Top copper producers show some love for Peru’s leftist leader

Bloomberg News | September 23, 2021 | 

Pedro Castillo. (Image from Castillo’s, Twitter profile)

Some of the world’s biggest miners say they like what they’re hearing from Peru’s new leftist government of late, further easing fears that drastic policy changes could stall future output in the No. 2 copper nation.


Freeport-McMoRan Inc. boss Richard Adkerson said Thursday at an industry event that he was left “encouraged” from a recent meeting with President Pedro Castillo, a former rural union activist from a Marxist party. At the same conference two days earlier, BHP Group’s president for minerals in the Americas, Ragnar Udd, complimented the government’s “strategic” approach.

The praise marks a sharp turnaround from the investor anxiety that surrounded elections in April, when Castillo vowed to nationalize assets, block projects and take a bigger share of the mineral windfall to fight poverty. The polarizing process spurred concern that a far more onerous operating environment would derail investments needed to help fill a looming copper supply gap as the world tries to wean itself off fossil fuels.

Adkerson, Udd and other executives speaking this week at the virtual Peruvian event known as Perumin highlighted the huge potential for the South American nation to capitalize on rising global demand to boost communities and the broader economy. But given mining’s historically tense relations with communities in Peru, speakers were also clear to underscore the industry’s collaborative and sustainable approach going forward.

And while the more moderate factions in the administration may have won favor of late, Castillo still plans to raise taxes to fight poverty — which explains some cautionary remarks.

“Other nations are also well resourced, and the nature of this industry is that not every opportunity will be realized — investment capital is a finite resource that competes on a global scale,” BHP’s Udd said.

American mining veteran Adkerson, who oversees the top publicly traded copper company, also spoke of the “complicated issues” that still have to be addressed. “But as miners, we want to listen to the problems and find ways of working with the government, communities and the country in trying to address them,” the Freeport CEO said.

(By James Attwood, with assistance from María Cervantes)

IMF to advise Peru on reform to increase mining taxes, says finance minister
Reuters | September 23, 2021 | 7:18 pm Intelligence Latin America Copper

Peru’s finance minister, Pedro Francke with the country’s new president, Pedro Castillo. (Credit: Presidencia Peru)

Peru’s finance minister said on Thursday that the International Monetary Fund would advise Peru on a tax reform on the mining sector that will capture more revenue in times of high metal prices without affecting competitiveness.


“There is a need for more fiscal resources,” finance minister Pedro Francke, a left-wing economist, said at the Perumin conference, attended by many mining executives in the world’s No. 2 copper producer.

“It’s not about changing the system we have … but to raise rates in the higher (income) bands,” Francke added. In addition to the IMF, Francke said the World Bank had also offered to help with the tax reform.

Mining is a key source of tax revenue in Peru and the new leftist administration of President Pedro Castillo has repeatedly said it wants to increase mining taxes to pay for new social programs.

Peru has one of the lowest tax-to-GDP ratios in Latin America, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and Francke said he is eager to improve those numbers.

Francke’s remarks are in line with what he told Reuters in an interview in early August when he said higher taxes would be designed to not affect the mining sector’s competitiveness.

Francke said he would unveil more details about the proposal next week when he is scheduled to present the tax reform proposal to Congress.

Francke’s remarks come after accompanying Castillo to the United Nations General Assembly, a trip where the two also held meetings with investors and mining corporations.

He said he had met with the CEO of gold miner Newmont, as well as executives from Freeport-McMoRan, Anglo American and Rio Tinto.

Freeport’s CEO Richard Adkerson said at the Perumin conference earlier on Thursday that he had been “impressed” by Castillo after meeting with him.

“We agreed that we need to try to work together and to provide an opportunity for mining companies in Peru to be comfortable in investing,” Adkerson said.

He noted that “no decisions were made” at the meeting.

(By Marcelo Rochabrun; Editing by Gerry Doyle)

Cameco inks deals to supply fuel for small modular reactors

Canadian Mining Journal Staff | September 23, 2021 

SASKATECHWAN Cigar Lake uranium mine (Image: Cameco)

Cameco (TSX: CCO; NYSE: CCJ) has signed a memorandum of understanding with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), GEH SMR Technologies Canada, and Synthos Green Energy to evaluate the potential establishment of a uranium supply chain in Canada capable of service a potential fleet of GWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMR) in Poland.


The BWRX-300 is a 300-MW, water cooled natural circulation SMR with passive safety systems. It has the potential to be the lowest risk, most cost competitive and quickest to market SMR, Cameco said in a release.

Last week, Cameco signed an agreement last week with an engineering company to potentially supply fuel for SMRs in Canada and the United States. The firm, X-energy, specializing in nuclear reactor and fuel design, has developed what it calls the Xe-100 SMR.

