'Zoom fatigue': New study suggests human brains need in-person interaction
MONTREAL — Communication between people is less effective when it's done through technology as opposed to in person — and remote video chatting may even require a greater level of concentration, a new study by Montreal researchers suggests.
The study's results, its authors say, could help explain "Zoom fatigue" — the discomfort that many felt during the COVID-19 pandemic after spending entire days participating in online meetings.
"Our findings clearly demonstrate the price we pay for technology," the authors say in the study, called "Technologically-assisted communication attenuates inter-brain synchrony," published in the December 2022 issue of the open-access journal NeuroImage.
Guillaume Dumas, a researcher with Université de Montréal and the Sainte-Justine children's hospital, along with colleagues, used an electroencephalogram — a test that measures electrical activity in the brain — to examine the brains of mothers and their children. Sixty-two mother-child pairs were studied; their brain activity was measured when they were talking in person and through a remote video chat.
The researchers found that participants' brains "synchronized" when they were in each other's presence but did not do so when they were chatting through a screen. Researchers said they were able to observe nine important "cross-brain links" between participants during in-person conversation, compared to only one link during the virtual chat.
They said they think the links formed during in-person discussion permit people to communicate emotions or offer non-verbal cues.
"It's the adage about being on the same wavelength," Dumas said, adding that it's clear from the study that certain cross-brain links are absent when people talk through video conferencing software.
"We pay a bit of a price by using technology to communicate by having lower-quality and less authentic communication, compared to what our brain is used to (and) what it was made for."
The human brain is the result of tens of thousands of years of evolution, while technology is rapidly evolving, he said. The brain, he added, is configured to manage interactions and communications with others face to face.
Researchers found that during in-person discussions, the frontal regions of the mother's brain linked to each of the regions measured in the child's brain. The frontal cortex is associated with high social functions, including social cognition and decision-making in a social context.
In-person communication, Dumas said, makes it easier to convey and identify non-verbal cues, to anticipate what the other person might say and to recognize innuendo — subtleties that are more difficult to identify when speaking over a screen.
The study, he added, raises concerns about youth — who heavily use technology to communicate.
There are neuroscience experiments that show there are critical periods for youth to learn certain social norms that can be harder to pick up later in the developmental process, he said. The use of technology also opens the door to certain habits that were more difficult to do in-person, like cyberbullying.
"People who would not have acted out (in person) have much less difficulty in exhibiting toxic behaviour on the internet," Dumas said.
"Zoom fatigue," he said, can be caused by delayed social feedback, difficulty sustaining attention, by people not showing their faces, by posture issues, or by responses that are slow in coming due to muted microphones. Reduced brain synchronization, Dumas said, can be added to that list.
"We may end up concluding that a 15-minute in-person meeting is more effective than an hour-long online meeting."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2023.
Jean-Benoit Legault, The Canadian Press
Friday, January 20, 2023
SLGA liquor store employees go from 'disbelief to sadness to now anger' as severance packages offered: union
Mon, January 16, 2023
The Saskatchewan Party government announced last fall that it would close all provincially run liquor stores. The first closure will be on Jan. 21, and all of the nearly three dozen stores will be shut down by the end of March.
Richard Agecoutay/CBC
But "the whole point is that the retail stores that the government owns, when you put them all together, eventually we will be losing money," said Carr, in part because of the expense of bringing the stores up to date.
Every year, revenue "has exponentially gone down," Carr said. "We expect to start losing money this year — hence the decision. In the past budget, it would have been the expectation that we're going to earn approximately $400,000."
The costs for winding down SLGA liquor store operations — including severance packages — were expected to be around $15 million when the plan was first announced back in October, "but we would have to update those numbers and look at the stuff a little bit more closely now," Carr said last week.
Stadnichuk disputes that number.
"For her to come up with $15 million is such a rough estimate," he said.
"She pulled the number out of a hat. I don't know how she figured it out, but I don't think it's anywhere near the full amount."
'Profit-making, self-sufficient stores': SGEU
The first store to close will be the Dewdney location in Regina, which is shutting down on Jan. 21 — soon before the lease on the building runs out.
Stadnichuk said the government may be obligated pay rent on 14 other leased locations, even after the last store closes on March 31.
"Many stores had just recently finished agreements on their leases so the government will now have to buy those leases. There are some huge costs."
As well, he said the discounted liquor being sold at the stores after the shutdown announcement only meant more losses for the stores.
"They intentionally did this to show our stores are losing money. It's such a blatant attempt to show the public one side only."
Stadnichuck criticized the government's privatization decision as "a knee-jerk reaction" that imposes "the Alberta mentality on Saskatchewan" — and one he argues wasn't necessary.
"They had good, profit-making, self-sufficient stores, but they chose to close them and now are patting their backs with this severance package," he said.
"It wasn't a very good package. They shut down a Crown corporation that has been operating for close to 70 years and all they are doing is offering a little bit of money for it.
"That's not a way to treat the people of Saskatchewan."
Mon, January 16, 2023
The Saskatchewan Party government announced last fall that it would close all provincially run liquor stores. The first closure will be on Jan. 21, and all of the nearly three dozen stores will be shut down by the end of March.
(Trevor Bothorel/CBC - image credit)
The Saskatchewan government is offering a severance deal to hundreds of Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority employees who will lose their jobs as the Crown corporation winds down its retail operations, says the union that represents those workers.
The Saskatchewan Party government announced in its throne speech last fall that it would be closing down the provincially run liquor stores.
While the SLGA will continue to operate the wholesale side of the liquor business in the province, the 34 liquor stores operated by the Crown corporation — out of about 600 liquor retailers in the province — are winding down operations as the province moves toward fully privatizing retail liquor sales.
The last of the stores are expected to be shut down by March 31, but stores already have empty shelves after stock was sold at heavy discounts during the holiday season.
Bob Stadnichuk, vice-president of the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees' Union, says negotiations on severance for employees who will soon be out of work started in early November.
"But we knew we were negotiating with the government and not SLGA, as they were the messengers receiving instructions from [the government]," he said.
Alexander Quon/CBC News
Stadnichuk wouldn't go into specific details about the severance packages, which will vary depending on job type, but said most employees would be offered a year's salary.
While a few are happy to "receive at least something" from the government, Stadnichuk emphasized that employees would far rather keep their jobs.
Many are people who have worked for SLGA for years, and now are looking for jobs in the 40s or 50s, "which will be very difficult," he said.
"The members have gone from disbelief to sadness and despondency to now anger creeping in their voices," he said.
"That anger is against the government, who never consulted with its 400 employees. The government brags about growth in Saskatchewan. How does this contribute to it?"
Severance costs will be offset: province
In a written statement on Monday, the province said it does not "publicly disclose details about negotiated agreements," but that there will be one-time costs associated with winding down SLGA's retail operations, including human resources-related costs.
Those costs "will be offset from revenue associated with the sale of permits and the disposal of physical assets such as buildings," the statement read.
Minister of Liquor and Gaming Lori Carr told reporters last Tuesday that the province owns 19 of the 34 properties that will eventually be sold.
Some revenues from the winding down "would be offset by the workforce adjustment plan we did with the employees that were involved," she said.
The Saskatchewan government is offering a severance deal to hundreds of Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority employees who will lose their jobs as the Crown corporation winds down its retail operations, says the union that represents those workers.
The Saskatchewan Party government announced in its throne speech last fall that it would be closing down the provincially run liquor stores.
While the SLGA will continue to operate the wholesale side of the liquor business in the province, the 34 liquor stores operated by the Crown corporation — out of about 600 liquor retailers in the province — are winding down operations as the province moves toward fully privatizing retail liquor sales.
The last of the stores are expected to be shut down by March 31, but stores already have empty shelves after stock was sold at heavy discounts during the holiday season.
Bob Stadnichuk, vice-president of the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees' Union, says negotiations on severance for employees who will soon be out of work started in early November.
"But we knew we were negotiating with the government and not SLGA, as they were the messengers receiving instructions from [the government]," he said.
Alexander Quon/CBC News
Stadnichuk wouldn't go into specific details about the severance packages, which will vary depending on job type, but said most employees would be offered a year's salary.
While a few are happy to "receive at least something" from the government, Stadnichuk emphasized that employees would far rather keep their jobs.
Many are people who have worked for SLGA for years, and now are looking for jobs in the 40s or 50s, "which will be very difficult," he said.
"The members have gone from disbelief to sadness and despondency to now anger creeping in their voices," he said.
"That anger is against the government, who never consulted with its 400 employees. The government brags about growth in Saskatchewan. How does this contribute to it?"
Severance costs will be offset: province
In a written statement on Monday, the province said it does not "publicly disclose details about negotiated agreements," but that there will be one-time costs associated with winding down SLGA's retail operations, including human resources-related costs.
Those costs "will be offset from revenue associated with the sale of permits and the disposal of physical assets such as buildings," the statement read.
Minister of Liquor and Gaming Lori Carr told reporters last Tuesday that the province owns 19 of the 34 properties that will eventually be sold.
Some revenues from the winding down "would be offset by the workforce adjustment plan we did with the employees that were involved," she said.
Richard Agecoutay/CBC
But "the whole point is that the retail stores that the government owns, when you put them all together, eventually we will be losing money," said Carr, in part because of the expense of bringing the stores up to date.
Every year, revenue "has exponentially gone down," Carr said. "We expect to start losing money this year — hence the decision. In the past budget, it would have been the expectation that we're going to earn approximately $400,000."
The costs for winding down SLGA liquor store operations — including severance packages — were expected to be around $15 million when the plan was first announced back in October, "but we would have to update those numbers and look at the stuff a little bit more closely now," Carr said last week.
