Unifor president visits Windsor to support workers at Windsor Salt, Postmedia

Fri, March 3, 2023 

UNIFOR president Lana Payne met with Windsor Star employees Friday as the last locally-printed issue of the paper was scheduled to roll off the press. (Dale Molnar/CBC - image credit)

The national president of Unifor decried the role of investment companies in labour relations Friday as she visited Windsor to support striking workers at Windsor Salt and soon-to-be laid-off workers at the Windsor Star printing press.

Lana Payne toured the printing press facility Friday as the last locally-produced issue of the Star was scheduled to roll off in the evening.

She also visited the Windsor Salt picket line.

About 250 workers at Windsor Salt went on strike on Feb. 17, saying the company would not address its financial requests until the union agreed to let it contract non-union employees to work in its salt mine.

"It's a challenge because the company was purchased by a hedge fund during the pandemic, and we all know the history of hedge funds and how they operate," Payne said.

We're at the point right now of defending the very existence of our union in that mine - Lana Payne, president of Unifor

"We're at the point right now of defending the very existence of our union in that mine. Because the proposals from the company, the concessions that they're talking about, would basically potentially wipe out our membership."

The union is bargaining with Windsor Salt for the first time since the company was bought by U.S.-based holding company Stone Canyon Industries in 2021.

CBC News contacted the company for comment on the strike on Thursday but never heard back.

The challenge of dealing with such holding companies is one that Windsor Star printing press workers can relate to, Payne said.

"Things started changing with Postmedia obviously when they were purchased by a hedge fund," she said.

"They have a different approach to business than if you were a local company committed to making sure you're preserving jobs in the community."

Postmedia is moving production of the paper to Toronto, leaving about 75 employees out of work, the union said.

In a previous statement to CBC News, Postmedia said that the move was part of "ongoing transformation initiatives" and that the building would be listed for sale.

"We are grateful for the work done by our dedicated colleagues. We are working with union representatives, in accordance with the collective agreement, to ensure a smooth transition," a spokesperson said.

Unifor Local 517-G president Colin Brian told CBC he doesn't see any hope for preserving the press jobs, but he said it's not too late to fight for local distribution jobs in the area.

Dale Molnar/CBC

"When they bring that paper down to Windsor, they still need to bring that paper out to corners. They still need someone to unload and load the trucks, and that's 517-G worker jobs," he said.

The workers have a good collective agreement with Postmedia, Payne said, and the union will work to ensure that the company honours that agreement when it comes to terms such as severance.

It has also asked Postmedia's president and CEO for assurances that the paper's archives will be preserved in Windsor, she added.

"There's 135 years of stories in these archives, including worker stories. This is a workers' town. This is a union town, it's a Unifor town. And many of the stories of our members are contained in those archives," she said.

Payne also used her visit to call on the federal government to improve Employment Insurance access and benefits and to protect local news jobs by passing Bill C-18, which would require companies like Facebook to compensate news organizations for content shared on their platforms.

Nunavut judge throws out motion to dismiss Inuit language education lawsuit

Fri, March 3, 2023 

Children get onto a school bus outside of the Ulaajuk elementary in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, in 2019. A lawsuit charging that Nunavut's education system discriminates against Inuit will proceed, now that a judge has thrown out a motion to dismiss it. 

(Kieran Oudshoorn/CBC - image credit)

A lawsuit charging that the education system in Nunavut discriminates against Inuit students will proceed, despite the territorial government's efforts to have it thrown out of court.

Nunavut Court Justice Paul Bychok ruled Friday against a motion from the Government of Nunavut (GN) to dismiss the lawsuit. The GN now has 30 days to file a statement of defence.

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. filed its lawsuit in the fall of 2021, claiming that the territory's failure to provide education to Inuit children in their language is discriminatory.

Right now, education in Inuktut is mostly available only up to Grade 4, with subject matter taught primarily in English and French in higher grades, despite the fact that Inuktut is the primary language in the territory.

