Biden skips traditional press conference with Trudeau and Obrador


The "Three Amigos" gathering of the leaders of the U.S., Canada and Mexico on Thursday will be missing one of the staples of the summit: the joint news conference featuring all three leaders.

© Chris Roussakis/Bloomberg via Getty Images Vice President Joe Biden Meets With Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

It's the first in-person gathering of the leaders since 2016, before Donald Trump was elected president. Mr. Trump's relationship with the Canadian and Mexican leaders was strained by the tariffs he imposed, although later, he and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador grew friendlier. That wasn't the case with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whom Mr. Trump famously disparaged as "two-faced."

Mr. Biden pitched himself as the return of normalcy and tradition when running for office against Mr. Trump, so skipping the press conference came as something of a surprise to White House reporters this week. In all eight summits held since their inception in 2005, there has been a trilateral press conference. Former President Obama hosted press conferences with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts in 2012, as did former President Bush in 2008 and 2005.

At that last 2016 news conference, reporters were able to ask tough, even uncomfortable questions of Mr. Obama, Trudeau, and then Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto — in particular, about their responses to Mr. Trump's GOP nomination, victory and the future relations between the U.S. and Mexico on issues like NAFTA and migration.

"Whoever becomes the president of the United States is going to have a deep, strong interest in having a strong relationship with Mexico. It's our neighbor, our friend and one of our biggest trading partners," Mr. Obama said at the time. "I think I've made myself clear, setting aside whatever the candidates are saying, that America is a nation of immigrants. That's our strength."

Without a press conference Thursday, Mr. Biden will not be forced to answer questions about his decision to continue with Title 42, a controversial public health policy used at the Mexican border to rapidly expel migrants based on concerns about COVID-19. Mr. Biden has been roundly criticized by progressives and immigration advocates for continuing to rely on it to try to keep the numbers at the border down. A U.S. District Court judge in Texas has also determined the Biden administration improperly ended the "Remain in Mexico Policy."

Nonetheless, the summit and news conference have generally projected a kind of continental unity, one that may have peaked during the Obama years.

Last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said she thought a press conference had been planned. But no press conference appeared on the president's Thursday schedule released Wednesday night. The president does have a bill signing prior to his meetings with Trudeau and Obrador, and as always, it's possible he could take questions then.

Trudeau may be going it alone with the press at his own availability Thursday evening at the Canadian Embassy, according to the prime minister's schedule. The Mexican government has not yet said whether Obrador will hold a solo press conference after the meeting.

Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told CBS News during a press conference he held Wednesday that the resolution from the three leaders is "more precise" than a press conference.

Asked Wednesday about a joint press conference, White House deputy press secretary Chris Meagher said there would be "pool sprays" — that is, opportunities before meetings begin. In these brief on-camera moments, reporters have the chance to yell out questions, but leaders can just ignore the questions.

One reporter asked the White House on Wednesday whether the lack of the news conference could be chalked up to recent comments Mr. Biden has made that had to be "cleaned up" by the White House press office.

"You guys (the press office) had to clean up not only [Mr. Biden's] Olympic comment, but his comment on the timing for the Fed [chair nomination] and his Taiwan comment. Is the worry that you don't want the president taking questions," Bloomberg's Justin Sink asked Meagher.

In addition to the pool sprays, Meagher responded that "the president often takes questions throughout the course of the day, throughout the course of trips, throughout the course of his day at the White House."

Thursday's meetings are likely to have some contentious moments, aside from immigration matters. Canada and the U.S. have sparred over tariffs.

Though Mr. Trump did not host a North American Leaders Summit with his Mexican and Canadian counterparts, he met with them individually and at events elsewhere, and he was able to get a new trade agreement signed.

The three leaders plan to address economic challenges they face, COVID-19, climate change and other pressing issues. The White House says the three nations will "reaffirm their strong ties and integration while also charting a new path for collaboration on ending the COVID-19 pandemic and advancing health security; competitiveness and equitable growth, to include climate change; and a regional vision for migration."

Kathryn Watson 
— CBS News' Arden Farhi and Jacob Rosen contributed to this report.

MAYBE THIS IS WHY
Mexican minister chides U.S. for protectionism ahead of summit

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's economy minister rebuked the United States ahead of a North American leaders summit for pursuing what she described as protectionist policies that were liable to backfire and spur immigration.

