Brazilian players at the Women's World Cup urge fans back home to skip work to watch their matches

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Brazil’s players urged their fans back in South America to stay home from work and watch them begin their Women's World Cup campaign against Panama.

The fact that their fans even have that option marks a step forward in the players’ ongoing fight for equality with their male counterparts.

Brazil president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva recently announced that civil servants could arrive at work up to two hours after the final whistle of Brazil’s games in the the tournament. He encouraged private businesses to do the same.

The Brazil-Panama match starts at 8:30 p.m. Monday in Adelaide, Australia. There is a roughly 12-hour time difference between the countries.

“I hope people really follow (the games) and don’t use it just to skip work,” Brazilian defender Antonia said from the team's camp in Brisbane. “I hope people really follow us.”

Taking time off work to watch important soccer matches is nothing new for fans of Brazil’s men’s team, but this is a first for the women’s national team

“It’s an important step for women’s football,” Antonia said. “I believe that it is a little behind, but it happened and we have to value that.”

While it’s a step toward equality, it brings added pressure. The team is aiming for its first World Cup title to prove themselves to their country and the world as a top team in women’s soccer.

Related video: Soccer fans hope USA women's team can make history with World Cup threepeat (Tribune Content Agency)  Duration 1:49   View on Watch

“It’s already a very big movement,” midfielder Angelina said of the team’s support in Brazil, “and the expectation is only increasing.”

Brazil has competed in every Women’s World Cup with their best result in 2007 finishing runners-up to Germany. They have won two silver medals at the Olympics, in 2004 and in 2008. Marta, one of the world’s most well-known and accomplished players, will be playing in her last World Cup. Marta holds the record for most World Cup goals scored by men or women with 17 and the most international goals scored for Brazil with 115.

In March, Lula endorsed Brazil’s bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup alongside Brazil’s sports minister, Ana Moser, and the president of the Brazil's soccer confederation, Ednaldo Rodrigues.

“It will motivate the construction of a political conscience of the Brazilian people so they understand women’s effective participation in every field they can and want to take a part of,” Lula said at the time.

Moser will be visiting Australia and New Zealand during the World Cup, cheering on the team but also strengthening Brazil’s 2027 bid. Brazil is competing against South Africa, as well as two combined bids — from Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, and from the United States and Mexico.

Brazil’s players recognize that they're playing for a brighter future for women’s soccer in their country at this World Cup.

“Taking this first step," Antonia said. “I believe it is very important and that it continues to evolve, that it continues like this and that people really wake up and start to follow women’s football from now on.”

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Molly Lee is a student at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

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AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Molly Lee, The Associated Press

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Washington Commanders co-owner Dan Snyder. Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Dan Snyder fined $60 million following independent investigation

By Adam Gretz  |  Last updated 7/20/23

The NFL owners approved the sale of the Washington Commanders on Thursday. The league then revealed the findings of an independent investigation into outgoing owner Dan Snyder.

As a result of those findings, the league is ordering Snyder to pay the league $60 million after it was found that he sexually harassed a team employee and deliberately withheld millions in revenue from the NFL's other 31 franchises.

The investigation concluded that Snyder had withheld at least $11 million in revenue that should have been shared with other teams, and potentially even more that the investigation could not account for. 

The investigation was led by former U.S. Attorney and SEC chair Mary Jo White.

"The conduct substantiated in Ms. White's findings has no place in the NFL," said commissioner Roger Goodell in releasing the league's findings. "We strive for workplaces that are safe, respectful and professional. What Ms. Johnston experienced is inappropriate and contrary to the NFL's values."

The investigation was launched almost immediately after a former team employee, Tiffani Johnston, first made sexual harassment allegations against Snyder in front of a house committee last year. 

Snyder denied the allegations, while the report released on Thursday said that Snyder and the Commanders franchise were not fully cooperative in the investigation. 

The $60 million payment Snyder is being forced to pay might seem like a significant amount when compared to other punishments handed out by the league, but it comes on the same day that his sale of the Commanders franchise for $6 billion was approved by the league's owners. 

Roger Goodell addresses potential sovereign investment in NFL teams

Story by Adam La Rose, Pro Football Rumors • July 22,2023

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell

© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL witnessed its most recent franchise sale earlier this week and the league remains in a position where (with the exception of the Green Bay Packers) only private individuals are allowed to hold a stake in its teams. Commissioner Roger Goodell was recently asked about the possibility of that model changing.

Sovereign investment in North American and European sports franchises has become in increasingly common in recent years, with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) representing one of many examples of the power of foreign money. The proposed merger involving the rival PGA and LIV golf tours is one instance of the PIF’s expanding reach, something which prompted a question to Goodell about the NFL’s stance on the matter.

“We haven’t made the move as other leagues have to any kind of public investment,” Goodell said during an appearance on CNBC (via Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, on Twitter). “It’s something we’ll contemplate at some point in time, but we really like our basic model now where we have private ownership. Those owners are in the meeting room, they’re part of the league and they’re part of our success.

The level of interest shown in football by the PIF or similar entities remains unclear, so the NFL has little urgency to explore foreign investment for the time being. Developments in that regard could be worth watching closely in other North American pro leagues, however, given the fact that many NFL owners also have a controlling stake in other franchises.

The exploding value of NFL teams has been a notable trend recently and finances were a potential issue raised with the $6.05 billion purchase of the Commanders from the group led by Josh Harris. He assembled 20 minority partners to help fund the deal, but all majority owners are required to provide 30 percent of the sales price up front upon purchase. With the cost of doing so set to continue increasing considerably, the idea of foreign investors joining the league could remain a talking point for the foreseeable future, though Goodell’s remarks point to an acceptance of that being unlikely to take place soon.