Cameco is one of the world’s largest suppliers of uranium, and as such, is well placed to support SMRs. “We intend to be a fuel supplier of choice for the emerging SMR and advanced reactor market and look forward to working with X-energy to see what opportunities might exist around their innovative reactor technology,” said Cameco president and CEO Tim Gitzel.

This summer, Cameco signed similar deals with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy and Global Nuclear Fuel-Americas.

SMRs are seen as a replacement for diesel at mines and communities in remote locations. Each installation would have a life of 20 or 30 years, providing clean, economic and reliable energy and heat. A study was completed in 2018 for Ontario Power Generation, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories and MIRARCO that may lay the foundation for future development.

(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)

WORKERS ARE WORTH IT
Iron ore miners lure workers to outback with resort-style living

Bloomberg News | September 24, 2021 | 

Mulla Mulla camp. Image by BHP.

In the outback’s blistering-hot mining sites, the hours are long and the flies relentless. Now, in a bid to attract skilled workers and overcome a labor supply crunch, Australia’s iron ore companies are turning to Olympic-sized swimming pools, virtual golf arcades and fine dining.


When production starts at Mineral Resources Ltd.’s Ashburton iron ore hub around mid-2023, staff will be offered what it calls resort-style accommodation twice the size of the industry average, featuring a queen-sized bed, kitchen and lounge areas. And to overcome the strains of working remotely, a full-time mental health consultant will be on hand.

“We want to figure out how to make sure we keep the people that are working for us with us until they retire,” the company’s chief executive, Chris Ellison, said.

Meanwhile, the mining giants are also upping their game. BHP Group’s South Flank, which started production in June, features a worker village with a pool, tennis and squash courts, an indoor golf range and a range of bars and restaurants.

A RECENT REPORT SHOWED WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S RESOURCES INDUSTRY NEEDS TO ATTRACT AS MANY AS 40,000 EXTRA WORKERS OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS

And Rio Tinto Group is seeking workers for its $2.6 billion Gudai-Darri project, due to start early next year, promising them comfortable living and high-speed connectivity at a site where workers will “genuinely respect each other.”

It’s a far cry from the industry’s traditional image of so-called fly-in, fly-out workers — flown in to work at mines in the desert for weeks at a time — being offered accommodation in sites resembling testosterone-fueled, heavy-drinking boot-camps, and sleeping in tiny rooms known as dongas after grueling 12-hour shifts.

The industry is also trying to clean up its sites after coming under attack due to sexual harassment claims made by women. BHP fired dozens of workers after it verified the claims, including substantiated allegations of rape. Rio also responded with steps to improve safety for female workers at its mines, including a buddy system, greater supervision and training, shorter rosters and a four-drink daily limit on alcohol consumption. BHP also has a four-drink cut-off at its sites.

“We’re trying to soften the sites down to attract a more diverse workforce,” Ellison said.

Mining companies know the ability to attract workers to their sites, and then keep them, is crucial. Despite an historic crash in iron ore prices this week to a 16-month low of $90, major miners like BHP and Rio still profit given their cost of production can be less than $20 per tonne.

They’re also used to volatile prices swings, so their hunt for talent is unlikely to change for now. Iron ore is responsible for about a third of Australia’s export revenue, or a record A$152 billion ($110 billion) in the year to June 30. while the industry employs around 280,000 people.

A recent report showed Western Australia’s resources industry needs to attract as many as 40,000 extra workers over the next two years or risk delays and potential postponement of some A$140 billion in projects. That challenge has been further complicated by the state’s border closures to keep out covid-19, while workers are also often headhunted to work in high-skilled industries such as tech and finance, despite being offered wages around double the national average at the mines.

For Mineral Resources, it’s not only about attracting and keeping the best workers: Ellison says it’s just as important to provide a safe and comfortable environment which supports the mental well-being of employees. The company is breaking the mold by planning to build accommodation to suit couples and families, seeking to get them to permanently reside and play an active part in the local community.

Still, the bulk of Western Australia’s mining-site workforce is destined to remain tied to their homes and families based hundreds of miles away, and from whom they need to remain physically distanced from for sometimes weeks at a time. Mineral Resources’ head of mental health, Chris Harris, said fly-in, fly-out workers suffered twice as much psychological distress as other Australian workers.

“Some of those challenges are just the nature of sector,” Harris said. “The question is: how do we support people to navigate those challenges?”

(By James Thornhill)

MINING IS NOT SUSTAINABLE
Investors in British Columbia back Faro mine restart in Yukon Territory

Nelson Bennett - Business in Vancouver | September 24, 2021 | 

Road near Faro, Yukon. Stock image.

The tiny Yukon town of Faro, a four-hour drive northwest of Whitehorse, would never have existed were it not for the nearby lead-zinc mine of the same name, which is said to have been the largest in the world at the time it was built in the late 1960s.


At its peak the town was home to 2,100 people, with the Faro mine accounting for 35% of Yukon’s GDP.

