Space centre planned for Cochrane, Ont., aims to train future astronauts
Sun., February 27, 2022, 4:00 a.m.·3 min read
Matthew Marcellino, P.J. Marcellino and Jason Michaud, left to right, of Stardust Technologies in Cochrane, Ont. Stardust Technologies recently launched plans for a space centre on the company's 46-hectare property just north Cochrane. (Supplied by Stardust Marketing - image credit)
An aerospace and technology company in Cochrane, Ont., is working to create a space centre that will help train future astronauts.
Stardust Technologies recently launched plans for the research facility, with the help of more than 20 partners and collaborators.
Various areas of the centre will be on the company's 46-hectare property about 20 kilometres north of the town of Cochrane, said chief executive officer Jason Michaud.
He calls Cochrane a "hidden gem in the middle of the north" that is a "wonderful, unexpected place." Stardust Technologies has been based in the town since the company's formation in 2014.
Michaud said the idea for a space centre came about after he and his staff were looking at analog research stations around the world where astronauts are trained.
"We could do something that is so much more in reach for Canadian youth," he said.
Once they realized they could create a space centre, Michaud said, the next step was to figure out how they could improve the property in Cochrane.
Training on mental health, isolation
Inflatable domes will be used to allow astronauts to mentally train for the isolation they would experience in space. The company had already been conducting some research on mental health and isolation.
"There's going to be people living in these domes for minimum two weeks at a time, not going outside," he said, adding that some could live there for as long as three months.
"No one going outside and just eating freeze-dried food, and having bare minimum like there is in space, to be able to be innovative and creative, and find new solutions to help on Earth and space."
Along with isolation studies, Michaud said, researchers could also conduct rocketry and astronomy on the Stardust property. The goal is to make space training and research more accessible.
Institutions like Western University in London, Ont., and the University of Technology in Sidney, Australia, have come on board as partners that will send students and researchers to the space centre.
Michaud explained normally any institution that wants to train an astronaut sends the person to the U.S., which can be expensive.
"So we're making it a lot easier for them to be able to collaborate with us and do these missions right on our property," he said.
"We just want to make it accessible and we're really open to working with colleges, universities and industry partners."
Space centre will include innovation hub
In fact, visitors to Cochrane for the launch of the space centre Feb. 19 were from schools like Western, Waterloo University and Concordia University in Montreal, as well as a representative from Launch Canada, an industry-partnered student rocket competition series.
"We just had such a wonderful mindset of people that want to make stuff happen," Michaud said.
The Stardust Space Centre will also include an innovation hub for research partners to collaborate, and an institute for research and learning for Ontarian youth to help foster interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.
Michaud expects construction to start this spring, with the first training mission at the space centre in August.
"One step at a time and we'll make it to the stars."
Nova Scotia Power's Tusket dam refurbishment swallows another $2M
Sun., February 27, 2022,
Nova Scotia Power must provide the provincial regulator with another update on the Tusket hydro dam refurbishment project by July 29. (CBC - image credit)
Nova Scotia Power burned through another $2.2 million from ratepayers late last year at its ill-fated refurbishment of the Tusket hydro dam near Yarmouth, N.S.
The disclosure of contingency spending during the last three months of 2021 was ordered by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board after the company told the regulator on Jan. 31 it was halting work yet again due to water seepage.
The company filed its contingency spending to meet a Feb. 23 deadline imposed by the regulator.
To identify the $2.2 million in additional spending, it required making calculations using information obtained from two sets of submissions by Nova Scotia Power.
Work to bring the crumbling 93-year-old dam up to national standards is now three years behind schedule and at least $18 million over budget. Water continues to seep into the construction zone despite multiple attempts to seal off the site.
The most recent cost estimate goes back to July 2021 when the company applied to charge ratepayers for its overspending.
The total cost then was estimated at $36.8 million — twice the amount originally approved in early 2019.
