Laurentian University closer to exiting insolvency with Ontario court sanction of its plan

Kate Rutherford - 

Laurentian University, the first public post-secondary institution in Canada to ever seek insolvency, is poised to finally exit the process with a court-approved plan that paves the way for a streamlined and dramatically altered institution.

The Sudbury, Ont., university will implement its plan to pay back creditors and settle claims on a day, yet to be determined, in November.

Laurentian declared insolvency and applied for creditor protection under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) on Feb. 1, 2021, allowing it to operate while working to deal with its financial problems. During the months of financial upheaval and restructuring, more than 70 programs were cut and 196 full-time staff were terminated.

On Wednesday, an Ontario Superior Court judge sanctioned the exit plan, which has been designed to pay back creditors as well as put the university on more stable financial footing into the future.

In a news release, Laurentian's administration said, "With this most recent approval, Laurentian is now weeks away from being able to successfully emerge from the CCAA (Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act) process. This significant milestone should give confidence to those applying to Laurentian that they will be able to start and finish their degrees here."

Fabrice Colin, president of the Laurentian University Faculty Association, told CBC News there's a sense of relief among remaining faculty members now that Laurentian is moving ahead with its plan to exit insolvency.

"The focus now can be brought on rebuilding Laurentian University," and providing students and faculty "with the appropriate support so to make the educational experience at Laurentian University the best possible," Colin said.

Most claims resolved, says Laurentian

During exit-plan court hearing, Laurentian's lawyer, DJ Miller, said 98.8 per cent of claims have been resolved.

She said upon the plan implementation date, about $14.6 million in cash will be delivered to NOSM University to restore their endowments, and the university will put in place a long-term exit loan of $35 million to repay the debtor-in-possession loan held by the province.

Laurentian will also be pre-funding a distribution pool to pay out priority claims that include vacation pay to staff and faculty.

Other steps that will happen prior to, or on, the plan implementation date will be the renewal and transition of the president and provost position at Laurentian.

It has already been announced that president Robert Haché and provost Marie-Josée Berger would retire as part of the university's transition out of creditor protection.

The Terminated Faculty Committee, which represents some of the professors who lost their jobs due to Laurentian's program cuts, said in a statement the university should never have entered into creditor protection under the CCAA in the first place.

"The decision to allow a public institution to use the CCAA process (which was designed to protect private corporations) now leaves all public institutions (including other universities, municipalities, and public institutions) vulnerable to being dismantled the same way," the statement said.



Laurentian University president Robert Haché is expected to retire prior to or on the date the university's plan of implementation takes effect, expected in November.© Screen capture from Zoom meeting

Huntington University's claims will also be released on the plan implementation date. Huntington was previously a federated university affiliated with Laurentian.

Finally, two documents that were sealed at the beginning of the insolvency proceedings because lawyers argued they would jeopardize restructuring will be unsealed on the plan implementation date.

As for which day that might be, Laurentian spokesperson Sarah De Blois said in an email that remains unclear at this moment.

"We do not have a specific date for plan implementation," the email said.

"Plan implementation will occur after all of the conditions to closing as set out in the plan are met. We currently expect that to be in the month of November 2022."

The university is also committed to develop a new strategic plan and take steps to conduct an operational transformation as outlined in reports commissioned from Nous Group.

A request will be made to the province to change legislation to allow representation from the faculty and staff unions on the university's board of governors.

That transformation, the university's lawyer said, will cost about $30 million.

Maintenance needed

In addition, Miller noted that Laurentian has spent very little on keeping up its infrastructure during its insolvency, has accrued $200 million in deferred maintenance costs, and that it is important that it catch up.

Both Miller and the lawyer for the court monitor emphasized this plan is much better for creditors than if it had been rejected and Laurentian had gone bankrupt.

Miller said claimants will receive between 14.1 and 24.2 per cent of their claims as opposed to between 8.5 and 16.7 per cent if the university had ceased operations and been liquidated.

The variability in the payback depends mostly on proceeds from the sale of real estate to the province.

Upon wrapping up the sanction hearing, Ontario Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz said this has been a difficult and challenging process for all involved.

"It's taken about 21 months I think from start to finish and there's been a number of highly contested matters throughout but a compromise has been arrived at and it has been approved by the creditors and affected parties and under very difficult circumstances," said Morawetz.

"I do hope this provides a resolution to the past and a roadmap to the future for Laurentian University, for its students, its professors, all its employees and for the City of Sudbury. It has been a challenging time and I hope there are better days ahead."

Buffy Sainte-Marie isn't retiring, she just can't deal with air travel


TORONTO — Buffy Sainte-Marie has had enough.


Buffy Sainte-Marie

Coming off a difficult summer that included a bout of COVID-19, the acclaimed singer-songwriter's usually optimistic tone is undercut by a sense of frustration.

Over the past few months, on at least two instances, she's been among the many airline passengers left stranded by a Canadian airline. One time, she was stuck at an airport for three days as delays and flight cancellations dragged on.

