It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Monday, May 30, 2022
Review: Wilco's 'Cruel Country' takes on flawed America
“Cruel Country,” Wilco (dBpm Records)
Wilco goes country as only it can on “Cruel Country,” an immensely rich 21-track, roughly 80-minute deep dive into America that is a raw and engaging take on our tumultuous times.
For longtime fans of Wilco, “Cruel Country” feels in some ways like an extension of the rock band’s “Mermaid Avenue” collection with Billy Bragg that were based on lyrics of Woody Guthrie. But “Cruel Country,” a reference more to the subject matter than the musical style, is very much Wilco’s take on America as it currently exists.
“I love my country stupid and cruel/red, white and blue," lead singer and songwriter Jeff Tweedy sings on the title track.
While death hangs heavy over “Cruel Country,” the record offers solace in music and community.
“All you have to do is sing in the choir with me," Tweedy sings in as much an invitation as an aspiration.
It’s fitting that the tracks were recorded live by the band playing together at Wilco’s loft in Chicago, with minimal overdubs. That gives “Cruel Country” a raw, real feel that’s befitting the songs. Tweedy described the method as “messy. Like democracy.”
“Country Song Upside-Down” perhaps comes closest to stating Wilco's thesis for “Cruel Country.”
“I found a song upside-down,” Tweedy sings. “A country song/Without a doubt/Dying sky and water/Rainbow/Flickering out.”
The record comes on the heels of Wilco celebrating the 20th anniversary of its most revered record, “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.” While the band looked back to celebrate that milestone, it’s maybe no accident that it quickly followed up its anniversary shows with a completely different-sounding genre-bending record.
As Tweedy writes in the liner notes, “Cruel Country” is an attempt to “challenge our affections for things that are flawed.”
“Cruel Country" isn't all cruel and it isn't all country music, either. But it's likely to stand the test of time and still be talked about 20 years from now.
Two new Arctic and offshore patrol ships named in honour of Canadian naval heroes The Canadian Press
HALIFAX — Two of Canada's new Arctic and offshore patrol ships were formally named on Sunday in a move intended to preserve the stories of two of the country's naval heroes during the Second World War.
Two new Arctic and offshore patrol ships named in honour of Canadian naval heroes
Bottles of Nova Scotian wine were broken over the bows of the HMCS Margaret Brooke and HMCS Max Bernays during a ceremony on the Halifax waterfront, acknowledging their construction at the Halifax Shipyard.
"These have been built by Nova Scotians for Canadians," Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston told the crowd.
The ritual of naming a ship dates back centuries and is believed to bring good luck and safe travel to the vessel and its crew.
Both ships are part of a fleet of six Arctic and offshore patrol ships, referred to as AOPS, being delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy under the National Shipbuilding Strategy. The ice-capable ships are more than 100 metres long.
Kevin Mooney, president of Halifax Shipbuilding, said despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and global supply chain problems, crews at the Irving-owned yard have both persevered and improved.
"We delivered Margaret Brooke last July with 37 per cent fewer production hours than the first AOPS, Harry DeWolf," he said. "We will deliver a new AOPS each year to the Canadian Navy until 2025, and then two more to the Coast Guard in the following years."
Filomena Tassi, federal minister of Public Services and Procurement, said she was impressed by her tour of the shipyard.
"I'm in awe when I come down and stand before these ships and think that they are made by Canadian hands. The innovation, the dedication, the commitment to deliver this. It is truly awesome," she said.
Margaret Brooke enrolled as a nursing sister dietician in 1942 and rose to the rank of lieutenant-commander during her 20-year naval career.
In October 1942 off the coast of Newfoundland, the ferry SS Caribou was sunk by a German submarine, and while fighting for her own survival, Brooke did everything possible to save the life of a colleague and friend.
Both women clung to ropes on a capsized lifeboat.
Despite Brooke's heroic efforts, her friend succumbed to the frigid water.
Lt.-Cmdr Brooke was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
Max Bernays was an acting chief petty officer in August 1942 and was the coxswain aboard HMCS Assiniboine.
During a fierce battle with a German submarine, the Assiniboine maneuvered in and out of fog attempting to ram and sink the enemy vessel.
Both vessels were firing high explosive shells at close range, resulting in a fire that engulfed the ship's bridge and wheelhouse.
Bernays ordered two junior sailors to get clear, leaving him alone at the helm and trapped by the blaze.