A bill passed in 2008 promised to create Inuktut education for all grades by 2019, but never achieved that goal. A new bill passed in 2020 watered down that vision by requiring only some classes in Inuktut for all grades, and stretching out the timeline for implementation to 2039.

The territorial government filed its motion to dismiss the suit in April of last year, arguing that Nunavut Tunngavik's argument, which hinges on Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, was flawed.

Section 15 is about equality rights. The government said NTI's lawsuit is trying to use it to "expand" on education and language rights set out in other parts of the Charter — which it says is not allowed.

Justice Bychok heard arguments on the motion last August and ultimately rejected the government's argument.

He wrote that "the Supreme Court of Canada has left the door open" to the idea that Section 15 of the Charter could protect against discrimination based on language.

"Clearly, it is arguable that the 2019 Amendments [to Nunavut's Education Act] may impose a burden upon, or deny benefits to, Inuit," Bychok's decision reads.

He cites two ways in which the 2019 bill discriminates: "First, the Amendments may contribute to Inuit youth losing their language and their connection to Inuit culture. Just as importantly, the effect of the 2019 Amendments may be to perpetuate the undeniable historical disadvantages experienced by Inuit from colonialism."

Nunavut's minister of Education declined to immediately comment on the decision.

In a news release celebrating the decision, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. said it was "appalled" by the government's arguments and called the decision a "significant validation that the claim is worth advancing."

ALBERTA
Former Africa Centre executive director wins lawsuit over dismissal

Fri, March 3, 2023 

Tesfaye Ayalew, the co-founder and former executive director of the Africa Centre, was awarded additional severence following a lawsuit against his former employer. (Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations - image credit)

The co-founder and former executive director of the Africa Centre has been awarded additional severance after winning a lawsuit against his former employer.

In a decision filed on Feb. 27, Court of King's Bench Justice Michael Lema found Tesfaye Ayalew was entitled to 14 months of severance.

In 2018, Ayalew was fired "without cause" amidst allegations of abuse and sexual harassment involving a former employee. He denied the allegations.

Later that year, Ayalew filed a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against The Council for the Advancement of African Canadians in Alberta (CAAC), which operates the Africa Centre. The centre offers family and educational support to the city's African community.

Lema ruled that Ayalew's age — he was 62 when he dismissed — his length of service, his leadership role and the limited other job opportunities, entitled him to additional reasonable-notice pay.

The Africa Centre was granted credit for the eight weeks of severance it paid to Ayalew in 2018.

Lema declined to award Ayalew any aggravated damages on top of the extended severance.

During the trial last month, Ayalew testified that he'd suffered reputational damage as a result of media coverage of the allegations that he had mistreated Africa Centre employees.

He said he'd been unable to find other employment in the non-profit sector, and so had decided to work as a taxi driver.

"That's how I was destroyed ... everything I built for 25 years was shattered in one blow [in part by] them throwing my name out there. How [could] I get a [new] job?" he told court.

Ayalew was placed on paid administrative leave in January 2018, following allegations of abuse and sexual harassment.

According to Lema's decision, in 2017 the Africa Centre's accountant resigned, making various allegations about being mistreated by Ayalew.

Ayalew was suspended in January 2018, and the CAAC board of directors hired an employment lawyer to investigate that person and two other employees' allegations against Ayalew which had also surfaced.

According to the decision, the board decided to terminate Ayalew "without cause" because the independent investigator found that Ayalew had not bullied, harassed, sexually harassed or otherwise mistreated employees.

In addition to the required minimum of eight weeks of severance, Ayalew was offered another month of severance if he agreed to sign an agreement releasing the board from all claims related to the dismissal.

Ayalew received the base severance, but declined to sign the release and filed the civil suit

With or without cause

During trial, the CAAC argued said that it subsequently received additional allegations against Ayalew that contradicted the report and that could have warranted a "with cause" dismissal

The CAAC argued that because they had "mistakenly" dismissed Ayalew without cause, they shouldn't have paid him severance. Instead, they argued, he should have to pay back the severance he received.

Lema found that the CAAC's explanation did not bear out.

"Armed with all the material allegations against Mr. Ayalew, the [board] decided, on its own, to dismiss him without cause," Lema said.

