nationalobserver--2020-10-03--Trump's infection underscores perils of negativity

The perils of America 's fractured , partisan approach to the COVID-19 pandemic finally caught up Friday with U.S. President Donald Trump , now infected with the very virus that for months has threatened to end his tumultuous tenure in the White House .
Trump delivered the news via Twitter early Friday morning , saying both he and wife Melania had tested positive ⏤ a revelation greeted around the world with shock if not surprise , given the president 's apparent disdain for basic precautions .
World leaders responded with a tide of best wishes and speedy-recovery sentiments , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's explosive debate performance just four days ago .
The diagnosis , doubtless a major setback for Trump 's scramble to catch Democrat challenger Joe Biden before the Nov. 3 election , offers a dramatic reminder about the risks of campaigning during a pandemic .
`` Obviously , there is an election going on in the United States where the stances or approaches on COVID-19 have been a polarized political issue , '' said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau , urging Trump and Melania to get well quickly .
• Solar energy firms in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • New data shows extent of opioid crisis across Canada • The soil revolution that could save farming and the climate `` In Canada , we 've been extremely lucky that it has not ⏤ that there has been a concerted effort , across orders of government , across political parties , to work together to be there for Canadians and to get this virus under control .
`` We 're certainly going to continue with that in Canada , '' he added , `` and we recommend it as a path for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The president and Melania are both experiencing `` mild symptoms , '' said White House chief of staff Mark Meadows , himself having tested negative , as a frenzied cascade of impromptu contact-tracing efforts unspooled on cable news networks .
Friday 's news came hours after the White House confirmed that Hope Hicks , one of the president 's closest and most trusted advisers , had tested positive for COVID-19 after several days spent travelling in close quarters with the commander-in-chief .
As the supper hour approached , following reports that Trump 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Sikorsky Sea King helicopter designated Marine One was parked on the south lawn , waiting to transport the president to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center .
`` President Trump remains in good spirits , has mild symptoms , and has been working throughout the day , '' press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement .
With Trump in quarantine , Monday 's vice-presidential debate between Pence and Biden running mate Sen. Kamala Harris will now surely be seen in a different , more urgent light , said former Ohio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of an abundance of caution , and at the recommendation of his physician and medical experts , the president will be working from the presidential offices at Walter Reed for the next few days . ''
Leaders in B.C .
and Saskatchewan , two provinces embroiled in election campaigns of their own , sought to demonstrate Friday that the democratic process can indeed unfold safely , albeit differently , amid COVID-19 .
Campaigning can be done `` without the glitz and the glamour of big rallies and people waving signs , and so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leader John Horgan .
Horgan 's Liberal rival Andrew Wilkinson said he has been plying the campaign trail in a separate vehicle , and ensures he wears a mask off-camera and that staff members gather only in small groups .
`` This is our duty … to make sure that we are maintaining a healthy working environment through the campaign , '' Wilkinson said .
Canada 's provincial leaders also have an inherent advantage in terms of scale , said Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe .
`` We are in a truck , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staying in one province , not travelling across the nation , '' he said .
`` We are not holding large rallies , we are limiting the number of people at each of our events and we are physically distancing , as you can see at each of our events . ''
With the virus inside the West Wing 's perimeter , the day-to-day operations of the Trump administration writ large will also be tested , said Brett Bruen , a consultant and former U.S. diplomat who worked as an adviser in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a serious risk right now of having a significant portion of the White House staff and the staff of the National Security Council off the field , '' Bruen said .
`` That also raises a lot of serious questions about the leadership of the United States and the dangers for our country . ''
Vice-President Mike Pence , who would be first in line to take over on an acting basis should the president be unable to discharge his duties , has tested negative , along with his wife Karen .
With @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debate between Pence and Biden running mate Sen. Kamala Harris will now surely be seen in a different , more urgent light , said former Ohio state senator Capri Cafaro .
`` People always say vice-presidential picks are often chosen for political purposes or for calculus on the Electoral College , '' said Cafaro , who 's now executive in residence at the American University School of Public Affairs in Washington , D.C. `` This vice-presidential debate is absolutely going to be seen as , 'Is this undercard debate really the main event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , whose perspective on Trump has evolved from largely supportive to sternly critical over the course of the pandemic , joined the chorus of well-wishers as only he can .
`` Everyone knows I 've had my differences with President Trump ; I 've called him out , but believe me , I would n't want this to happen to my worst enemy , '' Ford said .
`` We may have our political differences , but it 's no time — let 's put it aside . ''
This report by The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2020 .
⏤ With files from Kelly Geraldine Malone in Moose Jaw , Sask.
, Amy Smart in Squamish , B.C.
, Elizabeth Leighton in Vancouver and Shawn Jeffords in Toronto .

The perils of America's fractured, partisan approach to the COVID-19 pandemic finally caught up Friday with U.S. President Donald Trump, now infected with the very virus that for months has threatened to end his tumultuous tenure in the White House. Trump delivered the news via Twitter early Friday morning, saying both he and wife Melania had tested positive ⏤ a revelation greeted around the world with shock if not surprise, given the president's apparent disdain for basic precautions. World leaders responded with a tide of best wishes and speedy-recovery sentiments, an about-face from the angst that greeted Trump's explosive debate performance just four days ago. The diagnosis, doubtless a major setback for Trump's scramble to catch Democrat challenger Joe Biden before the Nov. 3 election, offers a dramatic reminder about the risks of campaigning during a pandemic. "Obviously, there is an election going on in the United States where the stances or approaches on COVID-19 have been a polarized political issue," said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, urging Trump and Melania to get well quickly.
"In Canada, we've been extremely lucky that it has not ⏤ that there has been a concerted effort, across orders of government, across political parties, to work together to be there for Canadians and to get this virus under control. "We're certainly going to continue with that in Canada," he added, "and we recommend it as a path for people all around the world." Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The president and Melania are both experiencing "mild symptoms," said White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, himself having tested negative, as a frenzied cascade of impromptu contact-tracing efforts unspooled on cable news networks.
Friday's news came hours after the White House confirmed that Hope Hicks, one of the president's closest and most trusted advisers, had tested positive for COVID-19 after several days spent travelling in close quarters with the commander-in-chief. With Trump in quarantine, Monday's vice-presidential debate between Pence and Biden running mate Sen. Kamala Harris will now surely be seen in a different, more urgent light, said former Ohio state senator Capri Cafaro. As the supper hour approached, following reports that Trump's "mild symptoms" included a fever, the Sikorsky Sea King helicopter designated Marine One was parked on the south lawn, waiting to transport the president to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. "President Trump remains in good spirits, has mild symptoms, and has been working throughout the day," press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement. "Out of an abundance of caution, and at the recommendation of his physician and medical experts, the president will be working from the presidential offices at Walter Reed for the next few days." Leaders in B.C. and Saskatchewan, two provinces embroiled in election campaigns of their own, sought to demonstrate Friday that the democratic process can indeed unfold safely, albeit differently, amid COVID-19.
Campaigning can be done "without the glitz and the glamour of big rallies and people waving signs, and so on," said B.C. NDP Leader John Horgan. Horgan's Liberal rival Andrew Wilkinson said he has been plying the campaign trail in a separate vehicle, and ensures he wears a mask off-camera and that staff members gather only in small groups. "This is our duty … to make sure that we are maintaining a healthy working environment through the campaign," Wilkinson said.


nationalobserver--2020-10-04--Feds to reintroduce assisted dying bill Monday

Facing a looming court-imposed deadline , the federal government will reintroduce Monday legislation to amend Canada 's law on medical assistance in dying .
The government has until Dec. 18 to amend the law to comply with a Quebec court ruling last fall , which found it was unconstitutional to allow only those whose natural death is `` reasonably foreseeable '' to be able to get medical help to end their suffering .
Justice Minister David Lametti introduced a bill in response to that ruling last February but it did n't get beyond the initial stage of the legislative process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
That bill died when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prorogued Parliament last month .
Lametti has now given notice that a new bill — presumably identical to the previous one — will be introduced on Monday .
• The soil revolution that could save farming and the climate • Solar energy firms in B.C .
say market at tipping point His office has said Lametti is determined to meet the Dec. 18 deadline , which has already been extended twice by the court .
That leaves just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is bound to be controversial , through both the Commons and the Senate .
The previous bill scrapped reasonably foreseeable death as a requirement for an assisted death .
Nevertheless , it retained the concept in setting out easier eligibility rules for those who are near death and more stringent rules for those who are n't .
For those deemed to be near death , the government is proposing to drop the requirement that a person must wait 10 days after being approved for an assisted death before receiving the procedure .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ witnesses required to one from two .
As well , it is proposes to drop the requirement that a person must be able to give consent a second time immediately prior to receiving the procedure .
People not near death would face higher hurdles .
Such people would face a minimum 90-day period for assessments of their requests for an assisted death .
One of the two medical practitioners who assesses a request would have to have expertise in the person ’ s particular medical condition .
And the person would have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prior to the assisted death .
Facing a looming court-imposed deadline , the federal government will reintroduce on Monday , October 5 , 2020 , legislation to amend Canada 's law on medical assistance in dying .
The bill also explicitly prohibited assisted dying in cases where mental illness is the sole underlying medical condition .
Some legal experts and advocates for medically assisted dying feared the bill would actually make it harder than the existing law for some people to receive the procedure , or even take away their access to it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Press was first published Oct. 2 , 2020 .

