Cadillac Fairview covertly collected images of 5M shoppers across Canada: privacy commissioners

An investigation into Cadillac Fairview’s use of facial recognition technology at a dozen Canadian malls found the real estate company collected the images of five million unsuspecting shoppers from across the country.

© Getty Images Cadillac Fairview – one of North America’s largest commercial real estate companies – embedded cameras inside their digital information kiosks at 12 shopping malls across Canada and used facial recognition technology without their customers’ knowledge or consent, an investigation by the federal, Alberta and BC Privacy Commissioners has found.

The results of the investigation, conducted by the federal, Alberta and B.C. privacy commissioners, were released on Thursday.

According to the report, the company embedded small, inconspicuous cameras inside their mall directories at 12 Canadian malls (two in Alberta, two in B.C., one in Manitoba, five in Ontario and two in Quebec) which collected images of customers without their knowledge or consent.

Read more: Calgary mall defends use of facial-recognition technology after customer discovers they’re being watched

Cadillac Fairview said it was using facial recognition technology to determine the age and gender of shoppers, and that images taken by the cameras were analyzed briefly before being deleted.

It argued that shoppers were made aware of the activity through decals placed on the doors to enter the shopping malls, but the commissioners determined that wasn’t enough to obtain meaningful consent.

“Shoppers had no reason to expect their image was being collected by an inconspicuous camera, or that it would be used, with facial recognition technology, for analysis,” privacy commissioner of Canada Daniel Therrien said.

Read more: Privacy commissioner ‘following up’ with Calgary mall using facial recognition software

“Questions about when an organization is collecting personal information can be complex, but the conclusion we came to about cameras in mall directories was straight-forward,” B.C. information and privacy commissioner Michael McEvoy said.


“Pictures of individuals were taken and analyzed in a manner that required notice and consent.”

Though Cadillac Fairview said the images weren’t kept on file, investigators found the sensitive biometric information generated from the images was being stored in a centralized database by a third party.

Read more: Calgary mall defends use of facial-recognition technology after customer discovers they’re being watched

“Cadillac Fairview stated that it was unaware that the database of biometric information existed, which compounded the risk of potential use by unauthorized parties or, in the case of a data breach, by malicious actors,” a news release stated.

Cadillac Fairview is one of North America’s largest commercial real estate companies with 69 properties in Canada including Toronto-Dominion Centre, CF Toronto Eaton Centre, CF Pacific Centre, CF Chinook Centre, Tour Deloitte and CF Carrefour Laval.

The investigation was launched after the use of the facial recognition software came first came to light in 2018.

1:57  Facial recognition software privacy concerns
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/topstories/cadillac-fairview-covertly-collected-images-of-5m-shoppers-across-canada-privacy-commissioners/ar-BB1aw7Y5?ocid=msedgdhp

Since then, Cadillac Fairview removed the cameras from its digital directory kiosks and said it has no plans currently to reinstall the technology.

It has also deleted all information associated with the cameras that is not required for legal purposes.

Read more: Alberta Privacy Commissioner investigating use of facial recognition software in Calgary malls

The three privacy commissioners recommended that if Cadillac Fairview were to use the technology again, it needs to put more effort into obtaining shoppers’ consent before capturing and analyzing their images.

“This investigation exposes how opaque certain personal information business practices have become,” Alberta information and privacy commissioner Jill Clayton said.

“Not only must organizations be clear and up front when customers’ personal information is being collected, they must also have proper controls in place to know what their service providers are doing behind the scenes with that information.”

Read more: Cadillac Fairview suspends use of facial recognition cameras at Calgary malls

In a news release, the commissioners said they “remain concerned” that Cadillac Fairview “refused” their request to “commit to ensuring express, meaningful consent is obtained from shoppers should it choose to redeploy the technology in the future.”

In a statement sent to Global News via email, Cadillac Fairview confirmed it accepted and implemented all the recommendations from the investigation with the exception of those that speculate about hypothetical future uses of similar technology.

"We currently have no plans to use the technologies in question," the company said.

It went on to say the images collected of shoppers referenced in the report "are not faces."

"These are sequences of numbers the software uses to anonymously categorize the age range and gender of shoppers in the camera’s view. If the same shopper crossed the camera’s view again, a new string of numbers would be generated.