Despite machine-gun and cannon fire, smoke and flames, Bernays executed the helm orders and dispatched over 130 telegraph orders to the engine room.
Bernays was able to ram the submarine and sink it.
He was awarded the distinguished Conspicuous Gallantry Medal by the British Admiralty, making him just one of two members of the Royal Canadian Navy to receive the honour during the Second World War.
The HMCS Margaret Brooke was delivered to the navy last summer, while the HMCS Max Bernays will be delivered this fall.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2022.
-- By Kevin Bissett in Fredericton.
The Canadian Press
Abandoned Glace Bay mine at risk of collapse will be infilled
Emily Latimer - CBC
The federal government is filling in an old coal mine in the Table Head community of Glace Bay, N.S., in an effort to keep beachgoers and locals safe.
Former Dominion No. 7 Colliery in Glace Bay’s Table Head community is being filled in this summer to mitigate risk of collapse.
The concern is collapse due to soil subsidence.
The cliff overhanging Table Head beach may give way. There are empty mine cavities about 7-10 metres below the surface that were once the Dominion No. 7 Colliery.
Mining took place at the site until it was permanently closed in 1918. Public Services and Procurement Canada, which owns the land, is set to fill the holes with sand, gravel and cement beginning in late September.
Blayne Melnick has lived in the last house on Hay Street for the past 45 years. His property is on the edge of the cliff overlooking the beach.
There are voids below the surface of his yard. He saw crews surveying the land last fall.
He said he was surprised to see the workers, but he's aware similar work was done in the past in New Waterford.
In 2019, Public Services and Procurement Canada launched a geotechnical drilling program throughout CBRM. It checked rock thickness and stability in shallow mine workings and identified subsidence risks.
Two former mines in New Waterford – No. 12 and No. 16 – have already been filled.
Last fall, the land in Table Head at the shoreline in the Hill Street area was surveyed. Workers found "significant shallow voids that can pose potential human health risk if not addressed," according to a project fact sheet.
"Really, the cliff is what drew our attention to it," said Joseph MacPhee, a PSPC regional manager in Cape Breton. "There's some unstable areas when you look up from the beach."
MacPhee said two past drilling projects found abandoned mine sites that extended further than first thought. "It's not very well mapped," he said.
The plan is to stabilize an area covering about 3,500 square metres along the coast in Table Head.
"We're just working to prevent any hazards to the local community that uses the site," MacPhee said.
"It's a fairly popular area for beach walkers and people that like to look for beach glass. So we want to make sure that what's here is safe for them to use."
MacPhee said the plan is to preserve beach access as much as possible.
Amanda Slaunwhite picks beach glass on Table Head beach about once or twice a week.
She didn't know there was an old coal mine there, but she said the infilling should make it safer for beachgoers like her. But she doesn't want to see it closed for long.
"People go there for their sanity and stuff like that. It's going to suck if that closes," she said.
There will be limited access during work periods if there is a risk to safety, PSPC said in a statement.
A public information session will take place Tuesday night at the Glace Bay Seniors and Pensioners Club.
CANADA New handgun restrictions expected in federal firearm-control bill today
The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — New measures to curb handguns are expected to be a central feature of federal legislation tabled this afternoon, the Liberal government's latest — and likely boldest — suite of proposed actions to control access to firearms in Canada.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino will present the bill after the daily question period before joining Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and supportive voices, including some city mayors, from across the country for a press conference at Ottawa's Chateau Laurier hotel.
The legislation will revive some federal measures that did not pass before last year's general election and flesh out new proposals made during the subsequent campaign.
They include a mandatory buyback of guns the government considers assault-style firearms, a crackdown on high-capacity firearm magazines and efforts to combat gun smuggling.
The Liberals also promised to work with provinces and territories that want to ban handguns outright.
Though a national ban is not anticipated in the bill, the government could take steps in that direction by phasing out handgun ownership with a cap on the number of firearm licences, outlawing the importation and manufacture of new handguns, or enacting tougher storage rules.
Prominent gun-control advocacy group PolySeSouvient has criticized the government's approach of leaving a handgun ban up to individual provinces, saying it would create an ineffective patchwork of rules in Canada.
Trudeau defended the approach last week, citing "a range of opinions and views across the country."
Speaking about the Robb Elementary School shooting that killed 19 children and two adults in Uvalde, Texas, Trudeau said Canadians are "remarkably united" in wanting to reduce gun violence" at home.