Facing a looming court-imposed deadline, the federal government will reintroduce Monday legislation to amend Canada's law on medical assistance in dying. The government has until Dec. 18 to amend the law to comply with a Quebec court ruling last fall, which found it was unconstitutional to allow only those whose natural death is "reasonably foreseeable" to be able to get medical help to end their suffering. Justice Minister David Lametti introduced a bill in response to that ruling last February but it didn't get beyond the initial stage of the legislative process before the House of Commons adjourned in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That bill died when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prorogued Parliament last month. Lametti has now given notice that a new bill — presumably identical to the previous one — will be introduced on Monday.
His office has said Lametti is determined to meet the Dec. 18 deadline, which has already been extended twice by the court. That leaves just two months to get the bill, which is bound to be controversial, through both the Commons and the Senate. The previous bill scrapped reasonably foreseeable death as a requirement for an assisted death. Nevertheless, it retained the concept in setting out easier eligibility rules for those who are near death and more stringent rules for those who aren't. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions For those deemed to be near death, the government is proposing to drop the requirement that a person must wait 10 days after being approved for an assisted death before receiving the procedure. It would also reduce the number of witnesses required to one from two.
As well, it is proposes to drop the requirement that a person must be able to give consent a second time immediately prior to receiving the procedure. Facing a looming court-imposed deadline, the federal government will reintroduce on Monday, October 5, 2020, legislation to amend Canada's law on medical assistance in dying. People not near death would face higher hurdles. Such people would face a minimum 90-day period for assessments of their requests for an assisted death. One of the two medical practitioners who assesses a request would have to have expertise in the person’s particular medical condition. And the person would have to be able to give final consent immediately prior to the assisted death. The bill also explicitly prohibited assisted dying in cases where mental illness is the sole underlying medical condition. Some legal experts and advocates for medically assisted dying feared the bill would actually make it harder than the existing law for some people to receive the procedure, or even take away their access to it entirely.


nationalobserver--2020-10-04--Greens choose Toronto's Annamie Paul as new leader

Green Party of Canada members have chosen Toronto 's Annamie Paul as their new leader .
Paul won a bare majority of votes in the eighth round , defeating Dimitri Lascaris .
Paul , who is Black and Jewish , took the microphone in an Ottawa art gallery after her win was announced and declared herself the descendant of slaves and an ally of those , such as Indigenous people , who are fighting for justice .
She stands on the shoulders of female leaders like the NDP ’ s Audrey McLaughlin and the Conservatives ’ Kim Campbell , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jean Augustine , she said .
`` Tonight , we have to recognize that this is an historic moment , '' Paul said .
• The soil revolution that could save farming and the climate • Solar energy firms in B.C .
say market at tipping point `` We as Greens , once again , are leading the way .
We have done something that has never been done before in Canadian politics , and I congratulate us . ''
Paul is a non-practising lawyer who has spent much of her career in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Criminal Court and in Canada 's mission to the European Union .
She said she ’ s driven in politics partly by her father ’ s death of an avoidable infection in May , especially as we face a crisis in the earth ’ s climate and a planet ravaged by COVID-19 .
`` We must constantly ask ourselves , what is a life worth ? ''
she said .
We ’ re seeing the price of recklessness in floods , wild fires , and the boom-and-bust cycles in resource-extraction industries , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t know what to do .
`` They are intellectually exhausted and they are out of ideas , '' she said .
Green Party of Canada members have chosen Toronto 's Annamie Paul as their new leader .
The moment calls for boldness and audacity , she said .
`` We have a good-news story , '' she said .
`` This is the chance of a lifetime for us to move toward a more just , a more resilient society . ''
Nearly 35,000 people were eligible to vote , almost 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election in 2006 , and nearly 24,000 ballots were cast , according to the party .
The Greens used a ranked-ballot voting system , which quickly redistributed members ’ second-choice votes if their first-choice candidate came last and was cut .
Paul took 12,090 votes on the last ballot , just more than the 11,939 needed to win .
Paul led on the first few ballots , slipped behind Lascaris for two , and then regained a lead she never gave up on the sixth .
Yellowknife doctor Courtney Howard came a distant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Murray finished fourth .
The race suffered several hiccups , including the disqualification of one candidate , the disqualification and then reinstatement of a second , and a bookkeeping error that the party says kept thousands of dollars in donations out Murray 's coffers .
Paul succeeds Elizabeth May , who stepped down last fall after leading the party for 13 years .
May ’ s electoral success has masked divisions in the party , whose members ’ environmentalism ranges from business-minded support for market mechanisms to cut pollution to ecosocialism that rejects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
May will remain a force in the party , as she is still one of its three MPs and as of now , intends to remain as parliamentary leader in the House of Commons .
Before the race concluded , she emphasized that given the latitude the Greens afford their MPs , the new leader wouldn ’ t be her boss .
May gave something of a farewell speech as leader before the results were announced , though she officially turned over the top job to interim leader Jo-Ann Roberts after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all she ’ s done .
The two gave each other socially distanced hugs , their arms encircling air as they stood well apart .
May was the Greens ' first elected MP in 2011 and since then the party caucus has grown to three .
Greens are the Opposition in Prince Edward Island , held the balance of power in British Columbia and elected an MPP in Ontario .
`` I am deeply aware of the reality that although people talk about me as if I did all this stuff , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of a movement , '' May said .
She paid tribute to provincial Green leaders , especially B.C .
's Sonia Furstenau , who is in the middle of an election campaign .
Her voice cracking at times , May condemned the world 's continued inaction on climate change and the rise of white supremacy as a political ideology .
`` The leader of this party must continue to shine a light on hypocrisy , '' she said .
`` We do n't have time for despair — it 's an enormous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greens stand for pharmacare and a universal basic income , she said , as concrete expressions of Canadian values of caring for each other .
The country needs more Greens in office to fight those fights and stand up for science , especially in the era of a global pandemic , she said .
The losing candidates for the federal leadership have all expressed interest in seeking House of Commons seats all the same .
Paul is the first to do that , after being acclaimed the Green candidate for the Toronto Centre @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3 , 2020 .

Green Party of Canada members have chosen Toronto's Annamie Paul as their new leader. Paul won a bare majority of votes in the eighth round, defeating Dimitri Lascaris. Paul, who is Black and Jewish, took the microphone in an Ottawa art gallery after her win was announced and declared herself the descendant of slaves and an ally of those, such as Indigenous people, who are fighting for justice. She stands on the shoulders of female leaders like the NDP’s Audrey McLaughlin and the Conservatives’ Kim Campbell, and Black female leaders like the Liberals’ Jean Augustine, she said. "Tonight, we have to recognize that this is an historic moment," Paul said.
"We as Greens, once again, are leading the way. We have done something that has never been done before in Canadian politics, and I congratulate us." Paul is a non-practising lawyer who has spent much of her career in international institutions, including at the International Criminal Court and in Canada's mission to the European Union. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions She said she’s driven in politics partly by her father’s death of an avoidable infection in May, especially as we face a crisis in the earth’s climate and a planet ravaged by COVID-19.
"We must constantly ask ourselves, what is a life worth?" she said. Green Party of Canada members have chosen Toronto's Annamie Paul as their new leader. We’re seeing the price of recklessness in floods, wild fires, and the boom-and-bust cycles in resource-extraction industries, she said, and current politicians don’t know what to do. "They are intellectually exhausted and they are out of ideas," she said. The moment calls for boldness and audacity, she said. "We have a good-news story," she said. "This is the chance of a lifetime for us to move toward a more just, a more resilient society."
Nearly 35,000 people were eligible to vote, almost 10 times the turnout in the last leadership election in 2006, and nearly 24,000 ballots were cast, according to the party. The Greens used a ranked-ballot voting system, which quickly redistributed members’ second-choice votes if their first-choice candidate came last and was cut. Paul took 12,090 votes on the last ballot, just more than the 11,939 needed to win.


nationalobserver--2020-10-04--Canada is running out of time to prevent COVID-19 resurgence

Canada is running out of time to prevent a major resurgence of COVID-19 , the country 's chief public health officer said Saturday as its two most populous provinces continued to report some of their highest daily case counts in months .
The country 's chance to avert a COVID comeback `` narrows with each passing day , '' Dr. Theresa Tam said in a statement .
`` It is clear that without all of us making hard choices now to reduce our in-person contacts and maintain layers of personal protections at all times , it wo n't be enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tam said .
Her comments came as Quebec and Ontario continued moving toward harsher restrictions in coronavirus hot spots amid surging daily case counts .
Quebec reported 1,107 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday — the largest daily increase since the pandemic began , and the second straight day the province reported more than 1,000 cases .
• The soil revolution that could save farming and the climate • Solar energy firms in B.C .
say market at tipping point Ontario reported 653 new cases — down slightly from Friday 's record high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an ongoing `` data cleaning initiative '' at Toronto Public Health .
Tam cautioned that the epidemic growth is already stretching local public health and laboratory resources — a warning borne out by a number of developments in Ontario , where a backlog of tests considered `` under investigation '' has grown to more than 91,000 .
Public health officials in Toronto , meanwhile , announced that their case and contact management team is making a `` strategic shift '' to focus only on the highest-risk scenarios .
That move came as case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which is one of three Ontario COVID-19 hot spots where new public health restrictions kicked in on Saturday .
The provincial government announced Friday that Ottawa , Toronto and Peel Region would face tighter regulations .
Restaurants , bars , banquet halls and gyms in those areas will all face restrictions on their operations .
More restrictions could soon be imposed in hot spots of neighbouring Quebec as well , with the province planning to announce new rules for sporting activities and gyms on Monday .
The country 's chance to avert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passing day , '' Dr. Theresa Tam said in a statement .
Authorities already consider greater Montreal , Quebec City and a region south of the provincial capital to be in red alert — the highest pandemic alert level — and have placed those regions under a partial lockdown for 28 days .
`` If there was anyone who still needed proof that the situation is critical , we have it day after day , '' Premier Francois Legault said Friday .
Elsewhere in the country on Saturday , an outbreak of COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ British Columbia food distribution warehouse forced its closure .
The Fraser Health authority said in a statement that 23 employees at Valhalla Distribution in Delta have tested positive for coronavirus .
Public health officials in Manitoba said a woman in her 80s at a personal care home in Winnipeg has died , the third death associated with that outbreak .
The death of a man in his 70s connected with the outbreak was announced Friday , and a woman in her 90s died late last month .
And in New Brunswick , public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a person in their 20s in the Saint John region .
The case — only New Brunswick 's 201st — is related to travel from outside the so-called Atlantic bubble , and officials say the person is self-isolating .
Newfoundland and Labrador , meanwhile , reported a new death linked to the virus — only its fourth .
The government said the man in his 60s had travelled from Central Africa , via Toronto , and died while self-isolating in Deer Lake , N.L .

