RUSHING THE IDES OF MARCH

Braid: UCP heading for a rough convention as another MLA challenges Kenney

This goes far beyond MLAs being encouraged to speak their minds on policy. These MLAs fear the collapse of their party under Kenney's leadership

Author of the article:Don Braid • Calgary Herald
Publishing date:Nov 16, 2021 •

Premier Jason Kenney in Edmonton on Monday, Nov. 15, 2021.

 PHOTO BY DAVID BLOOM /Postmedia

MLA Peter Guthrie stood up in a UCP caucus meeting Monday and read Premier Jason Kenney a letter.

The premier listened. His reaction isn’t recorded — there’s still a lingering scrap of confidentiality in this group — but he must have been furious.

The letter started leaking a couple of hours later. Guthrie, the MLA for Airdrie-Cochrane, tells me he knew it would go public. He’d sent the text to the premier and all caucus members.

Why do it? For starters, Guthrie said Tuesday, he believes UCP caucus members are “treated more like an opposition party” than an essential part of government.

His letter accuses the party and the premier’s office of meddling in local affairs, taking over ridings and even improperly funding the convention fees of Kenney loyalists from PAC funds.

“They are doing this to assist you in retaining the UCP board with the intent of controlling the (leadership) review process,” said Guthrie.

“This may not be illegal, but it is certainly unethical.”

He demands an independent investigation immediately “to hold any culprits accountable.

“And if you are complicit, then premier you need to step down here and now.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, Guthrie hadn’t heard a word from the premier’s office about whether he will be disciplined.

Neither has Chestermere-Strathmore MLA Leela Aheer, who recently said the premier knew of internal harassment allegations and should resign.

Ever since the caucus voted to kick out two critical MLAs, Todd Loewen and Drew Barnes, everybody seems free to say anything.

This goes far beyond MLAs being encouraged to speak their minds on policy. These MLAs fear the collapse of their party under Kenney’s leadership.

Guthrie and other MLAs are angry about a rule for the looming UCP weekend convention that says only the premier can bring new business to the floor.

Airdrie-Cochrane UCP MLA Peter Guthrie.

 PHOTO BY PATRICK GIBSON /Postmedia

Then there’s the contentious resolution from the Edmonton-Northwest riding, where the president, Dave Prisco, is the paid communications director for the party.

It calls for raising from 22 to 29 the number of identical riding resolutions needed for an early leadership review.

“The bar is set too low and opens up the party to troublemaking by a small minority of CA (constituency association) boards,” says the riding’s rationale.

Late Tuesday afternoon, both the premier’s office and the party began mounting defences. They’ve been a long time coming. Dealing with this uprising in silence clearly isn’t working

First, the premier’s office denied any wrongdoing by people employed in Kenney’s legislature operation, while acknowledging that they’re often politically active.

“People who happen to work at the legislature are often involved in party politics, and that is true of every party and government,” Christine Myatt, the premier’s director of government communications, said in a statement.

“However, party politics functions are relegated to off-hours (i.e. not during the daytime while working for the taxpayers).”

On that hugely controversial motion to change rules for forcing a special meeting, a source familiar with the Edmonton-Northwest motion says it was written last spring, when Kenney’s leadership wasn’t such a hot issue. It was then vetted by party members for ranking at this weekend’s convention.

At that time, a review appeared set for the 2022 annual general meeting. The riding board had no thought of affecting the convention.

As for Kenney being the only person allowed to bring a new resolution, a party statement says “floor-dropping” new business has never been permitted. There’s no explanation of why Kenney has that power, however.

The party also says “financial assistance to defray the costs of attending a political convention is not unusual.

“CAs may choose to provide financial assistance to local members. We know the NDP encourages sponsorship to their conventions and, given their rules and history, it is likely done by unions.”

There’s no mention of Guthrie’s charges about PAC funding.

Without compromise — agreeing to a leadership review early next year, for instance — the party is heading for a tense and angry convention this weekend.

But so far, it seems the premier would rather fight than bend.

Don Braid’s column appears regularly in the Herald

Twitter: @DonBraid

Facebook: Don Braid Politics

Kenney defends use of third-party money to buy tickets to upcoming annual general meeting

Author of the article: Ashley Joannou, Lisa Johnson
Publishing date:Nov 17, 2021 • 

Premier Jason Kenney speaks about the Alberta Jobs Now program during a press conference at the Hudsons pub in Calgary’s Beltline on Tuesday, November 9, 2021

. PHOTO BY GAVIN YOUNG/POSTMEDIA

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is defending the right of third-party organizations to pay entrance fees to this week’s United Conservative Party annual general meeting, amid allegations that the deck is being stacked in his favour ahead of a fight over an early leadership review.

The claim, made by UCP backbencher Peter Guthrie earlier this week, has led both independent MLA Todd Loewen and the NDP opposition to ask Alberta’s chief electoral officer to investigate if that breaks the laws related to political contributions.

