People in Northern and Eastern Syria protest International Conspiracy

The International Conspiracy that led to the capture of Kurdish people's Leader Abdullah Öcalan was protested in the cities of Northern and Eastern Syria.

ANF
NEW DESK
Sunday, 12 Feb 2023

The 24th anniversary of the International Conspiracy against Kurdish people's Leader Abdullah Öcalan was protested with actions in Hesekê, Reqa, Deir ez-Zor and Tabqa in Northern and Eastern Syria.

HESEKÊ

Refugees from Serêkaniyê living in Wasûkanî Camp in Hesekê condemned the isolation and the International Conspiracy which led to the capture of Kurdish people's Leader Abdullah Öcalan.

People marched with banners that read "Leader Öcalan's freedom is the key to peace in the Middle East" and held a rally. Emine Mihemed, a member of the Washukani Camp Council, condemned the international silence against the isolation imposed on the Kurdish people’s leader and said: "Our actions will continue until the freedom of Öcalan is achieved."

RAQQA

A march and rally were held in Raqqa promoted by civil organizations. Photos of Abdullah Öcalan and the flags of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were carried during the march that started in front of the General Assembly.

A statement was read to underlined that “Abdullah Öcalan's ideas directly affected the Syrian peoples, who organized based on the idea of national democracy and the brotherhood of peoples and established their own autonomous and civil administrations.”

DEIR EZ-ZOR

A protest was held in the west of Deir ez-Zor. During the march and rally, Martyr Families Assembly Youth member Muhemed El Hisên said that "Leader Abdullah Öcalan's resistance in Imrali prison is the strongest message to the enemy." He continued, "The freedom of Leader Öcalan is our freedom. We are ready to die for his freedom. Thanks to Leader Abdullah Öcalan's ideas and philosophy, the blood shared by the martyrs, the resistance carried out by the youth and the sacrifices of the guerrillas, the enemy's attacks on the region were repelled."

TABQA

The action in Tabqa was organized by civil society organizations. The action called on the UN, humanitarian and legal organizations to fulfil their duties end take action to to end the isolation and ensure the physical freedom of the Kurdish people's Leader.

SYRIAN KURDISTAN/ROJAVA/ALPPEO

Turkey continues attacks against guerrillas despite earthquake and unilateral ceasefire

The Turkish army continues to attack the guerrillas in Southern Kurdistan despite the earthquake disaster. More Turkish attacks against guerrilla areas were recorded on Friday.

ANF
BEHDINAN
Saturday, 11 Feb 2023,

Even catastrophes like the devastating series of earthquakes in the country cannot dissuade the Turkish state from maintaining its anti-Kurdish stance. Despite a catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions with tens of thousands of dead and injured, the Turkish army continues its warlike aggression against the Kurdish guerrillas unabated - although the latter have suspended their military activities due to the earthquake.

The Press Center of the People's Defence Forces (HPG) reported continued heavy bombardments against guerrilla positions in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) on Friday.

According to the HPG statement, the initial attacks in the morning targeted positions in the vicinity of Çemço in the Zap region. Not only did unconventional bombs hit the area, but also shots fired from howitzers. "Our forces responded to the shelling on the basis of legitimate self-defence," stated the HPG, and one member of the occupation forces was killed. In the evening, an attack helicopter was targeted by the guerrillas during an attack flight. The aircraft was hit and forced to turn around.

The HPG also reported that the Turkish air force launched three air strikes on Friday against the Girê Cûdî massif, which is also located in the Zap. The surrounding area of the village of Sîda, which borders the guerrilla area of Çemço, was bombarded with artillery from Turkish outposts. In addition, the HPG stated that a fighter has succumbed to his serious injuries, which he had sustained during an attack by Turkish occupation forces in Çemço last Thursday. The full identity of the fallen guerrilla fighter will be released at a later date, HPG added.

HSM vows to follow the KCK’s call for ceasefire due to earthquake

HSM expressed support for the KCK's call for an immediate ceasefire due to the earthquake in the Turkish-Syrian border area, stating that the guerrillas are ready to contribute to alleviating the suffering of the population.