Economy Minister Tatiana Clouthier, who will attend the gathering of the leaders of Mexico, the United States and Canada in Washington on Thursday, said she had never expected the United States to become so closed economically.

"The way I've seen them close themselves, they've closed themselves off and protected themselves, it's incomprehensible from my perspective," she told website Codigo Magenta in an interview broadcast on Tuesday.

"And this business of them apparently not wanting migration coming their way, they're causing it by closing themselves off. And if they carry on, they'll cause more of it," she added, noting protectionist measures undermined Mexico's labor market.

Detentions of illegal immigrants on the U.S.-Mexico border have surged this year, piling pressure on U.S. President Joe Biden to curb the flow of people and tighten the frontier.

Clouthier is part of the delegation traveling with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for his Thursday meetings with Biden and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

She said a dispute with Washington over the interpretation of regional content rules for the auto industry under a North American trade pact was "really hurting" Mexico.

Rather than pushing a "Buy American" agenda, the United States should focus on "Buy North American," she argued.

"Why? Because we're a region. And President Lopez Obrador has said it to Biden, he's said it to Kamala," she added, referring to U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.

"He's said if we don't see ourselves as a region, we won't be able to deal with the challenges we have in the world."

(Reporting by Dave Graham)

Largest U.S. Bank Cuts Ties to Conservative Group, Canceling Donald Trump Jr. Event
Aila Slisco 

The country's largest bank has cut ties with a Missouri conservative group, forcing an event that had been set to feature Donald Trump Jr. to be immediately canceled.

© Alex Wong/Getty The Donald Trump Jr. event was reportedly canceled after JPMorgan Chase-owned WePay said it violated a policy against "hate, violence, racial intolerance, terrorism, the financial exploitation of a crime, or items or activities that encourage, promote, facilitate, or instruct others regarding the same." Trump is pictured during a rally in Dalton, Georgia on January 4, 2021.

The December 3 St. Charles, Missouri, event featuring the son of former President Donald Trump was organized by the conservative Defense of Liberty political action committee. WePay, a payment processor owned by JPMorgan Chase, had reportedly been used to handle the event's ticket transactions until the arrangement fell apart.

Defense of Liberty founder Paul Curtman, a former GOP state representative, told the Missouri Independent that WePay informed him in a message that it would no longer do business with his group based on an alleged violation of terms of service and had refunded $30,000 in payments already processed for the event.

"It seems you're using WePay Payments for one or more of the activities prohibited by our terms of service," the message reportedly states. "More specifically: Per our terms of service, we are unable to process for hate, violence, racial intolerance, terrorism, the financial exploitation of a crime, or items or activities that encourage, promote, facilitate, or instruct others regarding the same."

The quoted terms of service appear on the WePay website under the heading "Illegal." Other violations listed under the category include "deceptive, unfair, or predatory practices" and "forced child labor/human trafficking, slavery." The specifics of why the Defense of Liberty PAC was found to be engaging in "illegal" activity is unclear.

"My personal sense of why they did this is kind of along the same lines we have been seeing in our culture in recent years," Curtman told the news outlet. "If someone has a different idea politically, there is an attempt to silence them or shut them down."

"I can't think of a single instance where anything we have done at any one of these events violates one of their terms of service," he added. "They are trying to shut us down because they don't like our politics."

Former Republican state Senator Jim Lembke, who was working with the group on the event, reportedly said that the Trump Jr. appearance was expected to draw an audience of 3,000 people. Tickets were priced between $70 and $250, while guests could participate in a special event with Trump Jr. before the main event for another $500.

Lembke announced that the event had been canceled during a local radio interview on Tuesday. He told the Missouri Independent a day later that the move "directly speaks to a woke corporation that is trying to cancel free speech and specifically the speech of Donald Trump Jr."

Newsweek reached out to WePay for comment.

P.E.I. declares moratorium on 'renovictions' for 2 years
Kerry Campbell 

© Nicole Williams/CBC Tenants Marlene Gallant, Dylan Menzie and Dave Neatby display the eviction notice they were provided by their Charlottetown landlord in Feb. 2020.

Prince Edward Island has enacted a two-year moratorium on what have become known as "renovictions" — evictions of tenants by their landlords in order to renovate their units.

Politicians from all parties have acknowledged that the practice, allowed under the province's Rental of Residential Property Act, is sometimes used by landlords to skirt around provincial rent controls.