Lema also found problems with the board's argument that it had received new information that contradicts the investigator's findings.

"No evidence supports the (CAAC)'s position that, post-termination, it came into new information bearing Mr. Ayalew's conduct or in any case bearing on possible just cause for his dismissal," the judge wrote.

"Instead, all the alleged misconduct by Mr. Ayalew testified to by the three complaining individuals — i.e. everything put forward to establish just cause — was known to the board at the time of dismissal."

At the time of his dismissal, Ayalew's yearly salary was $83,130.

END FOR PROFIT CARE HOMES

Lawsuits claim thousands in unpaid bills connected to N.B. special care homes operator

Fri, March 3, 2023 

Two companies allege Amarjeet Singh Jatana owe them more than a combined $15,000 for unpaid goods and services provided to Villa Neguac and Foyer St-Bernard. (Radio-Canada - image credit)

Legal troubles are mounting for the man who had his licences revoked for two special-care homes he operated in northeastern New Brunswick.

Two companies have filed small claims lawsuits against Amarjeet Singh Jatana for services and goods provided to Villa Neguac and Foyer St-Bernard, which they allege were never paid.

The lawsuits by G.M Comeau Plumbing Ltd. and Miramichi Meat Ltd. amount to $15,621.51, according to documents obtained from the Miramichi Court of King's Bench.

They're the latest to be filed against Jatana, who's already facing lawsuits claiming he owes more than $790,000 in connection to other business ventures he's been involved with in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

Radio-Canada

Marc Comeau of G.M. Comeau Plumbing is seeking $8,007.68 in unpaid services at Foyer St-Bernard, including interest on three invoiced amounts from February, July and August of last year.

Comeau said he was unable to comment on the lawsuit Friday.

CBC News wasn't able to contact Jatana for comment Friday, and calls made to Foyer St-Bernard went immediately to voicemail.

Miramichi Meat filed two lawsuits, each targeting Villa Neguac and Foyer St-Bernard, with Jatana also named in both of them.

In the suit naming Villa Neguac and Jatana, Miramichi Meat claims it's owed $4,206.36 for the non-payment of groceries purchased for the home.

In the other suit naming Foyer St-Bernard and Jatana, the company claims it's owed $3,407.47.

In both lawsuits, Miramichi Meat wrote that the defendant was given notice they had until January 31, 2023 to make payments, but that they never replied in order to make arrangements to do so.

No one from Miramichi Meat was available to speak to CBC News when contacted Friday.

Michèle Brideau/Radio-Canada

The lawsuits follow allegations by staff at the two homes that bills for food, electricity and waste collection went unpaid in the months leading up to the Department of Social Development revoking the licences at the two homes.

On Jan. 17, the department announced the operating licences for the two homes had been revoked to protect the well-being of 29 residents after an investigation found they weren't in compliance with established standards and practices.

The department has repeatedly declined to say which standards and practices weren't being complied with due to "confidentiality rules."

New owner says he's unaffected by lawsuits

The forced closure of the two homes prompted a scramble by residents and their families to find new homes before a Feb. 17 deadline.

In early February, Marc-André Vienneau, a nurse from the Acadian Peninsula, said he'd undertaken the process of purchasing Villa Neguac, and the provincial government later announced it had granted a temporary operating licence for the home.

Michèle Brideau/Radio-Canada

Contacted Friday, Vienneau said the transaction has gone smoothly, adding that he's unaffected by any lawsuits targeting Jatana or the company formerly representing the home he now owns.

"I bought the asset, not the company, so I'm not involved in any of this," said Vienneau, adding that he's established positive relationships with suppliers who had dealt with the previous owner.

In an email to CBC News on Feb. 16, a spokesperson for the Department of Social Development said no residents were living at Foyer St-Bernard and deferred any comment about the home's future to Jatana.

LONDON, ONTARIO
Project shines light on growing number of tenants forced from their homes

Fri, March 3, 2023 

A social advocacy group in Oxford County is looking for tenants who've been displaced from their homes, an occurrence its members say is increasingly common as the housing crisis drags on.