“The airlines are broken,” she says while sitting in a Toronto hotel.

“WestJet abandoned me. Air Canada abandoned me. Badly.”

Sainte-Marie says she’s “not trying to cast blame,” but as far as she’s concerned there’s no frequent flying in her future, which means far fewer concerts and appearances. She lives in Hawaii and the jet lag from flying to the mainland has become too much to bear, even without the prospects of being stuck in an airport.

“If I was 21, maybe I would, but I’m 81 and I deserve better, and I’m going to give it to myself,” she adds.

A tribute concert set for Ottawa's National Arts Centre on Friday and Sainte-Marie performance booked in Vancouver on Sunday are part of what she says is "probably going to be my last tour."

“I’m not saying that I’m never going to perform again. It’s not like: 'She’s going to retire.' I’m not in the business world. I’ve retired many times without ever calling it retirement," she insists.

"I’m just going to hang it up.”

Knowing that context, it's easy to see “Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On” as the final word on the acclaimed Cree artist’s legacy.

The career-spanning documentary, which made its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month, plays at various other Canadian film festivals throughout September before its streaming debut on Crave in October.

Using interviews with Sainte-Marie, as well as contemporaries Joni Mitchell, Alanis Obomsawin, Robbie Robertson and others, the feature-length film profiles an artist and activist who was decades ahead of her time.

Stories reflect on Sainte-Marie's roots in Qu’Appelle Valley, Sask. and her adoption by an American family from Massachusetts. When she was younger, she says people discouraged her from learning more about her Indigenous identity and pursuing a career in music, but eventually she fled to New York's Greenwich Village to perform in coffee houses.

Sainte-Marie recalls how it felt to write and record anti-war anthem “Universal Soldier” only to see it become a hit through 1960s Scottish singer Donovan. And she details the painful history tied to winning a best original song Oscar for “Up Where We Belong” which she co-wrote with her ex-husband Jack Nitzsche, whom she describes as abusive.

Lighter memories detail her cultural influence as a recurring guest on children’s program “Sesame Street,” where she breastfed her child on national television, and her foray into digital art in the 1990s.

While many of these stories have been told before in other documentaries and interviews, “Carry It On” steps back farthest to put Sainte-Marie's perseverance into a broader social context.

Telling her story from a new vantage point was important, she says.

At first, she wasn't convinced the world needed another Sainte-Marie documentary when Toronto production company White Pine Films approached her with a rough pitch. She recoiled at the thought of being the subject of a rockumentary filled with musicians singing her praises.

"Some documentaries are that old-style, boring thing and I’m not interested,” she says.

“It just kind of sounded like scrapbooking."

As conversations with White Pine continued, Indigenous-led production house Eagle Vision got on board. They brought in Madison Thomas, a Winnipeg-based filmmaker who is Ojibwe-Saulteaux and Russian-Ukrainian, to help shape the idea.

Andrea Warner, author of Sainte-Marie's 2018 authorized biography, was also added to the group as a co-writer, which Sainte-Marie says created a "real comfort zone" to discuss how the film would take shape. The three women broke off from the production companies and held regular meetings over Zoom in the midst of the pandemic.

Their finished documentary arrives as more attention is put on making space for Indigenous creators in the Canadian film scene. Sainte-Marie hopes those conversations will extend to Hollywood as well.

She points to a recent apology to Sacheen Littlefeather by organizers at the Academy Awards as a sign of positive change.

Littlefeather became a target of hate when she was booed at the 1973 Oscars for refusing the best actor award on behalf of Marlon Brando. In her speech, she criticized Hollywood's portrayal of Indigenous people and called for more attention to the standoff at Wounded Knee.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently sent a letter of apology to Littlefeater and will host an event this weekend in her honour.

"I’m so glad they did," says Sainte-Marie, who is recognized in the newly minted Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.

"In repairing their reputation they’re doing something that needed to be done for a long time," she added.

"So let’s applaud that and not carry a grudge."

Sainte-Marie says she hopes this is a sign of further efforts the Academy may take for Indigenous representation, particularly among its voting members.

Holding those optimistic hopes is what keeps her moving forward, she adds.

"I seek out joy. I seek out good friends," she says.

"And I have enough good food in my diet to survive just about any chocolate cupcake that comes along."

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

David Friend, The Canadian Press

Trudeau appoints former heads of Canadian Medical Association, federal public service to Senate

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appointed a high-profile surgeon and the former head of Canada's public service to the Senate.

Ian Shugart, who left his job as Clerk of the Privy Council in May, was also appointed a privy councillor.© Justin Tang/The Canadian Press

"I am pleased to welcome Flordeliz Osler and Ian Shugart as Parliament's newest independent senators," Trudeau said in a statement issued Monday.

"I am confident that their dedication, unique perspectives and stellar careers will help them best serve Canadians from all walks of life."