Canada is running out of time to prevent a major resurgence of COVID-19, the country's chief public health officer said Saturday as its two most populous provinces continued to report some of their highest daily case counts in months. The country's chance to avert a COVID comeback "narrows with each passing day," Dr. Theresa Tam said in a statement. "It is clear that without all of us making hard choices now to reduce our in-person contacts and maintain layers of personal protections at all times, it won't be enough to prevent a large resurgence," Tam said. Her comments came as Quebec and Ontario continued moving toward harsher restrictions in coronavirus hot spots amid surging daily case counts. Quebec reported 1,107 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday — the largest daily increase since the pandemic began, and the second straight day the province reported more than 1,000 cases.
Ontario reported 653 new cases — down slightly from Friday's record high of 732, and partially inflated by an ongoing "data cleaning initiative" at Toronto Public Health. Tam cautioned that the epidemic growth is already stretching local public health and laboratory resources — a warning borne out by a number of developments in Ontario, where a backlog of tests considered "under investigation" has grown to more than 91,000. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Public health officials in Toronto, meanwhile, announced that their case and contact management team is making a "strategic shift" to focus only on the highest-risk scenarios.
That move came as case counts continued to climb in the city, which is one of three Ontario COVID-19 hot spots where new public health restrictions kicked in on Saturday. The country's chance to avert a COVID comeback "narrows with each passing day," Dr. Theresa Tam said in a statement. The provincial government announced Friday that Ottawa, Toronto and Peel Region would face tighter regulations. Restaurants, bars, banquet halls and gyms in those areas will all face restrictions on their operations. More restrictions could soon be imposed in hot spots of neighbouring Quebec as well, with the province planning to announce new rules for sporting activities and gyms on Monday. Authorities already consider greater Montreal, Quebec City and a region south of the provincial capital to be in red alert — the highest pandemic alert level — and have placed those regions under a partial lockdown for 28 days. "If there was anyone who still needed proof that the situation is critical, we have it day after day," Premier Francois Legault said Friday.
Elsewhere in the country on Saturday, an outbreak of COVID-19 among almost two dozen staff at a British Columbia food distribution warehouse forced its closure. The Fraser Health authority said in a statement that 23 employees at Valhalla Distribution in Delta have tested positive for coronavirus. Public health officials in Manitoba said a woman in her 80s at a personal care home in Winnipeg has died, the third death associated with that outbreak. The death of a man in his 70s connected with the outbreak was announced Friday, and a woman in her 90s died late last month.


nationalobserver--2020-10-05--Bad Dreams on Burnaby Mountain: Threats of Oil Spills, Explosions and Killer Firestorms

Imagine living next door to an ammunition dump .
Imagine going to bed knowing that the dump could blow at any moment , creating a fireball that consumes buildings outside its borders , including your home .
Your children ’ s school is engulfed in flames and the only escape route from your neighbourhood has been blocked by a cloud of toxic smoke that makes escape impossible and death by inhalation likely .
Welcome to the lives of the folks who live and work on Burnaby Mountain , just below Simon Fraser University in B.C.
’ s Lower Mainland and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the end of the Trans Mountain ( formerly Kinder Morgan ) pipeline .
• The soil revolution that could save farming and the climate • Solar energy firms in B.C .
say market at tipping point • Canada is running out of time to prevent COVID-19 resurgence As faithful Canada 's National Observer readers will know , there are many good reasons to oppose the expansion of this pipeline and its tank farm .
The proposed expansion will mean a disastrous increase in greenhouse gas emissions , a death blow to hopes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and an end to hopes of Canada hitting our Paris Accord emission reduction targets .
The increased tanker traffic through Vancouver Harbour demanded by the expanded pipeline will increase the risk of marine accidents , spilling toxic petroleum products into the harbour .
( Full disclosure : I have been actively involved in opposing this project , and was arrested for civil disobedience at the tank farm gates in 2018 . )
But for folks on Burnaby Mountain , the issue is also personal .
The threat of a catastrophic boilover event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a column of flaming oil and toxic chemicals high into the air and down onto nearby homes and schools is causing sleepless nights on the mountain .
A boilover in a petroleum storage tank occurs when the contents have been set on fire and then burn down until the water accumulated at the bottom of the tank is turned to steam , creating a massive explosion .
Boilovers have occurred around the world in tank farms like the one on Burnaby Mountain .
“ I feel expendable , ” said Emily Corenblith , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tank farm .
“ We ’ re in a sacrifice zone.
” Corenblith added that the sacrifices imposed on Indigenous peoples by fossil fuel infrastructure projects were much worse than those she and her neighbours endure .
But still , “ I feel like our well-being doesn ’ t matter.
” The pipeline and its Burnaby tank farm were a bad idea in 1953 , when it was first built .
Video of Only one bear in a hundred bites , but they do n't come in order Bob Bossin , Canadian folk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dangers of tank farm explosions .
The notorious storage tank farm at the end of the Trans Mountain pipeline still scares residents .
The proposed expansion , hotly contested by Indigenous communities , environmentalists and threatened neighbours , is even worse .
In addition to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions , the expanded pipeline increases the danger of oil leaks along its 1,150 kilometre route , threatening more than 1,300 watercourses .
( For more detailed information about the proposed expansion and the Indigenous-led opposition , check out Protect the Inlet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Protectors at https : //www.coastprotectors.ca/ ) Retired speech language pathologist Karl Perrin lives one kilometre up slope from the tank farm in UniverCity , the planned community that borders the campus .
When Perrin and his wife Ann moved in , he says , “ We didn ’ t have a clue the tank farm existed.
” Perrin worries that a fire at the tank farm could strand him and his wife , who lives with asthma and could experience life-threatening complications in a smoky environment , on the mountaintop along with more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other UniverCity residents .
He worries that escape on the only road off the mountain would be blocked by fire and the plume of toxins and smoke it would create .
As a 2016 study conducted for Simon Fraser University by PGL Environmental Consultants concludes : “ ... there is an increased risk to SFU from the ( Trans Mountain Expansion Project ) .
” Roslyn Hart has lived near Burnaby Mountain for 40 years .
While her home is a 20-minute walk from the tank farm , she says it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” a phrase used by several Burnaby Mountain residents concerned about fire among overcrowded fuel tanks and how it could reach into their neighborhood .
Living so close to a possible explosion , she wryly notes , “ creates a certain unease.
” Like Hart , author , actor and activist Elan Gibson says she lives within the 5.2-kilometre “ hazard zone ” surrounding the tank farm .
“ I live on Capitol Hill , ” she says , “ and we get all the winds from Burnaby Mountain.
” A member of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Expansion , Gibson says she used to love to hike the trails on Burnaby Mountain , but became alarmed when she started having nose bleeds , which she suspects may have been caused by gases leaking from the tank farm .
Gibson ’ s concerns led to her committing civil disobedience at the gates to the tank farm in 2018 ( the same series of civil disobedience actions at which I was arrested ) .
Chris Bowcock , chief of the Burnaby fire department , has weighed in on the project , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire chief , Chris Bowcock , wrote a report in 2015 warning that `` insufficient firefighting deployment positions increases the likelihood of a multiple tank fire ... toxic smoke plume discharge ... and heat discharge to areas outside the facility . ''
The report warns that the proposed expansion of the tank farm will make it very difficult for his department to successfully fight any fire that starts within its proposed and crowded new layout of storage tanks .
Bowcock says the proposed tank farm expansion would increase the risk of community impacts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Engineers of BC is worried , too .
In a study on the group ’ s website , Gordon Dunnett writes : “ KMC ’ s ( Kinder Morgan , prior owner ) structural engineer chose to increase the Burnaby Mountain Tank Farm hazardous material storage capacity while ignoring External Floating Roof Tank failures in seven earthquakes between 1964 and 2011 and five serious fires ignited during these earthquakes . ''
To global concerns about tank farm safety , add the increased danger that an earthquake could shake the tanks , make the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the tanks and make an explosion or boilover event more likely , particularly with the older external floating roof tanks .
John Clague , a retired Simon Fraser University expert on seismic events , says the tank farm represents “ an unacceptable risk ” given how many fault lines run close to the Lower Mainland .
“ The original 1953 tanks are old and were designed to a poor standard .
Tanks like those have failed many times , ” he said .
Daniel Tetrault , president of the Burnaby Teachers ’ Association @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students and colleagues .
Photo by Kirsty White According to Daniel Tetrault , president of the Burnaby Teachers ’ Association , whose members teach at public schools that are threatened by the tank farm expansion , “ The safety of our members , of students and of school staff is threatened by this project .
We are not reassured that this tank farm can be operated without unacceptable dangers to all of them.
” In December of 1982 , for example , the Tacoa fire in Venezuela burned for three days , killing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the facility was built on a steep slope that made fighting the fire more difficult , just as Chief Bowcock predicts will be the case in a tank farm fire on Burnaby Mountain .
TMX did not respond to questions and concerns raised by the Burnaby fire department and the Concerned Engineers .
Instead , the company emailed an old press release that said , in part : “ The location and spacing for the new terminal tanks meet all relevant regulatory requirements and are consistent with environmental best practices of using existing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ locations will result in set-backs greater than those established in Burnaby bylaws.
” So , I guess the worried folks on Burnaby Mountain should just go back to sleep and ignore their nightmares .