"We want to reiterate that we take the concerns of our visitors seriously and are committed to protecting our visitors’ privacy."

The malls where the technology was used were:

Alberta

CF Market Mall in Calgary

CF Chinook Centre in Calgary

British Columbia

CF Richmond Centre in Richmond

CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver

Manitoba

CF Polo Park in Winnipeg

Ontario

CF Toronto Eaton Centre in Toronto

CF Sherway Gardens in Toronto

CF Fairview Mall in Toronto

CF Lime Ridge in Hamilton

CF Markville Mall in Markham

Quebec

CF Galeries d'Anjou in Montreal

CF Carrefour Laval in Laval

Dust devil led to crash that killed paraglider pilot in Alberta: safety board

GIBBONS, Alta. — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says an Alberta pilot who died after crashing his powered paraglider hit a dust devil.

The crash occurred on May 13 near Gibbons, about 40 kilometres north of Edmonton.

Board officials say they did a limited, fact-gathering investigation into the accident.

Their report says the pilot was on a recreational flight over a private field northwest of the town.

It says he flew for about 25 minutes and the entire flight was captured on a video camera attached to his helmet.

One minute before the crash, the report says, the glider went through a dust devil — a rotating updraft that can be common in Alberta on warm, sunny days.

"This localized pocket of hot air rises quickly in a small spinning column, and cooler air rushes in below to replace it," says the report. "The resulting vortex is made visible by the dust it picks up.

"Dust devils seldom extend higher than 100 meters, but those that do can flip objects like lawn furniture."

The report says the dust devil caused the RS Ultra Kangook MF glider to suddenly climb faster. It rolled sharply to the right and its lines wrapped around the pilot, the trike, and the turning propeller. Eventually the entire canopy collapsed.

"Control was lost and the aircraft impacted the ground, fatally injuring the pilot."

The report concludes that meteorological events such as dust devils can present a hazard.

"Paraglider pilots need to be aware of the conditions that can be conducive to the formation of these phenomena, and avoid operating in these conditions where possible."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2020.

Banks roll out robots as pandemic shakes up IT plans
By Iain Withers and Anna Irrera



LONDON (Reuters) - When banks were flooded with loan requests from businesses struggling with the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, hastily built robots helped several lenders cope with the deluge.

The bots were one of many quick technology changes deployed across the industry during the crisis, a contrast to the slow progress it's made in the past two decades to improve technology in the face of increasing competition from fintech rivals.

Now the jolt from the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the process even though banks globally are having to cut IT spending this year for the first time since 2009, based on data from research company IDC."Bots allowed us to process a much higher volume of applications than we would have been able to do before. It meant the timelines didn't get longer with the massive volume," said Simon McNamara, chief administrative officer at Britain's NatWest , which has granted more than 13 billion pounds ($16.90 billion) of state-backed loans.

It is a pattern that has played out across banks globally, where technology changes that would usually take months were done in a matter of days.At Citigroup , there was a 300% rise from a year earlier in the number of new accounts opened digitally by corporate or fund clients during March, while the number of those clients using its online and app services rose 25%. "We were seeing this trend pre-COVID but it accelerated during COVID," Naveed Sultan, Citi's global head of transaction banking, said.

"The traditional ways of working became almost non-existent."

But as banks have to budget for a pick-up in loan losses due to the pandemic, some projects, such as large-scale customer data mining to offer more personalised services may have to be shelved, IDC research showed.

Global IT spend by banks is set to shrink by 1.7% this year to $200 billion, down from $203.5 billion in 2019, based on IDC data. Growth is then forecast to resume over the next three years, albeit at a slower pace.

(Graphic: Bank tech spending link: https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/oakpenyojvr/chart.png)

CRISIS LOANS

Banks have prioritised process automation in the face of spiking workloads as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, based on IDC surveys of bank executives.Santander's UK division rolled out data analytics tools to speed up loan application processing and credit checking as borrowers came under strain.