Osler is an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba and a former president of the Canadian Medical Association.

Shugart is the former Clerk of the Privy Council. The clerk is Canada's most senior federal civil servant; the person holding the office leads the federal public service and serves as both secretary to cabinet and deputy minister to the prime minister.

Osler was born in Winnipeg to parents who immigrated to Canada from the Philippines and India. She works with racialized medical students through the Filipino Association of Medical Students in Manitoba and by helping to train surgeons in Africa.

The first female visible minority appointed to lead the CMA, she used the opportunity to craft the organization's first policy on equity and diversity.

The announcement came on the same day Trudeau made Shugart a privy councillor.

"For over 40 years, Ian Shugart's advice and leadership in service of Canadians has been invaluable," Trudeau said.

"I am pleased to appoint him as Canada's newest privy councillor to recognize his contributions and dedication to making Canada a better place for everyone."

Shugart, who led the federal public service's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, also served as deputy minister of foreign affairs, deputy minister of employment and social development and deputy minister of the environment.

The appointments process

Under the Constitution, the Governor General appoints individuals to the Senate. By convention, senators are appointed on the advice of the prime minister.

When the Liberal government was first elected in 2015, it promised to rid the Senate of partisanship by ending the decades-old Liberal and Conservative duopoly in the upper house.

To that end, the government appointed an independent advisory board of distinguished Canadians to help the prime minister make his Senate picks.

The Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments oversees the process. The board is made up of five members. Three of those members are federal permanent members. The remaining two spots on the board are for provincial representatives who change depending on which province or territory is getting a new senator.

Provincial board members have standing equal to that of federal permanent members.

Trudeau appointed Osler and Shugart after they were recommended to him by the federal government's independent advisory board for Senate appointments.

Osler and Shugart's appointment means that Trudeau has now made 62 independent appointments to the Senate using the advisory board process.

These appointments reduced the number of vacancies in the 105 seat upper house from 17 to 15.

CLIMATE CRISIS

'Major damage': East Coast fishing industry feeling impact from post-tropical storm

HALIFAX — The impact of post-tropical storm Fiona on Atlantic Canada's fishing industry is still being tallied, but Osborne Burke already knows just how bad it could be.

'Major damage': East Coast fishing industry feeling impact from post-tropical storm© Provided by The Canadian Press

Burke, general manager of Victoria Co-operative Fisheries in Neils Harbour, N.S., says it will cost up to $2 million to repair the high-tech seafood processing operation, which was torn open by hurricane-force winds and a destructive storm surge last Saturday.

"We have major damage," he said in an interview Friday, adding that no one was injured. "We were front and centre."

Burke said the co-operative, in operation since 1956, was well-prepared for the storm. Staff stopped production last Thursday to allow them time to install barricades and pull fishing boats from the water. But the shrieking winds and 2.5-metre storm surge were too much for the building.

"It overwhelmed the facility," Burke said. "The wall facing the ocean, it took that wall out completely."

The co-operative, which buys a variety of seafood from seven harbours, received a $3-million upgrade only 18 months ago. Its crab cooker alone was worth $1 million. With sales of $50 million a year, the plant ships product across Canada, the United States, Europe, China, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.

"Everything was basically destroyed in there," Burke said. "It's hard to imagine, considering it looked as clean as a hospital a week before."

Meanwhile, major damage to fishing boats and small-craft harbours has been reported in Nova Scotia's eastern mainland, Cape Breton and P.E.I. Power outages have made it difficult to assess the damage along Nova Scotia's north shore.

The Gulf Nova Scotia Bonafide Fishermen's Association says smaller fishing communities in the province are still without electricity and internet service, which is making it difficult for the group to assess the impact of the storm on all its members.

Earlier this week, the federal Fisheries Department said five of the 180 harbours in the region were no longer operational, another 99 were partly working and 20 would need further assessment. Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray said she expects the number of unusable harbours to increase as inspections continue.

Related video: More than half the fishing ports in Fiona's path were damaged

Duration 2:47   View on Watch

Gordon Beaton, vice-president of the Nova Scotia wing of the Maritime Fishermen's Union, said he had received reports that a large gear shed in Cribbons Point, N.S., had its roof torn off.

"It flew down and landed on a few guys' boats," said Beaton, whose union represents more than 1,300 inshore fish harvesters in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. "Fairly major repairs are needed for some guys' vessels."

The breakwater in Arisaig, N.S., on Nova Scotia's north shore, was badly damaged, he said, adding that there are reports that those now fishing in Lobster Fishing Area 25 are having trouble retrieving their traps from the Northumberland Strait.

"There's a heavy amount of gear loss," Beaton said, adding the rich lobster fishing grounds are between northern Nova Scotia, eastern New Brunswick and southern P.E.I.