"What it means is that, immediately, there is a halt on people coming home and finding eviction notices taped to their door… because the landlord wants to paint their apartment and then rent it again for a higher rent," said Green MLA Hannah Bell, an opposition member who sponsored the bill that passed in the legislature Wednesday.

Annual rent increases in P.E.I. are capped by the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission. For 2021, the maximum allowable increase was one per cent. The same limit has been set for 2022.

That limit applies even if a new tenant moves into the same unit. But if the landlord renovates the unit, the limit on rent increases doesn't apply when the unit is occupied again.

© Al MacCormick/CBC 

Green MLA Hannah Bell introduced a bill in the P.E.I. Legislature that was passed Wednesday, which limits the ability of landlords to evict tenants in order to renovate their apartments.

"This is a huge, huge problem in Prince Edward Island," said Liberal MLA Gord McNeilly.

"This is really all about people during a crisis, and I think that this is a good piece of legislation to provide some relief to some desperate people in our community."
Housing shortage, increasing costs

P.E.I. has for years been struggling with a shortage of available housing, along with increasing housing costs.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation determined the apartment vacancy rate for P.E.I. was 2.6 per cent in October 2020. It bottomed out at 0.3 per cent in 2018.

P.E.I. has also led the country for years in population growth, while housing starts have not kept up.

Meanwhile, rising housing costs have helped make P.E.I. the national leader when it comes to inflation.

The annual increase in the cost of living in October for P.E.I. was 6.6 per cent. Over the previous 12 months, rental costs increased in the province by 7.6 per cent, according to Statistics Canada.

© Rick Gibbs/CBC 

P.E.I.'s Housing Minister, Brad Trivers, said he believes most Island landlords are acting in good faith.

On Tuesday, MLA Cory Deagle from the governing PC Party asked the government to open an emergency shelter in his community of Montague, saying a lack of housing and rents that are out of reach for many have led to residents sleeping in cars and living in tents.

"I was kind of taken aback by it," he told the legislature, explaining it had been his impression homelessness was an issue affecting large urban centres, not small rural towns like Montague.
Fighting eviction takes a toll: advocate

IRAC doesn't track the number of evictions in P.E.I. — only the number that are contested.

Speaking on the floor of the legislature in support of the Green Party's bill, housing advocate Connor Kelly said fighting an eviction notice takes a toll on tenants because they prepare arguments for their case and worry about where they are going to live.

"I've talked to tenants who basically are considering suicide if they don't win, because they'll end up being homeless, because they have no options to find housing," Kelly told MLAs.

The Green Party had been hoping for a blanket moratorium on renovictions for two years. But Housing Minister Brad Trivers introduced an amendment to allow evictions if the renovations are required "to protect or preserve the property or to protect the health and safety of persons."

"The assumption here is that many, many landlords are acting on bad faith," Trivers said. "I prefer to take the view that most landlords are acting on good faith."

He said his amendment was required to allow landlords to perform necessary repairs.

"If you have a unit where there's significant mould … or you might have a pipe burst and there's six inches of water, again this is not a situation where a tenant can necessarily stay in the unit while the renovations are done," he said.

The Greens came back with an amendment of their own, saying if an eviction notice goes out, the landlord has to have obtained a building permit — in the hopes that will provide some assurance the renovations actually require the unit to be empty. The amendment passed.

Bell expressed concern the changes to her bill opened the door for the moratorium to be sidestepped, but declared "it's the best we can do right now, and that's better than nothing at all, and that's what Islanders need us to do."

While the moratorium is set to be in place for two years, Trivers said the government plans to table new tenancy legislation in the spring, and have it implemented by June. That new legislation would supercede the Greens' bill.

In February 2020, the province unveiled draft legislation that included a number of measures meant to protect tenants in cases of renoviction — including first right of refusal on the unit once it's renovated, a longer period of notice required before eviction, and a requirement that the renovations be extensive enough to require a building permit.

After pandemic-related delays in consultations, Trivers said a new draft of the legislation will be ready to present by Christmas.

Grassy Narrows takes Ontario to court for issuing mining exploration permits
Logan Turner 

© FreeGrassy.net 

Chief Randy Fobister, near the shoreline at Grassy Narrows First Nation in northwestern Ontario, wants the province to quash the nine mineral exploration permits they issued in the territory of Grassy Narrows.