"We had prepared but the volume was higher than expected," Santander UK's chief technology officer Carlos Selonke told Reuters. "It's a huge focus for us, making changes to increase our velocity."Swiss bank UBS developed six bots within three days which assisted client advisers in handling the immense inflow of coronavirus crisis loan requests from businesses in Switzerland, said Mike Dargan, global head of group technology at UBS.



Banks have also been prioritising shifting data to the cloud to speed up response times and allow more staff to work from home, while also bolstering defences against the growing threat of cyber attacks.

"We had four main focus areas, remote working to enable the employees at UBS, system stability, as we saw a lot of volatility, cyber security, and operations continuity," UBS's Dargan told Reuters.

'MOONSHOTS' ON HOLD

On the flip side, bank spending on consumer-facing technologies for branches and online services is forecast to grow more slowly, increasing from $31 billion in 2020 to $40 billion in 2024, according to IDC.

Other less urgent projects such as systems overhauls and longer term so-called "moonshot" digital ventures are being shelved.

"Banks are struggling to deploy new software," David Buxton, chief executive of Arachnys, a startup that sells compliance technology to banks. Many employees are still working remotely which means they may not have the tools needed for new and more ambitious IT projects, he said.

NatWest ditched its fledgling digital savings brand Bó early into the pandemic.

McNamara said the pandemic was a factor in the decision as there was strong demand for the bank's existing mobile app, which has added 700,000 users since the pandemic started.

Although banks have reined in IT spending overall this year to cope with the initial pandemic fallout, IDC predicted growth will resume from next year, with overall spending forecast to jump by a quarter to $250 billion in 2024.

Industry experts say the pandemic has focused bank executives' minds when it comes to IT spend and more digitally savvy lenders will steal a march on competitors.

"There is a digital divide," Jerry Silva, global banking research director at IDC said. "Sometimes I call it the predatory gap, because those banks are going to be able to steal market share from those that weren't prepared prior to 2020."

($1 = 0.7693 pounds)

(Reporting by Iain Withers and Anna Irrera. Editing by Jane Merriman)

AB QP

Under the Dome: UCP'S Nixon says 'public sector has to do their part', sales tax 'against the law'

Alberta businesses have faced an unprecedented decline and the public sector will have to do their part to address costs, UCP government house leader Jason Nixon said on the first episode of our Under the Dome video series.

Nixon was responding to a question from host Dave Breakenridge about whether government departments could face similar job cuts or outsoucing, as has been planned at Alberta Health Services.

When asked about when jobs promised from corporate tax cuts could be expected Nixon said it will take time. "We do expect to see the fruit of those coming tax cuts over the coming months," he said.

As to whether the UCP would bring in a sales tax, Nixon said it would be "against the law" because a referendum would be needed.

Opposition leader Rachel Notley was also interviewed. She outlined why her party is focusing on economic issues and raised concerns about a UCP policy proposal approved at the party's recent AGM to create a private health-care system alongside the public system.

You can watch all episodes of Under the Dome at edmontonjournal.com/underthedome or subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Alberta NDP endorses nationalized auto insurance, calls for premium freeze
Lisa Johnson 

© Provided by Edmonton Journal 

NDP Leader Rachel Notley said Wednesday that if private companies can't afford to cover drivers in Alberta it's time for the government to consider nationalized insurance.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley called on the UCP to freeze auto insurance premiums until 2021 on Wednesday, saying if private companies can’t afford to cover drivers in Alberta it’s time for public insurance.

Notley said government-run auto insurance is better for taxpayers, but it would be difficult to initiate while private companies occupy the market.

“When the insurance companies say (they) can’t possibly afford to provide insurance, ‘We’re going to leave the province,’ well, that sounds like it’s opening up a market for somebody else to provide something that would be less expensive and ensure that profits remain inside the province,” said Notley.

After the UCP government cancelled the former NDP government’s five per cent rate cap, it appointed a panel to look at what was ailing Alberta’s auto insurance market last December.

At the time, Finance Minister Travis Toews said offering government-run insurance such as B.C. and Saskatchewan do was not an option on the table. Jerrica Goodwin, the minister’s press secretary, confirmed Wednesday his previous remarks still stand.

In question period Wednesday, NDP Service Alberta critic Jon Carson called on the government to freeze rising auto insurance rates. Toews rejected the idea, saying any kind of rate cap would make the situation worse.