Stadnichuk disputes that number.
"For her to come up with $15 million is such a rough estimate," he said.
"She pulled the number out of a hat. I don't know how she figured it out, but I don't think it's anywhere near the full amount."
'Profit-making, self-sufficient stores': SGEU
The first store to close will be the Dewdney location in Regina, which is shutting down on Jan. 21 — soon before the lease on the building runs out.
Stadnichuk said the government may be obligated pay rent on 14 other leased locations, even after the last store closes on March 31.
"Many stores had just recently finished agreements on their leases so the government will now have to buy those leases. There are some huge costs."
As well, he said the discounted liquor being sold at the stores after the shutdown announcement only meant more losses for the stores.
"They intentionally did this to show our stores are losing money. It's such a blatant attempt to show the public one side only."
Stadnichuck criticized the government's privatization decision as "a knee-jerk reaction" that imposes "the Alberta mentality on Saskatchewan" — and one he argues wasn't necessary.
"They had good, profit-making, self-sufficient stores, but they chose to close them and now are patting their backs with this severance package," he said.
"It wasn't a very good package. They shut down a Crown corporation that has been operating for close to 70 years and all they are doing is offering a little bit of money for it.
"That's not a way to treat the people of Saskatchewan."
People struggling with long COVID face increased stigma, new Edmonton study shows
Tue, January 17, 2023
A recently published study conducted by researchers at the University of Alberta shows that people struggling with long COVID symptoms also face increased stigma. (Shutterstock/panitanphoto - image credit)
Edmonton physician Dr. Daisy Fung stopped playing hockey twice a week after developing long COVID.
After first having COVID-19 in March of 2020, she developed myalgic encephalomyelitis, which is commonly known as chronic fatigue syndrome, and post-exertional malaise.
Her symptoms, which include severe fatigue and muscle aches, worsen about a day or two after intense physical or cognitive activity.
She has also given up playing badminton and tennis and reduced the number of hours she works so she can function as a doctor and a parent.
When Fung posted about her long COVID symptoms on social media, some people were supportive, but others, including fellow medical professionals, told her she was actually struggling with burnout or a mood disorder.
"It was very upsetting to hear that, to say the very least, from people who care for patients with chronic illness," she told CBC News on Monday.
Fung said she feels validated by the results of a new peer-reviewed study published by University of Alberta researchers in the Lancet's eClinicalMedicine.
Dr. Ron Damant, the study's lead author and a physician and U of A professor in the department of medicine, developed a 40-question questionnaire to identify and measure the stigma associated with what the World Health Organization calls "post COVID-19 condition."
Nearly two-thirds of the 145 people who fit the study's criteria and completed all the components were women and the participants' ages ranged from 22 to 80.
The researchers determined that the questionnaire did help identify patients with increased stigma — and it also helped show how stigma was affecting people with long COVID.
"It was comforting, in a way, to know that I'm not alone," said Fung, who participated as a patient in the study.
Daisy Fung/Facebook
The study found that long COVID patients with higher levels of symptoms were more likely to have higher stigma levels than people who were relatively symptom-free.
It also found people who reported high levels of stigma had reduced quality of life. These respondents had reduced perception of social support and reported experiencing more loneliness.
"This study and others that are being published from elsewhere in the world will help increase awareness that long COVID is associated with stigma and that stigma associated with long COVID or other conditions can negatively impact health," Damant said.
When he and his colleagues first conceived of their study, in 2020, Damant said there was little published material about long COVID and stigma, but experts have increasingly been exploring the relationship between the two.
Researchers in the U.K. found that more than three-quarters of surveyed people with long COVID had experienced stigma either often or always.
Their study, published in November in the journal PLOS One, also found that 95 per cent of respondents with long COVID had experienced some stigma.
Kelly Gebo, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University, said many patients with long COVID are able to resume their normal activities with some adaptation, but some have expressed complaints about isolation and stigma.
"There is a feeling of, 'why can't you just be normal, like everybody else is,'" she said.
Gebo said employers should accommodate these patients with sick leaves, offer flexible schedules and allow time for health-care appointments.
"And I think in general, we as a society need to give some people some grace," she said.
Fung said she hopes the study helps people, and especially those in her profession, listen and validate their colleagues, friends and patients with long COVID.
"It's unfortunate that we need a study to show that there's stigmatization against patients with acute and long COVID, but now that we have it, hopefully people can take that first step at looking inwards and approaching this more with kindness," she said.
Tue, January 17, 2023
A recently published study conducted by researchers at the University of Alberta shows that people struggling with long COVID symptoms also face increased stigma. (Shutterstock/panitanphoto - image credit)
Edmonton physician Dr. Daisy Fung stopped playing hockey twice a week after developing long COVID.
After first having COVID-19 in March of 2020, she developed myalgic encephalomyelitis, which is commonly known as chronic fatigue syndrome, and post-exertional malaise.
Her symptoms, which include severe fatigue and muscle aches, worsen about a day or two after intense physical or cognitive activity.
She has also given up playing badminton and tennis and reduced the number of hours she works so she can function as a doctor and a parent.
When Fung posted about her long COVID symptoms on social media, some people were supportive, but others, including fellow medical professionals, told her she was actually struggling with burnout or a mood disorder.
"It was very upsetting to hear that, to say the very least, from people who care for patients with chronic illness," she told CBC News on Monday.
Fung said she feels validated by the results of a new peer-reviewed study published by University of Alberta researchers in the Lancet's eClinicalMedicine.
Dr. Ron Damant, the study's lead author and a physician and U of A professor in the department of medicine, developed a 40-question questionnaire to identify and measure the stigma associated with what the World Health Organization calls "post COVID-19 condition."
Nearly two-thirds of the 145 people who fit the study's criteria and completed all the components were women and the participants' ages ranged from 22 to 80.
The researchers determined that the questionnaire did help identify patients with increased stigma — and it also helped show how stigma was affecting people with long COVID.
"It was comforting, in a way, to know that I'm not alone," said Fung, who participated as a patient in the study.
Daisy Fung/Facebook
The study found that long COVID patients with higher levels of symptoms were more likely to have higher stigma levels than people who were relatively symptom-free.
It also found people who reported high levels of stigma had reduced quality of life. These respondents had reduced perception of social support and reported experiencing more loneliness.
"This study and others that are being published from elsewhere in the world will help increase awareness that long COVID is associated with stigma and that stigma associated with long COVID or other conditions can negatively impact health," Damant said.
When he and his colleagues first conceived of their study, in 2020, Damant said there was little published material about long COVID and stigma, but experts have increasingly been exploring the relationship between the two.
Researchers in the U.K. found that more than three-quarters of surveyed people with long COVID had experienced stigma either often or always.
Their study, published in November in the journal PLOS One, also found that 95 per cent of respondents with long COVID had experienced some stigma.
Kelly Gebo, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University, said many patients with long COVID are able to resume their normal activities with some adaptation, but some have expressed complaints about isolation and stigma.
"There is a feeling of, 'why can't you just be normal, like everybody else is,'" she said.
Gebo said employers should accommodate these patients with sick leaves, offer flexible schedules and allow time for health-care appointments.
"And I think in general, we as a society need to give some people some grace," she said.
Fung said she hopes the study helps people, and especially those in her profession, listen and validate their colleagues, friends and patients with long COVID.
"It's unfortunate that we need a study to show that there's stigmatization against patients with acute and long COVID, but now that we have it, hopefully people can take that first step at looking inwards and approaching this more with kindness," she said.
An ambulance operator says the system in N.L. will be stretched further by possible strike
Tue, January 17, 2023
Wade Smith is the owner of Smith's Ambulance Services.
Tue, January 17, 2023
Wade Smith is the owner of Smith's Ambulance Services.
(Patrick Butler/Radio-Canada
An ambulance operator in Whitbourne says the already stretched paramedic system will be stretched even further if a strike ignites between the more than 100 employees of seven private ambulance companies and owner Bob Fewer.
"If there is an emergency and we do have something available that we can send in close proximity that would benefit the person, we would respond," Wade Smith, owner of Smith's Ambulance Services in Whitbourne, told CBC News on Monday.
"But the thing is, that's going to stress our staff out. Our staff works 24 hours. Once our staff start doing calls like that, and we look at 'OK your fatigue time is up' then we have to take that full crew off. We can't respond to anything."
Wade wonders if that scenario actually happens, who will respond to emergency calls in his coverage area.
He said he doesn't see any signs of relief right now.
The provincial government has said its regional health authorities will work with private ambulance services, will bring on additional staff to support emergency responses with routine transfer services and will also "activate additional RHA ambulances," in response to a possible disruption.
"If ambulance services are required, residents of the region are directed to call 911. N.L. 911 has been made aware of the potential change in service and is ready to redirect calls to the appropriate provider," reads a statement from Debbie Marnell, a provincial government communications director, last week.
The over 100 employees facing a possible strike began a work-to-rule campaign on Wednesday, meaning they perform only their core job functions.
The union representing the workers — Teamsters Local 855 — said the campaign is the first step in the strike plan, though ambulance services haven't been disrupted yet.
Jeremy Eaton/CBC
Hubert Dawe, the business agent for Teamsters Local 855, also wonders where the resources will come from if his members strike.
He calls the province's statement misleading.
"The reality is we have ambulances that have been allocated in these contracts private operators have with the government that have been parked because there's physically nobody to sit aboard those ambulances and to make those ambulances work," Dawe told CBC News.
"I really and truly don't know where these paramedics are coming from. If the government has them in their back pocket, please let them out, it would help the situation greatly right now."
