END AUSTERITY NOW!

Alberta's finances set to flip back 

to black as oil surges, helping premier

By Nia Williams - 
© Reuters/TODD KOROL


CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Canada's main oil-producing province of Alberta looks set to return to a budget surplus this coming fiscal year, ending seven years of deficit, as surging oil prices swell provincial royalty revenues and provide a boost to Premier Jason Kenney ahead of a spring leadership review.

The oil and gas sector accounts for around 17% of Alberta's GDP, and a rally in U.S. crude to seven-year highs above $90 a barrel is super-charging the royalties that producers pay to extract the province's vast fossil fuel reserves.

Some analysts say the windfall, which could exceed the province's previous oil royalties record of C$10.8 billion ($8.52 billion), will allow Alberta to balance its books and return to a surplus in the 2022-23 fiscal year. The government unveils its budget on Feb. 24.

Last year, Alberta slashed its 2021-22 deficit forecast from C$18.2 billion to C$5.8 billion and since then oil prices have rocketed even higher.

No other Canadian province is expecting a surplus in 2022-23, according to an RBC report released in November.

The expected bonanza is well-timed for United Conservative Party leader Kenney, who slumped in public opinion polls due to what critics describe as his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. He faces a leadership review in April after members of his party called for his resignation.

"He is banking on positive economic news that will hold sway over all the other problems he is facing," said Duane Bratt, a politics professor at Calgary's Mount Royal University.

Cost of lumber soars, disrupts housing market

While a balanced budget may help burnish Kenney's reputation, Alberta still faces economic headwinds. The province has the highest rates of long-term unemployment in Canada, according to a Business Council of Alberta report, and capital investment in the oil and gas sector remains more than 50% below a 2014 peak.

Bratt said he expects Kenney to survive the leadership review - which entails party members voting on whether to retain him as leader - but the premier may face a backlash in next year's provincial election.

An Alberta government spokesperson said the province is still finalizing calculations on how exactly oil and gas royalty revenue will impact the budget.

BORROWING COSTS IMPROVE

The improved fiscal outlook has already helped improve borrowing costs. The gap between Alberta's 10-year yield and the yield on the equivalent bond issued by Ontario, Canada's most populous province, has narrowed from nearly 40 basis points in April 2020 to about 5 basis points.

The previous high point for Alberta royalty revenue was in 2005/06 when the government raked in C$10.8 billion. Since then a prolonged downturn in oil prices starting in 2014 has weighed on Alberta's finances and prompted many international oil majors to cut their investments in the province.

Now, Alberta is benefiting from changes to the royalty rate formula made in 2017, which translate to higher rates as prices rise. Production from the oil sands are at a record high and a number of major projects have hit "post-payout" in the last year - the point at which a project's cumulative revenue surpasses the initial investment - and switched to a higher royalty rate.

"We have never in Alberta's history seen a change this quick or large (in the budget balance)," said Trevor Tombe, an economics professor at the University of Calgary.

"We may very well see royalty revenues higher than any point in Alberta's history."

($1 = 1.2726 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by Nia Williams in Calgary; Additional reporting by Fergal Smith in Toronto; Editing by Matthew Lewis)

Kenney, Moe, join U.S. governors urging end to trucker COVID-19 vaccination rules

 by The Canadian Press


EDMONTON — The premiers of Alberta and Saskatchewan have joined more than a dozen U.S. governors in calling for an end to mandated COVID-19 vaccines for cross-border truckers.

Alberta’s Jason Kenney and Scott Moe of Saskatchewan have signed a public letter urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden to reverse the decision.

The premiers say getting vaccinated is important, but the mandate will force out thousands from the trucking industry and aggravate existing supply chain problems.

The decision to end vaccine and quarantine exemptions for cross-border truckers sparked blockades and protest demonstrations at Canadian border points and cities, including in Ottawa.

Sixteen U.S. governors of states ranging from Georgia to Alaska have also signed the letter.

Kenney says he expects more leaders to sign in the coming days.

"I got the ball rolling on this letter during my trip to the National Governors Association meeting in Washington, D.C., in late January," Kenney wrote Wednesday on Twitter.

"The trucker vax mandate has no credible public health benefit, but has caused predictable disruption." BULLSHIT

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 16, 2022.

The Canadian Press

'A perfect solution': Manitoba border blockade ends as RCMP escort protesters away

Darren Bernhardt - cbc.ca

The last of the protesters involved in the weeklong Canada-U.S. border blockade at Emerson, Man., have been escorted away by RCMP and all lanes were reopened to traffic as of early Wednesday afternoon.

"I'm feeling real relief because it's been a long week and a lot of our businesses have suffered here," said Dave Carlson, reeve for the municipality of Emerson-Franklin.

"[I'm] relieved that they're going to be back in business and also relieved that this has been done peacefully."

Up to 75 vehicles — including semi-trailer trucks, pickup trucks, farm and construction machinery and even snowplows — had blocked the border crossing since Feb. 10.

Some trucks started pulling out Tuesday, when the Mounties said they had reached a resolution and were co-ordinating an end to the blockade with those protesters still there.

"We didn't want to rush in" and issue tickets or make arrests, RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Paul Manaigre said Wednesday morning during a news conference on Highway 75 near the U.S. border.

"Communication resulted in what we have today. To me it was the best course of action," he said when asked why it took a week to deal with an issue that Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has said affected $73 million in trade a day.

The situation has been resolved without injuries, arrests, charges or anything being towed, he said.

"It's a perfect solution."

A different situation in a different province might call for swifter action and perhaps have a different outcome, Manaigre said.

"But we felt, like I say, the way the situation was developing here, we needed to take a prudent and safe measure."

The promise of no arrests in exchange for a peaceful departure was part of the dialogue the RCMP had with the protesters over the past few days, he said.

"They wanted to get their message across, which I believe they have, and we wanted to make sure they understood where we were coming from."


© Cameron MacIntosh/CBCAn RCMP pickup truck escorts protest vehicles from the Emerson border crossing on Wednesday.