Water continues to create problems
In January, Nova Scotia Power said it continued to struggle with water infiltration. The company said it had no idea how much it would cost to fix the issue or when it would be able to finish the refurbishment.
The regulator demanded answers.
Nova Scotia Power has to update the status of the construction plan and provide a new overspending projection by July 29.
Its director of regulatory affairs, Brian Curry, has outlined eight steps the company needs to take.
Those include completing a geotechnical review of the site, assessing potential permitting requirements and supply chain impacts.
Quebec's first commercial urban fish farming company sets up shop in Montreal
Sun., February 27, 2022
A dozen large basins are installed at Opercule, Quebec's first commercial urban fish farm. (Philippe-Antoine Saulnier/Radio-Canada - image credit)
In the basement of an industrial building in Ahuntsic-Cartierville, some 50,000 small fish splash around in a circular basin while waiting for their feed ration.
These arctic char are the first fish to be produced in the first commercial urban fish farm in Quebec.
"The hatching took place in mid-December and we've been feeding them at full capacity for three weeks," said David Dupaul-Chicoine, president of Opercule.
The operation is based on the grounds of the Centrale agricole on Legendre Street, which includes other companies specializing in urban agriculture in the city.
It was Dupaul-Chicoine's garage, in the Villeray district, that this urban fish farming project was born about five years ago. Dupaul-Chicoine, who was then working in music, had enrolled in aquaculture courses in Gaspésie, where he met his future partner, engineer Nicolas Paquin.
The garage pilot project, which lasted three years, validated farming techniques in the city and tested the market.
"We were producing about a tonne a year in my garage," says Dupaul-Chicoine.
Over the next few years, Opercule plans to produce around 30,000 kilograms annually.
Trials with restaurants
Some Montreal restaurateurs put the small garage production to the test.
"We were the guinea pigs, we gave feedback on the quality," says John Winter Russell, chef at Candide in Little Burgundy.
Russell looked into how to use fish of different sizes. The smallest specimens, which could not reach their optimal size, were prepared in an escabeche, a Mediterranean recipe.
"They were served a bit like marinated anchovies, but they are char," he said, adding the taste of Arctic char is similar to that of salmon.
"I find that David's has less of the earthy taste you find in farmed fish. I really like its texture. It's quite firm, but when you put pressure on it, it melts."
Farming in the city
A dozen large basins are installed at Opercule, with the fish separated into the different tanks as they grow, Dupaul-Chicoine said. The first char will be sold as of next Christmas.
Dupaul-Chicoine and Paquin set up their aquaculture production at the heart of the city for ecological reasons.
"It's being at the heart of the market," Dupaul-Chicoine said.
Philippe-Antoine Saulnier/Radio-Canada
Deliveries will be made by electric bike to reduce carbon footprint as much as possible, he said.
Opercule's facilities are also the first in Quebec to apply the principle of water recirculation from one end of the production chain to the other. Sophisticated and noisy devices recover fish waste and filter the water by removing ammonia and injecting oxygen.
The company also plans to use 100 to 200 times less water than traditional fish farming, with solid waste going to produce compost.
A long-term project
Although Opercule is just starting its first production of arctic char, the company has been located at the Centrale agricole in Montreal for nearly three years now.
During this time, the founders were devoted to completing applications for permits and subsidies to bring the project to fruition.
"It was quite a headache to have all the permits," says Dupaul-Chicoine. "You need all your permits to apply for grants, and without grants, we probably wouldn't have been able to carry out the project."
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec (MAPAQ) financially supports the development of aquaculture companies such as Opercule. In 2018, it set a goal of doubling Quebec's aquaculture production by 2025.
Endangered moose, bird habitat protected on N.S. South Shore
Sun., February 27, 2022
Some of the protected land runs along the coast of the Port Joli peninsula. (Mike Dembeck/Nature Conservancy of Canada - image credit)
Two pieces of land on Nova Scotia's South Shore that provide habitat to some endangered animals are being protected by the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
The newly conserved land — nearly 160 hectares in total — is made up of salt marshes, tidal flats, beaches and Wabanaki-Acadian forest. It connects with existing protected areas on the Port Joli peninsula, including Thomas Raddall Provincial Park.
