‘Swazi gold’: grandmothers in Eswatini growing cannabis to make ends meet

In the poverty-stricken kingdom, an older generation rely on growing marijuana to feed children orphaned by Aids epidemic

A woman tends her crop of about 30 young marijuana plants in the country’s northern Hhohho area. 

Photograph: Mike Hutchings/Reuters

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Colleta Dewa in Nhlangano
Thu 2 Sep 2021

In Nhlangano, in the south of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), the illegal farming of the mountainous kingdom’s famous “Swazi gold” is a risk many grandmothers are ready to take.

In what is known locally as the “gardens of Eden”, a generation of grandparents are growing cannabis, many of them sole carers for some of the many children orphaned by the HIV/Aids epidemic that gripped southern Africa.

The plots of marijuana are tucked away in forests in the mountains. Around one tiny village alone, the Guardian counted 17 fields of cannabis plants.

Noncedo Manguya is the breadwinner for her family of five grandchildren and two other children from her extended family, who were left in her care after the death of their parents. Manguya, 59, struggled to find a job or start a business and makes money by illegally growing marijuana, or dagga, that she sells on to dealers in South Africa.

“Poverty led me into this business. There are no jobs. These children need to go to school but there is no help at all from government. I have to commit crime, farming weed, to ensure I take care of them,” she says.

“I had three children but they all passed away, leaving me with five grandchildren to care for. All my children were HIV positive and they died because of that. I also take care of two other children, relatives to my late husband, whose parents are also dead.”

Manguya is one of many women in the country who depend on farming marijuana for a living.

They sell a gram of cannabis for seven to 10 rand (about 50p) in South Africa and Mozambique, where it is resold for 10 times the price.

With a population of 1.1 million, Eswatini, the last absolute monarchy in Africa, ruled for the past three decades by King Mswati III, has an unemployment rate of nearly 24%, a poverty rate of 52% and GDP growth of -3.3%.

Lesotho firm first in Africa to be granted EU licence for medical cannabis


The highest HIV prevalence in the world has left 150,000 children orphaned with older siblings or frail grandparents struggling to raise small children.

A smallholding in Eswatini. Women in rural areas have very few options to generate an income. 

Photograph: Graeme Williams/Alamy

According to the International Labour Organization, 23.7% of women in Eswatini are unemployed and at least half of that number resort to sex work or other illicit trades, such as marijuana cultivation or selling smuggled alcohol.

“Yes, we farm the Swazi gold. I have been in this marijuana business for 11 years. My garden of Eden spares us from dying of hunger. Children have something to wear, something to eat every day, and our lives have become better,” says Manguya.

These women face many challenges, with the authorities using networks of spies in local communities, while some police officers solicit bribes.

“The weed business attracts police attention. Police sometimes burn our crop, or if they catch you after harvesting, they confiscate your product.

“Our market is in South Africa but even if you manage to cross the border into South Africa, clients can tell you that your weed is sub-standard, pushing you to sell at a lower price or to look for other clients. This might expose you to criminal gangs, resulting in you being robbed or raped.

“It is hard being a woman in a country where policies do not prioritise the welfare of women and children.”

In Mashobeni village, Lessie Mbenyu lives with her late mother’s sister. Her aunt’s garden pays for her education.

“I’m still in school but, with Covid-19 lockdowns, we spend more time in the garden. If our marijuana does not do well, we starve. My auntie is the head of the family, then her two children and my little brother.

“We see no reason for going back to school because we will not have jobs, even if we become professors. The government and its police want us to suffer.

“If they do not want prisons to be full with people who do illegal deals to survive, they should start giving grants to kids and families affected by HIV/Aids,” Mbenyu says.

In May, scores of people died in protests that rocked Eswatini. Demonstrators demanded democratic reforms, accusing King Mswati of repression. Rights groups accused the royal family, including the king’s 15 wives, of enjoying a lavish lifestyle while most people live in poverty.

Sibusiso Siyaya, spokesperson for the country’s main opposition party, the People’s United Democratic Movement, says the king fails to prioritise people’s needs.

“Communities resort to illegal means of survival because the government of King Mswati III has played a prominent role in institutionalising poverty,” he says.

“The government has stunted the country’s economic development and failed to build a broad-based competitive economy, relying only on foreign direct investment for development. This has resulted in an increased rate of unemployment and degeneration of public institutions, such as the health sector,” says Siyaya.

“The government has downplayed efforts by organisations that have committed themselves in the fight against HIV/Aids in this country. Interventions of increasing economic resilience within communities have been initiated. However, the government has failed to support such initiatives to deliver the desired results,” he adds.

A representative for the Swazi Rural Women’s Assembly, an organisation that seeks to empower rural women, says more needs to be done in creating decent jobs.

Mountains around Nhlangano village, in the south of Eswatini, where many families rely on cannabis farming to survive. Photograph: Handout

“Women are the most affected, especially in rural areas. Farming the Swazi gold is not by choice. They have no other means of generating income.

“As much as NGOs are trying to assist, there are many barriers, which need to be addressed at governance level. Young women end up in sex work driven by poverty and, in turn, the issue of HIV/Aids is exacerbated,” she says.

A Ministry of Agriculture spokesperson, who spoke on condition of anonymity, argued that the geographical location of Eswatini contributed to the economic challenges.

“Eswatini is a landlocked, mountainous country with not enough land for our people to utilise for feeding their families or for commercial purposes. As for marijuana farming, I understand the police have dealt with criminal elements who wanted to contaminate our communities. It’s all under control,” he says.

The opposition party dismisses this explanation: “It is not true that Eswatini doesn’t have enough land for farming. The country has idle land said to belong to the king. The country needs to redress past injustices of a system that sought to enrich a few at the expense of the majority, in particular women and the youth.”

Currently, there is only one legal Eswatini cannabis grower: the US-based Profile Solutions Inc has a licence to grow and process medical cannabis and hemp for a minimum of 10 years.

But, despite the risks, the Swazi gold grandmothers do not want to join the legal market: “Legalising weed might be a threat to our market, as prices might drop. We want the current situation to remain in place,” says Mbenyu.

Eswatini - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eswatini

Eswatini , officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly and still commonly known in English as Swaziland (/ˈswɑːzilænd/ SWAH-zee-land; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its north, west, and south. At no more than 200 kilometres (120 mi) north to south and 130 kilometres (81 mi) east to west

Artifacts indicating human activity dating back to the early Stone Age, around 200,000 years ago, have been found in Eswatini. Prehistoric rock art paintings dating from as far back as c. 27,000 years ago, to as recent as the 19th century, can be found in various places around the country.