"That unity is what we're going to move forward with as we take new steps in the coming weeks on gun control," Trudeau said at a press conference in Saskatchewan last Tuesday.
An "assault-style" firearm ban — the government's flagship gun-control promise to date — involves moving forward on a mandatory buyback of models the government outlawed in May 2020.
The plan has won praise from gun-control advocates, but Conservative MPs and others opposed to the plan have suggested it targets legitimate gun owners rather than preventing illegal firearms from falling into the wrong hands.
The buyback will cover some 1,500 models of firearms the government banned through order-in-council on the basis they have no place in hunting or sport shooting.
But some similar models remain legal, and gun-control advocates say Canadian manufacturers have managed to circumvent the rules by introducing new firearms.
PolySeSouvient has urged the government to change the firearm classification system to eliminate loopholes and capture all current and future guns that fall into the category.
Several women's groups have also implored the government to do away with a provision in the previous iteration of the bill that called for potential victims to seek a court order to deprive a stalker or abuser of their guns.
The National Association of Women and the Law and several other groups warned in a letter to Mendicino this month the so-called red flag provision downloads responsibility for gun-law enforcement from authorities onto others, including possible targets of violence.
"There is no support for downloading or eroding the responsibility of law enforcement and other government officials to implement gun laws," the letter said.
"Citizens or other organizations, much less potential victims, should not be expected to put themselves at risk by going to court to request action that should be immediate and within the direct responsibility of police."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2022.
Yesterday Firearm-related homicides have gone up 37 per cent over the past 11 years and handguns were the most commonly used weapon in such crimes, a report from Statistics Canada has found, but it warns there are large data gaps in information collection.
The report looking at trends in gun crime in Canada between 2009 and 2020 was released Friday.
The proportion of homicides where a firearm was used rose from 26 per cent in 2013 to 37 per cent in 2020, it said. Handguns were the weapon of choice in 59 per cent of the firearm crimes, it added.
"Firearm-related violent crime typically represents less than three per cent of police-reported violent crime in Canada," said the report.
"Nevertheless, it has a significant emotional and physical impact on victims, families and communities. Additionally, rates of firearm-related violence have seen a general increase over the past several years."
About six per cent of gun crimes were related to gang violence, it said.
"Though firearms are present in a minority of criminal incidents, the rate of firearm-related violent crime has been increasing in recent years."
An earlier Statistics Canada report said the use of guns in violent crime increased 81 per cent from 2009 to 2019.
A July 2021 report by the agency said there were 8,344 victims of violent crimes where guns were used.
The new report cautioned, however, that there are gaps in data where guns are used, including the type of firearms, ownership and storage.
There is "no consistent definition of a shooting applied by police services in Canada, nor are there consistent criteria used to assess whether a shooting actually occurred," it said.
"Of particular concern, there is currently little information available to determine the source of firearms used in crime: for example, whether a gun used in a crime was stolen, illegally purchased or smuggled into the country. This information is sometimes not recorded by police services, recorded inconsistently or, in some cases, the information is simply not available."
This means not all guns are available for tracing, it noted.
According to the report, handguns were involved in about 75 per cent of violent robberies, and 60 per cent of homicides, other violations causing death and attempted murders. Handguns were also involved in 54 per cent in sexual offences and 51 per cent of firearm-specific violent offences in 2020, the report said.
There were 743 homicide victims in 2020, of which 277 were killed using a gun, said the report.
The first year of the pandemic saw 8,344 victims of crimes involving guns, which was unchanged compared to 2019, it said.
Rates of gun crime in 2020 were highest in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Territories, it said.
Cities with the highest proportions of gun crimes were Regina, Brantford, Ont., Toronto, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Windsor, Ont., it said.
"It is worth noting that Toronto had a relatively low rate of firearm-related violent crime, but these firearm-related crimes accounted for a relatively high proportion of all violent crime," said the report.
Gun crimes, it said were mostly higher in rural areas than urban regions, which can be attributed to a number of reasons including more firearm ownership. Firearms are usually used in hunting or farming and are around "when an offence is committed," it said.
About 63 per cent of firearm victims in urban areas involved handguns, said the report. The rural north has seen a 33 per cent increase in handgun crimes over the past six years, it added.
"While rates of handgun-related crimes were generally higher in urban areas than in rural areas, the highest rates of handgun-related crime in Canada were reported in northern Saskatchewan, which is all rural, and the Northwest Territories," it said.
The Canadian Criminal Code classifies firearms into three categories: prohibited, restricted, and non-restricted.
