nationalobserver--2020-05-14--Court overturns Ford government's decision to cancel partially built wind farm

An Ontario court has overturned the Conservative government ’ s decision to cancel the partially built Nation Rise wind farm south of Ottawa .
The company behind the wind farm filed an application for judicial review in December after Environment Minister Jeff Yurek revoked its environmental approval , citing concern for the welfare of local bats .
But Yurek lacked the legal authority to do so and either misunderstood or ignored key evidence showing bats wouldn ’ t be at risk , the Ontario Superior Court found , outlining a long list of errors in the minister ’ s move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a case where the minister ’ s decision is not reasonable and does not deserve deference , ” reads the decision dated May 13 and signed by three judges .
“ This decision does not meet the requirements of transparency , justification and intelligibility … Therefore , the decision should be quashed.
” When Nation Rise was cancelled , it had already been approved by Ontario ’ s Environmental Review Tribunal , an independent body that hears appeals of projects affecting the environment .
Two-thirds of the wind farm had been built @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of North Stormont , nestled among agricultural fields about 40 kilometres south of Ottawa , and has been sitting in limbo ever since .
• 'Alberta didn ’ t contain it ' : COVID-19 outbreak at oilsands camp has spread across the country • Canada wants to extend U.S. travel ban Had Yurek ’ s decision been successful and EDP Renewables , which was building the wind farm , had chosen to pursue lost money in court , the bill to the government could have been enormous .
The company said in December @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million in sunk costs , and in court hearings .
EDP Renewables said it was paying $ 100,000 a week to tend to the partially built wind farm .
Instead , the government must reimburse EDP Renewables for $ 126,500 in legal costs , the court ruled .
The Ontario government has previously weakened protections for endangered species .
“ This was a damning judgment with regard to the government and the minister ’ s actions , ” said Ontario NDP energy critic Peter Tabuns .
“ The judges correctly assessed that this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the procedure was unfair ... ( they ’ re ) saving us a lot of money.
” In court , the government argued that Yurek had the right to make decisions in the public interest .
Andrew Buttigieg , a spokesperson for Yurek , said Thursday that the government respects the decision but is “ disappointed with the outcome.
” Ontario Environment Minister Jeff Yurek lacked the legal authority to cancel the Nation Rise wind farm , and either ignored or misunderstood key evidence , the Ontario Superior Court ruled .
# onpoli @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reviewing the decision and are carefully considering our next steps , ” Buttigieg said in a statement .
EDP Renewables said it still stands behind the project .
“ Given the court ’ s decision , EDPR is eager to recommence construction of the Nation Rise wind farm , which will bring much-needed jobs and investment to the community , ” the company said in a statement .
“ This delay has resulted in unnecessary expenditures to date , at a time when governments and businesses should be focused on reducing costs and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leader Mike Schreiner said Yurek ’ s decision was “ politically-motivated , ” and the wind farm should never have been cancelled .
“ It ’ s good to know that the premier ’ s political vendetta against clean energy does not supersede the rule of law , ” he said .
Though EDP Renewables raised the issue of political bias in court , the judges declined to rule on that aspect of the case .
`` It is unfortunate that the Ford government 's decision was a waste of money , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` It ’ s clearly a position against the protection of the environment . ''
Sarah Buchanan of the green non-profit Environmental Defence said the judges ' decision is a `` victory for the rule of law and the environment '' and good news for taxpayers , whose money could have gone towards more court battles had Yurek 's decision not been overturned .
`` Energy decisions are always big decisions for our future , especially in the moment we ’ re in now , '' she said .
`` We need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clean energy and jobs to Ontario . ''
'If I could tear up every wind turbine in this province , I would ' Since taking office in 2018 , the Progressive Conservative government has spent at least $ 231 million to cut about 750 renewable energy projects .
Most of that was spent on the cancellation of the White Pines wind farm in Milford , Ont.
, which was one of the government ’ s first pieces of legislation .
Meanwhile , the government has invested in natural gas-powered plants that are more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owned Ontario Power Generation bought three natural gas plant assets from TC Energy for $ 2.8 billion .
“ If I could tear up every wind turbine in this province , I would , ” Premier Doug Ford said in a radio interview in December .
Nation Rise has been in the works since 2016 and received its environmental approval under Ontario 's previous Liberal government in 2018 .
EDP Renewables took on the project , which includes plans for 29 turbines that could generate up to 100 megawatts of clean energy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ competitive bidding process with the Ontario ’ s Independent Electricity System Operator ( IESO ) .
The company also worked with the local township to give the community $ 45 million in benefits .
Still , Nation Rise had local opponents .
An organization called Concerned Citizens of North Stormont challenged the project ’ s approval in 2018 at the Ontario Environmental Review Tribunal , citing concerns about noise , vibration and the risk to local wildlife .
At the tribunal 's hearings , the Ontario Ministry of the Environment , Conservation and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ favour of the project .
Independent and provincial scientists said there was no risk to bats or any other component of the environment , and the tribunal gave Nation Rise its stamp of approval in January 2019 .
Concerned Citizens of North Stormont appealed the approval to Yurek , who is allowed in some cases to overturn the review tribunal 's decisions , but did n't mention bats .
Yurek later asked both sides to submit evidence about the impact on bats , the reason he eventually cited while cancelling the project .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ had pulled the bat issue out of thin air after the citizen group had n't raised it and expert testimony had already dismissed it .
The court ruled that Yurek did n't have evidence to back up his concerns about the bats .
`` The minister erred in finding , based on the evidence before him , that there were significant bat maternity colonies , '' the judgment read .
`` There were not.
” In addition to ignoring and misunderstanding the evidence , the court said Yurek was unfair and failed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts said would mitigate any possible impact on bats .
He also used the wrong legal principle to cancel Nation Rise and applied the law he did use incorrectly , the judges found .
`` All the science and evidence indicated the minister fudged the science , '' Schreiner said .
`` I ’ m pleased to see the courts agree with that.
” Yurek 's decision to revoke Nation Rise 's approval , and the subsequent court case , have caused months of construction delays that have made Nation Rise miss its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judgment noted .
That puts the company at risk of losing its contract .
Tabuns , Schreiner and Collard said Yurek 's attempt to revoke Nation Rise 's approval when it was close to completion harms Ontario 's reputation .
The move contrasts sharply with Ontario 's `` open for business '' motto , they said .
`` That ’ s been an ongoing threat from the government ’ s activities , that they ’ ve created an atmosphere of uncertainty , of erratic behaviour , '' Tabuns said .
`` It discourages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Schreiner pointed out that the government 's attempts to cut clean energy programs , which would deliver energy that 's less expensive than the emissions-heavy natural gas it has invested in , have cost taxpayers millions already .
`` It makes absolutely no sense , '' he said .
Though Collard noted the judges ' decision should help bolster businesses ' confidence in government , she said the government 's actions are cause for concern .
`` Knowing that the Minister could overturn or cancel the projects after they ’ ve been approved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she added .
The courts also ruled that Concerned Citizens of North Stormont , which was also a respondent to the court cause , would have to pay costs to EDP Renewables .
A lawyer for the group , Eric Gillespie , said in a statement that Concerned Citizens will be taking the case to the Court of Appeal , as the organization believes the decision leaves endangered species at risk .
Editor 's note : This story was updated at 12:12 p.m. Eastern time to include comments from the Ontario government , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ context from the court judgment .
It was updated again at 1:10 p.m. to include additional comments , including those from Concerned Citizens of North Stormont , and again at 5:37 p.m. to include comments from Environmental Defence and the Ontario Liberal environment critic Lucille Collard .

