CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M
'There's not one Scrooge McDuck, there's a lot of them': The Sackler family's sprawling wealth became the focus of a Purdue Pharma bankruptcy hearing

insider@insider.com (Allana Akhtar) 

© David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images 

A judge overseeing the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy case said the company's wealth can't be tied to one person.

"There's not one Scrooge McDuck, there's a lot of them," Judge Robert Drain said.

If approved, the settlement would give the Sacklers immunity from future opioid-related lawsuits.
See more stories on Insider's business page.

A judge overseeing a landmark bankruptcy hearing involving Purdue Pharma, the maker of the opioid OxyContin, said the company's wealth can't be tied to one person.

Judge Robert D. Drain of the Southern District of New York Bankruptcy Court heard from attorneys for Purdue Pharma and the creditors seeking bankruptcy settlement from the company. The May 26 hearing was meant for parties to bring up objections to Purdue Pharma's proposed disclosure agreement, which provides information on its finances to help creditors make an informed decision on the settlement plan.

During the hearing, representatives for the Department of Justice's Trustees Group and a committee of 24 non-consenting US states asked to include more details regarding the finances of the Sacklers, the billionaire family that founded Purdue Pharma.

"It's not like, as I gather, Scrooge McDuck who just takes a bath in vaults of cash he has in his apartment," Judge Drain said. 

"There's not one Scrooge McDuck, there's a lot of them."

Totally Fake: The 35 Most Fake Reality Shows On TVSEE MORESponsored by NEW ARENA


During the May 26 hearing, a lawyer for the US Trustees Program requested Purdue Pharma explain why the settlement payout would take nine years to deliver and not be paid in a lump sum.

Though Forbes estimates the Sackler family's net worth at $10.8 billion as of 2020, Darren S. Klein, an attorney from Davis Polk & Wardwell representing Purdue Pharma, said during the trial members of the family have different wealth depending on their ties to the company.

"There was very detailed financial diligence about individual wealth and liquidity of individual Sackler pods, which is why, each [side of the family] has a slightly different collateral package and a slightly different set of covenants," Klein said. "I think that it is the debtor's settlement and our job is to show that it's reasonable, and not in fact to publish every piece of information.

But lawyers from Davis Polk & Wardwell agreed to include more detail regarding the Sackler family's massive wealth in the disclosure agreement.

"We are delighted to add more language that the Sacklers would tell us if they believed in what Congress put out as having been submitted by the Sacklers is not correct," Klein said, referring to a Congressional report that showed the Sackler family's wealth totaled $11 billion. "We're happy to."

If approved by the court, the bankruptcy settlement would require the Sackler family to pay $4.2 billion to victims of the opioid crisis and forfeit control of Purdue Pharma, lawyers for Purdue Pharma said at the trial. But NPR's Brian Mann reported the settlement would give the Sackler family immunity from all future opioid litigation.

State governments, school districts, Native American tribes, and doctors submitted objections to the disclosure agreement prior to the hearing, per court filings.

The litigation surrounding Purdue Pharma has caused a rift among the various members of the Sackler family, Patrick Radden Keefe detailed in his book "Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty."

Though Arthur Sackler founded Purdue Pharma in 1952, his estranged brothers Mortimer and Raymond gained control of the company after Arthur died in 1987. Raymond Sackler's son, Richard, was chairman of the board who guided Purdue Pharma during the approval and initial release of OxyContin in December 1995.

OxyContin was the "most prescribed brand name narcotic medication" for treating moderate to severe pain by 2001, according to a report by the US Government Accountability Office. Deaths from prescription opioid overdose quadrupled between 1999 to 2019, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 247,000 deaths from prescription opioid overdose over the last two decades.

Grocery work shifting amid increasing automation, online sales, report finds

A sweeping new report on the state of Ontario's grocery industry paints a picture of a sector where jobs are rapidly changing as retailers dive deeper into e-commerce and automation gains speed.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

With online grocery orders and delivery accelerated by the pandemic, the hiring of warehouse, logistics and order fulfilment workers or "personal shoppers" has started to outpace more traditional supermarket jobs, the report says.