A trucker's hourly pay rose by $10 overnight because of a driver shortage - but he said he still wanted to quit driving anyway

kduffy@insider.com (Kate Duffy) 

A truck driver in the UK told the BBC he had his pay increased by $10 overnight. 

David Zalubowski/AP

A truck driver had a $10 pay rise overnight, but he still wants to leave his role, he told the BBC.

He told the Wake Up to Money program the job meant sacrificing family time because of the hours.

His pay rise comes as the UK and the US experience a shortfall of truckers.

A trucker has received a pay rise from $24 an hour to $34 an hour, but he still wants to quit his job, the BBC first reported on Wednesday.

The pay rise comes amid a shortage of truck drivers which has thrown US and UK supply chains into disarray.

Tom Reddy, from Stratford upon Avon in the UK, tweeted on Sunday about the sudden increase.

He told the BBC in an interview on Wednesday that the pay rise meant his salary jumped 40% from £17.50 ($24) an hour to £24.50 ($34).

This equates to his annual pay rising from £36,400 ($50,200) to £50,960 ($70,300), according to calculations on the job website talent.com.

Reddy told the BBC that he's worked as a trucker for 15 years.

"Maybe I'd expect an extra 20p ($0.28) an hour in a normal year, but to have it jump so significantly. It does kind of indicate that something major is going on," he said in a separate interview with the BBC on Wednesday.

Read more: 4 ways small business owners can benefit from supply chain delays happening right now

Being a truck driver means sacrificing time with family because of the unsociable working hours, Reddy told the BBC's Wake Up to Money radio program.

"It's a very hard sell, to tell people come and be [truck] drivers," Reddy told the program.

There is currently a shortage of 100,000 truck drivers in the UK, according to the UK's Road Haulage Association.

This is taking a toll on supply chains and causing long delays for retailers, such as McDonald's and Nando's, Insider's Mary Hanbury reported on Saturday.

A similar issue is happening on the other side of the Atlantic.

The Federal Reserve warned in June that the US is suffering from a labor shortage, including a shortfall of truck drivers, which has triggered supply chain disruption and price hikes for shipping.

Read the original article on Business Insider

NGOs demand action for imperilled wildlife at Marseille biodiversity conference


Issued on: 03/09/2021 - 

People walk towards the entrance of the IUCN World Conservation Congress on September 2, 2021, in Marseille, France. © Nicolas Tucat, AFP

Text by: Tiffany FILLON


The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) conference started on Friday in France’s second-largest city Marseille – with NGOs and scientists hoping to take the world from a sense of urgency to concrete action to protect the planet's imperilled wildlife

After wildfires and extreme climate events across the planet – not to mention the latest IPCC report – underlined this summer that climate change is already a terrifying reality, the IUCN conference opened on September 3 to bring together NGOs, scientists, businesses, indigenous peoples and government representatives from across the world.

NGOs are especially keen to use this eight-day conference to make a difference. Seeing as the conference is open to the general public this year, they see impressing on people just how the stakes are for biodiversity as one of their most important missions.

“People from our organisations will be there to raise awareness – and we will be demonstrating on a local beach to warn about the degradation of the world’s seas and oceans,” said Maxime Paquin, project manager for biodiversity at France Nature Environnement, an umbrella group of French environmental NGOs.

>> Bombshell UN climate change report shows global warming accelerating

But for NGOs gathering at the conference their biggest objective is to use it as a “platform to make political points”, Paquin said. Like other NGOs, France Nature Environnement will vote on 19 motions – including the protection of marine mammals, the protection of ancient European forests and limiting the mining industry’s impact on biodiversity.

These recommendations are not legally binding – but they will allow NGOs to influence discussions at the COP15 on biodiversity in China in October and the COP26 on climate change in the UK in November.

“We’re keen to use our influence at the IUCN to carry these motions forward and then lobby for them to be implemented across the world,” said Pierre Cannet, director of advocacy for WWF France.

A highlight of the conference will be an update to the IUCN’s endangered species list – which places endangered species on a spectrum of seven categories, from “least concern” to a definitive “extinct”. Currently around a million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction, according to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

‘Lack of means’

Since 1900, the number of local species in most territorial habitats has declined by around 20 percent on average, the IPBES has said. The scientific consensus is clear: The disappearance of entire species and ecosystems is a direct consequence of human activity such as pollution, deforestation and overfishing – and is a considerable danger to the wellbeing of humanity.

In the face of this menace, the IUCN conference represents a “good way of regrouping and looking at how countries can take urgent steps going forward, in a context where economic recovery plans are drawn up at that global level and national budgets devote very little to biodiversity”, Cannet said.

>> ‘Humanity is bullying nature – and we will pay the price,’ WWF chief tells FRANCE 24

“We’re trying to ensure that France makes a difference when it comes to biodiversity,” Cannet continued, denouncing its “failure to enact a green agricultural transition and backtracking on banning the use of pesticides like neonicotinoids and glyphosate”.

Paquin, meanwhile, hopes that this conference will put the thorny issue of funding on the table. Governments have not directed sufficient funding to protect biodiversity, so efforts to do so “lack the means”, he said. Consequently, they intend to rely on business and development banks to finance the ecological transition.

As WWF France has highlighted, the International Development Finance Club – a union of development banks led by the French Development Agency – could play a major role in protecting diversity through the allocation of funding for biodiversity, as it commits $630 billion (€530bn) per year to economic development, which includes $100 billion dedicated specifically to tackling climate change.

People should not expect miraculous change to emerge from the IUCN conference, Cannet said. But it could well act as a “stepping stone towards measures against actions that harm biodiversity”.

This article was adapted from the original in French.

Plastic pollution: the scourge in the Mediterranean Sea

Issued on: 03/09/2021 - 

French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to urge world leaders and institutions to safeguard biodiversity as they work to curb climate change and support human welfare at a global summit starting Friday in the French southern city of Marseille. In the Mediterranean Sea, plastic pollution is a real scourge.

  

Global environment conference in Marseille to focus on wildlife protection

Issued on: 03/09/2021 - 

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during the IUCN World Conservation Congress on September 3, 2021, in Marseille, France. 

© Ludovic Marin, AFP

The perilous state of the planet’s wildlife will be laid bare when the largest organisation for the protection of nature begins on Friday, hoping to galvanise action on the world’s intertwined biodiversity and climate crises.

Relentless habitat destruction, unsustainable agriculture, mining and a warming planet will dominate discussion at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) conference in the French city of Marseille.