The discussions over the past week were good but the fear of violence erupting or the presence of weapons is always in the back of the RCMP's mind, Manaigre said.

"There's been no information to suggest that was a possibility but it's part of the planning, part of our contingencies, " he said. "We have to be prepared for it."

Earlier this week, RCMP in Alberta arrested a number of people who were part of a protest near a U.S. border crossing in that province. A cache of firearms and ammunition was found in three trailers, police said.

While all lanes heading to U.S. customs were blockaded at Emerson for the past several days, protesters allowed some cargo, such as medical supplies and livestock, to pass through.

Manaigre said there has been no assurance the border protesters will not return in the future or conduct temporary measures like last month's slow parade of vehicles driving loops on Highway 75 to cause traffic backups.

"We're not aware of anything at this moment [but] there's always situations that can develop," he said.

"Right now, we'll focus on today and learn from [that]."

Another protest on Broadway, in front of the Manitoba Legislative Building in downtown Winnipeg, has been going on for about two weeks and remains in place.

Both are part of a number of demonstrations in cities and border crossings across Canada by people who oppose COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and a federal vaccine mandate for truckers.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act Monday, for the first in time in Canada's history, to give the federal government extra powers to handle ongoing protests against pandemic restrictions.

Emerson typically sees about 1,000 trucks cross the border each day, Carlson said.

"We have a great relationship with our friends and neighbours across the [border] here and we look forward to being able to see them again, visit with them and do business with them."
Reopening reaction

In an email statement on Wednesday, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum told CBC News he is grateful for the work of the RCMP, Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson and other provincial officials to resolve the border situation peacefully and resume cross-border traffic.

As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations decrease, he is urging the federal governments in both Canada and the U.S. to consider reinstating vaccine exemptions for cross-border truck drivers.


© Radio-Canada/CBCJenn Froese says the blockades and protests

 have united Canadians and reignited a dormant patriotism.

Jenn Froese, one of the protesters at the Emerson border, said she does not feel the demonstrators' efforts failed, but rather emboldened a lost patriotism for Canadians.

While generally, Americans have tended to display flags outside their homes and on vehicles more than Canadians, that's now changed, she suggested.

"That's what this is doing, it's bringing us together," she said.

"I feel that we need to show the government that we need to be heard. I think the battle is … we need to show our Canadian flag and show our support for the side of the government that's fighting for us."


© Cameron MacIntosh/CBCA protester leaving the Emerson border

 blockade displays an upside down Canadian flag and a number of messages.

A group representing Canadian manufacturers issued a release saying it applauds the end of the blockade, but wants all levels of government "to develop tailored solutions" for each border crossing in Canada to prevent future disruptions.

"The [Emerson] crossing is Manitoba's most important connection to its largest market — the United States," said Ron Koslowsky, vice-president of the Manitoba division of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, in the release.

"Canada's trade and transportation infrastructure, which is crucial to the lives of Canadians and their livelihoods, must be protected.

"The right to protest is an enshrined right which we wholeheartedly support but it's never acceptable to hold the jobs and livelihoods of Manitobans at ransom."

Arrests as RCMP clear protest near Pacific Highway border crossing in B.C.

VANCOUVER — Traffic was moving again Tuesday through the main commercial truck crossing between British Columbia and Washington state, hours after RCMP made numerous arrests and ordered an end to a demonstration against COVID-19 mandates.

Officers ordered demonstrators out of the area just north of the border crossing at Pacific Highway late Monday, said Surrey RCMP Const. Sarbjit Sangha.

A statement released by RCMP says 12 people had been arrested, adding to the four taken into custody for mischief on Sunday.

Those arrested began blocking routes leading to the truck crossing last week, but police said there were concerns that some people may try to stay until all pandemic-related mandates were lifted.

"The public can expect to see a continued police presence in the area in the days ahead, with ongoing assessments of the situation," the RCMP statement says.

Sangha said Mounties were monitoring southbound traffic at the crossing 50 kilometres south of Vancouver and are allowing commercial trucks to pass but will question drivers of private cars to ensure they plan to enter the United States.

Surrey RCMP took action after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act, which would give the federal government temporary and extraordinary powers to deal with protests that have clogged Ottawa's downtown core and shut down several border crossings this month.

Trudeau also said Canadians could be reassured that the Canada Border Services Agency was turning back non-Canadians trying to enter Canada to participate in blockades at several ports of entry across the country.

The agency had already turned back several people hoping to join the B.C. protest, a spokesman said in an emailed statement.

"By exercising existing enforcement authorities, the CBSA has directed some foreign nationals back to the United States and in other cases, travellers chose to leave Canada voluntarily," Patrick Mahaffy said.

"Throughout the public order emergency, the mere intention to engage in unlawful demonstrations will, by itself, form a basis for the CBSA to deny entry to travellers," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2022.

The Canadian Press

Wangersky: Carrying a flag doesn't instantly make you a patriot
Russell Wangersky -Leader Post

© Provided by Leader PostSupporters of a convoy of truck protesters

 against Covid mandates gather on Feb. 11, 2022 in Ottawa.

I’m here in Saskatoon and I can do very little. Things feel far away and out of control. I can help push out a couple of cars out of the street-side axle-deep slush when a sudden thaw comes along. I can make sure there’s traction sand on the icy spots on the sidewalk when the hard freeze inevitably comes back. I can try and be extra-neighbourly here in this time of hardening attitudes and distrust

Sunday, a dark blue pickup truck tooled down my street with “F—k Trudeau” signs in the windows and a big Canadian flag on a stick in the back. A little bit of the convoy protest cruising along the boulevard.

It made me remarkably angry — this is what is supposed to pass as patriotism?

If you want to express your feelings for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, go right ahead. But don’t wrap yourself in our flag.

This is our country’s flag, a flag for all of us, not some cheap form of justification for bad — or even illegal — behaviour.