Andrew Holland, spokesperson for the nature conservancy, said the protection is strategic.
"It's not easy to find larger tracts of lands, wetlands, forests and coastal areas that have been unspoiled, so you've got to seize the opportunities as they come up, no matter the size," Holland said.
Mike Dembeck/Nature Conservancy of Canada
The mainland moose and piping plover, both considered endangered by the provincial government, are known to live in the Port Joli area. Holland said it's also a "hotspot" for many migratory bird species.
Forty-seven hectares of land was donated, and 110 hectares came at a cost of about $400,000 — a figure that includes the purchase of the land, as well as legal fees, staff time and contributions to stewardship endowment funds, among other costs.
Money for the conservation project came from a variety of sources, which Holland said "gives a sense of the importance."
Those funding the project include the federal and provincial governments, local businesses and individuals. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also chipped in through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act.
Nature Conservancy of Canada
Earlier this month, the Nature Conservancy finalized a deal to protect another swath of land in southwestern Nova Scotia — nearly 1,100 hectares next to Indian Fields Provincial Park and close to the Tobeatic Wilderness Area.
That area is also home to several endangered species, including lichens and birds.
Holland said protection of endangered, rare and at-risk species is the nature conservancy's priority.
Canadian researchers discover 1st possible case of deer spreading COVID-19 virus to a human
Sat., February 26, 2022
In North America, the COVID-19 virus is widespread in white-tailed deer. It's not clear exactly how humans are transmitting the virus to deer in the first place, but it could be through contaminated drinking water, direct contact, food or farming. (Dave St-Amant/CBC - image credit)
In a world first, preliminary research suggests deer may be able to transmit the COVID-19 virus to humans, following analysis by a team of Canadian scientists monitoring the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in animals.
Up until now, researchers have only found evidence of humans spreading the virus to deer, and deer spreading it to other deer.
New evidence suggesting the virus may be able to spill from deer to humans is a significant development, as scientists are closely tracking whether wild animals could become a source of new variants and act as a reservoir for SARS-CoV-2.
Still, humans remain the main source of the virus and its spread around the world.
The new research paper posted Friday on bioRxiv, an online archive and distribution service for unpublished preprints in the life sciences, has not been peer reviewed.
The findings stem from work by a team of scientists who collaborated to analyze samples taken from hundreds of deer killed by hunters in the fall of 2021 in southwestern Ontario.
In their analysis, scientists discovered a highly divergent lineage of SARS-CoV-2 — which essentially means a cluster of the virus with a lot of mutations.
Around the same time, a genetically similar version of the virus was identified in a person from the same region of Ontario who had recently been in contact with deer.
Finlay Maguire, who collaborated on the research and helped analyze the genetic sequencing, underscored the fact no other cases were found in humans.
"This particular case, while raising a red flag, doesn't seem to be hugely alarming," Maguire said in an interview.
He said their conclusions come down to strong circumstantial evidence.
"While we haven't seen [transmission from deer to human] happen directly, we sampled from the human case around the same time we sampled from the deer, and we sampled from around the same location," Maguire said. "There is also a plausible link by which it could have happened, in that the individual involved is known to have had considerable contact with deer."
The research points to the need for better surveillance of the COVID-19 virus — not just in humans, but also in animals, plants and the wider environment, said Maguire, an assistant professor at Dalhousie University and a pathogenomics bioinformatics lead at the Shared Hospital Laboratory in Toronto.
Need for better surveillance
How the deer caught the virus in the first place is unclear, which is one of the reasons Maguire and others say more surveillance is needed.
It could have been transmitted from humans directly, or through wastewater or an intermediary host animal, like mink.
Samira Mubareka, an infectious disease physician and virologist at Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, also spoke to CBC and said the version of the virus they found was different from what's circulating now.