He said the storm caused such a commotion in the strait that many lobster traps were cut loose from their buoys or buried by heaving sand on the bottom. "Even if they can find the traps, the ropes aren't sufficient to pull them up," Beaton said. "Sometimes they're just so full and stuck to the bottom that they break off."

In P.E.I., the Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association is still collecting damage reports.

"Our captains made every effort to prevent and minimize damage to their fleets, but as all Islanders are finding, this has been a storm without equal," the association said on its Facebook page.

The damage in Stanley Bridge, P.E.I., on the Island's north shore, was so bad that it attracted national attention when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau showed up for a brief visit on Tuesday.

In Charlottetown, P.E.I. Premier Dennis King said Friday the damage to the Island’s fishing operations has been severe.

“If you make a living on the water and you come through the hurricane we came through with that storm surge, there’s very little that hasn’t been impacted on the water,” King told a news conference. “There’s a lot of damage in our bays and estuaries all across P.E.I.”

He said the Island's north shore bore the brunt of the hurricane-force winds. And he said the storm dealt a blow to the province’s lobster, mussel and oyster industries.

"It's, quite frankly, a mess," he said. "We're trying to work with our producers and processors to find a way to get through the initial shock of this and find a way forward."

— With files from Lyndsay Armstrong in Halifax.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2022.

Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said Victoria Co-operative Fisheries is based in Glace Bay, N.S.

Using tax system for social benefits a 'sticking point' for dental benefit: experts

OTTAWA — Economic and public policy experts warn the proposed federal dental benefit may not reach the families most in need because the government has chosen to distribute it through the tax system.



The federal government plans to send cheques of up to $650 to qualifying low- and medium-income households to help pay for children's dental needs through the same platform used for Canada Child Benefit payments.

That is run through the Canada Revenue Agency, which the experts suggest could be a problem because many low-income families are less likely to file tax returns.

That means they face barriers to accessing the Canada Child Benefit payments and could encounter similar roadblocks when it comes to getting the new dental benefit.

"Low-income people, homeless people, people on social assistance — all of these groups of people have really low tax filing rates and low take-ups of benefits that are already out there like the Canada Child Benefit," said Gillian Petit, an economist and research associate at the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy.

"Pushing out the dental benefit using the same platform is going to run into a lot of the same issues."

The same is true for those who do not speak English or French, she said, citing the onerous and daunting administrative work as a potential factor. She said this will likely also be the case for the proposed dental benefit.

The Canada Revenue Agency plans to use past tax returns to determine if families meet the income criteria and confirm that they have a child under the age of 12. After that, families will need to attest that they do not have private dental insurance and that they have out-of-pocket dental expenses. They will also have to provide their dentist's contact information and the approximate date of their child's appointment and keep their receipts in case they are audited.

"It's just a lot of paperwork and time," Petit said.

Jennifer Robson, an associate professor and program director of political management at Carleton University, says about 10.5 per cent of adults with children under the age of 18 don't file a tax return, and those families tend to be below the poverty line.

Related video: Federal government announces legislation for Canada Dental Benefit
Duration 1:11  View on Watch

"Intuitively, those are an awful lot of people who are probably financially vulnerable and less likely to have access to dental insurance," said Robson.

Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, has previously spoken about how there are also many reasons Indigenous Peoples may not fill out their income tax returns, from principled stands against colonization and lack of trust in government to lower literacy stemming from poorly funded public services.

She made the comments in June, when auditor general Karen Hogan found the government was not doing enough to make sure income-tested supports like the child benefit get to hard-to-reach populations like those living on reserves, despite spending tens of millions of dollars on outreach.

The dental benefit is a key element of the supply and confidence agreement struck between the Liberals and the NDP, which stipulates that the government has until the end of the year to offer dental care to children under the age of 12 with a household income under $90,000.

This newbenefit is therefore meant to be an interim measure while the federal government works on a more complete dental-care plan.

"This is what you get when you rush policy because you have an artificial deadline," Robson said. "You cobble something together because a better delivery mechanism would take an awful lot more time to develop."

In a joint statement, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier said children shouldn't have to wait to access the care that they need.

"The Canada Revenue Agency has the resources to quickly deliver this interim program due to its extensive infrastructure, long-standing experience in providing services to Canadians and outreach work within communities to help Canadians navigate the tax and benefit system," they said in the written statement sent Tuesday.

The ministers urged potentially eligible parents to sign up for a CRA account and make sure they filed their 2021 tax returns.

Robson disagrees. She said the tax-collection agency is designed to do just that — collect taxes — and is not equipped to distribute social benefits.

"The government learned during the pandemic that CRA is pretty good at cutting cheques to a lot of people," she said. "I don't think that we have come to grips with what that comes along with."

The Liberal government's dental-care legislation is still awaiting a second-reading vote in the House of Commons, but is expected to pass with support from the NDP.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2022.

Laura Osman, The Canadian Press

‘A historic moment’: Vancouver elects first Chinese-Canadian mayor

Kristen Robinson -  Global News - YESTERDAY

When Ken Sim ousted incumbent Kennedy Stewart in a sweeping victory Saturday, he also made history as the first mayor of Asian heritage elected in Vancouver.