Social Planning Council Oxford members are looking to interview residents 18 and older willing to share their stories about being forced out of their homes due to harassment, discrimination, rising rent rates or "renovictions," a term used for evictions justified by claims of renovations or repairs.

"We have heard from working with our colleagues and chatting with people in the community that have experienced this, so we're trying to understand it better, but also draw attention to it because some people don't really understand the current market and what's happening with rentals," said Stephanie Ellens-Clarke, the council's executive director.

The interviews are part of a project called the Many Faces of Rural and Urban Displacement, which is also being carried out in three other Ontario communities.

"This project is to try to map displacement in Ontario," said Kama Vandevyvere, local engagement co-ordinator for Social Planning Council Oxford.

"We're trying to see the reasons that people are leaving their homes. The first part of the project is to interview people," she said, adding participants can remain anonymous. "And we're going to use that information to inform advocacy efforts."

The second part of the study, once interviews are complete, is to compile information and create resources to assist tenants facing eviction.

Organizers say the goal of the project is to identify trends in smaller rural communities and create recommendations that can inform policy change at the municipal and provincial levels to better address the housing crisis.

"We envision using the stories in some of our advocacy and communication campaigns that we have as part of the Oxford Housing Action Collaborative, but also the social planning council. It's helping to shift mindsets, so people can better understand the issues," Ellens-Clarke said.

The project, undertaken in Oxford, York Region, Kingston and Cornwall, is funded by the Community Housing Transformation Centre through the Community Based Tenant Initiative Fund.

Stories gathered in the next month will be shared with the Canadian Human Rights Commission that is studying tenant displacement countrywide, Ellens-Clark said.

"They're part of the national housing strategy. They're trying to better understand and then make specific policy changes at the federal level as well."

The interviews are expected to take 35 to 45 minutes and will be conducted by phone, online or in person until the end of March. Participants will receive a $50 grocery gift card for their time.

Anyone interested in sharing their story is asked to contact kama@spcoxford.ca or 226-228-0539. For more information about the project or Social Planning Council Oxford, contact stephanie.ellens.clark@spcoxford.ca or call the same number above.

cleon@postmedia.com

twitter.com/CalviatLFPress

Calvi Leon, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, London Free Press

BC
A Crane Worker Died. Investigations Followed. What’s Changed?

Fri, March 3, 2023

Dockworkers at a Lower Mainland container port are still climbing cranes without working elevators despite an initial federal investigation that identified serious safety issues after a worker’s death.

In late January, some employees at Global Container Terminals’ Deltaport site refused to climb the 23 flights of stairs to the top of gantry cranes unless elevators were working. That was about six weeks after maintenance worker Dan Alder died Dec. 14 after experiencing a medical emergency while atop a crane.

The federal Labour Program investigation into his death found six safety violations, including failing to assess the risk faced by workers on its dockside cranes when elevators were not working and failure to develop an adequate rescue plan. The agency ordered changes.

The port, like airlines and rail transport, is federally regulated and the Labour Program is responsible for workplace safety.

But a second investigation by Transport Canada — a different federal department — found there was “no imminent danger” to workers if elevators aren’t functioning.

Transport Canada said its determination was based on “the availability of alternate means of egress from the crane operators’ cabins,” effectively requiring those workers to once again climb the cranes.

Neither of the investigations were released publicly, but The Tyee has obtained documentation about both and confirmed key details with Transport Canada and the company. The union has declined to comment.

One worker on the docks, who asked not to be identified because they feared repercussions from the company and union for speaking about the matter, said the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 502 has since appealed that decision. The union would not confirm that it had filed an appeal.

The union had repeatedly warned that first responders would struggle to reach workers on those cranes when the attached elevators were broken.

Chris McLeod, an occupational health and safety expert and a professor at the University of British Columbia, suggested Transport Canada may have examined a different set of criteria than its counterparts in Employment and Social Development Canada, the department that inspects workplaces.

But the fact two different federal departments gave conflicting signals on a worksite where a worker died raises plenty of questions, McLeod said.