"It's not even closely related to Delta or to Omicron. It's most recent relative was from way back in 2020."
Mubareka, one of the authors of the research paper, said that means it took time for the divergent lineage to mutate and emerge.
"It's reassuring that we found no evidence of further transmission, during a time when we were doing a lot of sampling and a lot of sequencing," said Mubareka, a microbiologist and clinical scientist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre .
"If we continue to do this surveillance, we'll get a much better sense of what the actual risk is."
Previously, the only other known cases of transmission from animals to humans have been in farmed mink. There is also some preliminary research out of Hong Kong suggesting the virus may be able to spread from hamsters to humans.
Doug Nicholson/Sunnybrook Research Institute
Hunters should be cautious
For most people, the risk of catching the virus from a human is much higher than catching it from deer.
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said there is no evidence that animals play a large role in the current spread of COVID-19 and animal-to-human transmission is rare, but the agency is warning hunters to be cautious.
Hunters and people who handle wild deer are being advised to wash their hands regularly, wear gloves, goggles and a well-fitted mask when there is a possibility of being exposed to respiratory tissues and fluids, especially indoors.
Coronaviruses are killed by normal cooking temperatures and there has been no evidence that cooked venison can spread the COVID-19 virus.
PHAC said scientists from the National Microbiology Laboratory reviewed the research paper's findings and confirmed the genetic similarities suggest the possibility of deer-to-human transmission in this case.
"Based on available information to date, there is no sign of additional human infections with this unique sequence, since this single human case was identified," a statement from PHAC said.
"Routine genomic surveillance will continue to monitor positive PCR [polymerase chain reaction] test results for unusual variations of the virus in Canada, including this one."
So far, the virus has been found in wild white-tailed deer in the northeastern United States, as well as in Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Something to crow about: Crowfest swoops in to Chatham-Kent this fall
Sun., February 27, 2022
Chatham-Kent will be embracing the thousands of crows that frequent the area with a new event: Crowfest is scheduled to run for two weeks in October. (Cathy Alex/CBC - image credit)
This fall, crows will be an even bigger presence than usual in Chatham-Kent.
The community is embracing the crows that winter there through a new event, Crowfest, scheduled to take place in October.
"We have tens of thousands of crows down here, and let's celebrate them," Chatham-Kent mayor, and Crowfest co-chair, Darrin Canniff said on CBC's Windsor Morning.
"Chatham-Kent is home in the wintertime for them," he said. "So let's get together, have a couple weeks of festivals culminating in a couple of big days of bands, and all sorts of other events."
Canniff said plans are still being finalized, but what is known is Crowfest will start on Oct. 1, and run for about two weeks; among the expected events are costume contests, crow-calling contests, and outdoor concerts, which include crow themed bands.
Crows are ubiquitous, ranging across North America. But some areas see more of the black-plumed birds than others.
That includes Chatham-Kent, due to the area's farmland and forests, said Larry Cornelis of the Sydenham Field Naturalists, the nature club of Chatham-Kent.
SOURCE:crowfestck.com
"We have some of the best farmland, probably in North America, in Chatham-Kent," Cornelis said. "There's a lot of things in agriculture fields that crows can benefit from. Just spillage of corn and soybeans and wheat seeds."
"So they found in this food basket around what looks to them like a forest, which is the city of Chatham, and so every every night they get together to roost," he said. "Then, of course, every morning, as the sun rises, they disperse from their roost and they spread out all around Chatham in the countryside, feeding in the fields again."
"And then at dusk, they all come back, and I think it's it's a real treat to just sit in the big parking lot at about, you know, 4:30, 5 o'clock, and watch the return of the crows."
Cornelis said the relationship between Chatham-Kent residents and the crows can be, at times, testy.
Crows, after all, are vocal. They can be messy, as well, tearing into garbage bags and leaving droppings, which can be a major nuisance due to the sheer number of the birds in the Chatham-Kent area.