Members of a First Nation in northwestern Ontario are accusing the government of breaking the law in granting nine permits for mineral exploration in traditional territory without consulting them — a requirement under the Canadian Constitution and Ontario's Mining Act.

Asubpeeschoseewagong (Grassy Narrows) First Nation wants all nine permits quashed and a declaration that the government "breached the honour of the Crown," according to legal documents filed with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Monday.

The permits were issued between September 2019 and February 2021 for land that's been subject to a moratorium on industrial activity by the people of Grassy Narrows since 2007. But the First Nation only learned about them in May, according to the legal documents.

"When the government issues mining permits behind our backs, that's not reconciliation. That's destruction," Grassy Narrows Chief Randy Fobister told CBC News.

Early exploratory activities allowed by the permits, such as the drilling of holes and "mechanized surface stripping which involves the use of heavy equipment to remove all vegetation and soil from areas of rock," could cause harm to the lands that make up the traditional territory of the First Nation, said Fobister.

Lands have been devastated by industrial activities like clear-cut logging, mining and mercury poisoning since at least the mid-1900s, he added.

Old maps of First Nation lands used: chief

After learning about the exploration permits, Grassy Narrows requested additional information.

On June 25, the First Nation received a response from Ontario indicating it wasn't consulted on any of the exploration permits because it only allowed mining activities outside the boundaries of Grassy Narrows traditional territory, the legal documents say.

But the province was relying on a map with old boundaries from the 1980s, Fobister said.

"Some areas in our territory weren't in the map. They said they didn't know that was part of Grassy territory, but that's not true at all."

© CBC Grassy Narrows First Nation is located in Treaty 3 territory, about 88 kilometres northeast of Kenora, Ont.

The chief said the First Nation has been submitting maps to Ontario with updated boundaries to its territory throughout the 2000s.

The Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry did not confirm to CBC News whether it was using a map with outdated boundaries. In an emailed statement, a ministry spokesperson said it is committed to fulfilling its duty to consult, but would not comment further "as this matter is before the courts."

The nine permits are held by four resource extraction companies for seven different areas in Grassy Narrows territory:
EMX Properties Inc., which holds five exploration permits.
Pacton Gold, with two of the nine permits.
Power Metals Corporation, one permit.
Glencore Canada Corporation, one permit.

CBC reached out for comment to each company, but did not immediately hear back.

Lands just starting to heal

The First Nation chief said it is the responsibility of Grassy Narrows and its people to protect the land and the waters within their territory.

In 2007, facing a provincial plan to increase clear-cut logging in their lands, community leaders declared a moratorium on all industrial activity within their traditional territory without community consent. They've also maintained a blockade against logging trucks on traditional territory since 2002.

In 2018, the First Nation signed a land declaration that called on the province to withdraw the territory from forest management planning and mineral staking, as well as ending any hydro damming or oil and gas extraction.

Fobister credited these grassroots actions with the slow restoration and healing of the lands.

"You'll start to see new tracks in the snow here — moose tracks — it's been awhile since I've seen that and I've lived in community all my life," he said. "It's a beautiful sight to see."

Other animals are coming back and trees are starting to regrow.

While many community members still suffer symptoms from mercury contamination of the Wabigoon River, the recovering land and water systems are helping the people of Grassy Narrows heal themselves, Fobister added.

"We're here to continue working on that plan of healing. The youth are crying out for healing, they want support," he said. "The government needs to listen to the cries of the youth."

Minister Sawhney driving unemployed Albertans back to work

There is a forecasted shortage of 3,600 Class 1 commercial drivers in Alberta.

This shortage initially came around when Alberta introduced the Mandatory Entry Level Training Program (MELT) for all Class 1 drivers. 

The introduction of this standard capped the program at $10,000. 

Before MELT, there was no standard in place for drivers. 

Due to this labour shortage, a $3,000,000 grant was initiated by the previous NDP Minister of Transportation to help unemployed Albertans looking for a job in commercial trucking. 

This is a grant that has now been renewed in 2021 for $5,000,000 by the current Minister of Transportation, Rajan Sawhney.