“We are facing huge challenges. We are seeing the climate changing and impacting hugely our societies. We are seeing biodiversity disappearing and the pandemic hitting our economies, our families, our health,” said IUCN chief Bruno Oberle in a speech before the Marseille meeting opened.

“And we know that all these challenges are linked to each other and these challenges are linked to our human behaviour.”

The meeting, delayed from 2020 by the pandemic, comes ahead of crucial UN summits on climate, food systems and biodiversity that could shape the planet’s foreseeable future.

'Nature at top of priorities'

French President Emmanuel Macron said the goal was to “put nature at the top of international priorities” in a statement ahead of the IUCN meeting.

“Because our destinies are intrinsically linked, planet, climate, nature and human communities.”

Macron said the conference should lay the “initial foundations” for a global biodiversity strategy that will be the focus of UN deliberations in China in April next year.

The international community is trying to frame interim goals for this decade as well as longer-term aims for 2050.

Previous IUCN congresses have paved the way for global treaties on biodiversity and the international trade in endangered species.

But efforts to halt extensive declines in numbers and diversity of animals and plants have so far failed to slow the destruction.

In 2019 the UN’s biodiversity experts warned that a million species are on the brink of extinction—raising the spectre that the planet is on the verge of its sixth mass extinction event in 500 million years.

Interwoven threats

The nine-day IUCN meeting, which opened on Friday, will include an update of its Red List of Threatened Species, measuring how close animal and plant species are to vanishing forever.

Experts have assessed nearly 135,000 species over the last half-century and nearly 28 percent are currently at risk of extinction, with habitat loss, overexploitation and illegal trade driving the loss.

Big cats, for example, have lost more than 90 percent of their historic range and population, with only 20,000 lions, 7,000 cheetahs, 4,000 tigers and a few dozen Amur leopards left in the wild.

The meeting is likely to hammer home the message that protecting wildlife is imperative for the healthy function of ecosystems and for humanity.

Loss of biodiversity, climate change, pollution, diseases spreading from the wild have become existential threats that cannot be “understood or addressed in isolation,” the IUCN said ahead of the meeting in a vision statement endorsed by its 1,400 members.

Motions on the table include protecting 80 percent of Amazonia by 2025, tackling plastic in the oceans, combating wildlife crime and preventing pandemics.

The IUCN will also, for the first time in its seven-decade history, welcome indigenous peoples to share their knowledge on how best to heal the natural world as voting members.

Oberle thanked indigenous groups for joining the IUCN’s membership and bringing a “wealth of experience” on how to have a different relationship with the planet.

(AFP)

Biodiversity conference: Scientists warn about pollution killing marine animals

Namibian teenager Mboma storms Diamond League debut


Issued on: 03/09/2021 -

Namibia's Christine Mboma 

JOHN THYS AFP

Brussels (AFP)

Namibian teenager Christine Mboma, who is unable to compete at certain events due to controversial rules over testosterone levels, continued her sparkling season with victory in the 200m on her Diamond League debut in Brussels on Friday.

Mboma's win in 21.84sec was the stand-out in a high-quality night of track and field in warm, still conditions at the King Baudouin Stadium in front of 28,000 raucous, unmasked, Covid-free spectators.

Dutch distance queen Sifan Hassan fell short in her bid to better her own world record in the mile, while Sweden's Armand Duplantis nailed a meet record of 6.05 metres in the pole vault, but failed in his own bid to go one better than his 6.18m world record -- an effort not helped by a long technical delay in raising the bar.

That left the floor to Mboma, who is classified as having differences in sexual development (DSD) -- or being an "intersex" athlete -- with naturally high testosterone levels and is thus barred from her chosen event, the 400m.

The 18-year-old only competed in her first race outside of Africa with an event in the Czech Republic in June. Since that she made her debut at a major international competition in Tokyo, winning a surprise Olympic silver in the 200m before going on to bag the world under-20 title in Nairobi.

"I'm really happy with this win because it's my first Diamond League race," said Mboma. "To be able to win in such a strong field is great.

"It has been a very tough and busy season with the Olympics and the world junior championships, but I'm still in good shape."

Mboma avoided comment on World Athletics regulations by saying that after having stepped down from her favoured 400m in Tokyo, the 200m was now her favourite event.

"I'm just doing my best, just see what I can do," the Namibian added.

"In the future I think I can race faster than that. In the next one or two years, I’ll try the 100m, just to see."

Tokyo bronze medallist Shericka Jackson of Jamaica came in second in 21.95sec, with Britain's world champion Dina Asher-Smith third, just ahead of American Sha'Carri Richardson.

Burundi's Francine Niyonsaba, a former Olympic 800m silver medallist who shares Mboma's rare physiology deemed to give her an unfair competitive advantage in track events ranging between 400m and one mile, produced a last-gasp sprint to win the women's 5000m in 14:25.34.

Kenya's Olympic silver medallist and two-time world champion Hellen Obiri was pushed into third.

"I still do not know if I like the long distance more than the 800m, but I love challenges," said Niyonsaba.

"I won't think too much about it because it is what it is. A good thing about it is that I have a lot to improve - I'm still learning and am sure that I can go a lot faster in the future."

- 'Great crowd' -

Hassan, who won two golds and a bronze in an unprecedented effort at a distance treble in Tokyo, stormed to victory in the mile.

Netherland's Sifan Hassan 

JOHN THYS AFP

The 28-year-old made the most of two pacemakers and trackside lighting to clock a meet record of 4:14.74 in the non-Olympic discipline, albeit more than 2sec off her own world record set in 2019.

"Since Covid we never had so big a crowd, it was great!" said the Ethiopian-born Hassan, who will compete in the 1,500m at the season-ending Zurich finals next week.

"I wasn't thinking about the world record, although I knew I was on world record pace in the beginning. But in the middle, it slowed down a bit -- it doesn't matter."

Tokyo silver medallist Fred Kerley claimed victory in the men's 100m in 9.94sec ahead of US compatriots Trayvon Bromell, in 9.97, and Michael Norman (9.98).

Kerley, fresh from a personal best of 19.79sec in the 200m in Paris last week, said: "I'm happy with the win, but I'm not satisfied with my race because I didn't execute the race how I wanted... but 9.94 is a nice way to finish the season!"

Multiple American relay medallist Michael Cherry set a personal best and meet record of 44.03sec in the 400m, while Kenya's Olympic silver medallist Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich won the 800m in 1:43.81.

