$4M compost facility to be built near Ryley, east of Edmonton

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Claystone Waste Ltd. plans to process up to 20,000 tonnes 

of organic waste a year

WASTE MANAGEMENT (WM) HAS IT'S COMMERCIAL DUMP IN RYLEY THE LARGER BLANK SQUARE LOWER LEFT

Madeleine Cummings · CBC News · Posted: Sep 23, 2022 

Claystone Waste Ltd. plans to build a compost facility by the landfill it runs near the village of Ryley. (Submitted by Corey Popick)

A municipally owned company that runs a large landfill in central Alberta plans to build a compost facility that could process up to 20,000 tonnes of organic waste per year. 

Claystone Waste Ltd. — formerly known as Beaver Municipal Solutions — is controlled by Beaver County, the towns of Tofield and Viking and the villages of Ryley and Holden. Like Epcor, the municipally owned corporation pays dividends to the communities when the business succeeds.

The corporation announced this week that it is beginning construction on a $4-million compost facility beside its landfill near the village of Ryley, which is about 85 kilometres east of Edmonton.

CEO Pierre Breau said the corporation wasn't able to secure the contracts to process organic waste from the City of Edmonton but would be interested in doing so in the future. 

In the meantime, he said, the facility could serve other municipalities and clients in the private sector, like shopping malls.

"They want to be able to show that they're doing green cart collections just because it's the right thing to do, and many of them say they're thrilled that we're opening up a compost facility," Breau told CBC News on Wednesday.

Claystone Waste Ltd. owns nine quarters of land near Ryley. The landfill occupies one quarter while the compost facility, which has been in the works since 2015, will be built on an adjacent one.

The company would make money by charging fees for dumping organic waste and it plans to give away the compost it creates.

Resident concerns

The west Edmonton composting company Cleanit Greenit Composting Systems recently lost its provincial licence and a court application for permission to keep running.

Some residents who live in neighbourhoods near that facility complained for years about odour.

Charles Young splits his time between Edmonton and his rural property, which is about 1,500 metres from Claystone Waste's landfill.

He said there is odour, traffic and noise from the landfill and he worries a compost facility could exacerbate those issues.

"I like composting — I'm thrilled with that — I just don't know if it's the right location," he said.

Young said he wants the facility to be continually monitored.

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Tracey Carter-Janus, who lives about 200 metres from the landfill, said she was shocked to learn about the compost facility through CBC on Thursday and wished residents had been notified a year ago.

"It's devastating," she said.

Cater-Janus said she opposes the project and worries about effects on her property value.

Tracey Carter-Janus lives close to Claystone Waste's landfill and opposes a plan to build a compost facility beside it. (Markus Janus)

Breau said the corporation has a plan to prevent odour, which typically results from a lack of oxygen.

Chief operating officer Corey Popick said organic material will be dumped on a concrete pad and screened so the company can determine how to manage every load.

He said each compost pile will be monitored with wireless temperature probes. The probes will send signals to a control system that determines how much air is blown through the piles. 

The company's fail-safe is using a bulking agent, like wood chips. These would add carbon, rigidity, room for air to circulate, and be able to absorb volatile organic compounds.

"The biggest thing we have to do, as the operator, is not have any off-site mitigations… odour, air control and temperature management are the keys that we will need to monitor and optimize at all times," Popick said.

Breau said the company is accountable to residents in the rural area.

"We'll know immediately if, for whatever reason, we screwed up someone's Saturday barbecue and we want to do everything possible not to do that," he said. 

The facility is scheduled to start operating by the summer of 2023.

 WEAR YOUR MASK

Respiratory illness outbreaks at 22 Edmonton schools: AHS

So far this school year, Alberta Health Services (AHS) sent letters out to parents and guardians of 22 schools in the Edmonton Zone. During the same time period, only 3 schools in the Calgary region.

By Carly Robinson

Posted Sep 21, 2022

Respiratory illness outbreaks have been declared at nearly two dozen Edmonton schools as of Wednesday.

