B.C. premier asked to remove retired judge from Chinese-Canadian committee following Uyghur comments

IT'S A LIE THAT HE DOES NOT SPEAK FOR SOME IN THE CHINESE CANADIAN COMMUNITY THOSE WHOM SUPPORT CHINA AS 'PATRIOTS'. HIS ACCUSERS ARE ANTI COMMUNIST RIGHT WINGERS.

CBC/Radio-Canada 

VANCOUVER 4/7/2021

© Suzanne Anton/Twitter Bill Yee, left, pictured in 2015 in Vancouver at a Chinatown Merchants Association dinner with Suzanne Anton, British Columbia's former attorney general and minister of justice.

A group of prominent Chinese-Canadians in B.C. are asking the premier to remove a retired judge and lawyer from a provincial advisory committee after he said in a radio interview that Canada's response to the treatment of ethnic Muslim minority Uyghurs in China is not based on fact.

"Our open letter expresses our great concern about Bill Yee's comments," said Victor Ho, a signatory to the letter sent to Premier John Horgan. Ho is the founder of a web-based company in Vancouver and the former editor in chief of the Sing Tao Daily newspaper in Vancouver.

Andrea Chun, a host with Toronto-based Chinese-language radio station A-1, confirmed that she interviewed Bill Yee on March 30 in Cantonese about Canada-China relations and Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

In the interview, Yee denied that genocide was being committed against Uyghurs by the Chinese government.

'Lies'

"These talks about genocide are completely not factual," reads a translation of the interview. "They use these lies, and those politicians, what kind of legal [facts] can prove China has committed genocide, those actions, those policies? None. That doesn't make sense at all."

Yee was introduced before the interview as a member of B.C.'s Chinese-Canadian Community Advisory Committee.

The committee was formed in 2018 by Horgan to assist the province in strengthening social, economic and cultural ties among members of the Chinese diaspora in B.C. and around the globe.

Yee is also a retired provincial judge, lawyer, and former Vancouver city councillor. He sits on the board of directors for the Chinese Canadian Museum.

On the radio program he was asked about Canadian MPs passing a motion in February that says China's actions in its western Xinjiang region meet the definition of genocide set out in the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention.

In late March, Canada joined the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union in placing sanctions on Chinese officials suspected of involvement in a years-long campaign of persecution against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in China's Xinjiang province.

The Chinese state is accused of arbitrarily imprisoning more than one million people on the basis of their religion and ethnicity, and for subjecting them to political re-education, forced labour, torture and forced sterilization.

China has denied all reports of human rights abuses in the region, claiming the camps are vocational training centres needed to fight extremism.

In response to Canadian actions on the Uyghur issue, Yee said in Cantonese during the radio interview that Canada's actions were not based on fact and that some Canadian politicians have an ulterior motive, such as trade with China, for the motion and the sanctions.

Yee also criticized Canadian politicians in the interview, saying Western politicians did not know where Xinjiang province was and had never been there.

He did express support for a United Nations delegation to travel to the region to study and observe the treatment of Uyghur people.

Ho said he and the other 12 signatories to the letter are outraged over Yee's comments, saying he is a "vital" public figure and his views don't represent the majority of Chinese-Canadians in B.C. and their views on human rights.

"We are urging the premier, just take out this guy from your advisory committee because that remark indicates he has no credibility … these remarks will make our Chinese community look very, very bad in Canada."

CBC News attempted to contact Yee through the Chinese Canadian Museum, but has yet to receive a response.

Comments 'concerning'

B.C.'s minister of state for trade, George Chow, responded to the letter by saying that Yee's comment are "concerning."

In a written statement he said the province supports Ottawa's position on the Uyghur issue and that Yee was expressing a personal opinion in the interview.

"We have asked Mr. Yee to clearly distinguish his personal opinions from that of the work of the Chinese Canadian Community Advisory Committee," said Chow's statement.

Appointments to the advisory committee are one year in length. Chow's statement did not say whether Yee would sit for a new term.

Chow said the province is reviewing what the committee will be working on for the year ahead, which includes canvassing outgoing members about their opinions.

CHINA OUTSOURCES TO BURMA
Myanmar crisis sounds death knell for garment industry, jobs and hope

By Chen Lin and John Geddie

© Reuters/Soe Zeya Tun FILE PHOTO: 

Workers iron and arrange clothing at a garment factory at Hlaing Tar Yar industry zone in Yangon

(Reuters) -Two years after opening his garment factory in Myanmar, Li Dongliang is on the verge of closing down and laying off his 800 remaining workers.