“Some of you may die, but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”
— Lord Farquaard in Shrek, the animated classic “Fossil fuels require sacrifice zones: they always have.”
— Naomi Klein, 2016 Imagine living next door to an ammunition dump. Imagine going to bed knowing that the dump could blow at any moment, creating a fireball that consumes buildings outside its borders, including your home. Your children’s school is engulfed in flames and the only escape route from your neighbourhood has been blocked by a cloud of toxic smoke that makes escape impossible and death by inhalation likely. Welcome to the lives of the folks who live and work on Burnaby Mountain, just below Simon Fraser University in B.C.’s Lower Mainland and close to the notorious storage tank farm at the end of the Trans Mountain (formerly Kinder Morgan) pipeline.
As faithful Canada's National Observer readers will know, there are many good reasons to oppose the expansion of this pipeline and its tank farm. The proposed expansion will mean a disastrous increase in greenhouse gas emissions, a death blow to hopes for reconciliation between Indigenous nations and Canada, and an end to hopes of Canada hitting our Paris Accord emission reduction targets. The increased tanker traffic through Vancouver Harbour demanded by the expanded pipeline will increase the risk of marine accidents, spilling toxic petroleum products into the harbour. (Full disclosure: I have been actively involved in opposing this project, and was arrested for civil disobedience at the tank farm gates in 2018.) But for folks on Burnaby Mountain, the issue is also personal. The threat of a catastrophic boilover event occurring at the tank farm, sending a column of flaming oil and toxic chemicals high into the air and down onto nearby homes and schools is causing sleepless nights on the mountain. A boilover in a petroleum storage tank occurs when the contents have been set on fire and then burn down until the water accumulated at the bottom of the tank is turned to steam, creating a massive explosion. Boilovers have occurred around the world in tank farms like the one on Burnaby Mountain. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “I feel expendable,” said Emily Corenblith, who lives a short walk from the tank farm. “We’re in a sacrifice zone.”
Corenblith added that the sacrifices imposed on Indigenous peoples by fossil fuel infrastructure projects were much worse than those she and her neighbours endure. But still, “I feel like our well-being doesn’t matter.” The notorious storage tank farm at the end of the Trans Mountain pipeline still scares residents. The pipeline and its Burnaby tank farm were a bad idea in 1953, when it was first built. Video of Only one bear in a hundred bites, but they don't come in order Bob Bossin, Canadian folk singer, writer and activist, explains the dangers of tank farm explosions. The proposed expansion, hotly contested by Indigenous communities, environmentalists and threatened neighbours, is even worse. In addition to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, the expanded pipeline increases the danger of oil leaks along its 1,150 kilometre route, threatening more than 1,300 watercourses. (For more detailed information about the proposed expansion and the Indigenous-led opposition, check out Protect the Inlet, at https://protecttheinlet.ca/ and Coast Protectors at https://www.coastprotectors.ca/)
Retired speech language pathologist Karl Perrin lives one kilometre up slope from the tank farm in UniverCity, the planned community that borders the campus. When Perrin and his wife Ann moved in, he says, “We didn’t have a clue the tank farm existed.” Perrin worries that a fire at the tank farm could strand him and his wife, who lives with asthma and could experience life-threatening complications in a smoky environment, on the mountaintop along with more than 30,000 students, faculty, staff and other UniverCity residents. He worries that escape on the only road off the mountain would be blocked by fire and the plume of toxins and smoke it would create. As a 2016 study conducted for Simon Fraser University by PGL Environmental Consultants concludes: “... there is an increased risk to SFU from the (Trans Mountain Expansion Project).” Roslyn Hart has lived near Burnaby Mountain for 40 years. While her home is a 20-minute walk from the tank farm, she says it is well within the “hazard zone,” a phrase used by several Burnaby Mountain residents concerned about fire among overcrowded fuel tanks and how it could reach into their neighborhood. Living so close to a possible explosion, she wryly notes, “creates a certain unease.”


nationalobserver--2020-10-05--Canada Pension Plan fuels the climate crisis with our own retirement savings

Last month , Mark Machin , CEO of the Canada Pension Plan ( CPP ) , wrote that climate change is the crisis beyond COVID-19 that we can ’ t afford to ignore , stating that “ the full effects will depend on the actions we take now and in the future.
” So why , then , is CPP pouring billions of our retirement savings into oil , gas and coal companies that are incompatible with a safe climate ?
In the 2020 fiscal year-end , the CPP Investment Board ’ s “ Energy and Resources ” portfolio dropped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of any asset group .
In relative terms , CPP has been stable through the COVID-19 crisis , but how much better would it have performed without fossil fuels ?
There is hope , as CPP doubled investments in renewable energy to nearly $ 6 billion in recent years .
While significant , this only represents a tiny fraction of a $ 434 billion fund that claims “ we need to advance action now.
” Profitable , reliable and ethical growth in coming decades requires seizing multi-trillion dollar opportunities in sectors such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buildings and sustainable agriculture .
If CPP is serious about addressing this crisis and building a clean economy , it needs to put its money — our pensions — where its mouth is .
That means screening out new investments in oil , gas and coal , removing fossil fuels from our portfolio by 2025 , aligning our investment strategy with Canada ’ s Paris Agreement commitments , setting ambitious goals for increasing investment in profitable climate solutions , and playing an active role in building a zero-carbon economy in Canada .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bet the health of our pensions against the health of our climate .
It ’ s time to invest in both .
Patrick DeRochie is Pension Engagement Manager , and Adam Scott is Director , with Shift Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health , a charitable project helping pension beneficiaries to engage constructively with their pensions on the climate crisis .

Last month, Mark Machin, CEO of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), wrote that climate change is the crisis beyond COVID-19 that we can’t afford to ignore, stating that “the full effects will depend on the actions we take now and in the future.” We strongly agree. So why, then, is CPP pouring billions of our retirement savings into oil, gas and coal companies that are incompatible with a safe climate? A new legal analysis by the Canada Climate Law Initiative (CCLI) raises serious questions about CPP’s commitment to transition to a clean economy. The report highlights CPP’s significant fossil fuel investments and raises red flags over troubling private equity investments in oil and gas. One such red flag is its ownership of Crestone Peak Resources, a Denver-based fracking company. Four former or current CPP employees who oversaw its purchase in 2016 now sit on Crestone’s board of directors or executive team.
Crestone’s operations have been plagued by controversy. The company drilled wells close to schools, homes and playgrounds, generating thousands of complaints to Colorado’s oil and gas regulator about air quality, toxic fumes, gas leaks, earthquakes, explosions, health problems and illnesses. The Globe and Mail reported that Crestone responded by donating more than US$600,000 to pro-fracking candidates and interest groups in Colorado’s 2018 state elections. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions That’s right, a fracking company owned by our national pension appears to have spent money to influence elections in Colorado to block protections for the environment and public health.
At a recent conference, Mr. Machin deflected by suggesting CPP invests only in companies committed to transition, but this simply isn’t accurate. None of these oil, gas or coal companies have credible plans to eliminate climate pollution as required.


nationalobserver--2020-10-05--A 1930s-era federal agency helped farms recover from an ecological crisis. It's time for a replaceme

A 1930s-era federal agency helped farms recover from an ecological crisis. It's time for a replacement, advocates say

