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Shortage of veterinarians across Alberta causing burnout, stress on industry

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Alberta Veterinary Medical Association president says 370 vet positions still open

Natalie Valleau · CBC News · Posted: Aug 18, 2021 

It could take longer for pets to get medical care in Alberta due to a shortage of veterinarians. (Katherine Holland/CBC)

A lot of industries have suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic, and vet clinics are no different.

There is a shortage of veterinarians across the province — affecting the physical health of animals and mental health of the overworked vets struggling to fill the gaps.

Lorenza Malaguti, medical director at the McKnight 24 Hour Veterinary Hospital in Calgary's northeast, says the shortages are especially prevalent in the emergency sector.

"When your family practice closes, we're here for any emergency that your pet may have," she said, adding her clinic is open Sunday to Wednesday, 24 hours each day.

However, the shortage means that not only is the clinic open only four days out of the week, it has only four vets on board.

In a perfect world, Malaguti would like to have 10 full-time ER vets on staff.

"We all want to be here for the pets, but we're trying to do what we can to stay open. We can't staff a hospital 24/7 with the veterinarians that we have. There's just not enough."

The COVID-19 pandemic has also played a role, with the increase in people adopting pets.

"Having pets be really, really sick and not having anywhere to go — that haunts me at night," she said.

The 24/7 emergency animal clinics that do exist in Calgary are starting to get overwhelmed, Malaguti said.

"We all want to be here for the pets, but we're trying to do what we can to stay open," she said.

Dozens of vacancies

According to Pat Burrage, president of the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), there are about 1,800 practising veterinarians in the province and 370 vacancies.

"The pandemic has created extra work for the veterinary profession, as it has for the human medical profession. And on top of the workplace shortage, it is wearing people out," he said.

"We could certainly see animals being affected, meaning animal welfare issues start to occur with animals not being seen in a timely fashion."

Burrage says there are also concerns over the mental health of veterinarians. 

• Planning, practice key to keeping pandemic pets happy during return to in-person work: veterinarian

"We need these people in the profession. We certainly don't want to sort of have them exiting because they are overworked."

He adds that the shortage of veterinarians isn't restricted to Alberta, and that it's a global issue.

"There aren't an abundance of internationally trained veterinarians that are looking to come to Canada," he said.

As well, on average, there's only 50 people who graduate from the University of Calgary's veterinary program each year.

"We haven't changed the number of graduating veterinarians over the past 30 years in Alberta," he said. "And obviously in the last 10 to 15 years, the demand for veterinary services increased dramatically, and that's not enough."

He says the association is working on some solutions that will be presented to the provincial government this fall.

Hinshaw says data that justified changing Alberta’s COVID-19 protocols still not public

By Julia Wong Global News
Posted August 18, 2021 

WATCH (Aug. 13): While it’s Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, who makes the recommendations about COVID-19 protocols, the final decisions are made by the premier and his cabinet. Tom Vernon takes a look at that process and reaction to recent decisions.

Scientific evidence and data the Alberta government said was used to justify the removal of COVID-19 protocols has been delayed yet again.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw held a town hall with physicians and pharmacists on Wednesday night. Global News heard a recording of the virtual event.

READ MORE: Alberta keeping COVID-19 measures for another six weeks

The data was supposed to be released to town hall attendees Wednesday night but Hinshaw said it is taking longer to compile given the decision last week to keep protocols such as masking, testing and isolating in place until at least Sept. 27.

“We just haven’t had the chance to finish synthesizing and putting together the evidence summary for public release yet,” Hinshaw said.


“That work is underway. It is a priority.

“I know many of you have expressed interest in seeing not just single pieces of evidence here and there but a package that really articulates the evidence on which the decision to shift our focus was grounded, but that is coming.”

VIDEO 2:10

Alberta puts pause on further lifting COVID-19 restrictions until Sept. 27, says province’s top doctorAlberta puts pause on further lifting COVID-19 restrictions until Sept. 27, says province’s top doctor

The announcement by the province at the end of July to remove testing, tracing and isolating was met with outcry from residents, Canada’s top doctors, as well as professional organizations such as the Alberta Medical Association and the Canadian Paediatric Society.

READ MORE: Alberta taking ‘risky gamble’ by ending COVID isolation: Canadian Paediatric Society

Last Friday, Hinshaw announced a six-week extension of COVID-19 protocols until at least Sept. 27 to allow the province to monitor hospitalizations — pediatric hospitalizations specifically.