Business had been struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but after a Feb. 1 coup that sparked mass protests and a deadly crackdown, during which his factory was set alight amid a surge of anti-Chinese sentiment, orders stopped.

His story is emblematic of the perilous situation facing a sector critical to Myanmar's economy, which accounts for a third of its exports and employs 700,000 low-income workers, according to U.N. data.

"We would have no choice but to give up on Myanmar if there are no new orders in the next few months," said Li, adding he has been operating at about 20% capacity, surviving only on orders placed before the coup, and had already shed 400 staff.

Li said he and many of his peers were considering moving to other low-cost garment hubs like China, Cambodia or Vietnam, as big fashion brands like H&M and Primark have stopped trading with Myanmar due to the coup.

Chinese nationals like Li fund nearly a third of Myanmar's 600 garment factories, according to the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association, by far the largest investor group.

At least two other Chinese-funded garment factories in Myanmar, employing a combined 3,000 workers, had decided to close, said Khin May Htway, managing partner of MyanWei Consulting Group, which advises Chinese investors in Myanmar. She said the two firms were her clients but declined to identify them citing privacy.

Foreign investment in garments surged in Myanmar over the past decade as economic reforms, an end to Western sanctions and trade deals helped establish the sector as the greatest symbol of its nascent emergence as a manufacturing hub.

Myanmar garment shipments rose from less than $1 billion in 2011, about 10% of exports, to more than $6.5 billion in 2019, about 30% of exports, according to U.N. Comtrade data.

But the sector has been rocked by the pandemic which plunged the world into recession and choked consumer demand, resulting in tens of thousands of garment factory jobs lost in Myanmar and elsewhere in Asia.

Then the coup happened.

In the weeks that followed, many garment workers joined protests or couldn't get to work as streets became battlegrounds. The turmoil also jammed the banking system and made it difficult to get goods in and out of the country, factory owners said.

With international condemnation of the coup growing, European and U.S. fashion brands last month issued a statement through their associations saying they would protect jobs and honour commitments in Myanmar.

However, many have recently halted orders there including the world's second-biggest fashion retailer, Sweden's H&M, Britain's Next and Primark, and Italy's Benetton.

Next said it would split its orders previously going to Myanmar between Bangladesh, Cambodia and China, while Benetton said it would mainly move business to China. H&M and Primark have not commented on how they will redistribute orders.

ESCAPE FROM POVERTY

In Vietnam, garment factory owner Ravi Chunilal told Reuters he was starting to get more business from European buyers diverting from Myanmar.

"They don't want to abandon Myanmar ... but it's being forced upon them," said Peter McAllister of Ethical Trade Initiative, a labour rights organisation whose members include European high-street brands.

McAllister said that it would be very difficult for Myanmar's garment sector to recover if Chinese investors left.

Anti-China sentiment has risen since the coup, with opponents of the takeover noting Beijing's muted criticism compared with Western condemnation. It was against this backdrop that several Chinese-funded factories, including Li's, were torched by unidentified assailants during a protest last month.

Rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns about exploitation in Myanmar's garment sector, where mostly women workers earn as little as 4,800 kyat ($3.40) a day, the lowest rates in the region.

But it has provided an escape from poverty for many, as workers have migrated from rural areas to the factories, mainly around the commercial hub of Yangon, and sent money back to their families.

Khin Maung Aye, managing director of Lat War garments factory, which employs 3,500 people, says the sector faces collapse if the military does not restore a democratically elected government.

That would result in "terrible outcomes of poverty", he said, adding that he was also staying afloat on orders placed before the coup but feared orders for next season, normally due later this month, will dry up.

Thin Thin, a 21-year-old garment worker, said her family of five was surviving on a 8,600 kyat ($59) monthly retainer her factory had given her while it shut down because of the coup.

"I feel so stressed ... We have nothing left to pawn. We have to borrow from money lenders at 20% interest a month."

The United States, which has imposed targeted sanctions on Myanmar's military, late last month suspended trade talks with it and said it was reviewing its eligibility for its Generalized System of Preferences scheme, which reduces tariffs and provides other trade benefits for developing countries.

That could "portend future disruption" for Myanmar's garments sector, said Steve Lamar, president of the American Apparel & Footwear Association, which represents more than 1,000 fashion brands.

But some unions representing garment workers have called for the international community to impose tougher sanctions to press the military, even though it may further damage their industry.