A retired police officer in Ottawa put it more directly: “The most tragic part of this protest is the fact that the Canadian flag, a symbol of democracy and decency, is now affiliated with hostility and fascism! We can no longer display or wear it for fear of being mistaken for the #carnivalofmisfits.”

I’m not sure I would go that far — I wouldn’t say that every convoy display of the flag is instantly connected to fascism (though some of those elements seem to have found a home deep within the convoy without any effective pushback from other protestors).

But I would say that the co-opting of our flag and our national anthem — the regular singing of which is somehow supposed to put the gloss of justification on everything from blockades to truck-horns to suggestions that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should be hung without trial — is both discouraging and insulting.

Let me be clear about one thing.

Protesters are absolutely within their rights to peacefully protest, as long as those protests are within the established laws of our nation. And I know there are people who honestly believe, for whatever reason, that the convoy protesters are not only on the side of the good, but that the public relations display of bouncy-castles and free hotdogs are a more accurate portrayal of the events in Ottawa, Windsor and Coutts than blockades you can see on television news or the weapons the RCMP have seized from a small faction inside the protests.

I understand there are those who think it’s all been nothing more than a party.

And sure, it’s been a great party for some, but it’s a party that has cost, and will continue to cost, hundreds of millions of dollars. Canadians will pay for it, too, out of our own pockets, and for long after the protests are over.

Carrying a nation’s flag — whether right-side-up or upside-down, in pristine condition or scrawled with slogans — doesn’t make you the good guy. Nor does the mere fact that you know the words and the tune of the national anthem represent inviolable proof of good intentions.

And this is not just a protest.

Remember: there are those amongst these “patriots” who have argued they should be able to topple a democratically-elected government — a government elected just months ago — and replace it with a coalition including their own sweet unelected selves. People who insist they will not stop the expensive disruption of trade and commerce in this country until their demands are met.

No number of anthems sung or flags waved can justify the sheer insult of that concept.

In a democracy, patriots meet at the ballot box, not under threats and blackmail.

But who am I? Just one patriotic Canadian among many, shovelling the snow so that my neighbours and other passers-by can walk safely, a Canadian who now feels a troubling discomfort with the idea of publicly displaying the flag of our nation.

Think about that for a minute.

Our flag.

Not your flag.

Ours.

Russell Wangersky is the editor in chief of the Regina Leader-Post and the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. He can be reached at rwangersky@postmedia.com

Justin Trudeau's emergency law not the same as the one his father invoked in 1970s



MONTREAL — The similarities between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's decision to invoke the Emergencies Act on Monday and his father's use of a previous emergency law more than 50 years ago wasn't lost on Quebec Premier François Legault.

"Of course I thought about that, what happened with the father in 1970," Legault told reporters this week.

Then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act on Oct. 16, 1970, at the request of premier Robert Bourassa and Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau, after British diplomat James Cross and Quebec deputy premier Pierre Laporte were abducted by the Front de libération du Québec, a militant group that wasn't shy about using violence to establish a Quebec state.

In 2020, Legault called on Justin Trudeau to apologize for the measures his father took by deploying the military in the province and arresting hundreds of Quebecers.

On Monday, Justin Trudeau said his government needed the Emergencies Act's extraordinary powers to end blockades that are threatening Canada's supply chains, economic security and trading relationships. It was the first time the law has been used since it replaced the War Measures Act in 1988.

While a prime minister named Trudeau using emergency powers may bring back memories of the October Crisis, experts say the Emergencies Act and the War Measures Act are separate laws used in different contexts.

The use of the War Measures Act led to the arrest of nearly 500 people — the vast majority were never charged with any crime — and to thousands of warrantless searches in Quebec

Daniel Béland, director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, said that period of history is "still perceived as a wound, as a source of collective trauma. Most Quebecers find that all these arrests and searches were abuses of power."

The Emergencies Act grants the federal government temporary powers, including the right to prohibit certain public assemblies such as blockades, the ability to prohibit the use of money to support the blockades, and the ability to impose fines or imprisonment for contravening any of the measures declared under the public order emergency.

The act, however, doesn't give the government sweeping powers in the same way the War Measures Act did, Béland said, adding that Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms didn't exist in 1970. The Charter still applies to actions taken under the new emergency law, he explained.

"What we have here is a different constitutional and legal framework than we had in 1970," Béland said.

There's another big difference, he added.

"The military, at least so far, is not involved in what Trudeau is doing now. It was front and centre in October 1970 in Quebec."

Patrick Taillon, a law professor at Université Laval, said that while the Emergencies Act has more checks and balances than the War Measures Act, it still gives the government broad powers. Parliament must approve the use of the Emergencies Act within seven days, which will require a debate in the House of Commons, and the law requires that provinces be consulted before it is used, he said.

Taillon said it's not clear that the bar for invoking the Emergencies Act has been met. That law, he said, can be invoked when provinces are unable to solve an emergency and the normal laws of the country are insufficient to address the problem.

And while Trudeau's decision to use the emergencies law will open him up to political criticism, the courts will likely side with the government because they have generally ruled that it's up to politicians to decide what constitutes an emergency, Taillon added.

Ian McKay, chair of the L.R. Wilson Institute for Canadian History at McMaster University, said Canada has never really grappled with the legacy of the War Measures Act and he worries about the use of the Emergencies Act.

The use of the War Measures Act was supported by most Canadians, McKay said. After it was lifted, he added, the RCMP continued to target Quebec nationalists, burning down a barn, engaging in illegal wiretaps and committing other civil liberties violations.

"I think there's a strong tendency in Canada to allow the state to do this sort of thing and never fully account for it," McKay said. "And then, maybe, after a half-century, we issue some formal apologies."

"There's a real reluctance in Canada to face this history of the state acting in an exceptional situation."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2022.

———

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Jacob Serebrin, The Canadian Press

TOO LITTLE TOO LATE

My Pillow's Mike Lindell barred from entering Canada to support convoy protestors

Christopher Nardi - 
National Post

OTTAWA – My Pillow CEO and staunch Donald Trump supporter Mike Lindell, as well as a truck full of “10,000 pillows,” were denied entry into Canada Tuesday evening while trying to join Ottawa Freedom Convoy protesters, National Post has learned.


