Early-arriving endangered Chinook salmon take the brunt of sea lion predation

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

Research News

 

IMAGE: A SEA LION DEVOURS A SALMON. view more 

CREDIT: LE BASKOW

The Columbia River is home to one of the West Coast's most important Chinook salmon runs. Through late spring and early summer, mature fish return from the sea and begin their arduous journey upriver to spawn. In recent years, these fish have faced an additional challenge: hungry California sea lions.

A new University of Washington and NOAA Fisheries study found that sea lions have the largest negative effect on early-arriving endangered Chinook salmon in the lower Columbia River. The results of this study will publish Oct. 18 in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

Opportunistic sea lions have learned that by swimming as far as 145 miles upriver, they can easily feast on migrating salmon, including those hindered by the Bonneville Dam.

"We investigated whether mortality rates varied depending on the specific threatened Chinook salmon population, determined by when they arrive in the river," said lead author Mark Sorel, a doctoral student at the UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. "We found that, based on their individual return timing and the abundance of sea lions in the river when they return, individual populations experience different levels of sea lion-associated mortality."

Researchers learned that the earliest arriving populations of Chinook salmon experienced an additional 20% mortality over previous years, and the later arriving populations experienced an additional 10%. This increase in mortality was associated with increased sea lion abundance at those times of year in the period of 2013 to 2015 compared to the period of 2010 to 2012.

The numbers of California sea lions are highest at the mouth of the Columbia in early spring, before they depart for their breeding grounds in southern California. The researchers also discovered that the earliest arriving salmon migrate through the lower Columbia River more slowly than those arriving later in the season, thereby increasing their exposure to predation.

"This information on how different populations are affected by sea-lion associated mortality is key because recovery of endangered Chinook salmon requires multiple of the individual populations to be healthy," said Sorel.

California sea lions have seen their numbers rebound along much of the U.S. West Coast since the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, which protects them from being killed, captured and harassed. The increased presence of sea lions is now at odds with the endangered salmon populations on which they feed, putting managers in a difficult position.

Researchers are concerned that something must be done quickly as these hunting behaviors are learned, and the problem could continue to grow exponentially. In August, the National Marine Fisheries Service granted approval for Washington, Idaho, Oregon and several Pacific Northwest tribes to capture and euthanize both problematic California and Steller sea lions within a larger area of the lower Columbia and Willamette Rivers. Previously, only California sea lions could be killed in these rivers if managers deemed them a threat to salmon.

This complicated decision was enacted after non-lethal methods, such relocation and hazing, to limit the impact sea lions have on salmon -- plus some targeted lethal removal -- were met with limited success.

"This is often a challenging management problem as both sea lions and salmon are of strong interest to the public, and both are protected under federal statutes," said Sorel. "Management must consider multiple social values and operate within existing legal frameworks."

Continued monitoring will help to reduce the remaining uncertainty about the effects of sea lions on salmon and the expected outcomes of alternative management actions.

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Other co-authors are Richard Zabel and A. Michelle Wargo Rub of NOAA Fisheries Northwest Fisheries Science Center; Devin Johnson of NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center; and Sarah Converse, leader of the U.S. Geological Survey Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and UW associate professor. This research was funded by the National Marine Fisheries Service West Coast Protected Resource Division.

For more information, contact Sorel at marks6@uw.edu and Converse at sconver@uw.edu.

As Ottawa commits to protect treaty rights, Sipekne’katik chief says ‘actions speak louder than words

The chief of the First Nation that has launched its own self-regulated lobster fishery and been the victim of multiple violent attacks in return said on Monday that he welcomed the words from four federal ministers, but that more was necessary to ensure their treaty rights are being protected.

© Alexa MacLean/Global News 

Sipekne’katik First Nation Chief Michael Sack speaks with Global News on Sept. 20, 2020.

"Actions speak louder than words," said Chief Michael Sack of the Sipekne’katik First Nation on Monday.

At a joint press conference on Monday, Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan, Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett and Public Safety Minister Bill Blair condemned the violent attacks against Mi’kmaq lobster fishermen which culminated this weekend in a massive fire that burned a lobster compound to the ground.

“I want all Canadians to know we are taking these threats and the violence that has taken place very seriously,” said Blair.