"I accept orders moving away," Myo Myo Aye, founder of the Solidarity Trade Union of Myanmar, said through a translator. "Workers would face difficulties and hardship because there would be no jobs. On the other hand, we simply don't accept the military regime."

($1 = 1,400.0000 kyat)

(Reporting by Chen Lin and John Geddie; Additional reporting by James Pearson in Hanoi, Victoria Waldersee in Lisbon and Elisa Anzolin in Milan; Editing by Robert Birsel)

PHOTO ESSAY

Indigenous softball team bats away Mexico machismo

THE LITTLE DEVILS OF HONDSONOT
AFP 2 hrs ago

Barefoot and resplendent in traditional embroidered garments, women from an indigenous Mayan community in rural Mexico are challenging gender stereotypes and the country's machismo culture on a dusty softball field.

© ELIZABETH RUIZ A player for the Little Devils of Hondzonot swings the bat during a softball game against the Piste Warriors in rural southeast Mexico

© ELIZABETH RUIZ The Little Devils' hallmarks are their bare feet while playing and huipil garments embroidered by hand using techniques passed down through the generations

There are no locker rooms or manicured lawns where the Little Devils of Hondzonot play visiting teams, in their village in the southeastern state of Quintana Roo.

© ELIZABETH RUIZ Mexico's machismo culture was one of the first barriers that the Little Devil's women's softball team says it encountered

Spectators, mostly men with a beer in their hand, sit on rocks in the shade of trees to protect against the harsh sun.

But the fans were not always there to cheer for the Little Devils.

One of the first barriers that the team encountered was sexism, said captain Fabiola May.

"They didn't think we could play as we're women, but we've shown them that we can do just as much as men and even more," the 29-year-old said proudly.

© ELIZABETH RUIZ The Little Devils now have their own equipment thanks to a donation from their heroes, the Mexico City Red Devils baseball team

"Now our husbands support us a lot. There are still people who criticize us, but we don't care."

Most of the players are mothers and housewives.

Some make a living selling handicrafts -- a trade that like many has become much less lucrative during the coronavirus pandemic, which has taken a heavy toll on Mexico.

© ELIZABETH RUIZ The Little Devils say their experience as a team has given them inspiration for life off the field too

- 'Part of us' -


After more than an hour's delay, the visiting team finally took to the field.

May gave final instructions to her players in the Mayan language.

Their opponents on this occasion were the Piste Warriors from neighboring Yucatan state, also made up of Mayan women but competing in trousers, T-shirts and sneakers.

The 20 Little Devils of Hondzonot village choose to play barefoot because they find it more comfortable.

It is one of their hallmarks, along with their colorful huipil garments, embroidered by hand using techniques passed down through the generations.

"We decided to use our huipil as our uniform because it's a part of us, of our identity as Maya," said Juana Ay Ay, 37, wearing a huipil adorned with violet flowers.

The traditional garment, the fruit of several months' work, helps to make the high temperatures in Quintana Roo more bearable.

The Little Devils also wear earrings and makeup on the field to help mark each game as a celebration for them.

- 'I know we can' -

The amateur team was born three years ago when the local authorities offered to teach the women of Hondzonot a sport.

The official support faded away, but the players' love of the game lives on.

At first they used tennis balls and borrowed equipment, but today they have their own thanks to a donation from their heroes, the Mexico City Red Devils professional baseball team.

All of the Little Devils' games are friendlies.

Mexico has no professional women's softball league, although there is talk of creating one.

The country qualified for the first time for the softball event at the Tokyo Olympics with a team made up mostly of players of Mexican descent who were born and compete in the United States.

Mexico is number five in the women's ranking of the World Baseball Softball Confederation behind the United States, Japan, Canada and Puerto Rico.

The Little Devils hope to be a part of the future success of the sport, which has been present in Mexico for more than a century.

In addition to the long-standing challenges facing their community, the coronavirus pandemic has destroyed many jobs in the tourism and construction sectors.

Without money for gasoline, they can only play at home.

But their experience as a team has given them inspiration for life off the field too.

"Here, as you can see, there are a lot of needs and poverty," said May.

"When you want to, you can. At first I didn't believe that this would happen. I said that we couldn't, but now I know we can and we'll be able to do more as a team," she said.

str/axm/dr/caw

Edmonton startup aims to make lab-grown meat more affordable
Kashmala Fida 

CBC

4/7/2021

3

© David Parry/Pool/Reuters Dutch scientist Mark Post shows off the world's first lab-grown beef burger during a launch event in London in August 2013.