But after the mine’s owners went bankrupt, the mine shut down, the town’s population dwindled to 420 people and the federal government was left with what it described as “one of the most complex abandoned mine cleanup projects in Canada.”

To date, it has cost the Canadian government an estimated C$500 million in environmental remediation and mine site care and maintenance.

But the Faro mine district is far from exhausted of valuable metals. The region may still host a wealth of lead, zinc, silver and gold, not to mention more than $100 million worth of mining and public infrastructure, including a small airport, so the potential to restart the mine has always been there.

Now that First Nations in the area are on board with the idea of restarting the mine under a new co-ownership agreement, B.C. serial entrepreneur Don McInnes has helped put together a consortium of investors and a plan to acquire the land and restart the Faro mine.

THE REGION MAY STILL HOST A WEALTH OF LEAD, ZINC, SILVER AND GOLD, NOT TO MENTION MORE THAN $100 MILLION WORTH OF MINING AND PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE, INCLUDING A SMALL AIRPORT

The consortium – Tse Zul Development Corp. – includes McInnes’ company, Broden Mining, Vancouver-headquartered Strategic Metals Inc. (TSX-V:SMD) and the Ross River Dena Council.

McInnes has a long track record of financing successful mining and renewable energy projects. A partner at Oxygen Capital Corp., McInnes founded Plutonic Power, a B.C.-based renewable energy company that eventually became Alterra Power, which was sold to Innergex Renewable Energy (TSX:INE) in 2018 for $1.1 billion.

“When the last operator went bankrupt, it wasn’t because the mine wasn’t doing well, it was because they also owned the Westray coal mine in Nova Scotia, which blew up, and that bankrupted the company,” McInnes said.

The Faro mine complex has two main historic open-pit operations 15 kilometres apart. One of the pits is exhausted and is not part of the land package the consortium plans to buy. It is the Grum deposit in the southeast that the consortium is focused on.

The federal government would continue to be responsible for the environmental remediation of the exhausted pit. The consortium would assume the liabilities of the area around the Grum deposit, generally known as the Vangorda Lands.

“When we close – which hopefully will be this fall – we are going to be responsible for cleaning up our portion of the project, should we make an investment decision,” McInnes said.

“This is an economic arrangement between Canada and the Ross River Nation, and we’re kind of coming in behind Ross River as their mining partner, bringing them the financial and technical capacity. This is not a consult-and-accommodate opportunity. They are partners in acquiring it from the government.”

The consortium would need to rebuild a processing mill. Otherwise, the area has all the necessary infrastructure in place. When the mine was built in the 1960s, the federal government spent more than C$50 million building roads, bridges, power lines and a rail line to Whitehorse. The previous mine owners spent C$68 million on the mine’s operations.

“The deposits on the Vangorda Lands are some of the largest and richest zinc-lead-silver prospects in Canada, and they benefit from excellent infrastructure,” said Strategic Metals CEO Doug Eaton.

FIRST NATIONS IN THE AREA ARE ON BOARD WITH THE IDEA OF RESTARTING THE MINE UNDER A NEW CO-OWNERSHIP AGREEMENT

Once the land is acquired, the consortium would do a prefeasibility study, and if investors decide to sanction the project, it would have to go through a new environmental assessment. McInnes expects that would take about three years.

“If everything’s positive, and the community accepts the approach, then you might be able to start construction in three or four years from now,” McInnes said.

The plan is to restart the open-pit mining operations at the existing Grum deposit, which had been mined for only a couple of years.

“We are reasonably confident – because we have 700 drill holes of data – that there’s a lot of ore left there,” McInnes said. “We are also aware of significant other showings from previous exploration activities that stretch out to the east. And we also have a project just to the north of this called the Silver Range lands, at which a 36-million-ounce silver deposit has been found.”

(This article first appeared in Business in Vancouver)

Arctic Oil Is Booming Despite Strong Opposition

By Irina Slav - Sep 23, 2021, 11:00 AM CDT

Arctic oil and gas drilling is enjoying strong interest—and not just from Russian companies—despite the political rush to transform the world’s energy systems and remove fossil fuels from them.

A new report by Reclaim Finance, an organization that seeks to build a financial sector that will support the energy transition, has found that oil and gas companies had plans to increase their output in the Arctic by 20 percent over the next five years.

“These Arctic ‘expansionists’ – such as Gazprom, Total and ConocoPhillips – have, it is revealed, been backed by hundreds of billions of dollars of support from banks and investors, despite many holding commitments to restrict fossil financing in the region,” the report’s authors wrote.

The nonprofit said it had uncovered some $314 billion in funding for new oil and gas drilling in the Arctic distributed between 2016 and 2020, all from major banks and asset managers, most of whom have already made net-zero commitments.