“I know from experience when violence takes place, it can tear communities apart.”

Read more: Additional RCMP officers deployed in N.S

Blair also confirmed that he has approved a request from the province of Nova Scotia to call on RCMP officers from P.E.I. and New Brunswick in order to bolster the numbers able to respond to incidents of violence.

RCMP have been criticized for their officers appearing to stand by during confrontations between non-Indigenous fishers and the Mi'kmaq fishers, or only intervening when physical violence appeared imminent.

"It seems like the police officers standing there are just standing by. You're not there to protect anyone and that's stressful for our fishermen," said Sack at a press conference on Monday in Indian Brook, N.S.

It was a statement that echoed comments made by Miller only hours before.

“Indigenous people have been let down by the police,” Miller said at the press conference.

Sack has been critical of the RCMP's response to the violence. On Monday, Sack welcomed the news that more police officers could be deployed if necessary, although he said numbers have increased over the weekend.

"There is more police presence on the ground. We're grateful for that as well," said Sack.

His main concern at this point is the ability for his fishermen to exercise their treaty rights.

"If (commercial fishermen) come back to haul gear our people are exposed," said Sack, referring to the repeated sabotage of Indigenous-laid lobster traps and buoys.

Read more: Mobs are attacking Indigenous fisheries in Nova Scotia. Here’s what’s going on

He insisted that fisheries officers need to be on the water as at the moment "there's been no presence there at all," Sack said.

Video: Miller says 'space needs to be given for negotiations' among Indigenous communities after violent, tense Nova Scotia fishery incidents (Global News)

The chief said that although he was grateful for the condemnation of violence and the commitment to doing it better, it doesn't fix what's happened.

"You can't say sorry for something that already went down, you know what I mean? We could've lost people in that situation and 'sorry' doesn't save lives," Sack said.
Indigenous treaty rights

Both Miller and Jordan promised on Monday to uphold the right for Mi'kmaq to fish or hunt for a "moderate livelihood," a treaty right that was recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada's 1999 Marshall decision.

Although moderate livelihood was not formally defined by the court, a subsequent decision ruled that the government did have the authority to impose some regulations for the purposes of conservation, subject to nation-to-nation consultations.

With no clear definition in the 21 years since the Marshall decision, the Sipekne’katik First Nation launched its self-regulated moderate livelihood fishery in September.

Non-Indigenous commercial fishermen have opposed that decision, arguing that it is a fishery operating outside of the federally regulated lobster season which they abide by.

The opposition to the Indigenous fishery came to a head last week when two lobster facilities, one in New Edinburgh, N.S., and one Middle West Pubnico, N.S., were swarmed and vandalized by crowds estimated to number as many as 200 people.
Commercial fishermen protest at fisheries office

Approximately 300 non-Indigenous commercial fishermen and their supporters gathered at a Department of Fisheries and Oceans office in Barrington Passage, N.S., early on Monday.

Ruth Inniss, a fisheries advisor with the Maritime Fishermen's Union, said that her organization condemns all forms of violence and they want to be "at the table" during negotiations between the federal government and First Nations.

"We’re also trying to fight the fact that we’re being portrayed as racist and treating the First Nations people savagely," said Inniss in a video call on Monday.

She said that the non-Indigenous fishers want to have a fishery that is governed by one set of rules and "not two sets of conservation rules for two different communities."

Innis said that "this is not just a fisheries issue" and that fishermen respect the First Nation's treaty rights.

But it's those same rights that are enshrined in the Marhsall decision and which all four ministers committed to protecting on Monday.

Biologists have disputed that there should be conservation concerns over the moderate-livelihood fishery, which operates on a comparatively small scale to commercial fishermen.

On Monday, that assessment was echoed by the Fisheries Minister who said fishery stocks in the region are thriving.

Innis disputed that conservation isn't an issue, insisting that the reality on the ground is much different for those who live in the communities that rely on lobster fishing.

"There are seasons for a reason and that’s so fish can grow and you know multiply," she said.

"When you keep taking out the fish when that process is going on it’s a science issue."