When Nation Rise was cancelled, it had already been approved by Ontario’s Environmental Review Tribunal, an independent body that hears appeals of projects affecting the environment. Two-thirds of the wind farm had been built. The site is in the Township of North Stormont , nestled among agricultural fields about 40 kilometres south of Ottawa, and has been sitting in limbo ever since.
“This decision does not meet the requirements of transparency, justification and intelligibility … Therefore, the decision should be quashed.”
“This is a case where the minister’s decision is not reasonable and does not deserve deference,” reads the decision dated May 13 and signed by three judges.
The company behind the wind farm filed an application for judicial review in December after Environment Minister Jeff Yurek revoked its environmental approval, citing concern for the welfare of local bats. But Yurek lacked the legal authority to do so and either misunderstood or ignored key evidence showing bats wouldn’t be at risk, the Ontario Superior Court found, outlining a long list of errors in the minister’s move to cancel the project.
An Ontario court has overturned the Conservative government’s decision to cancel the partially built Nation Rise wind farm south of Ottawa.
Instead, the government must reimburse EDP Renewables for $126,500 in legal costs, the court ruled.
Had Yurek’s decision been successful and EDP Renewables, which was building the wind farm, had chosen to pursue lost money in court, the bill to the government could have been enormous. The company said in December that it stood to lose $230 million in sunk costs, and in court hearings. EDP Renewables said it was paying $100,000 a week to tend to the partially built wind farm.
EDP Renewables said it still stands behind the project.
“At this time, we are reviewing the decision and are carefully considering our next steps,” Buttigieg said in a statement.
In court, the government argued that Yurek had the right to make decisions in the public interest. Andrew Buttigieg, a spokesperson for Yurek, said Thursday that the government respects the decision but is “disappointed with the outcome.”
“The judges correctly assessed that this was not an evidence based-decision and that the procedure was unfair ... (they’re) saving us a lot of money.”
“This was a damning judgment with regard to the government and the minister’s actions,” said Ontario NDP energy critic Peter Tabuns.
Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said Yurek’s decision was “politically-motivated,” and the wind farm should never have been cancelled.
“This delay has resulted in unnecessary expenditures to date, at a time when governments and businesses should be focused on reducing costs and restarting the economy.”
“Given the court’s decision, EDPR is eager to recommence construction of the Nation Rise wind farm, which will bring much-needed jobs and investment to the community,” the company said in a statement.
“It’s good to know that the premier’s political vendetta against clean energy does not supersede the rule of law,” he said.
Though EDP Renewables raised the issue of political bias in court, the judges declined to rule on that aspect of the case.
"It is unfortunate that the Ford government's decision was a waste of money," said Liberal environment critic Lucille Collard. "It’s clearly a position against the protection of the environment."
Sarah Buchanan of the green non-profit Environmental Defence said the judges' decision is a "victory for the rule of law and the environment" and good news for taxpayers, whose money could have gone towards more court battles had Yurek's decision not been overturned.
"Energy decisions are always big decisions for our future, especially in the moment we’re in now," she said.
"We need to move forward with projects that will bring clean energy and jobs to Ontario."
The Nation Rise wind farm southeast of Ottawa. Photo courtesy EDP Renewables
'If I could tear up every wind turbine in this province, I would'
Since taking office in 2018, the Progressive Conservative government has spent at least $231 million to cut about 750 renewable energy projects. Most of that was spent on the cancellation of the White Pines wind farm in Milford, Ont., which was one of the government’s first pieces of legislation.
Meanwhile, the government has invested in natural gas-powered plants that are more emissions-intensive. Earlier this month, provincially owned Ontario Power Generation bought three natural gas plant assets from TC Energy for $2.8 billion.
“If I could tear up every wind turbine in this province, I would,” Premier Doug Ford said in a radio interview in December.
Nation Rise has been in the works since 2016 and received its environmental approval under Ontario's previous Liberal government in 2018. EDP Renewables took on the project, which includes plans for 29 turbines that could generate up to 100 megawatts of clean energy, at a relatively cheap price after a competitive bidding process with the Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO). The company also worked with the local township to give the community $45 million in benefits.
Still, Nation Rise had local opponents. An organization called Concerned Citizens of North Stormont challenged the project’s approval in 2018 at the Ontario Environmental Review Tribunal, citing concerns about noise, vibration and the risk to local wildlife.
At the tribunal's hearings, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks brought in experts to testify in favour of the project. Independent and provincial scientists said there was no risk to bats or any other component of the environment, and the tribunal gave Nation Rise its stamp of approval in January 2019.
Concerned Citizens of North Stormont appealed the approval to Yurek, who is allowed in some cases to overturn the review tribunal's decisions, but didn't mention bats. Yurek later asked both sides to submit evidence about the impact on bats, the reason he eventually cited while cancelling the project.
EDP Renewables argued in court that Yurek had pulled the bat issue out of thin air after the citizen group hadn't raised it and expert testimony had already dismissed it.
The court ruled that Yurek didn't have evidence to back up his concerns about the bats.
"The minister erred in finding, based on the evidence before him, that there were significant bat maternity colonies," the judgment read. "There were not.”
In addition to ignoring and misunderstanding the evidence, the court said Yurek was unfair and failed to account for measures EDP Renewables proposed that experts said would mitigate any possible impact on bats. He also used the wrong legal principle to cancel Nation Rise and applied the law he did use incorrectly, the judges found.
"All the science and evidence indicated the minister fudged the science," Schreiner said. "I’m pleased to see the courts agree with that.”
Cancelling partially built project harms Ontario's business reputation, critics say
Yurek's decision to revoke Nation Rise's approval, and the subsequent court case, have caused months of construction delays that have made Nation Rise miss its deadline for the IESO, the court judgment noted. That puts the company at risk of losing its contract.
Tabuns, Schreiner and Collard said Yurek's attempt to revoke Nation Rise's approval when it was close to completion harms Ontario's reputation. The move contrasts sharply with Ontario's "open for business" motto, they said.
"That’s been an ongoing threat from the government’s activities, that they’ve created an atmosphere of uncertainty, of erratic behaviour," Tabuns said. "It discourages people from actually investing here."
Schreiner pointed out that the government's attempts to cut clean energy programs, which would deliver energy that's less expensive than the emissions-heavy natural gas it has invested in, have cost taxpayers millions already.
"It makes absolutely no sense," he said.
Though Collard noted the judges' decision should help bolster businesses' confidence in government, she said the government's actions are cause for concern.
"Knowing that the Minister could overturn or cancel the projects after they’ve been approved sends a very wrong message," she added.
The courts also ruled that Concerned Citizens of North Stormont, which was also a respondent to the court cause, would have to pay costs to EDP Renewables. A lawyer for the group, Eric Gillespie, said in a statement that Concerned Citizens will be taking the case to the Court of Appeal, as the organization believes the decision leaves endangered species at risk.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 12:12 p.m. Eastern time to include comments from the Ontario government, Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner and additional context from the court judgment. It was updated again at 1:10 p.m. to include additional comments, including those from Concerned Citizens of North Stormont, and again at 5:37 p.m. to include comments from Environmental Defence and the Ontario Liberal environment critic Lucille Collard.


nationalobserver--2020-05-15--Post-pandemic, it is less about stimulus and more about a strategic sustainable recovery

The COVID-19 pandemic gives us an unprecedented opportunity for a sustainable economic recovery based on smart investments that fully leverage the value of our natural resources .
Stimulus provides a good bandage , but a well-thought-out recovery strategy ensures the right long-term deployment of our resources , technology focus and labour force .
Demand for everything from crude oil to consumer goods has cratered , as billions follow stay-at-home orders .
At the same time , the global supply chain has been severely disrupted : Many factories in China emerged from months-long shutdowns only to impose mass layoffs as orders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so reliant on global trade , is expected to contract by more than 12 per cent by year ’ s end .
It ’ s time to flip our accustomed model on its head : To invest purposefully in those industries most directly supported by Canada ’ s natural resources , and to regard the global supply chain as a useful adjunct to domestic manufacturing and export .
Doing so would address our growing income disparity by spurring job growth and increasing wages .
It would also maximize the domestic return on Canada @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , supporting myriad primary and downstream industries in a targeted , sustainable fashion .
Take batteries , for example .
Canada is one of only a few countries capable of producing and refining all the raw materials needed to produce the lithium-ion batteries that power everything from personal electronics to electric vehicles .
Yet , we produce a vanishingly small number of such batteries here at home .
• Canada wants to extend U.S. travel ban • 'Alberta didn ’ t contain it ' : COVID-19 outbreak at oilsands camp has spread across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of streamlined regulations and infrastructure investment would allow Canadian manufacturers to take advantage of our unique raw material supplies .
It would also help spark much-needed capital investment in the mining industry to pivot to the electrification segment , and would encourage development of related industries such as auto assembly plants , as well as further research on portable energy sources .
Such an investment would also foster the innovation and economies of scale needed to bring electric vehicles more assuredly into the mainstream .
More sustainable mining practices would enable the manufacturing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a double victory for the natural resources on which Canada ultimately depends and already has a leadership edge .
Taken together , the industries involved in the manufacturing and export of lithium-ion batteries typically generate job multipliers of seven and above , making them especially powerful drivers of sustainable employment .
With greater demand for labour , an increasing number of Canadians will be working in higher-paying and more secure jobs .
With these more sustainable jobs , workers will give back to society by paying more taxes .
Of course , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government .
The same factors that make targeted economic stimulus such a winning proposition for federal and provincial authorities stand to make affected industries more appealing to investment from private entities in Canada and abroad .
To be fair , not everyone will agree this is the ideal time to support private businesses with public funds .
And many countries seem eager to return as quickly as possible to a global and domestic economic order that matches the one we left behind in 2019 .
But that order was unsustainable .
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by an accelerating disparity in Canadians ’ income .
As it happens , we have long needed a new economic strategy , one based on domestic production and export , increased wages for workers at all levels , and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability .
The COVID-19 pandemic merely brought the risks of a skewed economic model to light , and their consequences into every home in the country .
More sustainable mining practices would enable the manufacturing of more environmentally sustainable products , representing a double victory for the natural resources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has a leadership edge .
The pandemic should not limit our imaginations to memories of what preceded it .
Nor should it constrain our ambitions for a better and more sustainable economy .
We will recover – Canada always does .
The questions are how and how fast ?
A post-pandemic industrial strategy and economy that draws sustainably from our natural resources , while comprehensively reinvigorating our manufacturing sector , is not only within our power to imagine .
With the right policy decisions , it is within our power to enjoy .

