France begins shutting down oldest nuclear plant

Issued on: 22/02/2020 

Fessenheim (France) (AFP)

French state-owned energy giant EDF on Saturday began shutting down the country's oldest nuclear power plant after 43 years in operation.

EDF said it had disconnected one of two reactors at Fessenheim, along the Rhine near France's eastern border with Germany and Switzerland, at 2:00 am (0100 GMT) in the first stage of the complete closure of the plant.

The second reactor is to be taken off line on June 30 but it will be several months before the two have cooled enough and the used fuel can start to be removed.

The removal of the fuel is expected to be completed by the summer of 2023 but the plant will only be fully decommissioned by 2040 at the earliest.

Shutting down Fessenheim became a key goal of anti-nuclear campaigners after the catastrophic meltdown at Fukushima in Japan in 2011.

Experts have noted that construction and safety standards at Fessenheim, brought online in 1977, fall far short of those at Fukushima, with some warning that seismic and flooding risks in the Alsace region had been underestimated.

Despite a pledge by ex-president Francois Hollande just months after Fukushima to close the plant, it was not until 2018 that President Emmanuel Macron's government gave the final green light.

"This marks a first step in France's energy strategy to gradually re-balance nuclear and renewable electricity sources, while cutting carbon emissions by closing coal-fired plants by 2022," Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said earlier this week.

France will still be left with 56 pressurised water reactors at 18 nuclear power plants -- only the United States has more reactors, at 98 -- generating an unmatched 70 percent of its electricity needs.

The government confirmed in January that it aims to shut down 12 more reactors nearing or exceeding their original 40-year age limit by 2035, when nuclear power should represent just 50 percent of France's energy mix.

But at the same time, EDF is racing to get its first next-generation reactor running at its Flamanville plant in 2022 -- 10 years behind schedule -- and more may be in the pipeline.

© 2020 AFP

France shuts down first reactor of  Fessenheim nuclear plant near German border

French energy company EDF has confirmed that it has turned off one reactor of its oldest nuclear power plant. The plant, located directly on the border to Germany,

 has drawn frequent protests in recent years.




EDF SA, a French energy company, said that it had completed the shut down of one reactor at its oldest nuclear power plant in Fessenheim near the border of Germany. The nuclear power plant's second and last reactor will be shut down on June 30.

The company told media outlets that the 900-megawatt reactor's shutdown began at 8:30 pm on Friday and ended in the small hours of Saturday. The shut down was completed normally, but it was an emotional moment for those in the control room, according to EDF. Around 100 people, including employees, reportedly protested against the shutdown.
Germn and Swiss officials have long demanded that French energy officials close the aging Fessenheim nuclear power plant, which is located on the border of France near Germany and Switzerland, near Freiburg in southwestern Germany.
Read more: Reports: Fessenheim nuclear accident played down by authorities
"The time has finally come," said German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze on Friday in Berlin, adding that shutting down Fessenheim would make Germany "safer."
Schulze also said that Germany would keep lobbying its neighbors to commit to phasing out nuclear power.
"Nuclear power is not a climate savior. It is risky, expensive and leaves behind radioactive waste for thousands of generations."
A 'historic step'
French Energy Minister Elisabeth Borne has called the shutdown a "historic step," as it is the first time one of France's 58 nuclear reactors has been permanently taken off the country's power grid.
France gets about 75% of its electricity from nuclear plants, but many are aging. The country has set a target of reducing its nuclear energy dependence to 50% by 2035 by bringing in more renewable power.
Read more: Germany shuts down atomic plant as nuclear phase-out enters final stretch
Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, German environment officials concluded that although German facilities were better prepared for disaster than the Japanese, Germany would revert to a previous policy — briefly overturned by Angela Merkel prior to Fukushima — of shutting down all nuclear power plants within around 10 years.
There are currently six nuclear power plants operating in Germany: Grohnde and Emsland in Lower Saxony, Brokdorf in Schleswig-Holstein, Isar 2 und Grundremmingen in Bavaria and Neckarwestheim 2 in Baden-Württemberg.
The remaining reactors in Germany are all scheduled to be shut down by the end of 2022.