ANF
BEHDINAN
Saturday, 11 Feb 2023

The Central Headquarters of the People's Defence Forces (HSM) expressed its support for the call of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) for an immediate ceasefire due to the earthquake in the Turkish-Syrian border area. The guerrillas are ready to support the KCK in its efforts to stop the fighting and thus contribute to alleviating the suffering of the affected population, said a statement by the HSM sent to ANF.

The KCK, the umbrella organisation of the Kurdish movement, to which the PKK also belongs, had called for a cessation of military action in Kurdistan on Friday night. Cemil Bayık, co-chairman of the KCK Executive Council, stated that it was necessary to prevent people from experiencing even more suffering in this affliction. Bayık emphasised, however, that the attitude of the Turkish state would be of central importance in the implementation of this decision.

"Monday's devastating earthquake with epicentre in Pazarcık is a great disaster. It has caused great damage and our people have suffered many victims. Tens of thousands of people from the Kurdish, Turkish and Arab populations have lost their lives and tens of thousands are still waiting to be rescued from the rubble. We deeply share the pain of our peoples. We wish peace for the dead and extend our condolences to their families and loved ones. To the injured, we wish a speedy recovery.

We understand it as a humanitarian, conscientious and moral duty to ease the pain of our peoples and heal their wounds. The best approach will be to alleviate and overcome the difficulties of these days through unity and solidarity. We also want to support this. Therefore, all members of our defence forces as well as patriotic institutions should rush to the aid of the people and mobilise help. Especially the rural areas and villages, which are neglected anyway and are cut off from any help even now, need urgent support. This is undoubtedly the most important humanitarian and patriotic task at this time. On this basis, we agree with the call of comrade Cemil Bayık in the name of KCK Executive Council and declare that his demands will be met in practice.

In this context, our call is to all associations of guerrillas, fighting groups and self-defence units: all action plans and corresponding activities in the cities and metropolises must be stopped immediately. No military action should be taken in the rural areas either, as long as there are no attacks by Turkish armed forces on our members. This instruction is valid until revoked and it is an essential duty for all legitimate defence forces to strictly follow it.

It is well known that the AKP/MHP regime has been putting all of Turkey's resources into war for years as part of its genocidal policy in Kurdistan and spending huge amounts in its attacks against our forces and the institutions of our people. This country is ruled by a regime whose members enrich themselves personally in various ways. There is no investment in the lives and security of the people and no expenditure on infrastructure. The result of this policy is suffering for all the peoples of Turkey. The scale of the earthquakes is catastrophic. In order to alleviate the suffering of the people, social solidarity and help from below is needed. In this framework, we respectfully declare that we will fulfil our responsibilities in accordance with the decisions and perspectives of the political will of our people and our revolution."

Calgary Shepard deputy calls on Canadian people to help earthquake victims in Syrian-Kurdistan

Tom Kmiec, a deputy from the Conservative Party, for Calgary Shepard, spoke about the earthquake in the Canadian Parliament.

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ANF | Earthquake in North Kurdistan - Live Blog (anfenglishmobile.com)

MUTUAL AID IS SOLIDARITY

‘Not the state, but revolutionaries and patriots reach out to earthquake survivors’

Unionist Osman Ünel stated that official institutions started coming to Antakya only after the third day of the earthquake.

ANF
HATAY
Saturday, 11 Feb 2023

The Revolutionary Construction and Road Workers Union (Dev Yapı İş) official Osman Ünel spoke to ANF in Antakya district of Hatay, one of the areas worst affected by two devastating earthquakes on February 6.

“We have been here for five days. We took part in search and rescue work during the first two days. We unload the aid trucks delivered here and set up tents,” said Ünel.

“We have run out of feelings, seeing dead bodies all around and people whose lives have been devastated,” Ünel added.

Ünal stated that a few teams of AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency) volunteers arrived in Antakya on the third and fourth day after the earthquake, but they lacked equipment and experience. “Apart from them, there was no official team to carry out the work. Revolutionaries and patriots joined the rescue efforts here, making endless efforts to distribute food and water to survivors and to set up tents. Official institutions started coming here only after the third day,” he added.

