Green neighbourhoods linked with better heart health

Reports and Proceedings

EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF CARDIOLOGY

Sophia Antipolis, France – 28 Aug 2021:  People who live in green neighbourhoods are less likely to develop cardiovascular disease, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2021.1,2

“Higher levels of greenness were associated with lower rates of heart conditions and stroke over time, both when an area maintained high greenness and when greenness increased,” said study author Dr. William Aitken of the University of Miami, US. “It was remarkable that these relationships appeared in just five years, a relatively short amount of time for a positive environmental impact.”

Making streets and neighbourhoods greener has many benefits and this study investigated whether it had any relationship with rates of heart disease. The researchers also examined whether planting more vegetation in a locality would be accompanied by reductions in heart disease over time.

The study included 243,558 US Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older who lived in the same area of Miami during 2011 to 2016.3 Medicare records were used to obtain the incidence of new cardiovascular conditions during the five-year study including heart attack, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, ischaemic heart disease, hypertension, and stroke/transient ischaemic attack.

Satellite images were used to assess the amount of visible and near-infrared (i.e. invisible) sunlight reflected from the Earth’s surface. Chlorophyll from plants typically absorbs visible light and reflects near-infrared light, so measuring both indicates the amount of vegetation. The greenness of city blocks was then classified as low, medium or high.

Participants were categorised based on whether they lived in low, medium or high greenness blocks in 2011. The process was repeated for those same residents and the greenness of their blocks in 2016. During that period of time Miami-Dade County Parks conducted tree planting programmes so, for example, there was the possibility that someone in a low greenness block in 2011 could be living in a high greenness block in 2016.

The researchers analysed the odds of developing any new cardiovascular disease, and the number of new cardiovascular conditions, based on block-level greenness. The analyses were adjusted for other factors that could be related to new-onset heart disease: age, sex, race/ethnicity, number of baseline cardiovascular conditions, and neighbourhood characteristics including median household income and walkability.

The researchers first compared heart health among those continually living in high versus low greenness areas during the five-year study. Residents of high greenness blocks throughout the study had a 16% lower odds of developing any new cardiovascular conditions compared to those in low greenness blocks (odds ratio [OR]=0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.79–0.90; p<0.001). Among participants who developed a cardiovascular condition during follow-up, those in high greenness areas developed 4% fewer new diseases compared with those in low greenness blocks (OR=0.96; 95% CI 0.92–0.99; p<0.05).

The researchers then compared heart health in participants whose neighbourhood became greener versus those who continued to live in areas with low vegetation. When compared to residents of low greenness areas throughout the study, those living in areas that increased their greenness from low in 2011 to high in 2016 had 15% lower odds of developing new cardiovascular conditions (OR=0.85; 95% CI 0.75–0.97; p<0.001). Among participants who developed a cardiovascular condition during follow-up, those whose neighbourhood became greener developed 9% fewer new cardiovascular conditions compared to residents of localities with continually low levels of greenness throughout the study (OR=0.91; 95% CI 0.83–0.99; p<0.05).

Dr. Aitken said: “We suspect that multiple factors may account for these observations. For instance, people living in greener areas may do more outdoor exercise and might feel less stressed due to being surrounded by nature. In addition, vegetation could provide some protection from air and/or noise pollution. This is an area for further exploration.”

He added: “Tree planting and greening of neighbourhoods is associated with multiple benefits and offers a relatively low-cost investment to enhance health and well-being in many circumstances. For the cost of one emergency room visit for a heart attack, trees could be planted in a neighbourhood with 100 residents and potentially prevent ten heart diseases in this group.”

 

ENDS

 

Notes to editors

Authors: ESC Press Office
Mobile: +33 (0)7 85 31 20 36
Email: press@escardio.org

The hashtag for ESC Congress 2021 is #ESCCongress.

Follow us on Twitter @ESCardioNews 

 

Funding: The study was supported by funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Evidence 4 Action Grant; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (Grant # HUD H-21620-RG); Health Foundation of South Florida; and the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade County.

Disclosures: None.

Dr. Aitken would like to recognise the work of his colleagues: Professor José Szapocznik, Professor Scott C. Brown, Kefeng Wang, Professor Joanna Lombard and Abraham Parrish at the University of Miami; and Maria Nardi and Jack Kardys at the Miami-Dade County Department of Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces.

 

References and notes

1Abstract title: Longitudinal impacts of greenness on cardiovascular disease conditions.

2Press conference: “Heart health made easy” on Thursday 26 August from 17:00 to 18:00 CEST.

3Medicare is a US federal health insurance programme. For more information visit: https://www.medicare.gov/what-medicare-covers/your-medicare-coverage-choices/whats-medicare.

 

About the European Society of Cardiology

The European Society of Cardiology brings together health care professionals from more than 150 countries, working to advance cardiovascular medicine and help people lead longer, healthier lives.

About ESC Congress 2021 - The Digital Experience

It is the world’s largest gathering of cardiovascular professionals, disseminating ground-breaking science in a new digital format. Online each day – from 27 to 30 August. Explore the scientific programme. More information is available from the ESC Press Office at press@escardio.org.

 

UNIST professors’ new book sheds new light on carbon neutrality

The book, titled "Roads to Carbon Neutral" sets out key research directions and new alternatives towards becoming carbon neutral by 2050

Book Announcement

ULSAN NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY(UNIST)

 

IMAGE: THE BOOK, TITLED 『ROADS TO CARBON NEUTRAL』 SETS OUT KEY RESEARCH DIRECTIONS AND NEW ALTERNATIVES TOWARDS BECOMING CARBON NEUTRAL BY 2050. view more 

CREDIT: UNIST

A new book written by UNIST professors sets out the key research directions and new alternatives towards becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

The book, titled『Roads to Carbon Neutral』sheds new light on carbon neutrality, an important initiative to combat climate change. Released on June 25, the book encompasses a wide variety of scientific fields, ranging from climate change detection to research on renewable energy, such as hydrogen, solar power, and next-generation nuclear power, as well as carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) to achieve the 2050 carbon neutrality goal.