Prohibited firearms include automatic firearms, sawed-off rifles and shotguns. Handguns are restricted while rifles and shotguns, also known as long-guns, are usually non-restricted.
The law requires a person to have a valid license to own or possess a firearm and buy ammunition.
The federal government amended regulations to prohibit over 1,500 models of assault-style firearms, particularly semi-automatic rifles, after the Nova Scotia mass shooting in 2020 where a gunman driving a replica police vehicle killed 22 people.
Men made up 67 per cent of those afflicted by gun violence although women were more affected in rural areas, it said. Most of the victims were between the ages of 18 and 24, it added.
The accused is most often a stranger in firearm crimes, the report said although this was less often the case in rural areas.
"One in four women who were victims of a firearm-related violent crime in 2020 were victimized by a current or former spouse or other intimate partner, compared with two per cent of men."
The knowledge gaps identified in the report also included the extent of the involvement of organized crime, which it said is currently unclear.
"Patterns in the ethnicity, Indigenous identity — with the exception of homicide data — and socioeconomic characteristics of both victims and persons accused of firearm-related violence are also unknown."
The agency said it is working with the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics on getting uniform data across the country.
"It should be noted that it may take a few years for these changes to be fully implemented by police services in a way that allows the reporting of this information."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2022.
Hina Alam, The Canadian Press
Canada takes 103rd place in study examining worldwide broadband cost
MobileSyrup
Canadians will spend an average of $58,000 on broadband over their lifespan, according to a recent study from MoneySuperMarket.
The study examined the cost for 135 countries and based life expectancy on the global average of 72 years. Canada lands at 103 on the list, which shows residents will spend an average of $67 a month on the service. Out of the countries examined, only 32 countries charge residents more for internet access.
While this information isn’t new, the analysis adds fire to the longstanding problem Canadians have been complaining about for years.
Image credit: MoneySuperMarket
Any relief on the matter has been short-lived. While the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) lowered wholesale rates larger carriers can charge internet service providers (ISPs) in August 2019, they reversed the decision in May 2021. The CRTC said the decision was erroneous.
ISP TekSavvy has been working on getting the federal government to order the decision to be reversed. Their ‘Pay Less to Connect‘ campaign asks Canadians to remind their MPs to speak on the petition they filed a year ago. The campaign states the government has until May 27th to address the petition.
But why is Canada in this position? One answer comes from examining the countries with some of the highest internet rates. Brunei, for example, offers the third most expensive internet over on MoneySuperMarket’s list.
“While Brunei has great infrastructure, a lack of competition in the market keeps prices disproportionately high,” the study states.
The same is true for Canada. While there is good infrastructure, the lack of competition, with a market larger controlled by Bell, Rogers, and Telus, makes accessing cheaper internet difficult.
ISPs and advocacy groups say new CRTC policy does nothing to address current sky-high internet rates
MobileSyrup - Friday
The federal government’s new policy direction to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is a positive move in the long-term but does little to appease the current burden of high-internet rates, advocacy groups, and internet service providers (ISPs) say.
The policy direction doesn’t impact wholesale internet rates currently in place but lists a new set of ideas and objectives the government says will improve competition and affordability. The direction lacks detail about how this will happen and is still subject to parliamentary approval.
It further eliminates two previous policy directions that created conflicts. The first, introduced in 2006, focused on encouraging telecom companies to invest in networks. The second asked the CRTC to focus on affordability, competition, and consumer rights. The Liberals introduced the policy in 2019.
The direction also appears to wipe clean a slate that saw CRTC chair Ian Scott engulfed in a controversy that intensified after meeting with Bell executive Mirko Bibic.
In May 2019, the CRTC found that wholesale internet rates were too high and had to be lowered. ISPs and advocacy groups welcomed the news, but it saw appeals from leading telecom corporations, including Bell.
One week after Bell filed an appeal, Bibic and Scott were pictured in an Ottawa pub having beers. Scott maintained the meeting was on the books, and he followed all the rules. But many said the meeting was inappropriate as a file on the matter was currently open.
The CRTC reversed the decision in May 2021, saying it made it in error. The move led to several appeals, including one by ISP TekSavvy.
TekSavvy
The company says the new policy direction “endorsed higher internet prices and misconduct by the head of the CRTC.” While the ISP acknowledges the approach could lead to competition, it ignores appeals that would see lower wholesale internet rates first outlined in 2019.