© Provided by National Post

Mike Lindell, CEO of My Pillow, outside the White House, January 15, 2021. REUTERS/Erin Scott

A senior government source said that Lindell, as well an accompanying videographer, were intercepted at the Port Huron-Sarnia border crossing on Tuesday evening as they were enroute to Ottawa to distribute “pillows and Bibles” to convoy protestors.

On the same day, a My Pillow truck carrying “over 10,000 pillows,” including 1,000 “Bible pillows” destined for the truckers’ children was also intercepted trying to cross the border through the Ambassador Bridge leading to Windsor, ON.

According to the senior government source, Lindell was turned back because he was not fully vaccinated and did not have a negative PCR test in hand.

The source said that truck was also denied entry into Canada because the U.S. trucker did not have a valid pre-arrival PCR test.


A truck filled with 10,000 My Pillows progress towards Canada was documented by Right Side Broadcasting Network (RBSN), an American right-wing media company

National Post granted the source anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss this issue publicly.

Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) caught wind of the prominent Trump supporter and U.S. election fraud conspiracy theorist through social media posts just before his arrival, the source noted.

Current Canadian border rules demand that foreign visitors have at least two COVID-19 vaccine doses and show a negative molecular COVID-19 test result taken within 72 hours of arrival in Canada in order to enter the country.

Lindell is a staunch supporter of former Republican U.S. president Donald Trump and a prolific advocate of conspiracy theories claiming that the last U.S. election was “stolen” in favour of Democratic President Joe Biden.

He has repeated false claims that voting machine company Dominion Voting Systems rigged the election for Biden and that Trump should be reinstated as president.

In a video posted on his Facebook page Tuesday, Lindell described the Canadian trucker protests as “so important” and claimed that they were the reason provinces such as Ontario had begun lifting COVID-19 public health restrictions.

“They can’t stop because they’ve got to completely get their freedoms back,” he said.

Conspiracy theories have devastating impact on Canadian-founded Dominion Voting firm and its employees: CEO

The source says Lindell is one of “dozens” of Americans who have been turned away at the border under current COVID-19 rules while trying to join trucker convoys across the country.

My Pillow did not immediately respond to requests for comment or explain the quantity of pillows, which vastly outnumbers any estimate of the number of protesters in Ottawa.

In a video posted online Tuesday evening, Lindell is seen ranting against Canadian border officials after the truck was turned away.

“We’ve been on we’ve been trying to get my trucks into Canada… we’ve been trying to get to Ottawa,” Lindell said in a video posted to his media website Frank.

“(The trucker) has been waiting on this permit that they made up out of the blue, this new permit thing,” he said.

The truck’s progress towards Canada was documented by Right Side Broadcasting Network (RBSN) , an American right-wing media company.

But their work was abruptly interrupted when they were also stopped and detained while trying to cross the Ambassador Bridge, RBSN said in a statement on social media.

“RBSN’s film crew was temporarily detained at the Canadian border on Tuesday evening and was released shortly thereafter,” reads the statement.

“RBSN had hoped to continue coverage of My Pillow’s pillow distribution to the Freedom Convoy of truckers,” reads the statement. “However, they were denied entry to Canada due to Covid-19 protocols and returned to the United States.”

In an interview with CBC, Lindell denied he was blocked at the border. CBC also said they had government sources confirming he was there.

A spokesperson for CBSA neither confirmed nor denied that it had stopped Lindell at the border, citing privacy legislation.

“What I can tell you is that all travellers seeking entry to Canada are subject to strict screening measures by CBSA border services officers to ensure travellers are eligible to enter the country and understand their public health obligations,” senior spokesperson Patrick Mahaffy said in an email.

“All foreign nationals, including U.S. citizens, must meet all entry requirements as set out in the Orders in Council related to COVID-19, before being authorized to enter Canada,” he added.

WHITE REACTIONARY PROTEST

'It could have been deadly': Truckers end blockade at Alberta border crossing

COUTTS, Alta. — A blockade that paralyzed a United States border crossing for more than two weeks ended Tuesday as trucks and other vehicles with horns blaring rolled away from a southern Alberta community.


© Provided by The Canadian Press'It could have been deadly': Truckers end blockade at Alberta border crossing

Protesters had been restricting access to the busy crossing near Coutts since Jan. 29 to rally against COVID-19 vaccine mandates for truckers and broader pandemic health restrictions.

Canada Border Services Agency said operations had resumed at the crossing and RCMP confirmed later Tuesday that traffic was moving smoothly.

The exodus of vehicles came one day after RCMP arrested 13 people and seized a cache of firearms and ammunition.

Charges laid include possession of weapons and mischief to property.

Four people also face a charge of conspiracy to murder RCMP members, said Chief Supt. Trevor Daroux. He said police worked closely with the Crown to ensure they had the necessary evidence to lay those charges.

Some of the accused were granted release in a Lethbridge, Alta., courtroom on Tuesday. A judge also ordered that they can't contact one another or be within a 200-metre radius of any protest.

Mounties said an early-morning raid Monday uncovered 13 long guns, handguns, a machete, a large quantity of ammunition and body armour. Two additional weapons were seized later in the day.

RCMP also said a semi-truck and farm tractor had attempted to ram a police cruiser on Sunday.

"The dangerous criminal activity occurring away from the TV cameras and social media posts was real and organized," said Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki on Tuesday evening.

"It could have been deadly for citizens, protesters and officers."

Daroux said the RCMP became aware of the heavily armed group a few days after the protest began. He said investigations are ongoing into this group and other events that took place during the blockade.

"Alberta RCMP will remain in the area until we are confident that the situation is safe and stabilized for all who travel through here," he said.

Protesters are dissociating themselves from the group of people facing serious charges. Organizer Marco Van Huigenbos said that is why the convoy decided to leave peacefully.