“What is the procedure for emergency responders to provide aid? And why isn’t a functioning elevator part of that plan?” McLeod said.

The Labour Program’s initial investigation was sparked by Alder’s death.

He was required to summit the 56-metre staircase multiple times that day while carrying tools. The broken elevator meant a first aid attendant and first responders took longer to reach him.

Later, they placed Alder on a platform used for other maintenance work and lowered him about 13 metres so he would be within range of a cherry picker mounted on the back of a firetruck, which they used to transport him to the waiting ambulance.

Some union members said they had repeatedly warned there was no adequate plan to rescue workers on those cranes when the elevators were broken. The company and the federal government are both investigating the circumstances of Alder’s death.

Days after the federal government’s initial orders were released, workers refused to climb two of the cranes, including the one Alder was on before he died.

ILWU 502, in a written notice to the company, said there was no egress in the event of an emergency and that climbing the crane without a working elevator would delay medical care.

Alex Adams, the marine operations manager for the company, responded that the stairs provided egress and said it was “not unreasonable or unsafe” to request crane operators walk up the cranes. The response does not mention maintenance workers.

“It is the opinion of the employer that the absence of a working elevator does not constitute a hazard,” Adams wrote.

The issue ended up in front of Transport Canada, which regulates elevators. The department sided with the company.

Marko Dekovic, a spokesman for GCT, said the company is working with the union to address safety issues identified by the first investigation done by the federal Labour Program.

ILWU Local 502 president Rick Huburtise declined to comment when reached by phone. The union has not spoken publicly about the circumstances of Alder’s death or the subsequent investigation into it.

McLeod said the company should be transparent about what, if anything, has changed at Deltaport since Alder’s death.

“I think it’s fair to know what those orders were and what the followup was. Because until they’ve been brought into compliance with respect to the orders [from the Labour Program], they’re not complying,” McLeod said.

Zak Vescera, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Tyee

CANADA
Three senators face criticism over trip to Israel, meeting with right-wing politician

Fri, March 3, 2023 



OTTAWA — Three Canadian senators are facing criticism after visiting Israel and inviting a right-wing politician to Canada.

Senate Speaker George Furey joined Conservative Senate Leader Don Plett and unaffiliated Sen. Patti LaBoucane-Benson on a trip to Israel this week.

They met with local officials including Amir Ohana, the speaker of the Israeli parliament, which announced the senators had invited him to visit Canada.

Ohana has previously caused controversy by claiming in media interviews that Muslims are prone to "cultural murderousness." As former public safety minister, he modified Israel's COVID-19 vaccination priority list to exclude prisoners who are Palestinian.

The advocacy group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East criticized the senators for posting about the trip without mentioning human-rights concerns and the Israeli government's shift toward right-wing policies.

This year, Ottawa issued two statements raising concerns about Israel undertaking "punitive measures" such as banning the Palestinian flag, the building of illegal settlements and a divisive judicial reform.

The advocacy group wantsthe senators to retract Ohana's invitation and "suspend all partnerships with Israel’s government" until it abides by international law.

LaBoucane-Benson said the trio was unable to meet with Palestinian officials but said she had called for an immediate de-escalation of recent violence and work toward long-term peace.

"We worked with consular officials in an effort to hear diverse perspectives while managing logistical and security considerations," she wrote in an email.

"We met with current and former Israeli legislators from different parties. Unfortunately, a Palestinian politician was unable to attend a planned meeting."

LaBoucane-Benson noted "alarming incidents of violence" in the West Bank in recent weeks, including during their visit, against both Palestinians and Israelis.

"Those responsible for these egregious acts — on both sides — must be held accountable, and those whose comments incite further violence must be denounced and condemned," she wrote.

Furey and Plett's office did not respond to requests for comment.

Shimon Fogel, head of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said the Justice and Peace advocacy group's characterization of Ohana and the demand to suspend diplomatic relations amounts to "ridiculous attempts at headlines" after 75 years of productive relations.

"Particular governments come and go, but the core values shared by our two democracies are deeply entrenched and have stood the test of time," he wrote.