© 2021 AFP

Belarusian Cyber Partisans want to overthrow the regime through hacking

A group of Belarusian tech experts claims it has hacked into official databases and has access to extremely sensitive data. One hacker told DW that the idea was to provide the population with important information.


The Interior Ministry in Minsk is one of the main targets of the Cyber Partisans

In July and August, a group of hackers that go by the name of Belarus Cyber Partisans claimed responsibility for a number of cyberattacks on government and police databases in Belarus, including those of the Interior Ministry.

It recently said that it now had access to the passport details of all Belarusians, as well as internal security plans, and also knew whose telephone numbers had been tapped. The list reportedly includes security officials, state-run companies and private firms. The Cyber Partisans say that they have hundreds of thousands of hours' worth of recordings.
'Write things by hand'

This is clearly a coup of sorts. On August 17, Belarus ruler Alexander Lukashenko indirectly confirmed the loss of sensitive data. "If you can't protect the information in your computers, then write things by hand and put them in drawers," he told ministers at a meeting.

Lukashenko has reportedly told ministers to use paper instead of computers to protect data

The Cyber Partisans say they will process the information and release it gradually. To do this, they set up a Telegram channel that already has 77,000 subscribers. The encrypted messaging app is often used by supporters of the opposition in Belarus because it makes it easier to bypass the censors. It was one of the biggest sources of information during anti-government protests in 2020.

DW verified the Cyber Partisans' claim that they had access to Belarusians' personal data by uploading the name of a staff member who has Belarus citizenship. Within minutes, the computer had provided passport photos, a registered address, and even information about their parents. There was even a typo identical to that of their passport.

One member of the Cyber Partisans told DW that they were not professional hackers but explained that all of them worked in the technology sector. They have said that they learned on the go and refuse to say who they are or where they are located for security reasons.

The group's main goal is reportedly to provide the Belarusian people with information. This information could also be used at the International Court of Justice in the Hague International Court of Justice or to convince the West to introduce stronger sanctions against the regime.

Apparently, one hope was that high-ranking officials would be dismissed after the cyberattack on the interior ministry but this did not happen.

'Most sensitive points'

With their cyberattacks, the collective is trying to target "the most sensitive points" of the regime and to throw the system into disarray, said the Cyber Partisans member. "While the regime is trying to put out this fire, we are already preparing the next attacks on the pillars of the state," he said, adding that this was a time-consuming, complicated process. It was hardest to access information about Lukashenko himself and his inner circle, such as high-ranking intelligence officers, the hacker added. However, the group has said it does now have access to 16,000 secret files, including several pertaining to Lukashenko and his family.

According to the Cyber Partisans, the Belarusian Interior Ministry set up a database entitled Street Riots, in which almost 39,000 people were registered last year alone, mostly because they had participated in protests after the disputed presidential elections. The database apparently has information on these protesters' passport information, as well as details pertaining to arrests and the subsequent outcome. DW has seen screenshots confirming this.

The Cyber Partisans also claim that they have obtained access to surveillance cameras in prisons and detention centers. They say that they cannot yet reveal any details but have said that they will do so as soon as they have "information that is relevant to the people."

Thousands were arrested after taking part in protests against the government last year

No remorse?

They say that what was most surprising was that the authorities had failed to take basic security precautions or had simply ignored them. For example, people often used the same password.

The Cyber Partisans have also claimed that the data is better off with them than with the ministries in charge. But they have said that "trustworthy" third parties, such as other opponents of the regime can request limited access to the raw data collection. They insist that the identity of journalists will be checked. When asked why information about the DW Belarusian journalist had been provided so readily, DW's source responded tersely: "In this case, it was a mistake. Our operating procedures have still not been finalized."

In September 2020, when the protests were in full swing, the Cyber Partisans published the names and addresses of police officers who had reportedly taken part in beating up demonstrators and other such information. They apparently don't mind using the same methods as the state security organs, which have also released the names and addresses of opponents. The group says they do not regard themselves as criminals but as combatants for democratic values.

The Cyber Partisans say that if a state uses all its instruments — such as laws and funds — to oppress peaceful citizens, and the authorities "violate the constitution so crudely," it is their "duty" and "a question of conscience" to record this.

Translated from a German article that was originally written in Russian

CRIMINAL CAPTALI$M

Mozambique: 'Hidden debt' trial exposes depth of corruption

A corruption scandal has shaken Mozambique to the core and turned it into an international pariah. This week, legal proceedings against 19 defendants have kicked off. But are the real culprits on trial?


One of 19 defendants in the 'hidden debt' trial gives answers to the tribunal


Between 2013 and 2014, three Mozambican state-owned companies, ProIndicus, Ematum and Mam, took out €1.76 billion ($2.08 billion) in loans. The colossal amount of money came from Credit Suisse and the Russian bank VTB, among others. These funds were allegedly meant to finance maritime surveillance, fishing and shipyard projects.

No projects materialized, and the operation is believed to have covered up extensive corruption for the benefit of people close to the government. The debts were concealed from the public and the international community, which finances a big part of the Mozambican national budget. Western donors temporarily suspended financial aid. Maputo had to stop repaying debts. Its metical currency collapsed, resulting in the country's worst financial crisis since independence in 1975.

The trial of, among others, Ndambi Guebuza, son of former President Armando Guebuza, and Gregorio Leao, former head of the security services, on charges of blackmail, embezzlement and money laundering is being aired live on television.

'I won't pay for the hidden debts' — a T-shirt for a campaign by civil society organization CIP denouncing the cost of the scandal for poor Mozambicans
Fighting Mozambique's graft

Many Mozambicans believe that the judicial proceedings show that the authorities are finally getting serious about fighting corruption. "It is a new era for us. Once, it was not common to try these kinds [of cases], to put entities and powerful figures on trial," one citizen told DW in the city of Quelimane.

Author and researcher Joseph Hanlon offered a more skeptical note. His doubts come from the fact that no high-ranking person is on trial. "[President Filipe] Nyusi gave a speech a couple of days ago in which he made clear that the people who are corrupt are the junior people, the managers or perhaps governors, district administrators, but not the people at the top," Hanlon told DW.

Some Mozambicans disagree with their president. Venancio Mondlane, a representative of the opposition party RENAMO, named those he sees as missing among the defendants: "I am talking about the former president of the Republic, Armando Guebuza, the current President Filipe Nyusi," Mondlane said. He also named the managers and directors of the Bank of Mozambique and the Administrative Court. "I am talking about the clear involvement of some Mozambican law firms that were, from the beginning, advising these companies," he told DW.