Business owner Susanna Ng and Vancouver's mayor-elect Ken Sim.

Video: B.C. municipal election: Vancouver mayor-elect Ken Sim gives victory speech 4 years after defeat

Sim’s win is being well-received in Chinatown, which is still struggling with social challenges exacerbated by the pandemic.

Seniors at the Chau Luen Society on Keefer Street marked the dawn of a new era Sunday.

“I’m so happy we have Chinese voices in the city hall,” said society chair Kam Tam.

Read more:

Ken Sim defeats Kennedy Stewart to become mayor as ABC party sweeps Vancouver election

Chau Luen Society board member Michael Tan, who also co-chairs the Vancouver Chinatown Legacy Stewardship Group said Sim’s election is a momentous occasion that should be recognized.

“It’s definitely a historic moment,” Tan told Global News in an interview Sunday.

“I was elated to hear that, to feel like someone that looks like me is the mayor of a major Canadian city.”

In his victory speech, Sim acknowledged the racist policies early Chinese immigrants endured.

“One-hundred-and-thirty-five years after the first Chinese head tax was paid just for the right to come here and work on building a railway, Vancouver has elected its first Chinese-Canadian mayor,” Sim said as cheers erupted from the ABC Vancouver crowd.

Majority of Chinese Canadians surveyed in a new poll say they have been targets of anti-Asian racism

The Chinese Canadians who helped build B.C. were denied the right to vote and rewarded with racism, segregation and discrimination.

More than 80,000 paid the head tax, which was meant to discourage Chinese immigration – although Chinese immigrants fought alongside Canadian soldiers.

“The history of this moment isn’t lost on me,” said Sim.

“Ken will have that empathy and understand where a lot of those pains are,” said Tan.

Read more:

B.C. apologizes to Chinese Canadians

Campaign signs left over from the ‘Sim City’ landslide were still visible Sunday in Chinatown, where residents and business owners are hopeful the mayor-elect will act on his public safety promises.

Tam said he and his family rarely visit Chinatown due to the street disorder.

“Chinatown is very dirty OK, and also (on) Hastings, a lot of tents on both sides of the sidewalk.”

“All the hate crimes that were happening to Asians, it’s nice to have an Asian mayor come in,” said Diaz Combat Sports owner Ryan Diaz.

“Obviously being Asian, it’s nice to have another Asian in a good position to help us.”

Video: Vancouver mayoral candidates square off in Chinatown debate

“It’s a big thing because I think being in Chinatown, we need someone to represent us,” added Una Mak of New Town Bakery.

In its 42 years in Chinatown, New Town Bakery has never endorsed a mayoral candidate – until this recent civic election.

On Saturday, owner Susanna Ng put a sign up encouraging the community to vote for “a better Vancouver and Chinatown”.

Days earlier, Ng put her support behind Sim and his ABC slate.

“Because the situation in Chinatown, it’s really out of hand,” explained Mak, Ng’s sister.

“We need a change.”

Read more:

Vancouver’s 5 mayoral candidates debate safety, homelessness in Chinatown

Mak and Ng were also sold on Sim’s pledge to put a city hall office in Chinatown to engage with residents and businesses on the ground.

Tan said electing mayors of Asian descent is a continuing trend across North America, where the U.S. cities of Boston, Cincinnati and Seattle are led by Asian Americans.

“And now we're starting to see that happen finally here in Canada.”

Read more:

‘If it is lost, it’s lost forever’: Forum seeks feedback on future of Vancouver’s Chinatown

Tan hopes Sim’s mayoralty will include prioritizing projects like Chinatown’s UNESCO world heritage site application.

Decade-high suicide statistics in N.W.T. 'devastating': health minister

YELLOWKNIFE — The Northwest Territories health minister says recent statistics indicating an increase in suicides in the territory are "devastating."



N.W.T. chief coroner Garth Eggenberger released the numbers on suicides in 2021 and 2022 on Monday, ahead of his annual report, due to the high number of suicides reported so far this year.

The report says there were 11 deaths by suicide last year, which accounted for eight per cent of all deaths in the territory. Since 2011, there have been an average of 10 suicides annually, with a peak of 13 in 2014 and 2018.

By the end of the third quarter of 2022, there had been 18 confirmed suicides.

"The numbers are alarming," Health and Social Services Minister Julie Green wrote in a statement Tuesday.

"The impact of suicide in small communities is devastating. Our government is working directly with impacted communities to provide support to residents as they grieve."

The report says the majority of suicides over the past two years have been among men aged 20 to 29. They accounted for nearly 45 per cent of all suicides.

The increase in suicides this year largely occurred in the Beaufort Delta region in the northern part of the territory, where seven suicides were confirmed. One suicide was reported in the region in 2021.