“The members opposite did not have the courage to fix the broken automobile insurance system,” said Toews, referring to Notley’s time in power.

The government is expected to introduce auto insurance reforms Thursday that Toews said will deal with the “cost pressures that are driving insurance premiums up in the province.”

But Notley said she is worried that the UCP government’s solution would be to capitulate to insurance companies at the expense of Albertans.

According to data from the General Insurance Statistical Agency , Alberta has the third-highest average rate of insurance premiums after British Columbia and Ontario, which saw an increase of $300 since 2015.

Industry representatives have argued that the former NDP government’s cap resulted in higher costs and less competition

Sobeys CEO is ready for grocers' code of conduct

The chief executive of Canada’s second-largest supermarket chain criticized two of his chief competitors on Wednesday for foisting a set of “repugnant” new fees on suppliers

.

© Provided by Financial Post

 'It’s a very complex industry and I don’t want unintended consequences

Michael Medline at Empire Co. Ltd. — which owns Sobeys, Safeway and FreshCo — said the fees announced by both Walmart Canada and Loblaw Cos. Ltd. will hurt manufacturers, farmers and smaller grocers, and threaten to drive up prices for consumers.

“Taken to the extreme, some of these behaviours are just plain bad for Canada,” he said during a virtual event hosted by the Empire Club of Canada. “It’s just not right.”

Medline said Empire is now open to imposing a code of conduct in the industry, echoing manufacturing advocates that have been pressing the federal and provincial governments to rein in bullying tactics in the heavily consolidated grocery retail sector.

Loblaw follows Walmart in imposing new fees on suppliers to help pay for upgrades

Food fight in Aisle 3: Grocers, suppliers clash over need for code of conduct in Canada

‘Gap in legislation’: Stronger law needed to launch wage-fixing probe into grocers’ behaviour

“It’s a pretty exciting day,” said Michael Graydon, chief executive of Food, Health and Consumer Products of Canada, one of the leading advocates for a grocery code. “I’m just absolutely delighted that he would come out publicly and have that conversation today.”

Medline, who was once CEO of Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. before joining Empire in 2017, said he finds that grocers and suppliers have “the worst relationship I’ve ever seen in my couple of decades in retail.”

His comments are liable to intensify the debate over an industry code of conduct, which ramped up in July after Walmart Canada imposed a non-negotiable fee on suppliers of up to 6.25 per cent on the cost of goods to help pay for its $3.5-billion infrastructure investment.

Manufacturing associations warned that other major chains would follow with similar fees and Loblaw last week told suppliers it would levy a new 1.2-per-cent fee, as well as increased distribution and marketing charges, noting it was investing $6 billion on infrastructure over the next five years.

“I don’t think a government unilaterally coming in and putting in legislation will probably help, because it’s a very complex industry and I don’t want unintended consequences,” Medline said. “It’s time that we got together as an industry and had a set of very simple, value-driven ground rules so that we don’t get in this mess and that we have a very healthy food supply chain.”

The federal government has said it does not have the jurisdiction to regulate the grocery industry, but encouraged the provinces to look into it.

In a letter this week, a coalition of trade groups representing farmers, food processors, bakers and independent grocers urged federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Ontario Agriculture Minister Ernie Hardeman to raise the issue when they co-chair the next Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers of Agriculture and Agri-Food meeting in November.

© Kevin King/Postmedia/File Empire Co. Ltd., owner of supermarket chains Sobeys, Safeway and FreshCo, said it would not be instituting a supplier charge.

“It is unfortunate to see grocers impose these costly fees during this pandemic,” Bibeau’s office said in an email on Wednesday. “We are pleased to see the interest from some of our provincial counterparts to examine this matter.”

Medline said he would be open to a “simple and short” code, similar to the model used in the United Kingdom. But he also said that the code would have to apply to all players in the industry, unlike the voluntary version used in Australia.

“It has to cut both ways,” he said. “Suppliers need to also promise to play fair.”

The moves by Walmart and Loblaw had some industry insiders questioning whether Empire was next. But Medline made it clear he would not follow suit, noting the company had worked closely with suppliers to manage massive demand spikes in the early days of the pandemic this spring.