The blame game

Former Finance Minister Manuel Chang, who was arrested in neighboring South Africa in 2018 on a US warrant, could have been the exception. But he is at the center of a tug of war between Washington and Maputo, who both want him extradited to answer corruption charges related to the debt scandal.

Mozambican civil society supports Chang's extradition to the US but not to Mozambique. "They [Mozambican government] will be very careful that, if he is on trial, any sentence will be served in South Africa, so that he will get off quite easily in exchange for keeping quiet," said Hanlon. On the contrary, in the US, Chang could enter a plea bargain that would involve revealing details of the scandal, which may not be in the best interest of Mozambique's oligarchy, the analyst told DW.

Fingers are being pointed at President Filipe Nyusi for allegedly abetting corruption

During the trial this week, several defendants pointed accusing fingers at others. For example, asked about his involvement in the coastal protection project at the origin of the hidden debt, Ndambi Guebuza said the question should be directed at President Nyusi: "As minister of defense, Nyusi was part of the Joint Command [of the Armed Forces]," Guebuza said.

The succession battle

Guebuza is suspected of being a facilitator for his father, former President Armando Guebuza, who will testify. The statesman will have to tread carefully amid an ongoing political battle pitting him against Nyusi within the governing FRELIMO party. "They are fighting to control who is named as the next president," Hanlon said. "At least some of Nyusi's supporters want the constitution changed to allow him to run for a third term. I think that's unlikely. But they both want to control the succession, and it's a really very bitter battle."

Though skeptical, Hanlon, who lived in Mozambique for long stretches of time, says the process also gives reason for cautious hope, as it shows up the arrogance of the oligarchy.

"[Defendant Teofilo] Nhangumele said he got a million dollars, but it wasn't all that much, so he couldn't remember what he did with it. For people who are earning three dollars a day, that is a reminder of just what the wealth gap looks like in Mozambique."

Huge gas fields found 10 years ago turned Mozambique into a potentially rich country. But the discovery compounded corruption, a major concern in a nation of 30 million, where, according to the World Bank, half of the population lives below the poverty line.

Romeu da Silva and Marcelino Mueia contributed to this article.

Congo says toxic spill from an Angolan mine has killed 12 and poisoned thousands

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has said at least 12 people have died after a river was contaminated with toxic waste from an Angolan diamond mine



Congo wants compensation after a toxic spill at an Angolan mine dumped hazardous waste into Congo River tributaries

The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo said it believes toxic waste from an Angolan mine has killed 12 people and caused illness in more than 4,500 people.

The country's Environment Minister Eve Bazaiba said along with the 12 deaths, thousands had fallen ill with diarrhea and skin conditions.

Reporting on the findings of a commission of inquiry, Bazaiba said: "This catastrophe was caused by an Angolan mining company, which has acknowledged the facts."

Angolan diamond mine believed to be source of toxic spill

Catoca mine is a joint venture between Angolan state diamond company Endiama and Russia's Alrosa.

It said in a press release in August that tailings, residue of materials separated out during the mining process, had leaked into the Lova River which is a tributary of the Tshikapa River, eventually feeding into the Congo River.

Catoca said it conducted immediate repairs and sealed the breach.

In late July, Bazaiba drew a link between pollution in the Kasai River, a major tributary of the Congo River, with the toxic spill from Angola's largest diamond mine. Water in the Tshikapa and Kasai rivers had turned red.

Shortly after, officials saw dead fish and hippos in the Kasai. According to the inquiry's findings four out of five administrative territories in Kasai province have been impacted.

Researchers at Kinshasa University said in August that pollution had affected around 2 million people, causing sickness among river communities.

The environment minister has visited the country's southern province of Kasai and said the government would be seeking compensation according to the "polluter pays" principle — that those producing pollution should cover the cost of the consequences.

Provincial authorities have banned communities from consuming river water. Authorities have sent 40 metric tons of medical supplies to the area.

kb/msh (Reuters, AFP)

Doctors frustrated with 'selfishness' of unvaccinated people, protesters



© Provided by The Canadian Press


Some doctors and nurses are frustrated with large groups of anti-vaccination protesters outside hospitals in cities across the country and say limited health-care resources are being used to save the lives of those who decided not to protect themselves against COVID-19.

Dr. Steven Fedder, who works in the emergency room of a hospital in Richmond, B.C., said he has run out of patience for people whose stance against vaccines has larger societal implications.


"I think it's the ultimate selfishness that individuals choose not to vaccinate themselves. And I think they don't realize they are too arrogant to understand that we live in a society where we all have to make sacrifices," he said.

It's time that more employers, including all levels of governments, started mandating vaccines to send a strong message to those ignoring the science behind vaccination, Fedder said, adding the potential of losing a job may be the jolt people need to get immunized.

Patients suffering from other serious illnesses are affected when the health-care system starts to "grind to a halt" from the number of unvaccinated patients being hospitalized and occupying intensive care beds, Fedder said, noting people with chronic conditions often avoid going to emergency departments when cases spike, sometimes worsening their health.

"For the staff, it's exhausting. It's challenging when you have somebody come in who is there when there was a simple route to preventing what they came in with — a COVID infection. Our job is to be professional and not to be judgmental, but it's very trying for nurses and doctors and all the other health-care professionals to look at somebody who made a conscious decision not to get vaccinated."

Anti-vaccination sentiments have intensified since some provinces announced plans to require so-called vaccination passports to access places like restaurants, movie theatres and gyms. Quebec and Ontario began their programs this week and British Columbia residents will be expected to provide proof of vaccination in the coming weeks.

Over a dozen hospitals in Ontario have issued vaccine mandates for health-care staff. British Columbia's provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, has said the province is considering plans for a similar policy at acute-care settings. B.C. has already announced that staff at long-term care facilities will need to be fully vaccinated by mid-October.

Dr. Amit Arya, a palliative care physician at Kensington Health in Toronto, said rallies outside health-care facilities have been emotionally draining for him and other physicians who are burnt out from working long hours.

He denounced a group of protesters outside the University Health Network earlier this week, and said they were disrupting patients and staff from entering the hospital.

“It's really hard to grasp why any group of people would be protesting outside of hospitals, where we have vulnerable people coming in to seek medical care," said Arya, adding he has endured several months of online harassment and hate mail because of his pro-vaccine stance.

“I think people are getting really aggressive about the vaccine issue and I’m scared. I'm scared for my family, I have little children as well and I know many other colleagues in the same sort of boat as me have faced a lot of pushback.”