"When differences arise, as they have any number of times over the years, both Canada and Israel have articulated their positions and expressed concerns in a constructive way."

He said Canada has been making the right approach in advocating for a two-state solution, "including to not single out Israel" in its public statements.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2023.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press

NOW COMES TOXIC CLEAN UP
Touquoy gold mine to cease production earlier than expected

Fri, March 3, 2023

The open pit of the Touquoy gold mine is seen amid the surrounding forests in Moose River, N.S. (Steve Lawrence/CBC - image credit)

The Touquoy gold mine in Moose River, N.S., is now expected to wrap up mining in early 2024 instead of at the end of that year.

The Australia-based owner, St Barbara, has finished mining gold from the open pit and is now processing stockpiles of ore, which are lower grade and less profitable.

The company expected to complete the stockpile processing by the end of 2024 and then place the mine in care and maintenance mode. That means monitoring and water treatment would continue, but other operations would cease.

But that schedule has been bumped up due to the company's difficulty getting approval for changes it wants to make at the site.

Atlantic Gold, a subsidiary of St Barbara that runs the Touquoy mine, is running out of room in its tailings management facility, the location where leftover materials are placed after they've been processed.

Steve Lawrence/CBC

The company asked the province in 2021 for permission to place its tailings in the open pit once gold there was exhausted, but Environment Minister Tim Halman said at the time he didn't have enough information to make a decision, and requested that more studies be undertaken.

The company proceeded with those studies and submitted more information in 2022, but Halman once again responded with a request for more information.

After receiving even more information, Halman earlier this week sent a third request for more studies on the impacts of the in-pit tailings proposal, giving the company one year to submit the additional information.

In a statement on the company's website Thursday, St Barbara blamed that decision for its early move to care and maintenance.

The statement said compiling all the information Halman has asked for will take more time than is available before the existing tailings pond runs out of room.

In a statement Friday, a spokesperson for St Barbara said the company is disappointed in the province's decision, and while it plans to continue working to reach a resolution, "we must assess the impacts of this response on business continuity in the province."

Future plans for Touquoy

An environmental group has raised concerns about the mine being placed in care and maintenance, citing worries that it could remain that way indefinitely and delay reclamation of the mine site.

But St Barbara has other plans for the Touquoy open pit.

The company has proposed three other gold mines in Nova Scotia, and is now focusing on its Fifteen Mile Stream project, which would see four open pits developed in the Liscomb Game Sanctuary, about 95 kilometres northeast of Halifax.

St Barbara wants to use the Touquoy facilities for processing gold and its open pit for storing tailings from Fifteen Mile Stream. The company has until August 2025 to finish the environmental studies on the Fifteen Mile Stream proposal.

Climate change, invasive species and the Great Lakes

Fri, March 3, 2023

From February 7 to 9, more than 900 attendees participated in the virtual 2023 Invasive Species Forum, which focused this year on invasive species action in a changing climate. Keynote presenter Dr. Gail Krantzberg, a professor at McMaster University’s Walter G. Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology spoke about the link between climate change and invasive species in a Great Lakes context, calling for “a new era of science, of predictive science that will help us understand threats to the region and enhance the resilience of the Great Lakes.”

There is much uncertainty about invasive species and changing climate. What is known is that we’re going to see more frequent extreme weather: an increased severity of storms, more floods and prolonged periods of drought. There will be extremes in lake levels, both highs and lows. “That’s the point,” Dr. Krantzberg said. “It’s extremes. When we get extreme drops, we lose habitat and wetland habitat and create more stress on native biodiversity.”

These changes could result in the loss of nearshore zones throughout the Great Lakes, leading to displacement or disappearance of coastal wetland species and the potential increase of alien species coming in because of thermal shifts: where the water was once too cold and the winters too brutal, it’s now possible for them to survive. We will see a shift towards warm water species, including alien invasive species, and they are very damaging.

A 2000 report from the American Institute of Biological Sciences noted damages from non-indigenous plants, fish, molluscs, insects and terrestrial plants (in the United States alone) were over $2.5 billion a year. That cost has likely risen.