CBC News asked the Department of Health where the additional staff will come from, what roles they would fill, the capacity of adjacent ambulance services to fill gaps elsewhere and how many additional ambulances to RHAs have.
The Health Department said contingency plans were developed by the regional health authorities and they would be better suited to answer any inquiries relating to operations.
In a statement to CBC News, Central Health communications director Gayle St. Croix said Central Health and Eastern Health have contingency plans in place to help mitigate any job action impact.
"Mutual aid is often provided when ambulances are out of a service area by other private and community operators that are not involved in this job action. This is expected to continue as per regular processes," the statement reads.
"RHAs can also provide support internally when an ambulance is out of a service area, within available human and ambulance resources. The number of additional available ambulances within the RHAs is variable depending on the region, time of day and staff availability. RHAs will assess whether any support can be provided following established processes."
NB
An ambulance operator in Whitbourne says the already stretched paramedic system will be stretched even further if a strike ignites between the more than 100 employees of seven private ambulance companies and owner Bob Fewer.
"If there is an emergency and we do have something available that we can send in close proximity that would benefit the person, we would respond," Wade Smith, owner of Smith's Ambulance Services in Whitbourne, told CBC News on Monday.
"But the thing is, that's going to stress our staff out. Our staff works 24 hours. Once our staff start doing calls like that, and we look at 'OK your fatigue time is up' then we have to take that full crew off. We can't respond to anything."
Wade wonders if that scenario actually happens, who will respond to emergency calls in his coverage area.
He said he doesn't see any signs of relief right now.
The provincial government has said its regional health authorities will work with private ambulance services, will bring on additional staff to support emergency responses with routine transfer services and will also "activate additional RHA ambulances," in response to a possible disruption.
"If ambulance services are required, residents of the region are directed to call 911. N.L. 911 has been made aware of the potential change in service and is ready to redirect calls to the appropriate provider," reads a statement from Debbie Marnell, a provincial government communications director, last week.
The over 100 employees facing a possible strike began a work-to-rule campaign on Wednesday, meaning they perform only their core job functions.
The union representing the workers — Teamsters Local 855 — said the campaign is the first step in the strike plan, though ambulance services haven't been disrupted yet.
Jeremy Eaton/CBC
Hubert Dawe, the business agent for Teamsters Local 855, also wonders where the resources will come from if his members strike.
He calls the province's statement misleading.
"The reality is we have ambulances that have been allocated in these contracts private operators have with the government that have been parked because there's physically nobody to sit aboard those ambulances and to make those ambulances work," Dawe told CBC News.
"I really and truly don't know where these paramedics are coming from. If the government has them in their back pocket, please let them out, it would help the situation greatly right now."
CBC News asked the Department of Health where the additional staff will come from, what roles they would fill, the capacity of adjacent ambulance services to fill gaps elsewhere and how many additional ambulances to RHAs have.
The Health Department said contingency plans were developed by the regional health authorities and they would be better suited to answer any inquiries relating to operations.
In a statement to CBC News, Central Health communications director Gayle St. Croix said Central Health and Eastern Health have contingency plans in place to help mitigate any job action impact.
"Mutual aid is often provided when ambulances are out of a service area by other private and community operators that are not involved in this job action. This is expected to continue as per regular processes," the statement reads.
"RHAs can also provide support internally when an ambulance is out of a service area, within available human and ambulance resources. The number of additional available ambulances within the RHAs is variable depending on the region, time of day and staff availability. RHAs will assess whether any support can be provided following established processes."
NB
Artificial intelligence use for ambulance calls a concern to paramedics, says association head
Tue, January 17, 2023
Ambulance New Brunswick has started using what it calls a computer-aided dispatch system that alerts paramedics to emergencies using artificial intelligence.
Tue, January 17, 2023
Ambulance New Brunswick has started using what it calls a computer-aided dispatch system that alerts paramedics to emergencies using artificial intelligence.
(Radio-Canada - image credit)
Artificial intelligence now plays a role in how paramedics get dispatched to emergency calls in New Brunswick, and that has many of them concerned about possible hiccups and delays, says the head of the association representing them.
Ambulance New Brunswick last Monday rolled out what it calls a computer-aided dispatch system, which relies on AI and cellular devices to notify paramedics of emergency calls they're being dispatched to.
It's a system that's causing unease and concern among paramedics over the possibility for glitches and malfunctions that could come up in already stressful life and death situations, said Derek Cassista, president of the Paramedics Association of New Brunswick.
"You can tell your phone, 'Hey Siri, take me to A&W', and I'm sure you've had times where that navigation fails or it takes you [on] what you know is the long way around when you think it's the short way around.
"And you know, having an extra-long trip to A&W versus having an extra-long trip to someone's house when they're having a medical emergency obviously are two very different things."
Susie Proulx-Daigle, president of the New Brunswick Union, which bargains on behalf of paramedics, said she also has concerns with the use of the technology.
"Ambulance NB did not make us aware of any changes to the dispatch system, it was brought to our attention by paramedics," Proulx-Daigle said in an email.
"We have some major concerns regarding using text messages as they can be missed, coverage can be poor in various areas. There are several potential issues," she said.
"We feel the radios are the best way to dispatch calls. Any new system with the potential for technical issues, such as interruptions in cell service, can have a major impact on someone's life in an emergency situation."
Radio system will remain as back-up: ANB
The computer-aided dispatch system is known as Intelligent Decision Support and is being delivered by a company called Logis, said Michel Gravel, the director for Ambulance New Brunswick's medical communications management centre.
Having an extra-long trip to A&W versus having an extra-long trip to someone's house when they're having a medical emergency obviously are two very different things - Derek Cassista
In an email, Gravel said the "state-of-the-art" system will improve operational efficiency with a "powerful, automated and customizable dispatch engine, which allows us to tailor the system for our specific needs."
Gravel said feedback from the majority of frontline staff has been "quite positive" since its roll-out.
"Like with any system update we recognize that there will be an adjustment period and during this initial implementation phase, Logis IDS has provided onsite support staff who are resolving any questions or issues as they arise."
Gravel said even with the new system, Ambulance New Brunswick's radio dispatching system will remain in place, along with a series of contingencies that can be transitioned to immediately in the event they are needed.
Gravel said the technology was first implemented two years ago in New Brunswick to improve non-emergency patient transfer services, and provide health-care partners with a platform to request patient transfer bookings online.
Fears of 'isolation'
Cassista said under the previous system, paramedics would get dispatched to emergencies by a dispatcher who communicated instructions to them using radio.
He said the process involved the dispatcher using their own judgment to decide which paramedic was closest to the call, before picking up the radio and alerting them.
However, regardless of who was ultimately sent, all paramedics would be aware of where the call was for and who was going, as they were all tuned into the same radio frequency, Cassista said.
Submitted by Derek Cassista
Under the new system, Cassista said each paramedic is being directed to calls individually, and without the direct knowledge of other paramedics.
"The concern I would say primarily arises from introducing an element of …isolation into the paramedic ranks by using the cell phone too much," Cassista said.
"Whereas before, operating exclusively via radio, everyone can hear what's going on. It feels like if something bad happens to me, if I'm caught in an unsafe environment, then people will have my back on on a quicker response rate."
Cassista said many paramedics also feel like the technology is being introduced unnecessarily at the same time that Ambulance New Brunswick is failing to address shortcomings identified in a 2020 auditor-general's report.
Some of those shortcomings relate to Ambulance New Brunswick's contract with the province, and how that's led to rural areas being under-served compared to urban areas.
"So we move ambulances into these urban centres from rural areas every single day, every single night… because of that operational contract and how the system is structured. It's extremely inefficient," Cassista said.
Hopeful about new technology
Cassista said while he shares in some of the hesitations around the new technology, he thinks adopting it will ultimately be a good thing so long as no issues come up.
So far, he said he hasn't had any issues with the technology himself.
He is positive that once paramedics become more familiar with using it, the concerns they've shared with him will ebb.
"We need more artificial intelligence, we need more information sharing, we need to remove more of the the human error potential," Cassista said.
"So I'm a big proponent of technology. We need innovation like you wouldn't believe. So I'm not, I'm not against this. It's about implementing it properly. Like all good projects, it can live or die in how it's being implemented."
Artificial intelligence now plays a role in how paramedics get dispatched to emergency calls in New Brunswick, and that has many of them concerned about possible hiccups and delays, says the head of the association representing them.
Ambulance New Brunswick last Monday rolled out what it calls a computer-aided dispatch system, which relies on AI and cellular devices to notify paramedics of emergency calls they're being dispatched to.
It's a system that's causing unease and concern among paramedics over the possibility for glitches and malfunctions that could come up in already stressful life and death situations, said Derek Cassista, president of the Paramedics Association of New Brunswick.
"You can tell your phone, 'Hey Siri, take me to A&W', and I'm sure you've had times where that navigation fails or it takes you [on] what you know is the long way around when you think it's the short way around.
"And you know, having an extra-long trip to A&W versus having an extra-long trip to someone's house when they're having a medical emergency obviously are two very different things."
Susie Proulx-Daigle, president of the New Brunswick Union, which bargains on behalf of paramedics, said she also has concerns with the use of the technology.
"Ambulance NB did not make us aware of any changes to the dispatch system, it was brought to our attention by paramedics," Proulx-Daigle said in an email.
"We have some major concerns regarding using text messages as they can be missed, coverage can be poor in various areas. There are several potential issues," she said.
"We feel the radios are the best way to dispatch calls. Any new system with the potential for technical issues, such as interruptions in cell service, can have a major impact on someone's life in an emergency situation."