The COVID-19 pandemic gives us an unprecedented opportunity for a sustainable economic recovery based on smart investments that fully leverage the value of our natural resources. Stimulus provides a good bandage, but a well-thought-out recovery strategy ensures the right long-term deployment of our resources, technology focus and labour force. Demand for everything from crude oil to consumer goods has cratered, as billions follow stay-at-home orders. At the same time, the global supply chain has been severely disrupted: Many factories in China emerged from months-long shutdowns only to impose mass layoffs as orders dry up. The Canadian economy, so reliant on global trade, is expected to contract by more than 12 per cent by year’s end. It’s time to flip our accustomed model on its head: To invest purposefully in those industries most directly supported by Canada’s natural resources, and to regard the global supply chain as a useful adjunct to domestic manufacturing and export. Doing so would address our growing income disparity by spurring job growth and increasing wages. It would also maximize the domestic return on Canada’s unique array of natural resources, supporting myriad primary and downstream industries in a targeted, sustainable fashion. Take batteries, for example. Canada is one of only a few countries capable of producing and refining all the raw materials needed to produce the lithium-ion batteries that power everything from personal electronics to electric vehicles. Yet, we produce a vanishingly small number of such batteries here at home.
A sensible, targeted mix of streamlined regulations and infrastructure investment would allow Canadian manufacturers to take advantage of our unique raw material supplies. It would also help spark much-needed capital investment in the mining industry to pivot to the electrification segment, and would encourage development of related industries such as auto assembly plants, as well as further research on portable energy sources. Such an investment would also foster the innovation and economies of scale needed to bring electric vehicles more assuredly into the mainstream. More sustainable mining practices would enable the manufacturing of more environmentally sustainable products, representing a double victory for the natural resources on which Canada ultimately depends and already has a leadership edge. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Taken together, the industries involved in the manufacturing and export of lithium-ion batteries typically generate job multipliers of seven and above, making them especially powerful drivers of sustainable employment. With greater demand for labour, an increasing number of Canadians will be working in higher-paying and more secure jobs. With these more sustainable jobs, workers will give back to society by paying more taxes.


nationalobserver--2020-05-15--COVID-19: Chronology of the Long-Term Care Tragedy

When Ontario ’ s chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams was asked if long-term care residents who left for medical appointments and returned were causing COVID-19 outbreaks , he responded that it was “ an interesting assertion.
” According to Public Health Ontario , as of May 13 , there were 3,607 health-care workers infected with COVID-19 .
Health-care workers now make up 16.8 per cent of Ontario ’ s cases .
That ’ s in addition to the 1,057 seniors in care who died , as estimated by the Ontario Health Coalition up to May 5 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ at long-term care and hospital facilities .
It was a preventable tragedy .
Even a cursory look online illustrates that we could have minimized the deaths in the two most at-risk segments of our population : seniors with serious illnesses , and the courageous front-line health workers who care for them .
March 14 : Two physicians who served on the SARS 2003 front line give an early warning to provincial medical experts about the danger to long-term care homes .
March 9 : Canada ’ s first coronavirus death occurs at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about COVID-19 spread in long-term care facilities .
“ We have vulnerable populations — and we have to pay particular attention to that group because they have heightened potential exposure and impact , ” said Vicki McKenna , president of the Ontario Nurses Association .
With Canadians locked down with stay-at-home and distancing mandates to stop community spread , the priority for medical experts was to protect and defend the health-care system .
Experiences from the 2003 SARS outbreak , Italy , Spain , and Washington state provided ample evidence of COVID-19 ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 13 : Nearly 50 per cent of COVID-19 deaths in Canada are in long-term care and seniors residences .
Ford again calls for widespread testing , but Ontario public health officials aren ’ t convinced .
Dr. David Williams , Ontario 's Chief Medical Officer of Health , finally relents on partial long-term care testing , but is still focused on viral spread in the community .
Long-term care infections and deaths continue to rise .
April 9 : Premier Ford calls for widespread testing of everyone in the health-care system .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day is ( to ) test every single front-line health-care worker , all workers , being nurses , doctors , ( personal support workers ) , cleaners … Our priority is to make sure we target the long-term care residents and the workers there as well . ''
April 9 : Ontario public health officials finally move testing to long-term care homes , but only for those showing symptoms .
Asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic residents and health-care staff do not meet the requirements .
“ I ’ m frustrated at the system , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Ontario has coronavirus outbreaks in 10 long-term care residences .
“ This virus moves very quickly , as public health officials have been telling us , ” said Sue Graham-Nutter , CEO of the Rekai Centre .
March 19 : B.C .
reports eight COVID-19 deaths , with seven from the same long-term care facility .
March 18 : Early Italian studies confirm that 98 per cent of COVID-19 deaths were elderly people with serious preconditions .
Roughly 90 per cent were 70 and older , while 10 per cent ranged in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Nearly 50 per cent of deaths were in people who had “ three or more preconditions.
” Deaths where there wereno preconditions were estimated to be 0.8 per cent .
Colin Furness , an infection control epidemiologist at the University of Toronto , said provinces need to be much more aggressive in testing staff members at long-term care facilities because some of the infected are showing no symptoms at all or just mild ones .
“ Widespread testing of staff members could help identify more cases before they have a chance to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s associate chief medical officer of health , says that widespread testing in the health-care sector could result in “ wasting a lot of tests ” and that “ changing that is not a simple thing …I know it is being strongly considered.
” “ The risk to seniors in nursing homes is “ skyrocketing ” at the same time risk in the general community is coming under better control , says Dr. David Fisman , an epidemiologist at the University of Toronto ’ s Dalla Lana School of Public Health .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is somewhere between 10 and 20 times higher than the same cohort outside long-term care.
” April 14 : Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam admits that COVID-19 outbreaks in the health-care system are critical .
She urges “ all Canadians to continue to stay home to keep older people , who are most at risk , from dying .
We need to protect our seniors , so stay home and save lives.
” April 17 : It ’ s reported that B.C .
public health officials focused on senior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ veteran Dr. Bonnie Henry is B.C.
’ s provincial health officer . )
April 22 : – After repeatedly resisting calls from advocates and the premier for widespread testing in the long-term care homes , Ontario medical experts finally establish a comprehensive testing protocol .
The memo states that officials need to better understand “ the prevalence of COVID-19 in long-term care homes and inform future planning.
” And that the plan will “ address COVID-19 in this vulnerable population … in order to … stop the spread.
” Ford says he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have everyone tested .
“ As much as people may think I can jump in there and overturn what the chief medical officer says , I can ’ t. ” Dr. Williams refers to “ studies ” that prove “ asymptomatic residents and staff at long-term care facilities were actually positive for COVID-19.
” He continued , “ I think in that case , we ’ re going to have to start testing everybody.
” May 9 : - The National Institute on Aging reports that 3,436 long-term care residents and six @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of COVID-19 deaths nationwide .
The institute ’ s Ontario long-term care tracker calculates that Ontario has outbreaks at 321 residences , resulting in 7,355 infected and 1,335 deaths .
There is and always has been a low risk of dying from coronavirus among the general population .
According to WHO ’ s March 13 , 2020 guidance , 81 per cent of people with COVID-19 will have an “ uncomplicated or mild illness , ” 19 per cent will develop severe illness , and a small percentage will die .
WHO also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease have been reported as risk factors for death.
” The stay-at-home and distancing mandates protects those most at-risk in the general population .
Instead of securing the most vulnerable demographics in health-care settings , experts chose to perform mass testing on the general population to “ slow the spread.
” Slowing the spread and preventing deaths were the reasons for the lockdown , we were told .
What possible advantage is there to mass testing if Canadians are under self-quarantine ?
Someone either has it or they don ’ t .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hospital or they quarantine .
1 ) Symptomatic people show up at the testing centre .
If they don ’ t have serious symptoms , they ’ re put under a 14-day quarantine .
2 ) If they meet the criteria and test negative , they ’ re put under a 14-day quarantine .
3 ) If they meet the criteria and test positive , they ’ re put under a 14-day quarantine and they trace contacts .
Rinse and repeat .
Anyone see a pattern here ?
People with symptoms are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 14-days .
With a significant per cent of the population asymptomatic , presymptomatic , or experiencing mild to moderate symptoms , how does community testing slow viral spread from asymptomatic and presymptomatic people ?
Further , if a significant portion of the population experiences mild to moderate symptoms , how does turning them away and not testing them prevent viral spread ?
The front-line in this war is the health-care sector .
Canada-wide testing as of May 14 Roughly 94 per cent of highly symptomatic people tested for COVID-19 have a cold , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s impossible to stop the virus by chasing it .
It moves too fast , as one expert mentioned .
To slow or stop it , they needed to get in front of it .
To repurpose Wayne Gretzky ’ s scoring advice : “ Go to where the virus is going to be , not where it ’ s been.
” All over the world , this thing is trying to get into the health-care system , where it thrives .
With limited test kits and PPE ( personal protective equipment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ test , secure and set a perimeter around the long-term system .
Test residents , health-care workers and support staff and quarantine positive cases .
Test every seven days and repeat until new testing supplies are acquired to test the general population .
As Dr. Tom Frieden , the former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , said recently , “ We need to box it in , ” utilizing a four-cornered approach of testing , isolating , quarantining and finding the virus .
“ This is the essence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closed loop .
So that with each wave of infections , there are fewer and fewer secondary infections boxing the virus in and opening more and more space in society ( for ) safe movement , ” Frieden said .
Testing should be about quality , not quantity .
Quantity is just a numbers game .
There ’ s no advantage to searching for a needle in a haystack by testing the community .
We either get it or we don ’ t .
There ’ s no cure .
We ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ viral spread .
We need a new , more aggressive , approach .
We need warriors , not modellers The only positive from this preventable tragedy is that we know where the invisible enemy is now .
It ’ s in care homes .
We have it surrounded .
It ’ s vulnerable .
And we can ’ t let it back out .
One doesn ’ t have to be a doctor to plan strategy .
In fact , business , tactical and military experts are the best sources for strategic planning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what the right strategy is .
You ’ ve said it multiple times .
We need to throw everything we ’ ve got at the health-care system .
The virus has taken it from us .
1 ) Bring in SARS veterans Dr. Allan S. Detsky and Dr. Isaac I. Bogoch to consult , not only on how to attack this virus , but for advice on dealing with the trauma of surviving health-care warriors in the aftermath .
2 ) Mobilize more military or contract with local cleaning companies in Ontario to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t let it breathe .
Test kits should be reserved to test patients , care home residents , and health workers .
Just keep testing and isolating .
The rest of us are fine .
3 ) Bring in Chief of the Defence Staff , General Jonathan Vance , an appointee , or police tactical experts .
It ’ s war .
An enemy is an enemy .
We need warriors , not modellers .
We need tactics .
We need military logistics to roll out an attack plan provincewide .
No more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be just as courageous as health-care warriors who are behind enemy lines .
We need to take back the health-care system that we lost .
You need to take that fear , uncertainty , anger , and stress and turn it into aggression .
That ’ s right in your wheelhouse .
Otherwise , more will die needlessly .
There ’ s no other way out .