Green said the N.W.T. government is working closely with the community of Tuktoyaktuk in that region as "they have experienced significant loss in recent months." CBC reported that additional mental health resources were sent to the community in late September.

Six suicides were also reported in the North Slave region, which surrounds Yellowknife, in both 2021 and 2022.

The minister said there has been an increase in residents reporting mental health concerns and accessing support services during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are also impacts from climate change and direct and intergenerational trauma from residential schools, she added.

She is concerned about residents who do not seek help.

"I am aware that many people and families are in a state of mental health crisis," she said. "It pains me that so many of our friends, loved ones and community members are struggling."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2022.

___

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

Emily Blake, The Canadian Press

Adapting to climate change faster will save Canada billions, new analysis says


OTTAWA — Canadians will see lower incomes and a choice between higher taxes or fewer government services if there isn't more effort to adapt to the changing climate, a new report from The Canadian Climate Institute warns.



But according to a report released Wednesday, if governments and the private sector buckle up and start investing in making Canada more resilient to the effects of extreme weather, the economic impact of climate change can be cut by 75 per cent.

"The good news story is we have some ability to change this future," said Ryan Ness, the director of adaptation research for the climate institute.

In its analysis, called Damage Control, the institute looked at projected economic growth and analyzed the impact of different scenarios based on how many greenhouse gas emissions are eliminated and what we do to prepare for more-frequent severe weather.

The worst news is that in every scenario, Canada's climate is already changing and more severe weather — drought, forest fires, flooding, and damaging storms — is already upon us.

In 2021, severe weather caused $2.1 billion in insured damages, which does not include costs related to public infrastructure or uninsured private losses.

The analysis estimates that Canada is already looking at annual disaster recovery bills of $5 billion by 2025 and $17 billion by 2050, regardless of how well Canada and the rest of the world do at cutting emissions.

It says that to prevent a loss in government services, including to health care or education, income taxes would have to increase by 0.35 per cent in 2025, compared to now, and get one per cent higher by 2050.

"Negative economic impacts are not just a future prospect. They're already happening today," said Ness.

In the last week, Atlantic Canada was hit by the worst hurricane it has ever seen, and Canadians in parts of Ontario and western Quebec are still recovering after a derecho pummelled the region with multiple tornadoes and downbursts bringing winds up to 190 km/h in May.

Related video: Communities need to adapt to evolving climate, expert says
Duration 8:48  View on Watch

Beyond higher reconstruction costs, Canada is also facing massive economic disruptions as factories are closed during storms or extreme heat and supply chains are disrupted. Railways and highways might fail faster than expected under the stress of more extreme weather.

Construction will get an economic boost, but only because it needs to step in to repair and replace damaged structures and transportation corridors, the report says.

If we do nothing more to adapt in anticipation of more severe weather, it says, the economy will take a $25 billion hit in 2025, rising to between $78 billion and $101 billion by 2050.

The impact would be felt across the board, with lower incomes, job losses, lower business investments and cuts to exports.

But if every effort is made to limit global warming by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, the report says, and Canada makes the needed investments to add resilience to public and private infrastructure, things will look better.

The report suggests that for every $1 invested in adaptation, governments and businesses can save $5 to $6 in direct damage costs, and another $6 to $10 in economic benefits, such as avoiding work stoppages or productivity slowdowns.

Adaptation can include seawalls to protect low-lying communities, laying down temperature-resistant asphalt, or upgrading or burying critical power lines.

Ness said it is "much more efficient economically to spend the money upfront on making that infrastructure better and more resilient than it is to fix it when climate change breaks it."

The institute says the government needs to start incorporating the costs of climate change into all its economic decisions. That includes reporting on the estimated costs of not making planned investments.

It also needs to encourage, and in some cases mandate, the private sector to do the same.

And most importantly, it needs to scale up its investments in adaptation to match the risk we're facing, the institute says.

Ness said the national adaptation strategy expected from the federal government this fall is a good place to start, but he said it will only work if the strategy comes with major new investments and actions.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2022.

Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press

Sliders dismayed over Calgary track reno money funneled to public day lodge

CALGARY — Provincial government money set aside to renovate the sliding track at Calgary's Canada Olympic Park has been redirected into the park's commercial side to a public day lodge.



The sliding track that's been the home of national luge, bobsled and skeleton athletes since the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary was closed in 2019 awaiting a $25-million renovation.

The provincial government committed $10 million and the federal government another $7 million to the renovation costs. WinSport, which oversees the park, had to come up with the remaining $8 million.

COP combines public recreational facilities with high-performance training and competition spaces.

Alberta's government announced this week a commitment of $17.5 million — matched by the federal government — toward a renovation of the day lodge at the base of the ski slopes that will cost between $39 million and $43 million.

WinSport confirmed $10 million of the provincial funds came from money originally earmarked for the sliding track.