Watch video 28:35
Atom, Mon Amourhttps://www.dw.com/en/france-shuts-down-first-reactor-of-fessenheim-nuclear-plant-near-german-border/a-52466064

DW RECOMMENDS
France's oldest nuclear plant Fessenheim to close by 2022
The closure of the nuclear power plant just across the border from Freiburg is no longer conditional on the startup of a new reactor on the Normandy coast. The opening of EDF's Flamanville 3 plant has been delayed. (05.10.2018)

Duo campaign to put Tommy Douglas on $5 bill

CBCFebruary 22, 2020

A duo is campaigning to place one of Saskatchewan's own on the new five dollar bill. 

The Bank of Canada is looking to put a different Canadian on the bill, and has opened nominations to the public. 

Rules for nomination include that the person must be Canadian by birth or naturalization, must have demonstrated outstanding leadership achievement, must have been dead for at least 25 years and  must be a real person — not a fictional character. 

Now, two men want to see Tommy Douglas on the five dollar bill. Douglas is seen as the father of modern medicare in Canada

Robin Murray grew up in Ogema, Sask., while Woznow grew up in Edmonton. The two now live in Powell River B.C.

"[Douglas] has probably touched every Canadian," Ron Woznow said.

Because of Tommy Douglas, we had our mom and we had our home. - Ron Woznow

Woznow has a personal reason for the nomination. Growing up in Edmonton, his mother was a single parent and developed a number of medical complications. 

"Had we been living in the U.S., we would have lost our house and been totally destitute. Our mom would have died but because of Tommy Douglas, we had our mom and we had our home," Woznow said. 

The idea to nominate Douglas came up when they first started chatting about the five dollar bill. The idea grew due to their mutual interest. 

"It was really easy for us to get excited and motivated to take this campaign out — and not just in Powell River but across Canada," Woznow said. 

Tommy Douglas was defined by his altruism and his belief that the role of government is to help create a better society — and he'd worked his entire life in politics to try and make a better Canada. - Robin Murray

The five dollar bill would be best because it's a common bill, Murray said. As well, he says the blue would be symbolic of the Saskatchewan skies. 

"Tommy Douglas was defined by his altruism and his belief that the role of government is to help create a better society and a better Canada," Murray said. 

"And he'd worked his entire life in politics to try and make a better Canada and I just think that he should be recognized for that." 

"It's kind of what differentiates us from the U.S. in that no matter who we are pretty much from coast to coast to coast, we know that we can go to the doctor," Murray said. "We can go to the hospital and we can get looked after mostly."

More than 300 people have been nominated so far to be on the five dollar bill. People can vote for Douglas or whomever they choose at bankofcanada.ca/banknotes.

ROMULAN SHRINE UNCOVERED 

Roman Forum find could be shrine to Rome's founder, Romulus

The Canadian Press February 21, 2020

Roman Forum find could be shrine to Rome's founder, Romulus

ROME — Italian archaeologists unveiled to the press Friday an exciting new find from the Roman Forum, which they say could be the lost shrine dedicated some 2,600 years ago to Romulus, Rome's legendary founder and first king.

Visually, the discovery first announced Tuesday is not very remarkable: Peering down in an excavated space beneath the Curia Julia, or ancient senate house, one sees something resembling a stone washtub that archaeologists say is a sarcophagus, or stone coffin. There's also a cylindrical stone block, possibly an altar.

Both items are made of tuff, carved from the Capitoline Hill that overlooks the Forum, and which is home to today's City Hall.

The recently excavated area “represents a place, which in history and in the Roman imagination, speaks about the cult of Romulus.” said archaeologist Patrizia Fortini.

Fortini says no one's hypothesizing the sarcophagus actually ever contained the bones of Romulus who, with his twin Remus, established the city near the Tiber River around 753 B.C. and founded the kingdom of Rome. It likely dates to the 6th Century BC, some 200 years after Romulus' time.

“We don't know whether Romulus physically existed" the way he was described in legends, Fortini said.

But some ancient sources claimed that Romulus was buried in the area of the find, and the sarcophagus could have served as a memorial.

Alfonsina Russo, the archaeologist in charge of the site, noted that according to some ancient traditions Romulus was killed and chopped to pieces, or ascended into heaven.