“Nothing is left of Antakya. There are no stable buildings left, except for a few which are severely damaged. We are of the opinion that the state will depopulate the region, reconstruct it and sell it to others, turning it into a source of profit, as they did in Sur,” Ünal added.

Sancar: What turned the earthquake into a human tragedy is what government did and did not do

HDP co-chair Mithat Sancar visited the chief physician of Etlik City Hospital.

ANF
ANKARA
Saturday, 11 Feb 2023

HDP co-chair Mithat Sancar visited the chief physician of Etlik City Hospital and received information about the condition of the patients coming from the earthquake zone. Making a statement in front of the hospital, Sancar said:

On Friday, we visited Etlik City Hospital and had a meeting with the Chief Physician. We got information from him about the situation. He told us that there were around 800 wounded who had been transferred from the earthquake area to here.

We cannot consider this a natural disaster. Earthquakes are natural events, but it is the governments that turn it into social destruction and human tragedy. It is the attitude of states, what they do and what they do not do. The government is disturbed by those who have said that the destruction is so great and the consequences so heavy. But everyone can see the immensity of this tragedy. The fact that so many buildings collapsed, of course, is related to government policies. Policies that progress on corruption and lack of control. The lives lost are so many, but this is also due to the fact that the emergency response did not take place in the first two, two and a half days. Yes, there are many casualties. The whole country is in sorrow. Our hearts are also aching. Social solidarity is currently the most effective way to heal wounds and reduce suffering. But the government is trying to prevent these solidarity initiatives. This is one of the worst things he can do.”

Our party is on the field

Sancar said: “Yes, there is a series of evils in this disaster. In the absence of state organization, people tried to help each other by reaching out to each other. Perhaps the most important area in which this power is organized is evil. We see that the government and its supporters can quickly organize around evil. Only society and people themselves will build the good. The way to build goodness is through social solidarity. In order for individuals and institutions to carry out this solidarity in the most effective way, coordination is needed. We are doing our best to establish a civil democratic coordination. Like many others, our party is on the field. We are with our people. We contribute to all kinds of work and aid activities. We will organize the good together. We will definitely overcome the organized evil policies and practices of the government with the good-producing dynamism of social solidarity. It is social solidarity that will heal us, reduce this suffering and heal the wounds. Organizing this in the most effective way is one of our most basic duties.”

HDP issues urgent call for solidarity to international organizations and institutions

The HDP called on all international institutions, governments, organizations and individuals to bear a hand to get over this incredible pain and rebuild shattered lives and communities.

ANF
ANKARA
Wednesday, 8 Feb 2023

Feleknas Uca and Hişyar Özsoy, HDP’s co-spokespersons for Foreign Affairs issued a call to international institutions and organizations after the earthquake.

The statement said: "We send this message at a time of deep pain and sadness. The whole world has been stunned by the terrifying images following Monday morning’s earthquake of magnitude 7.8 – one of the worst in the region’s history in Turkey.

This was followed by a second 7.7 earthquake in the middle of the day. We are all in mourning for thousands who are known to have died, and fearful for the tens of thousands more who are injured or are buried under the rubble. And many of us are waiting for news from friends and family. Even when we hear that people have survived, we can’t stop worrying. Vast areas are unsafe with buildings liable to further collapse. Hundreds of thousands of people have been left in need of basic shelter, warmth, and subsistence in bitter winter weather."

The statement added: "Our party has stopped all activities so that we can devote all our energy to helping in the work of rescue and survival. We have set up a central coordinating committee to facilitate our work, and our regional election coordinating centers have been turned into crisis coordinating centers. Our deputies and administrators have gone to the worst affected areas, and our youth are actively involved in the urgent task of search and rescue. We are calling on all those whose homes have not been damaged to take in people who have been left without shelter. We know that our communities will come together, and our greatest strength is our human solidarity."

