, and to prevent that sort of thing from happening again. “When you sell something below market, you'd better give everybody a chance to bid on it. Maybe nobody cared, but at least it should have been out in the open. It should have been tendered out,” Woytowich said. Hordyski said that while he once had an interest in the lot, which is located near one of his own properties on Poirier Street, in the industrial area. He said that’s not the reason why he took the issue to council, though.


nationalobserver--2020-06-30--Ontario extends logging industry exemption from endangered species law

The Ontario government extended a temporary law that allows the forestry industry to be exempt from adhering to endangered species protections Monday .
Environmental advocates say the move is a further weakening of a law protecting species at risk , which could harm threatened woodland caribou .
The forestry industry , which has pushed for a permanent exemption , says logging operations already must meet rigorous sustainability standards and exempting them from endangered species law would support the economy .
“ This approach would consider species at risk while creating certainty for the forest sector , supporting economic development and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communities that depend on this sector , ” said Justine Teplycky , a spokesperson for Natural Resources and Forestry Minister John Yakabuski , in an email .
Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said in a statement that Premier Doug Ford has a “ rip-and-ship ” agenda for forests in Ontario .
“ The government continues to deregulate our forestry sector by gutting the Endangered Species Act and opening up more boreal forest to industrial logging , ” he said .
• B.C .
First Nations leaders want immediate end to open-net salmon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic incentives , just ask Norway The number of species at risk in Ontario is increasing , auditor general Bonnie Lysyk found last year .
And the Progressive Conservative government previously weakened the existing Endangered Species Act in 2019 with several changes , including one that allows developers to avoid complying with the rules by paying fees for endangered species recovery .
Forestry companies have been exempt from Ontario 's Endangered Species Act for years , a measure that was due to expire on June 30 .
Instead , they follow guidelines set @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In an update to its forestry strategy released in December , the provincial government announced plans to make that permanent .
However , due to COVID-19 , that process was delayed , so the government proposed in May to extend the current exemption for another year .
The government 's revised forestry plan also found the province is only using about half of the wood it could “ sustainably harvest , ” outlining plans to double wood production by 2030 and “ attract investments ” in Canada and abroad .
Teplycky said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ensure “ sustainable management of Crown forests while regarding plant and animal life , water , soil , air and social and economic values.
” Companies are required to write rigorous forest management plans , she added .
“ Each plan takes almost three years to write , is based on science and is informed by customized Indigenous consultation and five public consultation/inspection opportunities , ” she said .
Environmental advocates say this move by the Ontario government is a further weakening of a law protecting species at risk , which could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Permanently eliminating the need for forestry companies to comply with the endangered species rules would “ reduce red tape and administrative burden , ” the Ontario Forest Industries Association has said .
Reykia Fick , a nature and food campaigner with Greenpeace Canada , said forestry rules are not equivalent to the Endangered Species Act .
The latter is aimed at helping species recover , while forestry rules aim to minimize impact on at-risk plants and animals — a crucial difference , as species need support for their populations to stop dwindling .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and not the same goals , ” she added .
Schreiner said the move amounts to a loophole that would ensure woodland caribou and other at-risk species continue to decline .
“ The Ford government is pretending that the Crown Forest Sustainability Act provides the same protection as the Endangered Species Act , when this is plainly untrue , ” Schreiner said .
Fick also said she 's concerned the government did n't take public feedback into account before making its final call .
The government received more than 4,000 pieces of feedback @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Registry notes .
The government made the extension official on June 18 , six business days after its public consultation ended .
“ How were they able to process all of these comments… and actually take into account the issues raised ( in six days ) ?
” Fick said .
“ What it comes down to is that the Ontario government is taking advantage of the COVID crisis to go backwards instead of forwards , rolling back the protections for endangered species .
”

The Ontario government extended a temporary law that allows the forestry industry to be exempt from adhering to endangered species protections Monday. Environmental advocates say the move is a further weakening of a law protecting species at risk, which could harm threatened woodland caribou. The forestry industry, which has pushed for a permanent exemption, says logging operations already must meet rigorous sustainability standards and exempting them from endangered species law would support the economy. “This approach would consider species at risk while creating certainty for the forest sector, supporting economic development and job creation in the northern and rural communities that depend on this sector,” said Justine Teplycky, a spokesperson for Natural Resources and Forestry Minister John Yakabuski, in an email. Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said in a statement that Premier Doug Ford has a “rip-and-ship” agenda for forests in Ontario. “The government continues to deregulate our forestry sector by gutting the Endangered Species Act and opening up more boreal forest to industrial logging,” he said.
The number of species at risk in Ontario is increasing, auditor general Bonnie Lysyk found last year. And the Progressive Conservative government previously weakened the existing Endangered Species Act in 2019 with several changes, including one that allows developers to avoid complying with the rules by paying fees for endangered species recovery. Forestry companies have been exempt from Ontario's Endangered Species Act for years, a measure that was due to expire on June 30. Instead, they follow guidelines set out under the Crown Forest Sustainability Act. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions In an update to its forestry strategy released in December, the provincial government announced plans to make that permanent. However, due to COVID-19, that process was delayed, so the government proposed in May to extend the current exemption for another year.
The government's revised forestry plan also found the province is only using about half of the wood it could “sustainably harvest,” outlining plans to double wood production by 2030 and “attract investments” in Canada and abroad. Environmental advocates say this move by the Ontario government is a further weakening of a law protecting species at risk, which could harm threatened woodland caribou. #onpoli Teplycky said the Crown Forest Sustainability Act is enough to ensure “sustainable management of Crown forests while regarding plant and animal life, water, soil, air and social and economic values.” Companies are required to write rigorous forest management plans, she added. “Each plan takes almost three years to write, is based on science and is informed by customized Indigenous consultation and five public consultation/inspection opportunities,” she said. Permanently eliminating the need for forestry companies to comply with the endangered species rules would “reduce red tape and administrative burden,” the Ontario Forest Industries Association has said. Reykia Fick, a nature and food campaigner with Greenpeace Canada, said forestry rules are not equivalent to the Endangered Species Act. The latter is aimed at helping species recover, while forestry rules aim to minimize impact on at-risk plants and animals — a crucial difference, as species need support for their populations to stop dwindling.
“It's not the same requirements and not the same goals,” she added. Schreiner said the move amounts to a loophole that would ensure woodland caribou and other at-risk species continue to decline. “The Ford government is pretending that the Crown Forest Sustainability Act provides the same protection as the Endangered Species Act, when this is plainly untrue,” Schreiner said.


nationalobserver--2020-06-30--B.C. First Nations leaders want immediate end to open-net salmon farms