“Therefor this cannot be his tomb, but it is very likely, we believe, that this is a memorial site, a cenotaph,” Russo added.

While excavations continue, authorities hope the public will be able to stroll underground to view the find in about two years.

Legends hold that Romulus and Remus were suckled by a she-wolf as babies, but later Romulus killed his twin brother in a dispute over the founding of Rome.

Frances D'Emilio, The Associated Press

Rail conductor fired for social media posts awarded money, but not reinstatement

The Canadian PressFebruary 21,  2020

Rail conductor fired for social media posts awarded money, but not reinstatement

CALGARY — An arbitrator says a former Canadian Pacific train conductor in Alberta who was fired over social media posts is entitled to monetary compensation, but not to getting her job back at the railroad.

Canadian Pacific dismissed Katelnikoff in November 2017 over what it says were disparaging remarks she made about the company online as well as modelling photos it alleged were taken on railway property.

Union lawyers representing Katelnikoff argued the company's investigation into her conduct was not fair or partial.

Arbitrator Richard Hornung says in his December decision, which was obtained by The Canadian Press, that he agreed with the Teamsters union.

He says some of Katelnikoff's behaviour warranted a short suspension, but not a dismissal. 

However, Hornung says social media posts after her firing, especially a sexually suggestive one mentioning the CP investigating officer by name, make it untenable for her to go back to the railroad.

He says in the decision that the post "speaks volumes regarding both her lack of respect for the company and her unsuitability to return to the company as a fully participating employee."

The union also argued at the arbitration hearing that an emailed complaint about Katelnikoff's online posts came from a fake person the company made up to give it the pretext for an investigation. Hornung says in his decision that it's improbable the email came from a legitimate functional address.

CP did not provide a comment.

Katelnikoff said in an interview that it's now up to her union representatives and the company to try to work out an appropriate compensation amount. If they can't agree, it goes back to the arbitrator.

She said she loved her job at the railroad and is sad she'll likely never get to work as a conductor again. She's now working in a shop fixing heavy equipment and trailers for a fraction of the pay.

"I'm with a really good company now so that helps take away the sting of not getting to go back to the railroad," said Katelnikoff, 30. "At least I'm somewhere that I like and they treat me really well and they're really understanding and progressive."

Katelnikoff said she eventually wants to go to law school so that she can help others.

In addition to the railroad photos, CP seemed to take issue with racy pictures posted to the same Instagram account where there was a 2017 selfie of her in a work vest.

Katelnikoff said she's tired of hearing about women getting flak for what they do outside of work.

"What a girl does in her spare time when she goes home with her life and her body isn't anybody else's business but her own. And if it's not hurting anyone, then it really shouldn't matter to the company."

Katelnikoff's 2017 dismissal was the second time she was let go from the railway.

On Boxing Day in 2014, a train Katelnikoff was conducting derailed, sending 15 cars off the tracks in Banff, Alta. The Transportation Safety Board determined that a broken piece of track caused the crash.

She was fired a month later. The company said it was because she violated rules on injury reporting and protecting an accident scene.

In February 2016, an arbitrator found in Katelnikoff's favour, saying the grounds for her termination were discriminatory and in bad faith.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Feb. 20, 2020

Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version stated as fact an allegation that Katelnikoff posed for photos on railway propert

Privacy watchdogs to probe Clearview AI's facial-recognition technology

The Canadian PressFebruary 21, 2020

Privacy watchdogs to probe Clearview AI's facial-recognition technology

OTTAWA — The federal privacy watchdog and three of his provincial counterparts will jointly investigate Canadian use of facial-recognition technology supplied by U.S. firm Clearview AI.

Privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien says he will be joined in the probe by ombudsmen from British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec. 

The investigation follows media reports that raised concerns about whether the company is collecting and using personal information without consent.

Clearview AI's technology allows for the collection of huge numbers of images from various sources that can help police forces and financial institutions identify people.

Therrien's office says the four privacy regulators will examine whether the organization's practices comply with Canadian privacy laws.

It also says privacy regulators in every province and territory have agreed to develop guidance for organizations — including law enforcement — on the use of biometric technology, including facial recognition.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2020.