Court rules that California Uber drivers could not establish 'political coercion'

© Reuters/BRENDAN MCDERMID A screen displays the company logo for Uber Technologies Inc. on the day of it's IPO at the NYSE in New York

(Reuters) - A California court on Wednesday denied an application for a temporary restraining order by the state's Uber Technologies Inc drivers, saying the drivers could not establish the alleged "political coercion" by the ride-hailing company.

The drivers had last week sued Uber over in-app messages regarding an upcoming gig worker ballot measure that the drivers say violates a California law protecting their political rights.

The lawsuit had said that Uber was unlawfully pressuring drivers via the app to support the Nov. 3 company-sponsored ballot measure, known as Proposition 22. Uber had rejected those claims.

"The application for a temporary restraining order is denied", Richard Ulmer, judge of Superior Court of California for San Francisco County, said in his order.

The request for "extraordinary injunctive relief" is belated, the judge wrote, adding that the drivers could not establish if anyone was punished by Uber for advocating against Prop 22.

Prop 22 would overwrite California law AB5 intended to force Uber, Lyft Inc and other app-based companies to classify workers as employees, entitling them to benefits including minimum wage, overtime pay, health and unemployment insurance.

Uber and Lyft say such changes would force them to reduce their California driver base by more than 75% and prevent the majority of its drivers from enjoying their current flexibility and income opportunities.

Both companies have also threatened to leave the state if AB5 was enforced.

Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart and Postmates have jointly spent close to $200 million to promote the ballot proposal and Uber has included messages in its driver app to promote it.

Last week, a California appeals court unanimously ruled against Uber and Lyft, saying they must reclassify their drivers in the state as employees, with both companies saying they were considering all legal options, including an appeal.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Husky pipeline spills 900,000 litres of produced water in northwestern Alberta



RAINBOW LAKE, Alta. — Husky Energy is cleaning up after one of its pipelines in northwestern Alberta spilled 900,000 litres of produced water, a byproduct of oil and gas extraction that sometimes contains residual petroleum and chemicals.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The Calgary-based company said Wednesday it discovered the leak during a daily inspection on Monday morning and immediately shut down the pipeline.

The Alberta Energy Regulator said it happened about 15 kilometres southeast of the town of Rainbow Lake and that "salt/produced water" spilled into a low-lying wetland.

Husky spokeswoman Dawn Delaney said in a statement that the spill has been contained.

"Cleanup efforts continue, including the use of pumps and vacuum trucks. There have been no observed impacts to wildlife and fencing is in place to keep wildlife from the area," she said.

"Husky’s first priority is the safety of its people and the protection of the environment in the communities we operate in. We are undertaking a thorough investigation of this incident."

Husky initially reported a spill of 500,000 litres to the regulator, but Delaney said the amount was increased after an initial investigation.

The energy regulator has not confirmed the amount spilled or determined a cause, said spokesman Jordan Fitzgerald.

"The AER reviews the cause and circumstances of each incident," he said in a statement.

"If we determine that Husky is not in compliance with our requirements, we have a number of compliance and enforcement tools to bring them back into compliance."

That could include a warning, fine or prosecution.

In July 2016, a Husky pipeline spilled diluted heavy oil into the North Saskatchewan River, harming fish and wildlife and forcing three Saskatchewan cities to shut off their water intakes for almost two months.

Forty per cent of the 225,000 litres that spilled got into the major waterway near Maidstone, Sask.

The company was fined $3.8 million last year after it pleaded guilty to three environmental charges.

Cenovus Energy announced on the weekend that it had reached a deal to buy Husky for $3.8 billion in shares, which would make it the third-largest Canadian oil and gas producer by total output.

— By Lauren Krugel in Calgary

This report by The Canadian Press was first published October 28, 2020.

Global economic rebound at risk from rising coronavirus cases: Reuters poll

By Shrutee Sarkar 

© Reuters/DADO RUVIC FILE PHOTO: George Washington is seen with printed medical masks on a U.S. dollar near Euro banknotes in this illustration

BENGALURU (Reuters) - There is a high risk the resurgence in coronavirus cases halts the global economic recovery by year-end, according to Reuters polls of around 500 economists, a majority of whom expected the rebound next year to be weaker than previously thought.