Guthrie, the MLA for Airdrie-Cochrane, claims that third-party advertisers, or PACs, are paying for tickets to the meeting, scheduled to begin Friday, specifically for Kenney loyalists.

At an unrelated news conference Wednesday, Kenney said while he’s not involved in third-party political organizations, those groups are within the law to be involved in politics. He said groups often pay for youth, for example, who could not afford to register for an AGM otherwise.

“And my understanding is that, for example, delegate registration fees are not considered a (political) contribution, but I would expect and insist that any group carefully acts within the regulations,” he said.

Tickets for the UCP AGM members cost $349, for youth under 25 years old, $149, and for observers, $999.

Loewen told reporters in the legislature Wednesday that Guthrie’s allegations were “alarming,” and warrant an investigation. He countered Kenney’s claim, saying it doesn’t matter if the purchase of tickets is considered a political donation or not, election finance rules still prohibit the move.

“This is an administrative activity of the party, and as such (the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act) applies,” he said, adding as a member of the UCP planning to attend the meeting, he hopes chief electoral officer Glen Resler is able to at least provide clarity on the issue before the AGM.

NDP Opposition democracy and ethics critic Thomas Dang similarly told reporters the move is prohibited under the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act.

“If Jason Kenney is so desperate that he needs to pay people to clap for him and vote for him, that’s between him and the UCP membership, but funnelling money from a PAC into a registered political party is illegal,” said Dang, adding if the allegations are true, it violates democratic principles and opens the door to “big money” in politics.

Pamela Renwick, acting deputy chief electoral officer, said in an emailed statement Elections Alberta “is unable to comment about investigations that we may or may not be conducting,” but it publishes any findings or decisions whenever any investigation is concluded.

In question period Wednesday, Dang asked Kenney about the allegations, but House Leader Jason Nixon answered instead, denying any wrongdoing and pointing to a statement from the party.

In a statement to Postmedia Wednesday, UCP spokesman Dave Prisco said registration fees are not legally considered a contribution.

“Financial assistance to defray the costs of attending a political convention is not unusual. For example, CAs (constituency associations) may choose to provide financial assistance to local members,” he said.

“We know the NDP encourages sponsorship to their conventions and given their rules and history, it is likely done by unions.”

Dang said the claim that third parties, including unions, sponsor attendees at NDP events in similar ways is false.

“There may be people with financial hardship that need additional assistance to access the convention and and we often do work with them or their constituency associations to waive some of those fees on the party side,” he said.

The UCP meeting will see a vote on a contentious resolution calling for the threshold to go up to 29 from 22 constituency associations needed to speed up Kenney’s leadership review to within the next three months, from April’s currently-scheduled review. Already, the threshold of 22 has been met.

Loewen said he hopes members turn down the special resolution.

“Any attempt to change the goalposts at this time I think is obviously a self-serving move,” said Loewen.

Breakenridge: Haven't we learned not to be too hasty in easing Alberta's pandemic restrictions?

Author of the article: Rob Breakenridge • for the Calgary Herald
Publishing date: Nov 16, 2021 • 

Students, most of them wearing masks, leave William Aberhart High School at the end of the day in northwest Calgary on Oct. 5, 2021.

 PHOTO BY JIM WELLS/POSTMEDIA

As the Kenney government resists efforts to further scrutinize its handling of Alberta’s fourth wave of COVID-19, one can at least hope that some lessons were learned through that ordeal, chief among them, the dangerous folly of prematurely declaring victory.

After some very difficult and painful weeks, Alberta has seen some steady improvement in our pandemic situation over the last month or so. The rate of decline seems to have levelled off somewhat, however, and there is still pressure on the health-care system, but we do still appear to be coming out of that fourth wave.

Moreover, that improvement has occurred alongside restaurants, bars and gyms being open, large crowds attending sporting events and concerts, and many other aspects of life resembling something closer to normal. The proof-of-vaccination system that the government was so reluctant to introduce has certainly paid dividends.

It was probably inevitable that as Alberta’s situation improved, there would be calls to ease up on some of the measures that helped to bring about that very improvement. These restrictions are not intended to be permanent, of course, and it’s reasonable to wonder what the threshold might be for lifting or easing 

Other Canadian provinces have seen an uptick in cases in the last couple of weeks. So, too, have a number of American states. Cases have surged in a number of European countries. This is not necessarily Alberta’s fate, but it would be foolish to think we’re immune from a resurgence of the virus.

We know from our second-wave experience last year just how difficult the late fall and winter months can be. The daily case count from a year ago was half of what we ended up seeing as the peak of the second wave.

It’s no secret that some members of the UCP caucus have opposed the various health measures introduced by the government, including those implemented in response to the fourth wave. With Premier Jason Kenney facing all kinds of internal leadership pressure, there’s surely a temptation to claim victory over the fourth wave and serve up some sort of easing of restrictions to that crowd.