An Edmonton startup working on ways to make lab-grown meat cheaper to produce recently received $2.2 million in seed funding from U.S venture capital firms and investors.

Future Fields, founded by Matt and Jalene Anderson-Baron and Lejjy Gafour, has developed a much cheaper form of growth factor — media needed for cells to grow and multiply — for producing cultured meat.

"You can think of that very much like the feed for the cells, just like animals need feed to to grow, cells need to to grow and multiply and ultimately become these meat products," Matt Anderson-Baron told CBC's Edmonton AM.

"So we make that ingredient, which is traditionally very, very expensive and not very scalable."

Cultured meat, or meat grown in a lab using in vitro cell cultures, was first produced in 2012 by Dutch scientist Mark Post. That first patty, made public in 2013, cost $300,000 to produce.

Although costs for the growth media have come down considerably, they still run at least $500 per litre. Using their method, Anderson-Baron hopes to reduce the price to less than $1 per litre at full scale.

Around the world, 60 companies are working on lab-grown meat, although only one company — in Singapore — is successfully selling products commercially on a very small scale.

Canadian pipeline companies sees natgas opportunities in shift to green energy

NATURAL GAS IS A HYDROCARBON IT AIN'T GREEN IT'S BLUE

By Nia Williams and Rod Nickel 

POSTMEDIA

4/8/2021

© Reuters/TODD KOROL A TC Energy pump station sits behind mounds of dirt from the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline as it lies idle near Oyen

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) -Canada's largest pipeline companies TC Energy and Enbridge Inc see opportunities in their extensive natural gas businesses as a transition to cleaner energy evolves, their chief executives said on Wednesday.

The two Calgary-based companies are among North America's largest energy infrastructure firms, and the majority of their business is focused on storing and transporting fossil fuels.

TC Energy has the biggest natural gas pipeline system in North America, and CEO François Poirier said the company sees plenty of opportunities to allocate capital to that business in the form of organic bolt-on projects.

Storage and transportation assets will be key as the energy transition moves forward and new technologies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions like carbon capture and storage and hydrogen are developed, Poirier said at the online Scotiabank CAPP Energy Symposium.

"Transition can't come fast enough from our perspective but we have to pace it appropriately. I believe natural gas and liquids will continue to play a prominent role in the energy economy for decades to come," he said.

"I believe our existing assets will continue to be used and be useful for quite a long time and generate a tremendous amount of cash flow that we will be able to deploy into the energy transition."

Enbridge CEO Al Monaco, speaking at the same conference, said he saw gas as the "great enabler" for the energy transition because it is a reliable source of power that can backstop renewables.

"It's low-cost, abundant, it's important in reducing utilization of coal, but it's equally important in fostering renewables. You've got to be able to create baseload capability and it addresses the enormous intermittency challenges," he said.

Both companies are also investing in clean energy projects, and looking into developing technology to transport hydrogen.

(Reporting by Nia WilliamsEditing by Marguerita Choy)

Enbridge sees oilsands spending rising after a year-long freeze

Geoffrey Morgan 

POSTMEDIA

4/7/2021

© Provided by Financial Post Dump trucks loaded with oilsands drive through a mine in this aerial photograph taken near Fort McMurray, Alberta.


CALGARY – North America’s largest pipeline company Enbridge Inc. believes spending is projected to ramp back up in the oilsands, after taking a hit during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Did COVID change the oil markets? I think it did, yes,” Enbridge president and CEO Al Monaco said Wednesday at an investment conference hosted virtually by Scotiabank and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.

“It did drive consolidation, capital and operating discipline and that’s probably what the industry needed,” Monaco said, referring to a wave of mergers and acquisitions across the upstream oil and gas industry in recent months, including Cenovus Energy Inc.’s purchase of Husky Energy Inc., ARC Resources Ltd.’s purchase of Seven Generations Energy Ltd. as well as multiple deals by active acquirers Whitecap Resources Ltd. and Tourmaline Oil Corp.

Monaco said the amount of capital available to oil and gas companies was cut “pretty much in half” over the course of the last year, and this has forced producers to focus on reducing costs and living within their means. Those companies are now poised to generate large amounts of cash this year and there are some “greenshoots” in terms of new interest in pipelines.

“On the oilsands and whether they have an advantage, I think they’re always starting from a tougher spot, given the distance from market but I think it’s going to be strong because there’s an inherent advantage in a couple of areas,” Monaco said, noting that oilsands projects produce for a longer period of time than shale oil wells, and oilsands companies have been on a multi-year cost cutting drive.