So far this school year, Alberta Health Services (AHS) sent letters out to parents and guardians of 22 schools in the Edmonton Zone. During the same time period, three schools in the Calgary region were given the same designation.

According to a spokesperson, the letters were to inform “parents and guardians of a respiratory illness outbreak at their children’s school based on the threshold of 10 per cent total absenteeism, in line with past practice before COVID.”

AHS says respiratory illness outbreaks are not based on what virus is circulating, but rather on the symptoms.

RELATED: Albertans prepare for cold and flu season with COVID-19 in the mix – and no health restrictions

While it’s not uncommon to see a rise in respiracarlytory infections in the fall and winter, an expert in pediatric infectious diseases says there are other factors at play this year.

“There’s no reason for parents to be alarmed about the current situation,” said Dr. Joan Robinson, a professor at the University of Alberta.

Robinson says the factors are everything from a shift in behaviour to a shift in virus patterns.

“As we all know, COVID has never gone away,” Robinson told CityNews.

On top of adding an extra virus to the mix, other viruses common in children are appearing outside of their normal patterns.

“Now we have kids back at school with more viruses than we would normally see in September.”

Robinson points to influenza as an example. She says typically the flu spreads in Edmonton from December to February, but this year it hit later and there may still be cases circulating.

“The other thing that has changed is that parents are so much more aware of colds than we were in the past,” she added.

Robinson believes this is a good thing, but notes it could drive up absentee numbers.

She says the best thing parents can do is continue with lessons learned during the pandemic: good hand washing, staying home when sick and staying up to date on immunization.

“People can get flu vaccines in October,” said Robinson. “I would really encourage people to do that. Because it seems it is going to be a bad flu season.”

17 EPSB schools on outbreak

Seventeen of the schools on outbreak are in the Edmonton Public School Board:

• Sweetgrass
• Keheewin
• Beacon Heights
• Oliver
• Virginia Park
• Ekota
• Belmont
• King Edward
• Clara Tyner
• Elmwood
• McKee
• Duggan
• Kirkness
• York
• James Gibbons
• Belmead
• Forest Heights

At a meeting Tuesday, the superintendent encouraged parents to continue using rapid COVID-19 tests, which are still offered for free at Alberta pharmacies, saying it helps them to know what virus is circulating in their schools.

“Moving forward, our Division will not be confirming specific schools on outbreak status because when a school is placed on outbreak status and removed, is a decision made by Alberta Health Services,” said EPSB in a statement.

AHS says symptomatic students should stay home from school.

“Students who are ill with respiratory symptoms should remain away from school until their symptoms have improved and they have been free of fever for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication, and they feel well enough to return to normal activities.”

Female bighorn sheep with smaller horns slower to reproduce, UAlberta study

Female bighorn sheep with smaller horns are slower to reproduce, according to a new study that suggests trophy hunting of male sheep may be affecting the reproductive fitness of entire populations. (Photo: Getty Images)

By Toula Mazloum

Posted Sep 24, 2022

A University of Alberta study shows a connection between horn size and female reproductivity in bighorn sheep as this could be a potential conservation issue stemming from trophy hunting of male bighorn sheep with larger horns.

Sameul Deakin, first author on the study, says “What we’ve found is that females with small horns are less reproductively fit and are slow reproducers.”

The research was conducted in Ram Mountain which is 30 kilometers east of the Rocky Mountains near Nordeg, Alta. where it examined “45 years’ worth of data on bighorn sheep.”

Deakin says a gene associated with horn size might have an influence on the female reproductive health, as the horns, themselves, aren’t a direct factor. Consequently, trophy hunting could be related to the link between horn size and reproductive health.

He explains the horn size is typically used to tell the general age of bighorn sheep. Hunters choose their targets based on the size of the horn, as regulations indicate “only males of a certain horn size can be hunted.”

Deakin adds targeting male bighorn with larger horns, decreases their population size.

“Perhaps by taking away the strong, fit males, you’re actually affecting female fitness, which could in turn eventually slow population growth,” Deakin said.

This research is supported by previous studies on the Ram Mountain that also showed horn length was reduced because of intense trophy hunting.