IT WAS PEACEFUL BUT IT WAS STILL AN ILLEGAL BLOCKADE,  HAD IT BEEN INDIGENOUS OR ENVIROMENTALISTS THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN ARRESTED AND HAULED OFF AS HAS HAPPENED ON RAIL BLOCKADES AND OLD FOREST PROTESTS

He said he has no regrets about participating in the blockade.

"I think we've started a movement where people are going to get more involved ... at the municipal level, provincial possibly, but also more involvement in politics in general."

Two tactical vests seized by the RCMP had badges on them, which the Canadian Anti-Hate Network said have links to troubling movements.

One vest had a "Diagolon" patch on it, a white diagonal line across a black rectangle, that is linked to an often conspiratorial and antisemitic group, said Peter Smith from the network. He said the group often talks about a soon-approaching civil war.

"(Their) rhetoric is very violent," said Smith. "One of the, kind of, common phrases used within the community is 'A gun or rope?'"

The other patch said "Infidel" in both English and Arabic in yellow. Smith said the patch doesn't indicate membership to a specific network but is known among Islamophobic militias and biker-style hate groups.

He said the biggest worry is having niche extremist networks that could work to inflame supporters linked to what was supposed to be a peaceful protest.

There was celebrating when the protest started winding down late Monday. A video posted to social media showed RCMP members shaking hands with and hugging protesters. People holding hats or hands to their chests or with arms draped across each other's shoulders sang O Canada.

Cpl. Gina Slaney confirmed the scene was from Monday night in Coutts.Zablocki said RCMP is aware of the video.

"I will say, we do encourage our members to engage with the public and develop respectful, professional relationships with all Albertans," said Zablocki. "We will be looking further into this matter."

Jim Willett, mayor of the village of 250 people, said it had been a while since he had seen anything but semi-trailers on Highway 4.

"I can see all the way to Regina," he said with a laugh.

Willett said he doesn't blame the blockade leaders for the cache of weapons.

"They were a well-behaved bunch of people," he said. "I think the organizers were taken aback as much as we were by what the RCMP discovered."

The number of protesters at a police checkpoint, north of Coutts, had also dwindled and work was underway to start clearing away a first-aid trailer, a sauna and electric generators.

"Last night, emotions were high ... I think a lot of people felt that we were giving up, but we're not giving up," said John Vanreeuwyk, a feedlot operator from Coaldale, Alta., also a protest organizer. A FEEDLOT IS A HOLDING PEN FOR CATTLE FOR AUCTION,DUTCH CANADIAN PROTESTANT

"Is it a victory? No. A victory means we're done," he said.

The blockade was one of several demonstrations in Canadian cities and border points that stalled trade, stranded travellers and disrupted lives of area residents, particularly in Ottawa.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has said $48 million in trade was lost each day that the Coutts border was closed.

— With files from Alanna Smith in Calgary

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2022.

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press

Alberta border arrests speak to larger Canadian concern: federal safety minister

OTTAWA — Canada's safety minister says a group with allegedly violent motives that was arrested at a border blockade in southern Alberta speaks to broader concerns.

Police earlier this week charged 13 people from the Coutts protest with possession of weapons and mischief to property, including four who face counts of conspiracy to murder RCMP officers.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says some people involved in the Coutts convoy have strong ties to a far-right extremist organization led out of Ottawa, but he's not naming it.

He says the group is organized, agile, knowledgeable and driven by extremist ideology contrary to Canada's democratic values.

Mendicino says the same rhetoric used by supporters in Coutts is being heard elsewhere and undermines public confidence in law enforcement and government, which could lead to unlawful demonstrations beyond public protests.


Video: Many locals support Alberta border blockade despite disruptions (cbc.ca)

The Coutts blockade, which broke up on Tuesday, was one of several demonstrations in Canadian cities and border points against vaccine mandates and broader COVID-19 restrictions that stalled trade, stranded travellers, and disrupted lives of area residents.

"The pattern that we're seeing here is in the rhetoric that is being used not only in Coutts, not only in Ottawa, but right across the country," Mendicino said Wednesday.

"That unified and focused message is one of concern and ... does shed light on the ideological motivations of those who are prepared to move beyond just demonstrations and crossing into different conduct, which would be illegal."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 16, 2022.

The Canadian Press

4 Men Are Charged With Conspiring To Murder RCMP Officers At Alberta's Coutts Border Protest

Daniel Milligan - Narcity

Four protesters have been charged with conspiring to murder RCMP officers at Alberta's Coutts border crossing.

The developments came to light on Tuesday afternoon during a live address from Alberta RCMP Deputy Commissioner Zablocki and Chief Superintendent Daroux who were providing an update to the protests at the Canada-U.S. border and the arrests made earlier this week.

On Monday, RCMP received information that a group of protesters had a "willingness to use force against the police if any attempts were made to disrupt the blockade" and that they had access to firearms and a "large quantity of ammunition."

Eleven people were initially arrested by officers before two others were also taken into custody later.




© Provided by Narcity4 Men Are Charged With Conspiring To Murder RCMP Officers At Alberta's Coutts Border Protest

AlbertaRCMP | Twitter

Of those arrested, most face charges of mischief to property over $5,000 and possession of a weapon, including:
Jaclyne Martin, 39
Ursla Allred, 22
Joanne Person, 62
Luke Berk, 62
Evan Colenutt, 23
Johnson Law, 39
Justin Martin, 22
Eastin Oler, 22
Janx Zaremba, 18

Four men are also charged with conspiracy to commit murder:

Chris Carbert, 44
Chris Lysak, 48
Anthony Olienick, 39
Jerry Morin, 40

All remain in custody and Lysak has additionally been charged with uttering threats.

Zablocki said the weapons seizure and subsequent arrests speak to the "serious criminal activities" taking place during this protest.

He added: "The dangerous, criminal activity occurring away from the TV cameras and social media posts was real and organized, and it could have been deadly for citizens, protesters and officers."