READ MORE: Sipekne’katik Chief Michael Sack says his people receive threats ‘daily’

"(Minister Bernadette Jordan) said that the lobster stocks are strong. So, you know, that puts the conservation issue to rest."

With files from Global News' Amanda Connolly, Alicia Draus and Graeme Benjamin
Sack said he believes the concern raised by commercial fishermen over conservation is over.

Nova Scotia restaurants boycott lobster in response to violence against the Mi'kmaq

HALIFAX — Kourosh Rad, owner of Garden Food Bar and Lounge in Halifax, says he removed his popular lobster-based menu items in support of the province's Mi'kmaq fishers. 

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The Mi'kmaq are in a dispute over fishing rights in southwestern Nova Scotia and have been targeted recently with violence and intimidation. Rad is among a few restaurant owners in the province who have responded to the conflict by boycotting lobster.

“The lobster that we are selling is at the center of the conflict that's ongoing in Nova Scotia,” Rad said in an interview Monday. “We felt like it's a very small gesture that we can make in support and solidarity of stopping the violence that’s taking place right now.”

The RCMP is investigating a fire over the weekend that destroyed a lobster pound in Middle West Pubnico containing the lobster catch of Mi'kmaq fishers. For weeks, Indigenous fishers say they've been targeted with harassment, vandalism and violence from commercial harvesters.

Non-Indigenous fishers say they are angry the Mi'kmaq recently launched a self-regulated lobster fishery that harvests the animals outside the federally regulated fishing season. The Mi'kmaq are asserting their treaty right that they say allows them to fish when and where they want.

Rad said he faced some backlash after deciding on Oct. 17 to stop selling lobster, but said the response has been largely positive.

He said he never thought about who was harvesting the lobster he was serving his clients. But now, the owner said he's looking to buy lobster from Indigenous fishers.

“We ask for local foods as much as possible but now we are asking the question, 'where is the lobster from?' Until we figure out the source, we're not going put it back on the menu,” Rad said.

Video: Violent protests over Mi'kmaw fishery in Nova Scotia (Global News)

Matt Boyle, co-owner of Dear Friend bar in Dartmouth, N.S., removed lobster from his restaurant's menu last month.

“We wanted to remove the lobster roll as a sign of our solidarity but to also ... expedite conversations of peace or just spread some more awareness," Boyle said in an interview Monday.

But after he posted about the menu change on social media, the responses he received were less than peaceful.

“We had a lot of pretty aggressive forms of hate digitally,” which he said included angry direct messages to the restaurant’s social media accounts and to his personal account.

There was also a “targeted cyber bullying attack” in which people posted one-star reviews to Facebook and Google. Eventually, however, he said the support from his clients and the local bar community has been overwhelmingly positive.

Boyle said the influence of Nova Scotia's restaurant industry could impact the conflict.

“I think collectively our voice could be pretty loud," he said. "We buy a lot of fish, we buy a lot of lobster so we can make a difference."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2020.

- - -

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Danielle Edwards, The Canadian Press

Canada condemns attacks in indigenous fishing dispute
By Moira Warburton

© Reuters/JOHN MORRIS FILE PHOTO: 

Fire Destroys Nova Scotia lobster pound in Middle West Pubnico

TORONTO (Reuters) - Attacks against indigenous lobster fishermen over the weekend are "disgusting," a government minister said on Monday, as Ottawa provided more police resources to tamp down clashes over lobster fishing rights in eastern Canada.

© Reuters/TED PRITCHARD FILE PHOTO: 

Fishing boats from the Sipekne'katik band are seen tied up in Saulnierville

Tensions between local commercial fishermen and fishermen from the Mi'kmaq First Nation in the Atlantic province of Nova Scotia have been escalating in recent days in a conflict over indigenous fishing rights.

Clashes over the weekend and earlier last week involved hundreds of people outside lobster pounds that handle indigenous-caught lobster.

"The acts of violence we have seen in the past days and weeks are disgusting, unacceptable, racist in nature," Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in 1999 that the Mi'kmaq First Nation had the right to hunt and fish for a "moderate livelihood" in their traditional territory.

But the ruling left many grey areas - including the practical definition of "moderate livelihood" - leading Mi'kmaq fishermen to begin catching lobster outside the federally-mandated fishing season and raising the ire of local commercial lobster fishers.