Among the lenders to Arctic oil and gas, Reclaim Finance listed JP Morgan, which, according to the report, provided $18.6 billion in Arctic oil and gas financing, as well as Barclays, with $13.2 billion, and Citigroup, with $12.2 billion in financing for the oil and gas industry in its Arctic endeavors.

Private equity giants were also on the list with their holdings in the industry. The pack was led by BlackRock, which has holdings of $28.5 billion in companies with Arctic oil and gas operations. BlackRock, whose CEO Larry Fink recently said that a net-zero world is “the shared responsibility of every citizen, corporation, and government,” was followed by Vanguard, which has some $21.6 billion in exposure to oil and gas drillers in the Arctic, and Amundi, with $12.9 billion in oil and gas holdings in companies with Arctic operations.

“The Arctic is a climate bomb, and our research shows that the oil and gas industry is hellbent on setting it off, thus blowing up our chances of avoiding runaway climate breakdown,” the author of the report, Alix Mazounie, said.

“But they are not the only culprits: financial institutions have bankrolled these companies, making a mockery of their own climate commitments. Since the oil & gas tigers won’t change their stripes, the likes of BNP Paribas, BlackRock and JPMorganChase must heed the instruction of the International Energy Agency and cut off the taps.”

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

'There is no Planet B': Thousands march in Montreal to protest climate change

Friday's march was significant as Montreal's first large-scale environmental protest since the pandemic began.

Author of the article: René Bruemmer
Publishing date: Sep 24, 2021 •

Many attendees of Friday's climate march said they were spurred to turn out because the recent federal election left them doubtful Canada’s political leaders are taking the issue seriously. 

PHOTO BY DAVE SIDAWAY /Montreal Gazette

Thousands of mostly young Montrealers bearing placards reading “Wake up Mr. Trudeau” and “There is no Planet B” gathered on Mount Royal and then joined a spirited Global Protest for Climate Justice march that stretched for kilometres through the streets of downtown Friday.

They were part of the first major in-person Fridays for Future strikes — started by Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg — to be held since the pandemic began, and which drew similar crowds in more than 1,500 cities. Thunberg attended a massive rally in Berlin on Friday.

Although nowhere near the size of the mega-march that overtook Montreal in September 2019 — when Thunberg, just 16 at the time, led an estimated 500,000 people in a call for action on climate change — Friday’s march was significant as the city’s first large-scale environmental protest since COVID-19 quelled outdoor congregations.

Many attendees, most of them masked, said they were spurred to turn out because the recent federal election left them doubtful Canada’s political leaders are taking the issue seriously.

“I think the greatest threat to our health in the 21st century is the climate,” said Audrey Claveau, a pharmacist and member of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment who came to the mountain. Her young daughter held a hand-painted cardboard sign that read “I adore dinosaurs but I don’t want to end up like them.”

“I think it will affect much of the population,” said Claveau, “the aged, the asthmatic, those with health conditions, so it’s important to say it. And the government isn’t acting quickly enough.”

Claveau wants to see emissions cut drastically between now and 2030, and for government subsidies to oil and gas corporations to be halted.

Jenna Deer-Frainetti came to the monster rally in 2019, at the age of 15. Now a student at John Abbott College, she returned because “I don’t want to live on a planet that is burning,” she said. “Things are not progressing in the direction we wanted. There are more people in the younger generation that are getting involved, but I don’t think our government is doing enough. Especially with the recent election, I don’t think anything is getting done.”

She wants stricter carbon taxes to be implemented, clean drinking water to be available on all Indigenous reserves, and bans on sales of one-use plastics.

Friday’s Montreal march was organized by the Racial Justice Collective, Solidarity Across Borders, Coalition étudiante pour un virage environnemental et social and Pour le futur Mtl.

Organizers emphasized the idea that marginalized groups and developing nations are the ones that suffer the most from the effects of climate change. Abdoul Kane, spokesperson for Solidarity Across Borders, said the message is finally getting through.

“There is a large segment of the population that has a new awareness and that has decided to rise up to show to other Canadians what we are doing as a country is destroying the Earth and creating famines and a lot of problems in the world,” Kane said. “I think this is a good start to be able to start showing people that what we are doing is not good.”

Following the speeches, demonstrators walked down Parc Ave. and then west along Sherbrooke St. in a protest that was mostly peaceful. Montreal police reported three arrests: one for mischief, one for assault on a police officer and one for threats.

As protesters walked in the sun of an unseasonably warm late-September day, their signs, featuring images of the Earth on fire, countered the upbeat tone of the march.

Amid them, one protester carried a placard bearing just one word: “Panic.”

rbruemmer@postmedia.com

  

Quebecers march in Montreal to demand better action on climate change

Rachel Lau

CTVNewsMontreal.ca Digital Reporter
 Friday, September 24, 2021 

MONTREAL -- Quebecers across the province took part in a Canada-wide demonstration to demand action be taken against climate change Friday.