The statement continued: "The sheer scale of this disaster has forced world leaders to demonstrate their humanity, with offers of help coming from many governments. And when they have moved on, we know that we will still be able to rely on the support of diverse solidarity networks, humanitarian organizations and individuals everywhere. Thus, we call on all international institutions, governments, organizations and individuals to bear a hand to get over this incredible pain and rebuild shattered lives and communities. Please urgently mobilize all kinds of support and solidarity networks and resources at your disposal."

BLACK HISTORY MONTH
First Black weather officers joined a segregated U.S. Air Force in WWII

Randi Mann
Sat, February 11, 2023 

First Black weather officers joined a segregated U.S. Air Force in WWII

This Day In Weather History is a daily podcast by Chris Mei from The Weather Network, featuring stories about people, communities and events and how weather impacted them.

--

On Monday, July 26, 1948, President Harry Truman issued Executive Order 9981, which abolished discrimination "on the basis of race, colour, religion or national origin" in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of the U.S. military’s first Black pilots who fought in the Second World War. They were trained at the Tuskegee Institute, located near Tuskegee, Ala. These men fought in the segregated army air forces (now called the U.S. air force). So, with the first Black air force pilots came the first Black weather officers, dubbed the Tuskegee weathermen.

Toni Frissell Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-USZC4-4335)

"Members of the 332nd Fighter Group in a mission briefing, Ramitelli, Italy, 1945." Courtesy of Toni Frissell Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-USZC4-4335)

But it wasn't so easy to just enlist the leading Black meteorologists because, at the time, there weren't any in the U.S. Weather Bureau.

The army recruited black men who had a background in science and trained them in meteorology.

Charles E. Anderson, who studied chemistry in college, was accepted to the army air forces. He wanted to fly, but his eyesight was too poor.

Archie Williams also wanted to be a pilot in the army air forces, considering he already knew how to fly a plane.

Williams was in great shape, winning the gold medal during the 400-metre event in the 1936 Olympics. But, at 27, he was too old for military flight training. So, Williams worked on weather forecasts, weather maps, and even taught intro to flying.

There were 14 Tuskegee meteorologists, about 0.2 per cent of all weather officers in the army air forces.

Black pilots were also few in numbers and were regarded with suspicion.

The Tuskegee Airmen and weathermen were a great team, which is evidenced by the results of their missions.

Members of the 332nd Fighter Group preparing for a mission, Ramitelli, Italy, 1945.

"Members of the 332nd Fighter Group preparing for a mission, Ramitelli, Italy, 1945." Courtesy of Toni Frissell Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-DIG-ppmsca-13259)

Air force historian Dan Haulman said, “Of the 179 bomber escort missions, they lost bombers to enemy aircraft on only seven of those missions,” adding that in total, they lost 27 bombers, while other groups lost 46 bombers on average.

Haulman said that “Just as the black pilots proved that they could fly military aircraft in combat as well as the white pilots, so did the black weather personnel prove that they could perform meteorological functions as well as the white officers."

The Tuskegee Airmen helped change the attitudes of their white counterparts. Williams saw this change occur, because at the beginning "...a lot of guys there were bigoted. The white guys didn’t want to fly with them and all, but they found out that these guys could fight, could shoot good and protect the bombers.”

Memorial honouring members of the Tuskegee Airmen

Memorial honouring the Tuskegee Airmen at the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, Tuskegee, Ala. Courtesy of Staff Sgt. Christine Jones/U.S. Air Force

The Tuskegee weathermen had the same positive and progressive influence due to their success in weather forecasting.

To hear more about The Tuskegee weathermen, listen to today's episode of "This Day In Weather History."

Subscribe to 'This Day in Weather History': Apple Podcasts | Amazon Alexa | Google Assistant | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeartRadio | Overcast'

Thumbnail image: Members of the 332nd Fighter Group, Ramitelli, Italy, in 1945. Courtesy of U.S. air force.

COMMODITY FETISH

1908 Harley becomes the most expensive motorcycle ever sold at auction; fetches nearly $1 million

Beck Andrew Salgado
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel


An extremely rare 1908 Strap Tank Harley-Davidson is now the most expensive motorcycle ever sold at auction after selling for $935,000, after auction fees, last month at the Mecum Auction in Las Vegas.