“They’re going to need to see more transparency in terms of long-term price stability before any major ramp up in capital and also the egress picture needs to be fully solved and we’re helping with that,” he said.

© Aaron M. Sprecher/Bloomberg files Al Monaco, president and chief executive officer of Enbridge Inc., in 2015.

The International Energy Agency expects Canadian oil production to average 5.69 million barrels per day this year, compared to 4.96 million bpd during the height of the global lockdowns in the third quarter of 2020.

Values for crude oil barrels have traded steadily upwards over the last six months as more economies either reopen or are expected to reopen soon following the rollout of coronavirus vaccines. The West Texas Intermediate benchmark price rose 1.2 per cent on Wednesday to reach US$59.33 per barrel while the price of a heavy oil barrel of Western Canadian Select was up a quarter of a percentage point, to reach US$49.55 per barrel.

ARC Energy Research Institute predicts oilsands spending should rebound 17 per cent from a low of $6.5-billion in 2020 to roughly $7.7 billion in 2021 — a level which is still the second lowest capital spend in the sector in the past 10 years.

For heavy oil, Monaco said that he does expect oilsands players to resume spending on growth projects in the future once new pipelines are in service because there’s a relative shortage of heavy oil in global refining centres.

“The egress picture, which has always been the issue for the last decade or so, I think that’s going to improve and obviously we can help with that,” Monaco said, adding that he expected oilsands spending would increase once there are more pipelines built and if there is longer-term oil price stability.

Monaco said his company’s $7.6-billion Line 3 replacement project is on track and the bulk of the winter construction work for the project through Minnesota is done. The company expects to begin flowing oil through the pipeline later this year. Line 3 continues to face on-the-ground opposition from environmental groups in Minnesota. The company is also fighting to rebuild its Line 5 pipeline through Michigan where the state’s governor wants the line shut down as soon as next month.

The 590,000-barrels-per-day, federally owned Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project is also under construction and is expected to be operational late next year, further improving market access for Canadian oil producers.

Both projects have been challenged and opposed by environmental organizations but are proceeding after years of delays. However, TC Energy Corp. has halted work on its 830,000-bpd Keystone XL project after U.S. President Joe Biden withdrew a cross-border permit for the project earlier this year.

The company now says it will focus on smaller expansions in the future but has not yet made a long-term decision on Keystone XL.

“We’re going to be focusing on smaller, in-corridor expansions going forward,” TC Energy president and CEO Francois Poirier said at the CAPP conference.

“It’s taken us about 10 years of development to get to the point where we had commenced construction, so it’s going to take us a few months to think through all of the various issues and come to some long-term decisions,” Poirier said.

Financial Post

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Canadian oil producers see new route to Gulf Coast refineries coming from CP Rail deal

Why skyrocketing oil prices won’t usher in boom times in Alberta’s oilpatch — just yet

QUARNTINE THEM ALL TILL THE END OF THE PANDEMIC
GraceLife Church shuttered by authorities after months of flouting COVID-19 rules

UCP ENDORSED REBELLION

WAIT WHAT? 

THEY ARE THE GOVERNMENT

Dylan Short , Nicole Bergot 

© Provided by Edmonton Journal A fence has gone up around GraceLife Church and security is on scene to keep church members away on Wednesday, April 7, 2021 .

Layers of metal fencing were erected around the perimeter of GraceLife Church in Parkland County Wednesday as Alberta Health Services (AHS) shuttered the building after months of defiance of provincial public health orders.

Residents who live in the area said they saw about a dozen RCMP vehicles arrive at the church west of Edmonton in a “convoy” around 6 a.m. RCMP said officers were on site to assist AHS with the closure. A private security company was also on the property.

By 8 a.m., a layer of fencing adorned with black cloth had been placed around the perimeter of the building. By noon, the driveway into the church and the parking lot had also been blocked by a fencing company.

Close to 50 people showed up to support the church throughout the morning while several others drove by shouting support for the RCMP and the closure of the building

AHS issued a statement Wednesday announcing it had physically closed GraceLife Church and prevented access to the building. It said the closure will remain in effect until GraceLife can demonstrate an ability to comply with public health restrictions.

The church’s shuttering came after it held two packed services over Easter weekend , in violation of a closure order issued in January for previously flouting COVID-19 restrictions. Pastor James Coates, who has led several services in recent months, was ticketed in December and then jailed in February for 35 days after refusing to follow court orders.