Vancouver police Const. Tania Visintin said a crowd of about 5,000 people rallied outside Vancouver General Hospital on Wednesday. The protests coincided with others at health-care facilities elsewhere in the province, prompting Premier John Horgan to say the targeting and harassment of health-care workers was "completely unacceptable."

On Friday, the Canadian Medical Association and the Ontario Medical Association issued a joint statement, saying health-care workers have exposed themselves to risks during the pandemic to serve others.

"Unfortunately, anti-vaccine messaging has escalated in recent weeks; and, in certain cities and communities, we are seeing mounting protest which is precluding access to much needed health-care settings and demoralizing health-care workers," it says.

"The health-care workers who have worked tirelessly for months on end are being bullied and harassed for doing their jobs. This is wrong and unacceptable – full stop. We are in a health crisis of unprecedented proportion."

Both the Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Nurses Association support mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for health-care workers as a way to protect their front-line staff and patients as well as communities, especially as cases climb around the country.

Michael Villeneuve, CEO of the nurses association, said a very small but vocal percentage of nurses, perhaps three per cent, appear to be against vaccination, especially as a condition of employment, but everyone in the profession should know COVID-19 vaccines have been rigorously tested.

"We base our decisions on science. Nursing as a science is not a collection of opinions. If we adapted care based on what (my) opinion is today versus someone else's, it would be complete chaos out there."

However, Villeneuve, a registered nurse, said it's not always clear that those protesting against vaccines and claiming to be nurses on social media in particular are actually part of the profession.

He said a national response to the public health emergency is needed instead of a patchwork of policies on vaccination in various jurisdictions, which has led to confusion.

"The frustration is, how do you bring people to see the value of the solution," he said of vaccines. "There are always people who say it's a rights-based response, with no responsibility."

— With files from Rhythm Sachdeva in Toronto.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2021.

Camille Bains, The Canadian Press

Why Canada could be burning coal well beyond the 2030 deadline set by the Liberals

Brian Hill - Yesterday 

© Troy Fleece/CP


Despite what Canadians have been told, some parts of the country could be burning coal well beyond the 2030 deadline set by the Liberals in 2016.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and a number of high-profile Liberal candidates running in the 2021 federal election have reiterated the promise that Canada will “phase out” or “power past” coal by the end of this decade.

Read more: Wildfires, drought and record heat: Why climate change matters in Election 2021

On Aug. 29, the Liberals took this pledge one step further, promising to end exports of thermal coal — the kind used to generate electricity — by 2030. This promise, the Liberals said, will align Canada’s international trading practices with its domestic climate change policies.

Canada exports about 30 million tons of coal each year from ports in British Columbia, including several million tons of thermal coal, which is either mined domestically or in the United States and then sent across the border on trains because coastal communities in California, Oregon and Washington state have deemed it too dangerous to ship.

On the surface, the Liberal promises make it seem like Canada will be done with coal in the very near future.

Read more: O’Toole doubles down on promise to return Canada to old emissions target — despite experts’ warnings

But both promises — the pledge to stop burning thermal coal by 2030 and the promise to stop exporting it — may be difficult to achieve based on current government commitments and the plans of some provinces.

At the same time the Liberal government was working on its plan to phase out coal by 2030, it was quietly negotiating an “agreement in principle” that allows Nova Scotia to keep its coal-fired electricity plants open until 2040.

This deal was announced in November 2016 at a joint press conference held by former Liberal environment minister Catherine McKenna and former Nova Scotia premier Stephen McNeil.

Video: McNeil praises PM’s willingness to compromise on coal power targets for Nova Scotia

Then, in July of this year, New Brunswick, which also burns coal for electricity, asked the federal government if it could keep one of its coal-fired plants open until 2040 because it would be too expensive to replace in time to meet the federal deadline.

When New Brunswick made this request, Liberal Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, who’s seeking re-election in B.C., said “I certainly understand” the province’s position and suggested the federal government was considering it.

"I'm not in a position yet to make a determination one way or another,” Wilkinson told the CBC in July. “It's certainly something that's under discussion.”

Right now, Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia use coal to make electricity. Alberta is on track to phase out coal by 2023, largely because of natural gas, and it’s unclear what the other provinces will do.
Plants to operate ‘beyond 2030’

In an interview with Global News on Sept. 1, Wilkinson said the Liberal Party’s position is that no one should be burning coal in Canada past 2030 — although he wouldn’t definitively say whether the Liberals, if re-elected, will reject New Brunswick’s proposal to burn coal beyond that date.

“Our position hasn’t changed. We have committed to phasing out the use of thermal coal domestically by 2030,” Wilkinson said.

“The focus for us is on working collaboratively with provinces and territories on solutions that will ensure the electricity generating system will be robust — it will be affordable.”

Read more: Feds announce new rules to phase out coal, reduce natural gas

Wilkinson also insisted that there are no “equivalency agreements” in place that enable Nova Scotia or any other province in Canada to burn thermal coal past the 2030 federal deadline. An equivalency agreement allows provinces to emit more carbon dioxide — usually by burning coal — in the future in exchange for reducing carbon emissions from other sources now.

But Wilkinson’s position, which is based on the fact that equivalency agreements like the one signed with Nova Scotia expire every five years and must be renegotiated, directly contradicts remarks made by Nova Scotia’s government when it signed the agreement in principle with the federal government in 2016.

“Nova Scotia and Canada will also establish a new equivalency agreement that will enable the province to move directly from fossil fuels to clean energy sources but enable Nova Scotia's coal-fired plants to operate at some capacity beyond 2030,” a statement from McNeil’s office published in July 2016 said.

Wilkinson’s remarks also appear to contradict statements published by the government in the Canada Gazette in 2018, which said the equivalency agreement with Nova Scotia was based on the assumption that seven of the province’s coal-fired electricity plants would continue operating “beyond 2030.”

And the equivalency agreement itself contains a provision that says the federal and provincial governments are “committed to negotiating” a new or amended deal for the period 2015-2040.

“I have much respect for Minister Wilkinson, but in this regard, he is being disingenuous regarding the spirit and intent of these agreements,” said David Khan, a lawyer with Ecojustice Canada and the former leader of the Alberta Liberal Party.

Wilkinson is “splitting hairs” and “using technicalities” to justify his position that there are no deals in place that enable Nova Scotia to burn coal beyond 2030, Khan said.

Read more: Trudeau vows to regulate oil and gas emissions, electric car sales

As for the Liberals’ pledge to stop exporting thermal coal, that promise is a work in progress, Wilkinson said, that will require discussions with coal producers and exporters if the Liberals are re-elected.