A total of seven UNIST faculty members participated in writing the book, which includes Professors Yong Hwan Kim (School of Energy and Chemical Engineering), Jin Young Kim (School of Energy and Chemical Engineering), In Cheol Bang (Department of Nuclear Engineering), Yongwon Seo (Department of Urban and Environmental Engineering), Eisung Yoon (Department of Nuclear Engineering), Myong-In Lee (Department of Urban and Environmental Engineering), and Hankwon Lim (School of Energy and Chemical Engineering).

###

Greenland expedition discover 'world's northernmost island'


Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen
Fri., August 27, 2021, 

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Scientists last month set foot on a tiny island off the coast of Greenland which they say is the world's northernmost point of land and was revealed by shifting pack ice.

The discovery comes as a battle is looming among Arctic nations the United States, Russia, Canada, Denmark and Norway for control of the North Pole some 700 km (435 miles) to the north and of the surrounding seabed, fishing rights and shipping routes exposed by melting ice due to climate change.

"It was not our intention to discover a new island," polar explorer and head of the Arctic Station research facility in Greenland, Morten Rasch, told Reuters. "We just went there to collect samples."

The scientists initially thought they had arrived at Oodaaq, an island discovered by a Danish survey team in 1978. Only later, when checking the exact location, they realized they had visited another island 780 metres northwest.

"Everybody was happy that we found what we thought was Oodaaq island," said Swiss entrepreneur Christiane Leister, creator of the Leister Foundation that financed the expedition.

"It's a bit like explorers in the past, who thought they'd landed in a certain place but actually found a totally different place."

The small island, measuring roughly 30 metres across and a peak of about three metres, consists of seabed mud as well as moraine - soil and rock left behind by moving glaciers. The team said they would recommend it is named "Qeqertaq Avannarleq", which means "the northernmost island" in Greenlandic.

Several U.S. expeditions in the area have in recent decades searched for the world's northernmost island. In 2007, Arctic veteran Dennis Schmitt discovered a similar island close by.

Though it was exposed by shifting pack ice, the scientists said the island's appearance now was not a direct consequence of global warming, which has been shrinking Greenland's ice sheet.

Rene Forsberg, professor and head of geodynamics at Denmark's National Space Institute, said the area north of Greenland has some of the thicket polar sea ice, though he added it was now 2-3 metres thick in summer, compared with 4 metres when he first visited as part of the expedition that discovered Oodaaq in 1978.

Any hope of extending territorial claims in the Arctic depends on whether it is in fact an island or a bank that may disappear again. An island need to remain above sea level at high tide.

"It meets the criteria of an island," said Forsberg. "This is currently the world's northernmost land."

But Forsberg, an advisor to the Danish government, said it was unlikely to change Denmark's territorial claim north of Greenland.

"These small island come and go," he said.

The discovery was first reported earlier on Friday by Danish newspaper Weekendavisen.

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Alex Richardson)

 

Study reveals decline in predatory fish catch on the Southeastern Brazilian Coast

Analysis of fishery data and interviews with artisanal fishers confirmed replacement of large species by others that are less valuable commercially, and 37 species were considered overfished

Peer-Reviewed Publication

FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO

 

IMAGE: STUDY SHOWS THE REPLACEMENT OF LARGE SPECIES BY OTHERS THAT ARE LESS VALUABLE COMMERCIALLY, AND 37 SPECIES WERE CONSIDERED OVERFISHED (DUSKY GROUPER EPINEPHELUS MARGINATUS. ) view more 

CREDIT: DIEGO DELSO/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

In an article published in the journal PLOS ONE, Brazilian scientists show that one of the effects of overfishing in Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, is the replacement of valuable large species by smaller species for which there used to be little demand.

According to the authors, the decline in stocks of Pomatomus saltatrix (bluefish), Epinephelus marginatus (dusky grouper), Caranx hippos (crevalle jack) and Seriola fasciata (lesser amberjack) has been followed by an increase in the capture of less commercially valuable but more abundant species, such as Trichiurus lepturus (beltfish), Balistes capriscus (gray triggerfish), Aluterus monoceros (unicorn leatherjacket), and Priacanthus arenatus (Atlantic bigeye).

In the article, which focuses on artisanal fishing, the authors note that fishers have to spend longer at sea to obtain the same yields as in the past, and that the youngest are switching to other sources of income such as tourism and are often encouraged by their families to quit fishing.

Concentrating on large-bodied fish can cause the decline of top predators such as groupers, sharks and tunas, and even lead to local extinction of some species, the article stresses. The first author is Carine O. Fogliarini, a researcher at the Federal University of Santa Maria’s Marine Macroecology and Conservation Laboratory.

Also signed by Vinicius J. Giglio Fernandes, a researcher at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) with a postdoctoral scholarship from FAPESP, the article confirms the existence of a well-known trend scholars refer to as fishing down the food web.

“The decline in stocks of higher trophic-level species [larger species and apex predators] leads to more fishing of smaller-bodied species at a lower trophic level. Overfishing eventually leads to concentration on the smallest species at the bottom of the food chain. In an article published in 2014, we had already highlighted the decline in several mesopredator species [mid-level carnivores], including grouper and bluefish, and now, by combining local fishers’ knowledge and landing data, we’ve shown how upper-level species are being overfished in Arraial do Cabo and the average size of landed species is decreasing,” said Mariana G. Bender, who heads UFSM’s Marine Macroecology and Conservation Laboratory and is last author of the article.