“Instead of immediately lowering prices by overturning a bad CRTC decision, it is asking us to hold out hope that the CRTC will do better in the future,” Peter Nowak, a TekSavvy spokesperson, said. “This lack of action and faith-based policy approach is why competitors will continue to exit the market and Canadians will continue to pay some of the highest telecom prices in the world.”
TekSavvy filed an appeal on May 28th, 2021, asking the government to overturn the 2019 rate and see Scott excused from matters relating to wholesale internet. The new direction didn’t address this. Further comments the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, made also ignored this part of the appeal.
This may be because Scott’s time as chair is coming to an end. The government appointed him to the position in 2017 for a five-year term. According to the Globe and Mail, Canadian Heritage is currently accepting applications for a new chair to fill the role.
Distributel
Distributel Communications also took issue with the government not acting on the appeals. The company says the new policy direction addressed longstanding issues but does nothing to address high internet rates in the short-term.
“The government had a real opportunity to act on those appeals and mandate lower wholesale rates,” Matt Stein, Distributel’s CEO, said. “[It] would have put money back into the pockets of Canadians. That would have had an immediate impact.”
Other groups The Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC) said the new policy direction is encouraging, as it offers a plan that will see more competition and lower internet bills. The group also filed an appeal in 2021, asking for the 2019 rates to be restored. CNOC says it’s disappointed the appeal was denied but remains “hopeful that this new and targeted policy direction will make a difference.”
Open Media, an advocacy group that, in part, focuses on internet affordability, shared similar thoughts.
“Our government agreed the CRTC is failing Canadians — yet did nothing immediate to fix it,” Matt Hatfield, OpenMedia’s campaigns director, said. “The good news [the] announcement is that the CRTC we have today is clearly out of step with the government’s new objectives.”
Industry players have sixty days to review and provide comments on the new policy directions.
WORD OF THE DAY
Eight days after devastating derecho, these Ottawans still lack power
Avanthika Anand - Yesterday
CBC
On Sunday, Anshul Melville took a chainsaw to the trees that fell in the front yard of his Pineglen Annex home during last weekend's fatal storm.
Jai Persaud, left, gestures to his wife Nan as they examine the tree that collapsed onto their neighbour's house after the May 21 storm. Persaud says without power or internet, it's been hard to get the insurance process underway.
For more than a week, Melville has been clearing up that mess — but his biggest challenge is one he can't fix himself.
"There has been no heat, no warm water," said Melville, one of the roughly 10,000 Hydro Ottawa customers who still don't have power, eight days after the storm blew through.
Melville has been using a rented backup generator just to keep his phone charged, in case of emergencies.
But this temporary solution, even when minimally used, is expensive. Melville says he's spending over $100 a day to keep the generator running — and he's beginning to get tired.
"We desperately, desperately want [our] power back," he said. 'It's been tough'
In a Sunday update, Hydro Ottawa said it had restored power to 94 per cent of its roughly 180,000 customers affected by the powerful May 21 derecho.
The power utility said it was entering the "last phase of restoration efforts," with crews scattered across the city trying to reconnect "remaining isolated outages."
One of those outages has been at the Merivale home of 95-year-old Mervyn Brown, who hasn't been able to track down a generator.
The past week has been challenging for both him and his wife, he said.
"It's been tough because we're collecting rainwater to flush toilets," he said, adding they don't have drinking water in their home.
Mervyn Brown, 95, says he's been unable to get access to a generator in the days following the devastating May 21 derecho that slammed into Ottawa. Brown says he and his wife have had to throw out about $1,000 worth of food.
Without power for his fridge, Brown says he's had to throw out at least $1,000 worth of food. That's on top of the significant damages from the storm that still need repairing, he said.
Jai Persaud's property was also damaged, and his power outage means he's been unable to get repairs started.
With neither power nor an internet connection, Persaud said it's been hard for him to contact his insurance provider.
"I go to the [nearby] Tim Hortons parking lot to try to use the internet there. It's been very difficult trying to get in touch with people," he said. Feeling helpless
Carleton University student Claire Petite lives just off Prince of Wales Drive and said the lack of power and internet has "completely interrupted" her life.
The ongoing outages, she said, are making it hard for her to keep up with her studies.
"The accommodations that the university might be giving students, they're only going to last as long as the majority of students are experiencing them," she said.
"So having to put my hand up and say, no, I need longer accommodations is harder — because you have to make the case that we're still impacted by this, and it's not over yet."