Some in that crowd are growing antsy enough to go public with their frustrations. For example, Calgary-South East UCP MLA Matt Jones has penned a letter to the premier calling for an end to mandatory masking and school cohorts, arguing that youth are less vulnerable to the virus and need some “normalcy” restored to their lives.

It’s easy enough to find some sympathy for that perspective, as young people have indeed suffered in many ways through this pandemic. However, if prematurely ending the measures we now have in place means ushering in a fifth wave, then that would only compound that suffering.

As it stands now, schools are open for in-person learning and youth sports and extracurricular activities are operating, as well. Let’s not put all of that in jeopardy, especially over something like masking, which is minimally intrusive.

While children are indeed less vulnerable to the virus, they aren’t invincible. The more cases we allow, the more likely we are to see those more rare serious outcomes. Children can also spread the virus, of course, which can lead to higher rates of overall community infection.

We are on the cusp of opening up vaccinations for those aged five to 11, which, combined with more widely available booster shots, should go a long way in setting us up for success in the new year. The case for patience is quite compelling in that context.

The gains we’ve made in recent weeks could easily be lost if we act too rashly — something the government should have learned by now. Hopefully we can avoid the mistakes that got us into previous messes.

“Afternoons with Rob Breakenridge” airs weekdays 12:30-3 p.m. on 770 CHQR rob.breakenridge@corusent.com Twitter: @RobBreakenridge

As Alberta’s COVID-19 numbers plateau, Hinshaw warns of fifth wave

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw. PHOTO BY DAVID BLOOM /POSTMEDIA

There’s the possibility of a fifth wave of COVID-19 cases with more people moving indoors, Alberta’s top doctor said Tuesday.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said the pandemic numbers that have dropped dramatically in Alberta in recent weeks after a late September peak have plateaued.

“While over the past few weeks have begun to come down the other side of the fourth wave, we have seen before how fast things can change,” she said.

“I would like to remind Albertans that we must stay vigilant, especially as temperatures drop and we head into winter.”

Read more.

NDP accuses Alberta government of 'cowardice' by avoiding debate on Kenney's COVID-19 leadership

Author of the article:Lisa Johnson
Publishing date:Nov 16, 2021 •  hours ago • 

NDP justice critic Irfan Sabir highlighted concerns from communities across the province over Bill 63: the Street Checks and Carding Amendment Act, April 20, 2021

. PHOTO BY NDP SUPPLIED

The Alberta NDP is accusing the government of “cowardice” after UCP MLAs used their majority to avoid debating a motion condemning Premier Jason Kenney’s leadership on COVID-19.

The motion, calling for the formal censure of Kenney’s “failed leadership” before and during the fourth wave of the pandemic, was pushed to the bottom of the legislature’s order paper Monday night, increasing the likelihood it will die on the order paper without a vote when the session ends.

On Tuesday, NDP MLA Irfan Sabir told reporters in the legislature it was a “shameful display of cowardice” by the government.

“Instead of debating the motion, Jason Kenney and his UCP MLAs ran away,” said Sabir, who added the private member’s motion is about holding Kenney accountable for the crisis created in the health-care system, including 15,000 delayed surgeries.

During question period Tuesday, NDP Leader Rachel Notley asked Kenney why members were not allowed to vote on his COVID-19 leadership record.

Kenney countered that the house did vote — to defer the motion.

“The NDP is desperate to continue trying to divide people on the basis of the pandemic rather than unite Albertans in enthusiasm for this economy,” said Kenney, who listed several recent major investments in the province.

Monday evening in the legislature, deputy government house leader Joseph Schow called the motion “frivolous.”

“Rather than discussing issues that would benefit Albertans, the NDP would rather spend time with a motion of no value whatsoever,” said Schow.

Several UCP MLAs have publicly criticized Kenney’s leadership, including Richard Gottfried and former cabinet minister Leela Aheer.

Sabir noted the motion could have given other MLAs the opportunity to speak up in the house.

Independent MLA Todd Loewen, formerly a UCP MLA, said in a statement Monday by avoiding a motion critical of the premier, the government “took overt partisanship to a new level,” and denied MLAs the opportunity to speak on behalf of their constituents.

“That Jason Kenney would allow the private member’s business process to be halted in a way that protects his own self interest tells you everything you need to know about his respect for our democratic traditions and institutions,” said Loewen.

Notley commits to more ambitious $10-a-day child care plan

After Alberta inked a $10-a-day child care deal with the federal government Monday, Notley committed Tuesday to speeding up that plan by more than a year if elected in 2023.

The current federal plan aims to deliver the lowered average fees by March 2026, but Notley said she would ensure the province has $10-a-day child care by the end of 2024.

“Five years is a long wait for parents who are looking for affordable child care now,” said Notley.

That would involve topping up the federal contribution of $3.8 billion over five years with $2.8 billion in provincial funding. Based on the province’s latest budget, the province is set to spend roughly $2 billion on child care over five years. Monday’s agreement did not come with any new provincial investments.