To confirm this latter finding, the researchers used mean trophic level (MTL) as a metric and set out to estimate its decline in a 16-year time series. “Roughly speaking, when this number falls significantly, it’s a sign that we’re fishing many more low-level species,” Fogliarini said. “We had some difficulty with MTL because it’s a general metric that takes into account the mean trophic level of landed biomass and its variation over time. So we divided MTL into four categories: all landed species; species from a trophic level [TL] above 4; TL equal to 3.5 or higher; and TL below 3.5.”

The researchers observed a downtrend in MTL and landings of species with a TL above 4 and with a TL equal to 3.5 or higher. “Catches with a TL above 4 tended to rise and then fall sharply,” Bender said. “This means landings of species with a TL above 4 were indeed declining, and they tended to be replaced by species with a lower TL.”

The study also suggests that assessing changes on the basis of a single indicator, such as MTL, may mask results and that the use of several approaches, including local knowledge, can make the changes more explicit.

New targets

The researchers interviewed 155 artisanal fishers in Figueira, Monte Alto, Praia Grande, Praia dos Anjos, Prainha and Pontal, corresponding to 10.3% of the artisanal fisher communities concerned. They classified the interviewees into four groups: less experienced (under 20 years of experience), intermediate (21-35 years), experienced (36-40 years), and very experienced (over 40 years).

“Fishers with more years of experience recognized a significantly larger number of overfished species than those with fewer years of experience,” Fogliarini said. “We observed the same pattern for the number of species recognized as target species. The more experienced the fisher, the more species mentioned as new targets of local fishing.”

The researchers identified 37 species as being overfished, led by bluefish in all experience categories (45%), but grouper and crevalle jack were most cited by the most experienced group. “They’ve fished grouper in the region for many decades and it’s important to the local economy. Grouper and crevalle jack have always been highly valued there, but both species are increasingly scarce,” Bender said.

Beltfish ranked second among overfished species and first among new target species. “According to the most experienced fishers, the species initially had no value and was buried in the sand when landed as bycatch, but a market gradually emerged for the species, which became a new target and was eventually overfished,” Fogliarini noted.

The second most cited species among new targets was gray triggerfish, followed by Argentine conger (Conger orbignianus), unicorn leatherjacket and Atlantic bigeye. “The same downtrend reported for bluefish, beltfish, grouper, crevalle jack and lesser amberjack was confirmed by the landing data we were able to access,” Fogliarini said. “We also found that the younger fishers reported new target species more than the older ones, and this also matched the most recent landing data we had.”

Reasons for overfishing

According to the interviewees, the reasons for overfishing were rising numbers of fishers and fishing boats, the presence of industrial fishing vessels in the area, and unsustainable fishing techniques such as trawling and purse seining.

Marine fishery data from the Rio de Janeiro Fishery Monitoring Project for the period January-June 2020 shows that 59.9% of the artisanal catch in Arraial do Cabo was obtained by purse seining, with a skiff hauling out the net from the fishing boat to surround the fish. Hook and line came second, and beach seining came third.

“In beach seining, they use several skiffs and pull the net to the beach, where they land the catch. We also know about shark fishing, where they surround the fish and haul them to the beach. This is highly predatory because it catches a lot of pregnant females,” Fogliarini said.

Data and public policy

According to Bender, the monitoring project data analyzed by the researchers was for too short a period (16 years, between 1992 and 2008), and more recent data exists but they did not have access to it. More assertive public policy is needed to assure continuous monitoring as well as data production and availability.

“Monitoring is irregular in Brazil, in the sense that it isn’t done everywhere and it isn’t continuous. It should ideally be periodic [once a month, for example] and include inspection of landings at various points of the coast, because catches vary in terms of composition from one place to another,” Bender said. “Most important of all, it should be based on species and be as detailed as possible, avoiding the use of common or popular names, which is the current methodology and makes it hard to construct stock scenarios for the entire coast. There may be several species in a generic category such as ‘grouper’, which anyway refers to different species in Bahia and Santa Catarina states. Common names can change from one region to another.”

For Fogliarini, consumers are also very important. “Few initiatives try to reach the consumer, and yet it’s demand that determines what’s caught,” she said. “We need consumer awareness campaigns. A lot remains to be done to reach a reasonable level of awareness about fish consumption.”

Painel Mar, an organization funded by FAPESP, among others, published a handbook on the topic in 2020 (Guia de Consumo Consciente de Pescado da Costa do Descobrimento). The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) published a similar document in 2017.

###

About São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. You can learn more about FAPESP at http://www.fapesp.br/en and visit FAPESP news agency at http://www.agencia.fapesp.br/en to keep updated with the latest scientific breakthroughs FAPESP helps achieve through its many programs, awards and research centers. You may also subscribe to FAPESP news agency at http://agencia.fapesp.br/subscribe.

---

JOURNAL

PLoS ONE

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0252391 

ARTICLE TITLE

Telling the same story: Fishers and landing data reveal changes in fisheries on the Southeastern Brazilian Coast

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

31-May-2021

The Last Baron documentary looks at Edmonton fast food royalty's legacy

Author of the article: Tom Murray
Publishing date: Aug 27, 2021 • 

Omar Mouallem has made a documentary about the Burger Baron restaurant chain. PHOTO BY GREG SOUTHAM /Postmedia


Every filmmaker has their passion project.

For Orson Welles it was Don Quixote, while Guillermo del Toro has been trying to make an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness for decades now. All respectable projects to chase down, but Omar Mouallem might have the coolest idea for a documentary ever, especially if you live in Alberta.

“I’ve been burning to make a movie about Burger Baron since I first read about it in 2013,” says Mouallem, writer, director, and co-producer of The Last Baron, which is scheduled for viewing Sept. 17 on CBC Gem.