Concerns have also emerged over the possible disruptive impact of automation — changes that could have a lasting impact on the future of food retail work, according to the report.

The report released Wednesday by the Brookfield Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, an independent economic policy institute based at Ryerson University, highlights changes in e-commerce and automation that are shaping the grocery industry across the country.

"COVID-19 restrictions and risks have dramatically accelerated Canadian demand for online grocery shopping," the report said, noting that e-commerce grocery sales have increased 700 per cent since the start of the pandemic.

Rather than a predicted decline in jobs, the 43-page report found that the rise of automation and online shopping is instead shifting the nature of grocery retail work.

Unlike traditional grocery jobs like cashiers, clerks and in-store shelf and produce stockers, which tend to focus on customer service, the report found new e-commerce jobs involve fulfilling online orders, packing groceries, preparing food and delivering orders.

While many of these positions remain in stores, they are also increasingly located at distribution centres and so-called dark stores, which operate exclusively to fulfil online orders.



"What we can expect is for the nature of jobs and the demand for different skills to shift," said Kimberly Bowman, senior projects manager with the Brookfield Institute and one of the report's authors.

Workers in the front end of supermarkets are expected to have good communication and customer service skills, for example, whereas warehouse workers are focused on more independent tasks such as packing orders, she said. Personal shoppers who fulfil click-and-collect orders have a hybrid role, Bowman added.

While some jobs will indeed disappear or shrink, she said many others will change and new jobs will be created.

"We didn't find evidence that there was going to be a significant contraction in demand for workers," Bowman said. "We may see some job reductions, like cashiers being replaced by self-checkouts, but we also see other jobs emerge."

While the use of automated checkout kiosks is expanding and online grocery shopping is increasingly popular, an employee-free supermarket isn't likely any time soon, according to the report.

"Despite the public debate about automation potentially disrupting employment for food retail workers, employers are hiring and the pandemic has only increased the need for these positions," the report said.

Bowman added that human staff are still needed.

"The customer service component and the human component can actually be a really strong differentiator, especially for premium brands," she said.

But that doesn't mean the work available in stores isn't also changing.

The report, entitled Shakeup in Aisle 21: Disruption, Change and Opportunity in Ontario's Grocery Sector, said grocery retail jobs are increasingly becoming part-time and weekend work.

A generation ago, Canadians shopped for food on weekdays and Saturdays, the report said. But now the busiest shopping day is Sunday, with the most popular weekday shopping hours between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., according to the report.

Although cashier and clerk roles are increasing, the report said there was 15 per cent drop in full-time positions from 2006 to 2016.

Indeed, one food retail worker told researchers that while grocery stores used to hire full-time employees, "it doesn't happen like that anymore. Nobody gets hired full time."

Meanwhile, grocery work is low-paid at point of entry, the report said, with cashiers and clerks earning a median wage of $14.25 in Ontario.

Another food retail worker told researchers that with average rents of $2,000 a month for a one-bedroom apartment in the Toronto area, many people worked two or three jobs to stay afloat.

Yet despite low wages, Bowman said that doesn't mean grocery workers are low-skilled.

"Low wage does not equal low skill," she said, noting that more than half the grocery store workers the researchers spoke with for the report had some post-secondary training.

Bowman said food retail requires not just customer service and communications skills but also problem-solving and other valuable skills.

"Customer service remains in high demand," the report said. "Given challenges associated with pay and job quality, some of these workers may wish to investigate pathways into other occupations."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2021.

Brett Bundale, The Canadian Press

CANADA

Purchase of six recycling robots solves human shortage

MIDDLESEX - After struggling with staffing shortages, Bluewater Recycling Association (BRA) brought six robots into its Huron Park facility to help with the sorting of recycling.

“We’re the first in Canada to my knowledge to have this high-tech of an installation,” said an enthusiastic Strathroy-Caradoc Deputy Mayor Brad Richards, who also chairs the BRA Board of Directors. BRA President Francis Veilleux explained that the recycling industry is often quick to embrace the cutting-edge of technology.