Farmers in B.C.
’ s Kootenay region will be dealing with drier fields in 50 years .
They ’ re not alone .
Environment Canada predicts the upcoming decades will transform Canada ’ s climate , forcing farmers to re-evaluate everything from which seeds to buy to which pastures their livestock graze .
That ’ s a huge challenge for farmers with no time to pore over scientific studies and models charting how the climate crisis will transform their land .
It 's a challenge advocates say could be addressed with a glance to the past .
In the 1930s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ill-suited farming practices forced thousands off their farms while dust storms blackened the skies .
The crisis led the federal government to create the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration ( PFRA ) , an institution that brought together agricultural researchers , engineers , and extension ( community outreach ) staff to help farmers use their land sustainably — a sort of Medicare for farms .
“ It became a body of expertise and understanding of grassland ecosystems , and grazing relationships , and biodiversity .
In more recent years they were really looking into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Cathy Holtslander , director of research and policy at the National Farmers Union .
• The soil revolution that could save farming and the climate • Solar energy firms in B.C .
say market at tipping point • Canada is running out of time to prevent COVID-19 resurgence The PFRA 's mandate was vast : It managed communal pastures , built irrigation systems , gave farmers trees for windbreaks and shade , and ran an extension service to link researchers and farmers working to improve agricultural methods .
Photo by Rural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ endured for the next 77 years , helping Prairie farmers deal with water supply issues , develop drought and flood resilience plans , diversify their crops , and farm sustainably .
Researchers with the organization also restored failed farmland into ecologically vibrant grasslands and offered free tree seedlings to farmers who supported native pollinators , slowed wind erosion , and captured carbon .
“ These were ( among the ) federal government 's positive contributions to the public good that people really valued .
It was a living , concrete argument for public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she said .
The organization was dismantled by Stephen Harper ’ s Conservative government in 2013 .
“ ( Harper government members were ) market fundamentalists where the only thing that mattered was profit , and ( who viewed ) anything that is n't making money for a business as not legitimate , ” Holtslander said .
“ They had to take away the good example.
” “ If we imagine the transition to a # climate-compatible , low ( # greenhousegas ) emissions # farming sector , a bunch of things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Qualman , a farmer and the director of # climatecrisis and policy @ NFUCanada An example that offers useful lessons for today .
“ If we imagine the transition to a climate-compatible , low ( greenhouse gas ) emissions farming sector , a bunch of things need to happen , ” said Darrin Qualman , a farmer and the director of climate crisis and policy at the National Farmers Union .
Those things include helping farmers access independent agronomists and agrologists ( independent agricultural experts ) who can help them with everything from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alternatives to sharing cutting-edge agricultural research , developing sustainable irrigation systems , and restoring grassland pastures .
“ ( We need ) a proactive agency that would manage and assist in the ( agricultural ) transition we need to make between now and 2050 , ” he said .
Such an agency doesn ’ t exist .
Farmers rely on a patchwork of extension services offered by everyone from scholars working on a specific project to product marketing boards to seed and fertilizer companies whose financial interests might not align with low-input , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s inefficient , like reinventing the wheel , ” said Rachael Roussain , co-ordinator at the Kootenay and Boundary Farm Advisors , an agricultural extension program in southeast B.C.
’ s rugged Kootenay and Boundary regions .
“ A lot of farmers are trying to adapt ( to climate change ) .
They ’ re increasing their soil moisture-holding capabilities ( which helps build resilience against drought ) .
They ’ re preparing for more variable weather events .
But when they can share that with a greater circle of people , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ livens spirits , which is so important in agriculture , ” she said .
For instance , her organization supports farmers in parts of B.C .
that are far removed from universities , provincial or federal agricultural experts , and other farmers .
That makes it difficult for the regions ' busy farmers to keep up with research and farm trials taking place outside their direct community , or for agricultural researchers to connect with people on the front lines of climate change .
( “ I don ’ t think people really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Roussain quipped . )
The lack of co-ordination results in research projects being unnecessarily repeated and the loss of knowledge-sharing opportunities between people across Canada ’ s agricultural sector , she explained .
And so far , there have been no indications the federal government intends to create an institution that could lead that co-ordination .
“ We recognize farmers , foresters , and ranchers as key partners in the fight against climate change , and we will support their efforts to reduce emissions and build resilience , ” said Agriculture and Agri-food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans to exceed its 2030 climate goals and recognizes us—farmers & ranchers—as key partners in this fight 🙌 We 're thrilled to see the government commit to supporting our efforts to ⬇ emissions & ⬆ resilience .
Let 's do this !
# ClimateAg # CdnAg # ThroneSpeech # cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/DfSygR2yam — Farmers for Climate Solutions ( @ FarmersClimate ) September 23 , 2020 That support has included pledging to create a new Canada Water Agency , funding provincial-federal grants to help farmers adapt to climate change , and supporting agricultural research — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Canada ’ s sixth-largest greenhouse gas emitter , to reduce emissions and adapt to a rapidly changing climate .
These projects are appreciated , Qualman said , but the need remains for an institution that has staff in the field working with farmers as they adapt .
“ The bottom line is we need a lot of help with the big project of maintaining yield and food supplies while cutting ( fertilizer and pesticide ) use and emissions , ” he said .

Farmers in B.C.’s Kootenay region will be dealing with drier fields in 50 years. They’re not alone. Environment Canada predicts the upcoming decades will transform Canada’s climate, forcing farmers to re-evaluate everything from which seeds to buy to which pastures their livestock graze. That’s a huge challenge for farmers with no time to pore over scientific studies and models charting how the climate crisis will transform their land. It's a challenge advocates say could be addressed with a glance to the past. In the 1930s, drought, economic depression, and ill-suited farming practices forced thousands off their farms while dust storms blackened the skies. The crisis led the federal government to create the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA), an institution that brought together agricultural researchers, engineers, and extension (community outreach) staff to help farmers use their land sustainably — a sort of Medicare for farms. “It became a body of expertise and understanding of grassland ecosystems, and grazing relationships, and biodiversity. In more recent years they were really looking into how the pasture land sequestered carbon,” said Cathy Holtslander, director of research and policy at the National Farmers Union.
The PFRA's mandate was vast: It managed communal pastures, built irrigation systems, gave farmers trees for windbreaks and shade, and ran an extension service to link researchers and farmers working to improve agricultural methods. Photo by Rural Health Professions Action Plan/Wikimedia Commons The PFRA endured for the next 77 years, helping Prairie farmers deal with water supply issues, develop drought and flood resilience plans, diversify their crops, and farm sustainably. Researchers with the organization also restored failed farmland into ecologically vibrant grasslands and offered free tree seedlings to farmers who supported native pollinators, slowed wind erosion, and captured carbon. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “These were (among the) federal government's positive contributions to the public good that people really valued. It was a living, concrete argument for public interest investment in people's lives,” she said.
The organization was dismantled by Stephen Harper’s Conservative government in 2013. “If we imagine the transition to a #climate-compatible, low (#greenhousegas) emissions #farming sector, a bunch of things need to happen,” said Darrin Qualman, a farmer and the director of #climatecrisis and policy @NFUCanada “(Harper government members were) market fundamentalists where the only thing that mattered was profit, and (who viewed) anything that isn't making money for a business as not legitimate,” Holtslander said. “They had to take away the good example.” An example that offers useful lessons for today. “If we imagine the transition to a climate-compatible, low (greenhouse gas) emissions farming sector, a bunch of things need to happen,” said Darrin Qualman, a farmer and the director of climate crisis and policy at the National Farmers Union.
Those things include helping farmers access independent agronomists and agrologists (independent agricultural experts) who can help them with everything from replacing greenhouse gas-intensive artificial fertilizers with low-emissions alternatives to sharing cutting-edge agricultural research, developing sustainable irrigation systems, and restoring grassland pastures. “(We need) a proactive agency that would manage and assist in the (agricultural) transition we need to make between now and 2050,” he said. Such an agency doesn’t exist. Farmers rely on a patchwork of extension services offered by everyone from scholars working on a specific project to product marketing boards to seed and fertilizer companies whose financial interests might not align with low-input, climate-friendly agricultural practices.


nationalobserver--2020-10-05--Alberta’s pipeline dreams could be riding on the U.S. election