Sea lice from open-net fish farms are contributing to the massive decline in wild salmon stocks , the First Nations Leadership Council stated Thursday .
And on Monday , NDP critic for Fisheries and Oceans Gord Johns also demanded the federal government fulfil its promise to transition to closed containment aquaculture made during the last election .
A First Nations leadership alliance is calling for the immediate end to salmon farming using open-net pens in B.C .
waters , citing the threat of sea lice to wild fish stocks .
The Fisheries and Oceans Canada ( DFO ) threshold for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 to the end of June — the outbound migratory season for juvenile wild salmon — is three lice , which triggers the requirement for treatment .
Reports published by international aquaculture companies Mowi , Cermaq and Grieg , suggest 35 per cent of salmon farms along the B.C .
coast exceeded federal sea lice limits , FNLC stated .
“ We need to end salmon farming in our open oceans now to protect both wild salmon and Indigenous ways of being from extinction.
” “ The federal and provincial governments have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with long timeframes for transition to closed containment pens , and only in a few places , ” said Terry Teegee , regional Chief of the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations .
Sea lice in British Columbia during the 2020 juvenile salmon out-migration this year have been controlled , with no facilities violating licence conditions , the DFO added .
It is important aquaculture operators adhere to the rules and guidelines outlined in regulations , legislation and their licence conditions , the DFO stated .
“ The Government of Canada is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industry , striving for the best standards possible to meet the global demand for our farmed seafood products , while making sure marine ecosystems are healthy and wild fish populations are protected.
” “ Protecting wild Pacific salmon is a top priority for our government , and we recognize First Nations ’ historical cultural connection to wild salmon , ” the email stated .
The DFO acknowledges the concerns of Indigenous communities regarding open-net finfish aquaculture , it stated in an email Tuesday .
All have contributed to a dramatic drop in wild @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the council said .
Overfishing , climate change , fish disease , sediment from logging , and natural disasters , such as the 2019 Big Bar landslide jeopardizing the Fraser River salmon migration are also contributing factors , the council added .
Additionally , 94 per cent of sampled juvenile wild salmon migrating through the Discovery Islands were infected with the parasite , which can kill or weaken young fish , said the council , citing an independent report by marine biologist Alexandra Morton Gord Johns , MP for Courtenay-Alberni and NDP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reiterating his own calls for the federal government to fulfil its promise to move to closed containment .
However , the DFO was unable to clarify what licencing conditions were to National Observer before publication time , or what sea lice levels salmon farms reported to DFO April through June .
“ It ’ s no surprise to me to see the announcement from the Assembly and FNLC that they want to see the transition to closed containment , ” Johns said Monday .
“ They rely on wild salmon for their food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way of life , and government needs to honour its 2019 promise to all Canadians and especially Indigenous peoples.
” During the last election , Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party platform promised a transition from open-net pen salmon farming in B.C.
’ s coastal waters to closed containment systems by 2025 .
However , Minister of Fisheries Bernadette Jordan has walked back that date stating her letter of mandate set 2025 as a deadline to establish a plan for closed containment , not to ensure it was in place .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the federal government remains committed to working with the province of British Columbia and Indigenous communities on creating a responsible plan to transition from open-net pen salmon farming in coastal British Columbia waters by 2025 , its email stated .
When pressed by Johns during a standing committee on fisheries and oceans meeting June 9 , about whether the federal government would enact a plan or containment by 2025 , Jordan did not commit either way .
“ We are working extremely hard with our First Nations communities and the province of B.C @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing everything we possibly can to move to closed containment , ” said Jordan , adding consultation was key .
“ We know that there are many communities that rely on open-net pens as economic drivers , and we are working with them to figure out the best ways forward , and we will continue to do that work.
” As part of the process in examining alternatives to open-net pen farming , the federal government released a study in February examining technology options for salmon farming in B.C .
that would reduce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concluded that land based water recirculating aquaculture systems ( RAS ) and hybrid production technologies are ready for commercial development on the B.C .
coast .
But , floating containment and offshore production systems need up to five and 10 years respectively to evaluate potential , it added .
The study also recommended a clear national legislative and regulatory framework is needed for aquaculture that supports future development of production technologies .
There are two Canadian operations already using the ( RAS ) model , Sustainable Blue , in Nova Scotia , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Port McNeill , B.C.
, that reportedly entered into a lease agreement with U.S.-based Whole Oceans in December .
B.C .
aquaculture companies already use hybrid production models using closed-containment facilities on land to grow juvenile salmon before they are placed in open ocean net-pens to finish growing .
Mowi Canada West ( MCW ) stated it was a pioneer in land-based , closed containment systems in an email statement Monday .
All fish spend the first part of their lives in land-based hatcheries on Vancouver Island before being moved to ocean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are challenges to raising fish to harvest in land-based systems , MCW stated .
“ While smaller land-based operations have done well raising fish to harvest , operations that have tried to grow a larger number of fish in land-based tanks have struggled for several reasons , including poor fish health , ” MCW wrote .
“ Land-based farming also has significant environmental challenges that must be considered , requiring vast amounts of land , water and electricity to produce the large amounts of fish required to meet human demand.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world , and if they prove successful , it will look at how they might be adopted , MCW stated .
In addition to calling for closed containment , the FNLC also called on the federal government to adhere to a recommendation of the Cohen Commission , a 2012 inquiry into the decline of sockeye salmon in the Fraser River .
The commission called for the Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans to prohibit net-pen salmon farming in the Discovery Islands , a migratory path for salmon , on Sept. 30 , 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ River sockeye .
Company reported data suggest that half of fish farms in the Discovery Islands region reported exceeding the federal sea lice limit , Morton ’ s report stated .
Minister Jordan and the DFO did not respond to questions about what steps , if any , the DFO were taking to meet this recommendation in its email statement to National Observer .
The BC Salmon Farmers Association ( BCSFA ) said it would immediately consult with Indigenous leaders around the concerns they raised , in an emailed statement Monday .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relationships with First Nations , and the majority of salmon we farm is done under agreements with First Nations , ” said John Paul Fraser , Executive Director of BCSFA , adding he understands management of sea lice is an ongoing concern .
The association stated B.C .
wild salmon was important to all stakeholders .
“ We share their passion and concern about the health of wild salmon , and the belief that good science on that front is critical , ” Fraser said .
“ As an industry we are committed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be better stewards of the environment.
” The BCSFA declined to comment about whether sea lice levels at salmon farms in the Discovery Island exceeded the DFO limits .
Mowi West said it undertakes sampling to assess sea lice on juvenile salmon before and after they pass the company 's salmon farms , and that it publishes sea lice data on its website .
As part of economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic , and to address the wild salmon crisis , the federal government could act on its former promise to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johns said .
It was an opportunity for the government to create a new normal for aquaculture and address high unemployment in B.C.
’ s coastal communities , he said .
“ If they invest now rather than waiting another five years , they can give certainty to those employed in the sector and the sector itself , and to communities and Indigenous people that rely on wild salmon , ” Johns said .
The FLCN announcement followed on the heels of a recent call from chiefs in the Laichkwiltach territory to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Shaw Point operation , after 1,000 Atlantic salmon escaped from the site .
We Wai Kai Chief Brian Assu and Wei Wai Kum Chief Chris Roberts called for the B.C .
government to establish a collaborative governance model for fish farms in their territories based on science and Indigenous knowledge , saying the province has failed to engage substantively with the two nations on the issue .
If B.C .
fails to come to the table , the Nations will move forward to make a decision on the remaining fish farms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an email to National Observer Monday .
The FNLC wants the provincial and federal governments to take action and move to closed containment aquaculture immediately .
“ No more excuses , distractions , or delays — open-net fish farms are decimating wild salmon populations and First Nations ’ ways of life are on the line , ” said Chief Dalton Silver , of Sumas First Nation and Union of BC Indian Chiefs fisheries representative .
“ We need a collaborative , cooperative transition to land-based containment , with First Nations leading , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ species vital to our communities .
”