Notley told reporters revenue for the sped-up plan would come from tax revenues from economic growth triggered by the program.

Edmonton Journal
Tuesday's letters: Notley would have done better to fight COVID

Publishing date:Nov 16, 2021 • 

CALGARY STAMPEDE SUPERSPREADER EVENT COURTESY KENNEY

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney attends a Canada Day event in Parkland in southeast Calgary on Thursday, July 1, 2021. 

PHOTO BY JIM WELLS /Postmedia

Re. “Would Notley have done a better job than Kenney?” David Staples, Nov. 10

David Staples’ worship of Jason Kenney seems to know no bounds. 

Now he is trying to say Rachel Notley would have not done any better than Jason Kenney in dealing with the pandemic.

In his usual way, he cherry-picks his facts. Fascinating that Staples skips over the whole “Best Summer Ever” fiasco. Ms. Notley would not have abandoned all reasonable precautions for the summer to impress rich friends at the Stampede. Ms. Notley would not have gone on holidays and left no one in charge. Ms. Notley would not have lied about being in communication with the office regularly. Ms. Notley would not have stayed out of touch with Albertans for 10 days after returning to Canada.

Ms. Notley would not have set up a lottery or a $100 payment to lure the unvaccinated — American-style bribery that is actually a disincentive to vaccination. She would have set up more mobile and culturally sensitive programs that are proven to encourage vaccination. So David Staples, the answer your question: yes, Notley would have done a better job.

Charlotte Bragg, Edmonton

Russia denies endangering ISS astronauts with weapons test

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U.S. officials accused Russia of creating more than 1,500

pieces of space junk after destroying old satellite

The Associated Press · Posted: Nov 16, 2021 

The International Space Station is photographed by Expedition 56 crew members from a Soyuz spacecraft after undocking in 2018. Russian officials say a Russian missile test this week poses no threat to astronauts aboard the station, countering accusations from the U.S. and NATO. (NASA/Roscosmos/Handout/Reuters)

Russian officials on Tuesday rejected accusations that they endangered astronauts aboard the International Space Station by conducting a weapons test that created more than 1,500 pieces of space junk.

U.S. officials on Monday accused Russia of destroying an old satellite with a missile in what they called a reckless and irresponsible strike. They said the debris could damage the space station, an assessment backed by NATO's chief.

Astronauts now face four times greater risk than normal from space junk, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told The Associated Press. The defunct Russian satellite Cosmos 1408 was orbiting about 65 kilometres higher than the space station.

The test clearly demonstrates that Russia, "despite its claims of opposing the weaponization of outer space, is willing to … imperil the exploration and use of outer space by all nations through its reckless and irresponsible behaviour," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said Tuesday that Russia's action demonstrated its "complete disregard for the security, safety, stability and long-term sustainability of the space domain for all nations."

"This debris will continue to pose a direct threat to activities in outer space for years to come and puts at risk satellites all nations rely on for national security, economic prosperity and scientific discovery."

He said the United States would work with its allies "as we seek to respond to this irresponsible act."

Russia decries 'hypocrisy'

The Russian space agency Roscosmos wouldn't confirm or deny that the strike took place, saying only that the "unconditional safety of the crew has been and remains our main priority," in a statement Tuesday.

Russia's defence ministry on Tuesday confirmed carrying out a test and destroying a defunct satellite that has been in orbit since 1982, but insisted that "the U.S. knows for certain that the resulting fragments, in terms of test time and orbital parameters, did not and will not pose a threat to orbital stations, spacecraft and space activities."

It called remarks by U.S. officials "hypocritical."

WATCH | How astronauts coped with the emergency: 

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei thanked mission control for helping those aboard the International Space Station handle orbiting debris fields of space junk, calling it a great way for the crew to come together. Four of the seven crew members arrived at the orbiting outpost Thursday night. 1:07

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the strike was carried out "with surgical precision" and posed no threat to the space station. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also charged that it is "hypocrisy" to say that Russia creates risks for peaceful activities in space.

• Russian weapons test resulted in debris now threatening space station, U.S. says

• SpaceX crew arrives at International Space Station

Once the situation became clear early Monday morning, those on board the International Space Station — four Americans, one German and two Russians — were ordered to immediately seek shelter in their docked capsules. They spent two hours in the two capsules, finally emerging only to have to close and reopen hatches to the station's individual labs on every orbit, or every one and a half hours, as they passed near or through the space debris.

Even a fleck of paint can do major damage when orbiting at 28,000 km/h. Something big, upon impact, could be catastrophic.

'A reckless act': NATO head

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg agreed that Russia's actions endangered the space station.

"This was a reckless act by Russia to actually shoot down and destroy a satellite as part of a test of an anti-satellite weapons system," which created a lot of space debris, Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels.

He said it was of additional concern "because it demonstrates that Russia is now developing new weapons systems that can shoot down the satellites, can destroy important space capabilities for basic infrastructure on Earth, like communications, like navigation, or like early warning of missile launches."