Daroux said their main goal is to maintain public safety and facilitate a lawful protest which meant maintaining an open border.

He added: "I want to stress - at all times during this operation, our officers were investigating, gathering evidence and working towards a safe and effective plan to enforce the applicable laws and legislation. All of this was guided by the level of threat to our officers and anyone involved."

Coutts blockaders discussed blocking airport cargo terminals: private threat assessment

A covert operation conducted by an Edmonton security firm determined some protesters occupying the Coutts border had become so emboldened by the blockade’s success they discussed blocking cargo terminals at airports across the country in an ongoing attempt to force a change of government in Ottawa.

“This protest has been wildly successful, far beyond the protesters’ imaginations,” said Neil LeMay, a senior consultant with Global Enterprise Security Risk Management.

“I think we can see this group looking to repeat their successes at different locations,” LeMay said.

“We do have some intelligence that we believe is reliable, that suggests they're considering targeting international airports where cargo and shipping supplied to routes are vulnerable.”

A retired RCMP member with nearly 30 years of policing experience, LeMay most recently was the deputy chief in charge of protection services for the Alberta government, responsible for the safety of 75,000 employees in more than 300 locations. His firm conducts threat assessments and sells them to various levels of government and private corporations.

LeMay said a private investigator, working covertly, spent about 10 hours on Saturday among the Coutts organizers and their families.

“They are absolutely amazed that the police haven't taken more enforcement action against them, particularly at the border in Coutts,” LeMay said in an interview Sunday before many protesters with the blockade began leaving Monday evening and the blockade was dismantled Tuesday morning.

Video: Weapons and ammunition seized at border blockade in Coutts, Alberta

His firm’s threat assessment, obtained exclusively by Global News, found the Coutts blockade was spiritually motivated by far-right Christian ideology and was highly organized, with what appeared to be a leader — unidentified in the assessment — who delegated tasks, and directed its finances and security.

It was well supported and funded both by local people and by wealthy farmers, ranchers and by trucking and construction-company owners from across the province who were participating in a “proxy protest” by providing farm equipment, trucks and heavy equipment to block Highway 4, a key trade route between the U.S. and Alberta, the assessment stated.

Read more:
Canada’s emergency law invoked over fear of ‘serious violence’ for political, ideological gain

At a news conference Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the federal government has invoked never-before-used emergency powers to support provinces in ending the blockades in Ottawa, Coutts, and elsewhere.

Under the Emergencies Act, he said, the government will “designate, secure, and protect” places and infrastructure that are critical to Canada’s economy, including airports and border crossings.
Goods and supplies delivered along coulee trails

LeMay said there were two distinct groups blocking the border at Coutts and further north along Highway 4 at Milk River, and very few of the protesters were truckers affected by the federal government’s cross-border vaccine mandate.

As has been reported, the protest group at Milk River was much larger, as many 1,500 people at one point. LeMay said the group, which was almost exclusively white, included many protesters in their late teens or early 20s but also people of all ages.

They weren’t involved in blockade planning.

“They are just there for support. A lot of them are there just to have a big party and thumb their nose at the police and the government,” LeMay said.

At Coutts, there was a core group of about 30 to 35 people, and their families, including small children.

The security firm’s investigation concluded some protesters, particularly within the Coutts group, viewed the presence of children as a potential “shield” from law enforcement tactics but kept the children there despite the risk of harm should police move in.


“We know that there have been discussions around the table at the headquarters of the (protest at the) Smuggler’s Saloon in Coutts where mothers have openly questioned how their children will react to the tear gas when it comes and what effect it will have on them,” LeMay said.

LeMay said goods and supplies, including water, food, fuel, even diapers, were brought to the group on foot or by all-terrain vehicles through a myriad of coulee trails.

“There is so much food there that they're running out of places to store it,” LeMay said Sunday.
Supplies suggest 'protest by proxy' element

There were also many expensive tractors, trucks and heavy construction equipment parked at the blockade by farmers, ranchers and private-company owners, many of whom were not at the site.

“There is an element of this protest by proxy where this relatively small group of Christian right-wing protesters are being used by people with maybe similar agendas to disrupt the supply chain,” LeMay said.

He said the blockade had been labelled a trucker protest about COVID-19 border restrictions but “that is just the cover.”

Read more:

Kenney says federal government’s use of Emergencies Act ‘not necessary’ in Alberta

Some of Alberta’s largest trucking and construction companies supported the blockade, both financially and morally.

“So there is a lot more going on here than just a handful of truckers who aren't able to cross the border to make a living,” LeMay said Sunday.

On Monday morning, Alberta RCMP announced they had detained 11 people after seizing more than a dozen long guns, handguns, ammunition, a machete, and body armour while executing a search warrant on three trailers following an investigation at the Coutts crossing.

In a news release, police said the seizure was part of an investigation into what they allege was a small organized criminal organization within the largest protest, which was “said to have a willingness to use force against the police if any attempts were made to disrupt the blockade.”

RCMP later said they had arrested two more people: one whom police stopped on the highway heading back to the protest and who was allegedly found with two guns, and another who allegedly drove a semi-truck towards police near the Milk River check stop.

Video: Alberta border protest blockade clears after police seize weapons

Far-right Christian ideology

LeMay said the Coutts group has close ties to Christian libertarian factions in both Canada and the United States.

His firm’s investigator observed American protesters and supporters within the Coutts group, “suggesting they are crossing the border at will while it is blockaded,” the threat assessment stated.

Critically, the assessment concluded that the blockade, which began under the auspices of protesting COVID-19 public health measures, had become more concerned with “replacing our current democratic system of government with a government that is based upon the principles of the Christian right.

“The rule of law would be replaced with the word of God, as interpreted through right-libertarian ideologies, specifically: civil liberties, natural law, and a major reversal of the modern welfare state,” it said.

Galvanizing the Coutts group, LeMay said, was Calgary pastor Tim Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church. Stephens and his church have repeatedly flouted COVID-19 public health orders.