Radio system will remain as back-up: ANB
The computer-aided dispatch system is known as Intelligent Decision Support and is being delivered by a company called Logis, said Michel Gravel, the director for Ambulance New Brunswick's medical communications management centre.
Having an extra-long trip to A&W versus having an extra-long trip to someone's house when they're having a medical emergency obviously are two very different things - Derek Cassista
In an email, Gravel said the "state-of-the-art" system will improve operational efficiency with a "powerful, automated and customizable dispatch engine, which allows us to tailor the system for our specific needs."
Gravel said feedback from the majority of frontline staff has been "quite positive" since its roll-out.
"Like with any system update we recognize that there will be an adjustment period and during this initial implementation phase, Logis IDS has provided onsite support staff who are resolving any questions or issues as they arise."
Gravel said even with the new system, Ambulance New Brunswick's radio dispatching system will remain in place, along with a series of contingencies that can be transitioned to immediately in the event they are needed.
Gravel said the technology was first implemented two years ago in New Brunswick to improve non-emergency patient transfer services, and provide health-care partners with a platform to request patient transfer bookings online.
Fears of 'isolation'
Cassista said under the previous system, paramedics would get dispatched to emergencies by a dispatcher who communicated instructions to them using radio.
He said the process involved the dispatcher using their own judgment to decide which paramedic was closest to the call, before picking up the radio and alerting them.
However, regardless of who was ultimately sent, all paramedics would be aware of where the call was for and who was going, as they were all tuned into the same radio frequency, Cassista said.
Submitted by Derek Cassista
Under the new system, Cassista said each paramedic is being directed to calls individually, and without the direct knowledge of other paramedics.
"The concern I would say primarily arises from introducing an element of …isolation into the paramedic ranks by using the cell phone too much," Cassista said.
"Whereas before, operating exclusively via radio, everyone can hear what's going on. It feels like if something bad happens to me, if I'm caught in an unsafe environment, then people will have my back on on a quicker response rate."
Cassista said many paramedics also feel like the technology is being introduced unnecessarily at the same time that Ambulance New Brunswick is failing to address shortcomings identified in a 2020 auditor-general's report.
Some of those shortcomings relate to Ambulance New Brunswick's contract with the province, and how that's led to rural areas being under-served compared to urban areas.
"So we move ambulances into these urban centres from rural areas every single day, every single night… because of that operational contract and how the system is structured. It's extremely inefficient," Cassista said.
Hopeful about new technology
Cassista said while he shares in some of the hesitations around the new technology, he thinks adopting it will ultimately be a good thing so long as no issues come up.
So far, he said he hasn't had any issues with the technology himself.
He is positive that once paramedics become more familiar with using it, the concerns they've shared with him will ebb.
"We need more artificial intelligence, we need more information sharing, we need to remove more of the the human error potential," Cassista said.
"So I'm a big proponent of technology. We need innovation like you wouldn't believe. So I'm not, I'm not against this. It's about implementing it properly. Like all good projects, it can live or die in how it's being implemented."
Gates Foundation takes up question of its own power
Tue, January 17, 2023
Does The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have too much power and influence?
It's a question the foundation's CEO Mark Suzman raised in its annual letter released Tuesday that outlines the organization's priorities and announces its budget for the coming year. With $8.3 billion to give away in 2023, the Gates Foundation is the largest private philanthropic donor. And with an endowment of more than $70 billion, its spending power is likely to continue for many decades.
When asked in an interview with The Associated Press what he thought the answer to that question was, Suzman said, “No.”
He said the Seattle-based foundation takes its direction from the Sustainable Development Goals, set by the United Nations and its member countries in 2015, and knows that with its great resources come great responsibility.
“We try to use our tools, our skills, our resources, sometimes our technical skills, sometimes our voice in advocacy to help advance and drive those forward,” Suzman said.
Others disagree, including researchers who have followed the foundation's funding for education in the U.S., its weight in international global health organizations and its approach toward the agriculture of small-holder farmers around the world. The foundation works on a wide range of issues and employs 1,700 staff members, who are experts in those areas, and espouses a dream-big ethos of setting ambitious goals.
Bill Gates, in his most recent public letter in December, described the foundation's mission as reducing inequity and helping “people in poor countries who shouldn’t die, not die. Especially children.” Suzman said its mission is to help “ensure that every person has the chance to lead a healthy, productive life."
It has spent billions of dollars to vaccinate against polio, treat and prevent malaria and HIV and more recently advance vaccines for diseases like cholera and advocated for other donors, including countries, to join in these global public health efforts.
But some of its interventions have not achieved their goals, despite widespread adoption.
In one example, the foundation championed a theory of measuring teacher effectiveness in U.S. schools. Then, it commissioned research in 2018 that found the approach did little to consistently improve learning outcomes for students. It also advocated for curriculum standards called the Common Core that have been criticized as being too formulaic and are still in effect in some states.
The foundation announced in October a new education initiative funded by $1.1 billion over four years to try to improve math scores through developing new curricula and digital tools. For Alex Molnar, of the National Education Policy Center, the plan demonstrates the power billionaires like Bill Gates have — experimenting with the education of the poorest children, despite past missteps.
“It is so fundamentally misdirected and so obviously wrong, both in the moral sense and in the rational sense, that it is literally breathtaking," Molnar said. "This very wealthy, very narrow man can continually, continually torment schoolchildren while all the while pretending that somehow he’s making the world better.”
The foundation, Suzman said, approaches its education work with humility and will develop curricula in partnership with teachers, students and schools. It does not impose its ideas from the top down, he said.
When asked about previous criticism that its education work had ignored issues that arise from poverty and that hurt learning, Suzman said he doesn't see that as philanthropy’s role. He says it should support programs governments or business can't or won't fund.
“If we had great tools to address poverty, we would tackle it,” he said, of the foundation.
Molnar disagreed, saying that diminishing the number of poor people would mean stopping the wealthiest people from amassing their fortunes in the first place.
“It requires taking money from people like Mr. Gates — taxing the bejesus out of them," he said. “Nobody should have that much money. Nobody should have that much influence.”
The Gates Foundation has recently taken steps to decentralize its decision-making. In the last two years, it expanded its top leadership, appointing five new members to its board of trustees, with 2023 marking the first time the larger board approved the foundation budget.
New members have already pushed the foundation to be more transparent, Suzman said. The board also recommended the foundation set aside some of the $20 billion that Bill Gates committed to the organization in 2022 for future work and gradually raise its annual budget to $9 billion by 2026.
That the new board members have deep experience in philanthropy “is a recognition that giving money away well is a sophisticated enterprise and something that takes experience and learning and expertise,” said Kathleen Enright, who leads the Council on Foundations.
Bill Gates has reiterated that all his wealth eventually will go to the foundation, which will close 20 years after he, Melinda French Gates and Warren Buffett have all died. Buffett has entrusted the foundation with $36 billion from his fortune.
“It’s thankfully not a burning platform," said Suzman.
In 2021, when Melinda French Gates and Bill Gates announced their divorce, they said she would evaluate her participation in the foundation after two years. She remains fully committed to the foundation's work, Suzman said, when asked.
In 2021, in its first report on the inclusiveness and equity of its work, the foundation learned many of its grantees and partners wanted to be consulted more and have their input incorporated into the foundation's strategy.
Suzman said every team at the foundation now has a mandate to deepen their relationships with partners and its entire leadership team is participating in a year-long inclusion training.
“In the end, money can buy you any form of short term success," Suzman said. "But long term sustainability requires deep sustained local ownership and direction and ultimately resources.”
___
Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
Thalia Beaty, The Associated Press
Tue, January 17, 2023
Does The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have too much power and influence?
It's a question the foundation's CEO Mark Suzman raised in its annual letter released Tuesday that outlines the organization's priorities and announces its budget for the coming year. With $8.3 billion to give away in 2023, the Gates Foundation is the largest private philanthropic donor. And with an endowment of more than $70 billion, its spending power is likely to continue for many decades.
When asked in an interview with The Associated Press what he thought the answer to that question was, Suzman said, “No.”
He said the Seattle-based foundation takes its direction from the Sustainable Development Goals, set by the United Nations and its member countries in 2015, and knows that with its great resources come great responsibility.
“We try to use our tools, our skills, our resources, sometimes our technical skills, sometimes our voice in advocacy to help advance and drive those forward,” Suzman said.
Others disagree, including researchers who have followed the foundation's funding for education in the U.S., its weight in international global health organizations and its approach toward the agriculture of small-holder farmers around the world. The foundation works on a wide range of issues and employs 1,700 staff members, who are experts in those areas, and espouses a dream-big ethos of setting ambitious goals.
Bill Gates, in his most recent public letter in December, described the foundation's mission as reducing inequity and helping “people in poor countries who shouldn’t die, not die. Especially children.” Suzman said its mission is to help “ensure that every person has the chance to lead a healthy, productive life."
It has spent billions of dollars to vaccinate against polio, treat and prevent malaria and HIV and more recently advance vaccines for diseases like cholera and advocated for other donors, including countries, to join in these global public health efforts.
But some of its interventions have not achieved their goals, despite widespread adoption.
In one example, the foundation championed a theory of measuring teacher effectiveness in U.S. schools. Then, it commissioned research in 2018 that found the approach did little to consistently improve learning outcomes for students. It also advocated for curriculum standards called the Common Core that have been criticized as being too formulaic and are still in effect in some states.
The foundation announced in October a new education initiative funded by $1.1 billion over four years to try to improve math scores through developing new curricula and digital tools. For Alex Molnar, of the National Education Policy Center, the plan demonstrates the power billionaires like Bill Gates have — experimenting with the education of the poorest children, despite past missteps.
