Paging Captain Marvel: Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert asks Forest Service to alter Earth's orbit, or the moon's, to fight climate change

Joel Shannon, USA TODAY , JUNE 10,2021

U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican, appeared to stun a Forest Service official by suggesting the agency fight climate change by altering the orbits of Earth or the moon.

© Jacquelyn Martin, AP Rep. Louis Gohmert, R-Texas, right, speaks duing a news conference with members of the conservative Freedom Caucus, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) ORG XMIT: DCJM116

The question came during a live-streamed national parks, forests and public lands subcommittee meeting of the National Resources Committee on Tuesday and was followed by social media mockery.

"I understand from what's been testified to, the Forest Service and the (Bureau of Land Management), you want very much to work on the issue of climate change," Gohmert began his question to Jennifer Eberlein, the associate deputy chief for the National Forest System.

Gohmert said he understood NASA's data shows the Earth's and the moon's orbits are "changing slightly."

"And so, is there anything that the National Forest Service or BLM can do to change the course of the moon's orbit or the Earth's orbit around the sun? Obviously, that would have profound effects on our climate."

Eberlein paused before responding, "I would have to follow up with you on that one, Mr. Gohmert."

"Yeah? Well, if you figure out a way that you in the Forest Service can make that change, I'd like to know," Gohmert said.

Gohmert's question was widely mocked on social media, including by members of Congress.

"I know the answer to the question by Rep. Louie Gohmert," tweeted U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu, a Democrat from California. "Captain Marvel. She can alter planetary orbits with her superpowers. I’m going to work on a bipartisan resolution asking for her help."

Gohmert's idea was shot down by theoretical astrophysicist Katie Mack. She suggested two "equally distressing possibilities" explained Gohmert's question.

If the congressman believes the Forest Service or BLM could possibly move the orbits of Earth or the moon, "he does not understand how orbits work," Mack tweeted.

Or, Mack suggested Gohmert was being sarcastic, suggesting fighting climate change is as impossible as changing those orbits.

Gohmert responded to the backlash on Twitter by pointing out that Tuesday's hearing "was about the BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT & climate change."

USA TODAY has reached out to National Forest Service for comment. The National Forest System includes nearly 200 million acres of land managed by the Forest Service, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Gohmert has a history of making scientifically dubious claims. Last summer, Gohmert suggested he may have contracted COVID-19 because he was wearing a mask, despite health guidance encouraging mask-wearing to reduce the spread of the virus.

Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, USA TODA

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Paging Captain Marvel: Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert asks Forest Service to alter Earth's orbit, or the moon's, to fight climate change

Biden nominee for public lands boss faces GOP opposition

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — President Joe Biden's nominee to oversee vast expanses of U.S. public lands was criticized Tuesday by Republicans over her past involvement in partisan politics as a longtime Democratic aide and environmentalist, underscoring the importance lawmakers assign to a relatively small agency with broad influence over energy development and agriculture in western states.

Senate confirmation of Tracy Stone-Manning to direct the U.S. Bureau of Land Management would mark a stark change from the government's catering to oil and gas interests under former President Donald Trump.

It would take every Senate Republican plus at least one Democratic lawmaker to block her nomination. So far no Democratic defectors have emerged.

The land bureau has been in staffing turmoil after four years without a confirmed director and losing nearly 300 employees to retirement or resignation when its headquarters was relocated from Washington, D.C., to Grand Junction, Colorado.

UNION BUSTING BY MOVING HQ
Interior Department officials confirmed Tuesday that only three workers ultimately relocated to Grand Junction. The revelation, first reported by the media outlet Colorado Newsline, marks the latest example of the heavy toll on the federal workforce from a broad reorganization of government under Trump, which left agencies hobbled as they regulated industry and conducted climate research.

With roughly 9,000 employees, the land bureau has jurisdiction over 245 million acres (100 million hectares) of federally owned land in Western states, managing them for uses ranging from fossil fuel extraction, renewable power development and grazing, to recreation and wilderness.

Before joining the National Wildlife Federation four years ago, Stone-Manning worked as chief of staff to former Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and supported him through his failed attempt to unseat Montana Sen. Steve Daines.