If President Donald Trump is re-elected , the Keystone XL pipeline — a cross-border project Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has poured public money into — has fewer stumbling blocks .
This is the first of a series of stories Emma McIntosh will be writing as part of the National Observer 's special coverage of the U.S. election .
Kenney has said the project is a wise investment .
Richard Masson , a former oilsands policy adviser to the Alberta government and an executive fellow at the University of Calgary ’ s School of Public Policy , said the province likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It ’ s the longest of long shots , ” said Coleman , who briefly did work for Keystone XL ’ s owner , TC Energy , which was then known as TransCanada .
The fact that the US $ 14.4 billion pipeline is already under construction wouldn ’ t stop Biden — who 's ahead in the polls — from ripping it up and walking away , said James Coleman , a pipeline law expert and associate professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas .
And the pipeline still faces legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump is re-elected , he added .
But if former vice-president Joe Biden wins , Keystone XL is all but done for .
Biden has vowed to cancel the contentious pipeline if elected , calling Alberta ’ s oil “ high pollutant ” and “ tarsands that we don ’ t need.
” On the other hand , Alberta ’ s hopes are riding on a pipeline that is vastly more possible under a second Trump administration .
On one hand , Trump ’ s brand is radioactive in Canada .
One recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cent of respondents had confidence in the president , the lowest level the pollster has recorded in this country .
Canadian political leaders , including Kenney , haven ’ t been particularly friendly toward the Republican candidate either , and lambasted Trump in the spring for trying to stop shipments of vital N95 masks from crossing the border into Canada .
“ You don ’ t roll the dice like that on another country ’ s election , ” she said .
It may have been wiser for Alberta to wait to invest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said University of Calgary political scientist Melanee Thomas .
“ It ’ s a huge bet , ” Masson said .
“ But it shows how important it is to the future of the province.
” TC Energy has said Keystone XL , which would deliver Alberta oil to refineries on the Gulf Coast , would spur investment and create jobs that the economically stricken province needs .
Public opposition to energy infrastructure such as power lines and pipelines has grown in recent years , making the projects appear riskier to private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sort of government investment , Masson said .
Battles over the fate of Keystone XL , which was proposed in 2008 , have lasted more than a decade .
The pipeline would run from Hardisty , Alta.
, southeast of Edmonton , across the U.S. border to Nebraska .
From there , it would link to the Keystone pipeline system that carries crude south to Texas .
Since the project crosses the Canada-U.S. border , it requires a federal government permit .
Successive Alberta governments have seen Keystone XL as essential for getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coast refineries that are equipped to process the thick bitumen .
There has been lots of federal support , too .
Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper said supporting the project was a “ no-brainer.
” And Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ’ s Liberal government also backs the project , but perhaps less enthusiastically .
“ It has been a long position of mine that we need to get our resources to new markets safely and securely and that ’ s why I ’ ve always advocated for the Keystone XL pipeline , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the oilsands already sells at a discount compared to American oil because it ’ s harder to refine and must be transported farther .
But that discount has become even steeper in recent years , rising from its usual US $ 10 to $ 15 per barrel to $ 50 at times , a problem producers blame on a lack of pipeline capacity that has led to a glut of oil .
Without a pipeline , producers must take on the expense of shipping oil by rail , or sell at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it in the American midwest .
Ideally , Keystone XL would give Canadian producers easier access to the market on the Gulf , and therefore allow companies and governments to stop leaving so much money on the table , Masson said .
“ We ’ re just losing our shirts , ” Masson said .
“ That means companies can ’ t invest , jobs get cut , ( we lose ) taxes and royalties.
” But in the 2010s , Keystone XL became somewhat of a political football south of the border @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which is more emissions-intensive than other types of oil , could contribute to the accelerating climate crisis .
Pipeline proponents argued that the crude would get to the Gulf anyway — companies can also ship it by rail , although it ’ s more dangerous and costly .
Pipeline construction would also create jobs .
After years of debate , former president Barack Obama rejected the project in 2015 .
Keystone XL “ would not make a meaningful long-term contribution to our economy , ” he said , but would undermine America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate .
Trump later revived the project when he took office .
Somewhere along the way , Keystone XL had also become a symbolic issue , used by politicians to signal their position on environmentalism as a whole , Masson said .
“ ( The Obama administration ) wanted something that looked environmentally friendly , ” he added .
In March , as oil prices plummeted amid COVID-19 , Kenney — who , during his campaign to become premier , promised Albertans a focus on jobs , the economy and pipelines — announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the project to get it moving .
The province also put forward a $ 6-billion loan guarantee .
What happens now ?
The outcome of the U.S. election is far from guaranteed .
Even if Trump is re-elected , Keystone XL faces more legal hurdles in the months ahead .
Though construction began this summer in eastern Alberta , so did court challenges that could be costly and provoke delays : one lawsuit was filed this summer by the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of northeast Montana ; a second lawsuit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In yet another case , U.S. courts blocked a key permit in July .
“ There ’ s no guarantee it will be built , ” said Southern Methodist University ’ s James Coleman .
“ They ’ ve been trying to get it built for four years , and they haven ’ t made much progress.
” If Biden wins , Kenney has said he thinks the former vice-president can be swayed .
“ Empirically , that statement is ridiculous , ” Thomas said , adding a provincial government is unlikely to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Warren Mabee , the director of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy at Queen ’ s University , said it ’ s also difficult because Biden , if elected , will be under tremendous pressure to address not only the climate crisis , but also movements protesting racism in policing , and inequalities laid bare by COVID-19 .
Although the connection between those things is not always obvious , blueprints for a Green New Deal — which are largely incompatible with pipeline development — are often steeped in social justice principles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is elected , if he becomes the president , he ’ ll be looking for a signature thing to do , ” Mabee added .
“ He has to address the social unrest in the country , and the Green New Deal gives him a lot of tools to that.
” Biden , who is also trying to win over progressives in the November election , has a lot of legal leeway to deny Keystone XL permits it needs , thereby axing the project , Coleman said .
Though that might prompt a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years to settle , previous cases have tended to turn out well for the U.S. government , he added .
“ Suing your way to approval with a hostile administration is very , very difficult.
” There are other factors at play : Kenney has argued that Biden would have to answer to the unions that back the pipeline , and that it might be politically unpopular to rip up a pipeline that has already been placed in the ground .
( One union that supports the project has backed Biden , others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) Biden will also likely face a powerful lobbying effort from American oil boosters .
Even if he kills the project , TC Energy could try again with the next president , if the company still thinks the pipeline is economically viable .
Coleman said it likely won ’ t matter much to the American public if the project is halted before crude starts flowing .
“ I ’ m sure the Alberta government doesn ’ t want to say this , and I understand why , ” he added .
If Keystone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting its $ 1.5 billion back , and the situation in the oilpatch won ’ t get better , Mabee said .
( Kenney has said the province believes it could recover some of the funds . )
“ They might not see anything get much worse because it ’ s already pretty bad , ” Mabee said .
TC Energy , for example , announced layoffs on Oct. 1 .
Whether the pipeline project passes or fails , the global balance of oil will not undergo a dramatic shift , Masson said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oil to the Gulf by rail .
“ ( Pipeline opponents ) think that if they can stop a pipeline they can stop growth of oil , that it will somehow have an impact on consumption .
It doesn ’ t really , ” Masson said .
The outcome of the U.S. election likely won ’ t dent Kenney ’ s political brand , Thomas said .
Though the Alberta government should face accountability if its investment doesn ’ t pan out , she said , the political environment in the province is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easy for Kenney to blame opponents on the left .
“ Even if it hurts Alberta , the premier will spin it , ” she added .
In a big picture sense , however , a Biden presidency would likely accelerate America ’ s transition to green energy , Mabee said .
The former vice-president has said he wants to see the country rely more on clean energy and less on oil , and since America is a major customer for Canadian crude , that means the oilpatch will have to adapt .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ’ s just understanding that the market is shifting , ” he said .
“ It ’ s interesting .
I think we have to wait and see what happens in November .
”

The fact that the US$14.4 billion pipeline is already under construction wouldn’t stop Biden — who's ahead in the polls — from ripping it up and walking away, said James Coleman , a pipeline law expert and associate professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. And the pipeline still faces legal battles and possible delays, even if Trump is re-elected, he added.
But if former vice-president Joe Biden wins, Keystone XL is all but done for. Biden has vowed to cancel the contentious pipeline if elected, calling Alberta’s oil “high pollutant” and “tarsands that we don’t need.”
If President Donald Trump is re-elected, the Keystone XL pipeline — a cross-border project Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has poured public money into — has fewer stumbling blocks.
This is the first of a series of stories Emma McIntosh will be writing as part of the National Observer's special coverage of the U.S. election . Read the second , third , fourth , fifth and sixth stories here.
Kenney has said the project is a wise investment. Richard Masson, a former oilsands policy adviser to the Alberta government and an executive fellow at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy, said the province likely sees it as a necessary risk.
“It’s the longest of long shots,” said Coleman, who briefly did work for Keystone XL’s owner, TC Energy, which was then known as TransCanada.
“You don’t roll the dice like that on another country’s election,” she said.
It may have been wiser for Alberta to wait to invest in Keystone XL until after the election, said University of Calgary political scientist Melanee Thomas .
“It’s a huge bet,” Masson said. “But it shows how important it is to the future of the province.”
TC Energy has said Keystone XL, which would deliver Alberta oil to refineries on the Gulf Coast, would spur investment and create jobs that the economically stricken province needs.
Public opposition to energy infrastructure such as power lines and pipelines has grown in recent years, making the projects appear riskier to private investors and harder to advance without some sort of government investment, Masson said.
On the other hand, Alberta’s hopes are riding on a pipeline that is vastly more possible under a second Trump administration.
On one hand, Trump’s brand is radioactive in Canada. One recent Pew Research Centre survey showed 20 per cent of respondents had confidence in the president, the lowest level the pollster has recorded in this country. Canadian political leaders, including Kenney, haven’t been particularly friendly toward the Republican candidate either, and lambasted Trump in the spring for trying to stop shipments of vital N95 masks from crossing the border into Canada.
“It’s a complicated situation, and Alberta’s got a lot at stake,” Masson said.
A map of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would connect the Alberta oilpatch to the existing Keystone pipeline system that carries crude to the Gulf Coast. Handout/TC Energy
How did we get here?
Battles over the fate of Keystone XL, which was proposed in 2008, have lasted more than a decade.
The pipeline would run from Hardisty, Alta., southeast of Edmonton, across the U.S. border to Nebraska. From there, it would link to the Keystone pipeline system that carries crude south to Texas. Since the project crosses the Canada-U.S. border, it requires a federal government permit.
Successive Alberta governments have seen Keystone XL as essential for getting the province’s crude to Gulf Coast refineries that are equipped to process the thick bitumen. There has been lots of federal support, too. Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper said supporting the project was a “no-brainer.” And Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government also backs the project, but perhaps less enthusiastically.
“It has been a long position of mine that we need to get our resources to new markets safely and securely and that’s why I’ve always advocated for the Keystone XL pipeline,” Trudeau said in May.
Crude from the oilsands already sells at a discount compared to American oil because it’s harder to refine and must be transported farther. But that discount has become even steeper in recent years, rising from its usual US$10 to $15 per barrel to $50 at times, a problem producers blame on a lack of pipeline capacity that has led to a glut of oil.
Without a pipeline, producers must take on the expense of shipping oil by rail, or sell at a discount to refineries less equipped to process it in the American midwest. Ideally, Keystone XL would give Canadian producers easier access to the market on the Gulf, and therefore allow companies and governments to stop leaving so much money on the table, Masson said.
“We’re just losing our shirts,” Masson said. “That means companies can’t invest, jobs get cut, (we lose) taxes and royalties.”
But in the 2010s, Keystone XL became somewhat of a political football south of the border.
Environmentalists argued crude from the oilsands, which is more emissions-intensive than other types of oil, could contribute to the accelerating climate crisis. Pipeline proponents argued that the crude would get to the Gulf anyway — companies can also ship it by rail, although it’s more dangerous and costly. Pipeline construction would also create jobs.
After years of debate, former president Barack Obama rejected the project in 2015. Keystone XL “would not make a meaningful long-term contribution to our economy,” he said, but would undermine America’s “global leadership” on climate. Trump later revived the project when he took office.
Somewhere along the way, Keystone XL had also become a symbolic issue, used by politicians to signal their position on environmentalism as a whole, Masson said.
“(The Obama administration) wanted something that looked environmentally friendly,” he added.
In March, as oil prices plummeted amid COVID-19, Kenney — who, during his campaign to become premier, promised Albertans a focus on jobs, the economy and pipelines — announced that Alberta would invest $1.5 billion into the project to get it moving. The province also put forward a $6-billion loan guarantee.
It's not clear whether President Donald Trump, left, or former vice-president Joe Biden, right, will take the White House in November, but Biden is currently favoured to win. Photos from Joyce N. Boghosian/White House and Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons
What happens now?
The outcome of the U.S. election is far from guaranteed.
Even if Trump is re-elected, Keystone XL faces more legal hurdles in the months ahead. Though construction began this summer in eastern Alberta, so did court challenges that could be costly and provoke delays: one lawsuit was filed this summer by the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of northeast Montana; a second lawsuit from environmental groups followed days later. In yet another case, U.S. courts blocked a key permit in July.
“There’s no guarantee it will be built,” said Southern Methodist University’s James Coleman. “They’ve been trying to get it built for four years, and they haven’t made much progress.”
If Biden wins, Kenney has said he thinks the former vice-president can be swayed.
“Empirically, that statement is ridiculous,” Thomas said, adding a provincial government is unlikely to change a new president’s mind.
Warren Mabee, the director of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy at Queen’s University, said it’s also difficult because Biden, if elected, will be under tremendous pressure to address not only the climate crisis, but also movements protesting racism in policing, and inequalities laid bare by COVID-19. Although the connection between those things is not always obvious, blueprints for a Green New Deal — which are largely incompatible with pipeline development — are often steeped in social justice principles, Mabee said.
“If Biden is elected, if he becomes the president, he’ll be looking for a signature thing to do,” Mabee added.
“He has to address the social unrest in the country, and the Green New Deal gives him a lot of tools to that.”
Biden, who is also trying to win over progressives in the November election, has a lot of legal leeway to deny Keystone XL permits it needs, thereby axing the project, Coleman said. Though that might prompt a lawsuit from TC Energy that could take years to settle, previous cases have tended to turn out well for the U.S. government, he added.
“Suing your way to approval with a hostile administration is very, very difficult.”
There are other factors at play: Kenney has argued that Biden would have to answer to the unions that back the pipeline, and that it might be politically unpopular to rip up a pipeline that has already been placed in the ground. (One union that supports the project has backed Biden, others continue to stand behind TC Energy.)
Biden will also likely face a powerful lobbying effort from American oil boosters. Even if he kills the project, TC Energy could try again with the next president, if the company still thinks the pipeline is economically viable.
Coleman said it likely won’t matter much to the American public if the project is halted before crude starts flowing.
“I’m sure the Alberta government doesn’t want to say this, and I understand why,” he added.
If Keystone fails, Alberta likely isn’t getting its $1.5 billion back, and the situation in the oilpatch won’t get better, Mabee said. (Kenney has said the province believes it could recover some of the funds.)
“They might not see anything get much worse because it’s already pretty bad,” Mabee said. TC Energy, for example, announced layoffs on Oct. 1.
Whether the pipeline project passes or fails, the global balance of oil will not undergo a dramatic shift, Masson said; companies will just continue to send oil to the Gulf by rail.
“(Pipeline opponents) think that if they can stop a pipeline they can stop growth of oil, that it will somehow have an impact on consumption. It doesn’t really,” Masson said.
The outcome of the U.S. election likely won’t dent Kenney’s political brand, Thomas said. Though the Alberta government should face accountability if its investment doesn’t pan out, she said, the political environment in the province is also so polarized that it would be easy for Kenney to blame opponents on the left.
“Even if it hurts Alberta, the premier will spin it,” she added.
In a big picture sense, however, a Biden presidency would likely accelerate America’s transition to green energy, Mabee said. The former vice-president has said he wants to see the country rely more on clean energy and less on oil, and since America is a major customer for Canadian crude, that means the oilpatch will have to adapt.
“This is not an anti-oil screed, it’s just understanding that the market is shifting,” he said.
“It’s interesting. I think we have to wait and see what happens in November.”