“That’s a lot of money and something that's out of reach for some people,” commented Sawhney. “One of the things that transportation did at that time under the previous minister was to introduce the grant for people who are unemployed and collecting employment insurance. The majority of the schooling and training would be provided by the government. It was extremely popular and over-subscribed by 100 people so I introduced stage two this fall. They can apply for this grant and the majority of the cost will be taken care of by the government of Alberta.”

The problem of cost was also addressed by Taber-Warner MLA Grant Hunter.

“The problem, first of all, was when MELT requirements were brought in, having drivers properly trained has caused problems in rural Alberta especially in that now it can be $10,000 to go and get a MELT Class 1 drivers license. More importantly too there's a bottleneck and it’s tough to get in especially if you're a long way away from the training facilities in the larger centres,” explained Hunter.

He also detailed a conversation he had recently around the issue.

“I had a farmer friend of mine say that he had hired up to three new labourers that had melt Class 1 licenses and within the first week a company had come in, offered them a large signing fee and he lost all three employees and this is typical when you have a shortage in any industry. You’ll get this stuff happening. What minister Sawhney has done as a transportation minister is recognize that we have this shortage and want to try and fix it. This will help 500 unemployed Albertans have the opportunity to get their MELT Class 1 and it’s a fix that’s extremely important right now especially with what’s going on all over the place. A lot of the people I talk to want to leave, and just don’t have the money to get a Class 1 and a lot of people don’t see the opportunity. That has never been the case with Alberta, you’ve always been able to find a job or start a business and with what's happening right now; we really need to take care of these issues. In my area, we are firing on all cylinders and we really need to try and tackle this.”

Over both Phase 1 and 2 of the Driving Back to Work Program (DBTW), Sawhney has noted it will help around 800 individuals, but also commented she believes the labour shortage will be greater than 3,600.

“People have left the province and when MELT was implemented there was a transition period of time where people could challenge the existing exams without taking the course and a lot passed, but a lot left the province and that's why I believe it's understated. This grant will not fully address it but it’s raising the profile of Class 1 drivers. It’s a great career and you can earn above a living wage, it’s good money and we want to attract people to it. We also have the Canada Jobs Grant and the Jobs Now Program that can also attract more people into trucking. It’s part of my job to make sure we have more people trained and people being attracted to labour so we can hopefully meet that demand in the future.”

As of 2020/21, of the 249 individuals that completed MELT Class 1 training, only eight have come from southern Alberta — 215 of the grantees responded to a survey where 44 per cent indicated they received employment within three months of completing the training. Sawhney also mentioned that the first phase of the program was oversubscribed by 100 people.

“I want people to know that this grant is out there and I want them to not delay and apply right away because we have a lot of demand and interest. I don’t want eligible people to miss out. Alberta's economic recovery does depend a great deal on bringing goods from one end of the country to another. We play a pivotal role in terms of having those economic corridors, moving supplies and the whole logistics industry is really well developed in Alberta but the limiting factor is always labour. Even if everything is going well if you don’t have the people doing the work then you’re bottlenecked. Our recovery in this province does depend on people in the trucking industry and more people having a Class 1 and taking these great job opportunities.”

This was a statement that Hunter echoed.

“People who drive trucks are incredibly important in our society, in Alberta, in Canada. There’s nothing here that doesn’t have to be transported by truck so if we don’t have that component right it’s going to cause major problems for our economy and our ability to grow.”

Additionally, Hunter also stated around 30 per cent of labourers in the ag industry in southern Alberta are made up of Low German Mennonites.

“We have to make sure, first of all, there’s not a language barrier, so they know about this program, and if need be have someone reach out to them and let them know this is available and to help them circumnavigate that. Our office is very interested in helping anybody in our area be able to navigate this and apply for this. My office can be contacted at (403) 223-0001 and we have some great staff in my office that can help them get that information. If there’s a language barrier we will make sure there will be someone to help them through interpretation, or a cultural understanding we can help them figure that out as well.”

In closing, Sawhney wanted to add that commercial trucking shouldn’t be generalized by stereotypes.

“I want to dispel that myth because the technology has grown so greatly in terms of how trucks are put together and the future will be very interesting. We have autonomous trucks that are being researched and we have two trucks relatively soon that have a lot of technology, AI and machine learning that are autonomous so the industry is quite exciting. It’s not what people think it is and there's a lot of cool things happening. It’s not necessarily super long hours and a lot of time away from home like people think because there really is a lot of opportunities. Those preconceived notions aren’t necessarily true.”