Governments and central banks around the world have pledged trillions of dollars of stimulus, helping most economies out of deep recessions. But a second wave of infections in places that eased lockdowns is now underway, leading to more restrictions.

That was a top risk repeatedly highlighted by Reuters surveys of economists, FX analysts, bond and equity strategists, as well as global fund managers since the start of the pandemic.

The Oct. 6-27 Reuters polls of economists across Asia, Europe and the Americas covering 46 economies showed scant sign of activity recovering to pre-COVID-19 levels anytime soon.

Nearly three-quarters of 150 analysts who responded to an additional question said the resurgence in coronavirus cases posed a high risk of halting the current global economic recovery as early as this year.

"Even before the renewed lockdowns there was already a broad acceptance that many countries will see a permanently lower level of GDP than they would have done in the absence of the pandemic," noted Janet Henry, global chief economist at HSBC.

"Higher unemployment and higher debt appear inevitable but there are also implications for equality, long-term growth potential and financial stability."

Median growth forecasts for over 65% of those 46 economies were downgraded or left unchanged for 2020 and nearly 60% of those for 2021. The range of forecasts also reveals mostly lower lows and lower highs.

For a Reuters poll graphic on global 2020 GDP forecast revisions: https://graphics.reuters.com/GLOBAL-ECONOMY/POLL/xegvblekxvq

For a Reuters poll graphic on global 2021 GDP forecast revisions: https://graphics.reuters.com/GLOBAL-ECONOMY/POLL/azgpojlbzvd

In the meantime, there is no sign of the pandemic letting up anytime soon. The United States, Russia, France and many other countries have registered record numbers of cases in recent days, and European governments introduced new curbs.

The global economy was expected to grow 5.3% next year after shrinking 4.0% this year, a touch higher than the International Monetary Fund's projection of 5.2% for 2021.

But nearly 80% of economists, or 119 of 150, said a weaker global recovery than previously thought was the greater risk in 2021, rather than a vigorous rebound or a renewed downturn.

For many major economies, it's been whiplash: plunging into the deepest contraction on record, then growing at the fastest pace ever, only to face trouble once again during the current quarter.

"For economies it has literally been a roller coaster, from the blissful ignorance and denial in Q1, to the lockdowns and economic implosion in Q2 and the reversal of restrictions fuelling a rebound in economic activity in Q3," said Stefan Koopman, senior market economist at Rabobank.

"Unfortunately Q4 also comes with renewed virus challenges. Economically speaking, we might have to bridge another 6 months or more before a vaccine can offer substantial relief and should weigh heavily on activity in the near term. Particularly as we may face some fatigue in terms of offsetting stimulus measures."

Despite expectations for further monetary stimulus in the euro zone and Britain, and another round of U.S. fiscal support, the economic outlook was subdued in the latest polls, with the fresh rise in coronavirus cases the biggest risk to their recoveries.

For Japan, economists said the government needs to pledge a third stimulus package to shore up an economy hammered by the pandemic, while the Australian and Canadian economies were predicted to grow at a much weaker pace than previously thought.

China, the world's second-largest economy, was projected to grow 8.4% in 2021, in stark contrast to much weaker recoveries everywhere else. But some economists outside China expected a much lower figure and said many forecasts do not capture the real extent of the economic hit.

Most other emerging market economies were expected to struggle this year and next.

"Emerging market economies are leaving behind the worst of their COVID-19-related economic contractions, even if infection cases continue to increase in a number of countries, notably India," noted Ajay Rajadhyaksha, head of macro research at Barclays.

"In aggregate, EM economies no longer have a growth advantage over the advanced economies."

(Reporting by Shrutee Sarkar; Analysis and graphics by Indradip Ghosh; Polling by the Reuters Polls team in Bengaluru and bureaus in Shanghai, Tokyo, London, Istanbul, Johannesburg, and Buenos Aires; Editing by Ross Finley and Hugh Lawson)

Trump officials end gray wolf protections across most of US


BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Trump administration officials on Thursday stripped Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in most of the U.S., ending longstanding federal safeguards and putting states and tribes in charge of overseeing the predators.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The U.S. Department of Interior announcement just days ahead of the Nov. 3 election could lead to resumption of wolf hunts in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin -- a crucial battleground in the campaign between President Donald Trump and former Vice-President Joe Biden.