It's believed to be one of only 12 of the model in the world. Here’s why the cycle sold for so much and what makes it such an important piece if Harley history.
A rare piece of Harley-Davidson history

Arguably one of the most important models for Harley’s initial success, the motorcycle is considered the earliest model that collectors can get their hands on — with earlier ones either being destroyed or in collections.

Built in Harley’s original one-story factory in 1908, the Harley-Davidson Strap Tank model was renowned, then and now, for its study nature. The Strap Tank was given the moniker because of how the bike's fuel and oil tank are attached to the cross-bar of the frame via nickel straps.

Greg Arnold, Motorcycle Division Manager at Mecum Auctions, said bikes like this rarely ever come to auction and finding a "real" 1908 Strap Tank can be a challenge.

"It's not that other bikes are fake, but often times people will make a bike like this out of various parts, and this bike has many of its original parts which makes it that much more rare," said Arnold.

Original parts on the motorcycle include the tank, wheels, engine belt pulley, seat cover and muffler sleeve.

The most expensive bike ever sold at auction

The 1908 Strap Tank Harley is the most expensive bike ever sold at auction according to vintagent.com, a website that tracks the most expensive vintage motorcycles ever sold.

Arnold said he had a feeling the latest bike would do well but it is always a surprise when a bike sell for as much as the Strap Tank did.

"We marketed the bike well and Harley is by far the most famous American motorcycle brand so we had a feeling it would do well in auction, but obviously you are surprised anytime you sell the most expensive bike ever," he said.

Strap Tank Harleys have a reputation for selling for high prices. In 2015, a 1907 Strap Tank sold for $715,000 after auction fees — good enough to make it the fifth most expensive bike ever sold at auction. That Strap Tank was never restored, which is why it did not fetch as much as the record setting 1908 Strap Tank.

"There is a growing appreciation that people have for things that are built this way and I think this bike speaks to people because of that," Said Arnold, "

CAPITALI$T ANARCHY BITES YA IN THE ASS

New Enbridge CEO says Canada is missing opportunities as world cries out for energy

Fri, February 10, 2023 



CALGARY — The new CEO of pipeline giant Enbridge Inc. says regulatory uncertainty in this country has resulted in a "lost decade" for Canadian liquefied natural gas production.

Greg Ebel, who took the reins from outgoing Enbridge CEO Al Monaco last month, made the comments in an interview following the release of the company's fourth-quarter financial results.

Ebel — who was formerly the chief executive of Spectra Energy, which Enbridge acquired in Feb. 2017 — said he was in Ottawa last week speaking to cabinet ministers about the need to accelerate energy infrastructure development in this country.

He pointed out that the U.S. didn't began exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) (LNG) until 2016. But just over eight years later, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the United States now has more LNG export capacity than any other country and has exported more LNG than any other country.

U.S. LNG exports averaged 11.1 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) during the first half of 2022, according to the EIA, while Canada does not yet have a single LNG export terminal in operation.

"Goodness, that’s an opportunity lost for Canada," Ebel said, adding Enbridge's pipelines currently supply natural gas to five operating LNG export facilities on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

He said the company continues to be interested in further acquisitions in the Gulf area that could accelerate its energy export strategy.

“As someone responsible for allocating both human capital and financial capital, I have to do that where it seems most welcome," he said.

"My first choice would be doing it right here in our backyard, but if that’s not possible, then we have to allocate it in different parts ... and hence that’s why you see this great production, in both infrastructure and opportunity, on the Gulf Coast."

Progress on LNG is being made here in Canada, with LNG Canada's massive LNG export terminal under construction near Kitimat, B.C., and Enbridge's own Woodfibre LNG — a partnership with Singapore's Pacific Energy Corp. — also approved.

Proponents say with Western Canada's vast reserves of natural gas, there is room to expand the country's LNG industry even more — something they say could help other parts of the world reduce their reliance on coal and address global energy security concerns.

But concerns over climate change and the coming energy transition have created an uncertain energy investment environment. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, for example, has suggested there isn't a business case for an LNG export terminal off Canada's Atlantic coast, even though advocates have said such a facility could help wean Europe off Russian energy.