“It is so fundamentally misdirected and so obviously wrong, both in the moral sense and in the rational sense, that it is literally breathtaking," Molnar said. "This very wealthy, very narrow man can continually, continually torment schoolchildren while all the while pretending that somehow he’s making the world better.”
The foundation, Suzman said, approaches its education work with humility and will develop curricula in partnership with teachers, students and schools. It does not impose its ideas from the top down, he said.
When asked about previous criticism that its education work had ignored issues that arise from poverty and that hurt learning, Suzman said he doesn't see that as philanthropy’s role. He says it should support programs governments or business can't or won't fund.
“If we had great tools to address poverty, we would tackle it,” he said, of the foundation.
Molnar disagreed, saying that diminishing the number of poor people would mean stopping the wealthiest people from amassing their fortunes in the first place.
“It requires taking money from people like Mr. Gates — taxing the bejesus out of them," he said. “Nobody should have that much money. Nobody should have that much influence.”
The Gates Foundation has recently taken steps to decentralize its decision-making. In the last two years, it expanded its top leadership, appointing five new members to its board of trustees, with 2023 marking the first time the larger board approved the foundation budget.
New members have already pushed the foundation to be more transparent, Suzman said. The board also recommended the foundation set aside some of the $20 billion that Bill Gates committed to the organization in 2022 for future work and gradually raise its annual budget to $9 billion by 2026.
That the new board members have deep experience in philanthropy “is a recognition that giving money away well is a sophisticated enterprise and something that takes experience and learning and expertise,” said Kathleen Enright, who leads the Council on Foundations.
Bill Gates has reiterated that all his wealth eventually will go to the foundation, which will close 20 years after he, Melinda French Gates and Warren Buffett have all died. Buffett has entrusted the foundation with $36 billion from his fortune.
“It’s thankfully not a burning platform," said Suzman.
In 2021, when Melinda French Gates and Bill Gates announced their divorce, they said she would evaluate her participation in the foundation after two years. She remains fully committed to the foundation's work, Suzman said, when asked.
In 2021, in its first report on the inclusiveness and equity of its work, the foundation learned many of its grantees and partners wanted to be consulted more and have their input incorporated into the foundation's strategy.
Suzman said every team at the foundation now has a mandate to deepen their relationships with partners and its entire leadership team is participating in a year-long inclusion training.
“In the end, money can buy you any form of short term success," Suzman said. "But long term sustainability requires deep sustained local ownership and direction and ultimately resources.”
___
Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
Thalia Beaty, The Associated Press
NOVA SCOTIA
Province releases Crown land locations where clear cutting may soon be permitted
Tue, January 17, 2023
The province has released the initial locations where clear cutting may be permitted as part of its high-production forestry plan. (Submitted - image credit)
The province has revealed the initial locations where clear cutting may be allowed on Crown land.
Maps released today include areas dotted throughout Guysborough, Antigonish, Colchester, Pictou, Lunenburg, Queens, Annapolis and Kings counties, but other locations will be identified in the future.
These initial parcels of Crown land where the province may permit clear cutting total 9,395 hectares. Over time, the government aims to turn 10 per cent of Crown land — or 185,000 hectares — into what it calls high-production forestry.
The pieces of land that were prioritized for clear cutting include those with existing planted forests as well as abandoned agricultural fields. Land that's within 100 metres of conservation zones, locations where species at risk are known to exist, critical wildlife habitat areas and rare or sensitive ecosystems were excluded.
Before harvesting and future planting can be carried out, the identified parcels must be assessed by licensed harvesters to ensure they are suitable for high-production forestry. Licensees must then submit a proposal to the Department of Natural Resources, and the public will be given an opportunity to provide input.
Herbicides to be permitted
Once an application has been approved, harvesters will cut down existing trees, then prepare the site for replanting with spruce seedlings, aiming to harvest those in 30 to 50 years.
Although herbicides have not been used as a forest management tool on Crown land in Nova Scotia since 2010, they will be permitted in high-production forest zones. The guidance released by the province Tuesday says herbicides are typically applied only once after seedlings are planted, though on some sites, they may be used to prepare a site prior to planting in order to eliminate weeds and grasses.
The government will not provide any funding for herbicide use, but it will explore how it can support research into new practices that reduce or eliminate use of herbicides.
Raymond Plourde, wilderness co-ordinator with the Ecology Action Centre, said he would rather not see any herbicides applied to Crown lands, and any research that helps reduce spraying of herbicides is a good thing.
Plourde said he's glad to see the province commit to a 10 per cent cap on clear cutting on Crown land, and that the selection criteria for the parcels seem well conceived.
He hopes the province will now turn its attention to selecting areas of Crown land that will receive protection and help achieve the goal of 20 per cent protected land and water by 2030. Currently, about 13 per cent of Nova Scotia's land and water is protected.
Industry reacts
In a news release, the province notes that using high-production forestry methods will allow crops of trees to mature in 25 to 40 years, compared with 60 to 90 years using traditional practices.
The 9,395 hectares of land announced Tuesday represent 0.5 per cent of Crown land. The Department of Natural Resources estimates that each year for the next 35 years, about 5,000 hectares will be added until the goal of 10 per cent is reached.
Stephen Moore, the executive director of Forest Nova Scotia, which represents companies operating in the lumber and forestry sector, said that timeline is a concern.
"Seeing that it's going to take more than three decades to get to the full level of high-production forestry is a bit of a disappointment, but we do believe we have room to work with the government to try to speed that timeline up."
Michael Gorman/CBC
Moore said the sector is already struggling with economic pressures including inflation and fuel costs, and the number of both buyers and contractors is down.
"We don't want to see the workforce decline.… Forestry is a largely rural industry and many rural economies are struggling … so anything that exacerbates those challenges or makes those problems worse is a concern."
Guidelines stem from Lahey report
The new guidelines stem from a report issued in 2018 examining forest practices in the province and laying out recommendations for the future. The report, authored by University of King's College president William Lahey, recommended a "triad model" of ecological forestry.
That model includes three types of zones: conservation zones where biodiversity is protected; ecological matrix or mixed-use zones, where biodiversity is prioritized but some timber can be harvested using lower-intensity practices; and high-production zones, where the focus is on growing timber products quickly and efficiently to support the forestry sector.
Conservation zones currently comprise about 630,000 hectares, or 35 per cent of Crown land, and that figure is expected to grow as more land is protected. Mixed-use zone now stands at about a million hectares, or 55 per cent of Crown land, but that amount could fall as conservation zones grow.
Tue, January 17, 2023
The province has released the initial locations where clear cutting may be permitted as part of its high-production forestry plan. (Submitted - image credit)
The province has revealed the initial locations where clear cutting may be allowed on Crown land.
Maps released today include areas dotted throughout Guysborough, Antigonish, Colchester, Pictou, Lunenburg, Queens, Annapolis and Kings counties, but other locations will be identified in the future.
These initial parcels of Crown land where the province may permit clear cutting total 9,395 hectares. Over time, the government aims to turn 10 per cent of Crown land — or 185,000 hectares — into what it calls high-production forestry.
The pieces of land that were prioritized for clear cutting include those with existing planted forests as well as abandoned agricultural fields. Land that's within 100 metres of conservation zones, locations where species at risk are known to exist, critical wildlife habitat areas and rare or sensitive ecosystems were excluded.
Before harvesting and future planting can be carried out, the identified parcels must be assessed by licensed harvesters to ensure they are suitable for high-production forestry. Licensees must then submit a proposal to the Department of Natural Resources, and the public will be given an opportunity to provide input.
Herbicides to be permitted
Once an application has been approved, harvesters will cut down existing trees, then prepare the site for replanting with spruce seedlings, aiming to harvest those in 30 to 50 years.
Although herbicides have not been used as a forest management tool on Crown land in Nova Scotia since 2010, they will be permitted in high-production forest zones. The guidance released by the province Tuesday says herbicides are typically applied only once after seedlings are planted, though on some sites, they may be used to prepare a site prior to planting in order to eliminate weeds and grasses.
The government will not provide any funding for herbicide use, but it will explore how it can support research into new practices that reduce or eliminate use of herbicides.
Raymond Plourde, wilderness co-ordinator with the Ecology Action Centre, said he would rather not see any herbicides applied to Crown lands, and any research that helps reduce spraying of herbicides is a good thing.
Plourde said he's glad to see the province commit to a 10 per cent cap on clear cutting on Crown land, and that the selection criteria for the parcels seem well conceived.
He hopes the province will now turn its attention to selecting areas of Crown land that will receive protection and help achieve the goal of 20 per cent protected land and water by 2030. Currently, about 13 per cent of Nova Scotia's land and water is protected.
Industry reacts
In a news release, the province notes that using high-production forestry methods will allow crops of trees to mature in 25 to 40 years, compared with 60 to 90 years using traditional practices.
The 9,395 hectares of land announced Tuesday represent 0.5 per cent of Crown land. The Department of Natural Resources estimates that each year for the next 35 years, about 5,000 hectares will be added until the goal of 10 per cent is reached.
Stephen Moore, the executive director of Forest Nova Scotia, which represents companies operating in the lumber and forestry sector, said that timeline is a concern.
"Seeing that it's going to take more than three decades to get to the full level of high-production forestry is a bit of a disappointment, but we do believe we have room to work with the government to try to speed that timeline up."
Michael Gorman/CBC
Moore said the sector is already struggling with economic pressures including inflation and fuel costs, and the number of both buyers and contractors is down.