Protests in support of both sides resulted in clashes last week that at times turned violent, with one person being arrested after attacking Chief Michael Sack of the Sipekne'atik First Nation. Meanwhile, the head of the province's fishing union resigned, citing concerns for his personal safety.

A lobster pound where Indigenous fishermen stored their catch was set on fire, resulting in one person being admitted to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said on Sunday.

On Sunday, Sack said the military needed to be brought in to keep the peace. Indigenous nations have a fraught relationship with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the force responsible for policing in much of rural Canada.

Federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair pushed back on the suggestion on Monday, as he called for an end to the violence.

"This isn't a military operation, it is a peacekeeping operation," he said. "We have taken steps necessary to ensure that (the RCMP has) adequate resources to do the job."

(Reporting by Moira Warburton in Toronto; Editing by Tom Brown)

The RCMP have 'let down' Indigenous fishers facing violence in Nova Scotia: minister

OTTAWA — The RCMP in Nova Scotia have failed to properly protect Indigenous people embroiled in an ugly dispute over lobster fishing, Canada's Indigenous services minister said Monday

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© Provided by The Canadian Press

Marc Miller was one of four federal cabinet ministers who took part in a news conference that followed a turbulent weekend in the southwestern corner of the province, where a lobster pound was burned to the ground and police accused one person of assaulting a Mi'kmaq leader and another of setting fire to a van owned by an Indigenous fisherman.

"Indigenous people have been let down by the police, those who are sworn to protect them," Miller said as he opened the news conference in Ottawa. "The protection of people on both sides has to prevail, and clearly that has not been the case up until now."

Miller said even though Indigenous people have experienced discrimination throughout Canada's history, the Indigenous fishers in Nova Scotia have stood up for their rights without resorting to violence.

"It is a testament to who they are that they do so peacefully," Miller said. But he said he fears the violence could lead to loss of life, adding, "We must reach a resolution."

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said the Mounties are doing their job. "The police are, in fact, acting," he said. "I'm absolutely confident that the RCMP know their job."

Blair said additional officers had been deployed to respond to the increasingly violent dispute, which started Sept. 17 when the Sipekne'katik First Nation launched a self-regulated commercial fishery outside of the federally designated fishing season.

The public safety minister said Nova Scotia RCMP are now able to draw on RCMP resources from other provinces within the Atlantic region to counter "reckless violence and racist threats." And he said an RCMP boat was in the area, along with a vessel from the Canadian Coast Guard.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office issued a statement Monday saying he had spoken with Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil on Sunday, and they "condemned the appalling violence" and agreed that respectful dialogue was key to resolving the dispute.

During an emergency debate Monday night on the dispute, Trudeau told the House of Commons the violence "is unacceptable, it is shameful and it is criminal."

He said his government will uphold Indigenous fishers' inherent right to pursue a "moderate livelihood," but also promised that conservation of lobster stocks, which commercial fishers fear are being compromised, will underpin its decisions in the dispute.

Trudeau was blamed by opposition leaders for allowing the dispute to spiral into violence.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole pointed out that he raised the escalating tensions directly with the prime minister a month ago, yet he said the government has done nothing.

"These things don't go away. They require leadership and we have a government that prefers photo ops over followups, hashtags over real work. Hoping that problems will go away is not leadership," O'Toole said.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh similarly accused the government of inaction, although he blamed past Liberal and Conservative governments alike for letting the problem fester for more than two decades.

He called the violence "terrorism" against Indigenous people and he said the failure of police to protect them is "evidence of systemic racism."

The lobster dispute is a sensitive issue for the Trudeau government, which has made reconciliation with Canada's Indigenous people a top priority.

The decision to dispatch more officers to Nova Scotia follows complaints from Indigenous leaders who have pointed to images on social media that appear to show Mounties standing by while protesters vandalized property and allegedly assaulted Sipekne'katik Chief Mike Sack last week.

Sack could not be reached for comment Monday.

Miller made it clear that Ottawa will be taking action to ensure the Mi'kmaq can exercise their constitutionally protected treaty right to earn a moderate livelihood from fishing.

"The acts of violence we have seen in the past days and weeks are disgusting, unacceptable and racist in nature," he said.