To apply for the DBTW program you can visit: https://www.alberta.ca/dbtw-class-1-funding-application.aspx

For more information on the DBTW program, you can view the news release at: https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=800855E8201E2-EF56-80CA-AB251169F1370315. The Class 1 MELT program is provided in English, however driving training schools are able to accommodate Canada’s official languages and others through translation to ensure language is not a barrier to safety on Alberta’s roads.

Kenyon Stronski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Taber Times

Striking BCGEU workers reach tentative new deal

A tentative new collective agreement has been reached between the BC General Employees’ Union and its administrative support staff.

Workers in Fort St. John and across B.C. walked off the job on Nov. 9, and are represented by the Movement of United Professionals (MoveUP). Christy Slusarenko, vice-president of MoveUP, said in a release Wednesday that workers are happy to be back at the table.

“We are pleased to see we were able to return to the table with the employer and, through mediation, address the critical issues that our members identified and come to an agreement,” Slusarenko said in a statement.

“Our members wanted to see the employer’s offer respect the work that they do and compensate them fairly for the value they bring to the organization. We feel this agreement does that, and we will be endorsing it to our members and recommending they accept the deal.”

No date has been set to ratify the agreement, and MoveUP says there will be no further job action while the two parties continue to work on the details.

tsummer@ahnfsj.ca

Tom Summer, Local Journalism Initiative, Alaska Highway News

Operator: Impact from release of Fukushima water minimal

WHEN IS A LIE, NOT A LIE; WHEN ITS PROPAGANDA

TOKYO (AP) — The operator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant said Wednesday that a data simulation of its planned release of treated radioactive water into the sea suggests it would have an extremely small impact on the environment, marine life and humans.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The Japanese government and the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, say they will start gradually releasing the water in the spring of 2023 so hundreds of storage tanks at the plant can be removed to make room for facilities needed for its decommissioning.

The plan has been fiercely opposed by fishermen, residents and Japan’s neighbors, including China and South Korea.

TEPCO plans to send the water through an undersea tunnel and discharge it about 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) away from the coastal power plant after treating and diluting it with large amounts of seawater.

According to the simulation, radiation levels of seawater right above the release point temporarily increased slightly but quickly fell to normal levels, TEPCO said, Exposure to radioactivity was significantly lower than the maximum safe levels set by international organizations, it said.

Government and TEPCO officials say tritium, which is not harmful in small amounts, cannot be removed from the contaminated water, but all other isotopes selected for treatment can be reduced to safe levels. Controlled release of tritium from normal nuclear plants is a routine global practice, officials say

The simulation showed a slight rise in tritium levels within 2-3 kilometers (1.2-1.8 miles) from the plant, TEPCO official Junichi Matsumoto said.

But some experts say the long-term impact on marine life from low-dose exposures is still unknown.

The estimated radiation exposure for local fisherman in coastal areas, and for people who regularly consume seafood from the region was much less than 1 millisievert, an annual dose considered safe, TEPCO said.

Japan has requested help from the U.N. nuclear agency to ensure the discharge meets international safety standards and to gain the understanding of the international community.

A six-member team from the International Atomic Energy Agency, currently in Japan, visited the plant on Tuesday to inspect preparations for the planned discharge.

A massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 severely damaged three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, causing large amounts of contaminated cooling water to leak. The water has been stored in about 1,000 tanks which the operator says will reach their capacity late next year.

Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press

EXPLAINER: Why India has repeated air pollution problems

WASHINGTON (AP) — New Delhi struggles with pollution year-round, but the problem becomes acute during fall and winter months. On Wednesday, the concentration of tiny pollution particles was nearly 30 times above the level deemed safe over a 24-hour period by the World Health Organization.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Around the world, researchers closely track levels of airborne particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter — known as PM 2.5 — because it can lodge in the lungs and other organs, causing long-term health damage. In 2020, 13 of the 15 cities with the most polluted air were in India.

In northern India, “the autumn spike in air pollution relates in part to the annual burning of crop residue in fields," said Deborah Seligsohn, an Asia air pollution expert at Villanova University. Other sources of air pollution include vehicle emissions, trash burning, electricity production and heavy industry, including steelmaking and brick kilns.

It remains unclear how much of an impact a proposed “ pollution lockdown " will have on New Delhi's air pollution, she said.