During a hearing Tuesday of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Republicans lambasted her role as treasurer and board member of the environmental group Montana Conservation Voters, which ran ads against Daines. The Republicans also raised concerns she would impede energy development.

“You've been incredibly partisan in your past,” said Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. “It seems like from your heart, you really don't care for Republicans.”

Stone-Manning, from Missoula, Montana, said her deceased Republican parents would be “rolling in their graves” over the allegation of partisanship. She indicated she wanted to move on from the 2020 election and said working in a collaborative manner was the only way to make progress in the West’s contentious public lands debates.

“Elections can be tough. I was supporting my former boss, Gov. Bullock. But the election is over, and I will honor the outcome of that election,” she said.

Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper asked Stone-Manning about the headquarters relocation, saying the move was “done in haste” and let down employees of the land bureau and the city of Grand Junction, which hoped for an economic boost.

Stone-Manning said the Interior Department was reviewing the headquarters move but gave no further details.

The director's post and 327 other positions were moved out of Washington under Trump, to Grand Junction and other western cities, bureau spokesperson Jeff Krauss said. The upheaval triggered the resignation or retirement of 278 people.

Of 41 positions created at the new Colorado headquarters, 11 career positions and two political positions including the director's office remain vacant, Krauss said.

Interior officials were unable to immediately say how many positions at the Grand Junction office remain unfilled.

At the National Wildlife Federation Stone-Manning led the group's efforts to preserve public lands in the West for wildlife, hiking, hunting and other nonindustrial uses.

She was previously an aide to Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester and worked for a nonprofit group that pushed the clean up one of the country’s largest contaminated Superfund sites, Montana’s Clark Fork River.

Tester introduced Stone-Manning at Tuesday's hearing and rejected the GOP description of her as an ideologue.

“She is a good person with a good heart who understands the value of our public lands,” Tester said.

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall questioned Stone-Manning on whether she had a conflict of interest in receiving a personal loan of $50,000 to $100,000 in 2008 while working on Tester's staff. Financial disclosure filings showed she received the 12-year loan from Missoula developer Stuart Goldberg at a 6% interest rate, which Marshall said was below the 11 % going rate for consumer loans at that time.

Stone-Manning responded that she had been “smacked by the recession and a friend loaned us some money to make sure we could get through.”

“We honored the loan,” she added.

The land management bureau’s director post went unfilled for four years under Trump, who instead relied on a string of acting directors to execute a loosening of restrictions on industry. Chief among them was conservative lawyer William Perry Pendley, who before he took the position advocated for selling off federal lands.

Pendley was ordered removed by a federal judge after leading the bureau for more than year without required Senate confirmation and getting sued by Bullock.

Stone-Manning backed the effort to oust Pendley and said he was an illegal appointee.

She would serve under Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a former Democratic congresswoman from New Mexico who was confirmed over opposition from Republicans citing her criticisms of the oil and gas industry.

Matthew Brown, The Associated Press

Washington's 'joints for jabs' vaccine program falling flat

SEATTLE (AP) — It was designed as an innovative way to promote COVID-19 vaccinations, but Washington’s new “joints for jabs” program is off to a rough start.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Officials announced Monday that the state's nearly 500 licensed marijuana retailers could begin hosting vaccine clinics and offering a single, free pre-rolled marijuana cigarette to any 21-plus adult who received a shot there.

It's one of many vaccine incentives being offered in Washington, including free pints of beer, sports tickets and prize money to lure those who have been hesitant or just lazy. Washington and Colorado in 2012 were the first states to legalize the adult use of marijuana, with regulated sales beginning in 2014. The industry brought Washington close to $474 million in taxes in the last fiscal year.

But few things are simple in an industry that's illegal under federal law, and the hurdles to offering the free joints are substantial enough that few of the state's legal pot shops are saying they will participate, even if they would like to do so.

Retailers told the state Liquor and Cannabis Board during a meeting Wednesday that many don't have the space to host a vaccine clinic. Some health care providers are queasy about setting up a clinic on the site of a marijuana business because they don't want to jeopardize federal funding by being involved in the distribution of an illegal drug. And the program is set to expire July 12 — too soon for them to offer a second shot to customers who might show up for a first shot in mid- to late June.