“The federal and provincial governments have been taking a piecemeal approach to this problem, with long timeframes for transition to closed containment pens, and only in a few places,” said Terry Teegee, regional Chief of the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations.
Sea lice from open-net fish farms are contributing to the massive decline in wild salmon stocks, the First Nations Leadership Council stated Thursday.
And on Monday, NDP critic for Fisheries and Oceans Gord Johns also demanded the federal government fulfil its promise to transition to closed containment aquaculture made during the last election.
A First Nations leadership alliance is calling for the immediate end to salmon farming using open-net pens in B.C. waters, citing the threat of sea lice to wild fish stocks.
The Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) threshold for parasites found on the farmed salmon March 1 to the end of June — the outbound migratory season for juvenile wild salmon — is three lice, which triggers the requirement for treatment.
Reports published by international aquaculture companies Mowi, Cermaq and Grieg, suggest 35 per cent of salmon farms along the B.C. coast exceeded federal sea lice limits , FNLC stated.
“We need to end salmon farming in our open oceans now to protect both wild salmon and Indigenous ways of being from extinction.”
The DFO acknowledges the concerns of Indigenous communities regarding open-net finfish aquaculture, it stated in an email Tuesday.
All have contributed to a dramatic drop in wild salmon, leaving some runs functionally extinct, the council said.
Overfishing, climate change, fish disease, sediment from logging, and natural disasters, such as the 2019 Big Bar landslide jeopardizing the Fraser River salmon migration are also contributing factors, the council added.
Additionally, 94 per cent of sampled juvenile wild salmon migrating through the Discovery Islands were infected with the parasite, which can kill or weaken young fish, said the council, citing an independent report by marine biologist Alexandra Morton
It is important aquaculture operators adhere to the rules and guidelines outlined in regulations, legislation and their licence conditions, the DFO stated.
“The Government of Canada is continuously improving how it regulates the aquaculture industry, striving for the best standards possible to meet the global demand for our farmed seafood products, while making sure marine ecosystems are healthy and wild fish populations are protected.”
“Protecting wild Pacific salmon is a top priority for our government, and we recognize First Nations’ historical cultural connection to wild salmon,” the email stated.
Sea lice in British Columbia during the 2020 juvenile salmon out-migration this year have been controlled, with no facilities violating licence conditions, the DFO added.
However, the DFO was unable to clarify what licencing conditions were to National Observer before publication time, or what sea lice levels salmon farms reported to DFO April through June .
Fisheries critic backs call for closed containment
Gord Johns, MP for Courtenay-Alberni and NDP DFO critic agreed with the FNLC, reiterating his own calls for the federal government to fulfil its promise to move to closed containment.
“It’s no surprise to me to see the announcement from the Assembly and FNLC that they want to see the transition to closed containment,” Johns said Monday.
“They rely on wild salmon for their food security, culture, economy and their way of life, and government needs to honour its 2019 promise to all Canadians and especially Indigenous peoples.”
During the last election, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party platform promised a transition from open-net pen salmon farming in B.C.’s coastal waters to closed containment systems by 2025.
However, Minister of Fisheries Bernadette Jordan has walked back that date stating her letter of mandate set 2025 as a deadline to establish a plan for closed containment, not to ensure it was in place.
The DFO confirmed that date, stating the federal government remains committed to working with the province of British Columbia and Indigenous communities on creating a responsible plan to transition from open-net pen salmon farming in coastal British Columbia waters by 2025, its email stated.
When pressed by Johns during a standing committee on fisheries and oceans meeting June 9, about whether the federal government would enact a plan or containment by 2025, Jordan did not commit either way.
“We are working extremely hard with our First Nations communities and the province of B.C. to make sure we’re doing everything we possibly can to move to closed containment,” said Jordan, adding consultation was key.
“We know that there are many communities that rely on open-net pens as economic drivers, and we are working with them to figure out the best ways forward, and we will continue to do that work.”
Minister of Fisheries Bernadette Jordan, citing her mandate letter, has walked back the federal Liberal election promise to transition salmon farms to closed containment systems by 2025, instead promising a plan by that date. Photo: courtesy DFO.
State of Salmon Aquaculture Technologies Report
As part of the process in examining alternatives to open-net pen farming, the federal government released a study in February examining technology options for salmon farming in B.C. that would reduce impacts on wild salmon.
The study concluded that land based water recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) and hybrid production technologies are ready for commercial development on the B.C. coast.
But, floating containment and offshore production systems need up to five and 10 years respectively to evaluate potential, it added.
The study also recommended a clear national legislative and regulatory framework is needed for aquaculture that supports future development of production technologies.
There are two Canadian operations already using the (RAS) model, Sustainable Blue, in Nova Scotia, and Kuterra, a 'Namgis First Nation operation in Port McNeill, B.C., that reportedly entered into a lease agreement with U.S.-based Whole Oceans in December.
B.C. aquaculture companies already use hybrid production models using closed-containment facilities on land to grow juvenile salmon before they are placed in open ocean net-pens to finish growing.
Mowi Canada West (MCW) stated it was a pioneer in land-based, closed containment systems in an email statement Monday.
All fish spend the first part of their lives in land-based hatcheries on Vancouver Island before being moved to ocean pens, the company wrote.
But there are challenges to raising fish to harvest in land-based systems, MCW stated.
“While smaller land-based operations have done well raising fish to harvest, operations that have tried to grow a larger number of fish in land-based tanks have struggled for several reasons, including poor fish health,” MCW wrote.
“Land-based farming also has significant environmental challenges that must be considered, requiring vast amounts of land, water and electricity to produce the large amounts of fish required to meet human demand.”
The company is watching technologies being tested around the world, and if they prove successful, it will look at how they might be adopted, MCW stated.
Cohen Commission recommendations
In addition to calling for closed containment, the FNLC also called on the federal government to adhere to a recommendation of the Cohen Commission, a 2012 inquiry into the decline of sockeye salmon in the Fraser River.
The commission called for the Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans to prohibit net-pen salmon farming in the Discovery Islands, a migratory path for salmon, on Sept. 30, 2020 if harm is posed to migrating Fraser River sockeye.
Company reported data suggest that half of fish farms in the Discovery Islands region reported exceeding the federal sea lice limit, Morton’s report stated.
Minister Jordan and the DFO did not respond to questions about what steps, if any, the DFO were taking to meet this recommendation in its email statement to National Observer.
Aquaculture operators’ response
The BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) said it would immediately consult with Indigenous leaders around the concerns they raised, in an emailed statement Monday.
“B.C.’s salmon farmers value their relationships with First Nations, and the majority of salmon we farm is done under agreements with First Nations,” said John Paul Fraser, Executive Director of BCSFA, adding he understands management of sea lice is an ongoing concern.
The association stated B.C. wild salmon was important to all stakeholders.
“We share their passion and concern about the health of wild salmon, and the belief that good science on that front is critical,” Fraser said.
“As an industry we are committed to adopting the newest technologies and processes to be better stewards of the environment.”
The BCSFA declined to comment about whether sea lice levels at salmon farms in the Discovery Island exceeded the DFO limits.
Mowi West said it undertakes sampling to assess sea lice on juvenile salmon before and after they pass the company's salmon farms, and that it publishes sea lice data on its website.
Closed containment and COVID-19 recovery
As part of economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and to address the wild salmon crisis, the federal government could act on its former promise to move to closed containment salmon farming, Johns said.
It was an opportunity for the government to create a new normal for aquaculture and address high unemployment in B.C.’s coastal communities, he said.
“If they invest now rather than waiting another five years, they can give certainty to those employed in the sector and the sector itself, and to communities and Indigenous people that rely on wild salmon,” Johns said.
Gord Johns, MP for Courtenay-Alberni and NDP Fisheries critic called for the federal government to transition to closed-containment salmon farms as a Covid-19 economic stimulus measure. Photo: NDP.
Laichkwiltach nations call for closure of salmon farm
The FLCN announcement followed on the heels of a recent call from chiefs in the Laichkwiltach territory to the B.C. government to shut down Mowi’s Shaw Point operation, after 1,000 Atlantic salmon escaped from the site.
We Wai Kai Chief Brian Assu and Wei Wai Kum Chief Chris Roberts called for the B.C. government to establish a collaborative governance model for fish farms in their territories based on science and Indigenous knowledge, saying the province has failed to engage substantively with the two nations on the issue.
If B.C. fails to come to the table, the Nations will move forward to make a decision on the remaining fish farms in Laichkwiltach territory, the chiefs stated in an email to National Observer Monday.
The FNLC wants the provincial and federal governments to take action and move to closed containment aquaculture immediately.
“No more excuses, distractions, or delays — open-net fish farms are decimating wild salmon populations and First Nations’ ways of life are on the line,” said Chief Dalton Silver, of Sumas First Nation and Union of BC Indian Chiefs fisheries representative.
“We need a collaborative, cooperative transition to land-based containment, with First Nations leading, in order to conserve and protect the species vital to our communities.”
Rochelle Baker/Local Journalism Initiative/Canada's National Observer


nationalobserver--2020-06-30--U.S. strong-armed Canada into calamitous Meng strategy