"With the time frame to use the $10 million from the Government of Alberta set to expire, there was no prospect of securing the funding and completing the project in the required time frame," WinSport president and CEO Barry Heck said Thursday in a statement.

"In an effort to keep the funds for capital projects at COP, we worked with the Government of Alberta to reallocate the $10 million to the day lodge project, WinSport’s highest capital priority, instead of requiring us to return the funds."

Canadians have won 13 Olympic medals in sliding sports since 1988, including six gold. Justin Kripps piloted Canada to two-man bobsled gold in 2018 and four-man bronze this year in Beijing.

Alex Gough, who earned Canada's first Olympic medal in luge in 2018 and is now Luge Canada's president, was dismayed at the redirection of money away from the track without notice from WinSport.

"No one from WinSport even had the decency to reach out and discuss this with the sliding sports," Gough said.

"I have a hard time believing that the executive and the board at WinSport have the best interests of the sliding community at heart.

"We don't feel the leadership at WinSport has made a real effort to maintain the legacy that the '88 Games have brought. We hope they can find it in them to be motivated to really uphold that mandate of protecting and preserving that legacy."

According to WinSport archives, the cost to build the track for 1988 was $18.8 million.

An upper portion of the 36-year-old sliding track, which needs a new refrigeration unit, has been removed.

The track is adjacent to an ice house, where sliders practise their starts, and a high-performance training centre. Both were built after 1988 to enhance the Olympic legacy.

Heck insists the track project remains on WinSport's list of capital projects.

"Our capital projects are prioritized, and the day lodge has long been our No. 1 priority," he said in the statement.

"The day lodge is critical to WinSport’s year-round operations and the future viability and sustainability of COP, affecting hundreds of thousands of annual users and guests, including athletes of all ages and abilities.

"While we appreciate that this is difficult news for the sliding sports community, we are thankful that the Government of Alberta agreed to reallocate this money to serve hundreds of thousands of athletes and the community, instead of requiring us to return it."

Calgary's sliding track is the only one in the world situated within a large urban centre. The sliding track in Whistler, B.C., used for the 2010 Winter Olympics is in a ski resort.

"We'll continue to do what we're doing and produce competitive athletes," Gough said. "It's affected grassroots programs here in Alberta and in Calgary particularly.

"It really affects the future of sliding sport in Canada."

Calgary's sliding track was a regular stop on the international World Cup circuit for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton. The last World Cup races there were in 2019.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 6, 2022.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press

Hitesh Sharma (Tesher): TikTok gave my music a global audience; Bill C-11 threatens that path

Hitesh Sharma (Tesher)

There is a moment during the Junos this year that will stick with me forever.


Tesher, a Regina product who's opening for Jason Derulo, on the outdoor concert stage during the Queen City Ex on Thursday, August 4, 2022 in Regina. 

TROY FLEECE / Regina Leader-Post© Provided by Leader Post

I was performing Jalebi Baby with Simu Liu, and the crowd was singing along. About a minute into the performance, we exchanged a look, turned to the crowd, and broke into Bhangra dance . The smile on my face said it all: Pure joy.

That joy was tempered when I learned about Bill C-11, which will soon be voted on in the Senate. If passed as is, it could prevent digital-first Canadian artists from achieving that same success — and joy —I felt.

My musical journey started in my hometown of Regina circa 2008, a kid messing around on a computer mixing Bollywood songs with hip-hop tracks. I learned the music industry through trial and error because I didn’t have the money or connections that open doors. What I did have was determination and an Internet connection.

Eventually, I found TikTok. I loved the platform immediately and loved seeing people all over the world sharing, remixing and mashing up content. There are no gatekeepers on TikTok. If your content is good and engaging, it finds an audience.

Not only could I share my music with the world, but I could build a community that could engage with me and with my music. For a self-taught Indian kid from Saskatchewan, with no industry connections, TikTok was a game-changer.

While I’m Canadian, my music first got noticed outside of Canada. My first global hit Jalebi Baby includes the Indian influences of my childhood, but also hints of reggaeton, salsa, Middle Eastern drums and Eastern European synths.

I sing in Hindi, Punjabi and English. My music draws on global influences and musical traditions, so it benefited from being discovered globally.

My journey is less traditional than the typical path into the music industry, and there may have been no path for me at all without the access and freedom that come from being a digital-first creator. Those two things, access and freedom, simply weren’t available to artists like me — who don’t fit a certain mould.

And I’m far from alone. Some of the most exciting voices I’ve discovered in the last couple years, Canadian artists like Jessia and Johnny Orlando, have gained global followings and signed record deals, fuelled by their ability to reach a massive audience through TikTok.

Bill C-11 threatens that low-barrier path — one based on talent and audience preference, rather than government-established quotas — by subjecting platforms like TikTok and the creators using it to outdated broadcasting and Canadian content rules.

I’m building a career and exporting Canadian content globally despite those rules, not because of them. This path is what we should all want for Canadian artists. We want them to have the freedom to showcase globally our diverse, authentic, Canadian culture.