"It is big numbers," he said. "Our Christmas bird count, we've estimated over the years, between 125,000 and 150,000 [crows]."
"I hope it changes their attitude, and that there is some newfound tolerance, and that it just brings them into nature a little bit more, understanding the nature of crows." - Larry Cornelis, Sydenham Field Naturalists
"But it's probably bigger than that. But how do you count 200,000 crows accurately, right? That's quite a challenge," Cornelis said. "They just found the perfect scenario for roosting and eating here in Chatham-Kent."
But crows are also highly intelligent, and have been shown to remember faces, and even use tools. And try as it might, Chatham has not been able to convince the birds to go somewhere else.
"We had a mayor in the past [whose] quest in life is to get rid of the crows," Cornelis said. "But so far, nothing's been very successful because they're very smart birds."
He said he hopes Crowfest will educate people about crows.
"I definitely hope they learn more about them," Cornelis said. "I hope it changes their attitude, and that there is some newfound tolerance, and that it just brings them into nature a little bit more, understanding the nature of crows."
Crowfest volunteers, committee members, and sponsors are being sought. For more information, visit the event's website.
Montrealer detained in Algeria while on his way back to Canada
Sun., February 27, 2022
Lazhar Zouaïmia is being detained in Algeria. (Facebook - image credit)
Lazhar Zouaïmia, an Algerian-Canadian citizen was arbitrarily detained in Algeria, according to his wife Fatima Benzerara.
She says her husband was arrested at the Mohamed Boudiaf International airport, in Constantine, in the eastern part of the country on Feb. 16, as he was about to board the plane to return home to Montreal, after a stopover in Algiers.
He was arrested and then taken by plainclothes agents to the premises of the city's security services, without a court order and without a clear charge, Benzerara says.
"I don't sleep anymore, I don't eat anymore, I spent 24 hours in the hospital, my daughter collapsed, the whole family, everything changed," she told Radio-Canada.
Lazhar Zouaïmia is charged with promoting terrorist acts through technological means, according to his lawyer.
Like hundreds of other Algerians, in Montreal, Zouaïmia, participated in the Hirak Movement, a peaceful popular movement which began on Feb. 22, 2019 in Algeria, calling for the country to democratize.
"What's more difficult are the charges," his wife said. "I really do not understand. It's really the opposite of what Lazhar is."
Repression
In recent months, the Algerian regime has stepped up repression tactics against Hirak activists.
According to media counts, 300 activists are being detained and prosecuted on various charges, including "terrorism."
"More than 300 people were arrested for crimes of opinion and political crimes," Algerian journalist Mustapha Bendjama said.
"Currently, we are experiencing terrible repression in Algeria, worse than what we experienced under Bouteflika [the president deposed by the protest movement] or other presidents."
On the eve of the 2019 Algerian protests' third anniversary, several activists were arrested in cities across the country.
For Idir Sadou, a friend of the family, the government wants "to make an example" of Zouaïmia.
"It will have an effect of fear and terror for people who want to go to [Algeria]," he said.
"I know people who had plans to visit their family in the country and who decided not to go, to postpone because they expressed themselves on social networks."
The federal government confirmed to Radio-Canada that it is aware of Zouaïmia's arrest and detention, noting that consular officials remain in contact with local authorities to gather further information and provide consular assistance.
Hydro-Québec, Zouaïmia's employer, says it learned of his arrest through his spouse.
The Crown corporation has indicated that the employment relationship is maintained and that it is "monitoring the situation closely through [its] human resources and corporate security teams."
Quebec family of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi hope he will soon be released
Sat., February 26, 2022
The family of imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi hopes that he may soon be released. But advocates say Badawi still faces hurdles before being reunited with family in Canada. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press - image credit)
The family of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi says his release may be imminent, a decade after he was imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for criticizing religious figures and promoting liberal views of Islam.
Badawi, whose wife and three children now live in Quebec's Eastern Townships, was arrested in 2012 and initially sentenced to 1,000 lashes, 10 years in prison and a fine of more than $340,000.