VIDEO 1:26

Alberta extends pandemic protocols for 6 more weeksAlberta extends pandemic protocols for 6 more weeks

There was frustration and pointed questions from attendees over the province’s general approach to the pandemic, stricter provincial guidelines around masking rules, and upcoming changes to COVID-19 protocols.

Concerns were also raised by town hall attendees that the evidence to support the latest changes is still not public.

“The work that’s required isn’t just that list of articles. It’s trying to put it together into a narrative mode that helps explain not just to you as my peers, but to all Albertans, that list of considerations that were taken into account,” Hinshaw said.

“The information isn’t secret information. We compiled a whole bunch of different resources we used that are publicly available.”

READ MORE: Albertans protest ending mandatory COVID-19 isolation, masking and testing changes

Hinshaw said she understands there is a “keen interest” in the province’s modelling data.

“In the interest of being able to release the package without releasing things in piecemeal, we want to be able to put that together into a comprehensive overview,” she said.

“I’m sorry it is not available. Unfortunately, this is not something I can do by myself, and it’s also something we can’t release without moving through all of the processes that are necessary in government.”

VIDEO 2:00

Alberta doctors concerned sector-specific COVID-19 transmission data still not publicAlberta doctors concerned sector-specific COVID-19 transmission data still not public – Mar 26, 2021

The province has made similar commitments to releasing data in the past that have yet to be followed through on.

READ MORE: Alberta doctors concerned sector-specific COVID-19 transmission data still not public

On Jan. 20, Hinshaw said sector-specific transmission data would be released to Albertans. However, five months later, on May 13, that information was still not available.

“As our analytics team is a limited group of people, they’re doing a lot of work every day. Some of the reports we had been working on preparing for public release has slowed down a little bit — one of those is, unfortunately, that sector-specific report,” Hinshaw said on May 13.

At Hinshaw’s last regularly scheduled COVID-19 update on June 29, Global News asked again when that data would be shared publicly. Hinshaw said at that time she would look into it but did not know when it would be released.

READ MORE: Canada’s top doctors say Alberta’s COVID-19 plan could have ripple effects across the country

As of mid-August, that information has yet to be disclosed to Albertans.

Hinshaw: Alberta looking at legality of mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations in workplaces
Author of the article: Lauren Boothby
Publishing date: Aug 18, 2021 • 

Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw gives a COVID-19 pandemic update from the media room at the Alberta legislature in Edmonton on July 28, 2021. PHOTO BY IAN KUCERAK 

Alberta is looking at the legal implications of making COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory in the workplace, the province’s top doctor says.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw made the statement Wednesday during a virtual town hall for primary care providers attended by about 600 people, including Postmedia. She responded to a question about why the province wasn’t making vaccines mandatory in high-risk settings for exposure of vulnerable people to COVID-19, like in health care and schools.

“We are looking at legal implications, working with the labour ministry around what kinds of considerations would need to be taken into account, so that if there are employers who make vaccination mandatory we have a clear framework for that,” she said.

“We know that other provinces have made vaccines mandatory in some settings … and it’s just really important to be looking at all of the implications of that policy before a decision is made.”

Asked about Ontario’s vaccination policies for health care and education, she said the decision isn’t up to her.

“That’s something that, in order to consider whether or not this is something that would be possible here, we would have to look at our current legal environment … I really wouldn’t be able to speak on behalf of decision-makers on that particular topic.”

In a presentation, Hinshaw said recent vaccine requirements for interprovincial air travel, federal requirements for those working in government jobs, and requirements to be vaccinated to attend some Alberta universities is creating more incentives to get the jab.

“Both developments, that are outside of provincial interventions, yet will still hopefully have an impact on uptake,” she said.

Booster shots considered

The province is also looking at whether or not to offer booster shots to people who are at higher risk of falling seriously ill from COVID-19.

Hinshaw said they are waiting to hear back from the National Advisory Committee on Immunizations before deciding what to do.

“We are looking at third doses for those who have immunocompromising conditions … but no decisions have been made. Because it really does have to go back to the evidence about who needs what dose at what time interval … and how does that impact the longer-term protection that vaccines provide.”

Officials said earlier Wednesday a decision will be made in September.

Wastewater testing

The province is also looking to expand its wastewater testing to cover about 70 per cent of the province and make that data available to the public, she said.