After eight days of cold showers, confusion and complete darkness, Petite said she's beginning to feel helpless.
She said she hopes Hydro Ottawa and the City of Ottawa's cleanup crews haven't forgotten her neighbourhood. So far, she said, she's had no help from either of them.
"We don't know when we're going to get power again," Petite said.
A derecho is a widespread, long-lived, straight-line wind storm that is associated with a fast-moving group of severe thunderstorms known as a mesoscale convective system. Derechos can cause hurricanic or tornadic-force winds, actual tornadoes, heavy rains, and flash floods. In many
...
The Weather Network meteorologist Nicole Karkic explains the deadly line of storms that tracked through Ontario and Quebec. This event has been classified as a derecho.
Unbelievable video of intense storms in Ontario & Quebec on Victoria Day weekend
In depth coverage of Ontario storm destruction | Tens of thousands of people without power
How ancient forest gardens could impact Nuchatlaht First Nation's land claim
CBC/Radio-Canada - Yesterday
New research is shining a light on how the Nuchatlaht people cultivated plants for centuries on Nootka Island in B.C.
Researchers, seen here taking a crabapple core sample, have worked with Nuchatlaht knowledge holders to identify forest gardens.
The findings, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, challenge some commonly held beliefs about plant cultivation in the territory and could have a significant impact for the Nuchatlaht First Nation's claim of Aboriginal title to more than 200 square kilometres of land on Nootka Island, off Vancouver Island's west coast.
Chelsey Geralda Armstrong, assistant professor of Indigenous studies at Simon Fraser University, says archaeologists and botanists have worked with Nuchatlaht knowledge holders to identify forest gardens, ecosystems of managed plants fruits, berries and root plants.
Armstrong says the forest gardens can be easy to spot in dense forest if you know what to look for.
"They can be like an orchard you would think in your mind — clear rows, nicely spaced," she said.
She says the research confirms what Nuchatlaht knowledge holders have long known, and challenges notions that ecosystems in North America were wild, untouched "Gardens of Eden" prior to the arrival of settlers.
"When you look at these forest gardens, yes, they look wild, but now that you see these human impacts on them, it breaks down that narrative," she said.
The research comes as the Nuchatlaht are in B.C. Supreme Court seeking Aboriginal title over an area of land 300 kilometres northwest of Victoria, mostly made up of Nootka Island and much of the surrounding coastline.
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) also looms over the case — as B.C. passed legislation in 2019 to align its laws with a document that states "Indigenous peoples have the right to the lands, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied or otherwise used or acquired."
The First Nation is the among the first to make a claim according to the terms of a groundbreaking three-point test set by the Supreme Court of Canada in 2014 to establish Aboriginal title.
To meet that standard, the Nuchatlaht must prove they occupied the land exclusively in 1846, when the British claimed sovereignty through a treaty resulting in the present-day boundary between Canada and the United States.
Armstrong says archaeologists are increasingly becoming involved in land claims cases.
Many Indigenous communities, which have an oral tradition, find it challenging to meet the burden of proof in modern courts. Archaeologists are increasingly being asked to bridge the gap.
"Western scientific methods like archaeology and historical ecology are really powerful tools for nations to show, 'No, we've been here, we've been using the land.'"
The research also shows Indigenous people's contributions to the creation and maintenance of the region's ecosystems.
"Science has been really good at getting the message out that biodiversity is a good thing in our forests, in our terrestrial marine ecosystems," she said.
"A lot of the time that biodiversity has been created and maintained by Indigenous peoples. And we know that it's not just in Nuchatlaht territory, but also globally."
Mona Lisa smeared with cake by eco-protester dressed as old lady in a wheelchair
30 May 2022,
A man smeared cake across the Mona Lisa. Picture: @lukeXC2002/Twitter
By Patrick Grafton-Green
A man disguised as an old woman in a wheelchair has smeared cake all over the Mona Lisa.
Video posted on social media shows a man covering the painting's glass case with cake as a shocked crowd looks on at the Louvre in Paris.
He appears to be wearing lipstick and a wig.
One witness wrote on social media that he jumped out of a wheelchair before attempting "to smash the bullet proof glass of the Mona Lisa".
The person added that the man then smeared cake over the glass before throwing "roses everywhere all before being tackled by security".
As he was escorted from the building, he reportedly told bystanders in French: "Think about the planet… there are people who are destroying the planet, think about it…
“All the artists tell you think about the planet, all artists think about the planet. That's why I did this."