The warning signs should have flashed red across the federal government that this request would likely result in the seizure of Canadians in China .
Canada 's calamitous approach to the crisis of the two Michaels began on November 30 , 2018 , the day we received an explosive U.S. extradition request for an emergency arrest of Huawei 's CFO , Meng Wanzhou .
To be carried out the very next morning , when her flight from Hong Kong landed in Vancouver .
They knew it .
We knew it .
The Americans knew it .
Because taking two Canadian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last time we detained a politically sensitive Chinese citizen on a U.S. warrant , in 2014 .
More than anything , Canada needed to buy time .
Even though the alleged PLA hackers were beyond the reach of authorities , just laying the charge was considered incendiary .
Paul M. Tiao , a former senior counsellor on cybersecurity to FBI director Robert Mueller , told Bloomberg at the time , “ This will have significant diplomatic implications and will affect our relationship with the Chinese government.
” In May 2014 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ naming and charging state-sponsored individuals , even those beyond reach of U.S. arrest .
Such was the infamous “ Ugly Gorilla ” case , in which the U.S. indicted five members of China 's People 's Liberation Army ( PLA ) on charges of conspiracy , hacking , and espionage directed at six American companies in the U.S. nuclear power , metals and solar products industries .
The criminal justice system is a central and effective component of this disruption effort .
Indictments and prosecutions are a clear and powerful way , governed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legitimize and prove allegations .
The United States is pursuing a comprehensive , whole-of-government strategy to confront malicious actors who seek to harm critical infrastructure , damage computer systems and steal trade secrets and sensitive information .
We have a host of tools available to us to combat online threats to the national security – criminal prosecution , sanctions , designations and diplomatic options – and we have the ability to pick the best tool or combination of tools to get the job done under the rule of law .
... ( W @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threats and intrusions that raise national security concerns ... As John Carlin , then assistant attorney general for U.S. national security , outlined in an address on cyber-forensics in 2015 : Over the last decade , beginning under president Barack Obama , the DOJ , State and Defense departments became impatient with passively monitoring an alarming increase of cyber-espionage , theft , and threat to critical infrastructure , particularly when conducted by proxies of nation-states such as China , Russia , Iran , and North Korea .
They should know the history of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategy behind these indictments .
Canadians deserve to know that the Americans ginned up this foolhardy extradition application , possibly for political purposes .
As outraged as all Canadians rightfully are at the conduct of President Xi Jinping 's government , our own leadership should object to being strong-armed by our supposedly closest ally in a way that jeopardized our citizens ' safety .
Sermons about the rule of law unfairly distort the bigger picture that the public is entitled to know .
An emergency provisional warrant request endangering Canadians demanded , above @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , rather than the timid and unquestioning processing it apparently received .
That “ next body ” would come from Canada .
In June 2014 , the U.S. requested Canadian authorities to arrest and extradite Su Bin , a Chinese national living in Richmond , B.C.
, on cyber-espionage charges .
As dramatic as his PLA indictment was , Carlin wanted to inflict even greater pain on Beijing .
The DOJ 's calculation at the time was that the Chinese government is a rational actor that will respond rationally to pressure .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colleagues , “ we need a body.
” As Canada was about to discover , it most certainly would .
Su had spent almost six years guiding a PLA hacking operation that broke into multiple senior defense contractor sites and stole massive files of critical U.S. military plans representing tens of billions of dollars in development cost .
His oversight enabled the PLA , among other things , to replicate Lockheed Martin fighter jets and Boeing military cargo planes .
Su Bin was arrested in British Columbia on a US extradition request alleging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and theft of military secrets .
But Beijing did n't play the rational actor game as Carlin expected .
They retaliated by abducting and imprisoning two Canadian missionaries , Julia and Kevin Garratt , for six months and two years , respectively .
In one move , China flipped Washington 's script , and turned the criminal trial into a hostage negotiation , and Washington blinked .
In terms of U.S. national security , criminal targets do n't come much higher value than Su Bin .
Yet he consented to extradition and pled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which he was fined $ 10,000 and sentenced to a mere 18 additional months in custody .
By contrast , the typical plea bargain sentencing for espionage is in the range of 25 years to life imprisonment .
This was an unimaginably sweet deal for Su , but perhaps sweetest of all for Kevin Garratt , who was released shortly after the sentencing in 2016 .
While informed sources suggest that Su 's deal took the Chinese government by surprise , there are likely only two explanations for such a weak plea agreement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ witness , providing the U.S. government valuable Chinese military intelligence , or he was , in effect , traded for Garratt .
The only clue we have is that Kevin and Julia Garratt were both home , safe and sound , by 2016 .
If Su Bin was singing like a canary , they would n't be .
At least during the Obama administration , it appears that Canada 's interests were observed and respected in extradition matters .
Yet on the international stage , the Su Bin plea agreement represented a humiliation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China 's strategy of ruthless retribution .
The message could not have been clearer to everyone involved that the Chinese would see that hostage-taking works , and at all costs to avoid a replay of this scenario .
Yet just two years later , on November 30 , the DOJ would try the extradition route again , Trump-style , this time seeking the arrest of the CFO of a major multinational telecom company , and the daughter of its founder , Ren Zhengfei .
Yet by now , Carlin 's indictment strategy was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theft of intellectual property .
If anything , China 's brutal methods everywhere have only become stronger .
Harvard law professor and US national security expert Jack Goldsmith declared it a `` magnificent failure . ''
So the request for yet another attempt at an unsuccessful strategy in Canada was a moment for emergency diplomatic intervention — for Canada to call on the U.S. State Department to suspend or postpone its request , in order for both countries to consider all options , given the dangers facing our citizens in China .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this nature happened .
In any event , Canada appears to have meekly granted unquestioning deference to the United States .
We walked straight into the buzzsaw .
While it 's easy to condemn China 's indefensible conduct both domestically and on the world stage , it 's vital that Canadians understand just how objectionable the U.S. conduct of this case has been , and how inadequately we met the moment .
Any extradition request that puts Canadians in harm 's way should be manifestly necessary , urgent , effective , and support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of those conditions applied here .
Unlike Su Bin , in criminal terms , Meng 's indictment is almost entirely gratuitous .
While she may be technically guilty , the US has traditionally only charged corporate entities and not individuals for Iran sanctions violations .
There is no defensible rationale supporting the endangerment of other civilians just to lay inconsequential charges .
The DOJ does n't need the Meng charges at all .
They can easily proceed against their main target , Huawei , without her .
Nor was there any urgency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appears to have misled Canadian authorities in claiming that there was .
The Globe and Mail reported that the American warrant stated : “ Unless Meng is provisionally arrested in Canada on Saturday , Dec. 1 … it will be extremely difficult , if not impossible , to secure her presence in the United States for prosecution ... ” This was not true at all .
As a senior executive of a major multi-national corporation , Meng travelled routinely all over the world , and maintained two homes in Vancouver .
As the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the U.K. , Ireland , France , Belgium , Poland and Japan , and was slated to next visit Mexico , Costa Rica and Argentina .
All have mutual U.S. extradition treaties .
Why pick Canada for this request , since we 'd just gone through years of hostage imprisonment on another U.S. case ?
And why the unseemly rush ?
There was no hint of time pressure , unless Americans had another , undisclosed objective in mind in urgently seeking a Dec. 1 arrest .
Which as it turns out , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after Meng 's arrest in Vancouver on Dec. 1 , 2018 , presidents Trump and Xi sat down to dinner with their trade teams at the G20 in Buenos Aires .
What could be a better pressure tactic in trade talks than to orchestrate a surprise glorified perp walk on the global stage ?
Emerging from the meeting , Trump and Xi announced a cease-fire in the impending trade war .
But days later , Trump twisted the knife into Xi by publicly offering to exchange Meng for trade concessions .
Just as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turkey ( for whom he fired U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara as a favour ) , or firing FBI director James Comey , or having his henchman AG Bill Barr get Mike Flynn ’ s charges dropped and Roger Stone ’ s sentencing manipulated , or unilaterally cancelling hard-won sanctions against China ’ s ZTE , Trump ’ s relationship with his DOJ and foreign relations is a study in dominance and self-dealing .
The moment Trump bartered Meng for a trade deal , he turned our justice system into his personal hostage-keeper .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the moment the DOJ presented misleading evidence for its provisional extradition warrant , this proceeding has been stripped of legitimacy .
It was after this that China seized the two Michaels .
Our justice system , and the federal Crown have been hoodwinked into participating in a show trial and shakedown , against our own national interests and risking our citizens .
And we 've been roped into a cartoonishly two-dimensional portrayal of the global dynamics at play .
China bad , Canada good .
How did we get suckered so badly ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ own citizens and courts from this reckless insult and abuse ?
How can we continue to dignify it by cloaking it in the robes of our judicial system , and lip-sync `` rule of law '' bromides ?
We are n't courageously standing on principle , we 're tip-toeing around Donald Trump , while our own citizens rot in a Chinese prison .
The time has come to put an end to this cruel charade .
End these extradition proceedings now , and bring our Michaels home .