Miller also stressed that the new Indigenous fishery represents a tiny fraction of the traditional lobster fishery in St. Marys Bay, where the Sipekne'katik First Nation is now fishing.

The Sipekne'katik band has awarded 11 lobster fishing licences to 11 boats working in St. Marys Bay, each with a maximum of 50 traps aboard. By contrast, the commercial fishery in the bay allows for 90 vessels carrying up 400 traps each. That total includes three commercial vessels operated by the Sipekne'katik band.

In recent weeks, some non-Indigenous fishers in Nova Scotia have staged protests to highlight the fact that even though the Supreme Court of Canada has affirmed the treaty right to fish, hunt and gather for a moderate livelihood, the court also said Ottawa retains the right to regulate the fisheries for conservation purposes.

They say Indigenous fishers should not be allowed to fish outside the federally regulated season because that could harm lobster stocks.

Federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan, who represents a rural fishing community in Nova Scotia, said conservation "underpins everything we do," adding that the lobster stocks in Nova Scotia remain healthy.

"We will never move forward with a plan that threatens the health of the species," she said.

Jordan did not answer when asked if the treaty right to fish for a moderate livelihood extended to fishing outside the regular season.

When the dispute erupted in September, Jordan made it clear that Ottawa was opposed to fishing outside the season.

As for the definition of what constitutes a moderate livelihood, Jordan said that must be determined by negotiations with each First Nation. She said a blanket definition was not an option. "It's a very complex issue and it varies between communities," she said. "We can't tell First Nations what a moderate livelihood is."

Jordan also confirmed that a "ministerial representative" would soon be named to facilitate discussions with non-Indigenous commercial fishermen.

In Ottawa, NDP critic Charlie Angus also took aim at the RCMP. "What's really disturbing is the lack of action by the RCMP," he told a news conference. "The federal government needs to send a clear message that we have to be willing to protect Indigenous treaty rights."

On another front, Blair confirmed that the suspect accused of assaulting Sack on Oct. 14 had been released from custody with conditions.

Sack has criticized the RCMP for being "useless" in the face of violence. And on the weekend, he called on Ottawa to send in the military to keep the peace.

Blair dismissed that request Monday, saying the incidents in Nova Scotia require a police response, not a military operation.

"It is a peacekeeping operation and it is the responsibility of the police," he said.

— With files from Michael MacDonald in Halifax.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2020.

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press

Donald Trump's latest message to suburban women? I fixed the dishwasher!

President Donald Trump is getting desperate. He knows he is losing the 2020 presidential election to former Vice President Joe Biden. And he knows that suburban women have fled from him in droves over the last four years -- and he needs them back (or at least some of them) if he wants to have a serious chance of pulling off a come-from-behind victory on November 3.

© Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images Signage is displayed on a Whirlpool Corp. Maytag brand dishwasher machine at the Valley Appliance Sales store in Peru, Illinois, U.S., on Friday, July 20, 2018. Whirlpool Corp. is releasing earnings figures on July 23. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Which brings me to a Trump campaign rally on Sunday night in Nevada. And Trump's latest attempt to convince suburban woman that he is their guy. Here's the pitch:

"Go buy a dishwasher. I said what's wrong with this thing? It doesn't clean the dishes right. The women come up to me, the women who they say don't like me -- they actually do like me a lot. Suburban women, please vote for me. I'm saving your house. I'm saving your community. I'm keeping your crime way down."

OK, so. The logic behind this argument goes like this.

1.Suburban women are the ones who do the dishes in their households

2. Dishwashers make doing the dishes easier

3. Trump made the water pressure in dishwashers better

4. Dishwashers now work better

5. Suburban women must vote for Trump

Yes, really. That's the logic.

That Trump would even put voice to such a ridiculous argument reveals that he is still existing in a "Mad Men" sort of world, in which women are frazzled housewives who are focused solely on making sure the laundry is done, the dishes are washed and there's a warm meal on the table before their husband gets home from his exhausting day of earning the family's keep at work.

It's a stunning -- and unintentional -- admission by Trump about how he a) regards women and b) what he believes will sway their votes. He made dishwashers work better! He's "saving your house," ladies! Come on.