The Mona Lisa, which was painted by Leonardo da Vinci in the early 1500s, is one of the most famous paintings in the world.
It is not thought to have been damaged in the incident.
VIDEO
"A man dressed as an old lady jumps out of a wheelchair and attempted to smash the bulletproof glass of the Mona Lisa. Then proceeds to smear cake on the glass and throws roses everywhere, all before being tackled by security," Lukeee wrote.
Egypt displays trove of newly discovered ancient artifacts
By Associated Press May 30, 2022
Painted coffins with well-preserved mummies inside, dating back to the Late Period of ancient Egypt around 500 B.C, are displayed at a makeshift exhibit at the feet of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Cairo, Egypt, Monday, May 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
CAIRO — Egypt on Monday displayed a trove of ancient artifacts dating back 2,500 years that the country’s antiquities authorities said were recently unearthed at the famed necropolis of Saqqara near Cairo.
The artifacts were showcased at a makeshift exhibit at the feet of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of the Egyptian capital.
According to Mostafa Waziri, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the find includes 250 painted sarcophagi with well-preserved mummies inside, as well as 150 bronze statues of ancient deities and bronze vessels used in rituals of Isis, the goddess of fertility in ancient Egyptian mythology, all from the Late Period, about 500 B.C.
A headless bronze statue of Imhotep, the chief architect of Pharaoh Djoser who ruled ancient Egypt between 2630 B.C. and 2611 B.C was also displayed.
The artifacts will be transferred for a permanent exhibit at the new Grand Egyptian Museum, a mega project still under construction near the famed Giza Pyramids, just outside Cairo.
The Saqqara site is part of a sprawling necropolis at Egypt’s ancient capital of Memphis that includes the Giza Pyramids and the smaller pyramids at Abu Sir, Dahshur and Abu Ruwaysh. The ruins of Memphis were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1970s.
Egypt has been heavily promoting recent archaeological finds, hoping to attract more tourists to the country. Its tourist sector, a major source of foreign currency, suffered from years of political turmoil and violence following the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
The sector has recently started to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, only to be hit again by the effects of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Along with Russia, Ukraine is a major source of tourists visiting Egypt.
MANITOBA Homeowners face 'absolutely dreadful' prospect of losing their houses as cost of living rises
Caitlyn Gowriluk - CBC MANITOBA
Things were about to start looking up, Gordon McRae thought as he climbed the steps of the heritage home just outside of Brandon's downtown.
It felt massive, he said, especially compared to the basement apartment where he'd been living in the southwestern Manitoba city. And when it dropped to a price point he and his girlfriend could afford in early 2019, they bought it: their first house together.
"It felt absolutely amazing. That kind of a life goal was being completed — just that kind of relief that things are going to start looking good. Things are going to get better," the 35-year-old said.
As someone who's had to live in his car before, McRae said buying a house was something that had once felt out of reach for him. But at that moment, it was like everything had fallen into place.
"I was excited to start new and actually, you know, live a decent life," he said. "But that didn't last very long."
Less than a year later, McRae's hours at his wholesale job started getting cut. As the cost of living went up, he got a second job driving for a food delivery app in the evenings.
Gordon McRae stands outside his Brandon, Man., house, which he says he's afraid of losing as the cost of living increases.
In a span of a few years, he said he's gone from making enough money to put away some savings to racking up debt.
His bills are adding up too, like the nearly $250 he pays for phone and internet, which he needs for work and for when his 14-year-old daughter comes over on weekends and needs to do homework.
Now, as the inflation rate continues rising, McRae said he's running out of ways to cut back. Some days, he gets by on just the bowl of cereal he eats in the morning. Others, he turns off the heat to try to keep his utility bills down.
McRae said he's worried the next thing he'll have to give up will be a big one: his house.
He said he's not sure what he'll do if that happens, especially with many monthly apartment rents well above what he pays for his mortgage.
"I've been keeping up with my mortgage payments, but only because I'm not eating as much, just so I could at least keep a roof over my head," he said.
"It's absolutely dreadful knowing that I could be homeless again." 'Don't want to lose everything'
For Laura Warren, the fear of losing her house is front of mind lately.
While a paycheque from the hair salon where she works was once enough to afford the mortgage on her 700–square-foot bungalow in Winnipeg's West End, Warren said the pandemic has been tough on her industry.
First, there were the shutdowns. Now, once-regular clients are coming in less and less often, leading to a drop in income.