In its statement, AHS listed several steps taken prior to the physical closure including an order issued on Dec. 17 requiring GraceLife to comply with restrictions issued by the chief medical officer of health. A Court of Queen’s Bench Order obtained on Jan. 21 required GraceLife to comply with the previous order.

AHS issued a closure order on Jan. 29 requiring the church to close until it agreed to follow current restrictions. On March 27, the department sent a letter to Coates providing him with information on the continued spread of COVID-19. Last week, AHS invited Coates to meet virtually to discuss the risks presented by COVID-19, however the church has not provided any dates to meet.

A statement posted to the church’s website has called into question the effectiveness of current health measures

.

© Greg Southam A fence has gone up around GraceLife Church and security is on scene to keep church members away on Wednesday, April 7, 2021.

A fence has gone up around GraceLife Church and security is on scene to keep church members away on Wednesday, April 7, 2021.[/caption]

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), which has been representing Coates in court, said in a statement it is “outraged” by the Alberta government’s decision to enter a private church and put up a double barrier around its exterior.

“Freedom of conscience and religion is the first fundamental freedom listed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It is listed first because it is one of the key bedrock principles on which Canada is built,” said John Carpay, JCCF president, in an email. “The government has so far refused to justify the limits on worship and gathering.”

Churches are allowed to open at 15 per cent of fire code capacity as long as masks are worn and people from different households stay two metres apart. GraceLife has been found in violation of each of these restrictions.

Between July 10 and April 6, AHS received 105 complaints about the church from the public. Inspectors have conducted 18 inspections since July 10 and observed violations during each visit.

AHS said the church “has decided not to follow these mandatory restrictions, nor have they attempted to work with AHS to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.”

“With COVID-19 cases increasing and the more easily-transmitted and potentially more severe variants becoming dominant, there is urgent need to minimize spread to protect all Albertans,” said AHS in the statement.

Coates received a $1,500 fine for violating a court undertaking, which was paid through time served. The church has been charged as an entity, and is scheduled to go to trial in May. Coates has one outstanding ticket before the court that he is planning to fight in May after other charges against him were dropped.

GraceLife has had COVID-19 cases in the past. Alberta Health has declined to say how many cases have been connected to the church or

Closure comes day after restrictions reintroduced

The closure came on the heels of Premier Jason Kenney’s Tuesday announcement that Alberta was reverting back to Step 1 of its public health restriction framework in order to curb the growing spread of COVID-19 and variant cases.

Kenney said he believes the current measures would have been enough if people would have complied with them, but there was growing evidence of non-compliance from “COVID fatigue.”

“Unfortunately, we are continuing to see accelerated growth driven by the variants and concluded that these additional measures were necessary,” Kenney said.

Last weekend, Coates led a Sunday service for the third time since his release from jail on March 22.

“The only responsible choice to save lives and to protect our health-care system is to take action,” Kenney said.

Alberta reported 1,351 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, after 14,051 tests were completed. Another 575 cases of variants of concern were also identified. There are 333 people in hospital with COVID-19, 79 of whom are in intensive care.

Kenney said it is expected that the dominant COVID-19 strain in Alberta will become a variant over the next week. Based on current transmission data, the province could see as many as 2,000 new cases daily of COVID-19 and up to 1,000 patients in hospital by the end of April.

— With files from Anna Junker and Dustin Cook

UH OH
Kenney faces criticism from doctors, his own caucus, over new COVID-19 health rules

The result has been an accordion-style opening, closing, restriction and relaxing of public-health rules, particularly on restaurants.

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is getting an earful from health experts and from backbench members of his own United Conservative caucus over his new COVID-19 health restrictions.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Several doctors from Calgary and Edmonton say the new rules will not be enough to reduce the spread of the virus during the province's third wave.

At the same time, 15 United Conservative members of the legislature issued a public statement Wednesday condemning the new rules as a step backwards.

Kenney reintroduced the measures a day earlier. He said the move was regrettable but necessary because the rise in the more contagious variant cases, if left unchecked, will overwhelm the health system by the middle of May.

The new measures include closing restaurants to in-person dining and reduced retail customer capacity to 15 per cent. Patio dining is still allowed.

Gyms can no longer host low-intensity group fitness such as yoga or tai chi.

Worship services remain at 15 per cent capacity. Indoor social gatherings remain banned and outdoor get-togethers can have no more than 10 people.

Dr. James Talbot, co-chair of the COVID-19 committee with the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association and a professor at the University of Alberta, said those measures won’t get the job done.

"It's not enough to bring the numbers down," Talbot said during a Zoom press conference with several other doctors. "They'll rise more slowly, but they are not going to come down."