Deakin explains female horn size and reproductive health aren’t usually under research examination, so the link between these factors is new.

He also explains “secondary sexual traits such as horns or antlers” help males compete for mates. However, the link remains not as clear for “females of many species.” Also, secondary sexual traits are there to be used for survival against predators, finding resources, or are simply genetic for some species.

“It’s just not so obvious what they’re used for in females. It’s hard to measure,” Deakin said.

---

READ MORE:

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  ---

Female reproductive fitness is extremely hard for researchers to monitor because of the need to track data from different generations. However, Deakin’s research showed how may offspring each female gave birth to, how the offspring fared, and the the horn size, making it possible to examine female reproductive health.

Although trophy hunting is no longer permitted where the research was conducted, there are still other parts of Alberta where hunting is permitted.

Royal Alberta Museum returns seven Indigenous artifacts

Written by Amie Macinnis Monday, Sep 26 2022

Image courtesy of Google Maps.

The Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton will be returning some Indigenous cultural artifacts . In total, seven objects will be returned to the ownership of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation.  

“Returning culturally significant artifacts to the communities they came from is a necessary and important step towards reconciliation. Alberta’s government and the Royal Alberta Museum are committed to working with Indigenous communities to honour the significance of Indigenous artifacts and the stories they tell,” said MLA for Lacombe-Ponoka and Minister of Culture, Ron Orr.  

The Treaty 8 medal and its leather strap were physically returned while the remaining five objects will be on loan to the Royal Alberta Museum for preservation purposes as they are larger, fragile and difficult to move. The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation has approved these items remaining at the museum and can choose to move these objects at any time. 

“This is a great example of what’s possible when we work together. There is still much to do to repatriate additional items but we thank Minister Orr for recognizing the importance of returning these pieces of ACFN history. Marsi cho,” said Chief Allan Adam of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation.  

The Royal Alberta Museum consults with Indigenous communities and leaders on an ongoing basis to ensure Indigenous objects and stories in its galleries are shared and cared for appropriately or returned to their rightful owners. To honour the unique relationship between Indigenous Peoples of Alberta and the Crown, the museum offers free admission to Indigenous Peoples. 

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Revenue Canada wants to tax former Winnipeg CAO and his company on bribe money, court documents reveal

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Phil Sheegl is appealing the Canada Revenue Agency's tax 

reassessment

Caroline Barghout, Joanne Levasseur · CBC News · Posted: Sep 26, 2022 

Former City of Winnipeg chief administrative officer Phil Sheegl is shown in a photo from earlier this year. He says his company, FSS Financial Support Services Inc., didn't declare a $200,000 payment as income because half of the money belonged to Winnix, a different company he owns, and the other half belonged to Sam Katz's company Duddy. (CBC)

The Canada Revenue Agency wants former Winnipeg chief administrative officer Phil Sheegl and his company FSS Financial Support Services Inc. to pay taxes on bribe money the company received from the contractor that built the Winnipeg Police Service headquarters, court documents reveal. 

The revenue agency said it was reassessing Sheegl's and FSS's taxes for 2011, according to a court document.

The CRA says that's because the company received a $200,000 "secret commission," which is considered income that it did not declare, according to a notice of appeal filed by Sheegl on April 19, 2022, in Tax Court of Canada.

"In failing to report all its income for the 2011 taxation year, the appellant made misrepresentations attributable to neglect, carelessness or wilful default," the attorney general of Canada said in a reply to a separate notice of appeal by FSS, which was also filed on April 19.

The documents say the money Financial Support Services received came from Mountain Construction — a company controlled by Armik Babakhanians, whose main construction business is Caspian Projects Inc.

That happened in 2011, two days after Caspian was awarded a contract to build the Winnipeg Police Service headquarters, the documents say.

In 2020, the City of Winnipeg sued Sheegl, along with a number of other people and companies involved in the police headquarters project, alleging a scheme to defraud taxpayers out of millions of dollars. (Tyson Koschik/CBC)

The police HQ construction project was later the subject of a five-year RCMP investigation that ended in December 2019 with no charges laid.