Instead, Mouallem wrote about it himself in a long, humorous article that same year called Will the Real Burger Baron Please Stand Up, for Swerve Magazine in Calgary. In it he attempted to untangle the history of the popular, Alberta-based fast food chain that was actually not a chain. It’s a colourful piece, zeroing in on characters like Rudy Kemaldean, who began opening Burger Barons in 1964, his brother Sal, and the McDonnell family, Irish-Americans indignant at how they’d been left out of the restaurant history despite opening the originals in 1957 as part of the explosion of drive through operations.

There were questions of franchise rights, family squabbles amongst the Lebanese diaspora that owned and operated the restaurants, oddly different logos and signs, and a mushroom burger that still commands loyalty from fans far and wide. Confused yet? This is barely scratching the surface, as Mouallem’s father opened his own Burger Baron back in 1987, and the young writer-to-be was among those who lived for the legendary burger. When Mouallem wrote the article there were somewhere around 30 Burger Barons restaurants remaining in Alberta. A few of them have gone under since, though Edmonton leads the pack with four.

“I was just wondering how they still exist,” says Mouallem, who never let thoughts of the Baron stray far from his mind since he wrote the article, which still forms much of the basis for the Wikipedia page on the subject. “Years later, when I learned that both the McDonnell family and Rudy’s family had all recently closed their own restaurants I knew okay, now there’s a story, because the three people who ever claimed to be pioneers of it are now out of the business. And they were closing at a pretty steady pace, but at the same time there was this growing cult appreciation of them, largely because of (local comedian) Donovan Workun putting the Burger Baron sign from the closed Whyte Ave. location on the front of his house a couple of years ago.”

Mouallem began thinking in earnest about a celluloid take on the Baron story almost a year ago. At the same time he was contacted by Dylan Rhys Howard, a local filmmaker with whom he’d worked on the 2019 film Digging in the Dirt, a documentary about mental health in the oil patch. Howard was looking for pitches, and Mouallem had one, his dream project. Howard agreed, and CBC Gem stepped up to finance it.

Assembling a crew dotted with local Lebanese and Arab talent, including brothers Moh and Mazen Mahfouz on cinematography and sound respectively, they got to work. Outside cameramen were contacted to do interviews in California and Lebanon due to pandemic restrictions, while the score was composed by Ashraf El-Assaly of the University of Alberta’s North African Music Ensemble. Mouallem’s Toronto cousin Shadi Didi worked on a key graphics segment. The writer-director went into it expecting to make a light hearted comedy, but quickly discovered a very serious side to the story when one of his first interviews cried while being filmed.

“I realized that almost all of the families coming in during the Lebanese Civil War in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s all had very similar dramatic stories,” he says. “I think the reason it didn’t click for me at first is because my dad didn’t come here because of the civil war. He and the Kemaldeans are kind of the exception because it was the civil war that proliferated the Burger Barons by driving so many refugees and immigrants to Western Canada. Some were highly educated, some were teenagers, and they just had to go to work to support their families.”

At the moment the saga of the Burger Baron appears to be winding down as more and more close. This isn’t due to changing food trends or the pandemic, but instead the health of the owners and the lack of interest from family. They may or may not be on the way out, but the fact that they still exist is testament to the hard work of immigrants, refugees, and temporary foreign workers in this country.

“I thought that was an important message,” Mouallem says, “that immigrants in this province have become caretakers of an institution that means so much to so many people.”

The Last Baron has its sobering moments but it’s a thoroughly enjoyable watch. The filmmakers are looking forward to the 44 minute cut that will be played on CBC Gem but are also working towards a longer theatrical version that will delve a little more into the high weirdness of the Burger Baron story.

“We had a lot of fun making it,” Mouallem says. “Early on we started writing in Arabic on the clapper during production, and that became part of the poster for the film. It’s just a nice touch, writing out The Last Baron in Arabic, hinting towards a connection between Arab culture and the Burger Baron.”

ANOTHER REPUBLICAN PROVINCE
NDP Leader calls out Saskatchewan Health Minister

By Jacob Carr Global News
Posted August 27, 2021 


Ryan Meili is calling on the Sask Party and Health Minister Paul Merriman to start doing their job or to find a new one. Meili believes that the current government is failing.

New Democratic Party Leader Ryan Meili is calling for Saskatchewan Health Minister to do better or be removed from his position.

“The leadership on the front lines is asking the government to act to save our lives, and Scott Moe and Paul Merriman have simply said no they don’t care,” Meili said.

This comes after Merriman commented on possible vaccine mandates in the province earlier this week.

“I think the onus is on the individual to go out and get vaccinated, that’s the best tool that we have. That’s what’s going to bring down our hospitalization numbers, that’s what’s going to bring down our case count is the vaccination,” Merriman said.


READ MORE: Sask. NDP calls for mandatory vaccination for teachers, staff in return-to-school plan

Once again, the Saskatchewan NDP and Sask Party government are at odds over approaches to COVID-19.

“Clearly Paul Merriman has no clue what he’s talking about, we need to make sure that the people who are in contact with the public, especially with vulnerable residents, are vaccinated to protect each other and to protect those workers,” said Meili.

Meanwhile, there are currently no public health orders in place in Saskatchewan.

READ MORE: COVID-19: Sask. Party not considering vaccine mandate despite criticism from opposition

Speaking with Rawlco Radio– the province’s Chief Medical Health Officer, Dr.Shahab, offered recommendations but gave no clear indication of whether or not there will be new government imposed restrictions.

“We are entering into a province-wide surge, where it does make sense for all of us to wear masks in indoor public places,” he said.

Healthcare workers across Saskatchewan are saying that they are burnt out and seeking answers from the government.

In a Physician Town Hall that took place yesterday, Dr. Brent Thoma, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan had this to say: “I think it’s fair to say that many of my colleagues have told me that over the last few weeks our emergency departments are in the worst state they have ever been in. What’s the plan? We need some answers and we need some help,” he said.