In May 2021, Calgary police arrested Stephens for allegedly violating a court injunction by holding church services that did not comply with COVID-19 public health orders, including rules related to masking, physical distancing, and attendance limits.

That charge was later dropped after AHS admitted a case of “mistaken identity” meant it had not properly served Stephens with the injunction.

Less than a month later, police arrested Stephens again for allegedly holding an illegal outdoor service that ignored physical distancing requirements and capacity limits. His trial on one charge of disobeying a court order is scheduled to take place in early May.

In a 12-minute video taken by the security firm’s investigator, and reviewed by Global News, Stephens tells the Coutts blockaders that the “Bible likens the state, when it is acting in an ungodly manner, to a beast.

“And that beast is seeking to devour everything,” Stephens said, exhorting them not to give in to the state or rely upon it for welfare, jobs, and education.

“We have all forgotten, as a country, that freedoms are founded upon the supremacy of God, and the rule of law. And not just the rule of any law, but the rule of the law — the word of God,” Stephens says.

He tells protesters they should remain peaceful but stand firm and abide by the law of God “that is higher than our government.”

There is no evidence that Stephens had any involvement in the planning or operation of the blockade.

But in an email reply to Global News on Tuesday, Stephens said he has long been opposed to COVID-19 government mandates.

“We all have differences of opinion on the method of protest or non-compliance (I have my own thoughts on what is best), but we should all recognize that the cause is just,” Stephens wrote, adding later that all of the people he met in Coutts “were people of honour, integrity, and character.”

DEBBIE DOES NOT DO DALLAS

Cowboys paid $2.4m to settle cheerleaders’ locker-room voyeurism claims

The Guardian sport - 17m ago

The Dallas Cowboys paid a multimillion dollar settlement to members of their cheerleading squad after allegations that a senior team executive filmed them in the AT&T Stadium locker rooms, according to documents obtained by ESPN.

In a report published on Wednesday, ESPN said that the team paid a total of $2.4m in the settlement, which involved four cheerleaders. One of the women alleges that she saw Richard Dalrymple, the Cowboys’ longtime senior vice president for public relations and communications, covertly filming them with his iPhone while they undressed after an event in 2015. Dalrymple used his security keycard to enter the locker room through a back door, but says he was unaware the cheerleaders were present.

Related: Stress fractures, hunger and low pay: one woman's life as an NBA cheerleader

In documents obtained by ESPN, Dalrymple is also accused of taking an “upskirt” image of Charlotte Jones Anderson, a senior executive at the team who is also the daughter of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. The second incident is alleged to have occurred at the 2015 NFL draft.

Dalrymple has denied the allegations against him.

“People who know me, co-workers, the media and colleagues, know who I am and what I’m about,” Dalrymple said in his statement released on Monday. “I understand the very serious nature of these claims and do not take them lightly. The accusations are, however, false. One was accidental and the other simply did not happen. Everything that was alleged was thoroughly investigated years ago, and I cooperated fully.”

The Cowboys said they investigated the allegations but found no wrongdoing, despite the settlement.

“The organization took these allegations extremely seriously and moved immediately to thoroughly investigate this matter,” said Jim Wilkinson, a communications consultant for the Cowboys. “The investigation was handled consistent with best legal and HR practices and the investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing.”

ESPN says that Dalrymple was issued a formal written warning in October 2015, although the team has not said what the warning was for. Dalrymple continued to work for the Cowboys for another six years, before he retired after 32 years as Jerry Jones’s chief spokesman. His retirement came a few weeks after ESPN started interviewing people for its investigation.

The four cheerleaders involved in the settlement either declined to comment to ESPN or did not respond to interview requests. ESPN says that the terms of the settlement included a nondisclosure agreement.

However, one former cheerleader not involved in the case said the alleged incident was known about at the time.

“It hurt my heart because I know how much it affected the people who were involved,” the former cheerleader said. “It was a very ... shut the book, don’t talk about it, this person is going to stay in his position ... They just made it go away.”

The treatment of cheerleaders has come under scrutiny several times in recent years. In 2018, the New York Times reported Washington’s NFL team required its cheerleaders to go topless during photo shoots and act as personal escorts for team sponsors. In 2020, the Washington Post made further allegations involving the team’s owner, Dan Snyder, with a former team employee saying that a video was made of cheerleaders accidentally exposing their breasts during a film shoot in 2008.

In 2016, the Guardian reported on the poor conditions some NBA cheerleaders work under.

Another side of fries? Our robot will be right out with that


Debbie Shank and her husband have owned the Dinner Bell Motel and Restaurant in Bonfield for 15 years, but “never in a million years” did she think she would be working with a robot.

But never say never because Shank has recently added Bella to her staff. The new addition arrived last Tuesday, and after some time spent to set it up and familiarize it with its new surrounds, the new help was put to work.

Bella, manufactured by the Pudu company, stands just under one and a half meters—about four feet—and resembles more of a high end, futuristic cart tray than a person. Pudu calls it a “premium delivery robot,” on their website, and delivery is what it does best, bringing plates and drinks to tables and helping to bus dirty dishes back to the kitchen. It’s been a great help to Shank and her staff, cutting out a lot of back-and-forth trips.

Upon hearing that a robot server was in town, some folks raised concerns about lost jobs within the community, and Shank admits she’s been receiving some flak on the issue from online commentators.

She understands the concerns but mentioned that she “has just hired two more people” at the restaurant, and her intention wasn’t to create an autonomous robot service brigade. Instead, Bella is meant to bolster the existing team.

Plus, after all the Covid openings and closings, finding staff has been difficult as many workers do not want to risk the mercurial work environments many restaurants have become during the pandemic. “We’ve had a hard time finding people,” Shank said.

“We needed extra help,” and Bella is there to work, and if there are more closures due to future outbreaks, she’ll fit nicely into a closet until reopening.