In this image from video provided by NASA, the Expedition 66 crew poses for a photo on Thursday after SpaceX delivered four new crew members to the International Space Station. (The Associated Press)

The German Foreign Ministry also said it was "very concerned" by the test, which it said resulted in "additional risks" for the astronauts on the ISS. 

"This irresponsible behaviour carries a high risk of miscalculations and escalation," it said, adding that the test underlines the urgency of an international agreement on rules for the peaceful use of space.

NASA Mission Control said the heightened threat could continue to interrupt the astronauts' science research and other work. Four of the seven crew members only arrived at the orbiting outpost on Thursday night.

A similar weapons test by China in 2007 also resulted in countless pieces of debris. One of those threatened to come dangerously close to the space station last week. While later the risk it posed was dismissed, NASA had the space station move anyway.

Anti-satellite missile tests by the U.S. in 2008 and India in 2019 were conducted at much lower altitudes, well below the space station, which orbits about 420 kilometres above Earth.

Powerful Webb space telescope featuring Canadian instruments set for Dec. 18 launch

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Scientists will be able to see some things for 1st time, like

 stars and galaxies from the early universe

Sidhartha Banerjee · The Canadian Press · Posted: Nov 16, 2021 

After the successful completion of final tests in August, the James Webb Space Telescope is being prepared for shipment to its launch site. Webb is now planned for launch on Dec. 18, 2021. (Chris Gunn/NASA via Canadian Space Agency)

In just over a month, the world's largest, most advanced telescope will be launched into orbit from a spaceport in South America, and among those eagerly watching will be Montreal physics professor René Doyon.

The James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to blast off Dec. 18 aboard the Ariane 5 rocket from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana. The orbiting infrared observatory, a collaboration between NASA and the European and Canadian space agencies, will be 100 times more powerful than its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope launched in 1990.

It will feature two Canadian components: a fine guidance sensor that will help it stay locked on target, and an instrument called a Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph, or NIRISS, that will help study astronomical objects, from exoplanets to distant galaxies.

Doyon, a physics professor at Université de Montréal, is the principal investigator of the Canadian-built tools and has been working toward this for 20 years. He said it's both an exhilarating and a fretful time.

Before the massive telescope starts to work, there will be plenty of tense moments. The two weeks immediately after launch will be critical as the telescope unfurls in an elaborate sequence described by NASA engineers during a recent briefing as an origami exercise.

• NASA's next-generation space telescope beset by more delay, cost

"It's what we call the 14 days of terror — the time it takes to deploy the telescope — but I'm very confident," Doyon said in a recent interview. "We've tested this and retested, so there's good reason to believe everything is going to be fine."

Webb arrives at Pariacabo harbour in French Guiana from California on board the MN Colibri. (ESA/CNES/Arianespace)

The telescope, named after the former NASA administrator who led the Apollo lunar exploration program, has been folded compactly for launch, and thousands of parts must work to allow it to unfold properly. It will be operated at a distance of 1.5 million kilometres from Earth, too far to be serviced as was possible with Hubble, which was just 500 kilometres away.

The instruments on the Webb telescope can only function properly at a very low temperature — minus 233 degrees C — so one of its components is a sunscreen the size of a tennis court that will shield it from the heat of the sun and the light of the Earth and moon.

10 Canadians will get to use telescope

Canada's contribution means that when the telescope is ready to operate — expected around the middle of next year — the country is guaranteed at least five per cent of the telescope's available observation time. Of 286 proposals accepted worldwide for the first year of use, 10 will have Canadians as the principal investigators.

Many have been waiting eagerly for Webb's launch, which has been delayed several times. Doyon said Webb's infrared wavelength viewing capabilities mean scientists will be able to see some things for the first time, like the first stars and galaxies from the early universe after the Big Bang. It will also represent a huge leap for the study of exoplanets — planets outside our solar system — to probe their atmospheres for clues of early life.

Sarah Gallagher, science adviser at the Canadian Space Agency, said it's an exciting time.

"It's the culmination of decades of work by really talented people, and I'm so proud of our Canadian contribution, the scientific one and the industrial one. I think it really showcases the strength of our community," she said in an interview.

"We have people who want to study bodies in our solar system, planets around other stars, galaxies in the very early universe and all sorts of different topics."

Among them will be Loic Albert, who will be able to continue his work on brown dwarfs — essentially failed stars. The project involves looking for companions for about 20 of them, and he will use Webb's sensitivity to his advantage.

"In my case, James Webb opens the possibility of studying some specific types of brown dwarfs, the coldest and the least massive brown dwarfs. They are so faint that you can't observe them from the ground," said Albert, a researcher at Université de Montréal and a scientific instrument expert for Webb.

Albert says scientists who've been studying exoplanets using Hubble's limited capability should reap the rewards of Webb. 

"For the exoplanet community, it's going to be a game changer," he said in an interview. "It's going to allow measuring exoplanet atmospheres for a large number of planets and at exquisite detail."