Global News reached out to the Sask Party for a response but did not hear back by deadline.

   

Sask. doctors warned by public health officials that more measures are necessary to blunt 4th wave

Hospitalizations, case numbers, 7-day daily averages all rising as Sask. enters 4th wave

Bryan Eneas · CBC News · Posted: Aug 27, 2021 

Ryan Meili, the leader of the Saskatchewan NDP, spoke outside his Saskatoon constituency office on Aug. 27, 2021. (Guy Quenneville/CBC)


Numbers shared at Thursday night's physician town paint a grim picture of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan.

Slides shared at the weekly meeting showed COVID-19 case counts quadrupling over the last month.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases had increased dramatically to 172 as of Thursday. On July 21 that number sat at 31.

Hospitalization totals saw a 30 per cent increase in one week and ICU admissions continue to trend upward. The average age of those hospitalized is lowering, with 37 per cent of people being under 39.

Saskatchewan also has the lowest immunization rate in all of Canada, and the lowest coverage in children and young adults.

Nationally, slightly more than 83 per cent of the population has received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In Saskatchewan that number hovers over the 75 per cent mark.

More than 75 per cent of the population of Canada has had a second dose of COVID-19 vaccine. In Saskatchewan it is slightly more than 66 per cent.
What is our plan that is going to get us through the next wave?- Dr. Brent Thoma

The provincial health-care system is coming under stress as the fourth wave of COVID-19 ramps up in Saskatchewan.

"Public health workforce cannot keep up with the volume of contact tracing, isolation, case outbreak investigation and immunization," the slides said.

Sask. chief medical health officer addresses vaccination rates, climbing hospitalizations
COVID-19 in Sask: 158 new cases, 2 more deaths

The "offensive strategy" highlighted in the presentation noted cases and hospital admission will continue to rise in Saskatchewan, based on what's happening in other jurisdictions and modelling data.

Several suggestions for how to blunt the the fourth wave's impact were made, including reintroducing mandatory mask mandates indoors, and mandatory immunization or frequent testing for health-care workers, teachers and other at-risk groups.

Reductions in personal and public gathering sizes and vaccine "passports" for non-essential social events were also suggested to combat the spread of COVID-19, as was the strategic use of testing.
Opposition calls premier and health minister 'irresponsible, stupid men'

On Friday, the leader of the Opposition Saskatchewan NDP party again criticized the provincial government for not announcing such measures.

"Scott Moe and Paul Merriman have simply said no. They don't care," Ryan Meili said of Saskatchewan's premier and health minister. "These are irresponsible, stupid men who have made choices that have cost too many lives and will only cost more."

Federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau promised $1 billion in funding for provinces that want to move forward with vaccine passport programs if his party is re-elected.

"I hope that that will see us have some change," Meili said, before adding that Moe "will even resist the federal government when this is something that's so clearly needed."

Trudeau promises $1B to help provinces pay for vaccine passports
Ontario to institute vaccine passport system, sources say

A spokesperson for the province reiterated that the Saskatchewan government is not looking at implementing a proof of vaccination policy.

"The Liberal leader's funding revealed today is a campaign commitment, not a government announcement," the spokesperson said. "Given the federal election is not until Sept. 20 and the people of Canada have yet to choose who will form government, this commitment has no impact on our decisions today."

Major sports teams could soon lose money, fans if they fail to adopt COVID-19 vaccine passports, say academics

Companies with care homes in Sask. announce nationwide vaccine mandate for staff

Saskatoon's Dr. Brent Thoma spoke at Thursday's town hall. He said he was disappointed to see no improvement since the last time he spoke at such a meeting, about a month ago.

"It's fair to say that many of my colleagues have told me over the last few weeks our emergency departments are in the worst state they have ever been in," Thoma said.

He said Royal University Hospital's emergency unit has about 40 beds available to patients, counting spots in the pediatrics unit. The department has seen up to 98 patients at a time.

City Hospital, Thoma said, has seen up to nine patients admitted overnight, despite that department not being open, and has seen patients stay for five to six days at a time before they get consultation or are transferred.

St. Paul's, he said, has seen staffing shortages resulting in unsafe patient to staff ratios. One evening shift at that hospital ran with just seven nurses, when the baseline is 15, he said.

Ambulances have also been impacted and have at times been unable to respond to calls in a timely fashion because they were stuck in hospital hallways, he said.

"What's the plan? And I don't mean like in three months, I mean like tomorrow, next week, what is our plan that is going to get us through the next wave?" Thoma asked.

Hinz said people on the frontlines of Saskatchewan's child psychiatric community knew this was a “looming crisis” bound to happen, because of challenges with recruitment and a pending retirement. (Jen Talloden Photography)

Doctors 'caught in the middle'

Dr. Tamara Hinz, a child psychiatrist in Saskatoon, was among those listening to Thoma and other doctors' presentations on Thursday.

She said she feels "caught in the middle" because individual doctors don't have "any of that decision-making power" to bring in restrictions.

"I assume the health authority must also be feeling that," she said. "We're left sort of with the consequences of those policies and those decisions.

"It's a difficult and an awkward place to be in, to see the modelling, to see what the hospital capacity looks like, and what those projections look like, yet really hold very little power when it comes to having the decision-making authority to alter that path."

With files from The Morning Edition, Guy Quenneville and Gregory Wilson

Moe says no to vaccine mandates, passports but expects businesses, organizations will enact policies

Health minister says 'you're infringing on people's personal rights if you're mandating things'


Adam Hunter · CBC News · Posted: Aug 27, 2021 

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says his government will not implement a vaccine mandate and does not plan to introduce vaccine passports. He said he expects businesses or organizations to make their own policies. (Michael Bell/The Canadian Press)


Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says his government will not be requiring proof of vaccine to visit businesses or participate in activities and it will not make individuals "take the vaccine."