While the New Delhi government has already closed city schools and shown willingness to impose a broader emergency weekend lockdown — similar to the one implemented during the pandemic — it doesn't have the power to shut down traffic and industry regionally.

“This lockdown would be in New Delhi, but a significant portion of Delhi's air pollution doesn't come from the city itself — it's a regional air shed," said Seligsohn.

Prolonged exposure to air pollution leads to increased rates of respiratory illness, cardiovascular diseases, premature births and other health concerns, said Jessica Seddon, an air pollution expert at the World Resources Institute.

While greater awareness of air pollution in India in recent years in has led to more government attention, it remains a difficult problem to solve, she said.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Christina Larson, The Associated Press

Teachers' union 'alarmed' by dozens of vacancies across N.W.T.

Dozens of positions remain unfilled in the Northwest Territories' schools and almost every school lacks enough substitute teachers, a survey by the territory's teachers' union has found.

The N.W.T. Teachers' Association surveyed 48 principals representing 49 schools. In sharing the data, the association's president said the results were "alarming."

Matthew Miller said the survey reported 36 vacancies, with 21 of the 48 principals unable to fill all positions. Some schools still have three roles unfilled.

Only one in eight N.W.T. schools has an adequate number of substitute teachers.

"Trying to fix that is going to be difficult," Miller said of the staff shortage.

“We’re not putting these numbers out here to say anyone is doing anything wrong, it’s just really to bring awareness that this is where we are with those shortages – especially recognizing some of these positions are program support teachers, and instructional coaches, and administration. It’s really hard for the rest of the school who now have to pick up the extra duties,”

“Those services still have to be done one way or another, so it’s a difficult year here. Anyone saying that it’s a normal year? Principals were very clear with me, saying this is not a normal year.”

Miller said French immersion teachers are being referred to as “unicorns” because finding someone to teach French in the N.W.T. is now so rare.

“Not very often are you going to get the best teachers out there mid-November. The best teachers are already taken and they’re already working,” he said.

“You may have someone that was in an area where the fit wasn’t great for them, and they may look to transfer, but a lot of the positions that are open right now may not be filled.

“We’re already fielding calls with people looking to resign as it is, so there may be more people leaving. Trying to make sure we get more people coming up is going to be very difficult this year.”

In June, the teachers' association said more than 130 teachers were expected to leave the N.W.T. at the end of the 2020-21 academic year, a higher turnover figure than is normal.

A quarter of respondents in the survey – 12 of the 48 principals - said housing was a factor in failing to fill positions.

Miller previously told Cabin Radio the lack of housing is a decades-old issue. Some school boards offer assistance in finding homes or offer boarding in dedicated housing for school staff.

Councillors in one N.W.T. village, Fort Simpson, recently expressed concern that there was nowhere in the village for teachers to live.

Philippe Brulot, superintendent of the Dehcho Divisional Education Council – or DDEC, which serves Fort Simpson – said he lost one teacher in Fort Simpson earlier this year because they could not find housing.

“It’s really tied to the flood we had in the spring. We started the school year with a deficit in housing,” he said.

Brulot said the DDEC had not been informed in time of the struggle the teacher was having, and could have offered more help.

“I cannot say that it’s easy to find something," he said.

"For example, if we have a new staff member going into Fort Providence, it will not be easy to necessarily find something – but eventually you will find a place."

Brulot said a “domino effect” where teachers take new positions internally, leaving gaps in other areas, can cause difficulties.

“We had a couple of postings in the spring and we had candidates from different parts of the country, but what happened is we also had people from within our board who applied on those positions,” he said.

“If somebody who has a job with us gets an interview in July, and gets the position out of priority, then it creates a vacancy in the position they were holding. Now, instead of filling your initial posting ... you’ve created a vacancy you need to fill for August.

“By the time you conduct interviews, you’re already into the school year.”

Miller said COVID-19 travel restrictions were another factor identified by principals in a hard year for recruitment.

Pandemic-related travel restrictions meant leaving the territory over the past year usually involved 14 days' isolation when travellers returned.

“We are seeing a bit of a ripple effect where people were not able to travel last year,” Miller said.

“I think people this year want to stay closer to their loved ones.”

Only six principals said their schools had enough substitute teachers. According to the survey, 11 per cent of substitute teachers in the territory are certified teachers.