"Our G7 colleagues are crying out for energy ... they’re knocking on the door and we don’t seem to be answering," Ebel said.

Energy infrastructure projects in this country have also been plagued by cost overruns and delays in recent years. TC Energy Corp. recently revealed that the price tag for its Coastal GasLink pipeline project — which will carry natural gas across northern B.C. to the LNG Canada export terminal — has increased to $14.5 billion, up from $6.6 billion a year ago.

Last February, the Crown corporation behind the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project — which will increase oil transportation capacity from Alberta to the West Coast — announced the new cost of the project was an estimated $21.4 billion, up from an earlier estimate of $12.6 billion.

In the case of Trans Mountain, the ballooning price tag was blamed in part on "scheduling pressures related to permitting process" as well as route changes to avoid culturally and environmentally sensitive areas.

"You need stability in permitting, and you need certainty in permitting," Ebel said, adding he believes Canadian policy-makers need to recognize that this country has a "global responsibility" to export energy to its allies.

"We seem sometimes to be focused on ourselves," Ebel said.

"We are a relatively small country from a population perspective, and a giant country from a energy production perspective. So we better figure this out.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2023.

Companies in this story: (TSX:ENB)

Amanda Stephenson, The Canadian Press

ELECTION IN 100 DAYS

Huge concern': Opposition says Alberta premier should come clean on campaign funding

Scotiabank concluded the program violated "core capitalist principles," including that cleanup should be paid for by the polluter.

Fri, February 10, 2023 

NDP Energy critic Kathleen Ganley

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith should come clean on whether funding for her leadership campaign has influenced her government's agenda, says the province's New Democrat Opposition.

Energy critic Kathleen Ganley said Friday it's a "huge concern" that Smith, before she re-entered politics, lobbied for an oil well cleanup bailout program that she made a government priority when she became premier.

"This is, once again, Danielle Smith being willing to do the bidding of those who put her in power."

Ganley said Smith should stop a pilot project the United Conservative Party government is planning that would grant $100 million in royalty credits to energy companies that clean up old and abandoned wells — work the companies are already obliged to do under the conditions of their licence.

As president of the Alberta Enterprise Group, an influential Calgary-based business lobby, Smith wrote then-energy minister Sonya Savage and met with her several times to pitch what was then known as the RStar program. Smith was a registered lobbyist with the group until less than a year ago when she decided to run for the UCP leadership.

Within months, Smith raised $1.3 million for her campaign, far more than any of her opponents.

But after winning the leadership, Smith immediately made RStar a priority, writing it into her new energy minister's mandate letter. That's despite analysis from energy department experts who panned the proposal.

The sources of the money Smith raised for her campaign have not been revealed.

"It's a huge concern," said Ganley. "Politicians should be making decisions in the best interests of Albertans. Smith seems to serve private interests."

Others have voiced similar concerns. Mount Royal University political science professor Duane Bratt has called RStar — now called the Liability Management Incentive Program — a "disgrace" that smacks of corruption.

Smith's office has not responded to requests to address questions about how her campaign fundraising has affected her governing priorities.

In defending the pilot program, Smith said Thursday that government bears part of the responsibility to clean up Alberta's 170,000 abandoned and orphaned wells, because environmental rules have changed over the years. She said the program will help remediate the province's oldest and most troublesome wells.

However, an analysis from Scotiabank said companies best placed to take advantage of the program were four healthy companies that recorded a combined net income of nearly $5 billion last quarter.

Scotiabank concluded the program violated "core capitalist principles," including that cleanup should be paid for by the polluter.

The program has also been criticized by rural municipalities, economists, landowners and environmentalists.

Ganley called the program a "scam."

"It amounts to a massive transfer of wealth from Alberta families to companies that don't need it."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2023.

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

'Migrating seeds' exhibit traces ancestral journey, loss of traditional life

Sun, February 12, 2023 

Artist Ginnifer Menominee

An Anishnaabe artist is reclaiming her culture through an exhibit that delves into her ancestors' relationship with a food that has all but disappeared as they've become disconnected over time from a traditional way of life.