The retailers also ruefully noted that the Liquor and Cannabis Board allowed breweries, wineries and bars to offer a free drink to customers who merely showed proof of vaccination — no onsite clinic required.

“We're hearing from retailers that they want to be a part of this,” said Aaron Pickus, a spokesman for the Washington CannaBusiness Association, an industry group. “Why can't we do this like the wineries and breweries did it?”

Board chair David Postman told them it was a member of the business group who late last month suggested the program, which he and Gov. Jay Inslee's office thought was a great idea.

While a marijuana retailer in Arizona offered free vaccines along with complimentary joints or edibles early this month, no other state appears to have a similar “joints for jabs” program. “We are out ahead on this," Postman said.

The requirement that the pot shops hold onsite vaccination clinics was partly motivated by the fact that people aren't allowed to consume cannabis at licensed retailers, unlike alcohol at a brewery or winery, he said — suggesting that people who showed their vaccine cards at multiple pot shops could wind up with a lot of free joints that might be given to youngsters.

He also said that the board gave the marijuana stores an advantage it didn't give to alcohol purveyors: a tax break on the product they give away.

“I guess I just beg for a little understanding,” Postman said. “If it’s not the right thing, then that’ll be too bad, because I think we all need to get as many people vaccinated as possible.”

Daniela Bernhard, the co-owner of Uncle Ike’s cannabis store in Seattle, told the board the industry is excited to be included in efforts to boost vaccination, but “disappointed that our legal and heavily regulated sector continues to be treated differently than our peer sectors in Washington.”

“If we are trusting adults driving with their vaccination cards to get a pint of beer and then responsibly get to their next destination, we can also trust that adults will pick up a joint and enjoy it later in a legal setting,” Bernhard said.

Bernhard said Uncle Ike's effort to host a vaccine clinic had been rejected by two health care providers, though she declined to identify them.

One public health agency, the Spokane Regional Health District, had not yet been approached by any licensed marijuana shops about setting up a vaccine clinic — but it had an answer ready.

“We would not be able to provide vaccine because of concerns about federal funding,” spokeswoman Kelli Hawkins said.

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

9/6/2021

The world is 'way behind' on investments into water and sanitation systems, CEO says

Abigail Ng 

JUNE 9,2021


The world has a long way to go in finding solutions to water shortages, according to John Streur of Calvert Research and Management, an investment management company.

"We're way behind in terms of the amount of investment we need to bring our industrial water systems, our (agricultural) systems and our residential systems up to where they need to be," Streur said.

TSMC is considered a leader in water management, Streur said, pointing out that at the company's best facility, water is circulated seven times before being disposed.

'A very long road' lies ahead in solving the world's water challenges, CEO says


The world is a long way from finding solutions to water shortages, according to an investment management company that focuses on sustainability.

"We're way behind in terms of the amount of investment we need to bring our industrial water systems, our (agricultural) systems and our residential systems up to where they need to be," said John Streur, chief executive officer of Calvert Research and Management.

Most CEOs of water-reliant companies will admit that the resource is "very underpriced," he said.© Provided by CNBC In an aerial view, low water levels are visible at Lake Oroville on June 01, 2021 in Oroville, California.

"As a result of that, the amount of effort that we've put into creating a safe and secure source of water is behind where we are in terms of our industrial development," he told CNBC's "Street Signs Asia" on Tuesday.

Streur also pointed to a "significant health challenge" for people who don't have a steady supply of safe water.

According to a 2021 report by Unicef, 1.42 billion people live in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability.

"In many cases, we haven't even built the necessary water infrastructure to provide access to clean drinking water and sanitation systems for population centers," Streur said.

He discussed ways that investors can invest in the water segment, including putting money into companies that develop filtration technology, or firms that use a lot of water and are efficient in conservation efforts.

Calvert Research and Management owns shares in Taiwanese chip foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) because it uses water efficiently, he added.

TSMC is considered a leader in water management, Streur said, pointing out that at the company's best facility, water is circulated seven times before being disposed.

"We and the industry are very tuned into the fact that water is a critical input, (and) it's often in shorter supply than they would like," Streur said. Taiwan is battling its worst drought in more than 50 years.