"We don't want to see the workforce decline.… Forestry is a largely rural industry and many rural economies are struggling … so anything that exacerbates those challenges or makes those problems worse is a concern."
Guidelines stem from Lahey report
The new guidelines stem from a report issued in 2018 examining forest practices in the province and laying out recommendations for the future. The report, authored by University of King's College president William Lahey, recommended a "triad model" of ecological forestry.
That model includes three types of zones: conservation zones where biodiversity is protected; ecological matrix or mixed-use zones, where biodiversity is prioritized but some timber can be harvested using lower-intensity practices; and high-production zones, where the focus is on growing timber products quickly and efficiently to support the forestry sector.
Conservation zones currently comprise about 630,000 hectares, or 35 per cent of Crown land, and that figure is expected to grow as more land is protected. Mixed-use zone now stands at about a million hectares, or 55 per cent of Crown land, but that amount could fall as conservation zones grow.
THIS APPLIES IN THE AB/BC BACKCOUNTRY
Hiking experts share survival tips after recent rescues on Ottawa trails
Tue, January 17, 2023
A rescue team helped lost hikers on Dec. 28 in the Marlborough Forest in Kanata. (Ottawa Fire Services - image credit)
Hiking and rescue experts in Ottawa are urging people to be prepared when going into the woods after two separate hiking groups were rescued within the last month.
On Saturday evening, firefighters were called by hikers that couldn't find their way out of the South March Highlands Conservation Forest in Kanata. Ottawa Fire Services said the hikers had made their way near a lot of water and ice, and didn't want to walk back over it after hearing cracking sounds.
On Dec. 28, firefighters used snowmobiles to rescue another group out of the Marlborough Forest, south of Ottawa near Kemptville, Ont.
"I'm not surprised, primarily because it can happen to anybody — even sometimes [for] the most experienced people, sometimes things just go awry," said Rob Burnfield, president of the Ottawa Outdoor Club.
Burnfield warned that in the woods, trees tend to block out sound.
"It's amazing how quickly sound disappears," he explained.
Alexander Behne/CBC
And winter can add to the confusion if you lose your way, according to Ottawa Volunteer Search and Rescue's president Lynn Dupuis.
"Your markers aren't necessarily there, the leaves are gone, it's white everywhere," said Dupuis. She warned in the winter, new trails can lead you down the wrong path.
"There are many people that go off trails, you know, snowshoeing and such. It's a little bit easier to do that in the winter than it is to go off trail in the summer, so it's very easy to get pointed in the wrong direction."
Going in prepared is key
Both Burnfield and Dupuis urge people to prepare before hiking, even if you are experienced.
That means dressing for the conditions and bringing extra food, water and clothes — preferably ones that wick sweat.
Bringing in a cell phone that is well charged is a good idea too, they said, so rescuers can find you.
"Assume you're going to get lost," Burnfield said. He says bringing a paper map may help, and if you are new to hiking, start small and go to a well-marked, shorter trail.
Beware of ice that can hide under snow, he added, so don't assume a flat area is ground.
If you end up on ice, lay down flat and crawl off, Burnfield said.
Christer Waara/CBC
If you do get turned around, Dupuis said the first thing is to remain calm.
"Take a moment, breathe deeply and don't panic," she said. Then, you can try and locate yourself on a map or GPS.
"So you can retrace your steps, you know you can see the path you've taken and attempt to go back. And don't wait to call for help — I think that is also very important."
Once you call for help, stay where you are so emergency crews can find you, Dupuis said.
One of the most important steps before you go out is to tell someone where you are going and for how long, she added.
Dupuis recommends the app from the national Adventure Smart program to share locations and for more hiking tips.
Hiking experts share survival tips after recent rescues on Ottawa trails
Tue, January 17, 2023
A rescue team helped lost hikers on Dec. 28 in the Marlborough Forest in Kanata. (Ottawa Fire Services - image credit)
Hiking and rescue experts in Ottawa are urging people to be prepared when going into the woods after two separate hiking groups were rescued within the last month.
On Saturday evening, firefighters were called by hikers that couldn't find their way out of the South March Highlands Conservation Forest in Kanata. Ottawa Fire Services said the hikers had made their way near a lot of water and ice, and didn't want to walk back over it after hearing cracking sounds.
On Dec. 28, firefighters used snowmobiles to rescue another group out of the Marlborough Forest, south of Ottawa near Kemptville, Ont.
"I'm not surprised, primarily because it can happen to anybody — even sometimes [for] the most experienced people, sometimes things just go awry," said Rob Burnfield, president of the Ottawa Outdoor Club.
Burnfield warned that in the woods, trees tend to block out sound.
"It's amazing how quickly sound disappears," he explained.
Alexander Behne/CBC
And winter can add to the confusion if you lose your way, according to Ottawa Volunteer Search and Rescue's president Lynn Dupuis.
"Your markers aren't necessarily there, the leaves are gone, it's white everywhere," said Dupuis. She warned in the winter, new trails can lead you down the wrong path.
"There are many people that go off trails, you know, snowshoeing and such. It's a little bit easier to do that in the winter than it is to go off trail in the summer, so it's very easy to get pointed in the wrong direction."
Going in prepared is key
Both Burnfield and Dupuis urge people to prepare before hiking, even if you are experienced.
That means dressing for the conditions and bringing extra food, water and clothes — preferably ones that wick sweat.
Bringing in a cell phone that is well charged is a good idea too, they said, so rescuers can find you.
"Assume you're going to get lost," Burnfield said. He says bringing a paper map may help, and if you are new to hiking, start small and go to a well-marked, shorter trail.
Beware of ice that can hide under snow, he added, so don't assume a flat area is ground.
If you end up on ice, lay down flat and crawl off, Burnfield said.
Christer Waara/CBC
If you do get turned around, Dupuis said the first thing is to remain calm.
"Take a moment, breathe deeply and don't panic," she said. Then, you can try and locate yourself on a map or GPS.
"So you can retrace your steps, you know you can see the path you've taken and attempt to go back. And don't wait to call for help — I think that is also very important."
Once you call for help, stay where you are so emergency crews can find you, Dupuis said.
One of the most important steps before you go out is to tell someone where you are going and for how long, she added.
Dupuis recommends the app from the national Adventure Smart program to share locations and for more hiking tips.
Critics pan government plaque praising Canada's evacuation efforts in Afghanistan
OTTAWA — Global Affairs Canada plans to install a plaque commemorating Canada's evacuation of Afghans and embassy staff when its capital Kabul fell to the Taliban, but critics argue that sends the wrong message.
The plaque carried a $10,000 price tag and was approved in a July 2022 memorandum that The Canadian Press obtained through an access-to-information request.
It reads, in part: "This plaque pays tribute to all the government of Canada employees who contributed to this heroic effort."
The department said it unveiled the tribute in an October ceremony and plans to install it when renovations at its headquarters are completed.
Conservative Sen. Salma Ataullahjan said she was baffled by the move.
"It's totally inappropriate, considering how we badly botched the exit," she said in an interview from her native Pakistan, where she said Afghan children are begging in the streets.
"To me, it seems unnecessarily inappropriate and insensitive when I think of what's happening in Afghanistan," she said. "What are we congratulating ourselves on?"
The plaque describes Canada's role in the chaotic evacuation of Kabul in August 2021, when the Taliban took over Afghanistan, as such: "In the preceding weeks and in those that immediately followed, a complex operation took place under extremely harsh, unsafe and rapidly changing conditions to help thousands of Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada and Afghans to flee to safety."
Last year, a special parliamentary committee studied how it unfolded in depth.
MPs heard that Canada evacuated its embassy before its peers, making it nearly impossible for Canadian veterans' groups to help get the Afghan interpreters they had worked with to safety.
Canada’s final commander in Kandahar during the Afghan war, retired Maj.-Gen. Dean Milner, said embassy staff left "embarrassingly way too fast." He said that's part of the reason "we only managed to pull out maybe about 15 to 17 per cent of those critical interpreters who soldiered alongside us."
As detailed in a report last June, the committee also heard about failings in Canada's resettlement process, which it found was "administratively and logistically complex." Witnesses described poor communication, an overreliance on email and a requirement that people trying to flee the country access documents with a professional version of Adobe Acrobat.
Canada was in the early throes of an election campaign at the time: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the 2021 federal election the day Kabul fell.
Chief of the defence staff Gen. Wayne Eyre testified that rules restricting government work during elections limited the Defence Department's ability to publicly communicate.
NDP MP Jenny Kwan, who sat on the committee, said Canadian public servants and soldiers put their lives at stake to help people and should be commemorated — but not while Afghan is suffering ongoing tumult.
"This is about the lack of planning and thought that the government had put into this (evacuation)," she said.
"I'm very dismayed that the Liberal government was busy finding ways to congratulate themselves when the aftermath is so dire for the Afghans who have risked their lives and that of their family members, who helped Canada with our missions."
Kwan argued a plaque commemorating Afghans who served Canada would be more appropriate.
Ataullahjan also said the $10,000 cost estimate seemed exorbitant, particularly at a time of high living costs.
The internal memorandum says deputy ministers held a June 2022 discussion that included an event to commemorate the Afghanistan evacuation, but it doesn’t say who came up with the plaque idea.
The document approving the plan was signed by the former top bureaucrat for Global Affairs, Marta Morgan, who retired three months later.
Global Affairs Canada said it held a ceremony on Oct. 26 to unveil the plaque, which measures roughly 63 by 67 centimetres.
"The plaque will be installed in the lobby of the Lester B. Pearson building upon completion of the renovation of the building," wrote spokesman James Emmanuel Wanki.