Manoomin — or wild rice — has a deep significance for Ginnifer Menominee. In fact it's rooted in her very name, Menominee, meaning people of the wild rice.

Her childhood was filled with stories with the grain taking a central role.

But there was also a sad undertone.

"There was this grief, this massive amount of grief that was felt in the community by not having that staple," she told CBC Radio's In Town and Out.

The older she got, the more central a role the rice played in how Menominee began to understand her identity as an Anishnaabe person.

"I would dream about [manoomin]. I would dream about going back and harvesting and taking that and eating that and consuming it and how wonderful it would be."

Family displaced

Part of the exhibit features a red carpet, a river of sorts, representing a long, arduous and dangerous journey following the War of 1812.

"What it's going to really represent is this journey of like reclaiming back the original manoomin that my family lost," she said.

That loss happened when her family on her maternal grandfather's side were forced to flee north after being forcibly displaced from the area that is now Wisconsin and Michigan.

"There was actual bounties on Potawatomi," she said.

They were then taken in by the Ojibwe people in and around Parry Sound, Ont., she said, an area that later became Wasauksing First Nation.

Since then, the wild rice has disappeared from Wasauksing First Nation.

Giacomo Panico/CBC

Holding the rice between her fingers, she begins to reflect on her ancestors, the pain they endured and spirit they had.

"We have such a deep connection to our land, to the water and it always makes me very proud to call myself Menominee, to call myself Anishnaabe, to represent my nation, to do the work of the people and walk that red road," she said, her voice breaking.

"Migrating Seeds" exhibit opened at Gallery 101 in Ottawa on Saturday and runs until March 11.

ZAMBONIEV

This EV is wiping out indoor air pollution in arenas across Canada

Sun, February 12, 2023 

Jeff Cuddy drives the electric Zamboni ice resurfacer at Port Credit Memorial Arena in Mississauga, Ont. The city has electrified about half its fleet of ice resurfacers as part of its climate change plan. (Emily Chung/CBC - image credit)

Swapping gas-powered vehicles for electric is key to fighting climate change. But Health Canada is also touting the ability of one particular EV to curb indoor air pollution in places where children and adults play and exercise: electric ice resurfacers.

In Canada, most arena ice resurfacers such as Zambonis are powered by natural gas or propane.

Burning those fuels can generate indoor air pollutants such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide — the same ones produced by gas stoves, sparking concerns about indoor air pollution in people's homes.

Health impacts of arena pollution

With indoor arenas, cases have popped up in the news where rinks have had to be shut down, and sometimes dozens of people have been sent to hospital due to high levels of carbon monoxide, which can cause acute poisoning and be deadly.

There have also been clusters of pollution-induced illness linked to nitrogen oxides, including one in British Columbia in 2019. Nitrogen oxides can cause respiratory irritation and breathing difficulties, but the effects are not always immediate and can be delayed by a day or two.

Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press

Nitrogen oxides are also known to trigger asthma, which is common among ice hockey players. Researchers suspect that's exacerbated by a combination of cold air and indoor air pollutants during intensive training.

Typically, clusters of illness linked to arenas have been blamed on a combination of malfunctioning ice resurfacers and inadequate ventilation in many older facilities. To make matters worse, cold air sinks, so polluted air tends to remain close to the ice surface, even when there is ventilation — a problem highlighted by COVID-19 outbreaks linked to arenas.

Aaron Wilson, a scientific evaluator with Health Canada's indoor air contaminant assessment section, said some years back, he noticed local officials were often asking for advice about how best to prevent, detect and fix air-quality issues in local arenas.

"We quickly realized there wasn't a whole lot of information," he said. There wasn't even data on what typical pollution levels were inside ice arenas and what level of ventilation was needed.

What researchers learned about air quality in arenas

From 2017 to 2020, Health Canada, along with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, conducted a study to find out. They monitored carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides at 16 arenas in Ottawa and northeastern Saskatchewan.

The good news? Carbon monoxide levels were generally within Health Canada guidelines.