“They use hyperspectral vision, which can distinguish different kinds of plastic that look identical to the human eye,” Veilleux said. Each bot has three components - a visual sensor to detect items, a mechanical arm to pick and sort, and an artificial intelligence (AI) database which stores the robots’ knowledge. As time goes on the AI gets better, drawing from a pool of data from Huron Park and other recycling facilities around the world. The Machinex

Samurai sorting robots were purchased in late 2020 for $1.9-million, after over a year of attempting to recruit for vacant human sorter positions. With combined savings and increased revenues, BRA is forecasting a payback on their investment in about 2.5 years.

According to Veilleux, robots work fast and consistently make 70 picks/minute, compared to around 30/minute for a human; however, BRA doesn’t yet plan on making a full transition away from human employees.

“We love our people, and we aren’t looking to get rid of them,” said Veilleux on the subject of job security. There have been no layoffs due to the new machinery; however, the addition means BRA can run the facility with six employees on the line instead of 12, which has led to the creation of an evening shift.

Workers remain on the line in case of emergencies or unusual recycling items. Single-use face masks are a large issue at the recycling plant currently as they get tangled in the equipment, noted Veilleux.

The association collects garbage and recycling in Middlesex County member municipalities, along with the Chippewas of the Thames & Oneida First Nations. The BRA Year-End report was released in May 2021, and is a very informative read for residents curious about the recycling process.

McKinley Leonard-Scott, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Middlesex Banner

HEY KENNEY;
Climate ambition, push for electric vehicles driving down need for oil: report

OTTAWA — The expected uptake of electric vehicles and stricter measures worldwide to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are the top reasons why a climate-focused research group is calling on governments not to invest any more money in Alberta's oil sector.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The International Institute for Sustainable Development has released a new study outlining how long-term demand for oil will be driven down by global targets to cut carbon-related pollution and the shift toward putting more vehicles on the road powered by batteries and alternative fuels.

Consequently, it recommends government spending not be directed at the production of combustible hydrocarbons and urges policy-makers to focus instead on Alberta's economic transition and diversification.

"Evidence shows that successful economic transitions and diversification take decades," the report reads.

"It is important that governments, communities, the private sector, unions, and non-governmental organizations accelerate these initiatives now."

ALBERTA PRODUCE'S THE MOST PRIVATIZED

WIND ENERGY IN CANADA AND IT'S EXPANDING 

In the short-term, however, the International Energy Agency expects global oil demand to reach around 99 million barrels per day by year-end — up from 93 million barrels per day in the first quarter of 2021 based on an easing of travel restrictions as vaccinations against COVID-19 ramp up.

The Paris-based agency also recently released a report on how the world's energy sector can achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Canada, along with all other G7 countries, have pledged to reach net-zero emissions no later than 2050.

The agency's report says to do that on a global scale for the energy sector, no new oil and gas developments should be approved beyond what's already been planned, and coal mining shouldn't be expanded.

Following a virtual meeting with his G7 counterparts, Canada's environment minister wouldn't commit to that, saying in part that the country is coming up with its own plan on how to reach its 2050 goal.

“I do think it would be a little bit premature for us to foreclose anything," Jonathan Wilkinson said last Friday.

“Gas, in particular, one can see a pathway, where you essentially capture hydrogen from gas and capture all the CO2 and sequester it and you can do that in a way that’s not carbon polluting.”

The federal Liberal government has assembled an advisory body to provide insight on how to reach net-zero emissions. It has also promised to slash its greenhouse gas pollution output by up to 45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.

The government says current federal and provincial initiatives get it up to 36 per cent.

When it comes to the demand for oil, Wilkinson said because it's mainly used as a transportation fuel, ambitious sales targets for electric vehicles in different jurisdictions will no doubt have an impact.

By 2040, Canada has a goal that zero-emission vehicles make up all sales of light-duty vehicles.

“That obviously has implications for the production of oil, if in fact demand for that oil is being reduced significantly," Wilkinson said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2021

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press

NEXT, THE TOBIN TAX

France's Le Maire urges G7 to back global corporate tax

PARIS (Reuters) - French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday it was paramount that G7 countries meeting next week in London agree on a new minimum corporate tax rate for multinational companies.