Doyon, who is planning to travel to French Guiana for the launch next month, said the prospect of unintended discoveries is the most exciting part ahead of Webb's launch.

"Every time a new telescope is started, history shows that after five or 10 years, you ask the question, what was the biggest discovery the telescope did. It's something that was not planned," he said. "I'm sure Webb will be the same."

Sajeev John wins Canada’s top science award for his work on trapping light in microchips

Alexandra Mae Jones

CTVNews.ca writer
Wednesday, November 17, 2021 


Professor Sajeev John is the recipient of this year’s Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering, Canada’s most prestigious award for science, for his work in trapping light in microchips.

TORONTO -- Sajeev John first came up with the concept of trapping light when he was a PhD student at Harvard in 1984 — now, decades later, he’s winning awards for the concept and working on how to apply this idea to revolutionize solar technology.

John, a theoretical physicist and professor at the University of Toronto, is the recipient of this year’s Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering, Canada’s most prestigious award for science, which includes a boost in funding.

“The funding is something that's very valuable to me,” he told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview.

The Gerhard Herzberg Medal, named for the Canadian physicist who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1971, is awarded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. The recipient has their funding boosted for five years, adding up to $1 million in total.

The light trapping technology he first thought of more than three decades ago has been used to make optical fibres, with applications including lasers used in medicine.

“This has actually been used in medical therapies for laser surgery, for guiding high-intensity lights from a flexible endoscope […] to vaporize tumors and things like that,” he said.

This technology could play a key role in future supercomputers, but right now, the manufacturing cost is too high due to the level of perfection needed.

“The computer application is something that's a little bit further into the future,” John said.

Instead of supercomputers, John has his focus turned towards how light trapping could change solar technology — something that could be crucial in the ongoing fight against climate change.

“The amount of solar energy that's raining down on the surface is about a factor of a hundred thousand greater than the total power consumption of all humans on Earth,” he said. “So it’s a matter of capturing it efficiently.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ‘TRAP LIGHT’?

John said the idea started when, as a student, he began to wonder if photons, “the elementary particles of light,” could be trapped “by some arrangement of matter” the way that electrons are contained inside atoms.

One thing that makes light very different from other particles is that light also acts as a wavelength, something that was first discovered in the 1860s.

“Since that time […] no one one had really conceived of a way of trapping a light wave and some considered it impossible since light is pure energy and it moves so fast,” John said.

“The idea was to make use of this wave character. Waves interfere — if a crest meets a crest, there's what's called constructive interference, but the crest meets the trough and they cancel out.

“So I was able to come up, theoretically, with an arrangement of matter — and by matter, I mean a material like silicon — that if you geometrically shaped it and arrange these chunks of silicon in a periodic matter, it would cause the light to interfere with itself in practically any direction it would like to try and escape from the point at which it was created.”

The base idea of trapping light became his PhD thesis, but the idea for how to trap it was fleshed out further in a paper in 1987 that he wrote when he was an assistant professor at Princeton, which described the theoretical idea of creating a material that could trap light on a scale comparable to its wavelength, something called photonic band gap materials.

“That's where the subject really started taking off,” he said. “And it drew a lot of interest because […] now there was actually a little bit of a path theoretically prescribed so that people could actually think about what type of material to make that would do this.”

Other scientists and groups hoping to experiment with this theory became interested at that point in finding ways to confirm John’s predictions and find applications for this idea.

And scientists are still finding new applications for it, John included.

CHASING NEW SOLAR TECHNOLOGY

“One of the things that I'm currently interested in is trapping light, not from a laser, but from the sun,” John said. “The source of most of our energy.”

His current project is designing solar cells capable of trapping light more efficiently than existing solar products.

“Now, sunlight comes over a very broad range of wavelength,” he said. “So we have to capture all those waves and we'd like to do it in a very thin material, which is very different from standard solar panels.”

He said that by introducing a mechanism for trapping light, you could make solar cells out of silicon — the material existing solar panels are largely made of — much thinner and even flexible.

“You could put them on a variety of different surfaces — building surfaces, automobiles, and even clothing,” he said. “It's this ability to trap light in a very thin material and a material that is very abundant and non-toxic such as silicon […] which is, I think, the breakthrough that we're trying to develop into something more of a technology right now.”

Experiments are already being run to test and refine this concept.

John said he had collaborators in Toronto, Australia and Germany who are working on making this a reality, including experts in traditional solar technology.

“The designs that I have developed theoretically are being implemented by this group ‘down under’ to put onto the top surface of a solar cell, this photonic crystal or light-trapping architecture, and this is being placed on a silicon structure, which already has the high-quality electronics built by the group in Germany that has world records in solar cells,” John said.

“So even as we talk right now, this is actually being implemented and being tested. I think we'll have some answers about device efficiency within the next year.”

If this technology works as it’s been designed, it could change how we think about solar energy, with potential applications as a coating on automobiles or buildings.