This week, Manitoba announced government employees who work with vulnerable populations "need to be fully immunized for COVID-19 by Oct. 31, or undergo regular testing."

Moe sat down for an interview with Rawlco Radio on Thursday morning. He said Saskatchewan also has no plans to implement a vaccine passport system similar to B.C., Manitoba, and Quebec.

He said he expects that Saskatchewan-based businesses and organizations that choose to implement their vaccine requirement policies will do so in the days and weeks ahead.

"It is not the government's role to line people up and say 'you are going to take this needle if you are going to live in this society,'" Moe said.

The premier said vaccine mandates often include proof of a negative test in place of vaccination.

Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark has expressed support for vaccine passports and vaccination requirements.

The University of Saskatchewan, University of Regina, and Saskatchewan Polytechnic have all recently introduced vaccine policies.

On Thursday, two private companies that operate several nursing and retirement homes in Saskatchewan said they will require their employees across Canada to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Moe said the Saskatchewan Roughriders can implement a vaccine policy if they choose and his government would support them by assisting with proof-of-vaccine through the ministry of health.

VIDEOSask. health minister says signs point to 4th wave, cites personal freedoms as reason against mandates

He said people can access their vaccine records and the government is working on a QR code as well for mobile devices.
B.C. and Quebec vaccine passports lead to increased vaccine uptake

Earlier this month, Quebec announced on Sept. 1 it would require vaccine passports to attend places and take part in activities for individuals over 13 years old.

Quebec has developed an app that will contain the individuals vaccination status. It will be required for accessing places and activities "where the risk of transmission is high."

Sporting events, concerts, movie theatres.
Bars and restaurants.

Indoor sports and activities.

The passport system was introduced on Aug. 5 and the app was available for download on Wednesday.

"People who have made the effort to get their two doses must be able to live a somewhat normal life," said Quebec Premier François Legault on Aug. 5.

Quebec's health minister Christian Dubé said more than 11,000 people booked appointments for their first shot the day the passport system was introduced.

"That is double [the total from] the previous days," Dubé said

Earlier this week, B.C. announced it will implement a vaccine passport system for sporting events, concerts, restaurants, and theatres. Manitoba has a similar policy.

On Thursday, the B.C. government said the number of people registering for the vaccination program or booking appointments each day has jumped by as much as 200 per cent compared to a week earlier. The biggest jumps, the government says, have been in people under the age of 40.

B.C. sees big jump in vaccination bookings after announcing COVID-19 vaccine passport

The B.C. government said that on Tuesday and Wednesday, 12,904 people under the age of 40 registered and 11,301 booked appointments, more than doubling last week's numbers.
Sask. health officials dismiss mandates, passports

On Wednesday, Saskatchewan's Health Minister Paul Merriman and chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said in separate interviews that the government would not mandate vaccinations.

Shahab questioned the necessity of provincial mandates, including masks, citing the need for voluntary compliance.

"We still have lots of vaccine. You know, before we get into the fall, I think it's critical that vaccine uptake goes up. And a lot of [my] colleagues are working with communities to do exactly just that."

He encouraged people to get vaccinated to help protect themselves and reduce the strain on the health-care system.

In July, 90 per cent of all new cases and hospitalizations were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people.

According to the province, 95 per cent of ICU admissions were not fully vaccinated and 100 per cent of deaths were people who had not been vaccinated.

Shahab said vaccine passports were not being implemented by the government, but that evidence indicates they do increase vaccine uptake.

"I absolutely agree that whenever there's a requirement, for example, in university students, the [vaccine] uptake does go up," Shahab told CBC's Sam Maciag.

Sask. chief medical health officer addresses vaccination rates, climbing hospitalizations

Merriman said Wednesday that signs pointed to a fourth COVID-19 wave in the province but, like the premier, ruled out vaccine mandates.

"I think you're infringing on people's personal rights if you're mandating things," Merriman said.

"If it's government-mandated, it's just it changes the factor of the government telling you what to do versus you making a choice to go get it. If people don't want to get vaccinated, that's their choice."

He also rejected the idea of an incentive program.

"I haven't seen anywhere where the incentives have made a huge impact on their vaccination numbers."

The health minister encouraged people to get vaccinated and said there are 500,000 doses available in Saskatchewan.

As of Thursday, among provinces Saskatchewan had used the lowest percentage of the doses it received at 73 per cent. The Canadian average is 83 per cent.


Saskatchewan also ranks second last among all provinces and territories in the percentage of eligible people fully vaccinated.

Saskatchewan and Alberta rank the lowest among provinces in terms of the total population vaccinated.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adam Hunter
Journalist
Adam Hunter is the provincial affairs reporter at CBC Saskatchewan, based in Regina. He has been with CBC for more than 14 years. Follow him on Twitter @AHiddyCBC. Contact him: adam.hunter@cbc.ca

'I expect there will only be more': RCMP watchdog gets over 70 complaints about Fairy Creek enforcement

Rochelle Baker

Canada's National Observer
The Local Journalism Initiative
Thursday, August 26, 2021

NOW PLAYING
Old-growth logging protesters on Vancouver Island say RCMP arrest methods have grown increasingly violent in recent weeks.

VICTORIA -- The federal agency that holds RCMP to account has received a total of 73 public complaints associated with enforcement measures at the Fairy Creek old-growth logging blockades in British Columbia, says the legal team representing the activist group.

Counsel for the Rainforest Flying Squad (RFS) - the group behind the protests - received confirmation from the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC) about the number of complaints received as of Monday, said lawyer Phil Dwyer.

To date, 17 complaints fall under the agency's mandate and will be investigated, Dwyer said Wednesday afternoon.

News of the complaints comes days after videos showing RCMP using pepper spray against Fairy Creek old-growth protesters during a confrontation over the weekend surfaced on the internet.