© Reuters/BENOIT TESSIER Restaurants and bars prepare to reopen in Paris

"At London's G7, the world's most power economies (...) must say: we agree on a new international tax, including a digital tax and a minimum tax. This will give a strong push so that at the G20 in Venice, in mid-July, a deal can be reached," Le Maire told France inter radio.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten)

DAY TWO

Oman protests see police fire tear gas in flashpoint city

Sohar similarly saw unrest during the 2011 Arab Spring

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Police in Oman fired tear gas Wednesday at demonstrators in a flashpoint city amid unrest over the sultanate's floundering economy and mass layoffs.

It wasn't immediately clear what sparked the police action in Sohar, a city some 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest of the capital, Muscat. Demonstrators had marched and collected around an overpass that has been a rallying point.

Activists posted videos online showing some demonstrators responding by throwing rocks after police fired the tear gas. They described the demonstrations as peaceful, though videos showed they had shut down a major thoroughfare in the city.

Hours later, the state-run Oman News Agency alleged that some protesters had been “assaulting policemen, passers-by, drivers and blocking public and subsidiary roads” in Sohar. It also accused protesters of “attacking public and private property,” while saying many others had urged fellow demonstrators to be peaceful.

The agency added that the Royal Oman Police had “fulfilled its duty to maintain security, public order and the safety of citizens and residents, and not to disrupt their interests and freedoms," without elaborating on what that meant. The Royal Oman Police on Twitter denied anyone had been killed in the confrontation and urged the public “not to circulate false news.”

Demonstrations have struck in recent days across Oman, a nation on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. Oman already faced economic trouble with tens of billions of dollars of outstanding debts and trouble finding enough work for its young people. Then came the coronavirus pandemic and repeated lockdowns that followed, further depressing growth in this nation of 4.5 million people.

Activists say some demonstrators had been arrested during the days of protests across the country, something not yet acknowledged by police. While Oman’s tightly controlled media did not initially cover the protests, newspapers and websites began showing images of the demonstrations and airing interviews with those aggrieved over the last day.

Sohar similarly saw unrest during the 2011 Arab Spring.

Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press

DOESN'T ANYONE USE CYBER SECURITY

Canada Post reports data breach to 44 large businesses, 950K customers affected

Twinkle Ghosh 

GLOBAL NEWS

26/5/2021

A malware attack on one of Canada Post's suppliers has caused a data breach affecting 44 of the company's large business clients and their 950,000 receiving customers, the postal agency confirmed Wednesday.

© Provided by Global News Canada Post mailboxes in Kingston, Ontario on Friday, Aug 14, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Lars Hagberg

It said the information affected is from July 2016 to March 2019, and 97 per cent of it comprised the names and addresses of receiving customers. The remaining three per cent contained email addresses and/or phone numbers, the company said.

"In all, the impacted shipping manifests for the 44 commercial customers contained information relating to just over 950,000 receiving customers," Canada Post said in an email to Global News.

The Crown corporation said it has already "implemented proactive measures and will continue to take all necessary steps to mitigate the impacts."

Read more: Where’s your delivery? Canada Post backlog amid COVID-19 keeps customers guessing

"Canada Post will also incorporate any learnings into our efforts, including the involvement of suppliers, to enhance our cybersecurity approach which is becoming an increasingly sophisticated issue," the statement said.

On May 19, Commport Communications -- an electronic data interchange (EDI) solution supplier used by Canada Post to manage shipping data of business customers -- informed the company that certain data associated with some of their customers had been compromised.

According to Canada Post, a detailed forensic investigation was carried but "there was no evidence" of any financial information being breached.

Though the breach occurred via a supplier, Canada Post said they "sincerely regret the inconvenience this will cause our valued customers," in a statement Wednesday.

"Canada Post respects customer privacy and takes matters of cybersecurity very seriously," it said.

"We are now working closely with Commport Communications and have engaged external cybersecurity experts to fully investigate and take action," the company said.

Currently, the postal agency is "proactively informing" the impacted business customers, while providing the necessary support and information "to help them determine their next steps."

"The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has been notified," Canada Post said.

In November 2020, Commport Communications had notified Innovapost, the IT subsidiary of Canada Post, of a potential ransomware issue. The matter was investigated and Commport Communications had advised at the time that there was no evidence to suggest any customer data had been compromised.