Because taking two Canadian civilians hostage is exactly what China did the last time we detained a politically sensitive Chinese citizen on a U.S. warrant, in 2014.
More than anything, Canada needed to buy time.
The warning signs should have flashed red across the federal government that this request would likely result in the seizure of Canadians in China.
Canada's calamitous approach to the crisis of the two Michaels began on November 30, 2018, the day we received an explosive U.S. extradition request for an emergency arrest of Huawei's CFO, Meng Wanzhou. To be carried out the very next morning, when her flight from Hong Kong landed in Vancouver.
An emergency provisional warrant request endangering Canadians demanded, above all, immediate diplomacy with the Americans, rather than the timid and unquestioning processing it apparently received.
They knew it. We knew it. The Americans knew it.
As John Carlin, then assistant attorney general for U.S. national security, outlined in an address on cyber-forensics in 2015:
Over the last decade, beginning under president Barack Obama, the DOJ, State and Defense departments became impatient with passively monitoring an alarming increase of cyber-espionage, theft, and threat to critical infrastructure, particularly when conducted by proxies of nation-states such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
They should know the history of America's noble, but ultimately failed strategy behind these indictments.
Canadians deserve to know that the Americans ginned up this foolhardy extradition application, possibly for political purposes.
As outraged as all Canadians rightfully are at the conduct of President Xi Jinping's government, our own leadership should object to being strong-armed by our supposedly closest ally in a way that jeopardized our citizens' safety. Sermons about the rule of law unfairly distort the bigger picture that the public is entitled to know.
Even though the alleged PLA hackers were beyond the reach of authorities, just laying the charge was considered incendiary. Paul M. Tiao, a former senior counsellor on cybersecurity to FBI director Robert Mueller, told Bloomberg at the time, “This will have significant diplomatic implications and will affect our relationship with the Chinese government.”
In May 2014, the DOJ launched a new strategy of publicly naming and charging state-sponsored individuals, even those beyond reach of U.S. arrest. Such was the infamous “Ugly Gorilla” case, in which the U.S. indicted five members of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) on charges of conspiracy, hacking, and espionage directed at six American companies in the U.S. nuclear power, metals and solar products industries.
The criminal justice system is a central and effective component of this disruption effort. Indictments and prosecutions are a clear and powerful way, governed by the rule of law, to legitimize and prove allegations.
The United States is pursuing a comprehensive, whole-of-government strategy to confront malicious actors who seek to harm critical infrastructure, damage computer systems and steal trade secrets and sensitive information.
We have a host of tools available to us to combat online threats to the national security – criminal prosecution, sanctions, designations and diplomatic options – and we have the ability to pick the best tool or combination of tools to get the job done under the rule of law.
...(W)e face an onslaught of new threats and intrusions that raise national security concerns...
As Canada was about to discover, it most certainly would.
As dramatic as his PLA indictment was, Carlin wanted to inflict even greater pain on Beijing. The DOJ's calculation at the time was that the Chinese government is a rational actor that will respond rationally to pressure. “The next case," he told colleagues, “we need a body.”
That “next body” would come from Canada. In June 2014, the U.S. requested Canadian authorities to arrest and extradite Su Bin, a Chinese national living in Richmond, B.C., on cyber-espionage charges.
Su had spent almost six years guiding a PLA hacking operation that broke into multiple senior defense contractor sites and stole massive files of critical U.S. military plans representing tens of billions of dollars in development cost. His oversight enabled the PLA, among other things, to replicate Lockheed Martin fighter jets and Boeing military cargo planes.
China's Xi'an Y-20 military cargo plane on airshow tarmac next to Boeing's C-17. Xi'an Y-20 built from Boeing plans hacked under the direction of Richmond, BC resident Su Bin.
Su Bin was arrested in British Columbia on a US extradition request alleging multiple counts of conspiracy, espionage, and theft of military secrets.
But Beijing didn't play the rational actor game as Carlin expected. They retaliated by abducting and imprisoning two Canadian missionaries, Julia and Kevin Garratt, for six months and two years, respectively.
In one move, China flipped Washington's script, and turned the criminal trial into a hostage negotiation, and Washington blinked.
In terms of U.S. national security, criminal targets don't come much higher value than Su Bin. Yet he consented to extradition and pled guilty to a single count, for which he was fined $10,000 and sentenced to a mere 18 additional months in custody.
By contrast, the typical plea bargain sentencing for espionage is in the range of 25 years to life imprisonment.
This was an unimaginably sweet deal for Su, but perhaps sweetest of all for Kevin Garratt, who was released shortly after the sentencing in 2016.
While informed sources suggest that Su's deal took the Chinese government by surprise, there are likely only two explanations for such a weak plea agreement: either Su Bin became a cooperating witness, providing the U.S. government valuable Chinese military intelligence, or he was, in effect, traded for Garratt.
The only clue we have is that Kevin and Julia Garratt were both home, safe and sound, by 2016. If Su Bin was singing like a canary, they wouldn't be.
At least during the Obama administration, it appears that Canada's interests were observed and respected in extradition matters.
U.S. indictment strategy "a magnificent failure"
Yet on the international stage, the Su Bin plea agreement represented a humiliation for the DOJ and a vindication of China's strategy of ruthless retribution.
The message could not have been clearer to everyone involved that the Chinese would see that hostage-taking works, and at all costs to avoid a replay of this scenario.
Yet just two years later, on November 30, the DOJ would try the extradition route again, Trump-style, this time seeking the arrest of the CFO of a major multinational telecom company, and the daughter of its founder, Ren Zhengfei.
Yet by now, Carlin's indictment strategy was under fire for failing to deter Chinese theft of intellectual property. If anything, China's brutal methods everywhere have only become stronger. Harvard law professor and US national security expert Jack Goldsmith declared it a "magnificent failure."
A moment for emergency diplomatic intervention
So the request for yet another attempt at an unsuccessful strategy in Canada was a moment for emergency diplomatic intervention — for Canada to call on the U.S. State Department to suspend or postpone its request, in order for both countries to consider all options, given the dangers facing our citizens in China.
There's no outward sign that anything of this nature happened. In any event, Canada appears to have meekly granted unquestioning deference to the United States. We walked straight into the buzzsaw.
While it's easy to condemn China's indefensible conduct both domestically and on the world stage, it's vital that Canadians understand just how objectionable the U.S. conduct of this case has been, and how inadequately we met the moment.
Any extradition request that puts Canadians in harm's way should be manifestly necessary, urgent, effective, and support a compelling national security interest.
Not one of those conditions applied here.
Unlike Su Bin, in criminal terms, Meng's indictment is almost entirely gratuitous. While she may be technically guilty, the US has traditionally only charged corporate entities and not individuals for Iran sanctions violations. There is no defensible rationale supporting the endangerment of other civilians just to lay inconsequential charges.
The DOJ doesn't need the Meng charges at all. They can easily proceed against their main target, Huawei, without her.
The DOJ does not require extradition of Huawei's CFO, Meng Wanzhou to proceed with charges against the company. File photo from AP.
Extradition request misleading
Nor was there any urgency to her arrest, and the DOJ appears to have misled Canadian authorities in claiming that there was.
The Globe and Mail reported that the American warrant stated: “Unless Meng is provisionally arrested in Canada on Saturday, Dec. 1 … it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to secure her presence in the United States for prosecution...”
This was not true at all.
As a senior executive of a major multi-national corporation, Meng travelled routinely all over the world, and maintained two homes in Vancouver. As the Globe reported, she had recently traveled to the U.K., Ireland, France, Belgium, Poland and Japan, and was slated to next visit Mexico, Costa Rica and Argentina. All have mutual U.S. extradition treaties.
Why pick Canada for this request, since we'd just gone through years of hostage imprisonment on another U.S. case?
And why the unseemly rush?
There was no hint of time pressure, unless Americans had another, undisclosed objective in mind in urgently seeking a Dec. 1 arrest.
Which as it turns out, they very probably did.
Meng's arrest a glorified perp walk for a G20 show
Mere hours after Meng's arrest in Vancouver on Dec. 1, 2018, presidents Trump and Xi sat down to dinner with their trade teams at the G20 in Buenos Aires.
What could be a better pressure tactic in trade talks than to orchestrate a surprise glorified perp walk on the global stage?
Meng's arrest wasn't important, necessary or urgent.
It was a show.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Buenos Aires, Argentina at a working dinner during the G20 summit on December 1, 2018. File photo from REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Emerging from the meeting, Trump and Xi announced a cease-fire in the impending trade war. But days later, Trump twisted the knife into Xi by publicly offering to exchange Meng for trade concessions.
Just as he did with Ukraine, or with Turkey (for whom he fired U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara as a favour), or firing FBI director James Comey, or having his henchman AG Bill Barr get Mike Flynn’s charges dropped and Roger Stone’s sentencing manipulated, or unilaterally cancelling hard-won sanctions against China’s ZTE, Trump’s relationship with his DOJ and foreign relations is a study in dominance and self-dealing.
The moment Trump bartered Meng for a trade deal, he turned our justice system into his personal hostage-keeper. From that moment on, indeed from the moment the DOJ presented misleading evidence for its provisional extradition warrant, this proceeding has been stripped of legitimacy.
It was after this that China seized the two Michaels.
Our justice system, and the federal Crown have been hoodwinked into participating in a show trial and shakedown, against our own national interests and risking our citizens.
And we've been roped into a cartoonishly two-dimensional portrayal of the global dynamics at play. China bad, Canada good.
How did we get suckered so badly? How did we fail to protect our own citizens and courts from this reckless insult and abuse? How can we continue to dignify it by cloaking it in the robes of our judicial system, and lip-sync "rule of law" bromides?
We aren't courageously standing on principle, we're tip-toeing around Donald Trump, while our own citizens rot in a Chinese prison.
The time has come to put an end to this cruel charade.
End these extradition proceedings now, and bring our Michaels home.