"Government of Canada employees demonstrated outstanding commitment in difficult conditions and under extraordinary circumstances. It was an emotionally charged situation for all those involved and some still carry this weight to this day."
Wanki's statement noted that Canada is still trying to reach its goal of resettling 40,000 Afghans, with 28,345 people having reached Canada by Jan. 4.
The offices of Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Defence Minister Anita Anand did not respond to a request for comment.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2022.
Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Global Affairs Canada plans to install a plaque commemorating Canada's evacuation of Afghans and embassy staff when its capital Kabul fell to the Taliban, but critics argue that sends the wrong message.
The plaque carried a $10,000 price tag and was approved in a July 2022 memorandum that The Canadian Press obtained through an access-to-information request.
It reads, in part: "This plaque pays tribute to all the government of Canada employees who contributed to this heroic effort."
The department said it unveiled the tribute in an October ceremony and plans to install it when renovations at its headquarters are completed.
Conservative Sen. Salma Ataullahjan said she was baffled by the move.
"It's totally inappropriate, considering how we badly botched the exit," she said in an interview from her native Pakistan, where she said Afghan children are begging in the streets.
"To me, it seems unnecessarily inappropriate and insensitive when I think of what's happening in Afghanistan," she said. "What are we congratulating ourselves on?"
The plaque describes Canada's role in the chaotic evacuation of Kabul in August 2021, when the Taliban took over Afghanistan, as such: "In the preceding weeks and in those that immediately followed, a complex operation took place under extremely harsh, unsafe and rapidly changing conditions to help thousands of Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada and Afghans to flee to safety."
Last year, a special parliamentary committee studied how it unfolded in depth.
MPs heard that Canada evacuated its embassy before its peers, making it nearly impossible for Canadian veterans' groups to help get the Afghan interpreters they had worked with to safety.
Canada’s final commander in Kandahar during the Afghan war, retired Maj.-Gen. Dean Milner, said embassy staff left "embarrassingly way too fast." He said that's part of the reason "we only managed to pull out maybe about 15 to 17 per cent of those critical interpreters who soldiered alongside us."
As detailed in a report last June, the committee also heard about failings in Canada's resettlement process, which it found was "administratively and logistically complex." Witnesses described poor communication, an overreliance on email and a requirement that people trying to flee the country access documents with a professional version of Adobe Acrobat.
Canada was in the early throes of an election campaign at the time: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the 2021 federal election the day Kabul fell.
Chief of the defence staff Gen. Wayne Eyre testified that rules restricting government work during elections limited the Defence Department's ability to publicly communicate.
NDP MP Jenny Kwan, who sat on the committee, said Canadian public servants and soldiers put their lives at stake to help people and should be commemorated — but not while Afghan is suffering ongoing tumult.
"This is about the lack of planning and thought that the government had put into this (evacuation)," she said.
"I'm very dismayed that the Liberal government was busy finding ways to congratulate themselves when the aftermath is so dire for the Afghans who have risked their lives and that of their family members, who helped Canada with our missions."
Kwan argued a plaque commemorating Afghans who served Canada would be more appropriate.
Ataullahjan also said the $10,000 cost estimate seemed exorbitant, particularly at a time of high living costs.
The internal memorandum says deputy ministers held a June 2022 discussion that included an event to commemorate the Afghanistan evacuation, but it doesn’t say who came up with the plaque idea.
The document approving the plan was signed by the former top bureaucrat for Global Affairs, Marta Morgan, who retired three months later.
Global Affairs Canada said it held a ceremony on Oct. 26 to unveil the plaque, which measures roughly 63 by 67 centimetres.
"The plaque will be installed in the lobby of the Lester B. Pearson building upon completion of the renovation of the building," wrote spokesman James Emmanuel Wanki.
"Government of Canada employees demonstrated outstanding commitment in difficult conditions and under extraordinary circumstances. It was an emotionally charged situation for all those involved and some still carry this weight to this day."
Wanki's statement noted that Canada is still trying to reach its goal of resettling 40,000 Afghans, with 28,345 people having reached Canada by Jan. 4.
The offices of Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Defence Minister Anita Anand did not respond to a request for comment.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2022.
Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
MPs implored federal government to bring former Afghan politician to Canada before she was killed
Tue, January 17, 2023
Canadian politicians were working to bring Mursal Nabizada, a woman who used to serve as a Member of Parliament in Afghanistan before the Taliban's takeover in August 2021, to this country before she was killed this weekend.
The exact circumstances of Nabizada's death are unclear, but police in Kabul said she and her bodyguard were killed by unknown gunmen, and her brother injured, all in an attack that took place at her home overnight on Saturday.
"It was devastating news and very tragic," said Alex Ruff, the Conservative MP for Bruce-Grey-Owen-Sound, Ont., one of six Canadian MPs who have been collaborating behind the scenes since last October to fast-track immigration for Nabizada and eight other female Afghan MPs who remained in Afghanistan after the Taliban's takeover of the country nearly two years ago.
"We came together as an all-party group to advocate for their really urgent movement to safety and to come to Canada," said Ruff, a military veteran who served in Afghanistan himself.
The group also includes Green Party of Canada co-leader Elizabeth May, the Bloc Québécois' Alexis-Brunelle Duceppe, the NDP's Heather McPherson, and Liberals Marcus Powlowski and Leah Taylor Roy.
"We cannot lose another woman that is on that list. We cannot afford that. We have a responsibility," said Brunelle-Duceppe. "This government is supposedly a feminist government. Well, it has to prove it."
Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Slain MP had 'bright spark,' activist says
Corey Levine, a human-rights activist who met Nabizada while posted in Afghanistan with the United Nations from November 2020 to June 2021, said she had a "bright spark to her."
Levine was in Afghanistan in June 2022 as well. She said she had managed to convince the Canadian MPs of different political stripes to work together to bring Nabizada and the eight other female politicians to Canada from Afghanistan.
"Their lives had gone from being top of Afghan society as being public figures representing their constituents in Parliament to going into hiding."
WATCH | Afghan women struggle to cope under Taliban restrictions:
She said that initially, Nabizada had wanted to stay in Afghanistan, but Levine convinced the former MP that moving to Canada was safer.
"She was ready to leave," said Levine, who found out about Nabizada's killing Saturday night through a group chat with the other female MPs.
"I ended up staying up all night texting with the women," she said. "We were just trying to process the loss, what it meant for them … just trying to be there for each other."
Government willing to work with all parties
CBC reached out to Immigration Minister Sean Fraser for an interview, but the federal government did not make him available.
In a statement issued jointly by his office and that of Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Ottawa condemned Nabizada's murder, and called for "the perpetrators of this horrific crime to be brought to justice."
Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
The federal government also said it will continue to do everything it can to welcome Afghans.
"This includes working with Members of Parliament from all parties to advance our nation's efforts, and specifically, bring more women leaders to Canada," said the statement, which was short on particulars about this group of female Afghan MPs.
But Taylor Roy, one of the two governing caucus Liberals among the Canadian Parliamentarians trying to bring the women to Canada, suggested there are a number of challenges and that it's not a simple matter of putting the women on a plane leaving Afghanistan.
"There's so many people applying through these [immigration] programs, and one of the problems is that these women are still in Afghanistan," Taylor Roy said. "And of course there's great danger in moving them to another country."
"They have to have assurance that they have somewhere to go because we know neighbouring countries have been returning refugees back to Afghanistan. If this were to happen to any of them, obviously they would be in the hands of the Taliban."
In late December, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told CBC News it had received word from the government of Pakistan that it would not force paperless Afghan migrants to return to Afghanistan.
The federal government has pledged to bring 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada. Since August 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada says that 27,345 Afghans have arrived here under various programs.
Tue, January 17, 2023
Canadian politicians were working to bring Mursal Nabizada, a woman who used to serve as a Member of Parliament in Afghanistan before the Taliban's takeover in August 2021, to this country before she was killed this weekend.
The exact circumstances of Nabizada's death are unclear, but police in Kabul said she and her bodyguard were killed by unknown gunmen, and her brother injured, all in an attack that took place at her home overnight on Saturday.
"It was devastating news and very tragic," said Alex Ruff, the Conservative MP for Bruce-Grey-Owen-Sound, Ont., one of six Canadian MPs who have been collaborating behind the scenes since last October to fast-track immigration for Nabizada and eight other female Afghan MPs who remained in Afghanistan after the Taliban's takeover of the country nearly two years ago.
"We came together as an all-party group to advocate for their really urgent movement to safety and to come to Canada," said Ruff, a military veteran who served in Afghanistan himself.
The group also includes Green Party of Canada co-leader Elizabeth May, the Bloc Québécois' Alexis-Brunelle Duceppe, the NDP's Heather McPherson, and Liberals Marcus Powlowski and Leah Taylor Roy.
"We cannot lose another woman that is on that list. We cannot afford that. We have a responsibility," said Brunelle-Duceppe. "This government is supposedly a feminist government. Well, it has to prove it."
Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Slain MP had 'bright spark,' activist says
Corey Levine, a human-rights activist who met Nabizada while posted in Afghanistan with the United Nations from November 2020 to June 2021, said she had a "bright spark to her."
Levine was in Afghanistan in June 2022 as well. She said she had managed to convince the Canadian MPs of different political stripes to work together to bring Nabizada and the eight other female politicians to Canada from Afghanistan.
"Their lives had gone from being top of Afghan society as being public figures representing their constituents in Parliament to going into hiding."
WATCH | Afghan women struggle to cope under Taliban restrictions:
She said that initially, Nabizada had wanted to stay in Afghanistan, but Levine convinced the former MP that moving to Canada was safer.