The Canadian Press

Will tech be Alberta's next big thing? Industry and schools are a hard yes

CBCFebruary 21, 2020

Post secondary schools, worker transition programs and the energy industry are putting a lot of their eggs in the tech basket, hoping it can become a more stable economic pillar than the highs and lows of oil and gas, experts tell CBC News.

Tyler Farmer, now with the Information and Communications Technology Council, used to work in oil and gas.

He says technology is impacting the oil and gas sector in ways many people could not have imagined just years ago.

"It's on the data side," Farmer told The Homestretch.

"We are hearing a lot that data is the new oil. It's what you can do with that, refine it, and find the return on investment that people are getting really excited about. Oil price may not go back up to where it was, but there's a lot we can do with this collected data to find and eek out value at every point of the process."

He says big industry players already see the writing on the wall.

"On the clean tech side, they are looking to find efficiencies that correspond with climate change and lowering our carbon footprint," he said.

"We are seeing companies like Shell investing $1 billion to $2 billion in this, and going forward that's going to be $4 billion a year."

How do we transition people?

And technology can proactively find problems averting costly pipeline shutdowns and work stoppages.

"Predictive analytics can forecast when wear and tear is going to happen months in advance and then send people out at specific times for upgrades," Farmer said.

But that technology will mean a shift in where the workers are placed.

"Different jobs, so we have to figure out, 'How do we transition people into some of these tech jobs?' There are many institutions already trying to tackle that."

A problem that was set up to address that exact challenge, EvolveU, is starting to show results.

"It's a way for people to transition into technology," facilitator Margo Purcell said.

"There are two components. They build technical capability, they are learning how to code, software development. The non-technical component is learning to work with others, collaborate and communicate with people with a variety of styles."

EvolveU is based at the new central library in Calgary and so far it's attracted a range of people, many wanting to leave oil but all wanting to get into tech.

"There are a lot of tech company job openings and they were having difficulty finding talent to fill those roles. There are a lot of very talented people in this city."

'Gives me quite a bit of hope'

Jason Moore is retraining as a full stack developer after eight years in oil and gas.

"It gives me quite a bit of hope," Moore said.

"Even if the work isn't in Calgary, you can work in this industry from Calgary and provide services across the world. In software programming, I get excited anytime I get a piece of code to work. It's very millennial of me to say, but it's instant gratification."

Haydee Peralta decided to leave academia last year.

"Everything started in 2019 when I decided to switch careers, to go into data science," Peralta said.

"It's challenging but it's fun. I am hoping I can find a job. We are all looking for an opportunity in tech."

Program facilitator Purcell says EvolveU has a success rate of about 80 per cent of people finding work after the program.

New programs to address huge demand

Post-secondary schools in southern Alberta are taking placement a step further, with fresh programs to serve hoards of students interested in the tech sector.

"We need to not only keep the tech sector alive and well but help add to the ecosystem," University of Calgary computer science department head Christian Jacob told The Homestretch.

"We are partnering with a lot of companies in education and research programs"

U of C is launching a new information security certificate program in the fall and an intensive computer game design week in June, if you just can't wait.

That's on top of a data science analytics program launched a couple of years ago.

Undergrad enrolment jumps 50%

The number of computer science undergraduates at the school has increased 50 per cent in five years, from 800 to 1,200 students, so you'll need a 90 per cent to get in from high school.

Down at the University of Lethbridge, seats in the program are up as companies snatch students before they graduate, school officials say.

There's a new computer science and fine arts combined degree program on the way.

Lethbridge College is riding the information tech wave, too.

"The program has doubled in size in the last year," Stephen Graham said.

"Our grads enter the tech workforce at small businesses and startups in Lethbridge, go on to university, or start their own businesses."

400 applicants for 50 spaces

Back in Calgary, Mount Royal University now offers the option of staying on its campus for a full, four-year computer degree, rather than transferring to another school after two years.

"It has caught us all off guard. We could have easily offered a program with a much bigger intake, but we were approved for 50," science and technology dean Jonathan Withey said.

Those 50 seats drew more than 400 applicants.

Demand is also up at Bow Valley College, the associate dean of creative technologies says.

"If the wait list is any indication, the demand has continuously gone up, 10 to 15 per cent over the last couple of years," Sharaz Khan said.