“You could make solar energy capture much more ubiquitous, not just on a few solar farms or a few rooftops,” John said.

He pointed out the silicon is abundant on Earth and is non-toxic, and if this method works, it may not require some of the more toxic chemicals required in traditional solar panels.

Another use of this light trapping technology that is being looked into is using it to more efficiently produce hydrogen fuel by splitting water into oxygen gas and hydrogen gas.

It’s called photocatalysis, but is sometimes thought of as “artificial photosynthesis,” John explained, as it’s using the energy from the sun to charge electrons and cause chemical reactions that can transform water, similar to how plants use the sun’s energy.

Trapping more light would streamline the process.

“If you could collect 10 times as much hydrogen, then it is more cost-effective — that’s the idea behind it,” John said.

Although he’s got his hands full right now, in the future, John said he would like to see if this technology could be used in medical imaging to potentially help detect diseases even earlier.

“The type of people I interact with, the beauty of the science itself, they’re certainly all tremendous inspiration,” he said.

 

A first in fossil research: Seeds sprouting from an amber-encased pine cone

by Steve Lundeberg, Oregon State University

Credit: Oregon State University

Oregon State University research has uncovered the first fossil evidence of a rare botanical condition known as precocious germination in which seeds sprout before leaving the fruit.

In a paper published in Historical Biology, George Poinar Jr. of the Oregon State College of Science describes a pine cone, approximately 40 million years old, encased in Baltic amber from which several embryonic stems are emerging.

"Crucial to the development of all plants, seed germination typically occurs in the ground after a seed has fallen," said Poinar, an international expert in using plant and animal life forms preserved in amber to learn about the biology and ecology of the distant past. "We tend to associate viviparity – embryonic development while still inside the parent – with animals and forget that it does sometimes occur in plants."

Most typically, by far, those occurrences involve angiosperms, Poinar said. Angiosperms, which directly or indirectly provide most of the food people eat, have flowers and produce seeds enclosed in fruit.

"Seed germination in fruits is fairly common in plants that lack seed dormancy, like tomatoes, peppers and grapefruit, and it happens for a variety of reasons," he said. "But it's rare in gymnosperms."

Gymnosperms such as conifers produce "naked," or non-enclosed, seeds. Precocious germination in pine cones is so rare that only one naturally occurring example of this condition, from 1965, has been described in the scientific literature, Poinar said.

"That's part of what makes this discovery so intriguing, even beyond that it's the first fossil record of plant viviparity involving seed germination," he said. "I find it fascinating that the seeds in this small pine cone could start to germinate inside the cone and the sprouts could grow out so far before they perished in the resin."

Needles at tip of hypocotyl. Credit: Oregon State University

At the sprouts' tips are needle clusters, some in bundles of five, associating the fossil with the extinct pine species Pinus cembrifolia, which was previously described from Baltic amber, Poinar said.

Pine cones in Baltic amber are not commonly found, he added. The ones that do appear are prized by collectors and because the cones' scales are hard, they're usually very well preserved and appear lifelike.

Viviparity in plants typically shows up in one of two ways, Poinar said. Precocious germination is the more common of the two, the other being vegetative viviparity, such as when a bulbil emerges directly from the flower head of a parent plant.

"In the case of seed viviparity in this fossil, the seeds produced embryonic stems that are quite evident in the amber," he said. "Whether those stems, known as hypocotyls, appeared before the cone became encased in amber is unclear. However, based on their position, it appears that some growth, if not most, occurred after the pine cone fell into the resin.

"Often some activity occurs after creatures are entombed in resin, such as entrapped insects depositing eggs," Poinar said. "Also, insect parasites sometimes flee their hosts into the resin after the latter become trapped. In the case of the pine cone, the cuticle covering the exposed portions of the shoots could have protected them from rapid entrance of the resin's natural fixatives."

Research on viviparity in extant gymnosperms suggests the condition could be linked to winter frosts. Light frosts would have been possible if the Baltic amber forest had a humid, warm-temperate environment as has been posited, Poinar said.

"This is the first fossil record of seed viviparity in plants but this condition probably occurred quite a bit earlier than this Eocene record," he said. "There's no reason why vegetative viviparity couldn't have occurred hundreds of millions of years ago in ancient spore-bearing plants like ferns and lycopods."Ancient, newly identified 'mammoth weevil' used huge 'trunk' to fight for mates

More information: George Poinar, Precocious germination of a pine cone in Eocene Baltic amber, Historical Biology (2021). DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2021.2001808

Provided by Oregon State University 

Alaska’s largest-ever gold nugget up for sale
MINING.COM Staff Writer | November 16, 2021 |

The Alaska Centennial Nugget. (Image: Heritage Auctions, HA.com.)

A rare and massive gold nugget, weighing around 20lbs (9kg), has been put up for sale 23 years after it was discovered and it’s expected to reach at least $1 million at an auction that takes place on Dec. 8.