“The advantage of this is it helps us to monitor the activity of the virus without as much impact from a behavioural standpoint,” she said. “Our current testing protocols rely on people choosing to get tested on symptoms and over time that may change depending on the population’s willingness to get tested.”

The province has been running pilot projects on wastewater testing in various place, she said, and using it to test for COVID-19 more extensively would help give them reliable and consistent information on COVID-19 trends, she said.

“(This) can help us understand where we’re seeing as higher transmission risk, which can help inform people in terms of making risk-based decisions about what activities they may want to do or not do,” Hinshaw said.

Vaccine mandates put unions in a delicate spot: They encourage members to get the jab but seek to protect those who don’t

Sara Mojtehedzadeh
Work and Wealth Reporter

TORSTAR
Wednesday, August 18, 2021

The union representing federal public service workers says it supports immunization requirements to keep workplaces safe — but says employees should be offered reasonable accommodations if they can’t or won’t get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaccinations for public servants and workers in some federally regulated sectors like airports and Crown corporations will be mandatory by fall, Ottawa announced last week — a commitment to “playing a leadership role by further protecting the health and safety of public servants and the communities where they live.”

The Public Service Alliance of Canada supports that position, as part of its advocacy for safe working conditions, national union president Chris Aylward said in an interview.

“The scientific research is very clear that vaccinations work and we want to make sure that our members are safe, our workplaces are safe and our communities are safe,” he said. “And obviously the best way to do that is through vaccinations.”

But discipline for unvaccinated workers rather than exploring alternative accommodations is “totally unacceptable,” he said.

While worker safety is a foundational principle for unions, the pandemic is in some ways new territory, said Colleen Bauman, a partner at Toronto-based labour law firm Goldblatt Partners. Vaccination policies didn’t previously feature as prominently in health and safety thinking, but are now “very much part of the discussion,” she said.

So why seek accommodations when a measure makes workplaces safer — and could potentially save workers’ lives?

Sometimes those demands arise because of the specifics of how a policy, even one with positive goals, is implemented in a particular workplace, said Bauman.

That is where PSAC has “more questions that we do answers,” said Aylward. “We’ve yet to see any kind of an implementation or rollout plan from the government.”

Aylward said fully vaccinated union members have expressed fears about potentially working alongside the unvaccinated, especially in light of a looming fourth wave and risk of more severe illness associated with the Delta variant.

Asked how to reconcile those concerns with vaccine-hesitant members, Aylward said the union is encouraging everyone to get vaccinated but believes accommodations like remote work and job reassignment should be explored for those who haven’t.

“Of the 160,000 members that we represent in the federal public service, three out of four … have been working from home since the start of the pandemic. So remote work is effective.”

Grappling with workers’ individual rights and the collective harm that a workplace outbreak would cause — all without falling afoul of the law — is a complicated task for employers and unions alike.

“Given the fraught nature of vaccine mandates it is not terribly surprising that the PSAC has taken this position,” said Alison Braley-Rattai, assistant professor of labour studies at Brock University.

In Ontario, too, health-care and education workers must now either be vaccinated or take regular COVID-19 tests. Exemptions exist for those with medical reasons to not take the vaccine; those who choose not to take it must complete an educational session on the topic.

On Tuesday, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario voted to support mandatory vaccines and called the province’s new vaccine status disclosure requirements too weak. In a statement, the union also said that “transparent processes must be established, in consultation with unions, to determine how the vaccination requirement could be implemented fairly within the education sector.” That includes accommodation for those with medical issues or religious objections.

Vaccine mandates “should make provisions for those legally entitled to accommodation,” said Braley-Rattai. “Accommodation is not an absolute right, but it would be difficult for a given employer to demonstrate that there was no safe accommodation possible.”

In the past, labour arbitrators have sometimes struck down mandatory vaccine policies if they were too coercive and didn’t provide employees “with some form of choice whether or not to be vaccinated,” notes Bauman,” although that choice “may entail some consequences” for workers.

In other cases, employers’ vaccine requirements have withstood legal challenges because they allowed for accommodations like unpaid leaves for workers who did not get flu shots.

What is considered reasonable depends on the facts on the ground. This includes medical evidence, the effectiveness of possible alternative safety measures, workplaces’ operational needs, as well as “specific factors in the way in which (a policy) is being implemented” such as consistent enforcement and reasonable accommodations, said Bauman.