Documents filed in the Tax Court of Canada say Babakhanians, through Mountain Construction, paid FSS a $200,000 cheque marked "consulting fee" in July 2011. Sheegl gave half to then Winnipeg mayor Sam Katz and wrote "loan" on the cheque.

Sheegl "has no knowledge as to why the payor of the deposit referred to the amount as a 'consulting fee' on the cheque, as the amount was not an income item," said the FSS notice of appeal.

It says the amount was "sale proceeds from the disposition of part of the interest" in a share of a piece of undeveloped land in Tartesso, Ariz.

WATCH | A 2017 CBC report on the Arizona land deal:

FSS said it didn't declare the money as income because the money did not belong to the company.

It said $100,000 was owed to Winnix — an Arizona company owned by Sheegl. The other $100,000 was owed to Duddy Enterprises LLC, an Arizona company owned by Katz, according to FSS.

Sheegl says the $200,000 was sent to FSS because it's a Canadian company.

While FSS maintains the payment was part of a 2011 real estate deal Sheegl and Katz did with Babakhanians, a Manitoba court called it a "bribe" in a ruling delivered earlier this year.

• What does a $327K bribe buy? A look at the Winnipeg police HQ scandal

• Judge erred in granting city summary judgment in bribery case, former Winnipeg CAO Phil Sheegl argues

In January 2020, the City of Winnipeg sued Babakhanians, Sheegl and a number of other people and companies involved in the police HQ project, alleging a scheme to defraud taxpayers out of millions of dollars.

That lawsuit is still before the courts. However, Sheegl successfully fought to have his case separated from the group. 

A 2017 photo shows the raw desert land owned by Phil Sheegl, Sam Katz and their co-investors in Arizona, south of the partially constructed community of Tartesso. (CBC)

In March 2022, a justice with what was then Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench found Sheegl had accepted a bribe and breached his duty as a city officer when he took $327,200 from Babakhanians, which he split with Katz.

The money was given to Sheegl and Katz in two payments — the $200,000 Mountain sent to FSS, and $127,200 sent to a Katz company.

• City alleges former Winnipeg CAO made up real estate deal to avoid RCMP scrutiny over payment from contractor

• CBC INVESTIGATES
  Arizona land deal involving Sam Katz doesn't make sense: real estate experts

Sheegl was ordered by the Manitoba court in March to pay the city approximately $1.1 million, which included the bribe money and severance pay. He is currently appealing that decision.

Must pay taxes on money given to Katz: CRA

The latest court documents say FSS is a consulting business and had reported $28,069 income in 2011, as well as a loss of $121,978 partnership income. 

The attorney general's reply to the FSS appeal says "$200,000 represents a 1,000 per cent increase over what was reported as consulting revenue."

The Canada Revenue Agency also reassessed Sheegl's personal income taxes on March 7, 2019, to include the $100,000 payment to Katz in 2011. The documents say Sheegl's reported income in 2011 was $208,000, but should have included that money.

The CRA says in court filings that Sheegl benefited by giving that money to Katz, who was mayor from 2004 to 2014, because he didn't have to pay taxes on it.

Sheegl's notice of appeal says the $100,000 payment was not made for his own benefit.

"The payment was owed to Mr. Katz/Duddy for the portion of the interest that was sold to Mr. Babakhanians," said Sheegl's notice of appeal. "Therefore, the payment is not taxable in the hands of the appellant."

In March 2022, a Manitoba court found that Sheegl, shown here in a file photo, had accepted a bribe and breached his duty as a city officer when he took $327,200 from Winnipeg police headquarters contractor Armik Babakhanians, which he split with former mayor Sam Katz. (CBC)

The attorney general of Canada said by not reporting all his income in the 2011 tax year, Sheegl "made misrepresentations attributable to neglect, carelessness or wilful default" and should pay penalties as a result.

Sheegl has 24 years of experience working in real estate and was associated with eight Arizona-based corporations in 2011, and has an understanding of tax matters, says the attorney general's reply to Sheegl's appeal.