“It doesn’t take away jobs,” Shank said, as the robot is more of an aide to human workers allowing servers to bring all the plates out at once, for example. Given Bella’s ample cart space bussing tables is made easier, too. Load Bella’s four trays and save a few trips to the kitchen.

Bella doesn’t take orders, but it can deliver your order to a table. If Shank is occupied preparing some food, she can send another soda to table three by placing it on Bella’s tray and telling it what table to go to. When Bella arrives table-side, the tray lights up to let the customer know which order is theirs.

Shank first saw Bella at a Toronto food and restaurant convention in 2020. At that time, “I really thought it was crazy” she admitted, the idea of a four-foot cart tray helping around the restaurant. At that time, before Covid, “I had a lot of staff” and things were running well, and there was no need for robotic help. “Now it’s a different story.”

Despite some negative comments towards Shank’s new hire, most people react positively toward Bella. “The people that are coming in are loving it,” Shank said. “They see the benefit of it” as well, “it’s an extra hand.”

David Briggs, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, BayToday.ca

Robots to be part of North Bay social isolation research project

'The robots are a tool that will help us increase engagement with seniors and as many of the speakers here have addressed the issue of social isolation for seniors'

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Chris Dawson/BayToday.

NORTH BAY - “I am happy to be here today,” Mindy said prior to a media conference at the Village in North Bay. 

Mindy was joined by her small partner Mork at the event. 

The three-foot tall couple was the centre of attention as Canadore College introduced the unique Apple Robot which are part of a new research initiative launched Monday afternoon. 

"The robots are a tool that will help us increase engagement with seniors and as many of the speakers here have addressed the issue of social isolation for seniors," said George Burton, President at Canadore College.  

"It is a very active tool we hope to employ through the research project and how best that interaction should occur, what type of programs should these robots be loaded with, how those interactions should be scheduled because robots have a range of activities that are possible. We are going to find out which ones work best with our population here and again try to prove that seniors have with technology and humans together as a combined effort to address the issue of isolation with our seniors."

In particular, the Village will investigate through a new research project entitled “The Use of Companion Social Robots with Older Adults: A Pilot Study Examining Impacts on Social Isolation, Social Inclusion, and Perceived Loneliness."

“Older adults living in retirement residences or affordable housing will work with students from the Canadore’s Health, Human Care and Wellness programs on this project,” said Dr. Anna-Liisa Mottonen, Social Sciences faculty and Primary Investigator. 

“With the physical distancing required during the pandemic, these problems are likely to be exacerbated.”

The Village Collective Impact Project is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s New Horizon’s for Seniors Program.  The Retired Teachers of Ontario (RTOERO) Districts 43 and 44 are collaborating with The Village on this project.

“District 43 of the Retired Teachers of Ontario is pleased to be partners with District 44 and Canadore in this project,” said Doug Bolger, District 43 President. 

“RTOERO has identified social isolation as an important concern for our senior population. We feel this project has the potential to provide significant research on the use of robots to help create meaningful interaction for seniors in long-term care settings and other areas. The RTOERO Foundation has also focused its research and funding on geriatric training in the medical field and the issue of social isolation.”

The project is expected to begin in early March in two retirement homes in the North Bay area.  

North Sea green hydrogen project to harness offshore wind and use existing pipeline



RWE and Neptune Energy say the H2opZee project would be developed in two phases.

Hydrogen has a diverse range of applications and can be deployed in a wide range of industries.

The vast majority of hydrogen generation is currently based on fossil fuels.


© Provided by CNBCNorth Sea green hydrogen project to harness offshore wind and use existing pipeline

Anmar Frangoul - 

German power firm RWE has signed an agreement with Neptune Energy to develop a green hydrogen demonstration project in the Dutch North Sea, targeting an electrolyzer capacity of 300 to 500 megawatts.

In a statement Tuesday, the firms said the H2opZee project would be developed in two phases. The first will center on a feasibility study while the second will focus on implementation. The goal is for the project to be developed before 2030.

"Hydrogen is a gamechanger in the decarbonisation of energy-intensive sectors, and H2opZee is among the world's first projects of this kind and scale," Sven Utermöhlen, RWE Renewables' CEO for offshore wind, said.

Hydrogen has a diverse range of applications and can be deployed in a wide range of industries. It can be produced in a number of ways. One method includes using electrolysis, with an electric current splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen.

If the electricity used in this process comes from a renewable source such as wind or solar then some call it green or renewable hydrogen.

The companies said H2opZee would produce green hydrogen using offshore wind, with an existing pipeline used to funnel the hydrogen to shore. The pipeline's capacity ranges between 10 to 12 gigawatts, the companies said

"The energy transition can be faster, cheaper and cleaner if we integrate existing gas infrastructure into new systems," Lex de Groot, who is managing director of Neptune Energy in the Netherlands, said.

"This infrastructure is technically suitable. As a result ... no new pipeline at sea is needed and no new landfall needs to be made through the coastal area."

The notion of using existing infrastructure to transport hydrogen is not new. Last July, the CEO of energy infrastructure firm Snam outlined a vision for the future of hydrogen, saying the "beauty" of it was that it could be easily stored and transported.

Speaking to CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe," Snam CEO Marco Alverà spoke about how current systems would be used to facilitate the delivery of hydrogen produced using renewable sources as well as biofuels.

"Right now, if you turn on your heater in Italy the gas is flowing from Russia, all the way from Siberia, in pipelines," he said.

"Tomorrow, we will have hydrogen produced in North Africa, in the North Sea, with solar and wind resources," Alverà said. "And that hydrogen can travel through the existing pipeline."

While there is excitement in some quarters about green hydrogen's potential, the vast majority of hydrogen generation is currently based on fossil fuels.

Recently, some business leaders have spoken of the issues they felt were facing the emerging green hydrogen sector. In Oct. 2021, for example, the CEO of Siemens Energy told CNBC there was "no commercial case" for it at this moment in time.

The European Commission has laid out plans to install 40 GW of renewable hydrogen electrolyzer capacity in the European Union by the year 2030.