With Canadians locked down with stay-at-home and distancing mandates to stop community spread, the priority for medical experts was to protect and defend the health-care system. Experiences from the 2003 SARS outbreak, Italy, Spain, and Washington state provided ample evidence of COVID-19’s ferocity in health-care settings.
When Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams was asked if long-term care residents who left for medical appointments and returned were causing COVID-19 outbreaks, he responded that it was “an interesting assertion.”
According to Public Health Ontario , as of May 13, there were 3,607 health-care workers infected with COVID-19 . Health-care workers now make up 16.8 per cent of Ontario’s cases. That’s in addition to the 1,057 seniors in care who died, as estimated by the Ontario Health Coalition up to May 5.
There is no excuse for the deaths at long-term care and hospital facilities. It was a preventable tragedy. Even a cursory look online illustrates that we could have minimized the deaths in the two most at-risk segments of our population: seniors with serious illnesses, and the courageous front-line health workers who care for them.
March 9: Canada’s first coronavirus death occurs at a nursing home in B.C., creating fear about COVID-19 spread in long-term care facilities. “We have vulnerable populations — and we have to pay particular attention to that group because they have heightened potential exposure and impact,” said Vicki McKenna, president of the Ontario Nurses Association.
March 19: B.C. reports eight COVID-19 deaths , with seven from the same long-term care facility.
March 18: Early Italian studies confirm that 98 per cent of COVID-19 deaths were elderly people with serious preconditions . Roughly 90 per cent were 70 and older, while 10 per cent ranged in age from 50 to 69 years old. Nearly 50 per cent of deaths were in people who had “three or more preconditions.” Deaths where there wereno preconditions were estimated to be 0.8 per cent.
March 14: Two physicians who served on the SARS 2003 front line give an early warning to provincial medical experts about the danger to long-term care homes.
April 9: Premier Ford calls for widespread testing of everyone in the health-care system . “Our goal at the end of the day is (to) test every single front-line health-care worker, all workers, being nurses, doctors, (personal support workers), cleaners … Our priority is to make sure we target the long-term care residents and the workers there as well."
April 9: Ontario public health officials finally move testing to long-term care homes , but only for those showing symptoms. Asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic residents and health-care staff do not meet the requirements. “I’m frustrated at the system,” Mr. Doug Ford said.
March 31: Ontario has coronavirus outbreaks in 10 long-term care residences. “This virus moves very quickly, as public health officials have been telling us ,” said Sue Graham-Nutter, CEO of the Rekai Centre.
Dr. David Williams, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, finally relents on partial long-term care testing, but is still focused on viral spread in the community. Long-term care infections and deaths continue to rise.
April 13: Nearly 50 per cent of COVID-19 deaths in Canada are in long-term care and seniors residences. Ford again calls for widespread testing, but Ontario public health officials aren’t convinced.
Barbara Yaffe, Ontario’s associate chief medical officer of health, says that widespread testing in the health-care sector could result in “wasting a lot of tests” and that “changing that is not a simple thing …I know it is being strongly considered.”
Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist at the University of Toronto, said provinces need to be much more aggressive in testing staff members at long-term care facilities because some of the infected are showing no symptoms at all or just mild ones. “Widespread testing of staff members could help identify more cases before they have a chance to spread.”
April 13: – Health-care advocates clamour for protection of at-risk seniors in long-term care.
“The risk to seniors in nursing homes is “skyrocketing” at the same time risk in the general community is coming under better control, says Dr. David Fisman, an epidemiologist at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. “The rate of death in long-term care is somewhere between 10 and 20 times higher than the same cohort outside long-term care.”
April 14: Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam admits that COVID-19 outbreaks in the health-care system are critical. She urges “all Canadians to continue to stay home to keep older people, who are most at risk, from dying. We need to protect our seniors, so stay home and save lives.”
April 17: It’s reported that B.C. public health officials focused on senior homes in March. (SARS 2003 veteran Dr. Bonnie Henry is B.C.’s provincial health officer.)
April 22: – After repeatedly resisting calls from advocates and the premier for widespread testing in the long-term care homes, Ontario medical experts finally establish a comprehensive testing protocol. The memo states that officials need to better understand “the prevalence of COVID-19 in long-term care homes and inform future planning.” And that the plan will “address COVID-19 in this vulnerable population … in order to … stop the spread.”
Ford says he was “beating the drum” weeks ago to have everyone tested. “As much as people may think I can jump in there and overturn what the chief medical officer says, I can’t.”
Dr. Williams refers to “studies” that prove “asymptomatic residents and staff at long-term care facilities were actually positive for COVID-19.” He continued, “I think in that case, we’re going to have to start testing everybody.”
May 9: - The National Institute on Aging reports that 3,436 long-term care residents and six health-care workers make up 82 per cent of COVID-19 deaths nationwide. The institute’s Ontario long-term care tracker calculates that Ontario has outbreaks at 321 residences, resulting in 7,355 infected and 1,335 deaths.
Mass testing debacle
There is and always has been a low risk of dying from coronavirus among the general population. According to WHO’s March 13, 2020 guidance, 81 per cent of people with COVID-19 will have an “uncomplicated or mild illness,” 19 per cent will develop severe illness, and a small percentage will die. WHO also says that “older age and co-morbid disease have been reported as risk factors for death.”
The stay-at-home and distancing mandates protects those most at-risk in the general population. Instead of securing the most vulnerable demographics in health-care settings, experts chose to perform mass testing on the general population to “slow the spread.” Slowing the spread and preventing deaths were the reasons for the lockdown, we were told. What possible advantage is there to mass testing if Canadians are under self-quarantine? Someone either has it or they don’t. They’re sick enough to go to the hospital or they quarantine.
Here’s what mass testing and tracing accomplishes:
1) Symptomatic people show up at the testing centre. If they don’t have serious symptoms, they’re put under a 14-day quarantine.
2) If they meet the criteria and test negative, they’re put under a 14-day quarantine.
3) If they meet the criteria and test positive, they’re put under a 14-day quarantine and they trace contacts. Rinse and repeat.
Anyone see a pattern here? People with symptoms are already under a mandate to self-quarantine for 14-days.
With a significant per cent of the population asymptomatic, presymptomatic, or experiencing mild to moderate symptoms, how does community testing slow viral spread from asymptomatic and presymptomatic people? Further, if a significant portion of the population experiences mild to moderate symptoms, how does turning them away and not testing them prevent viral spread?
The front-line in this war is the health-care sector.
Canada-wide testing as of May 14
Positive tests reported 72,536 (6%)
Negative or pending 1,120,654 (94%)
Total tests 1,193,190 (100%)
Roughly 94 per cent of highly symptomatic people tested for COVID-19 have a cold, flu virus or other cause.
First priority: Protect the vulnerable
It’s impossible to stop the virus by chasing it. It moves too fast, as one expert mentioned. To slow or stop it, they needed to get in front of it. To repurpose Wayne Gretzky’s scoring advice: “Go to where the virus is going to be, not where it’s been.” All over the world, this thing is trying to get into the health-care system, where it thrives.
With limited test kits and PPE (personal protective equipment), the obvious protocol was to test, secure and set a perimeter around the long-term system. Test residents, health-care workers and support staff and quarantine positive cases. Test every seven days and repeat until new testing supplies are acquired to test the general population.
As Dr. Tom Frieden, the former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said recently, “We need to box it in,” utilizing a four-cornered approach of testing, isolating, quarantining and finding the virus.
“This is the essence of the box-in strategy — creating a closed loop. So that with each wave of infections, there are fewer and fewer secondary infections boxing the virus in and opening more and more space in society (for) safe movement,” Frieden said.
Testing should be about quality, not quantity. Quantity is just a numbers game. There’s no advantage to searching for a needle in a haystack by testing the community. We either get it or we don’t. There’s no cure. We’re doing our part locking down to prevent viral spread. We need a new, more aggressive, approach.
We need warriors, not modellers
The only positive from this preventable tragedy is that we know where the invisible enemy is now. It’s in care homes. We have it surrounded. It’s vulnerable. And we can’t let it back out.
One doesn’t have to be a doctor to plan strategy. In fact, business, tactical and military experts are the best sources for strategic planning.
Premier Doug Ford, you know what the right strategy is. You’ve said it multiple times. We need to throw everything we’ve got at the health-care system. The virus has taken it from us.
1) Bring in SARS veterans Dr. Allan S. Detsky and Dr. Isaac I. Bogoch to consult, not only on how to attack this virus, but for advice on dealing with the trauma of surviving health-care warriors in the aftermath.
2) Mobilize more military or contract with local cleaning companies in Ontario to disinfect health-care facilities 24/7. Don’t let it breathe. Test kits should be reserved to test patients, care home residents, and health workers. Just keep testing and isolating. The rest of us are fine.
3) Bring in Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jonathan Vance, an appointee, or police tactical experts. It’s war. An enemy is an enemy. We need warriors, not modellers. We need tactics. We need military logistics to roll out an attack plan provincewide.
No more hiding from this thing. We need to be just as courageous as health-care warriors who are behind enemy lines. We need to take back the health-care system that we lost. You need to take that fear, uncertainty, anger, and stress and turn it into aggression. That’s right in your wheelhouse.
Otherwise, more will die needlessly. There’s no other way out.