"She was ready to leave," said Levine, who found out about Nabizada's killing Saturday night through a group chat with the other female MPs.
"I ended up staying up all night texting with the women," she said. "We were just trying to process the loss, what it meant for them … just trying to be there for each other."
Government willing to work with all parties
CBC reached out to Immigration Minister Sean Fraser for an interview, but the federal government did not make him available.
In a statement issued jointly by his office and that of Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Ottawa condemned Nabizada's murder, and called for "the perpetrators of this horrific crime to be brought to justice."
Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
The federal government also said it will continue to do everything it can to welcome Afghans.
"This includes working with Members of Parliament from all parties to advance our nation's efforts, and specifically, bring more women leaders to Canada," said the statement, which was short on particulars about this group of female Afghan MPs.
But Taylor Roy, one of the two governing caucus Liberals among the Canadian Parliamentarians trying to bring the women to Canada, suggested there are a number of challenges and that it's not a simple matter of putting the women on a plane leaving Afghanistan.
"There's so many people applying through these [immigration] programs, and one of the problems is that these women are still in Afghanistan," Taylor Roy said. "And of course there's great danger in moving them to another country."
"They have to have assurance that they have somewhere to go because we know neighbouring countries have been returning refugees back to Afghanistan. If this were to happen to any of them, obviously they would be in the hands of the Taliban."
In late December, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told CBC News it had received word from the government of Pakistan that it would not force paperless Afghan migrants to return to Afghanistan.
The federal government has pledged to bring 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada. Since August 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada says that 27,345 Afghans have arrived here under various programs.
Alberta investigates family's lead-contaminated water well near gravel mine
Alberta Environment is investigating how a family's water well near a gravel mine became so contaminated by lead it's no longer drinkable.
The investigation comes as Red Deer County considers expanding mine operations that Jody Young suspects are the source of the lead she and her family may have been drinking for months.
"We have it in our blood," said Young. "My son's levels are actually higher than mine."
Young, who lives just south of Red Deer near the banks of the Red Deer River, has lived within a few hundred metres of the county's gravel mine for more than a decade.
She grew used to the slight murkiness of her once-clear well water as the mines near her central Alberta home stepped up production. Tests a few years ago showed the water was OK and she preferred the tap to a plastic bottle.
But the water kept getting worse.
"We've gone from just seeing it in a bathtub to being able to see it in a glass of water," she said.
So last summer she asked Alberta Health Services to test her family's well water. Within days, she got a call.
"They told us to immediately stop drinking our water," she said. "We weren't to cook with it. We were advised not even to brush our teeth with it."
Lead — which can cause anemia, weakness, kidney and brain damage — was above levels fit for human consumption. So was aluminum.
Both metals were subsequently found in blood samples from her family.
"It was deeply concerning to learn of well water contamination in Red Deer County," said Alberta Environment spokeswoman Carla Jones in an email. "The source of these metals is under investigation."
On Feb. 7, Young plans to appear at a public hearing hosted by Red Deer County to oppose proposed changes to a county land-use bylaw. The changes would permit gravel mines on land virtually adjacent to her water well.
The proposed expansion site, privately owned, is also on land considered environmentally significant by provincial regulators.
"We are in full compliance with Alberta Environment on our pit," said Dave Dittrick, Red Deer County's assistant manager. Private operators would have to follow the same regulations, he said.
"Everything they do will have to be in compliance."
Dittrick said although the county is co-operating with Alberta Environment, it hasn't seen the data that prompted Alberta Health's concern.
"We have not seen any information to substantiate these claims," he said.
Gravel, or aggregate, mines are needed for everything from paving roads to building houses. Although they're everywhere in Alberta, data on them is hard to find.
Mines larger than five hectares must be registered and come under provincial regulation. Mines that go below the water table or involve significant water use require a Water Act licence.
"Alberta has a robust regulatory approval process to manage environmental impacts of gravel pits," said Alberta Environment spokesman Miguel Racin.
Smaller mines — the expansion near Young's well would be about three hectares — are largely regulated by local land-use bylaws.
But observers say such mines are an increasing concern as Alberta continues to grow.
"It's a problem in every county," said Vivian Pharis, an environmentalist who has been involved in previous conflicts over such mines.
"We don't have any good provincial regulations. The primary decision is made at the municipal level and, as soon as the zoning gets changed, then it seems Alberta Environment's hands are tied."
Hydrogeologist Jon Fennell, who has consulted on several mine projects, said gravel mines run the risk of exposing and releasing chemicals formerly held stable.
"If you're opening (a mine) up and exposing things to oxygen, they can weather and oxidize and get mobilized," he said. "Any time you disturb the earth, things change."
While municipalities are in charge of much of the gravel mine permitting process, Fennell points out they are also heavy gravel users.
"They're very pro-gravel in some parts of the province," he said.
Red Deer County's previous attempt to expand its aggregate operations near Young's home was thrown outin 2022 by a Court of King's Bench judge over an unfair process.
Enforcement is lax even for mines that do come under provincial rules, Fennell said. Operators may be required to monitor water levels, but not water quality.
"It's not required," he said. "If you don't look, you don't find."
Gravel mines are necessary, said Dittrick.
"Aggregate is needed for development and development is ongoing," he said.
Some sources may be more appropriate than others, said Fennell.
"We have to get (gravel) from somewhere. The question is, from where?"
Young wonders how long her family has been drinking lead-contaminated water. And she wonders why she has to wonder about that at all.
"I've had some real moments with this," she said.
She recalls learning about some of her son's computer searches.
"I found he was Googling about lead poisoning. He was researching potential impacts to himself."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2023.
Bob Weber, The Canadian Press
Alberta Environment is investigating how a family's water well near a gravel mine became so contaminated by lead it's no longer drinkable.
The investigation comes as Red Deer County considers expanding mine operations that Jody Young suspects are the source of the lead she and her family may have been drinking for months.
"We have it in our blood," said Young. "My son's levels are actually higher than mine."
Young, who lives just south of Red Deer near the banks of the Red Deer River, has lived within a few hundred metres of the county's gravel mine for more than a decade.
She grew used to the slight murkiness of her once-clear well water as the mines near her central Alberta home stepped up production. Tests a few years ago showed the water was OK and she preferred the tap to a plastic bottle.
But the water kept getting worse.
"We've gone from just seeing it in a bathtub to being able to see it in a glass of water," she said.
So last summer she asked Alberta Health Services to test her family's well water. Within days, she got a call.
"They told us to immediately stop drinking our water," she said. "We weren't to cook with it. We were advised not even to brush our teeth with it."
Lead — which can cause anemia, weakness, kidney and brain damage — was above levels fit for human consumption. So was aluminum.
Both metals were subsequently found in blood samples from her family.
"It was deeply concerning to learn of well water contamination in Red Deer County," said Alberta Environment spokeswoman Carla Jones in an email. "The source of these metals is under investigation."
On Feb. 7, Young plans to appear at a public hearing hosted by Red Deer County to oppose proposed changes to a county land-use bylaw. The changes would permit gravel mines on land virtually adjacent to her water well.
The proposed expansion site, privately owned, is also on land considered environmentally significant by provincial regulators.
"We are in full compliance with Alberta Environment on our pit," said Dave Dittrick, Red Deer County's assistant manager. Private operators would have to follow the same regulations, he said.
"Everything they do will have to be in compliance."
Dittrick said although the county is co-operating with Alberta Environment, it hasn't seen the data that prompted Alberta Health's concern.
"We have not seen any information to substantiate these claims," he said.
Gravel, or aggregate, mines are needed for everything from paving roads to building houses. Although they're everywhere in Alberta, data on them is hard to find.
Mines larger than five hectares must be registered and come under provincial regulation. Mines that go below the water table or involve significant water use require a Water Act licence.
"Alberta has a robust regulatory approval process to manage environmental impacts of gravel pits," said Alberta Environment spokesman Miguel Racin.
Smaller mines — the expansion near Young's well would be about three hectares — are largely regulated by local land-use bylaws.
But observers say such mines are an increasing concern as Alberta continues to grow.
"It's a problem in every county," said Vivian Pharis, an environmentalist who has been involved in previous conflicts over such mines.
"We don't have any good provincial regulations. The primary decision is made at the municipal level and, as soon as the zoning gets changed, then it seems Alberta Environment's hands are tied."
Hydrogeologist Jon Fennell, who has consulted on several mine projects, said gravel mines run the risk of exposing and releasing chemicals formerly held stable.
"If you're opening (a mine) up and exposing things to oxygen, they can weather and oxidize and get mobilized," he said. "Any time you disturb the earth, things change."
While municipalities are in charge of much of the gravel mine permitting process, Fennell points out they are also heavy gravel users.
"They're very pro-gravel in some parts of the province," he said.
Red Deer County's previous attempt to expand its aggregate operations near Young's home was thrown outin 2022 by a Court of King's Bench judge over an unfair process.
Enforcement is lax even for mines that do come under provincial rules, Fennell said. Operators may be required to monitor water levels, but not water quality.
"It's not required," he said. "If you don't look, you don't find."
Gravel mines are necessary, said Dittrick.
"Aggregate is needed for development and development is ongoing," he said.
Some sources may be more appropriate than others, said Fennell.
"We have to get (gravel) from somewhere. The question is, from where?"
Young wonders how long her family has been drinking lead-contaminated water. And she wonders why she has to wonder about that at all.
"I've had some real moments with this," she said.
She recalls learning about some of her son's computer searches.
"I found he was Googling about lead poisoning. He was researching potential impacts to himself."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2023.
Bob Weber, The Canadian Press
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