Semiconductor manufacturing plants require huge amounts of water every day, but have become more efficient in their use of the resource, he said.

SPIRIT ANIMAL

Partially white moose cools of amongst the lily pads (msn.com)

This cow moose was spotted cooling off in Marchington Lake eating lily pads.

Duration: 00:36

Thousands return home in east Congo after volcano eruption

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Thousands of people are returning to Goma and a surrounding region in eastern Congo hoping to find their homes still intact weeks after a volcano erupted, but fearing the worst.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The eruption on May 22 of Mount Nyiragongo forced tens of thousands of people to flee with no warning as lava flowed through their communities.

More residents living on the outskirts of the North Kivu provincial capital were forced to evacuate again a week later when fears rose there would be another eruption. Authorities sent buses to take a number of people to safety in the town of Sake and other places in the days that followed.

But as people now start the journey home, they are worried about what awaits them and what help they will get.


“We had evacuated and the people stole everything we owned,” said Matuso Sumbuo, from Kihisi, in the outskirts of Goma. She complained that authorities have promised aid but said that they have not received any help yet.

Video: Congo volcano leaves smouldering wreckage but major city spared (Reuters)


“We, who lived from day to day with the small businesses, how we will live now?” she said before boarding a bus with her family to return home.

The government of Nord Kivu said that those who lost their houses will remain in shelters in different regions but the rest can go back to their houses.

The situation in Sake as well as in other towns receiving those displaced by the eruption was challenging.

“Here we were living on our own because since we arrived, we only received food once from WFP (the World Food Program), but it was not enough” said Esperance Suzane, who carried her belongs in a bag as she prepared to return home.

The last eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, one of the world’s most active volcanos, was in 2002, leaving hundreds dead. The lava coated the airport runways and also left more than 100,000 homeless in the aftermath. The volcano also erupted in 1977, killing more than 600 people.

Justin Kabumba Katumwa, The Associated Press

 

Photographer captures shooting star falling into a volcano

VIDEO Duration: 00:50 

Why North Atlantic right whales are smaller now than they were 40 years ago
Shane Fowler

CBC

JUNE9,2021

© Submitted by Joshua Stewart A recent study shows a significant reduction of the length of the average North Atlantic right whales.

North Atlantic right whales seem to be shrinking: They are an average of a metre shorter today than whales of the same species were in the 1980s.

And some whales are as much as three metres smaller than their predecessors.

To put that into perspective, some of today's 10-year-old whales are only growing the size of a one- or two-year-old whale from 40 years ago.

That's the finding of a recent study looking at several decades of data. It's another blow to the endangered species, which has struggling to survive. The whales, which currently number less than 400, are dying after being trapped in fishing gear or hit by ships each year, despite efforts by both Canadian and American government interventions.

"I was pretty shocked," said Joshua Stewart, a research associate with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the study's lead author on the paper, which appears in Current Biology, a peer-reviewed journal.

Stewart started looking into the topic when field biologists would photograph what they thought was a one-year-old calf based on its size, only to realize later the whale was actually five to 10 years old.

With the help of various other researchers and biologists, Stewart amassed as much data as he could on the size of the whales dating back to the early 80s.

"The data was being collected before I was even born," he said from Mexico, where he's currently working.

For the study, the researchers compared decades-old aerial shots from planes to more recent shots from drones. Detailed field biologists' notes and measurements dating back to the 80's also proved crucial to their work.

When the research was completed, the size difference became clear.

Video: Rare beluga whale encounter off the coast of Nova Scotia (The Weather Network)

The likely culprit? Whales are getting caught in fishing gear.

"The big thing that we found were that whales that have these extended entanglements that last for months or years are stunted compared to whales that aren't entangled," said Stewart.

Most North Atlantic right whales become trapped in fishing nets and traps at some point in their lives.

"Over 85 per cent of the population has entanglement injuries, either scars or attached gear, so it's a pretty chronic problem for this population," said Amy Knowlton, co-author of the paper and a senior scientist with the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life based in Cambridge, Mass.

Knowlton contributed the entanglement data for the study after spending years documenting whale entanglements.