Dr. Gosia Gasperowicz, a developmental biologist with the faculty of nursing at the University of Calgary, said cases related to the more contagious B.1.1.7 variant are doubling in Calgary every week.

Gasperowicz said it would take a sweeping shutdown similar to one last spring to even start bending the curve downward.

"We would need restrictions the strength of New Zealand, Australia — basically full financially supported lockdown,” said Gasperowicz.

Alberta now has more than 10,000 active cases, about 43 per cent are variants.

Kenney has faced mounting pressure from members of his caucus to reduce the restrictions or at least vary the approach given that some areas have many cases while others do not.

On Wednesday, 15 of them signed an open letter condemning the latest changes.

“We have heard from our constituents, and they want us to defend their livelihoods and freedoms as Albertans,” wrote the 15.

“We do not support the additional restrictions placed on Albertans yesterday and we will continue advocating for a transparent path forward that provides certainty to Alberta families, communities and businesses.”

Among the letter co-signers were Nathan Cooper, Speaker of the legislature, and Angela Pitt, deputy Speaker.

During question period, the Opposition NDP hammered away at Kenney for not disciplining the 15, accusing him of condoning those who reject public health advice and thereby put Albertans’ health at risk.

“Albertans deserve a government that respects science, that respects the law, that supports public health,” NDP Leader Rachel Notley told Kenney.

Kenney said none of his caucus members are urging people to break the law, adding: “If elected representatives cannot speak their minds about matters of policy, then what are they elected to do?”

Kenney’s government has laboured to keep the economy and public gatherings open as much as possible for the past year, characterizing their mission as protecting both “lives and livelihoods.”

The result has been an accordion-style opening, closing, restriction and relaxing of public-health rules, particularly on restaurants.

Restaurants Canada, speaking for the industry, said in a statement: "We appreciate the decision of the Alberta government to keep patio dining available, as safe options for enjoying outdoor activities are important for people’s mental health.”

But at the Unicorn, a three-floor pub on Calgary's Stephen Avenue pedestrian mall, general manager Paul Worby said they will go from 600 to 30 seats because of the restrictions.

"It's a staggering drop in revenue," said Worby. "It's not going to be a lot of shifts for anybody.”

Also Wednesday, the government shut down GraceLife church near Edmonton, which had been holding large gatherings for months in defiance of public-health orders.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 7, 2021.

— With files from Lauren Krugel in Calgary

Colette Derworiz and Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press

Private member's bill would protect mountains from coal mines: Alberta NDP Opposition


EDMONTON — The Alberta Opposition is proposing legislation that it says would protect the province's Rocky Mountains from new open-pit coal mines.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

"What it's about is giving voice to the hundreds of thousands of Albertans who have begged this government to stop their plans to coal mine in the Rocky Mountains," said NDP Leader Rachel Notley before introducing a private member's bill Wednesday.

Notley said the bill proposes that coal exploration across the eastern slopes of the Rockies be blocked and road-building and drilling halted.

If passed, the bill would cancel leases issued after the United Conservative government scrapped a policy last May that once protected the land and would stop the province's energy regulator from issuing development permits.

Open-pit mines would permanently be prohibited in the most environmentally sensitive areas and mines elsewhere would be prevented until a land-use plan for the region was developed.

"It is, in essence, a continuation of the ... coal policy along with the natural extension of applying more science, more consultation in an evidence-based way," Notley said.

Notley said mines already operating would not be affected under the NDP proposal. Those now before the regulator could proceed but would not get final approval unless they fit within the land-use plan.

Companies would be offered compensation in line with what they paid for the leases.

Controversy over coal mines began last May when the United Conservative government quietly revoked the 1976 policy. Public outrage grew, both over the threat to a beloved landscape and the potential for water contamination.

The government restored the policy in February. However, it didn't cancel exploration leases sold in the interim and miners have been drilling and road-building in an area where much of Alberta's drinking water originates.

The government has recently created an online public survey and struck a committee to consult the public — efforts Notley called a "delay tactic" that people have seen through.

"The consultations didn't provide the depth and breadth of engagement that meaningful conversations with Albertans ought to provide. They were clearly designed to lead people to certain conclusions."

Rules introduced by Premier Jason Kenney's United Conservatives dictate that private member's bills go to a government-dominated committee that decides which ones will move forward to be debated. Notley said committee members should listen to their constituents.

"If the UCP caucus listens to their constituents, there's really a possibility that this bill could be passed."