Rep. Ilhan Omar decries attacks on Jews while warning against equating 'legitimate criticism' of the Israeli government with antisemitism

© Getty Getty

Rep. lhan Omar decried the recent spike in attacks on Jews in the US and abroad.

"Fighting bigotry of any kind means fighting bigotry of every kind," she said.

Omar also warned against equating criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism.

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota on Wednesday denounced a recent spike in attacks on Jews in the US and abroad while warning against treating "legitimate criticism" of the Israeli government as synonymous with antisemitism.

"The rise in antisemitic attacks at home and abroad is appalling," Omar tweeted. "We must be clear and unequivocal: antisemitism is unacceptable and has no place in any movement. Fighting bigotry of any kind means fighting bigotry of every kind."

The Minnesota Democrat went on to say, "And it also means we cannot equate legitimate criticism of the Israeli government, its policy, and its military occupation with antisemitism. Connecting the actions of a foreign country's government and military with an entire faith does nothing to keep the Jewish people safer."

Omar's tweets came after a group of Jewish Democrats in the House on Tuesday sent a letter to President Joe Biden decrying House lawmakers for calling Israel an apartheid state and accusing it of committing acts of terrorism. The letter didn't explicitly name Omar or any other lawmakers, but she was among a group of progressive Democrats who employed such rhetoric regarding the Israeli government in over the past few weeks.

Top human rights groups, including the Jerusalem-based organization B'Tselem, have said that the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians amounts to a form of apartheid.

In a tweet amid the recent fighting between Israel and Hamas, for example, Omar said, "Israeli air strikes killing civilians in Gaza is an act of terrorism. Palestinians deserve protection. Unlike Israel, missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, don't exist to protect Palestinian civilians."

In response to this tweet, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) released an ad superimposing Omar's image over Hamas rockets and distorting her words - prompting condemnation from Democratic leaders like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The letter sent to Biden also condemned Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of North Carolina for equating COVID-19 restrictions with the Holocaust, accusing her of making "blatantly antisemitic statements."

Democrats are increasingly divided over US-Israel relations

 A woman gestures after finding her home collapsed after the cease-fire brokered by Egypt between Israel and Hamas in Beit Hanoun, Gaza on May 21, 2021. Mustafa Hassona/Getty Images

There's a growing schism in the Democratic party over US-Israel relations, with progressives like Omar urging the US government to take a more nuanced approach that shows more concern for Palestinians and human rights.

Progressive Democrats have sought to normalize criticism of the Israeli government, and a number of them - including Omar - were heavily critical of Biden's response to the recent Israel-Hamas fighting. Biden offered full-throated support to Israel as airstrikes pummeled Gaza in response to Hamas rocket attacks, most of which were intercepted by the US-funded Iron Dome defense system. And the president initially tiptoed around offering any public support for a cease-fire.

As the fighting was still ongoing, Omar at one point said the administration was "devoid of empathy and concern for human suffering."

The fighting killed over 250 people, predominantly Palestinians, including dozens of children.

With a cease-fire in effect as of last Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited leaders in the Middle East this week as part of an effort to ensure the fragile peace holds up. Among those Blinken met with was Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

"The aspirations of the Palestinian people are like those of people everywhere," Blinken said on Tuesday after their meeting, underscoring that the US is committed "to working with the Palestinian people to realize these aspirations."

During his visit to the region, Blinken announced that the US would reopen a consulate in Jerusalem to handle diplomatic relations with Palestinians, which was shut down under the Trump administration.

The top US diplomat also said the US was giving $110 million in new economic assistance to Palestinians, including $5.5 million in emergency assistance for Gaza. Blinken said this brings the total level of assistance to Palestinians from the Biden administration so far to over $360 million. The Trump administration, which unabashedly supported the agenda of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government, cut off virtually all assistance to Palestinians.

THE FIFTY FIRST STATE

The US gives Israel roughly $3.8 billion in military aid per year, on top of selling it weapons. Democrats like Omar have called for the US to consider conditioning aid to the Israeli government in relation to the peace process and occupation of Palestinian territories. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York both recently introduced resolutions aimed at blocking a $735 million arms sale to Israel.