"A couple of the programs we are offering in September are three-quarters full right now, so we have had to lift the cap on some of that to increase our capacity."

Bow Valley already has diploma and certificate programs. This fall, it is launching a new cybersecurity program and cloud computing and artificial intelligence programs are on the horizon.

SAIT scrambles to build new school

The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology is busy trying to figure out how to build a new digital school from the ground up after a record $30-million donation by local philanthropist David Bissett. It's expected to be a game changer in the province.

SAIT has degrees and diplomas in information analysis and cybersecurity systems and some customized programing for managers from the energy sector.

Also on the receiving end of gifts, Olds College is launching two programs out of its Werklund School of Agriculture Technology.

And DOT technology is on the leading edge, the school's dean says.

"Agriculture is one of the last mega industries to be fully disrupted by technology," James Benkie said.

"Cross-sector technology is flowing into agriculture readily. It is a lot of time just looking for problems to solve. Autonomous technology is one of the exciting things they will be teaching."

Benkie says Olds College will be one of the first in the world to offer this technology training to students.

Alberta doctors getting ready for court fight against new pay, benefits deal

FORGET THE COURTS 

WE NEED A GENERAL STRIKE! 

THIS IS CLASS WAR!

The Canadian PressFebruary 21, 2020

Alberta doctors getting ready for court fight against new pay, benefits deal

EDMONTON — The head of the Alberta Medical Association says it's preparing for a court fight after the province cancelled its master agreement this week and announced a new pay and benefits deal.

"Absolutely we are taking legal action," Dr. Christine Molnar said Friday in an interview. "I see this as a fundamental violation of our right for representation."

She said that denying doctors binding arbitration is violating their rights under the Canada Health Act and the charter.

"This is not the environment that we wanted," Molnar said. "We wanted to work collaboratively with the government to get sustainable health care for Albertans."

Molnar said different legal firms are exploring a possible challenge, but it may be difficult. While the AMA bargains for doctors, it is not a union.

"We are not protected under labour legislation. And so nothing we do legally is going to be easy, that's for sure," she said.

Molnar made the comments a day after Health Minister Tyler Shandro announced Alberta was terminating the master agreement, even though the current deal doesn't end until March 31.

Shandro said the current $5.4-billion yearly compensation for doctors won't change. But he said new fee and billing rules will be put in place April 1 to prevent an estimated extra $2 billion being added in the next three years to the physician budget.

The United Conservative government had said the changes are manageable because Alberta doctors make more than physicians in other provinces, taking in almost $390,000 in gross clinical earnings in 2018-19 — $90,000 more than doctors in Ontario.

The AMA disputes those numbers, saying they are based on faulty comparisons.

It said it commissioned its own study that found Alberta doctors get $386,000 a year on average, which is more than the national average of $346,000, but reflects the reality that wages across Alberta's job spectrum are higher.

"We are not out of line (on wages)," Molnar said.

She said there is a shortage of physicians in Canada and Shandro's plan risks seeing doctors leaving Alberta.

She also said she is hearing from family practitioners who are crunching the numbers. They say the new changes, including fee reductions for extra-long visits by complex-needs patients, mean they will lose money.

Dr. Bailey Adams told reporters she is looking at having to cut office expenses and change patient visit rules to keep the doors of her family practice open under the new fee rules.

"I'm drafting letters to my patients today that say, 'I'm sorry. From now on, you get to discuss one concern per visit.' And on average right now, I'm discussing three to seven concerns per visit," said Adams, who spoke at an Opposition NDP news conference.

The province cancelled the master agreement using powers it granted itself in legislation passed last fall. The move followed failed negotiations with the AMA.

Molnar said the association had offered savings of $150 million a year and was preparing to ask for arbitration when Shandro cancelled the agreement.

Premier Jason Kenney, speaking to reporters in Calgary, said even with looming changes to physician pay in the province, Alberta's doctors will still be the best compensated in Canada.

"If (doctors) want to leave the province with the best compensation and the lowest taxes, I hope they wouldn't do so, but it wouldn't be very sensible," Kenney said. "It wouldn't be a very logical decision to make."

Alberta has more than 10,800 doctors split evenly between general practitioners and specialists. Most work in urban areas.

— With files from Bill Graveland in Calgary

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2020

Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press