Vaccine skepticism is “not legally recognized,” added Braley-Rattai. “A choice to accommodate this group would follow different considerations.”

Unions have a duty to provide fair representation to members — although what workers may think is fair is not necessarily the same as what they are legally owed by their union.

“Unions should be consulted to help develop reasonable vaccination policies,” said Braley-Rattai. “Once that is done, unions should undertake their usual duty to represent members against the backdrop of that policy … if a member is disciplined for violating the policy the union must still ensure that the proper steps were taken, that the discipline is proportional, that it is consistent with the collective agreement and so on.”

While Bauman said she is not aware of any active legal challenges to vaccine requirements in Canada, there has been a smattering of related cases that so far suggest that compulsory COVID precautions are likely reasonable if applied fairly.

Recently, for example, the Christian Labour Association of Canada filed a grievance on behalf of retirement home workers in Woodstock, challenging the “reasonableness” of a mandatory bi-weekly testing regime. The union lost, because the arbitrator ruled the goal of infection control outweighed the “intrusiveness of a (COVID-19) test.”

Outside of Canada, a federal judge in the U.S. sided with Houston Methodist Hospital after its mandatory vaccination policy was challenged by 116 workers who claimed they would be unfairly terminated if they did not comply. (Some 62 workers have now filed a wrongful termination suit against the hospital.)

That approach may limit the health and safety risks posed by unvaccinated workers. But Aylward said while he wants union members to get vaccinated, PSAC must “work with members who are unable or unwilling to get vaccinated to make sure that their concerns and their issues are addressed as well.”

“The last thing that we want to see people being ostracized.”

Sara Mojtehedzadeh is a Toronto-based reporter covering work and wealth for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @saramojtehedz

President of largest public sector union 'will not stand' for termination of unvaccinated civil servants


Mackenzie GrayProducer, 

CTV National News
Published Tuesday, August 17, 2021 

OTTAWA -- The Public Service Alliance of Canada president says he “will not stand for the termination” of federal public servants who refuse to get vaccinated, after Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau warned of “consequences” for those civil servants.

In an interview with CTV News, Chris Aylward said “it's very concerning to us when national party leaders are making statements around discipline around terminations when it comes to these vaccinations. That is totally unacceptable to us.”

Aylward, who represents more than 160,000 federal public servants, stated that he supports the government’s stance that all federal public servants should be vaccinated. But he said unvaccinated employees will require accommodations to keep their jobs.

“If that means the reassigning of work duties, if that means alternative work arrangement -- arrangements such as remote work -- then that's what we'll be looking for from this government,” said Aylward. “But any talk around discipline around terminations for members unwilling to be vaccinated is totally unacceptable by PSAC and I want to make that very clear.”

He added that frequent testing of unvaccinated employees who need to come into a federal office building could also be a potential solution.

Today, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau stated that public servants “need to be fully vaccinated.”

“The bottom line is, if anyone who doesn't have a legitimate medical reason for not getting fully vaccinated chooses to not get vaccinated, there will be consequences,” he said.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh issued a statement saying public servants who refuse a shot could be punished under collective agreements between unions and the federal government.

“All collective agreements include a process for progressive discipline - up to and including termination. Discipline should always be a last resort, but may be necessary in rare cases to protect the health and safety of Canadians,” Singh said.

RELATED IMAGES



A man wears a face mask as he walks by a COVID-19 vaccination sign in Montreal, Sunday, August 1, 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

KENNEY MIA
Premier Kenney's summer vacation comes as COVID-19 related hospitalizations and case counts rise


Tyson Fedor

CTV News Calgary Video Journalist
Published Wednesday, August 18, 2021 


Political opponents are questioning the timing of summer vacations taken by Premier Kenney and Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro as they coincide with climbing COVID-19 numbers and rising hospitalizations.



CALGARY -- Jason Kenney has not been seen or heard from in over a week, when Labatt Breweries Alberta made a multi-million dollar investment into the provincial economy. His office told CTV News he is on a two week vacation, just as active COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising, thanks to the Delta variant.

That, said one expert, is a bad combination for an elected official.

“It’s a bad time for our political class to take vacations,” said Mount Royal University political scientist Keith Brownsey.


Also, since Kenney's last public appearance August 9th, a federal election was called, something the province anticipated would happen.“It would certainly help Jason Kenney and the United Conservative government if we had ministers out and about saying ‘we understand that the situation is serious, and we are going to affect it.’”