It's the latest in a series of administration actions on the environment that appeal to key blocs of rural voters in the race’s final days, including steps to allow more mining in Minnesota and logging in Alaska.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz, who opposes recreational wolf hunting, called the decision disappointing and wildlife advocacy groups pledged to fight it in court.

Both feared and revered by people, gray wolves have recovered from near extinction in parts of the country but remain absent from much of their historical range.

Federal wildlife officials contend thriving populations in the western Great Lakes region, Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest ensure the species' long-term survival. They argue it’s not necessary for wolves to be in every place they once inhabited to be considered recovered.

In an announcement attended by several dozen people at a national wildlife refuge overlooking the Minnesota River in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt declared the gray wolf's recovery “a milestone of success."

“In the early part of the 20th century the gray wolf had essentially become a ghost throughout the United States," Bernhardt said. “That is not the case today."

Former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director Dan Ashe agreed that wolves were recovered and said it's time for the agency to “move on" to help other imperiled wildlife. But he questioned the announcement coming so close to the election.

“It creates the perception that it's being done for political reasons," Ashe said in an interview.

Some biologists and former government officials who previously reviewed the administration’s proposal for lifting protections said it lacked scientific justification. And wildlife advocates worry the move will make it harder, if not impossible, for wolves to recover in more regions, such as the southern Rocky Mountains and portions of the Northeast.

Their numbers also are sure to drop in the western Great Lakes area, as happened previously when federal controls were lifted, said Adrian Treves, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin. Hunting seasons took their toll and research showed that poachers were emboldened by the absence of federal enforcement, he said.

Agency scientists believe wolves can continue expanding even without the federal listing, although support from states is considered crucial.

Farmers and hunters welcomed the news.

Ashleigh Calaway of Pittsville, Wisconsin said 13 of her family farm's sheep were killed by wolves in July of 2019. Reducing wolf numbers through state-sponsored hunts would help prevent such attacks, she said.

“It's allowing them to be managed to a level to lower the risk to sheep and cattle," Calaway said. 

FARMERS USING PUBLIC LANDS FOR GRAZING THAT THEY DON'T PAY FOR INFRINGE ON WOLF AND OTHER PREDATORS TERRITORY

The decision keeps protections for a small population of Mexican gray wolves in the Southwest. It's the latest attempt over two decades to return management authority to the states. Courts have frequently rejected such moves after opponents filed lawsuits.

Environmental groups said protections are still needed to shield small populations of wolves in West Coast states, including California, and to help them expand to new areas.

“Instead of pursuing further wolf recovery, the Fish and Wildlife Service has just adopted the broadest, most destructive delisting rule yet," said Collette Adkins with the Center for Biological Diversity.

An initiative on the Colorado ballot next week seeks to reintroduce wolves there in coming years. With federal protections removed, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would have no say about moving ahead with the plan, if voters approve it.

Wolves were wiped out across most of the U.S. by the 1930s under government-sponsored poisoning and trapping campaigns. A remnant population in the western Great Lakes region has since expanded to some 4,400 animals in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

More than 2,000 occupy six states in the Northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest after wolves from Canada were reintroduced in Idaho and Yellowstone National Park beginning 25 years ago.

Following a protracted courtroom battle that ended when Congress intervened, the Northern Rockies wolves are now under state management and are hunted in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.

State officials also allowed hunting of Great Lakes wolves for several years last decade when protections were removed. The hunts ended when protections were restored under a 2014 federal court order.

Wolves were given initial federal protections in the late 1960s and listed as an endangered species in 1978, except in Minnesota where they were classified as threatened. A government-sponsored recovery effort had cost roughly $160 million as of last year.

The wolves lose protection 60 days after the decision is published Nov. 3 in the Federal Register, although the wildlife service will continue monitoring their populations for five years.

Wolves have never been legally protected in Alaska, which has a population of 7,000 to 11,000.

___

Flesher reported from Traverse City, Michigan, and Brown from Billings, Montana.

Matthew Brown, John Flesher And Jim Mone, The Associated Press