And as a result, B.C.'s NDP government is taking fire from civil rights advocates while federal counterparts are calling for a public inquiry into police actions.

RCMP tactics and the use of force are increasingly aggressive, according to activists involved in the year-long civil disobedience movement in the Port Renfrew region, said Dwyer, who represents three RFS defendants named in the court injunction filed by Teal-Jones logging company.

The police are not using reasonable force and are reaching beyond the scope of what is required to fulfil their duties to enforce the injunction, he said, adding doing so increases the risks for everyone involved.

“Considering what I've seen in video and from conversations with people on the ground, it's not surprising that this many complaints would have arisen,” Dwyer said.

“And given the fullness of time, I expect there will only be more filed.”

Several online videos detail the confrontation between officers and protesters on a logging road in the region on Saturday.

In one longer video, officers can be seen setting off multiple canisters of pepper spray at close range at a huddle of protesters who had refused to disperse and had locked arms to make their arrests more difficult.

The premier and the public safety minister need to rein in the RCMP who are using unreasonable force against protesters, many of whom are Indigenous on unceded territory with inherent rights to protect the land, said Veronica Martisius, staff counsel with the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA).

“The silence from (Premier) John Horgan and (Minister) Mike Farnworth is deafening,” Martisius said, noting the province has contracted the federal force to police municipalities in B.C.

“When RCMP are acting unlawfully, the province should be stepping in,” Martisius said, adding officers still have a responsibility to maintain public safety while enforcing injunctions.

“Police don't have carte blanche to do whatever they want. Their power is limited when it comes to respecting civil liberties and human rights, otherwise we'd be living in a police state.”

The RFS alleges police are using excessive and increasing force when making arrests, as well as operating heavy equipment and chainsaws dangerously close to protesters to extract them from the obstacles designed to frustrate arrests.

One 35-year-old protester was flown by helicopter to hospital in Victoria on Saturday with neck injuries after a forceful arrest, while others have suffered a sprained ankle, a broken rib, or cuts and bruises during arrests, said RFS in a statement.

The protests and protection of old-growth is cropping up as a hot-button issue in the federal election, with the Liberals pledging to do more to protect ancient forests, and members of the federal NDP calling for an investigation into police actions at Fairy Creek.

NDP MP Jack Harris, with the backing of Vancouver Island incumbent candidates Alistair MacGregor and Laurel Collins, called on Public Safety Minister Bill Blair to launch a full and independent investigation into RCMP actions at Fairy Creek.

The violent actions of RCMP at Fairy Creek are unacceptable and only escalate the situation, wrote MacGregor, who is running for re-election in the Cowichan-Malahat-Langford riding, on social media.

“We have written to Minister Blair calling for full federal review of the situation and police actions, and we are committed to more robust and independent civilian oversight of the RCMP,” he tweeted.

On Monday, hundreds of people gathered outside RCMP detachments in Victoria and other municipalities to call for the RCMP to stand down at Fairy Creek.

RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Chris Manseau said protesters failed to follow officers' directions during Saturday's confrontation, which he said left one officer with a concussion after he was knocked over in the scuffle.

“We really need to remember that it's the actions of the protesters that dictate the actions of the police,” Manseau said. “When crowds are failing to follow police direction, one thing does lead to another.

“In order to gain compliance from that large crowd of people … it took the use of pepper spray, and then the crowd followed police direction after that.”

A lot of the video snippets online do not illustrate the full context of the situation, Manseau said.

“There's lots of examples of peaceful, lawful, and safe protests that are occurring, even after the incident on the weekend,” he said.

The RCMP cannot speak to the number of complaints made to CRCC, as it is an independent body that investigates the federal police force, Manseau said, adding he advises anyone who felt they were wronged or injured to reach out to the commission.

Regardless of any potential public inquiry, RCMP will likely do an internal review of enforcement measures at Fairy Creek, Manseau said.

“With enforcement actions like this, especially one that's so large, I'm sure there will be a review,” he said.

“And there are things to learn from it, and to have better practices in the future. We absolutely support that.”

Police immediately need to respect the limits of their powers and act within the confines of the law when arresting people, said Martisius, but RCMP in the videos are taking heavy-handed measures against non-combative protesters.

“Of course, there are folks who are engaged in civil disobedience, but that doesn't give the right to the RCMP to act violently towards those people,” she said, adding a recent court decision made it clear officers must safely arrest and remove people.

“They still have a duty to protect the public.”
RELATED IMAGES



An old-growth logging protester is suspended from a device while an RCMP officer watches on southern Vancouver Island. (RCMP)

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Fashion brands sign new deal on Bangladesh garment workers’ safety

Campaigners and union leaders praise accord, which replaces one agreed after 2013 Rana Plaza fire

A garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh. 

Photograph: Xinhua/Rex/Shutterstock

Global development is supported by


Lauren Cochrane
Thu 26 Aug 2021 13.40 BST

Campaigners have hailed a new agreement designed to protect garment workers in Bangladesh, signed by the likes of H&M and Inditex, which owns Zara and Bershka.

The accord replaces another agreement signed by more than 200 international fashion companies after the Rana Plaza factory fire in 2013, in which more than 1,100 people died. For the first time, these companies faced legal action if their health and safety standards were found lacking or if they did not address problems in an agreed time period. More than 38,000 inspections have been carried out since 2013, and nearly 200 factories have lost their contracts owing to poor safety standards.

That agreement is due to expire at the end of August, and the negotiations for the new pact were protracted. Union leaders were concerned that the legally binding elements were being threatened and that improvements in conditions, wages and safety made since 2013 would be undermined, along with campaigns to improve safety in garment factories beyond Bangladesh.

The new agreement, which is managed by the Ready-Made Garments Sustainability Council (RSC), is valid until October 2023. Companies signing up commit to expanding general health and safety for workers beyond fire and building safety, human rights due diligence along supply chains, and making the same commitment to garment workers in at least one other country. Signatories have agreed to meet in six months’ time to discuss which countries, with the aim of making changes within two years.