nationalobserver--2020-05-15--B.C. gun groups want courts to clear the air after federal firearms ban

B.C .
gun groups say they don ’ t know who to trust after the federal government ’ s new prohibitions led to confusion over the status of some firearms and prompted the RCMP to spell out its views .
“ I think we have to let a judge decide , don ’ t we ?
” Douglas Bancroft , president of the Victoria Fish and Game Protective Association , told National Observer .
The 64-year-old Bancroft says he has notified the membership of his club , which counts over 4,000 active members , that the staff at the gun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primarily to enforce safety rules — not to interpret regulations .
“ They ’ re not there to look at your firearm and try to figure out whether or not you ’ re allowed to have it there , ” he said .
“ We need to tell our members not to bring a prohibited device .
But I ’ m not going to tell them what a prohibited device is , because I can ’ t make sense of some of the ( rules ) .
” When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks ago on roughly 1,500 types of guns , saying they served no civilian purpose , the regulations his government amended listed hundreds of different gun variants in detail — and also included two more general clauses .
One clause bans any firearm with the gun barrel ’ s inner diameter , or bore , greater than 20 millimetres , while another bans any firearm “ capable ” of discharging a projectile over a specified level of muzzle energy .
The two clauses have limited exceptions , such as for bomb disposal .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ what types of guns are now prohibited .
It has even led to questions about whether it would include the Nine O ’ Clock Gun , the antique naval cannon in Vancouver 's Stanley Park .
On May 4 , the Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association ( CSAAA ) published a legal opinion saying that a common gun used in hunting and trap and skeet shooting , the 12-gauge shotgun , would be included in the diameter ban .
The CSAAA estimated there are between 1.5 million and two million of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the regulation could cover almost every modern version , with removable chokes , or the constriction at the end of the muzzle that ’ s used to change its performance .
• Canada wants to extend U.S. travel ban • 'Alberta didn ’ t contain it ' : COVID-19 outbreak at oilsands camp has spread across the country Federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair tweeted the next day , May 5 , that both 10- and 12-gauge shotguns should not be subject to the prohibition because they would be under the diameter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immediately clarify whether the measurement would include the choke .
The issue prompted the RCMP ’ s Canadian Firearms Program to issue a statement of its own on May 8 .
The RCMP said it was the program ’ s “ view ” that the regulations should be read “ in accordance with acceptable firearms industry standards for shotguns , where they said the bore diameter is measured before the choke .
Even so , that hasn ’ t stopped more questions from being raised .
On May 13 , another organization , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another legal opinion on the second clause relating to muzzle energy .
The group pointed to an experiment showing a modified 12-gauge shotgun is “ capable ” of breaching the new rule .
Meanwhile , a third group , the Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights , says it has launched a constitutional challenge .
Chuck Zuckerman , vice-president of the Surrey-based BC Wildlife Federation , told National Observer that the RCMP ’ s statement didn ’ t convince him that the issue had been resolved .
“ Tweets and news conferences do not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Who are we to believe ?
The law ?
Different authorities ’ different interpretations of the law ?
... Confusion rules the day.
” Bancroft said he has been doing 3 Gun , a shooting sport where competitors run through staged areas and fire at targets , for about eight years .
He said he lost faith in the process after the government portrayed his AR-15 as something meant only for soldiers .
If these guns were not meant for sports , he said , then “ why was I issued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to transport that firearm for competitive sports all those years ?
” B.C .
gun groups say they don ’ t know who to trust , and are waiting for the courts to clear the air , after the federal government ’ s new prohibitions led to confusion over the status of some firearms and prompted the RCMP to spell out their own views .
On Wednesday , Conservative MP Blaine Calkins , the MP for Red Deer-Lacombe , asked Blair during a Parliament Hill meeting of the special committee on COVID-19 whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ O ’ Clock Gun .
The cannon is now used to signal the time and is usually fired every day at 9 p.m .
Throughout April , it fired two hours earlier , in solidarity with the daily cheer in support of local health-care workers fighting the pandemic .
“ Can the minister advise the public of the safety risks that this cannon — which was manufactured in 1816 — poses to the public ?
” asked Calkins .
Blair responded that he assumed the member was referring to the prohibition of grenade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , rocket launchers and other high-powered guns are included in the two general clauses on energy and bore diameter .
“ Let us be very clear : We have prohibited weapons that were unfortunately widely available in Canada and were being used for purposes not for sporting — which is the only use of firearm in Canada , for either hunting or target shooting sporting activities — but were rather being used to harm individual Canadians , and in some tragic cases , many individual Canadians , ” said Blair .