nationalobserver--2020-06-30--Alberta cuts business tax, boosts infrastructure spending to recover from COVID-19 hit

Alberta is cutting business taxes , pumping billions into infrastructure and making a full court press to lure jobs from Toronto , Montreal and elsewhere to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic .
`` We 're going to be placing a huge emphasis on finance and financial technology , '' Kenney said Monday in Calgary .
`` All of those banks and insurance companies down on Bay Street that are paying way more taxes .
Their workers are paying way more taxes .
They are paying way more for rent .
They 're fighting Toronto traffic .
`` We 're going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ save money for their shareholders , for their workers , for their operations by relocating financial and fin-tech jobs to places like downtown Calgary , downtown Edmonton . ''
Kenney said they will also target companies in other locations such as Montreal , Houston and New York as his province works to dig out of a cratered provincial economy caused by the pandemic and by a global oil price war that sent profits into a tailspin .
• B.C .
First Nations leaders want immediate end to open-net salmon farms • Shifting to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ask Norway Alberta has flattened the curve on COVID-19 and has reopened much of its economy , albeit with health safety conditions , and Kenney said now is the time to get the economy back on its feet .
This year 's budget deficit is expected to balloon from $ 7 billion to $ 20 billion .
Kenney announced an immediate $ 10 billion will be spent on a range of infrastructure projects , including roads , health-care facilities , and schools to create construction jobs , with spinoff benefits to other service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tax rate to 10 per cent from 12 per cent after taking office last year .
That figure was to go down to eight per cent in the coming years , but Kenney announced it will be done this week .
That makes it four percentage points lower than key competitors such as British Columbia .
Albertans already have the lowest tax regime in Canada and pay no sales tax .
There will also be an Innovation Employment grant to encourage high-tech companies and investment .
The grant replaces tax incentives put in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which Kenney scrapped on the grounds the incentives were too narrowly focused .
Alberta is cutting business taxes , pumping billions into infrastructure and making a full court press to lure jobs from Toronto , Montreal and elsewhere to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic .
Details on this fund , and other sector-specific initiatives are expected in the coming days .
NDP Opposition Leader Rachel Notley said the $ 10 billion will help as a short term `` shock absorber '' but called Kenney 's other ideas unimaginative , adding the corporate income @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before the pandemic , and wo n't bring them back after .
`` There 's very little new that is in here and it proves that this government is already out of ideas , '' said Notley .
Ken Kobly , head of the Alberta Chambers of Commerce , said the announcement delivers critical aid .
`` The measures announced today will help business operators get back on their feet so they can begin rebuilding our economy , '' he said .
The plan is a marked departure from the laissez-faire economic platform @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election .
Kenney chastised then-premier Notley 's NDP at the time for heavy spending on infrastructure and on day-to-day operations , saying it would cripple future generations with unsustainable debt .
Since then , as the oil and gas economy has been slow to recover , Kenney assumed a more direct interventionist approach .
In March , his government agreed to provide $ 1.5-billion , plus a $ 6-billion loan guarantee , to Calgary-based TC Energy Corporation , enabling the completion of the KXL pipeline .
Finance Minister Travis Toews said Monday that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debt . ''
Bad debt , he said , is borrowed money for operations while good debt invests in infrastructure that in turn lures businesses to the province .