Katie Morrison of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, which has been a vocal opponent of coal mining in the Rockies, welcomed the Opposition bill.

"It does address the short-term immediate need and then starts to talk about land-use planning," she said. "We would like to see all parties addressing those two major things.

"Whether this bill passes or not, we will be looking to the current government for action to support those things."

Brad Johnston of coal miner Cabin Ridge, which has leases on the controversial land, said the company supports the government's consultation plans and urged Albertans to participate.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 7, 2021.

— Follow Bob Weber on Twitter at @row1960

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

New report pokes holes in sustainability of B.C.’s wood pellet industry

Unions and environmentalists call for suspension of new wood pellet mills

Duration: 02:17 

Forestry unions and environmentalists are calling on the provincial governments to suspend any approval of new wood pellet mills, because the current mills are using entire logs, instead of just wood waste. Paul Johnson reports.

Whole logs stacked high in wood pellet mill yards across British Columbia aren’t supposed to be the norm, but new research shows it may be more common than the industry says.

The research also found that 12 per cent of logged material in the province is eventually broken down for the controversial biofuel.


Operations — often dubbed as "green" or "sustainable" — are meant to use residuals from the logging industry to create dense pellets, which are then burned to create energy.

However, photos obtained by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) of yards in Smithers, Burns Lake and Houston show piles of whole logs ready to be compressed and broken down.

Coupled with new research from the centre, showing that large volumes of trees have been logged specifically for the wood pellet industry since 2010, industry workers and environmental groups are concerned. They’re asking that the government put a hold on new pellet mills until an independent review is done.

“It’s clear that there are very large amounts of logs that are ending up in these facilities, and the intention is to turn those logs directly into wood pellets, which is counter to the common narrative,” said Ben Parfitt, a policy analyst with the CCPA’s B.C. office and researcher for the study.

“Which is that the industry is essentially utilizing this essentially worthless junk.”

As to why people should care, Parfitt says there are a few reasons. Not only are the environmental implications severe, but the industry produces few jobs. Just over 300 people work in the pellet industry in the province, scattered across 14 mills — a half a per cent of the total number of forestry workers.

Gary Fiege, president of the Public and Private Workers of Canada, which represents workers in the sector, echoed Parfitt’s concerns around the industry’s actions.

“We need to push the pause button on pellet mills until we figure out where the trees logged in B.C. are going. Twenty years ago, 91,000 people worked in our forest industry. Today, it’s less than 49,000,” said Fiege.

“We desperately need to make higher-value forest products and generate far more jobs from each tree we log. There’s a place for pellet mills in B.C., but at the end of the line, not the beginning.”

That line continues to blur, says Parfitt, with U.K. company Drax set to control half the existing pellet mills in B.C. with its planned takeover of Pinnacle Renewable Energy. Pinnacle calls itself “one of the world's leading manufacturers and distributors of industrial wood pellets, which are used by large-scale thermal power generators as a greener alternative to produce reliable baseload renewable power.”

The CCPA data shows Pinnacle led the removal of at least 1.3 million cubic metres of logs from the province since 2010.

“It is exceedingly clear that major thermal electricity producers like Drax in the U.K., have no hope of meeting their wood requirements from the United Kingdom's forests. It’s a non-starter, there's not enough wood in those forests to sustain their operations,” he said.

“... And there's a very green veneer being put on all of this power production.”

That fits into a larger and concerning narrative, says Parfitt — that the carbon emitted during burning the pellets is offset by the carbon stored in freshly planted trees. He says those worries are known and growing.

The CCPA research is timely — a wood pellet operation is being proposed in Fort Nelson, where two mills shut down in 2008, laying off hundreds of people. The forest industry has had little activity in the area since and the mill would be welcomed by many in the area, including the Fort Nelson First Nation, which has voiced its support.

However, the CCPA, Public and Private Workers of Canada, Conservation North and Stand.earth are all calling for an independent review of the wood pellet industry before the Fort Nelson mill goes through — an operation the CCPA says would require around 1.5 million trees.

Parfitt says the ask for a review is in line with what B.C.’s Forests Minister Katrine Conroy has been tasked to do by Premier John Horgan: Protect old-growth forests and enact policies to move the industry to higher-value production.

“I think there's a recognition that, both from a jobs perspective and a forest health perspective, if we start going down the road of logging trees directly to support the manufacturing of a product that is then burned, we're not doing our economy or our climate any favours,” he said.

“In fact, we’re harming both.”

Cloe Logan / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada’s National Observer

Cloe Logan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, National Observer