That warped view of what women -- including housewives -- do and value comes after Trump has spent weeks trying to scare suburban women into voting for him.

Here's Trump riffing on how he saved suburban women, from a rally last week in Pennsylvania:

"They talk about the suburban women. And somebody said, 'I don't know if the suburban woman likes you.' I said, 'Why?' They said, 'They may not like the way you talk,' but I'm about law and order. I'm about having you safe. I'm about having your suburban communities. I don't want to build low-income housing next to your house."

"Suburban women, they should like me more than anybody here tonight because I ended the regulation that destroyed your neighborhood. I ended the regulation that brought crime to the suburbs, and you're going to live the American dream. So can I ask you to do me a favor? Suburban women, will you please like me? I saved your damn neighborhood, OK?"

He saved your damn neighborhood, ladies! From crime! And "low-income housing"! (If you are wondering, Trump is referring to his rollback of an Obama-era policy that was aimed at banning racial discrimination in housing.)

The message here is pretty simple: If you vote for Biden this fall, you will have gangs roaming your streets, "low income" housing next door to you and a dishwasher that doesn't effectively clean the dishes. Chaos will reign! Dishes will go unwashed!

Stunningly, there is very little evidence, whether anecdotal or statistical, that suggests that Trump's appeals to suburban women are working.

Among white women with college degrees -- not a perfect overlay of "suburban women" but as close as we can usually get in polling -- Biden was at 68% to Trump's 31% in a recent NPR/PBS/Marist national poll.

One woman living in the Pittsburgh suburbs and who voted for Trump in 2016 described her response to Trump's argument that Biden will "destroy" the suburbs this way to CNN's Kate Bolduan: "At the time, I laughed. It irritates me that he thinks that I and other people like me are stupid enough to believe that. It's insulting."

Yeah. That about covers it.

Health Canada recalls counterfeit hand sanitizer found at Dollarama in Ontario

© Health Canada / Provided The agency said the recalled product was sold in a 250 mL container, and has a lot number of 6942 and an expiry date of May 2023.

Health Canada is recalling another hand sanitizer amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, saying the product has been determined to be counterfeit.

In a recall notice issued on Sunday, Health Canada said a counterfeit version of Daily Shield hand sanitizer was found for sale at a Dollarama location in Thunder Bay, Ont.

Read more: Health Canada adds 5 hand sanitizers to recall list, cites potential health risk

The agency said the recalled product was sold in a 250 mL container, has a lot number of 6942 and an expiry date of May 2023.

"As the counterfeit version of Daily Shield hand sanitizer is unauthorized and made with an unknown formulation, it may not be effective at killing bacteria and viruses, and may pose serious risks to health," the notice reads.

The counterfeit product is also suspected to contain methanol, an ingredient that is not authorized for use in hand sanitizers.

The agency said methanol "could cause severe adverse reactions or death when ingested."

According to Health Canada, the product may have been sold at Dollarama stores across the country.

"Health Canada is confirming the complete list of locations where the product was sold," the notice reads.

Dollarama has agreed to stop selling the product at its stores in Canada while the investigation continues.

The agency said anyone who has purchased this product should stop using it "immediately."

"Consult your healthcare provider if you have used this product and have any health or safety concerns," the notice said.

Alaska earthquake triggers small tsunami

The magnitude 7.5 earthquake near Sand Point, Alaska, generated a tsunami, Scott Langley with the National Tsunami Warning Center said Monday afternoon.

© Michael A. Armstrong/Homer News/AP

 A line of traffic leaves Homer, Alaska, after a tsunami evacuation order was issued for low-lying areas.

Langley said the tsunami sent two waves, each measuring 130 centimeters (4 feet, 3 inches) high. But observers onshore reported the waves appeared to be 1.5 feet (45.7 centimeters) and 2 feet (61 cm) over high tide.

The center is monitoring harbors in a 500-mile area along the Alaska coastline, he said.

A tsunami warning had been issued after the earthquake struck but it was downgraded to an advisory Monday afternoon.

The advisory was for the Alaska Peninsula and South Alaska, according to the tsunami warning center in Palmer, Alaska.