Campaigners and union leaders praised the deal. Ayesha Barenblat, the chief executive of the ethical fashion advocacy group Remake, told the Business of Fashion: “This, I think, is truly a model of building back better.”

Valter Sanches, the general secretary of IndustriALL Global Union, said: “This international accord is an important victory towards making the textile and garment industry safe and sustainable.”

The full list of companies signing on will be revealed on 1 September.

Bangladesh has the third-largest garment industry after China and Vietnam. In 2019 it was estimated there were about 4,000 factories and 4 million workers, and the industry represented 16% of the country’s GDP, with $34bn worth of exports.

The pandemic has had an effect on the industry. In March 2020 it was reported that $2.8bn worth of orders had been cancelled or paused. According to a survey of factory employers carried out by Pennsylvania State University’s Centre for Global Workers’ Rights, most international brands did not contribute to furlough wages of workers and more than 80% of workers were sent home without pay.

Halifax police evict more people living in tents from city parks

AUGUST 26, 2021 BY ZANE WOODFORD

Tents and emergency shelters are seen on Thursday in the park at the corner of Dublin Street and Chebucto Road, which residents and activists there are now calling People’s Park. — Photo: Zane Woodford

Police have evicted three more people living in tents from parkland in Halifax.

It’s the first action since the forceful eviction of several people living in tents and Halifax Mutual Aid emergency shelters from four parks in Halifax last Wednesday, when dozens of police officers were dispatched to the former Halifax Memorial Library to carry out the city’s plans.

The latest evictions happened Wednesday night, when two Halifax Regional Police officers approached a group of three men camping in two tents on the Halifax Common.

Gayle Collicutt, a housing advocate, arrived at the tent site with a friend at about 8pm to talk to the men and offer to connect them with supports. She said the police arrived soon after, shining flash lights in the tents and demanding to know who owned them. They had papers showing a list of services that aren’t available at night and a list of shelters that are full.

“They didn’t even offer to call the shelters for them, they just told them to have their stuff gone by 11pm,” Collicutt said in an interview Thursday.

“I believe they’re doing this in the evening so that the public and the media don’t see them doing it.”

Colicutt said the men, set up near the corner of North Park and Cogswell streets, told the police they had nowhere to go. The police told them to go to the park at the corner of Dublin Street and Chebucto Road, and one of the men evicted took some of his possessions and went there.

Officially called Meagher Park, it’s become the main site for tents and emergency shelters in the city. Residents and advocates there are calling it People’s Park, and have formed a new group, P.A.D.S. (Permanent, Accessible, Dignified, and Safer) Housing Network, in solidarity with Halifax Mutual Aid, the anonymous group of volunteers building the emergency shelters on city land.

The Halifax Examiner spoke to a few of the residents there on Thursday, including the man evicted from the Common on Wednesday, agreeing not to use their names.

They said they have not been offered hotel stays or any other kind of temporary housing. The municipality and councillors have repeatedly claimed that every occupant of a tent or shelter has been offered temporary housing. The Examiner has yet to speak to a resident who has been offered any kind of temporary housing. One man said he’s actually been trying to find a way to get into a hotel, but he’s still sleeping in a tent because he hasn’t been offered other shelter.

Residents at the park were shaken up after Wednesday’s eviction, and worry it’s a matter of time before that park is targeted by police.

Tari Ajadi speaks for P.A.D.S. Housing Network, and said the park has become the go-to site for people kicked out of others.

“They end up here because we are offering whatever we possibly can with the resources that we have, and the resources that we have are community care and support, donations, neighbours being kind, and a lot of people who are taking their time to be here,” Ajadi said.

“Everyone who can offer support, that’s not the municipality, has offered support. This is not this is not a Haligonian issue. This is an HRM issue, truly.”

A sign at the park at the corner of Dublin Street and Chebucto Road, now dubbed People’s Park. — Photo: Zane Woodford

The site is growing rapidly, and with more tents come more worries. P.A.D.S. has been able to get COVID tests, Narcan spray for overdose prevention, medical supplies, and plenty of food and water. But there are some services it can’t provide.

“The first and most urgent concern is that we don’t have permanent bathroom access here. We don’t have a porta potty, we don’t have anything that’s around that will be safe,” Ajadi said.

Ajadi said they’d fundraise for a porta potty, but it’s not like they can get one delivered to a city park.

Collicutt said the city seems to just be “stockpiling” people at the park, and Ajadi wonders if it’s a tactic: push everyone into one small park, provide no support, and then let the ensuing issues justify the eviction of those residents. The police were already there once, on Friday night for a noise complaint, and the encampment has only grown since then.

A city-sanctioned park could work, Ajadi said, but it needs support and washrooms at the very least.

Halifax Regional Police addressed the latest evictions in a statement on Thursday from acting spokesperson Const. Alicia Joseph.

“We have no intention nor can we prioritize the mass removal of encampments; however, enforcement will continue to take place as necessary on a case by case basis and always starting with engagement and conversation,” Joseph wrote.

“It is based on public safety concerns related to specific locations that we are aware of as well as those we are hearing day to day. Accordingly, we have removed two tents this week from the Halifax Commons as well as we had a conversation with the occupant of a third, who indicated they required more time.”

At the North Common on Thursday afternoon, one Halifax Regional Police officer on a bicycle was patrolling the area, circling the green space. But there were no tents remaining.

Collicutt said the third tent referenced may be one that popped up on Wednesday near the washroom on the North Common, on Cunard Street, but it was gone by the afternoon.

For people working on behalf of the city’s unhoused residents, like Ajadi and Collicutt, the further police action is demoralizing.

“I don’t recognize this city anymore,” Collicutt said.