Activists said they want to #uprootthesystem and "demand for intersectional climate justice."

"I had really just been focusing on my own personal carbon footprint, my family, my school, but I saw that really what we need is to unite our voices to demand action from the people who can make a real difference -- from our political leaders and from large companies," said Shirley Barnea with Pour le Futur Montreal.

The youth-led and organized global climate strike movement started in August 2018 when then-15-year-old Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg started a school strike for the climate.

Soon joined by her peers, "they created the hashtag #FridaysForFuture, and encouraged other young people all over the world to join them. This marked the beginning of the global school strike for climate," the organization notes.

"Their call for action sparked an international awakening, with students and activists uniting around the globe to protest outside their local parliaments and city halls," the group explains. "Along with other groups across the world, Fridays for Future is part of a hopeful new wave of change, inspiring millions of people to take action on the climate crisis."

THREE ARRESTS

The Montreal police (SPVM) confirmed that three people were arrested during the protest, one for mischief, one for assault of a police officer and another for making threats.

"So three arrests were made by the Montreal Police Department side, no one was injured, and at this moment the protest is now over," said SPVM spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant.

WHAT THEY WANT

The group's message to political leaders includes asking:
The Global North to cut emissions drastically by divesting from fossil fuels and ending its extraction, burning and use.
"Colonizers of the north" pay their climate debt for their historic emissions.
For genuine global recovery from COVID-19 by ensuring equitable vaccine distribution and suspending intellectual property restrictions on COVID-19 technologies.
To recognize the tangibility of the climate crisis as a risk to human safety and secure the rights of climate refugees in international law.
To recognize the impact of biodiversity on Indigenous communities.
To stop violence and criminalization of Indigenous peoples, small farmers, small fisherfolk and other environmental and land defenders.

"Canada has such disproportionately large emissions compared to our population and such large historic emissions as well," Barnea states. "We're asking for Canada to be carbon neutral by 2030 to allow other countries to develop and reduce their emissions at a pace that is more comfortable."

POLITICIANS IN ATTENDANCE

Both the Quebec Liberals (PLQ) and Parti Québécois (PQ) have said they plan to attend the marches.

Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade, as well as "numerous" members of her party, will be in Montreal Friday.

The demonstration is set to take place starting at the Sir George Etienne-Cartier Monument at 1 p.m.

The PQ says it will have politicians in attendance at marches in Alma, Joliette and Quebec City.

Jonquière representative Sylvain Gaudreault will take part in the demonstration in Alma, which starts at 11:30 a.m. at the Green Plains behind the Mario-Tremblay Centre.

Joliette MNA Véronique Hivon will be at the march in Lanaudière, set to start at 12 p.m. at CEGEP régional de Lanaudière.


PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is expected to join those demonstrating in Quebec City starting at 1 p.m. from Place d'Youville.


Students take part in a climate change protest, in Montreal, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. 

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

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Changes have to happen now, says Dawson College

 student, because 'we know that our future is in peril'

CBC News · Posted: Sep 24, 2021 5:15 PM ET | Last Updated: September 24

The march in Montreal was part of a global movement for climate justice. (Kwabena Oduro/CBC)

Thousands of people gathered in several different Quebec cities on Friday to press for stronger action action against climate change.

The demonstrations were part of a global movement inspired by the young Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg.

In Montreal, people of all ages came out to push for change, including the city's mayor, Valérie Plante.

"More than ever, the population is concerned about the climate crisis and asks governments to accelerate the ecological transition," she said on Twitter.

But there were plenty of kids participating. For example, nine-year-old Henri Amyot said he doesn't "want the world to burn because it's burning."

And eight-year-old Pacha Guillen said she doesn't want to live on a planet with so much garbage.

As part of the global movement, Fridays For Future, the demonstration in Montreal on Friday was one of thousands worldwide. (Kwabena Oduro/CBC)

Mia Kennedy, a member of Dawson College's Green Earth Club, said it's time for concrete action.

"I think that we are all really passionate about the environment," she said.

"Especially as young people, we know that our future is in peril, and that if we don't mobilize and don't act now, we may be dying of climate change." 

Organizers are calling for carbon neutrality by 2030 in Quebec, and are hoping Canada will cut its emissions and be a leader among G7 nations. 

The Fridays For Future movement began in August 2018, after Greta Thunberg and other activists sat in front of the Swedish parliament for three weeks. (Kwabena Oduro/CBC)

There were a lot of different signs being held up at the demonstration in Montreal on Friday. (Kwabena Oduro/CBC)

There were kids, adults and politicians participating in the Montreal rally Friday. (Kwabena Oduro/CBC)

The climate change demonstration in Montreal was part of the Fridays For Future movement which claims to have inspired similar protests in some 7,500 cities since 2018. (Kwabena Oduro/CBC)

Based on a report by Kwabena Oduro

Mandryk: Pandemic may be taking Moe's popularity to a crossroads

Murray Mandryk 

© Provided by Leader Post The much parodied subjects of The Resistance cover of MacLean's have all taken hits to popularity since the magazine came out, writes Murray Mandryk.