His story made international headlines in 2015 when, as part of that sentence, he was whipped 50 times in front of the al-Jafali mosque in Jeddah. The resulting international pressure forced the suspension of the remainder of his lashes, according to Amnesty International.
Now, after an unbearable wait, his family and supporters believe his release may be days away, as his 10-year sentence will have been served in full by Feb. 28.
"My father was always giving us hugs and I don't even remember," said his eldest daughter Najwa Badawi, who is now a student at the Cégep de Sherbrooke.
"It's not very normal that a child doesn't even remember her father's hugs anymore."
Radio-Canada
Family fighting to bring him to Canada
Former justice minister Irwin Cotler, who has served as international legal counsel to Badawi's family, said there are still legal hurdles that Saudi authorities would need to drop in order for the family to bring him to Canada.
"They would need to authorize that the other restrictions that were placed at the initial sentencing are no longer enforced," he said. That includes the fine and a 10-year travel ban.
"This is something that [his family has] been painfully awaiting now for 10 years," said Cotler. "I've seen it myself and seen the children — living deprived of their father has been very difficult."
Christian Lutz/Associated Press
Though progress has been slow, Saudi officials may wish to appear merciful in releasing Badawi now, according to Sylvana Al Baba Douaihy, a researcher at the society, law and religion research centre of l'Université de Sherbrooke.
"The crown prince [Mohammed bin Salman] has this ambition to repair his image and the image of the kingdom, which was pretty tarnished after the assasination of [Jamal] Khashoggi in 2018," she said.
'He should be proud'
While she awaits his return, Najwa Badawi says she makes the most of the short phone calls she gets with her father, even if they have to stick to surface-level conversations.
"We can't talk about real things because he's being listened to. He can't talk to us about how he's feeling," she said. "It's been 11 years that I haven't seen him. I don't know what he looks like and he doesn't know what we look like."
Radio-Canada
Najwa says her father should be proud that he fought to advance freedoms in his home country, despite the consequences. And inspired by her father, she hopes to study to become a lawyer.
"I want … to be able to defend people who are in his situation," she said. "If I can help people, he will be proud of me. It will make him happy."
From the horses' mouths: Equine-inspired tarot cards share wisdom from the herd
Sun., February 27, 2022
Hillary Schneider, artist Zuzy Rocka and Aries the horse are pictured with the equine-inspired tarot cards. (Submitted by Zuzy Rocka - image credit)
Hillary Schneider has learned a lot from her horses over the years — like how to handle leadership with grace, how to take breaks and how to be in the moment.
Now she has a new project aimed at sharing that knowledge with others: equine-themed tarot cards to help pass on the wisdom she's gained from the herd.
Tarot cards are decks of cards with images that people draw meaning from, sometimes using them to answer a question or address a situation in a person's life. They typically come with a guide to help people decode the significance of the cards.
"It's just a way, I think, for people to get access to ... maybe a message or wisdom ... coming forward for them. It's just a different medium for that," said Schneider.
Schneider owns an a retreat centre in Whitecroft, a community northeast of Kamloops in the Interior of B.C., that features learning programs and activities where guests can interact with the horses.
Schneider says she pays close attention to her horses and the interactions they have with people.
"Horses are my medium of helping people," she told Daybreak Kamloops host, Shelley Joyce.
As she helps guests at her retreat centre, Schneider says she learns from the horses, too — like lessons on leadership from Aponi, her lead mare.
Submitted by Zuzy Rocka
Aponi came to Schneider after being rescued from the 2017 wildfires in Williams Lake and quickly became the dominant horse in the herd.
"She claims her space ... It's that encouragement that you can own that and occupy that space for yourself, too."
Another one of the horses, Darma, who was rescued from a slaughter truck, taught her about choosing joy, Schneider says.
When clients asked if there were ways they could bring home some of the lessons they learned on her retreats, Schneider started thinking about a project that could capture the spirit of her horses.