On Aug 9th, Alberta had 3,434 active cases.

As of Wednesday , there were 5,933 active cases, a 73 per cent increase.

Hospitalizations, cited as a key metric by the premier in earlier press briefings, have risen 35 per cent since then, with ICU admission climbing 66 per cent.

“We have seen over and over again that this premier and his senior cabinet have enjoyed going into hiding when times get tough,” said NDP education critic Sarah Hoffman.

PREMIER STILL WORKING

Kenney’s press secretary Jerrica Goodwin says the premier however, is still working.

“Many Albertans are taking holidays this summer, especially as society returns to normal following widespread vaccinations,” she said.

“While the premier is on holidays, he is of course still able to fully communicate with his cabinet and senior officials as required. In fact, he has participated in numerous briefings despite being ‘on holidays.’”

Brownsey believes Liberal and NDP candidates will target Kenney for taking time off despite rising numbers, amid a fourth wave.

“They’ll use instances like this where he is nowhere to be seen as simply a reflection on how conservatives deal with such serious issues,” he said.

Health minister Tyler Shandro has also not made a media briefing since the end of July.




Minister Shandro’s office acknowledged they received CTV’s request for comment, but have not received a response.

“Like so many Albertans, the minister is taking some time with his family this summer, having concluded his summer tour at the end of July. He remains fully connected to staff and senior officials. He continues to receive regular briefings and attend meetings with his colleagues, stakeholders and department officials," said Shandro communications advisor Brett Boyden.

Since both last spoke with reporters, Alberta’s Chief Medical officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw walked back her stance on testing, tracing and quarantine measures, extending them for a further six weeks.

Premier Kenney is not the only provincial leader taking heat from keeping a low profile.

British Columbia’s premier John Horgan is on summer vacation, that comes at a time when homes across B.C.'s interior are being destroyed by wildfires in addition to grappling with a fourth wave of COVID-19.

Horgan has not been seen since July 21, more than four weeks ago.

THE KATRINA AFFECT

In late August 2005, President George W. Bush was famously on vacation in Crawford, Texas when Hurricane Katrina levelled New Orleans, resulting in a tsunami of bad press for the U.S. President that some credit with helping Barack Obama win the 2008 election.

On August 9, Jason Kenney said that Alberta was moving in the right direction in the fight against COVID-19, saying vaccines are the key to ending the pandemic.

“I think we’ve done a good job,” he said.

“We have to continue to take COVID seriously, but as Doctor Hinshaw often says we should respect it, not fear it.”

One emergency room physician in Edmonton says public health measures need to remain in place.

“I'm not asking for a lockdown, I'm not asking for more restrictions,” said Dr. Shazma Mithani.

“I think that having the economy open is great, but there are ways to still keep people safe while having the economy open.”

Can Lavender Save Land Ruined By Coal Mining?

 | World Wide Waste

Aug 18, 2021

A lavender farm in West Virginia is restoring land destroyed by coal mining and providing jobs in a state struggling as the fossil fuel energy is on its way out. There are over 6 million acres of abandoned coal mines across the US, and more could go to waste if coal companies don’t restore their land.

PSST MINING IS NOT SUSTAINABLE

EV makers eye bigger battery metals role by inking mining deals
Bloomberg News | August 16, 2021 | 

Wheaton Precious Metals president and chief executive, Randy Smallwood. (Photo: Wheaton Precious Metals)

Electric vehicle makers are pushing for an intermediary role in mining to secure supplies of key battery metals, according to the head of Wheaton Precious Metals Corp.


“We’ve had discussions on that and Tesla has definitely explored these options,” Chief Executive Officer Randy Smallwood said Friday in a phone interview. “There is a real concern on the battery metal side in terms of supply.”

Smallwood said he’s seeing increasing interest from electric vehicle makers to get more involved in the industry and has even had talks with “potential partners” interested in starting their own streaming companies for battery metals including cobalt, nickel and lithium.

Automakers have been signing supply deals with mining companies to secure metals used in batteries to meet surging demand amid a global push for a cleaner energy economy. Tesla Inc. struck a nickel-supply deal with BHP Group last month after CEO Elon Musk had expressed concern about supply due to challenges in sustainable sourcing.

These companies should “focus on the prominence of where their metals are coming from and making sure that the products they’re buying and investing into to supply their customers are sourced responsibly,” Smallwood said.