B.C. gun groups say they don’t know who to trust after the federal government’s new prohibitions led to confusion over the status of some firearms and prompted the RCMP to spell out its views.
“I think we have to let a judge decide, don’t we?” Douglas Bancroft, president of the Victoria Fish and Game Protective Association, told National Observer.
The 64-year-old Bancroft says he has notified the membership of his club, which counts over 4,000 active members, that the staff at the gun range northwest of the capital are there primarily to enforce safety rules — not to interpret regulations. “They’re not there to look at your firearm and try to figure out whether or not you’re allowed to have it there,” he said. “We need to tell our members not to bring a prohibited device. But I’m not going to tell them what a prohibited device is, because I can’t make sense of some of the (rules).”
When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau put in place an immediate ban two weeks ago on roughly 1,500 types of guns, saying they served no civilian purpose, the regulations his government amended listed hundreds of different gun variants in detail — and also included two more general clauses.
One clause bans any firearm with the gun barrel’s inner diameter, or bore, greater than 20 millimetres, while another bans any firearm “capable” of discharging a projectile over a specified level of muzzle energy. The two clauses have limited exceptions, such as for bomb disposal.
Their general applicability has sparked confusion over what types of guns are now prohibited. It has even led to questions about whether it would include the Nine O’Clock Gun, the antique naval cannon in Vancouver's Stanley Park. RCMP issues its 'view' on shotgun question On May 4, the Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association (CSAAA) published a legal opinion saying that a common gun used in hunting and trap and skeet shooting, the 12-gauge shotgun, would be included in the diameter ban.
The CSAAA estimated there are between 1.5 million and two million of these guns in circulation in Canada. It said the regulation could cover almost every modern version, with removable chokes, or the constriction at the end of the muzzle that’s used to change its performance.
Federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair tweeted the next day, May 5, that both 10- and 12-gauge shotguns should not be subject to the prohibition because they would be under the diameter ban. But that didn’t immediately clarify whether the measurement would include the choke. The issue prompted the RCMP’s Canadian Firearms Program to issue a statement of its own on May 8. The RCMP said it was the program’s “view” that the regulations should be read “in accordance with acceptable firearms industry standards for shotguns, where they said the bore diameter is measured before the choke.
Even so, that hasn’t stopped more questions from being raised. On May 13, another organization, the Canadian Shooting Sports Association, issued another legal opinion on the second clause relating to muzzle energy. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The group pointed to an experiment showing a modified 12-gauge shotgun is “capable” of breaching the new rule. Meanwhile, a third group, the Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights, says it has launched a constitutional challenge.
Chuck Zuckerman, vice-president of the Surrey-based BC Wildlife Federation, told National Observer that the RCMP’s statement didn’t convince him that the issue had been resolved. B.C. gun groups say they don’t know who to trust, and are waiting for the courts to clear the air, after the federal government’s new prohibitions led to confusion over the status of some firearms and prompted the RCMP to spell out their own views. “Tweets and news conferences do not change the law,” he said. “Who are we to believe? The law? Different authorities’ different interpretations of the law? ... Confusion rules the day.” Bancroft said he has been doing 3 Gun, a shooting sport where competitors run through staged areas and fire at targets, for about eight years. He said he lost faith in the process after the government portrayed his AR-15 as something meant only for soldiers.
If these guns were not meant for sports, he said, then “why was I issued that authority (by the RCMP) to transport that firearm for competitive sports all those years?” Park board verifying Nine O'Clock Gun status On Wednesday, Conservative MP Blaine Calkins, the MP for Red Deer-Lacombe, asked Blair during a Parliament Hill meeting of the special committee on COVID-19 whether the new prohibitions would include the Nine O’Clock Gun.
The cannon is now used to signal the time and is usually fired every day at 9 p.m. Throughout April, it fired two hours earlier, in solidarity with the daily cheer in support of local health-care workers fighting the pandemic. “Can the minister advise the public of the safety risks that this cannon — which was manufactured in 1816 — poses to the public?” asked Calkins. Blair responded that he assumed the member was referring to the prohibition of grenade launchers. A variety of anti-tank weapons, rocket launchers and other high-powered guns are included in the two general clauses on energy and bore diameter.


nationalobserver--2020-05-15--Lac La Ronge facing its first presumptive case of COVID-19

A resident of the Lac La Ronge area has been identified as the first presumptive case of COVID-19 in the community .
The individual was tested at the La Ronge Health Centre on Wednesday after developing symptoms .
While there is an ongoing coronavirus crisis in the La Loche area in northwest Saskatchewan , this would be the first case of COVID-19 in the Lac La Ronge area , which is in the northeast .
La Loche is dealing with a severe outbreak of the virus after it was brought to the community by workers moving back and forth from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lac La Ronge and the surrounding communities of La Ronge and Air Ronge have been spared from COVID-19 .
However , residents are afraid of spreading of the virus spreading in the community .
The Lac La Ronge First Nation is located between the Northern Village of Air Ronge and the Town of La Ronge .
Thursday saw the first presumptive case of COVID-19 in the area .
Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock .
Lac La Ronge Indian Band executive director Gladys Christiansen told National Observer earlier this month that crowded housing is an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wants to extend U.S. travel ban • 'Alberta didn ’ t contain it ' : COVID-19 outbreak at oilsands camp has spread across the country She said an outbreak would be “ devastating.
” Crowded living conditions are a risk factor for the transmission of COVID-19 because when more than one person sleeps in the same room , the virus can spread between family members .
Residents in the Lac La Ronge area experience more severe crowded housing conditions compared to residents in La Loche , according to an analysis of data from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canadian Institute for Health Information .
The La Ronge Medical Clinic serves La Ronge , Lac La Ronge and Air Ronge residents .
Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock .
“ We have just been advised that there is a presumptive case ( of COVID-19 ) in the Lac La Ronge area … We have procedures in place for when cases are identified in the community , LLRIB Emergency Control Group communications co-ordinator Kevin Roberts told National Observer on Thursday .
The Lac La Ronge area ’ s crowded housing rate is more than three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to Statistics Canada data and the Canadian Institute for Health Information .
Roberts urged residents to remain calm and follow physical-distancing guidelines .
He said it ’ s important to follow the rules laid out in the public health order for northern Saskatchewan and to avoid unnecessary travel .
“ We want the public to continue being diligent .
We all need to do our part for the greater good of our community .
I know there ’ s a lot of panic right now and I think we just need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot of work put into place behind the scenes to address these situations , ” Roberts said .
A “ no visitors ” policy remains in effect for Lac La Ronge , with access to the reserve area limited to residents only .
“ We do have an emergency response plan that we activated back on March 20 , so we ’ ve been at this quite awhile and are prepared for situations like this .
We ’ re at a comfortable point where we can address and handle the situation , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority and Saskatchewan Health Authority public health officials have confirmed that a contact-tracing investigation is underway .
The following customers are advised to self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 • Co-op Gas Bar , La Ronge – May 4 to May 11 • Keethanow Supermarket , La Ronge – May 5 to May 8 • Cravings Late Night Food , Air Ronge – May 1 to May 9 Residents should self-isolate and call HealthLine at 811 or their community health centre if they develop any of those symptoms .
The Saskatchewan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there are five new confirmed cases of COVID-19 , bringing the provincial total to 582 ; 178 of which are considered active .
Four of the new cases are in the far north and one is in the Regina region .

A resident of the Lac La Ronge area has been identified as the first presumptive case of COVID-19 in the community. The individual was tested at the La Ronge Health Centre on Wednesday after developing symptoms. While there is an ongoing coronavirus crisis in the La Loche area in northwest Saskatchewan, this would be the first case of COVID-19 in the Lac La Ronge area, which is in the northeast. La Loche is dealing with a severe outbreak of the virus after it was brought to the community by workers moving back and forth from the Alberta oilsands. So far, Lac La Ronge and the surrounding communities of La Ronge and Air Ronge have been spared from COVID-19. However, residents are afraid of spreading of the virus spreading in the community. The Lac La Ronge First Nation is located between the Northern Village of Air Ronge and the Town of La Ronge. Thursday saw the first presumptive case of COVID-19 in the area. Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock.
Lac La Ronge Indian Band executive director Gladys Christiansen told National Observer earlier this month that crowded housing is an issue on the reserve. She said an outbreak would be “devastating.” Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Crowded living conditions are a risk factor for the transmission of COVID-19 because when more than one person sleeps in the same room, the virus can spread between family members.
Residents in the Lac La Ronge area experience more severe crowded housing conditions compared to residents in La Loche, according to an analysis of data from Statistics Canada's 2016 census and the Canadian Institute for Health Information. The Lac La Ronge area’s crowded housing rate is more than three times higher than in La Loche, according to Statistics Canada data and the Canadian Institute for Health Information. The La Ronge Medical Clinic serves La Ronge, Lac La Ronge and Air Ronge residents. Photograph by Michael Bramadat-Willcock. “We have just been advised that there is a presumptive case (of COVID-19) in the Lac La Ronge area … We have procedures in place for when cases are identified in the community, LLRIB Emergency Control Group communications co-ordinator Kevin Roberts told National Observer on Thursday. Roberts urged residents to remain calm and follow physical-distancing guidelines. He said it’s important to follow the rules laid out in the public health order for northern Saskatchewan and to avoid unnecessary travel. “We want the public to continue being diligent. We all need to do our part for the greater good of our community. I know there’s a lot of panic right now and I think we just need to be mindful that there's been a lot of work put into place behind the scenes to address these situations,” Roberts said.
A “no visitors” policy remains in effect for Lac La Ronge, with access to the reserve area limited to residents only. “We do have an emergency response plan that we activated back on March 20, so we’ve been at this quite awhile and are prepared for situations like this. We’re at a comfortable point where we can address and handle the situation,” Roberts said. LLRIB Health Services, Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority and Saskatchewan Health Authority public health officials have confirmed that a contact-tracing investigation is underway.