Alberta is cutting business taxes, pumping billions into infrastructure and making a full court press to lure jobs from Toronto, Montreal and elsewhere to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. "We're going to be placing a huge emphasis on finance and financial technology," Kenney said Monday in Calgary. "All of those banks and insurance companies down on Bay Street that are paying way more taxes. Their workers are paying way more taxes. They are paying way more for rent. They're fighting Toronto traffic. "We're going to be telling them that they can save money for their shareholders, for their workers, for their operations by relocating financial and fin-tech jobs to places like downtown Calgary, downtown Edmonton." Kenney said they will also target companies in other locations such as Montreal, Houston and New York as his province works to dig out of a cratered provincial economy caused by the pandemic and by a global oil price war that sent profits into a tailspin.
Alberta has flattened the curve on COVID-19 and has reopened much of its economy, albeit with health safety conditions, and Kenney said now is the time to get the economy back on its feet. This year's budget deficit is expected to balloon from $7 billion to $20 billion. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Kenney announced an immediate $10 billion will be spent on a range of infrastructure projects, including roads, health-care facilities, and schools to create construction jobs, with spinoff benefits to other service providers.
Kenney cut the corporate income tax rate to 10 per cent from 12 per cent after taking office last year. That figure was to go down to eight per cent in the coming years, but Kenney announced it will be done this week. That makes it four percentage points lower than key competitors such as British Columbia. Alberta is cutting business taxes, pumping billions into infrastructure and making a full court press to lure jobs from Toronto, Montreal and elsewhere to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. Albertans already have the lowest tax regime in Canada and pay no sales tax. There will also be an Innovation Employment grant to encourage high-tech companies and investment. The grant replaces tax incentives put in place by the previous NDP government, which Kenney scrapped on the grounds the incentives were too narrowly focused. Details on this fund, and other sector-specific initiatives are expected in the coming days. NDP Opposition Leader Rachel Notley said the $10 billion will help as a short term "shock absorber" but called Kenney's other ideas unimaginative, adding the corporate income tax cut didn't bring back jobs before the pandemic, and won't bring them back after.
"There's very little new that is in here and it proves that this government is already out of ideas," said Notley. Ken Kobly, head of the Alberta Chambers of Commerce, said the announcement delivers critical aid. "The measures announced today will help business operators get back on their feet so they can begin rebuilding our economy," he said.


nationalobserver--2020-06-30--Feds granted extension to overhaul medical assistance in dying legislation

Quebec Superior Court has granted the federal government a five-month extension to revise its legislation on medical assistance in dying , giving Ottawa until just before Christmas to conform with a provincial court ruling .
In a written decision released Monday , Justice Frederic Bachand wrote that Ottawa will have until Dec. 18 , 2020 , to make the necessary changes — allowing a delay requested by federal lawyers last week .
It 's the second extension granted by the Quebec court since it found parts of both the federal and provincial legislation unconstitutional last fall .
That ruling struck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whose natural deaths are `` reasonably foreseeable '' to be eligible to end their lives with a doctor 's help .
The federal government had sought a previous four-month extension of the deadline to July 11 , citing the federal election last fall .
• B.C .
First Nations leaders want immediate end to open-net salmon farms • Shifting to electric vehicles requires economic incentives , just ask Norway A bill revising the federal law was still at the initial stage of the legislative process when the House of Commons adjourned due to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the COVID-19 pandemic leads to another interruption of parliamentary work , this extension will ensure that Parliament will have a total period of six months , which is in accordance with the decision by Justice ( Christine ) Baudouin , '' Bachand ruled .
The COVID-19 pandemic and the interruption in Parliament 's schedule — only scheduled to resume regular sittings in September — made it impossible to be ready for the July deadline .
Last September , Quebec Superior Court Justice Christine Baudouin ruled in favour of two Quebec residents , Jean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from incurable degenerative diseases but did not meet the criteria for assisted death .
The judge declared unconstitutional the “ reasonably foreseeable natural death ” requirement of the Criminal Code and the section of the Quebec law stating people must “ be at the end of life.
” She suspended that decision for six months to give the federal and provincial legislators time to modify their laws .
Quebec Superior Court has granted the federal government a five-month extension to revise its legislation on medical assistance in dying , giving Ottawa until just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court ruling .
The Quebec government simply allowed the provision to drop , but the federal government is still working on its legislative changes .
Under the proposed bill , reasonably foreseeable death would no longer be an eligibility requirement for an assisted death .
However , Canadians whose natural deaths are not imminent would still face more restrictive conditions than those who are considered near death .
In the interim , Bachand followed a previous ruling by Baudouin saying those who meet the other criteria for the procedure but whose natural death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apply to a court for an exemption to receive an assisted death .
Initially , the ruling had called for changes to come into effect by March 11 .
With the two extensions , the total grace period will now be 15 months , but should n't raise any problems as it was n't contested either time .
`` Interested persons will continue to be able to benefit from the constitutional exemption granted during the first extension , '' Bachand ruled .
Truchon and Gladu both received such exemptions at the time of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a medically-assisted death in April .

Quebec Superior Court has granted the federal government a five-month extension to revise its legislation on medical assistance in dying, giving Ottawa until just before Christmas to conform with a provincial court ruling. In a written decision released Monday, Justice Frederic Bachand wrote that Ottawa will have until Dec. 18, 2020, to make the necessary changes — allowing a delay requested by federal lawyers last week. It's the second extension granted by the Quebec court since it found parts of both the federal and provincial legislation unconstitutional last fall. That ruling struck down a provision that allows only individuals whose natural deaths are "reasonably foreseeable" to be eligible to end their lives with a doctor's help. The federal government had sought a previous four-month extension of the deadline to July 11, citing the federal election last fall.
A bill revising the federal law was still at the initial stage of the legislative process when the House of Commons adjourned due to the pandemic in mid-March. "Unless the COVID-19 pandemic leads to another interruption of parliamentary work, this extension will ensure that Parliament will have a total period of six months, which is in accordance with the decision by Justice (Christine) Baudouin," Bachand ruled. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The COVID-19 pandemic and the interruption in Parliament's schedule — only scheduled to resume regular sittings in September — made it impossible to be ready for the July deadline.
Last September, Quebec Superior Court Justice Christine Baudouin ruled in favour of two Quebec residents, Jean Truchon and Nicole Gladu, who suffered from incurable degenerative diseases but did not meet the criteria for assisted death. Quebec Superior Court has granted the federal government a five-month extension to revise its legislation on medical assistance in dying, giving Ottawa until just before Christmas to conform with a provincial court ruling. The judge declared unconstitutional the “reasonably foreseeable natural death” requirement of the Criminal Code and the section of the Quebec law stating people must “be at the end of life.” She suspended that decision for six months to give the federal and provincial legislators time to modify their laws. The Quebec government simply allowed the provision to drop, but the federal government is still working on its legislative changes. Under the proposed bill, reasonably foreseeable death would no longer be an eligibility requirement for an assisted death. However, Canadians whose natural deaths are not imminent would still face more restrictive conditions than those who are considered near death.
In the interim, Bachand followed a previous ruling by Baudouin saying those who meet the other criteria for the procedure but whose natural death is not "reasonably foreseeable" can apply to a court for an exemption to receive an assisted death. Initially, the ruling had called for changes to come into effect by March 11. With the two extensions, the total grace period will now be 15 months, but shouldn't raise any problems as it wasn't contested either time. "Interested persons will continue to be able to benefit from the constitutional exemption granted during the first extension," Bachand ruled.


nationalobserver--2020-06-30--B.C. wants evidence safe to fly if airlines drop in-flight distancing