Wheaton Precious Metals remains primarily focused on gold and silver production deals, though the Vancouver-based company has a cobalt streaming deal with Vale SA for some output from the Brazilian miner’s Voisey’s Bay mine in Canada. Cobalt has become harder to find with companies like Tesla and Apple Inc. trying to secure their own supplies by signing long-term production deals with miners.

(By Alejandra Salgado, with assistance from James Attwood, Joe Deaux and Yvonne Yue Li)

 

Image credit: Luke Thornton / Unsplash

EXCLUSIVE: Cargill, Microsoft join $17m raise for carbon verification platform Regrow

August 17, 2021

Jack Ellis

Ag software startup Regrow has raised $17 million in Series A funding as it proceeds with the US rollout of its monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) tool for carbon sequestration and monetization.

New investors participating in the round included US agribusiness giant Cargill, US climate-focused VC Ajax Strategies, and Australian agrifoodtech VC Tenacious Ventures.

Among Regrow’s returning investors were Microsoft venture unit M12, AirTree Ventures, the Jeremy & Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust‘s Neglected Climate Opportunities fund, and Main Sequence – the VC arm of Australian national R&D agency CSIRO.

Regrow was formed in February this year following the merger of Australian crop science company FluroSat and US soil health startup Dagan.

The Durham, New Hampshire-based firm claims its MRV platform is “the first and only” such system that allows stakeholders across the emerging ag carbon credits industry to create, and cash in on, carbon strategies. It does this by enabling transparent reporting, historical analysis, and forward-looking projections of carbon sequestration and emissions reductions, with the hope of removing “the most critical challenges standing in the way of ubiquitous adoption of regenerative agriculture practices.”

Regrow “supports delivery of programs initiated by sellers or buyers to the growers, as well as supporting grower decision-making in choosing which practice to adopt by showing them the potential for outcomes and payments,” says CEO Anastasia Volkova, who describes the platform as “the first independent, objective turnkey system” for agriculture.

She tells AFN that it is this ‘independence’ which differentiates Regrow’s solution from those of competing MRV providers.

“It doesn’t combine the MRV capabilities with the market itself. We power sustainability programs of key players without deciding on the price of the credit or making the payment,” she says.

“This ensures that we stay focused on the science and the MRV itself, and are not incentivized by financial outcomes that we help create. Competitive MRV offerings such as CIBO and Indigo have a market attached to them, which creates undesirable conflicts of interest for all parties.”

Cutting the costs of verification

Another advantage of Regrow’s MRV, from Volkova’s perspective, is that it’s able to cut the costs of data collection — including soil sampling — by leveraging integrations with third-party farm management software, as well as the startup’s own satellite imagery-based monitoring and verification product, OpTIS.

“Soil sampling is important and plays a key role in initializing our soil model. Relying on a combination of modeling and remote sensing, however, means that you do not have to redo soil sampling as frequently since your model has known accuracy and uncertainty that you can propagate with time,” she says.

“If markets know the uncertainty of the outcomes then they can appropriately administer payment and simultaneously lower the cost of sampling.”

DNDC — the soil model Regrow uses to quantify carbon credits and other outcomes — “has been scientifically vetted and used internationally,” she adds.

“Again, this means for the food companies, which are the primary funders of sustainability programs at the moment, that the MRV will scale globally and cover their various supply chains.”

Among the companies and organizations that have signed up as paying subscribers to Regrow’s MRV platform and its supporting products are new investor Cargill, agrochemicals major Bayer, food giant General Mills, and environmental nonprofit The Nature Conservancy.

Volkova says there are several new partnerships on the horizon that will help Regrow to expand into new international markets, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Europe in the first instance.

“Not only does agriculture feed our growing population, but we know that, when done sustainably, it can sequester carbon and lead to better environmental outcomes,” Ben Fargher, managing director of sustainability for Cargill Agricultural Supply Chain North America, said in a statement.

“Regrow, with its dedication to science and bias for action, has tremendous potential to enable further transformation of sustainable agricultural systems around the world.”

SASKABOOM 2.0

Uranium tops Morgan Stanley’s  commodity thermometer
MINING.COM Staff Writer | August 15, 2021 |

Autunite, frequently used as uranium ore. (Reference image by Parent Géry, Wikimedia Commons).

Morgan Stanley has placed uranium at the very top of its Metals and Mining Commodity Thermometer.