The toll being caught in nets and lines is extremely damaging to a whale's body and often leads to its death.

"You could sort of imagine like if we were to strap a sandbag to you and you had to drag that around for a few months or a year," said Stewart. "You're going to have a lot less energy to devote to other things, especially if you're still growing. You might end up stunted just because you're burning so much energy dragging that sandbag around."

Stewart says there's a good chance other whale species that are often ensnared are experiencing a similar decrease in size. But as North Atlantic right whales have been on the brink of extinction for so long, they're one of the few species with such a detailed data set dating back decades that researchers can use to prove it.

It's not just the mature whales caught in gear that are getting smaller.

Whale calves whose mothers are entangled are also more likely to be stunted according to the study.

That's because mothers caught in gear are also trying to produce milk and feed their young. Spending energy on trying to survive takes away from energy that would otherwise be spent producing milk.

"For a female with severe injuries there would also be the energy she's needing to heal from those injuries and that's diverting energy away from nursing her calf so that she can try and heal and survive," said Knowlton.

Using weaker ropes for fishing would give whales a better chance at freeing themselves according to Knowlton. Better yet getting rid of ropes altogether, using ropeless traps, would prevent whales from getting caught in the first place.

Both scientists believe that if the whales given the chance to recover the species would eventually return to its normal size.

HUBRIS RESULTS IN IRONIC SCHADENFRUEDE 
Joe Manchin's Bill Demanding Equal Pay for Women's Soccer Could Be Blocked By Filibuster

UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS FOR A GOOD CAUSE

Aila Slisco  

NEWSWEEK

JUNE 9,2021


West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, a staunch defender of the filibuster and advocate for bipartisanship, could soon see his bill demanding equal pay for women's soccer players blocked by Republicans under the Senate rule he insists on preserving

.

© Susan Walsh/Getty Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) could soon see one of his own bills blocked by a GOP filibuster after introducing the GOALS Act without the support of any Republicans on Wednesday. Manchin is pictured during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C. on June 9, 2021.

Manchin and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) introduced the Give Our Athletes Level Salaries (GOALS) Act to the Senate Wednesday. Manchin proposed a similar bill in 2019. The GOALS Act was co-sponsored by 11 other Democratic senators. Since no GOP senators have expressed support for the bill, it appears unlikely to reach the 60-vote threshold required to avoid a filibuster.

The bill would block federal funding for the men's 2026 World Cup—set to be jointly hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada—unless the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (USWNT) is given equal pay to the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (USMNT).

While introducing the bill on Wednesday, the Democrat congressman said that he was "disappointed" Senate Republicans were "unable to come together" and instead used the filibuster to block the Paycheck Fairness Act, another bill intended to combat gender-based pay discrimination, on the previous night.

"While we were unable to pass the much-needed legislation last night, today I'm introducing the GOALS Act with my Senate colleagues to ensure that, our phenomenal U.S. Women's National Soccer Team are paid equitably compared to their male counterparts in order to receive any federal funds for the 2026 World Cup," Manchin said in a statement.

"The first vote I took as a Senator was to support paycheck fairness, and to this day, I am proud to lead the fight for equal pay across all workplaces, including the soccer field," he added. "I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this commonsense bill to ensure a level playing field for everyone, including our top-notch U.S. Women's National Soccer Team."

The USWNT, the most successful team in the history of women's international soccer, has been fighting for equal pay with their less-lauded male counterparts for many years. The USWNT earns up to 89 percent less than the USMNT while playing the same number of games, while bonuses for World Cup games pay the men more to lose than the women get for wins, according to a 2019 article from The Washington Post.

Attempts to achieve soccer pay parity using the courts have been unsuccessful, with a 2019 discrimination lawsuit from 28 USWNT players being dismissed by a federal judge in May 2020, although the players have appealed the decision. The GOALS Act was initially introduced to the House by Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) in 2019. Manchin championed the Senate version.

After it failed to advance in 2019, Matsui and DeLauro reintroduced the bill to the House in March of this year. Although the federal government will not directly fund the 2026 World Cup, the GOALS Act would block funds going to host cities or local organizations facilitating the tournament unless the U.S. Soccer Federation agrees to pay the USMNT and USWNT equally.