As COVID-19 problems are crashing down around him, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe keeps confounding his critics by remaining popular in the province.

This bucks the trend of other conservative leaders’ popularity cratering and has made it that much more puzzling.

Remember that now infamous (and much-parodied) December 2018 cover of MacLean’s magazine labeled The Resistance — the blue-suited pack of conservative leaders that included Moe, then-federal Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, then-Manitoba premier Brian Pallister, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford?

Well, two of the fab five opposing Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s carbon tax are gone and even the future of Scheer’s successor, Erin O’Toole, is now pocked with question marks after Monday’s federal election results. Some doubt Ford will survive the next Ontario election. And Kenney may not make it to the next Alberta election, if the upcoming United Conservative Party leadership review doesn’t go his way.

That Kenney is on the ropes and Moe isn’t is baffling when you consider both premiers followed the same ill-advised reopening strategy prior to getting hammered by the fourth wave. Now, both are facing a near collapse of their respective province’s emergency and surgical services within their health systems.

Yet while Kenney appears to be fighting for his political life, Moe is still seemingly enjoying the unconditional love of his Sask. Party caucus that carried him to the party leadership in 2018 and — more significantly — the support of Saskatchewan’s people.

The momentum following Moe’s election win a year ago has remained with him up until now. Angus Reid’s quarterly polling on premiers’ popularity from June shows Moe near the top and a similar poll by Maru Public Opinion from this month shows Moe with a 63-per-cent approval rating — best in then nation.

However, one has to wonder whether seismic tremors of the past month surrounding COVID-19’s fourth wave may finally begin to shake Moe off that perch.

A recent study shows nearly half of Saskatchewan is dissatisfied with the provincial government’s handling of the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Sept. 3-20 poll conducted by the Canadian Hub for Applied Research at the University of Saskatchewan shows about half of 402 Saskatchewan respondents are dissatisfied with Moe’s handling of the pandemic. It was hardly the overwhelming indictment that some might have expected. And given that dissatisfaction might come from anti-maskers/vaxxers too, it falls short of damning.

But 6.1 per cent saying they are “very satisfied” and 26.2 per cent answering “somewhat satisfied”, isn’t an overwhelming endorsement, either.

To this point, we’ve yet to see signs of this COVID-19 anger and hostility in Saskatchewan coalescing around a political alternative. The NDP and Ryan Meili remain unpopular.

However, given the toll COVID-19 has taken on Pallister, Ford and especially Kenney, the political question is: Can Moe retain his own popularity?

His problem right now is that the worst of fourth wave in Saskatchewan is yet to come.

Since July 31 (halfway through the open summer Kenney and Moe promised us), Saskatchewan has experienced 13,855 new COVID-19 cases (of 63,875 total) and 80 more deaths (658 total). Active cases have vaulted to 4,715 (from 479 on July 31) and hospitalizations to 273 (from 46).

As we watch cancelled surgeries and see ICU beds filling, we are hearing more horror stories that have a tendency to resonate for a long time.

And while polls don’t show it yet, fewer are buying into Moe’s recent strange statements implying Justin Trudeau is mostly to blame for the rise in Saskatchewan First Nations COVID-19 cases or the Saskatchewan premier’s assertion that doctors need to step up.

Right now, those who voted for Moe are starting to grumble. Few conservatives are publicly defending him and some are privately wondering where Moe is getting his strategic advice.

For now, Moe has avoided the hammering his colleagues have taken. The question is: Will that continue to be the case?

Mandryk is the political columnist for the Regina Leader-Post and Saskatoon StarPhoenix.

THE US NAVY SAYS CHIROPACTORS ARE DOCTORS

A prominent anti-vax doctor, who falsely claimed the COVID-19 vaccine could make people magnetic, had her medical license renewed, report says

sankel@businessinsider.com (Sophia Ankel) 

© The Ohio Channel Dr Sherri Tenpenny. The Ohio Channel

A prominent anti-vax doctor had her medical license renewed this month, the Ohio Capital reported.

Dr. Sherri Tenpenny told Ohio lawmakers in June that COVID-19 vaccines could make people magnetic.

Tenpenny was recently named one of the 12 most prolific sources of anti-vax misinformation

A prominent anti-vax doctor from Ohio, who pushed the false claim that COVID-19 vaccines could make people magnetic, has had her medical license renewed, according to the Ohio Capital Journal.

Dr. Sherri Tenpenny is an osteopathic physician who has spent years making unproven or exaggerated claims about vaccines.

Her license, first issued in 1984, was due to expire on October 1. It was renewed by the State Medical Board of Ohio on September 16.