Eventually she came up with the idea of a custom-made deck of tarot cards.
Submitted by Zuzy Rocka
Connecting to the wisdom of the herd
Schneider approached another Whitecroft resident, Zuzy Rocka, to create the cards.
Rocka had been photographing the herd for a number of years.
"I've been able to spend some time with the herd and actually really also feel the kind of energy that they put out as well," said Rocka, who took inspiration from her own photos and experiences to design the cards.
Submitted by Zuzy Rocka
The deck features 35 cards, one for each of the horses in the herd and for each horse Schneider has owned over the years.
Schneider says she included the horses that have died as a way to honour their teachings.
"It's a way of people being able to connect to the wisdom and energy of my herd."
Photographer brings to life legendary Black Alberta cowboy John Ware
Sat., February 26, 2022
John Ware was born into slavery and migrated to Canada after the American Civil War. (Dickson Obasuyi/Doba Photography - image credit)
Alberta's most legendary Black cowboy was known for his excellent horsemanship, farming skills, and good nature.
Born into slavery, John Ware was one of the first Black people to migrate to the province after gaining his freedom during the American Civil War in 1865. He and his wife Mildred eventually settled down in Millarville, Alta.
Despite the discrimination and racism he faced, Ware became a folk legend in the province.
And he recently inspired an Edmonton photographer with his story.
When planning a project for Black History Month, photographer Dickson Obasuyi came across Ware's story and was instantly captivated.
"His ability to start from scratch and get somewhere, you know, is what every immigrant aims at," Obasuyi told CBC Edmonton's Radio Active. "He picked up a job in a bar, like every immigrant."
Dickson Obasuyi/Doba Photography
Now that he had his muse, Obasuyi conducted a thorough, month-long research.
From the beginning, Obasuyi knew he wanted to recreate the cowboy's story with models who closely resembled the cowboy and his family, in order to portray them as accurately as possible.
"Pictures helped me pick someone with his [Ware] facial features, to play him in my photographs," he said.
Listen here | Photographer recreates the life of John Ware
Obasuyi wanted to portray Ware's story as accurately as possible, which meant he had to find costumes similar to what would have been worn in the late 1800s.
For the photo shoot, Obasuyi sourced a lot of his costumes from Value Village, Kijiji, and the Anything and Everything Vintage boutique in St Albert.
He shot the photos in a location appropriate for visiting the past.
Dickson Obasuyi/Doba Photography
"Luckily when I shared the idea with the Fort Edmonton Park management, they immediately told me the idea was a great one," Obasuyi said.
To show support for the project, the park management allowed Obasuyi to use the venue without charge.
The project kicked off with Obasuyi splitting his time between Fort Edmonton Park and Still Meadows Ranch, east of the city.
"I was a bit worried about the Alberta weather which can be unpredictable," he said. "Because if it got too cold, getting to take outdoor pictures wouldn't be fun. Luckily for us the weather that day was in our favour."
John Ware the immigrant
Ware left a long and lasting legacy in his adopted home. Fellow cowboys remembered him long after his death.
Legend goes he could train the wildest broncos, and brand an 18-month-old steer by throwing it onto its back.
But to immigrants, Ware's story is one of perseverance, hard work and motivation.
"John and Mildred's story is a true story of hard work, hope, focus, patience, determination and humility, which — with a bit of luck — led to success," said Obasuyi.
"A true immigrant story, a real example of success that anyone can achieve with a positive mindset."
Scroll through this 11-shot photo galllery:
Ware established himself and his 9999 (four-nines) or walking-stick cattle brand successfully in Western Canada.
His name is echoed across the province still, especially in southern Alberta where he ranched. In 2012, Canada Post issued a stamp in Ware's honour for Black History Month.
Obasuyi initially picked up his camera to start a hobby during the pandemic. Pretty soon after that, he began Doba Photography and fell in love with narrative storytelling through photography.
His project, "A John Ware Story," is his second visual series as a photographer.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