Since Manchin has steadfastly refused to eliminate or weaken the filibuster under any circumstances, the GOALS Act has virtually no chance of becoming law without the support of at least 10 Republicans in the Senate. Based on Wednesday's blocking of the Paycheck Fairness Act, expectations that bipartisanship will win out on equal pay for the country's soccer players only may be far-fetched.

Newsweek reached out to Manchin's office for comment.

Mandryk: Saskatchewan's low minimum wage is a long-standing constant

Murray Mandryk 

OPINION

REGINA LEADER POST

JUNE 9,2021

The Saskatchewan Party government announced on Friday a plan to increase what is close to the lowest minimum wage in Canada.

© Provided by Leader Post Fear of job losses remains one of the government's argument against more substantial increases to Saskatchewan's minimum wage.

It held another news event that same day singing the praises of Saskatchewan’s nation-leading May job numbers in the monthly Statistics Canada labour force survey.

So you might ask: If we are creating jobs, doesn’t that mean we might be able to afford to look at a higher minimum wage?

You’d think that would the case, but job politics in Saskatchewan gets complicated rather quickly — especially given that having to have a low minimum wage here is something that’s almost ingrained in our psyche.

Friday, Labour Relations and Workplace Safety Minister Don Morgan announced a meagre 36-cent-an-hour increase to $11.81 an hour (effective, Oct. 1) from the current $11.45/hour minimum pay.

By the fall, only New Brunswick will have a lower minimum wage. At that point, Saskatchewan minimum wage earners will finally surpass Manitoba’s minimum wage circa 2019, the minimum wage level of P.E.I., Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia in 2018, B.C.’s and Quebec’s minimum wage of 2017 and Ontario and Alberta’s minimum wage of 2016.

Morgan explained the paltry annual inflationary increase was more appropriate than ever because it is “supporting both businesses and workers as we move into recovery after the pandemic.”

Clearly, this government has no interest in departing from this formula that’s produced 13 similar minimal annual increases since the Sask. Party took over from the NDP in 2007 when the minimum wage was just $7.95 an hour.

Critics on the left, now demanding a $15-an-hour minimum wage, were quick to condemn the government for ignoring the plight of minimum wage workers who’ve risked their health during the COVID-19 pandemic while working in the frontlines in retail, food services and hospitality industries.

However, it’s worth noting some of these same critics also argued restaurants and bars and places of commerce should have faced more restrictions and shutdowns during the pandemic that might have left even more such workers out of a job. Today, they have less to say about the Sask. Party government strategy that does seem to have produced a better employment outcome than elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Trade and Investment Minister Jeremy Harrison boasted Friday of having the lowest unemployment rate in Canada. He also noted Saskatchewan was one of the few provinces that actually created jobs from April until May — not as great an accomplishment as the minister’s spin would suggest.

A 4,100-job increase in the month when construction season starts, farmers are seeding and university students are landing summer jobs is more seasonal than spectacular. Moreover, Saskatchewan having the lowest unemployment rate (6.3 per cent in May) in the country is part of a long-standing conscious effort tied to having the lowest minimum wage.

There are valid reasons for the pushback by labour and the left, but our low minimum wage is nothing new. It has always been that way — or at least since the Allan Blakeney NDP administration in the 1970s. But the argument has always been that we are an agrarian-based economy where residents have traditionally enjoyed lower housing costs and utility rates.

Even when times got better here, the approach to the minimum wage didn’t much change.

According to Statistics Canada, in the 20-year span between 1998 and 2018 — years of acknowledged growth and prosperity here in Saskatchewan — the rate of workers earning minimum wage in Canada increased to 10.4 per cent from 5.2 per cent with urban workers surpassing rural workers because of the growth in retail jobs.

But the real argument in Saskatchewan for keeping the minimum wage low has always been the fear of businesses shutting down and an increased exodus to Alberta and B.C. (although no one ever leaves here for just a better minimum wage).

We didn’t see big increases to the minimum wage a decade ago when jobs were plentiful. Don’t expect to see things change now that times are less certain.

But do expect more days when government argues jobs numbers are great, but the minimum wage must remain low.

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