C-11 would limit that reach by requiring creators to prioritize government criteria for domestic distribution over making content optimized for global audiences.

Within a year of being produced, Jalebi Baby was streaming on multiple platforms, including Canadian radio. I collaborated with megastar Jason Derulo on the video, was nominated for breakthrough artist of the year at the Junos, and then, there I was, performing live.

The nomination was a huge honour, but to hit a Bhangra dance routine on national TV during Canada’s biggest music night was unforgettable. I could never have imagined seeing someone who looked and sounded like me on stage when I was a kid.

That’s why I’m eager to protect opportunities and offer inspiration to the next generation of Canadians making music or art tutorials or comedy sketches. Aspiring creators should have the same chance I did to live their dream.

Hitesh Sharma, known as Tesher, is a Juno-nominated musician and creator. His songs have been viewed hundreds of millions of times on TikTok.

Related
User content subject to 'some authority' by CRTC under Bill C-11, regulator says

Bill C-11's forced promotion of CanCon on online platforms 'very risky,' MPs hear

YouTube, TikTok say Liberal online streaming bill fails to protect digital creators

OTTAWA — Online streaming giants YouTube and TikTok are asking Canadian senators to take a sober second look at an online streaming bill that they say would cause significant harm to Canadian digital creators.


YouTube, TikTok say Liberal online streaming bill fails to protect digital creators© Provided by The Canadian Press

TikTok executive Steve de Eyre said in a Senate committee meeting on Wednesday evening that the federal Liberals' Bill C-11 doesn't just fail to protect digital creators from regulation, but makes them collateral damage.

He said the Senate should more explicitly exclude user-generated content from the bill, which was designed to modernize Canadian broadcasting legislation and bring online streaming platforms into the fold.

Senators should also consider rules around how Canadian content is identified, he said, saying much of the content that Canadians create on TikTok wouldn't qualify as such.

The onus could end up on users to prove how Canadian they are, meaning that "established media voices and cultural voices" with more resources could end up at the front of the line, said de Eyre, who is the company's director of public policy and government affairs in Canada.

YouTube executive Jeanette Patell told senators that the bill gives far too much discretion to Canada's broadcasting regulators to make demands around user-generated content.

She said the provision that the regulator can consider whether someone has directly or indirectly generated revenue from the content would affect "effectively everything" on the platform.

"This is a global precedent," said Patell, who is YouTube's head of government affairs and public policy.

She warned that if other countries follow suit, Canadian creators, for whom 90 per cent of YouTube views come from outside the country, will have a harder time getting noticed.

"There's nothing like this in the world for open platforms. It really puts the international audiences of creators at risk."

Patell also warned that the regulator could require changes to the company's algorithms, echoing concerns that music streaming giant Spotify raised during a hearing last week.

That fear is based on committee testimony from Ian Scott, the chairman of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

Scott told senators in June that the regulator could ask platforms such as YouTube to "manipulate" their algorithms to produce particular outcomes.

At a meeting last week, Spotify's head of artist and label partnerships for Canada, Nathan Wiszniak, said that affecting the way the platform generates recommendations for individual listeners would go against its raison d'être and could create negative feedback for the songs that are being recommended.

"Asking services to repeatedly bias recommendations against listener preferences strikes at the core trust we have built with our customers," he said.

Some Quebec senators pushed back on the idea that requiring an algorithm to nudge users towards Canadian content is such a bad thing.

Sen. Julie Miville-Dechêne said that the bill requires companies to choose the means to make Canadian artists discoverable.

"Do you have means other than an algorithm to promote Canadian content?" she asked Patell in English. "Why are you afraid?"

Sen. René Cormier, for his part, noticed during his own use of YouTube that the algorithm was recommending anglophone music to listen to after Quebec artist Ariane Moffatt, whom he repeatedly name-dropped.

"I'm trying to understand why you can't continue with the same type of music that I'm already listening to," he said in French. "Why am I led elsewhere in the recommendations?"

Patell said YouTube is about "You," and that its users train the algorithm to serve their needs — so she recommended that Cormier "teach" the platform what he's looking for. When Canadians come looking for Canadian content, she said, "we absolutely want to serve that to them."

Though de Eyre said that TikTok is "democratizing discoverability," Bernadette Clement, a senator from Ontario, pointed out that "it's not democratic if people don't know how algorithms work."

Patell and de Eyre responded by saying that their companies are making their source code and raw data available to researchers.

The streaming companies are recommending specific tweaks to the language of the bill that they say would assuage their concerns.

In June, before Parliament's summer break, the House of Commons passed Bill C-11 with more than 150 amendments. The Senate decided not to rush its passage and instead to take a more thorough look this fall.

If senators decide to amend the bill, it would have to be sent back to the House of Commons for approval before it can become law.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2022.

Marie-Danielle Smith, The Canadian Press