Miller said there are two scenarios when schools lack substitutes: teachers are reassigned or support assistants are pulled from their roles to cover classes.

“Teachers are often reassigned if they’re fortunate enough to have a preparation period, and those are normally used for planning, marking, and their meetings,” he said.

“All these tasks still need to be completed during a teacher’s evenings and weekends if they’re pulled to do internal coverage, and this creates more of a disparity between their work-life balance.”

During the pandemic, Miller fears more teachers are using sick time and more classes need to be covered. That could result in increased teacher burnout, he said.

Support assistants in 60 per cent of N.W.T. schools are used as substitute teachers, which affects students who require extra support.

“When you start pulling support assistants you are creating a void in other roles within the school," said Miller.

Brulot said almost all of the DDEC’s communities lack substitute teachers and in Fort Simpson, the number is “far from what we need.”

“The impact of a sub shortage is insidious, it’s not necessarily visible but it’s very powerful,” Brulot said.

“There is no miracle solution because when you’re in a community, the subs have to come out of who is available in the community.”

In some instances, principals in Fort Simpson are filling in, meaning they cannot fulfill administrative tasks or converse with parents and staff.

Ultimately, said Miller, if teachers have a negative experience, word of mouth will pass that along to others who might be looking at working in the North.

“We have to make sure the workload of our teachers is in line with what they’re signing up for,” he said.

“Right now, I don’t feel that our education system is properly funded."

Sarah Sibley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio

Opinion: Time to drop any separatism rhetoric
Howard Leeson 

© Provided by Leader Post

Premier Scott Moe's nation within a nation suggestion has been met with must derision across the country.

Premier Scott Moe wants Saskatchewan to be “a nation within a nation ,” and to be more “independent” like Quebec. In particular, he seems to admire many of the moves made by the extreme nationalists and separatists in Quebec. My initial reaction is, enough of the separatist rhetoric.

What should we make of what the premier has to say? First, we should note that there is a deep well of western alienation in Saskatchewan, possibly as deep as that in Alberta. “Fighting against Ottawa” has a long and honourable history in our province. Indeed, it reached a crescendo in 1981 when then-premiers Allan Blakeney and Peter Lougheed combined to ensure provincial control of natural resources in the two provinces. However, both of those premiers were strong Canadian nationalists and resisted any and all attempts at separation and separatism.

Second, while Scott Moe is not proposing separatism, or independence, he is purposefully dancing to the rhetoric being peddled by Western separatists . Obviously, he is trying to secure a political flank against the Buffalo Party provincially. He wants to make sure that any of his voters who might lean that way will stay home in the Saskatchewan Party.

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What about his specific proposals? He wants more power over immigration. Frankly, this is not new. Immigration is a shared jurisdiction with the federal government, and all provinces have some kind of deal. Go ahead I would say. He also wants to set up a provincial police force. I personally think this is a very bad idea. We have the best police force in the world in Canada, the RCMP. We have the training centre here, and a long history with the force. If some extra federal money is required to keep it in Saskatchewan, then negotiate with the federal government on this. He also wants to collect our own corporate income tax. This also, I believe, is a bad idea. It would lead to extra costs with not enough benefit to justify the expense. As a former director of the Canada Revenue Agency, I can tell you that the CRA does a good job. Let’s leave it where it is. Finally, the premier also wants the province to participate more fully in international trade, and to expand the number of international trade offices. I think this is a waste of money. Having been in charge of trade offices myself, I can tell you that they are for the most part expensive and inefficient vanity projects.

One last matter has to do with equalization. The premier wants to support Alberta on a constitutional amendment that would remove equalization from the constitution of Canada. I was part of Premier Blakeney’s team who, together with Premier Lougheed, insisted on this program being part of a new constitution in 1982. If the existing arrangement is unfair, then change it. You don’t need to remove it from the constitution. Saskatchewan has derived huge benefits from this program in the past and while we may not need it now, it is one of the programs that binds Canada together. Instead of removing equalization, we should be insisting on a $200-billion reconstruction program for the oil-producing provinces, designed to rebalance development in a Canada that is going to need less and less oil and natural gas.

Forget the rhetoric on how we should look like Québec or become a nation. We are a proud province in a great country. Instead, spend your time cheering our team onto the Grey Cup this year.

Howard Leeson was deputy minister for Intergovernmental Affairs to NDP premiers Allan Blakeney and Roy Romanow.