However, nitrogen oxides exceeded Health Canada's short-term exposure limit at least some of the time at seven out of 16 arenas that were monitored.

Those pollutants accumulated throughout the day with repeated ice resurfacing, peaking in the evening. And they were never completely cleared out by the ventilation system overnight. Wilson said that meant nitrogen oxide levels could be up to four times the level outside at the start of the day — "before they even do one resurfacing of the arena."

Ventilation vs. electric ice resurfacers

The researchers tried a number of different strategies to remove the pollution.

Wilson said ventilation was effective in certain types of arenas but not others. Extra ventilation also sometimes made the building uncomfortably cold for people in the arena, such as spectators, and could boost heating costs.

But one solution was extremely effective: Replacing gas-powered ice resurfacers with electric more or less eliminated the indoor air pollution, Health Canada found.

Health Canada

Even at a rink that had nitrogen oxide levels above health guidelines multiple times, that solution brought them at or below levels outdoors, Wilson said.

In 2021, based on the study, Health Canada issued guidelines for improving air quality in arenas. Using electric resurfacers and edgers to maintain the ice, in order to eliminate the main sources of pollutants, was its top recommendation.

"In the long run, I think that's the solution to air pollution inside ice rinks," Wilson said.

Climate change motivates electric transition

Electric ice resurfacers have actually existed for decades — Zamboni introduced its first model at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, Calif., but didn't start selling a commercial battery-powered model until 1978.

Today, several brands of electric ice resurfacers, along with electric edgers for smoothing the sides of the rink, are available in Canada.

Steve Kovacevic is general manager of Elmira, Ont.-based Resurfice, which offers both lead-acid and lithium ion battery electric models.

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While its fossil fuel options, which are still cheaper, used to be more popular, he said he's noticed that now when communities issue tenders looking for new ice resurfacers, "they are looking to switch to electric machines — there's no doubt about that."

The Zamboni brand alone has 400 electric machines across the country, according to Greg Dean, the company's vice-president of sales and brand management. The biggest fleet so far is in Montreal, with 31, followed by Strathcona County, Alta., with 13 and London, Ont., with 12.

"There has been a strong uptick in interest in electric equipment," he said in an email.

Some provinces, such as Alberta and B.C., offer climate change mitigation funding to help offset the higher up-front cost of electric machines, and it appears to have made a difference.

Terry Piche, director of training, research and development at the Ontario Recreation Facilities Association, said his province has also seen a shift toward electric over the last 15 years. Now, he estimates a quarter of the roughly 1,000 indoor rinks in Ontario are being serviced by electric ice resurfacers — and the number is growing each year.

While electric models are more expensive than fossil fuel versions (about $50,000 more per machine), his group estimates that due to lower fuel and maintenance costs, arenas end up breaking even after eight years.

Does it make a difference for users?

Climate change is the top reason communities cite for making the switch, and the health co-benefits aren't usually top of mind — although some communities do mention safety benefits and reducing the strain on ventilation systems.

Mississauga, Ont., is one city halfway through its transition to replace all 22 of its ice resurfacers with electric ones.

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Shari Lichterman, Mississauga's acting city manager, said it's part of the municipality's climate action plan, which includes electrification of the entire municipal fleet, from buses to mowers.

Lichterman, who is also chair of Parks and Recreation Ontario, said air quality hasn't been a significant concern in her city's arenas due to monitoring and ventilation systems, although it can be at arenas in other communities.

"But to the extent that we can even eliminate that concern at all," she said, "of course we want to do that."

Still, clean arena air is something that users notice and appreciate. On a recent weekday afternoon, a group of players with the Mississauga Chargers junior hockey team practised at the city's Port Credit Memorial Arena on ice newly smoothed by the rink's electric Zamboni.

Head coach Joe Washkurak said that decades ago, in the old arenas where he first started playing hockey, "you could always smell the propane from the old Zambonis, and that wasn't a very good hockey rink smell." He also recalls games postponed because of gas leaks.

These days, he said, the atmosphere in the arena is more pleasant for practising. "No pun intended, but it's a breath of fresh air."