Read the original article on Business Insider

SCOTUS VS SCOTUS

Justices signal they could limit Indian Country ruling
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted Oklahoma's request to retain custody of a man who has been on death row for killing three Native Americans, a sign the court may be willing to limit the fallout from last year's ruling that much of eastern Oklahoma remains a tribal reservation.   

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The action came in the case of Shaun Bosse, whose conviction and death sentence for the murders of Katrina Griffin and her two young children were overturned by a state appeals court.

The order makes it likely that the high court will weigh in soon on the extent of its 5-4 ruling last year in McGirt v. Oklahoma.

The state court had held that state prosecutors had no authority to try Bosse for the killings, which took place on the Chicksaw Nation's reservation, based on the McGirt decision.

Hundreds of criminal convictions, including several death sentences for first-degree murder, have been set aside, and tribal and federal officials have been scrambling to refile those cases in tribal or U.S. district court.

Oklahoma argued to the Supreme Court that it can prosecute crimes committed by non-Native Americans like Bosse, even if the scene of the crime is on tribal land. The state also said there might be technical legal reasons for rejecting Bosse's claims.

The three liberal justices dissented from the order but did not explain their disagreement. They were in last year's majority, along with Justice Neil Gorsuch, the author of the opinion. Gorsuch did not publicly dissent from Wednesday's order.

The fifth member of the McGirt majority was Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died in September. She has been replaced by Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

Bosse already has been charged with the killings in federal court, and he had been scheduled to be transferred to federal custody. But he could not be sentenced to death under the federal charges.

The Associated Press

WTF!  QU'EST-CE QUE LA BAISE! 
Quebec confirms a young bear captured near Montreal has been euthanized

Animal rescuer shocked to learn captured bear was euthanized 

MONTREAL — Quebec's Wildlife Department has defended its decision to euthanize a young bear that was captured after being found wandering in a Montreal suburb, as criticism poured in from citizens and an animal rescue group.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The young adult bear was deemed a risk to human safety because it showed no fear of venturing into a noisy urban environment, the department said in an email Tuesday. The animal caused a stir on Sunday after it was spotted wandering through backyards in Dorval, Que., a suburb just west of the city.


At the end of an operation that lasted several hours, government wildlife officers and a rescue group convinced the animal to climb a tree, where it was shot with tranquillizer darts and eventually captured safely.

The bear was put in a cage, after which wildlife experts made the decision to euthanize it, the department said. "Releasing an animal that has lost its fear of humans can pose a risk to human safety when it is a predator like the bear," the statement read.

It's unclear how the animal, which was estimated to be about a year and a half old, got to the city. The Wildlife Department said it was the first time it had been called about a bear on the Island of Montreal.

Sauvetage Animal Rescue, the group that spent several hours helping police and wildlife agents corral the wayward bear, said it was "shocked" to learn of the animal's death.

Video: Animal rescuer shocked to learn captured bear was euthanized (cbc.ca) Duration 4:36

The group said in a statement late Monday it had been assured the bear would be put back into the wild, adding that it would have helped place the animal in a refuge if release wasn't possible.

"At the end of (Sunday's) operation, we were informed that the bear was going to be released away from the city," the group wrote in a statement published on Facebook. "We were not contacted by the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks to tell us that another decision had been taken."

Wildlife officials said the agency considers refuges temporary solutions to rehabilitate animals that can be returned to the wild. "However, the stay of a wild animal in such an environment presents a risk of habituating the animal to humans," the email read.

The statement said officials did not consider sending the bear to live in a zoo or other facility long term, stating that a life in captivity is "not optimal" for bears, which need a large territory to roam.

Montrealers took to social media to express anger over the bear's death, and an online petition calling for the resignation of province's wildlife minister had gathered over 4,500 signatures as of midday Wednesday.

The petition also accused the department of deciding to "euthanize deer in several sectors when refuges wanted to take care of them," and failing to properly fund organizations that help wildlife.

Sauvetage Animal Rescue posted the link to the complaints page of the Wildlife Department website, suggesting citizens could write to the minister directly to express their displeasure.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2021.

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press