"The appellant knew, or ought to have known, that his income was understated on his income tax return," it says.

'No evidence of negligence': appeal notice

The court filings also say Katz was not part of the Arizona land deal in 2011, because he hadn't purchased an interest in Duddy Enterprises LLC from Phil Sheegl until March 2012, when he purchased the company for $1.

• CBC INVESTIGATES
  Former mayor, CAO invested in Arizona land with division of Winnipeg development company

Sheegl "submits there is no evidence of negligence to justify reopening the 2011 taxation year to reassess in respect of the payment," his notice of appeal says.

The Canada Revenue Agency wouldn't comment on the case.

In an email to CBC News, CRA media relations spokesperson Etienne Biram said "the courts provide Canadians with a further independent review of disputed issues, and court decisions serve to clarify the law or resolve disputes between the Canada Revenue Agency" and taxpayers.

The attorney general of Canada wouldn't comment on the case.

Sheegl's lawyers also declined a request for comment.

CANADA

Joly raises abortion, sexual violence in closing UN speech

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'We will fight for your full meaningful participation in all

walks of life,' said Joly

Dylan Robertson · The Canadian Press · Posted: Sep 26, 2022 

Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly speaks to media at the United Nations in New York on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

As the United Nations General Assembly comes to a close, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly is urging countries to uphold women's rights and abortion access while rooting out sexual violence.

In a speech today in New York, Joly said Canada's priorities in international relations include being a champion for women's rights around the world.

"We are seeing rising violence, the widening crackdown on rights and freedoms, the exclusion of women and girls from the negotiating table, the boardroom, the classroom," Joly told the General Assembly Monday. 

"Sexual and reproductive health rights for women and girls are being rolled back or denied in too many countries. None of this is by accident. These are all deliberate choices."

Joly said that Canada would always stand up for a woman's right to choose. 

"We will fight for your full meaningful participation in all walks of life," she said. "We will speak up for your rights and dignity. No government, no politician, no judge, no one can take that away from you she said." 

• Trudeau calls U.S. court decision overturning Roe v. Wade 'horrific'

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• Federal government announces funding to expand access to abortion services

Joly's comments come after months of backlash to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision allowing states to ban abortions. Some jurisdictions are seeking to prosecute those who help women end their pregnancies.

Joly's remarks mentioned women targeted by autocratic governments; she cited the Taliban's efforts to prevent Afghan girls from attending school. She called out Myanmar's military junta imprisoning female democracy activists and sexually assaulting Rohingya women.

The speech cited Iran's crackdown on protesters seeking accountability for the death of Mahsa Amini. She died in custody after morality police arrested her for allegedly wearing a hijab improperly. Joly also noted Ukrainian women have been subjected to sexual violence by occupying Russian forces.

The speech took place just before noon and covered some of the themes raised last week in New York by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, including climate change and international development.

GOOD

B.C. nurse suspended for 4 months after performing religious ritual on Indigenous client without consent

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Chrisopher Villaflor performed ritual without consideration of client's heritage, disciplinary notice says

CBC News · Posted: Sep 26, 2022 

A Surrey, B.C., nurse has had his licence suspended until January and is prohibited from being the sole nurse on duty for a year. (Minerva Studio/Shutterstock)

A Surrey, B.C., nurse has been suspended for four months for performing a religious ritual on an Indigenous client without their consent.

The B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives said in a notice on Friday that Chrisopher Villaflor performed the ritual in June 2021 without consideration of his client's heritage.

The exact nature of the ritual wasn't defined in the college's notice, which says Villaflor voluntarily agreed to disciplinary action as part of a consent agreement.

Villaflor has had his licence suspended until January and is prohibited from being the sole nurse on duty for a year.

He will also be given remedial education in ethics, cultural safety, trauma-informed care and humility.

The college's inquiry committee said in a statement that they were "satisfied that the terms [of the agreement] will protect the public."

Earlier this month, a former nurse in West Kelowna was suspended for a month by the college after giving a vulnerable client anti-vaccine information, and a Nanaimo nurse was suspended for asking a co-worker to create fake vaccine records.​