nationalobserver--2020-10-05--B.C. Green, NDP and Liberal  leaders set for televised debate

Wilkinson said the debate is a chance for the parties to present their ideas directly to voters .
A consortium of broadcasters will televise the 90-minute debate starting at 6:30 p.m. featuring NDP Leader John Horgan , B.C .
Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson and Sonia Furstenau of the Greens .
The leaders of British Columbia 's three main political parties will meet face-to-face in a televised debate on Oct. 13 .
`` These debates will be the chance for all British Columbians to see all the main parties on the stage getting the truth out to British Columbians , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Merritt .
Asked if debates are still relevant in an age of social media , Horgan used this week 's antagonistic presidential debate in the United States as an example of what turns voters off .
`` We just watched the spectacle of Joe Biden and Donald Trump , well I watched 13 minutes of it and I went and watched Wheel of Fortune , because I just do n't think anyone benefits from two men yelling at each other , '' he said in Squamish .
Furstenau said she sees the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with `` the vision that we have for British Columbia , the solutions that we have and the urgency that we feel to address the issues that are facing people right now in their lives . ''
A debate has also been announced between the parties on climate change and the economy in an online forum on Thursday .

The leaders of British Columbia's three main political parties will meet face-to-face in a televised debate on Oct. 13.
A consortium of broadcasters will televise the 90-minute debate starting at 6:30 p.m. featuring NDP Leader John Horgan, B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson and Sonia Furstenau of the Greens.
Wilkinson said the debate is a chance for the parties to present their ideas directly to voters.
"These debates will be the chance for all British Columbians to see all the main parties on the stage getting the truth out to British Columbians," he said Friday at a campaign stop in Merritt.
Asked if debates are still relevant in an age of social media, Horgan used this week's antagonistic presidential debate in the United States as an example of what turns voters off.


nationalobserver--2020-10-05--Tam urges caution at Thanksgiving amid recent rise in COVID-19 cases

Plan ahead to make sure this year 's Thanksgiving holiday is safe during the COVID-19 pandemic , Canada 's top public health officer urged on Sunday as case counts continued to soar in several parts of the country .
Dr. Theresa Tam said indoor holiday gatherings of family or friends should be kept small , especially in provinces such as Quebec Ontario where infection rates are highest .
`` We 've got some serious planning to do , '' Tam said in a statement released nearly a week before the national holiday on Oct. 12 .
`` Not the carefree @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some ingenious Canadian COVID-19 'holiday-hacks ' that will ensure there are no viruses invited or passed around at our gatherings . ''
Tam said people celebrating outdoors should follow physical distancing guidelines and encouraged people to avoid sharing food and other objects during their meals .
• The soil revolution that could save farming and the climate • Solar energy firms in B.C .
say market at tipping point • Canada Pension Plan fuels the climate crisis with our own retirement savings She also suggested that Canadians opt for virtual Thanksgiving dinners instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as new COVID-19 case numbers continued their upward trajectory in several parts of the country , most notably in central Canada , where tighter restrictions have been put in place in recent days to try to prevent the spread of the virus .
Quebec reported more than 1,000 new diagnoses for the third straight day on Sunday , while Ontario has recorded more than 500 cases every day for the past week .
The Quebec government announced plans to move three towns in the Gaspesie region to its highest COVID-19 alert level on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their contacts with people outside their homes .
In Ontario , stricter limits on restaurants , bars and fitness facilities took effect in three main hot spots — Toronto , Peel Region , and Ottawa — this weekend in a bid to halt the surging case numbers in those regions .
The province also has announced other measures aimed at addressing a testing backlog , all of which take effect this week .
As COVID-19 cases rise , take care to make your Thanksgiving safe : Canada 's top public health officer urges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday that multiple people tested positive for COVID-19 in Little Grand Rapids First Nation , after it said they attended events at a recreation centre late last month .
The province said the chief and council of the eastern Manitoba community have ordered residents to stay home and only go out for medical appointments and testing .
If essential supplies are needed , only one person should venture out to collect them .
Manitoba also reported one new death attributed to the virus , a man in his 50s in the Winnipeg region @ @ @ @ @ @ @ die from COVID-19 in the province .
Health officials in Prince Edward Island identified two more cases in that province , attributing both to unspecified travel outside the region .
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Heather Morrison said the patients , both men , have been self-isolating since arriving on the Island .
Meanwhile , Canadians struggling with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to start applying on Monday for two new benefits available from the federal government after legislation creating them was rushed through the House of Commons last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ targeting Canadians with young children forced out of school or day-care settings due to the virus .
It provides $ 500 per week for up to 26 weeks to those with children under 12 who ca n't work more than half-time due to pandemic-related caregiving responsibilities .
The benefit , which is only payable to one worker in a household , is also available to those who ca n't work because their children or a family member is sick , has to quarantine or is at high risk of COVID-19 .
The second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worth up to $ 1,000 for workers who ca n't work more than half the week because they have contracted COVID-19 or have an underlying condition that puts them more at risk of the illness .
Starting on Oct. 12 , Canadians will also be able to start applying for a third program which replaces the $ 500-per-week Canada Emergency Response Benefit that has formed the main support for Canadians unable to work due to COVID-19 .

Plan ahead to make sure this year's Thanksgiving holiday is safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada's top public health officer urged on Sunday as case counts continued to soar in several parts of the country. Dr. Theresa Tam said indoor holiday gatherings of family or friends should be kept small, especially in provinces such as Quebec Ontario where infection rates are highest. "We've got some serious planning to do," Tam said in a statement released nearly a week before the national holiday on Oct. 12. "Not the carefree planning we had last Thanksgiving but rather some ingenious Canadian COVID-19 'holiday-hacks' that will ensure there are no viruses invited or passed around at our gatherings." Tam said people celebrating outdoors should follow physical distancing guidelines and encouraged people to avoid sharing food and other objects during their meals.
She also suggested that Canadians opt for virtual Thanksgiving dinners instead of in-person gatherings. Her advice comes as new COVID-19 case numbers continued their upward trajectory in several parts of the country, most notably in central Canada, where tighter restrictions have been put in place in recent days to try to prevent the spread of the virus. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Quebec reported more than 1,000 new diagnoses for the third straight day on Sunday, while Ontario has recorded more than 500 cases every day for the past week.
The Quebec government announced plans to move three towns in the Gaspesie region to its highest COVID-19 alert level on Monday, and urged residents to minimize their contacts with people outside their homes. As COVID-19 cases rise, take care to make your Thanksgiving safe: Canada's top public health officer urges. #COVID-19 #staysafe In Ontario, stricter limits on restaurants, bars and fitness facilities took effect in three main hot spots — Toronto, Peel Region, and Ottawa — this weekend in a bid to halt the surging case numbers in those regions. The province also has announced other measures aimed at addressing a testing backlog, all of which take effect this week. Manitoba said Sunday that multiple people tested positive for COVID-19 in Little Grand Rapids First Nation, after it said they attended events at a recreation centre late last month. The province said the chief and council of the eastern Manitoba community have ordered residents to stay home and only go out for medical appointments and testing. If essential supplies are needed, only one person should venture out to collect them.
Manitoba also reported one new death attributed to the virus, a man in his 50s in the Winnipeg region, who became the 23rd person to die from COVID-19 in the province. Health officials in Prince Edward Island identified two more cases in that province, attributing both to unspecified travel outside the region. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Heather Morrison said the patients, both men, have been self-isolating since arriving on the Island. Meanwhile, Canadians struggling with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to start applying on Monday for two new benefits available from the federal government after legislation creating them was rushed through the House of Commons last week.