That could mean different rules for thermal coal mined in Canada versus coal mined in the United States, Wilkinson said, but the proposed ban will eventually apply to everyone.

“It will ensure that there are no thermal coal exports by no later than 2030,” Wilkinson said.

Global News asked the Conservative Party and the NDP to explain their positions on thermal and metallurgical coal. Global News also asked both parties if they’d ban thermal coal experts and whether they’d uphold recent policy decisions aimed at stopping future thermal coal development in Canada.

Neither party responded to these questions by publication.

The Green Party, meanwhile, said it supports a complete ban on the production and export of thermal coal. Paul Manly, the party’s candidate in the B.C. riding of Nanaimo-Ladysmith, said Canada should also end coal-fired electricity now — not 10 or 20 years in the future.
Push to ‘phase out’ coal

The big push to phase out coal in Canada started in the mid-2000s, when the Liberal government in Ontario decided to replace coal-fired electricity with renewable energy, such as wind and solar.

While Ontario’s efforts to eliminate coal were a huge success — the province went from making a quarter of its electricity with coal in 2006 to none by 2015 — they were enormously expensive.

Read more: Ontario hydro prices are going up and there’s not much anyone can do about it

By some estimates, the coal phase-out in Ontario and other costs associated with upgrading the province’s electricity grid will cost taxpayers and electricity ratepayers in Ontario more than $200 billion by 2045 if all debt and hydro-related subsidies are considered.

Both former premier Kathleen Wynne and former environment minister Glenn Thibeault acknowledged the way Ontario went about procuring green energy — by offering long-term contracts to wind and solar producers that guaranteed above-market rates — was a “mistake.”

Other provinces, meanwhile, haven’t had to deal with the same green energy transition. B.C., Manitoba, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador have vast supplies of hydro electricity — more than they can use, in fact.

But that doesn’t mean these provinces haven’t experienced cost overruns or opposition to renewable energy projects.

Read more: Liberals ignored green energy advice that could have saved Ontarians billions -- lead engineer says

Indigenous communities and environmental groups in each of these provinces have opposed certain hydroelectric projects due to the widespread devastation they have on wildlife and local ecosystems.

The Muskrat Falls hydro dam in Labrador was recently completed years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget. And just weeks before the 2021 federal election got underway, Trudeau promised $5.2 billion in taxpayer-funded bailout funds for the way-over-budget project and the financially struggling province that built it.

When Alberta decided it was time to stop using coal, the government created a competition where companies bid for contracts, rather than the government offering whatever rates it thought were fair.

Alberta’s Renewable Electricity Plan, created by the government of former NDP premier Rachel Notley, resulted in more than a dozen companies getting contracts for wind power at rates that were roughly a third of what Ontario paid in 2010.

Despite these results, Alberta’s United Conservative government scrapped the program in 2019, saying it offered unnecessary and wasteful “subsidies” to renewable energy companies.

Read more: Alberta legislation would unplug NDP plan to change electricity power market

But critics of this decision said it was made because Alberta’s government favours natural gas over wind and solar.

“Alberta will be fully transitioned from coal-powered electricity by the end of 2023, six years ahead of the federal target,” said Margeaux Maron, a spokesperson for Alberta’s associate minister of natural gas and electricity.

“Alberta is committed to its fair, efficient and openly competitive electricity market that is driven by private investment. Renewables can clearly compete in the market on their own, without government subsidy.”
A tale of two coals

The most recent statistics from Natural Resources Canada show Canadian mines produced 57 million tons of coal in 2019. This is slightly less than what was produced in 2018 and continues the downward trend that began in 2016.

About 27 million tons of the coal produced in 2019 was thermal coal, most of which was used to generate electricity in Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The remaining 30 million tons was “coking” or “metallurgical” coal, which is used in steel making because of the extreme heat it generates when burned.

In July, the Liberal government released a policy statement that said all new thermal coal projects, including plans to expand any existing mines, would likely cause “unacceptable environmental effects” and are therefore not aligned with Canada’s climate change objectives.

Even though companies can still apply to start new thermal coal projects, Wilkinson said, this policy, if kept in place, essentially means the end of any future thermal coal development in Canada.

Read more: Coal companies hope to move forward with mines in Alberta despite roadblocks

But no such declaration was made about metallurgical coal. Instead, the government said new metallurgical coal mines — there are four projects currently being considered in B.C. — will have to submit to a federal environmental impact assessment.

Khan, the lawyer with Ecojustice Canada, believes this doesn’t go far enough. He thinks the government should set a firm deadline for phasing out all forms of coal because of its effect on the global climate and because of the clear links between carbon emissions and extreme weather events, such as wildfires, flooding and drought.

“We think that an ambitious target for phasing out metallurgical coal could be 2035,” he said.

Although steel is an old technology, it’s essential to global efforts to tackle climate change. That’s because it’s used to manufacture wind turbines, electric vehicles, solar panels, and many other green inventions.

But steel is also responsible for roughly eight per cent of global carbon emissions, according to a recent report from the World Steel Association. The report, published in May, discusses new technologies that use far less metallurgical coal to make steel. This includes hydrogen and electric-arc furnaces — both of which are being developed internationally and in Canada.

In July, about a month before the federal election was called, the Liberals announced up to $420 million in funding for Algoma Steel to convert its Ontario production facility to electric-arc technology. Trudeau, who made the announcement in Sault Ste. Marie, said the shift away from coal will cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to three million tons a year by 2030, roughly the same as removing 900,000 gas-burning cars from the road.

Read more: Trudeau pledges $420M to phase out coal at Algoma Steel in campaign-style visit

The Liberal election platform also talks about an $8-billion government fund — $5 billion of which was promised in the most recent budget — to “decarbonize” heavy industries, such as steel and aluminum manufacturing.

The party’s platform also mentions the Atlantic Loop, a project that, if completed, would connect Quebec’s hydro power to the electricity grids of Canada’s easternmost provinces. But the platform doesn’t provide any specific details of how or when this project would be completed, nor does it say how much money it would cost.
Backlash against coal

B.C. and Alberta are by far the two largest producers of coal in Canada. Combined, the provinces account for 83 per cent coal production.

The Vista mine, located on the eastern slopes of the Rockies in Hinton, Alta., is Canada’s largest thermal coal mine. This site can produce roughly six million tons of thermal coal a year.

In May, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada announced that Vista had submitted an application to expand the mine and called for public input. If approved, this expansion could double Vista’s annual output.