British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix says he wants to see the evidence that it 's safe for the country 's two largest airlines to drop their in-flight distancing policies during the pandemic .
`` What I 'd like to hear from Transport Canada , from Health Canada is do they agree with this , '' Dix told a news conference on Monday .
`` The safety of passengers and the safety of all people in B.C.
, of Canada , in particular for us in B.C .
is very important . ''
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her jurisdiction , but she assumed there was evidence to support the move .
`` We are concerned , '' Henry said .
`` It 's an environment that we know people spend a lot of time in close contact with each other . ''
She said it is important that people wear masks during flights and continue to practise physical distancing .
People should not be travelling if they are ill , Henry said , adding that she would like to see passenger screening for signs of sickness before flights .
• @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end to open-net salmon farms • Shifting to electric vehicles requires economic incentives , just ask Norway Air Canada and WestJet announced they are ending their on-board seat distancing policies starting Wednesday .
The carriers said Friday they will follow health recommendations from the United Nation 's aviation agency and the International Air Transport Association trade group .
Transport Canada said in a statement it issued guidance to the aviation industry , including recommendations for passenger spacing , but it is not mandatory .
`` As physical distancing may not always be possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the age of two years , and certain individuals with medical conditions , are required to wear a non-medical mask or face covering when travelling by air , '' said the statement .
`` Transport Canada will also now require temperature screenings for passengers at select airports . ''
Air Canada said it is offering flexible rebooking options to those travelling in its economy class on flights that are close to capacity .
British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix says he wants to see the evidence that it 's safe for the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in-flight distancing policies during the pandemic .
`` While we would all like a single measure that reduces risk , we are left to use a combination of approaches to mitigate risk as far as practical , '' it said in a statement .
The airline says it has taken steps that allow passengers to travel using touchless processes at the airport to obtain bag tags and boarding cards .
`` We intend to continue evaluating new processes and technologies as they become available to further enhance safety . ''
WestJet could not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has said its cabin crew can assist customers if there is space to accommodate them .
Dix said he would like to hear from the federal agencies to allay fears or explain why they 've allowed Air Canada and WestJet to end the seat-distancing policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 .
The minister said he will discuss the policy change with his provincial counterparts , adding he 's looking for more than just a business case from the airlines .

British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix says he wants to see the evidence that it's safe for the country's two largest airlines to drop their in-flight distancing policies during the pandemic.
"What I'd like to hear from Transport Canada, from Health Canada is do they agree with this," Dix told a news conference on Monday. "The safety of passengers and the safety of all people in B.C., of Canada, in particular for us in B.C. is very important."
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said spacing policies on airplanes are not within her jurisdiction, but she assumed there was evidence to support the move.
"We are concerned," Henry said. "It's an environment that we know people spend a lot of time in close contact with each other."
She said it is important that people wear masks during flights and continue to practise physical distancing. People should not be travelling if they are ill, Henry said, adding that she would like to see passenger screening for signs of sickness before flights.


nationalobserver--2020-06-30--Models show COVID-19 progress but with 'hotspots' to monitor

Canada 's chief public health officer says the country appears to have largely gotten a handle on the spread of COVID-19 , limiting transmission after weeks of restrictions that are being slowly eased — raising the possibility of numbers going back up .
Dr. Theresa Tam said efforts since mid-March to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus seem to place the country far enough down from the peak of the first wave of the outbreak .
The figures released Monday by the Public Health Agency of Canada showed Quebec and Ontario still remain the most heavily affected regions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peaks in the curve for Alberta , Saskatchewan and New Brunswick should also serve as reminders that a resurgence of COVID-19 can happen in any place at any time , even in areas with low levels of community transmission .
She said that as restrictions lift , it will be even more important for Canadians to maintain • B.C .
First Nations leaders want immediate end to open-net salmon farms • Shifting to electric vehicles requires economic incentives , just ask Norway and good handwashing practices to keep case counts down , help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health-care system .
`` As restrictive public health measures are being lifted to minimize the unintended health , social and economic consequences ( of the pandemic ) , we expect to see some resurgence of cases , '' she said during a midday briefing on Parliament Hill .
`` The key is to keep the number of cases small through ongoing core public health practices .
We must be able to rapidly detect and isolate cases and quarantine their contacts in order to keep any resurgence small and manageable . ''
The most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health agency put the country 's total number of reported cases of COVID-19 at almost 103,250 , including 8,522 deaths .
Tam said 64 per cent have recovered and of the more tens of thousands being tested daily , only one per cent are testing positive .
Over the last eight weeks , each new case of COVID-19 has on average infected less than one person , a key metric that public health officials watch to determine whether the pandemic is being kept under control .
At this point , transmission of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — COVID-19 — are under control in most jurisdictions across the country , Tam said Monday .
Canada 's chief public health officer says the country appears to have largely gotten a handle on the spread of COVID-19 , limiting transmission after weeks of restrictions that are being slowly eased — raising the possibility of numbers going back up .
Any fluctuations in that figure are now the result of smaller , localized outbreaks in a handful of hotspots , including Toronto , Montreal and around the border town of Windsor , Ont @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the disease .
Updated modelling figures released Monday by the federal public health agency now estimate there will be between 104,000 and 108,000 cases countrywide by July 12 , and between 8,545 and 8,865 deaths by the same date .
Long-term care and assisted-living homes account for roughly one-fifth of all cases , and four-fifths of all deaths .
About eight per cent of COVID-19 cases have resulted in death ; just over three per cent need intensive care .
Over the last few weeks , there has been a steep decline in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which has meant that people under the age of 40 account for a greater proportion of cases nationally .
A new explosion in cases could mean a return to tight restrictions that Canadians have lived with through the spring to get COVID-19 under control , Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said before the updated figures were released .
Speaking outside his Ottawa residence , Trudeau said rising COVID-19 numbers in the United States demonstrate the need for continued vigilance north of the border , including keeping physical distance from each other wherever possible .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , really important that everyone remains attentive and vigilant to their own behaviours so that we can prevent a second wave from arriving as we 've seen in many places , '' Trudeau said .
Trudeau and public health officials plan to scale back the pace of their news conferences over the summer .
The almost daily occurrence will now drop to twice a week for Tam and her deputy , Dr. Howard Njoo ; Trudeau said federal officials might hold unscheduled updates if there is information to share .

Canada's chief public health officer says the country appears to have largely gotten a handle on the spread of COVID-19, limiting transmission after weeks of restrictions that are being slowly eased — raising the possibility of numbers going back up. Dr. Theresa Tam said efforts since mid-March to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus seem to place the country far enough down from the peak of the first wave of the outbreak. The figures released Monday by the Public Health Agency of Canada showed Quebec and Ontario still remain the most heavily affected regions of the country. Tam said multiple distinct peaks in the curve for Alberta, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick should also serve as reminders that a resurgence of COVID-19 can happen in any place at any time, even in areas with low levels of community transmission. She said that as restrictions lift, it will be even more important for Canadians to maintain
and good handwashing practices to keep case counts down, help with contact tracing and not overburden the health-care system. "As restrictive public health measures are being lifted to minimize the unintended health, social and economic consequences (of the pandemic), we expect to see some resurgence of cases," she said during a midday briefing on Parliament Hill. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions "The key is to keep the number of cases small through ongoing core public health practices. We must be able to rapidly detect and isolate cases and quarantine their contacts in order to keep any resurgence small and manageable."
The most recent figures provided by the federal public health agency put the country's total number of reported cases of COVID-19 at almost 103,250, including 8,522 deaths. Tam said 64 per cent have recovered and of the more tens of thousands being tested daily, only one per cent are testing positive. Canada's chief public health officer says the country appears to have largely gotten a handle on the spread of COVID-19, limiting transmission after weeks of restrictions that are being slowly eased — raising the possibility of numbers going back up. Over the last eight weeks, each new case of COVID-19 has on average infected less than one person, a key metric that public health officials watch to determine whether the pandemic is being kept under control. At this point, transmission of the novel coronavirus and the disease it creates — COVID-19 — are under control in most jurisdictions across the country, Tam said Monday. Any fluctuations in that figure are now the result of smaller, localized outbreaks in a handful of hotspots, including Toronto, Montreal and around the border town of Windsor, Ont. where many migrant workers have contracted the disease. Updated modelling figures released Monday by the federal public health agency now estimate there will be between 104,000 and 108,000 cases countrywide by July 12, and between 8,545 and 8,865 deaths by the same date.
Long-term care and assisted-living homes account for roughly one-fifth of all cases, and four-fifths of all deaths. About eight per cent of COVID-19 cases have resulted in death; just over three per cent need intensive care. Over the last few weeks, there has been a steep decline in cases among people over age 80, which has meant that people under the age of 40 account for a greater proportion of cases nationally.