“That doesn’t even account for the true costs of species extinctions,” said Dr. Krantzberg. “How do you put a value on the loss of biodiversity or aesthetic damages?”

Take zebra mussels, for example. Municipalities spend millions every year ensuring that infrastructure pipes don’t become clogged with them and destroy the water infrastructure. What’s not as generally known is the damage zebra mussels cause to native species. “Zebra mussels like to go where the water is moving and so they smother our native species,” Dr. Krantzberg said.

Zebra mussels were first introduced into the Great Lakes through ballast tank releases from ocean-going ships originating in the Black Sea. “Now zebra and quagga mussels are everywhere, causing these massive damages to the system,” said Dr. Krantzberg. They don’t much like cold water, so Lake Superior and the depths of Huron and Michigan might see little impact; however, their quagga mussel cousins very much like when it’s cold.

Emerging invasive species threats include the spotted lanternfly, the jumping worm and the kudzu vine. The spotted lanternfly could potentially destroy the fruit and grape crop in the Niagara region, and has been detected across the border in Niagara Falls, New York. The jumping worm is already in Ontario. Native to East-Central Asia, jumping worms like to feast on mulch and topsoil, causing erosion and killing plants. They cause a lot of environmental damage where they are established. Kudzu, a fast growing vine native to southern United States, has been found in Leamington, Ontario.

The history of invasive species in North America dates back to the turn of the twentieth century, when plants were brought across the ocean as horticultural ornamentals. Purple loosestrife is a perfect example, noted Dr. Krantzberg. “It’s a pretty Eurasian plant but also can destroy wetlands. As time moves on, we’re seeing more crustaceans, some fishes and some microbial invaders as well. The non-indigenous aquatic species are very diverse, so you can imagine the impacts on the system are equally diverse.”

Over time, species range and advancement is limited by climate, the severity of the winters, the coldness of the waters, or the habitat of the forest. When the climate becomes favourable, the species is able to find it, reproduce and then rapidly grow. “They can grow exponentially, which means if we don’t catch them before they come and keep our eyes out for them, the cost of control is enormous,” she said. “There’s a lot of science that we need to understand: where these species are around the globe, how they might be able to get to the Great Lakes, and which ones might be able to get to the Great Lakes. We need to be united in our science because early warning systems can reduce the risk of invaders.”

Billions of dollars have been spent on restoration efforts in the United States through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The Canadian and Ontario governments have also focused their efforts on restoration and remediation. No such money has been invested for over 20 years in revitalizing, modernizing Great Lakes science, she pointed out.

Dr. Krantzberg is also Canadian Co-chair of the International Joint Commission Great Lakes Science Advisory Board – Science Priority Committee. As part of her role in that position, she has helped lead the work group for the Great Lakes Science Strategy for the Next Decade project.

“We really need to understand better how climate change is affecting the Great Lakes and will for the next 20 to 50 years,” she said. “We need big science and big data in order to do that.”

There are new pressures affecting the ecosystem, the economy and social cohesion of the region, she added. Communities, cities, conservation authorities and others are looking for solutions to adapt and respond to new pressures, including pressures that are not yet seen. “A science plan could collect the information needed to forecast change, to forecast which species in which part of the world would find it favourable to come into the Great Lakes, as well as how we might stop them from coming here.”

There’s a winter component to the science need: What happens in the lakes during the winter months? What happens under the ice, and what happens where there’s no ice? There are also questions about the food web, about invasive species and changes in chemical and nutrient cycling in the Great Lakes.

That’s not all. “We need to deal with equity, diversity and inclusion in Canada. How do we think about our underserved groups like our important Indigenous tribes and First Nations that don’t even have safe drinking water?” she asked.

Dr. Krantzberg wants to see people, governments and groups coming together in genuine collaboration, rather than working in silos. Centres of Excellence should be established to advance interdisciplinary science, support management and policy development, and address economic decision making.