Jerica Stewart, a spokesperson for the Board, confirmed to the Ohio Capital Journal that Tenpenny's license was automatically renewed until 2023.

"A recent renewal does not prevent the board from taking future disciplinary action," she said, according to the Ohio Capital Journal.

Tenpenny attracted nationwide media attention in June after she falsely told Ohio House Health Committee that the coronavirus vaccine could potentially make people "magnetized," Insider reported previously.

"You can put a key on their forehead. It sticks. You can put spoons and forks all over, and they can stick because now we think there is a metal piece to that," she said.

Tenpenny also falsely said that COVID-19 vaccines contain particles that connect a person to 5G mobile data networks.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) named Tenpenny among 12 anti-vaxxers responsible for spreading 65% of false information about vaccines in March this year.

The report caught the attention of President Joe Biden in July, who said: "These 12 people are out there giving misinformation. Anyone listening to it is getting hurt by it."

Tenpenny's Twitter account was permanently suspended in June after the company said her COVID-19 vaccine claims violated its misinformation policy.

Insider reached out to Tenpenny for further comment but did not hear back in time for publication.

Stewart said the Ohio board renews medical licenses automatically to keep up with the 92,000 practitioners in the state.

She told Insider that the complaints it receives about physicians are usually confidential, although if a licensee is disciplined by the board, the action is public record. She did not comment specifically about Tenpenny's renewal.

Mia Jankowicz contributed to this report.

Image: doctorsthatdo.osteopathic.org

An osteopath is a licensed physician who practices medicine using both conventional treatments and osteopathic manipulative medicine, which focuses on relieving pain and tension in the musculoskeletal system.

NDP ranks question leadership after election disappointments

Olivia Stefanovich 

© Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh pauses during a post-election news conference in Vancouver on Sept. 21, 2021.

The NDP is conducting a review of its national campaign to find out what happened with its ground game, which left the party with limited gains and in fourth place despite throwing $25 million into the pot to burnish its appeal.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh's campaign tour followed a planned path to grow the caucus, visiting 51 mostly Liberal-held or Conservative-held ridings. But the NDP is increasing its 24-seat count by only one seat.

"I'm disappointed that we didn't elect more MPs … and that we did not significantly increase the size of our caucus, because that was the goal," said Anne McGrath, the NDP's national director, in an interview with CBC News.

Some New Democrats want accountability, because they feel they lacked resources and training at the riding level to get the vote out.

"People talked about an orange wave coming, but the reality was there was no work being done on the ground," said Jessa McLean, the riding association president of York–Simcoe NDP in Ontario.

"There was nobody out there making sure that people who needed drives to the polls could do that, reminding them to get to the advance polls, to get to the final day, telling them how to do the mail-in ballots, walking them through it."

Calls for change in leadership

McLean, who ran unsuccessfully for NDP president earlier this year, said she wants McGrath to resign.

"If they keep her on, it's to put another checkmark beside this horrible strategy that saw us essentially lose ground," McLean said. "She has to go."

If the NDP's strategy doesn't change, McLean said, Singh should also step aside.

"If we just pour everything into his image, where will we be when he does leave," McLean said.

CBC News put those concerns to McGrath, who said that she has no plans to step down and that Singh isn't going anywhere.

"There is a special level of vitriol reserved for women in leadership positions in this country," McGrath said. "In my experience, it sometimes takes a few elections for things to gel."

McGrath, who was chief of staff to the former NDP Leader Jack Layton, noted that she went through four elections over the span of nearly a decade before triggering an orange wave that propelled into the role of Official Opposition by winning 103 seats in the 2011 vote.

She said Singh has grown as a leader since running in the 2019 federal election.

McGrath also noted that the NDP increased its share of the popular vote, from 16 per cent in 2019, to nearly 18 per cent in this election. She believes the party is laying the foundation for growth.

'More needs to be done to support local ridings'

But McGrath also believes a lack of on-campus voting, long line-ups for the ballot box and fewer polling station locations — some absent from Indigenous communities — suppressed the NDP vote.

"Part of the reason for having the election at this time was to keep the turnout numbers low in order to re-elect the incumbent government," McGrath said.

"I do believe that young voters and Indigenous voters, in particular, were disenfranchised."

McGrath said NDP fundraising is still strong and she feels confident the party will have the finances to put up a fight in the next election.

But McLean said NDP donations in York–Simcoe, a Conservative stronghold, ran dry after the party had to battle first in a February 2019 byelection, then the October 2019 election. She said the riding's resources were still depleted by the time Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the August election call this year.

McLean said her riding can usually rely on Elections Canada campaign-expense reimbursements — money that commonly flows to candidates and helps electoral district associations or ridings — but New Democrat headquarters kept all the rebates in 2019 and again this year.

McLean said money is usually raised at nomination meetings, but her riding failed to hold one before the snap election was called for Sept. 20.