nationalobserver--2020-10-05--Salmon the lifeblood for many B.C. First Nations communities

As a child , about 300 wild salmon , carefully packed into a chest freezer after each fishing season , sustained Kukpi7 Judy Wilson and her family for the year ahead .
“ We had one freezer for salmon , one freezer for wild meat , and my parents had a ranch farm .
We were independent , ” said Kukpi7 Wilson , now chief of her First Nation , the Neskonlith Indian Band , and Secretary-Treasurer of the Union of B.C .
Indian Chiefs .
Salmon was a staple , sustaining her community ’ s nutritional , cultural and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
No longer .
It ’ s been years since enough salmon made it to Secwepemc territory , high up in the Fraser River watershed near Chase , B.C.
, for the community to fish .
They ’ ve relied on the generosity of the neighbouring Okanagan nations , who have a salmon hatchery , to supply the community with enough salmon for cultural and ceremonial uses .
Last week , DFO announced its research shows that the farms — which are located in a bottleneck on young Fraser River sockeyes ’ migration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threaten the survival of wild salmon , and therefore will not face immediate closure .
A final decision on the farms ’ fate will be delayed pending consultation with seven area First Nations who have farms in their territories , the department said .
But Kukpi7 Wilson said the consultation will have far too narrow a scope .
“ That ’ s a wrong approach , because it ’ s not looking at all the issues , not looking at a better way to work with all the parties involved in protecting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looking ) at their entire life cycle ” she said .
Salmon are aquatic wanderers ; their life brings them from creek beds to the open ocean and back .
“ # Wildsalmon are not one place .
They go in the # ocean , they go up # rivers , they spawn .
All # FirstNations ( along that route ) should be # consulted , ” said Robert Phillips .
@ FNSummit @ UBCIC @ [ email protected ] # cdnpoli # bcpoli Young salmon spend the start of their lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the freshwater river systems where they ’ re born .
They head to the sea , maturing slowly as they head out into the open Pacific for the next few years of their life .
Then , they return to the river of their birth to lay and fertilize their eggs — and die .
“ Wild salmon are not one place .
They go in the ocean , they go up rivers , they spawn .
All First Nations ( along that route ) should be consulted , ” said Robert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nations summit and member of the Northern Secwepemc te Qelmucw ( Shuswap ) of the Canim Lake First Nation .
Salmon move , said Robert Phillips , meaning decisions impacting them at any point in their life cycle will have cascading effects on the people and ecosystems who rely on them .
Those relationships have been largely ignored in the consultation process for fish farms announced on last week .
Photo by Colin Braker/First Nations Summit .
It ’ s a life cycle that ’ s not reflected in the scope of consultations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collapse of Fraser River sockeye would impact the Aboriginal title and rights of Indigenous communities throughout the watershed .
Those rights were defined decades ago : R v. Sparrow , a 1990 Supreme Court case , established that First Nations have the right , protected under the Canadian constitution , to fish in their ancestral territories , rights that can not be infringed on by the federal government , except for conservation .
Cases over subsequent decades further clarified the decision , finding that the government must consult with First Nations that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ projects or regulatory decisions .
There needs to be a direct , or causal , relationship between the government ’ s actions and the infringement to trigger the consultation requirement .
Additionally , the scope of those consultations only reflects the extent of the potential infringement , as determined by the government .
“ What ( DFO ) is saying is that they don ’ t see any adverse effects between their decision around fish farms and the other First Nations ( along the Fraser ) , the impact on their rights , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ specialized in natural resource and First Nations law and a professor at UBC .
“ The deeper issue is that the government ’ s ambit of what they ’ re looking at is relatively narrow .
They ’ ve basically narrowed the ( scope ) of whom they ’ ve got to consult and provided some pretty tight timelines , ” he said .
Catastrophic Decline in Pacific Salmon will be Hastened by DFO Fish Farm Decision that Flouts Critical Cohen Recommendation : The DFO ’ s decision not to implement the Cohen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bode well for the future of Pacific salmon https : //t.co/WYmzmRsJL6 pic.twitter.com/K9Nwi7QJ1J — UBCIC ( @ UBCIC ) September 30 , 2020 DFO said last week in a press release that it has concluded , after completing nine peer-reviewed risk assessments about the risks facing wild salmon if they interact with farmed fish , that “ the transfer of pathogens poses a minimal risk ... to Fraser River sockeye.
” The department will begin consultations with First Nations adjacent to the farms , and hopes to reach a decision about the farms by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leases are slated for renewal .
It ’ s an approach — presenting scientific findings that justify minimal consultations with only a few First Nations — that allows the department to avoid “ quite significant ” consultations and accommodations , Nikolakis said .
Hundreds of First Nations ’ Aboriginal rights to the fish would be impacted if fish farms pushed wild salmon to extinction .
If DFO ’ s findings showed that keeping the farms would precipitate that extinction , they would all need to be consulted , accommodated and compensated for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) done is make a decision of convenience , ” he said .
A decision symptomatic of a broken system , said Robert Chamberlin , former vice-president of the Union of B.C .
Indian Chiefs .
The consultation system gives the federal and provincial governments exclusive authority to define how First Nations will be impacted by their decisions , he said , instead of forcing them to collaborate and determine the future of fish farms , and salmon , in B.C .
together .
And the consequences of the Fraser River salmon ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on them could be severe .
“ Salmon is more than a menu choice for our people , ” Chamberlin said .
“ It ’ s who we are .
We ’ ve always lived off this .
It ’ s our culture , it ’ s our tradition , it ’ s our history .
”

As a child, about 300 wild salmon, carefully packed into a chest freezer after each fishing season, sustained Kukpi7 Judy Wilson and her family for the year ahead. “We had one freezer for salmon, one freezer for wild meat, and my parents had a ranch farm. We were independent,” said Kukpi7 Wilson, now chief of her First Nation, the Neskonlith Indian Band, and Secretary-Treasurer of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs. Salmon was a staple, sustaining her community’s nutritional, cultural and spiritual needs for generations, she explained. No longer. It’s been years since enough salmon made it to Secwepemc territory, high up in the Fraser River watershed near Chase, B.C., for the community to fish. They’ve relied on the generosity of the neighbouring Okanagan nations, who have a salmon hatchery, to supply the community with enough salmon for cultural and ceremonial uses. They’re not alone: only 293,000 sockeyes returned to the Fraser River this year — the lowest number since records began — halting all sockeye fisheries across the vast watershed. It’s an emergency that Kukpi7 Wilson could be made worse by a recent announcement by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) about the fate of 18 open-pen fish farms in the Discovery Islands.
The contentious farms were facing removal by Sept. 30, a deadline set by the 2012 Cohen Commission report that examined the decline of Fraser River sockeye, unless DFO could prove they pose minimal risk to wild fish. Kukpi7 Wilson said her community rely on neighbouring nation for salmon now, a far cry from the hundreds of wild salmon she remembers eating as a child. Photo provided by Kukpi7 Wilson. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Several researchers and advocacy organizations, including the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, have called for the removal of the farms to protect wild salmon from parasites and disease.
Last week, DFO announced its research shows that the farms — which are located in a bottleneck on young Fraser River sockeyes’ migration to the open ocean — don't threaten the survival of wild salmon, and therefore will not face immediate closure. A final decision on the farms’ fate will be delayed pending consultation with seven area First Nations who have farms in their territories, the department said. “#Wildsalmon are not one place. They go in the #ocean, they go up #rivers, they spawn. All #FirstNations (along that route) should be #consulted,” said Robert Phillips. @FNSummit @UBCIC @DFO_Pacific@BernJordanMP #cdnpoli #bcpoli But Kukpi7 Wilson said the consultation will have far too narrow a scope. “That’s a wrong approach, because it’s not looking at all the issues, not looking at a better way to work with all the parties involved in protecting the salmon, (it’s not looking) at their entire life cycle” she said. Salmon are aquatic wanderers; their life brings them from creek beds to the open ocean and back. Young salmon spend the start of their lives, up to roughly a year, in the freshwater river systems where they’re born. They head to the sea, maturing slowly as they head out into the open Pacific for the next few years of their life. Then, they return to the river of their birth to lay and fertilize their eggs — and die.
“Wild salmon are not one place. They go in the ocean, they go up rivers, they spawn. All First Nations (along that route) should be consulted,” said Robert Phillips, political executive for the First Nations summit and member of the Northern Secwepemc te Qelmucw (Shuswap) of the Canim Lake First Nation. Salmon move, said Robert Phillips, meaning decisions impacting them at any point in their life cycle will have cascading effects on the people and ecosystems who rely on them. Those relationships have been largely ignored in the consultation process for fish farms announced on last week. Photo by Colin Braker/First Nations Summit. It’s a life cycle that’s not reflected in the scope of consultations DFO announced last week — even while collapse of Fraser River sockeye would impact the Aboriginal title and rights of Indigenous communities throughout the watershed.