nationalobserver--2020-05-15--Tŝilhqot'in Nation wraps 30-year fight with massive victory over Taseko Mines

As all six communities comprising the Tŝilhqot'in Nation continue to deal with COVID-19 , good news Thursday morning gave people something to celebrate .
The Supreme Court of Canada denied Taseko Mines Limited 's application for leave to appeal , shutting down its $ 1.5-billion proposed open-pit copper and gold mine for good , 30 years after the battle began .
“ It 's been a 30-year battle , involving former and current leaders , a long list of people dedicated to this , guided by our ancestors , ” elected Chief Jimmy Lulua of the Xeni Gwet'in community told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday .
“ Our war chiefs laid a bread-crumb path for us on how we should be fighting for our lands , laying it all on the line , and that is the mentality our nation carries .
We do n't know how to lose , we 'll go down fighting.
” Lulua has been chief of Xeni Gwet'in for the past two years .
He works with the other five elected chiefs , meeting over Zoom weekly and sometimes biweekly during COVID-19 to continue to stand as one unified nation , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first sigh of relief in 30 years , as all Tŝilhqot'in ( known in English as Chilcotin ) people can finally say their sacred Teẑtan Biny and Nabaŝ , ( Fish Lake and surrounding area ) will not be devastated by exploratory-mining activity .
These areas are used for cultural and spiritual activities , burial sites , Chinook and Sockeye salmon spawning grounds and a deer crossing where young people will shoot their first deer as a rite of passage .
Canada 's National Observer reached out to Taseko Mines for comment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response .
• Canada wants to extend U.S. travel ban • 'Alberta didn ’ t contain it ' : COVID-19 outbreak at oilsands camp has spread across the country Elected Chief Jimmy Lulua of the Xeni Gwet'in First Nation said he 's just a small part of what has been a decades-long fight taken up by his nation to protect a sacred elevated lake and surrounding area from mining activities .
Photo provided by Tŝilhqot'in National Government The Tŝilhqot'in people have always lived around and used the Teẑtan Bin ( Fish Lake ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , fishing , harvesting medicines , healing , ceremony and cultural camps .
Photo by River Voices Thursday 's news that the Supreme Court of Canada would not hear the leave to appeal is just the latest move in a decades-long legal ping-pong game .
Taseko ’ s “ New Prosperity mine ” has been rejected twice at the federal level , by former prime minister Stephen Harper , who led a Conservative government from Feb. 6 , 2006 , to Nov. 4 , 2015 .
Taseko ’ s original project ( then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received its environmental-assessment certificate from the Province of B.C.
, with 103 recommendations for the proponent , but the project was turned down at the federal level on July 2 , 2010 , due to its environmental and cultural impacts .
The company applied again , with modifications to its proposal , and on Sept. 29 , 2011 , the province granted approval to carry out “ exploratory work , ” sparking a blockade by Tŝilhqot'in Nation members .
A little over a month later , the federal government called for a review @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second independent panel , which in 2014 concluded the proposal carried too many adverse effects .
Ottawa rejected the project a second time .
Taseko filed in court for judicial review of the federal panel ’ s report , and later filed a review of the rejection .
On Jan. 14 , 2015 , the province granted a five-year extension of the environmental-assessment certificate .
In 2016 , Taseko started to prepare a new exploratory program , several times the scale and magnitude of the drilling program that faced a blockade in 2011 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the Tŝilhqot'in on the grounds the activity was for a mine that had been rejected twice .
The exploratory-drilling program includes construction of 367 trenches or test pits , 122 geotechnical drill sites , 48 kilometres of new excavated trails , 28 km of existing-access modification , 20 km of cut lines , more than 1,000 square metres of timber cuts , a 50-person camp with 11 mobile trailer units , a base-camp staging area , storage of up to 10,000 litres of fuel on-site , seven water-pump locations , a temporary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ traverses .
On July 17 , 2017 , the drilling program was approved by Rick Adams , a senior inspector for permitting with the province 's ministry of energy , mines and petroleum resources .
Taseko ’ s plans to proceed that year were thwarted by not just the Tŝilhqot'in appealing the approval in court , but also court proceedings brought by the federal government , which unsuccessfully argued in the B.C .
Supreme Court of Appeal that the magnitude and purpose of the drilling program constituted the company actually beginning construction of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 , when Canada failed to block the drilling , the Tŝilhqot'in reactivated their court proceedings .
On March 1 , 2019 , the B.C .
Court of Appeal disagreed with the Tŝilhqot ’ in and upheld the drilling permit .
The nation filed an injunction from the B.C .
Court of Appeal on March 22 , 2019 , which was granted on Sept. 6 , 2019 .
In December , the Federal Court of Appeal dismissed the company 's appeals of the 2013 panel report and 2014 federal rejection of New Prosperity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leave to appeal these decisions in the highest level of Canadian courts .
Finally , on May 14 of this year , the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed the proponent 's application for leave to appeal , shutting down the massive mining project and all associated activities in Tŝilhqot'in territories for good .
“ This has been a spiritual fight .
This is a legal fight , Lulua said .
“ The wars have changed , but now we are laying a bread-crumb path for the next generation to follow , or even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do n't know any other nations that have defeated a mining company of this size.
” “ We ’ re at war for our water .
Our sacred water .
Not only for us , for the salmon , for the wildlife , for the farmers , for everyone — everything relies on water , '' Lulua said during a water ceremony at Teẑtan Biny on March 15 , 2019 .
Photo by Emilee Gilpin  “ It is a good day for Aboriginal rights and title ” In 2014 , the Tŝilhqot'in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have proven Aboriginal rights and title in the highest level of court in a case that took 25 years .
It became a landmark decision in a country that continues to grapple with land claims , treaties , rights , title , territorial relationships and pre-existing Indigenous systems of governance .
Just as the 2014 rights and title victory was a big day for the Tŝilhqot'in people , Lulua said this win against Taseko Mines is also history in the making .
The Tŝilhqot'in people are governed by traditional laws and governance , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chiefs , many who laid down their lives to protect their rights , title , territories and ways of life .
The Tŝilhqot'in make decisions guided by elders , women 's council , elected leaders and knowledge carriers , and community meetings are rich with the Tŝilhqot'in language .
“ It shows what you can accomplish when you are a united nation , ” Lulua said .