Uranium was assigned a ‘most bullish’ thesis of 17 mined commodities under the bank’s coverage.

“Further price upside near term as commercial inventories are drawn down, investment demand continues, and mine supply remains below 2019 levels. Longer term, growth continues to push price higher,” reads a slide shared by a social media user.

The gap between uranium spot and contract prices has narrowed for a third consecutive month, reaching $32.40 and $33.50 per lb. at the end of July, respectively.

Benga Mining applies for judicial review following Canada’s coal mine snub

MINING.COM Staff Writer | August 16, 2021

Alberta Rockies. Shutterstock Image.

A unit of Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting, Benga Mining, has applied to the Federal Court of Canada for a judicial review of the rejection of the proposed $800 million Grassy Mountain steelmaking coal mine that it plans to build in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains.


Benga has applied for an order that quashes or sets aside Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson’s decision of August 6, that the project was “likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects” and which referred the project to the Cabinet.

BENGA IS ALSO SEEKING TO QUASH THE CABINET’S DECISION THAT THE “SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS” THAT THE PROJECT “IS LIKELY TO CAUSE ARE NOT JUSTIFIED IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES”

Benga is also seeking to quash the Cabinet’s decision that the “significant adverse environmental effects” that the project “is likely to cause are not justified in the circumstances”.

The Minister’s determination was based on a decision by the Joint Review Panel on June 17, to deny the Grassy Mountain project. The determination, Benga said, was made despite applications being filed with the Court of Appeal of Alberta on July 16 and 19, by the company and the Piikani and the Stoney Nakoda First Nations.

Benga said that its legal counsel had written to Wilkinson on June 26, formally requesting that he took no action at this time, in order to allow the company to pursue its legal avenues on appeal.

Benga also wrote to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada on July 6, advising that failure by the Minister to hold the federal process in abeyance pending resolution of Benga’s legal challenges in the Court of Appeal of Alberta would prejudice Benga and potentially those Indigenous groups that might benefit from the project.

“We are dismayed that Canada’s Minister of Environment could render a decision so hastily, and based on a report that is facing multiple legal challenges,” Benga CEO John Wallington said in a statement.

“Not only were the Minister’s and Cabinet’s decisions premature and ill-informed, they were also made without adequate consultation with the relevant First Nations, something that is unconscionable within the rigours of a modern regulatory approval process.”

Benga’s parent company, Riversdale Resources, has spent about $700 million in acquiring the project and in pursuing the necessary regulatory approvals.

“At the time of acquiring the project, we were warmly welcomed and made to feel that Canada was very much open for business and intent upon attracting international investment and capital for the development of large-scale projects that would stimulate the economy and provide employment opportunities.

“We were acutely aware of Canada’s international reputation as a destination of choice for mining projects that could be developed without political interference within an open, transparent and fair regulatory regime. However, the Minister’s and Cabinet’s decisions that we are now seeking to review raise serious questions about sovereign risk and just how open, transparent and fair the regulatory regime actually is.”

Wilkinson said on August 6 the project was “likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects” to surface water quality, including from selenium effluent discharge; Westslope cutthroat trout, listed as threatened under the Species at Risk Act, and its habitat; Whitebark Pine, listed as endangered under the Species at Risk Act; and Physical and cultural heritage of the Kainai, Piikani and Siksika First Nations.

“The government of Canada must make decisions based on the best available scientific evidence while balancing economic and environmental considerations. It is in Canada’s best interests to safeguard our water ways for healthy fish populations like the Westslope Cutthroat Trout, respect Indigenous peoples’ culture and way of life, and protect the environment for future generations,” the minister said at the time.

The $800 million project is a proposed steelmaking coal mine in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, expected to contribute $1.7 billion in provincial and federal income taxes and royalties. Benga says the project has a Category 4 land use classification (being land on which surface or underground mining may be considered) and that nearly 25% of the project was on previously mined land.

As proposed, the Grassy Mountain coal project’s production capacity would have been up 4.5 million tonnes of processed coal per year, over a mine-life of about 25 years.

Canada is particularly concerned with harmful substances associated with coal mining. Effluent from coal mines in Canada can be a source of pollution that harms aquatic life and specifically fish and fish habitat. As such, Environment and Climate Change Canada is developing the Coal Mining Effluent Regulations under the Fisheries Act. These proposed regulations will establish effluent quality standards for deleterious substances of concern, including selenium, nitrate and suspended solids.