The Alaska Centennial Nugget, estimated at the size of a baby’s head, was discovered by gold miner Barry Clay near the town of Ruby, Alaska, in 1998, 100 years after the 1896 Klondike Gold Rush.

He found the valuable remnant while pushing dirt with his bulldozer along the shores of the Swift Creek Mine.

The nugget is the largest ever found in Alaska, and only smaller than the “Boot of Cortez” nugget found in Mexico, which weighs 24lbs (11kg).

Clay is said to have buried the nugget near a tree, buying time until he decided what to do with his remarkable find.

The current owner bought the rock directly from Clay, and it has been in the same family for more than two decades.

The upcoming auction will be the first public offering of the museum-quality piece.

The fact that the Alaska Centennial gold nugget exists at all makes it all the more exceptional, Craig Kissick, Director of Nature and Science at Heritage Auctions said in a video.

“Fewer than 50 gold nuggets over 250 ounces exist as gold in nugget form… (it’s) inherently rare; gold nuggets of massive size, even more so,” he says.

Some of Alaska’s richest placers worked in the area around the town of Ruby from 1910 to 1920. There are only a handful of commercial mining operations there today.

Copper logjam in Chinese ports shows lingering pandemic snarls
Bloomberg News | November 16, 2021 |

Stock image.

A copper logjam in Chinese ports is showing signs of easing but remains at more than triple pre-pandemic levels.


Ships able to carry about 370,000 tons of semi-processed concentrates from Chile and Peru are waiting to be unloaded, IHS Markit data show. While that’s down 13% from October, it’s still way above year-ago levels and represents 30-40% of all monthly deliveries to China from the top two mining nations.

The bullish take on the stubbornly long lineup is that it’s part of the global supply chain disruptions that have seen, for example, a record number of container ships outside California ports.

While bulk commodities are less affected than containers packed with toys and refrigerators, Covid-19 protocols at Chinese ports have generated congestion throughout the pandemic, according to Juan Carlos Guajardo, who heads consulting firm Plusmining. That means about a 10-day wait for ships carrying the South American concentrate that feeds Chinese copper smelters.

But while supply delays help explain tight global metal markets, there’s also a bearish read here. The commodity pileup may be partly due to slowing Chinese demand, with smelters and manufacturers under pressure to contain emissions and power use.

Still, IHS Markit analyst Daejin Lee expects congestion to ease toward year-end with fewer arrivals of dry bulk shipments over the winter. Delays in Peruvian cargoes amid community protests may also help break the logjam in China, albeit temporarily.

(By Yvonne Yue Li and James Attwood)

Europe, Asia on alert after reporting ‘severe’ avian influenza outbreak
WION Web Team
New Delhi Published: Nov 16, 2021, 

Representative image Photograph:( AFP )

China has reported 21 human infections with the H5N6 subtype of avian influenza so far this year. India had reported its first case of human transmission in July this year when an 11-year-old boy died of H5N1 virus

Several outbreaks of severe bird flu have been reported in Europe and Asia to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), triggering fears of human transmission.

China has reported 21 human infections with the H5N6 subtype of avian influenza so far this year, which is more than in the whole of 2020, according to local media reports.

Japan has reported its first outbreak of the 2021 winter season, at a poultry farm in the northeast of the country, the OIE said, confirming a statement last week by Japan's agriculture ministry. The serotype in this outbreak was H5N8.

South Korea, too, reported an outbreak at a farm of around 770,000 poultry in Chungcheongbuk-do, the OIE said on Monday, citing a report from the South Korean authorities. All animals were slaughtered.

In India, some parts of the state reported the spread of avian influenza. In western Rajasthan state, 189 birds died due to H5N1 virus on Sunday.

Also read | Bird Flu triggers worries of another pandemic

India had reported its first case of human transmission in July this year when an 11-year-old boy died of H5N1 virus while undergoing treatment for leukaemia and pneumonia in Dehli’s AIIMS hospital.

In Europe, Norway reported an H5N1 bird flu outbreak in the Rogaland region in a flock of 7,000 birds, the OIE said.

Also read | Russia reports first cases of H5N8 bird flu in humans

The Belgian government has put the country on a bird flu lockdown, ordering poultry to be kept indoors as of Monday, after a highly pathogenic variant of bird flu was identified in a wild goose near Antwerp.

Similarly, France and Netherlands also announced strict measures to curb the spread of virus in October.

Germany reported several cases in a couple of farms with the latest outbreak seen on Wednesday.

Also read | Japan confirms this season's first bird flu outbreak, culling 143,000 chickens

Bird flu or Avian influenza is a highly infectious and severe respiratory disease in birds caused by the H5N1 influenza virus, which can occasionally infect humans as well.

According to experts, Bird flu cannot be transmitted through the eating of poultry products.

According to World Health Organization, from January 2003 to July 8, 2021, there were 239 cases of human infection of avian influenza. Of these cases, 455 were fatal. The last was reported from Laos on October 31, 2020.

(With inputs from agencies)