“We could have a Centre of Excellence for traditional ecological knowledge and build on thousands of years of Indigenous observations on the Great Lakes to tell us what’s changing, fine-tune what’s changing,” she suggested. “They could tell us how to integrate traditional ecological knowledge with western science, if it can be done. There’s lots of opportunities for these centres of excellence to happen and to engage new researchers, get youth to populate the Great Lakes research agenda and be the next generation of change agents.”

The decisions of today can slow the spread of invasives, improve the climate, reduce greenhouse gases and adapt to a changing climate more proactively.

“I’ll be very frank here,” said Dr. Krantzberg. “If we fail in all of this, the planet will survive. Biodiversity will be completely different. It will not support humanity the way we know it, but the planet will survive. There’s no Planet B for humanity.”

She warns that successfully adapting to a changing climate doesn’t mean there won’t be negative impacts, but those that do occur will be less severe. She’s a big fan of adaptation, such as improving the way water permeates through the ground. “Don’t pave over a greenbelt. Let it be there as a sponge so you don’t get as much flooding. Successful adaptation doesn’t mean there won’t be a flood, but it means it will be less severe.”

“Yes, we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Dr. Krantzberg concluded. “The co-benefit for invasive species is clear. But the climate has changed. We need to adjust to that, and we need to adjust to that right away because the climate’s not going to go back to what it was.”

Lori Thompson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor

Agreement on Yellowknife picketing rules nowhere in sight as strike rolls on

Fri, March 3, 2023 

Strike signs stands near the entrance to a city-managed construction site in Yellowknife. Lawyers for the city and the union will once again return to court to argue the merits of a court-ordered injunction against picket line activity. (Walter Strong/CBC - image credit)

The City of Yellowknife and the Public Service Alliance of Canada are still battling over a court order that sets limits on how long striking workers can stop vehicles at picket lines.

On Friday Supreme Court Justice Andrew Mahar decided to adjourn court until next week so the union and the city have time to file new affidavits and prepare for witness cross-examinations. At issue is whether any cars have been stopped for longer than four minutes since the two sides decided on a picketing protocol on Feb. 22.

The city and the union have been contesting the validity and details of an injunction granted on Feb. 14, and later amended. The union says that since they and the city agreed on a picketing protocol on Feb. 22, there have been no issues with picketers detaining vehicles for too long.

The city and the union were in court all day Thursday to present arguments for and against the injunction. Christopher Lane, the lawyer representing the city, said that a court order is needed to prevent unduly long vehicle stoppages at the city's solid waste management plant and at the construction site for the new pool.

But Michael Fisher, the lawyer representing the union, says the agreement reached on Feb. 22 is working, so there's no reason for a court-ordered injunction. On Friday he said that the current court order creates a "chilling effect" on picketing efforts, and leaves union members scared that they might be charged with contempt of court over small issues.

The city initially asked for a court order to further restrict vehicle stoppages by picketers, and the union initially asked that the city's application for an injunction should be thrown out altogether because of alleged overreach in the City of Yellowknife's original ex parte injunction application.

An ex parte application is one where not all affected parties are present for the application. Under Canadian law, a judge may grant an interim injunction ex parte under certain conditions.

However, Judge Mahar made it clear Friday that he was not receptive to these arguments against the injunction.

"My position is that the agreement that was reached last week should be maintained. The only issue left for me is whether the understanding should be a court order or an agreement," he said.

An illegal stop, or a friendly chat?

In court Friday, the lawyers discussed new affidavits related to factual claims supporting the injunction.

The city filed a new affidavit Thursday from a woman who says her car was stopped for more than four minutes. But the union's lawyer said he was filing an affidavit from the picketer involved, which says the picketer and the woman were having a friendly chat, and that the woman could have indicated a desire to continue forward at any time.

The city and the union both confirmed that they want to cross examine each other's witnesses when the hearing over the injunction reconvenes.

Justice Mahar tried to schedule further proceedings for next Thursday, but the city's lawyer said he would be in transit to Palm Springs at the time and so unavailable.

The judge will meet with the lawyers Friday afternoon to work out a schedule.

About 205 unionized city workers have been on strike since Feb. 8. The impasse is largely over wages.