As all six communities comprising the Tŝilhqot'in Nation continue to deal with COVID-19, good news Thursday morning gave people something to celebrate. The Supreme Court of Canada denied Taseko Mines Limited's application for leave to appeal, shutting down its $1.5-billion proposed open-pit copper and gold mine for good, 30 years after the battle began. “It's been a 30-year battle, involving former and current leaders, a long list of people dedicated to this, guided by our ancestors,” elected Chief Jimmy Lulua of the Xeni Gwet'in community told Canada's National Observer over the phone Friday. “Our war chiefs laid a bread-crumb path for us on how we should be fighting for our lands, laying it all on the line, and that is the mentality our nation carries. We don't know how to lose, we'll go down fighting.” Lulua has been chief of Xeni Gwet'in for the past two years. He works with the other five elected chiefs, meeting over Zoom weekly and sometimes biweekly during COVID-19 to continue to stand as one unified nation, he said. This massive victory has been the first sigh of relief in 30 years, as all Tŝilhqot'in (known in English as Chilcotin) people can finally say their sacred Teẑtan Biny and Nabaŝ, (Fish Lake and surrounding area) will not be devastated by exploratory-mining activity. These areas are used for cultural and spiritual activities, burial sites, Chinook and Sockeye salmon spawning grounds and a deer crossing where young people will shoot their first deer as a rite of passage. Canada's National Observer reached out to Taseko Mines for comment, but has yet to receive a response.
Elected Chief Jimmy Lulua of the Xeni Gwet'in First Nation said he's just a small part of what has been a decades-long fight taken up by his nation to protect a sacred elevated lake and surrounding area from mining activities. Photo provided by Tŝilhqot'in National Government  Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The Tŝilhqot'in people have always lived around and used the Teẑtan Bin (Fish Lake) and the surrounding area; for hunting, fishing, harvesting medicines, healing, ceremony and cultural camps. Photo by River Voices
Thursday's news that the Supreme Court of Canada would not hear the leave to appeal is just the latest move in a decades-long legal ping-pong game. Taseko’s “New Prosperity mine” has been rejected twice at the federal level, by former prime minister Stephen Harper, who led a Conservative government from Feb. 6, 2006, to Nov. 4, 2015. Taseko’s original project (then called the “Prosperity mine”) received its environmental-assessment certificate from the Province of B.C., with 103 recommendations for the proponent, but the project was turned down at the federal level on July 2, 2010, due to its environmental and cultural impacts. The company applied again, with modifications to its proposal, and on Sept. 29, 2011, the province granted approval to carry out “exploratory work,” sparking a blockade by Tŝilhqot'in Nation members. A little over a month later, the federal government called for a review of the New Prosperity mine by a second independent panel, which in 2014 concluded the proposal carried too many adverse effects. Ottawa rejected the project a second time. Taseko filed in court for judicial review of the federal panel’s report, and later filed a review of the rejection. On Jan. 14, 2015, the province granted a five-year extension of the environmental-assessment certificate. In 2016, Taseko started to prepare a new exploratory program, several times the scale and magnitude of the drilling program that faced a blockade in 2011. This new drilling program was rejected by the Tŝilhqot'in on the grounds the activity was for a mine that had been rejected twice.
The exploratory-drilling program includes construction of 367 trenches or test pits, 122 geotechnical drill sites, 48 kilometres of new excavated trails, 28 km of existing-access modification, 20 km of cut lines, more than 1,000 square metres of timber cuts, a 50-person camp with 11 mobile trailer units, a base-camp staging area, storage of up to 10,000 litres of fuel on-site, seven water-pump locations, a temporary core shed and 15 km of seismic-refraction traverses. On July 17, 2017, the drilling program was approved by Rick Adams, a senior inspector for permitting with the province's ministry of energy, mines and petroleum resources. Taseko’s plans to proceed that year were thwarted by not just the Tŝilhqot'in appealing the approval in court, but also court proceedings brought by the federal government, which unsuccessfully argued in the B.C. Supreme Court of Appeal that the magnitude and purpose of the drilling program constituted the company actually beginning construction of the rejected New Prosperity mine. In 2018, when Canada failed to block the drilling, the Tŝilhqot'in reactivated their court proceedings. On March 1, 2019, the B.C. Court of Appeal disagreed with the Tŝilhqot’in and upheld the drilling permit. The nation filed an injunction from the B.C. Court of Appeal on March 22, 2019, which was granted on Sept. 6, 2019. In December, the Federal Court of Appeal dismissed the company's appeals of the 2013 panel report and 2014 federal rejection of New Prosperity, to which the company applied for leave to appeal these decisions in the highest level of Canadian courts.


nationalobserver--2020-05-15--B.C. prepares for phase 2 of reopening as U.S. border remains shut

B.C .
is preparing to enter the second phase of its economic reopening plan following the Victoria Day long weekend , while some businesses in the province wait to hear more details about any future plan to reopen the Canada-U.S. border to tourism .
For the owner of one restaurant in White Rock , the idea of the B.C.-Washington border opening again is something that would negatively affect customers .
Most of the clientele are seniors who live nearby , the owner said , and their continued business depends on their confidence that the area remains relatively free of COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worried about it .
We ’ re very close to the border , ” said the owner who declined to give their name .
“ This area is very safe and my clients feel very safe .
But if the border opens , I don ’ t know what will happen .
So I think we ’ re worried.
” For other businesses in the tourism and hospitality industry , the uncertainty over when the border will reopen is making it hard to plan for the future .
• Canada wants to extend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t contain it ' : COVID-19 outbreak at oilsands camp has spread across the country Muriel Protzer , senior policy analyst for B.C .
for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business , said it is very difficult for right now for those businesses to figure out if they should even open at all this season .
“ While we do still have quite a sufficient flow of goods coming from and to our neighbours down south , what I think is really going to hurt businesses going forward is that tourism industry , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so heavily rely on people coming over the border , visiting Metro Vancouver , or wherever else in B.C .
that you ’ re visiting.
” The entire Canada-U.S. border remains closed to foreign nationals including U.S. citizens for all non-essential travel , including tourism or recreation .
That includes Americans who want to check on cottages or seasonal homes in B.C.
, the Canada Border Services Agency reminded travellers on Thursday .
A deal in place between the two countries to keep the border closed expires on May 21 , but media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are likely to extend the travel ban another month , until June 21 .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday that “ every country ” recognizes that its control over its domestic public health situation is “ vulnerable to international travelers.
” For the owner of one restaurant in White Rock , the idea of the B.C.-Washington border opening again is something that would negatively affect customers .
As Canada continues to manage the spread of COVID-19 , he added , “ we want to make sure we ’ re not becoming vulnerable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million people are infected with the coronavirus in the U.S. and over 85,000 have died .
Washington state is reporting 16,790 active cases as of Thursday .
“ Everyone is coming into my store and asking , ‘ Do you have any people who have tested positive ?
’ and I say no , which is why people feel safe , right ?
” said the White Rock restaurant owner .
“ But if the border opens , since the situation is very bad in the U.S. , I think they will worry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Premier John Horgan has said Phase 2 of the province ’ s Restart Plan could kick off next week .
That means everything from allowing “ small social gatherings ” to opening more health services , stores and restaurants , as well as some sports and cultural sites like museums .
On Thursday , BC Parks reopened a range of trails , beaches and picnic areas for day use .
But Horgan has also cautioned that not everything would be immediately ready to go on Tuesday .
This week , the province extended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks , indicating the government believes “ we are far from out of the woods , '' according to Horgan , in fighting the coronavirus across the province .
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry asked B.C.ers to avoid travel during the long weekend .
There were 15 new cases of COVID-19 announced on Thursday , and across the province , there were 372 active cases , 58 of which were in hospital 12 in intensive care .
In the four phases of B.C.
’ s reopening plan , only the fourth phase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it refers to opening up “ international tourism.
” But unlike Phase 2 and Phase 3 , the fourth phase has no date range connected with it .
Protzer said a survey of CFIB members showed 25 per cent felt like they were being “ left behind ” in the economic reopening plan .
She said the results speak to the fact that , while it was important for a plan to be in place , a lack of dates creates further uncertainty for business owners .
As for border towns , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not just business owners , about whether it was safe to reopen the border .
“ I think that ’ s where we really need to leave this in the hands of the provincial health officer , their concern for the health and safety of Canadians is at the forefront of their minds , ” she said .

B.C. is preparing to enter the second phase of its economic reopening plan following the Victoria Day long weekend, while some businesses in the province wait to hear more details about any future plan to reopen the Canada-U.S. border to tourism. For the owner of one restaurant in White Rock, the idea of the B.C.-Washington border opening again is something that would negatively affect customers. Most of the clientele are seniors who live nearby, the owner said, and their continued business depends on their confidence that the area remains relatively free of COVID-19. “We’re a bit worried about it. We’re very close to the border,” said the owner who declined to give their name. “This area is very safe and my clients feel very safe. But if the border opens, I don’t know what will happen. So I think we’re worried.” For other businesses in the tourism and hospitality industry, the uncertainty over when the border will reopen is making it hard to plan for the future.
Muriel Protzer, senior policy analyst for B.C. for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said it is very difficult for right now for those businesses to figure out if they should even open at all this season. “While we do still have quite a sufficient flow of goods coming from and to our neighbours down south, what I think is really going to hurt businesses going forward is that tourism industry,” said Protzer. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “Those industries so heavily rely on people coming over the border, visiting Metro Vancouver, or wherever else in B.C. that you’re visiting.”
The entire Canada-U.S. border remains closed to foreign nationals including U.S. citizens for all non-essential travel, including tourism or recreation. That includes Americans who want to check on cottages or seasonal homes in B.C., the Canada Border Services Agency reminded travellers on Thursday. For the owner of one restaurant in White Rock, the idea of the B.C.-Washington border opening again is something that would negatively affect customers. A deal in place between the two countries to keep the border closed expires on May 21, but media reports this week indicated the two countries are likely to extend the travel ban another month, until June 21. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday that “every country” recognizes that its control over its domestic public health situation is “vulnerable to international travelers.” As Canada continues to manage the spread of COVID-19, he added, “we want to make sure we’re not becoming vulnerable from travelers arriving elsewhere.” Over 1.4 million people are infected with the coronavirus in the U.S. and over 85,000 have died. Washington state was reporting 16,790 confirmed cases as of Thursday.
“Everyone is coming into my store and asking, ‘Do you have any people who have tested positive?’ and I say no, which is why people feel safe, right?” said the White Rock restaurant owner. “But if the border opens, since the situation is very bad in the U.S., I think they will worry about it.” Meanwhile, B.C. Premier John Horgan has said Phase 2 of the province’s Restart Plan could kick off next week.