"We were left with almost no funds to start off this campaign, and we didn't find out who our candidate would be until a week into the campaign," McLean said.

"By the time we went to our members and said, 'Oh, we have a candidate now,' we looked completely unorganized. We didn't look like something that people wanted to plug money into."

The decision to keep Elections Canada campaign rebates was made by the NDP's federal council.

"We do take the rebates to be able to run an effective central campaign," McGrath said. "But I do agree that more needs to be done to support local ridings."

Why didn't likes appear to translate into votes?

Gabriel Masi, co-president of Jeunes NPD du Québec, said he would like to see the NDP grow its on-campus presence and thinks the party needs new young leadership at the top.

Having said that, Masi said the NDP's success in the future depends on Singh.

"If we didn't have a leader that people saw as a great person, I don't even think we would've done how we did," Masi said.

"It is incredibly dangerous to remove someone who is this popular."

Other New Democrats, who spoke to CBC, said they also support Singh, but they want him to spend more time talking about his plan and policies rather than attacking Trudeau.

They said they feel the party didn't pitch enough bold, progressive ideas to motivate voters, such as offering free post-secondary education or nationalizing telecoms.

Many New Democrats also believe strategic voting played against them, particularly in places such as the Greater Toronto Area, where the NDP was shut out.

Nearly half of the NDP's $25 million campaign budget was dedicated to advertisements, social media and online.

Although the strategy didn't appear to result in a surge of new votes, Masi believes it was money well spent, especially in countering the prejudices some people may have against Singh.

"His image was an asset to us," Masi said.

"We got a lot of comments from people in the Montreal-area saying I really like him, he's personable."

In the future, Masi said the party should take some of the money dedicated to social media and invest it in getting out the vote.

"The ground game organizing has to start now and we have to make sure that we have that local infrastructure," Masi said.

PERHAPS IT IS ALSO ABOUT WINNING A SECOND RIDING IN ALBERTA BEING MORE IMPORTANT THAN FIVE SEATS ELSEWHERE LIKE YORK SIMCOE

Edmonton leads country in missed payments among homeowners

Joel Schlesinger, for the Edmonton Journal 
Edmonton homeowners are tops in Canada for missed debt payments, a new study has found.

© Provided by Edmonton Journal

Free credit score provider Borrowell recently released a survey revealing Edmonton homeowners had 0.19 missed payments per homeowner. That’s almost two in 10 homeowners based on credit reports from August, says Andrew Graham, chief executive officer and co-founder of Borrowell.

“Edmonton has the highest rate of missed payments for homeowners … and also among non-homeowners for major cities in Canada,” he says.

RENTERS
Almost one in three consumers without mortgages in Edmonton had missed a payment, the study found.

Combined, nearly three in 10 Edmonton consumers had missed a payment among the more than 874,000 credits scores examined across Canada. That’s compared with the national average of about two in 10.

“In the case of homeowners, Edmonton is about twice the Canadian average of about one in 10,” Graham says. “That’s despite the fact mortgage debt in Edmonton is below the Canadian average.”

Nationally, homeowners had an average mortgage of $359,597 compared with Edmonton homeowners at $314,863.

By comparison, Toronto homeowners carried an average mortgage of about $574,246 with only about three in 100 missing a bill payment.

Calgary also had higher incidence of missed bill payments, about 16 per cent of homeowners with mortgages averaging about $354,000. Calgary also had the highest level of non-mortgage debt among homeowners in Canada at $36,330 compared with the national average of about $34,000. Calgary had the largest amount of non-mortgage debt among non-homeowners at $23,762 compared with the national average of about $20,000.

Edmonton had the second highest figure for non-mortgage debt at about $35,800 among homeowners and for non-homeowners at about $22,300.

Graham says the higher than average debt levels and missed payments could reflect the ill health of the Alberta economy over the past six years.

“There’s been a series of economic challenges, and that absolutely contributes,” he says.

Yet some metrics like higher levels of non-mortgage debt could reflect higher affordability in Edmonton as more people are likely to qualify for a mortgage.

“We are relatively fortunate in the Edmonton area in home prices compared to the larger markets in Canada,” says mortgage broker Jason Goodwin with Paragon Mortgage Inc. in Edmonton.

What’s more, he notes first-time buyers are more aware than ever of what they need to do to prepare to qualify for a mortgage.

Still, income requirements can be challenging with more part-time, seasonal and gig economy workers with fluctuating income, he adds.

In turn, more would-be buyers are looking for advice from professionals such as mortgage brokers to develop plans for a down payment and to budget while looking to family for help with a down payment.

Still, the study sheds light on how Alberta’s recent economic hardships have weighed on its housing market because of higher debt among consumers.

“You need to be able to make a down payment to buy a house,” Graham says. “So, if you’re carrying a lot of debt, that can make it harder to get that down payment.”