For a while, she got by on a line of credit. Then came a credit card. The 52-year-old took out the last of her retirement savings to pay the card off a few weeks ago, she said.
Her budget has been stretched even thinner by unexpected expenses. She needed to get financing to replace an air conditioner last year, and a reassessment of her house's value raised her property taxes a few months ago.
Warren said she's had to start choosing which bills will get paid on time every month. And when her mortgage comes up for renewal in a few weeks, she's afraid she won't be able to keep the house.
Laura Warren sits on a couch in her living room with Jewel, one of her rescue dogs.
Whether she could afford to rent an apartment is hard to think about — but even tougher is the thought of what selling her house could mean for her five pets, all adopted from rescue groups she volunteers with.
"I know with the housing market right now, sure, I'd probably make money on it. But then what? Then I'd have to go and try and afford something else, and I mean, you don't get a lot smaller than this. And I can't have two large dogs, a chinchilla and two lizards in an apartment," she said.
"I don't want to lose everything I've worked so hard for. Especially when it's something that's completely out of my control, because I'm doing everything I possibly can."
Right now, Faria Sheikh's mortgage payments still fit her monthly budget.
But with the cost of essentials steadily increasing, the Winnipeg support teacher said her budget has been stretched tighter than she's used to.
The 50-year-old said she's not losing sleep over whether she'll have to downsize from her house in St. Boniface right now and move somewhere else with the younger of her two children, nine-year-old Nicholas.
But she is thinking about it a lot more lately.
"It's probably a little far off still for me. I try not to worry about money because I feel like there is always a solution that doesn't involve spending as much money. I do feel like I'm running out of some of those creative ideas, however, at this point," Sheikh said.
"But it is definitely taking up a lot of my mental energy. I do consider it and think about it and wonder whether I should be planning for that outcome." More affordable housing needed: expert
For some struggling homeowners, taking a step like downsizing to save money might be an option. But that choice isn't available to everyone.
Those who were already at the lower end of the housing market when they got in may now be holding on to their homes "by their fingernails" as costs rise, said Jino Distasio, a professor of urban geography at the University of Winnipeg.
"For some in the market, there is no further way down. They're at rock bottom. And it's really at that point where we've got to start seeing some more programs and solutions," he said.
Distasio said more effort needs to be put into developing affordable housing, starting with a focus on those who make the least money.
Jino Distasio, a professor of urban geography at the University of Winnipeg, says there's a clear need for more affordable housing, starting with those at the lowest income levels.
"In some ways, we need things now. And we don't really have [the] mechanisms to rapidly support the housing market if conditions change dramatically," Distasio said.
"I think the next 12 months are going to be very, very challenging."
If one recent survey of mortgage customers is any indication, trends in the housing market could be placing even more people in a dicey living situation, said Shauna MacKinnon, an associate professor and chair of the University of Winnipeg's department of urban and inner-city studies.
Another 17 per cent of those respondents indicated they preferred not to answer that question — which MacKinnon said suggests the actual number could be even higher.
"When you think about that in the context of rising prices for other things, these people are going to be in a very precarious situation, too," she said.
"So what happens to them? Do they just sell their homes? Do they wait and try to ride it out? Some will be able to, and then others may lose their homes."
The online survey was conducted across Canada in partnership with a third-party research firm between February and March 2021, and all of the respondents had undertaken a mortgage transaction in the past 18 months. Since the results of the online survey did not come from a random probability-based sample, a margin of error cannot be calculated.
Facing the future
For now, some struggling homeowners are focused on doing whatever they can to hold onto their houses.
Sheikh said she's thinking about whether she should fix up her basement suite to rent it out for some extra income.
Warren is also considering whether she needs to rent out her house's small second bedroom — even though that's usually where she puts up foster animals — or find a second job.
A 'for sale' sign outside a home is pictured. For some Manitobans, the fear of having to sell their houses is on the horizon as the cost of living increases.
And McRae said he'll keep skipping meals if he has to, because the roof over his head comes first. But he's worried his budget has already been stretched as far as it can.
"This is about as far as I can go, financially. If anything goes up by, like, a penny or a nickel, then I'm going to start going into debt just to cover that nickel," he said.
"And as inflation gets higher and higher, I'll be going further and further in debt, borrowing money just to get by."
This story was possible in part thanks to Manitobans who filled out CBC's survey on inflation. In it, we asked people to send us their top concerns about how steadily rising prices at the grocery store, gas pump and other places have affected their lives.