But in July, Vista was told the government’s new policy aimed at curbing thermal coal production would also apply to the Vista project. This was despite the fact that Vista submitted its proposal to the government before the revised policy was announced.

“Eliminating coal-fired power and replacing it with cleaner sources is an essential part of the transition to a low carbon economy,” Wilkinson said in July.

Video: Protesters breathe sigh of relief as review panel denies Grassy Mountain coal project applications

But a June 2020 order issued by Wilkinson that said the Vista expansion must undergo a federal environmental assessment was quashed by a Federal Court judge on July 19.

The judge said Wilkinson and the government failed to consult with the Ermineskin Cree Nation, which has an agreement with the owners of the Vista mine.

“Not only was there no consultation at all, but I find Ermineskin was inexplicably frozen out of this very one-sided process,” Judge Henry Brown wrote in his decision.

Read more: Ottawa blocks development of controversial proposed Alberta coal mine

Regardless of whether the Vista project is subject to a federal environmental assessment, many Albertans are opposed to coal mining in the Rockies.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenny was forced to backtrack on a decision about metallurgical coal mines along the eastern slopes of the Rockies after intense public outcry. Environmentalists and others denounced the decision to lift the province’s 1976 coal policy as an affront to nature and as a threat to wildlife.

“With respect to the Rockies and the foothills, we're talking about a landscape that is iconic not just for Albertans, but I think it's an important part of the Canadian identity as well,” said Ian Urquhart, a political scientist and the executive director of the Alberta Wilderness Association.

“We’re talking about introducing coal mines into a landscape that's already prone to drought and water shortages. You’re robbing ecosystems of the lifeblood they need in order to live.”
The future of coal

New Brunswick’s request to continue burning coal until 2040 means the future of thermal coal in Canada remains uncertain.

“We’re pursuing an equivalency agreement with the federal government that would allow the Belledune Generating Station (which burns coal) to continue to operate at a reduced capacity to the end of its scheduled operating life in 2040,” said Mike Holland, the province’s minister of natural resources and energy.

“We believe the equivalency agreement will give us the necessary time to develop non-emitting electricity generating options.”

Read more: New Brunswick clean energy targets coming ‘before the snow hits’: minister

Saskatchewan, meanwhile, has its own equivalency deal with the federal government. The province also completed a $1.5-billion carbon capture and storage project at its Boundary Dam 3 coal-fired electricity plant, which the government says will allow it to operate beyond 2030. If a similar system isn’t built at Saskatchewan’s remaining coal-fired plants, the government will have no choice but to shut them down by 2030 in order to comply with federal regulations.

Video: How the Nova Scotia cap and trade program works

Nova Scotia said it’s committed to making sure 80 per cent of its electricity comes from renewable sources by 2030. At present, about half of the province’s electricity is generated by coal.

Peter Gregg, the president of Nova Scotia Power, the province’s only electricity utility, said the company has permission to burn coal until 2040. But, he said, it plans to phase it out sooner.

“Our customers know and are telling us that coal is not part of our future. It can't be,” Gregg said. “Our plan is to do that — to accelerate getting off coal — but to do that in a way that is also affordable for our customers.”

This means drastically increasing the supply of wind, hydro and solar power, Gregg said, plus building links with other provinces to connect their clean electricity with homes and businesses in Nova Scotia.

“(This) would be the most affordable option,” Gregg said.

Coal committee hears Albertans want overall policy on Rocky Mountain development


EDMONTON — Albertans want to talk about a lot more than coal when it comes to development in their beloved Rocky Mountains, says the head of the committee charged with collecting public opinion on the issue.

"There was such a dam of public sentiment built up behind this issue, it's like opening a sluice gate," Ron Wallace, chairman of the province's coal policy committee, said in an interview.

His group has just wrapped months of meetings with industry, environmental groups, municipalities and individuals.

As the public comment period closes, he said the group has collected 605 emailed submissions and held 59 meetings. On its website, it has published 16 technical papers and 36 meeting submissions.

If there's one theme that has emerged, Wallace said, it's that people don't want a coal policy that only deals with the how and where of mining. They want a broad policy that balances economic, environmental and recreational needs over an entire landscape.

"While our terms of reference are clearly focused on a modernized coal policy, we are recognizing that any factors that are going into that modernization are going to have to take account of these broader issues," he said.

Coal development has been controversial in Alberta since spring 2020 when the United Conservative government suddenly revoked a policy that had protected the summits and foothills of the Rockies from open-pit coal mines since 1976. Within weeks, thousands of hectares were leased for coal exploration on those landscapes — the headwaters for most of the province's drinking water and one of its favourite travel destinations.

After an intense public outcry, Energy Minister Sonya Savage restored the protections, paused the sale of new leases and struck Wallace's committee to get advice on how to proceed.

Water concerns were prominent, Wallace said. Albertans were concerned about the amount of water the industry would need in an already water-challenged region as well as about selenium contamination, an element common in coal seams and toxic to fish.

"Water has become a major theme. The great majority of Albertans are concerned primarily about water."

Others wanted to ensure that the area's recreation potential isn't impaired, especially as Alberta's population continues to grow. Some were concerned about coal's impact on endangered animal and fish species.

Others wanted to express their concerns over how the province regulates and manages energy development. Wallace pointed to a survey conducted early in the committee's consultations that suggested 85 per cent of Albertans didn't trust the province's energy regulator.

"The briefs that have come in have expanded on and confirmed those early indications from the public about their concerns over everything from regulatory enforcement all the way through to application of regional plans," Wallace said.

Some submissions supported mining.

"Those people have a great deal at stake," said Wallace. "It's their jobs, it's their welfare, it's their economy."

But most have wider concerns, including 25 municipalities that signed a letter from the Town of High River that said "the inherent value of the eastern slopes only exists with the landscape remaining intact."

Wallace points out the original 1976 coal policy was developed in conjunction with an overall policy for the eastern slopes. A modern coal policy can do no less, he said.

"A modern coal policy is going to have to be structured to take these concerns into consideration."

Wallace praised the quality of the submissions the committee received. He said the committee's public registry has become a "farmers market" for much of the best and latest research on coal, coal markets and coal's environmental impacts.

"This is a gold mine of advice for the government," he said.

He promised it will be faithfully reflected in the first volume of the committee's report. He said it will come out early this fall, with the final report due Nov. 15.

Wallace said the government will have to listen.

"People were searching for opportunities to engage. I don't see any way the government could ignore the message that's been brought forward here."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2021.

— Follow Bob Weber on Twitter at @row1960

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press