Langley said earlier the area subject to the warning and advisory is "pretty remote."

"For other US and Canadian Pacific coasts in North America, there is no tsunami threat," the center said.

The earthquake's epicenter was recorded less than 60 miles from Sand Point, near the Aleutian Peninsula in the southwestern part of the state.

"We did feel it," Sand Point Clinic employee Lorna Osterback said of the quake. "This is a big one."

Osterback said residents of the town would be heading to higher ground away from the shoreline as they wait out the tsunami threat.

"We expect we will have another one in about half an hour," noted Osterback. "We're right on the fault line. I grew up here and it's kind of normal."

Jeanette Piniones Navales moved her family from Kodiak Island to higher ground on Pillar Mountain when the tsunami alerts sounded Monday. She said she has lived in Kodiak since 2014 and this is her sixth time experiencing a tsunami warning.

"I got nervous and immediately convinced my family to move (to) high ground to be safe," she told CNN.

Candace Nelson, her kids and dogs hid under the table as the earthquake shook Cold Bay, about 90 miles west of Sand Point.

"My kids are all doing good. Brooke, Wilder and Scout all huddled under our kitchen table till the shaking stopped," she told CNN as the family waited for more news about the tsunami. "The dogs were more concerned as to what the heck we were doing under the table."

Residents of Homer could also be seen driving to higher ground after being given evacuation orders.

Several aftershocks, including one with a magnitude of 5.9 and one that was 5.8, struck in the hour after the big quake.

By Steve Almasy, Dave Alsup and Andy Rose, CNN 

Video depicting violent arrest of N.L. Indigenous man 

shows systemic racism: council

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — The president of a Labrador Indigenous council says he is disgusted and angry following the release of a video depicting a municipal enforcement officer throwing a handcuffed Indigenous man to the ground

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© Provided by The Canadian Press

Todd Russell, president of the NunatuKavut Community Council, which represents about 6,000 Inuit in south and central Labrador, says the footage is an example of systemic racism in Canada and is calling for an investigation.

"It is a manifestation of the bias and discrimination that is within the law enforcement systems within this country and certainly within the justice system in this country," Russell said in an interview Monday. "And these are facts. These are not debatable any more."

The footage, a copy of which was posted to social media Friday, appears to show an officer holding an Inuk man against the hood of a Happy Valley-Goose Bay municipal enforcement vehicle.

The man's hands are behind his back and the officer is grabbing the man by the back of his hooded shirt. As the man turns slightly to his right, toward the officer, the officer swiftly throws him onto the ground.

Russell said he wants an investigation into the incident, into the protocols of Happy Valley-Goose Bay municipal enforcement officers, and into whether there have been previous complaints about officers' use of force.

"I think what's surprising is that you have a municipal enforcement officer who's supposed to be enforcing municipal bylaws actually handcuffing people, taking them into custody," Russell said.

Russell said he understands the officer was equipped with a body camera and that there could be footage of the incident taken by the device. The Newfoundland and Labrador privacy commissioner's office confirmed Monday the town introduced a body cam policy for its enforcement officers a few weeks ago.

On Monday, a spokesman for the town would not give any information about the investigation or whether the officer was equipped with a body camera.

The town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay issued a statement Saturday stating the officer in the video had been put on administrative leave and that it was seeking an independent agency to conduct an investigation. The release did not say what agency the town will approach.

Labrador Progressive Conservative member Lela Evans posted the video of the arrest, which Russell viewed. She said a friend had sent it to her.

"I'm really cautious about posting videos ... But when I saw this video, I thought, 'Okay, this is a huge issue,'" she said in an interview Monday.

Both Evans and Russell said the incident happened Friday. The man in the video is Inuk and homeless, Evans said, adding the incident took place in a public area of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, which has a population of around 8,000 people.

Evans said she has been told the man in the video is doing well. But, she said, he was hurt when he was thrown to ground. "Just imagine now, being thrown head first into the ground with no way to protect yourself."

She said she supports an investigation into the arrest but stopped short of stating that the footage is an example of systemic racism.

"If we've got a rogue cop, a racist cop, it's singular ... I'm saying that his behaviour from an authority perspective, needs to be investigated."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2020.

Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press

UCP narrowly passed a private-health-care resolution at its party convention. What that means for Alberta

Tyler Dawson 

© Provided by National Post United Conservative Leader Jason Kenney outlines his party's health platform ahead of Alberta's 2019 election campaign, in Edmonton on Feb. 20, 2019.

EDMONTON — Delegates at Alberta’s United Conservative Party’s annual general meeting over the weekend narrowly endorsed a controversial proposal in favour of privately managed and funded health care.

The meeting, held via Zoom, saw some 1,400 delegates attend, who considered 30 policy resolutions, some on health care, others on energy politics and others still on labour law.

Of the 793 who voted on the health-care resolution, 53 per cent of them voted in favour of a private-tier system where people could pay a user fee for services. The proposal, brought forward by the Calgary-Varsity constituency, argues a two-tier system would help tackle ballooning health-care costs and wait times, while solving problems of physician pay that have been plaguing the provincial government.

“This could help the economy recover more efficiently by creating choices, for both physicians and patients, in time and public costs to the Public Health System,” the resolution says. The economic benefit to government and the society is a health budget that will not grow excessively for Public Provincial Healthcare that in itself delays accessibility.”

The policy proposals that came up at the convention will be used to inform the UCP’s next election platform.

The private health-care resolution wasn’t especially popular among delegates, with one cabinet minister, Nate Glubish, Minister of Service Alberta, openly opposing it.

“I understand that the health-care system needs significant reforms,” said Glubish on Friday. “If we approve this policy, it is going to cause a ton of grief for all MLAs who are working hard to deliver you results.”

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Out of all 30 resolutions adopted, the health-care resolution passed with the slimmest margin. Premier Jason Kenney, speaking on a Calgary radio station Monday, said the party remained committed to public health care.

Kenney said his read on what the party members asked for on the weekend was for the government to explore more options for the delivery of medical services.

“Health care should be based on what’s in the best interest of the patient, not on ideology or special interest groups,” he said.

Health care has been a touchy subject for Kenney’s United Conservatives. Throughout the 2019 election campaign, the New Democrats attacked them on the privatization issue.

Health care has become more sensitive, still, during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the UCP continues to find cost savings within the health-care system.

The New Democrats wasted little time seizing on the policy resolution: “Jason Kenney’s UCP is now committing itself to imposing an American-style health-care system on Albertans in the midst of a deadly pandemic,” thundered David Shepherd, the NDP’s health critic, in a press release Sunday.

The UCP does, in fact, have a policy position that would see some privatization of the health-care system. As part of the overall strategy for reducing costs of the nearly $21 billion health-care budget, the UCP is looking at private surgical facilities and day clinics to clear out the backlog of those awaiting certain procedures, such as orthopaedic surgeries.

In August, the province announced a privately funded $200 million private orthopaedic hospital, which would perform all non-emergency orthopaedic surgeries in the Edmonton region.

Saskatchewan has similarly experimented with private surgeries, and saw 98 per cent of surgeries done within six months, though more recently those wait times have climbed back up, which the province says is due to an aging population.

Other jurisdictions in Canada have experimented with two-tier systems. Quebec, for example, has private medical imaging. Other health-care spending across the country, such as dentistry, long-term care and prescription drugs, are also privatized.

Colleen Flood, a law professor at the University of Ottawa and the university research chair in health law and policy, said it’s not surprising that an “aging and relatively wealthy population” wants more from the public health-care system, and that alternatives come up when the public system seems unable to cope.

“We have a big mix of public and private,” said Flood. “Of course there is a private tier, it’s just that Canadian governments have to date tried to limit the amount of two-tier that there is.”

Multiple other nations around the world have some form of public-private medical care. But piecemeal privatization in Canada isn’t necessarily moving the country towards a new health-care system, Flood said.

Another controversial UCP policy measure, that Alberta become a “right-to-work” jurisdiction — essentially, an employee cannot be forced into a collective bargaining unit — passed with 81 per cent voting in favour.

That the resolutions passed does not mean they become party policy. The UCP has, in the past, rejected policy recommendations from conventions, most notably in 2018, when the party grassroots wanted parental notification for topics such as sex in school.

With files from the Edmonton Journal and the Calgary Herald