ESPN spoke with NBA, NFL about 'strategic partnership,' potential ownership stakes

By Jason Clinkscales | Last updated 7/21/23

NBA commissioner Adam Silver. 

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Leaders at ESPN had early talks with the NBA and NFL about a "strategic partnership," which could lend to potential ownership stakes in the network, per Alex Sherman at CNBC.

Last week while joining other media leaders at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger told CNBC's David Farber that the company is considering selling some of its media operations but charted a different path for ESPN.

Iger said that he would be looking for a "strategic partner," but offered few details at the time other than stating that the union "could take the form of a joint venture or offloading an ownership stake."

Sherman reports that he and ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro have spoken with sports leagues about bringing them into the fold as minority owners, namely the NBA and NFL, which both have heavy presences on the network.

Whether anything comes from those conversations in the immediate future is hard to determine, but Sherman notes that any further partnership between ESPN and either or both leagues would be a boost for Disney:
The move would be a logical one for Disney as it tries to move past the traditional cable subscriber model and underscores how badly the company wants to find a solution for the sports network as its linear subscribers decline. Still, ESPN ratings have climbed in recent years on major sporting events. There’s no better partner for sports content than the leagues, themselves.

Superficially, it may make less sense for the NBA and NFL, which sign lucrative media rights deals with many media partners that fuel team revenue and player salaries with a range of media companies.

As with just about every television channel, ESPN has been greatly impacted by cord-cutting as consumers continue to give up on typically large cable packages (or cable, period) for streaming options.

Sports have been propping up live viewership for traditional media owners, yet they are also the most expensive properties in their offerings, and those costs have generally been passed down to consumers through higher subscription fees and to cable & satellite operators through affiliate fees.

Disney is also in the negotiation window with the NBA as its broadcasting rights agreement is due to expire after the 2024-25 season. The NBA is no stranger to deeper partnerships with a broadcaster as Warner Bros. Discovery manages NBA TV. The NFL is also looking for a way to offload some equity in its media properties, notably the NFL Network.

Nikolai Bukharin: Imperialism and World Economy

Cambodia holds lopsided election before historic transfer of power

Story by By Prak Chan Thul • July 22,2023

Cambodia holds lopsided election ahead of historic transfer of power

© Thomson Reuters

By Prak Chan Thul

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) -Vote counting was underway in Cambodia on Sunday in a one-sided election certain to prolong the ruling party's dominance, clearing the path for a historic leadership transition and the end of the reign of one of the world's longest-serving premiers.


Hun Manet, son of Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, attends the final Cambodian People's Party (CPP) election campaign for the upcoming general election in Phnom Penh

© Thomson Reuters

The contest was effectively a one-horse race, with Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP), a political behemoth with a vast war chest, facing no viable opponent after a ruthless, years-long crackdown on its rivals.

Polls closed with a turnout of 78.3%, according to the National Election Committee, with 7.6 million people voting in a much-criticised contest between CPP and 17 mostly obscure parties, none of which won seats in the last election in 2018. There were no Western observers.

Former Khmer Rouge guerrilla Hun Sen, 70, has led Cambodia for 38 years and has brushed off all Western concern about the election's credibility, determined to prevent any obstacle in his carefully calibrated transition to his anointed successor and eldest son, Hun Manet.



Hun Manet, son of Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, attends the final Cambodian People's Party election campaign in Phnom Penh

© Thomson Reuters

No timeframe had been given for the handover until Thursday, when the self-styled strongman signalled his son "could be" prime minister next month, depending on "whether Hun Manet will be able to do it or not". He needs to win a National Assembly seat to become prime minister, which is likely.

Elephants trudge through the jungles of eastern Cambodia    Duration 3:49  View on Watch

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON?

Hun Manet, 45, dressed in a green safari shirt, smiled and posed for selfies with supporters after voting in the capital Phnom Penh before a throng of media.

He ducked questions on the prospect of becoming premier and whether he would rule differently from his father. "No comment please, no comment please. I've just come to vote," he said in English, smiling.

Analysts had expected the transition to come mid-term, giving time for Hun Manet to earn legitimacy with the public and political elite.

"Transferring power while he is still physically and mentally well allows Hun Sen to strongly protect his son from any internal challenges," said Gordon Conochie, adjunct research fellow at La Trobe University and author of a new book on Cambodia's democracy.

"As long as Hun Sen is around, nobody will move against Hun Manet."

Hun Manet has given few media interviews and no clues over his vision for Cambodia and its 16 million people.

He earned a master's degree at New York University and a doctorate at the University of Bristol, both in economics, and attended the West Point military academy, helping him rise through the ranks of Cambodia's military to army chief and deputy armed forces commander.

Major powers will be watching closely for signs of whether Hun Manet will maintain the authoritarian status quo of his father or pursue greater liberalisation and a more Western style of democracy.

A key focus will be if he seeks to steer Cambodia out of the orbit of China and patch up ties with the United States that have perennially been strained by his father's iron-fisted approach.

Hun Manet received a rock-star reception at a big rally on Friday, where he promised a vote for the CPP was for a bright future and warned of unspecified "extremist" attempts to "destroy the election".

'PEACE AND PROSPERITY'

The rhetoric echoes that of Hun Sen in his vitriol against opponents and pre-emptive strikes since May that have included disqualifying the CPP's only meaningful rival, the Candlelight Party, over a paperwork technicality.

Authorities also banned self-exiled opposition figurehead Sam Rainsy and 16 allies from voting and contesting elections for two decades for urging Cambodians to destroy their ballots.

Some did that on Sunday, posting pictures of their ballots on social media, some with writing that disparaged Hun Sen and called him a coward. Another said "U.N. pls help".

Election committee spokesperson Hang Puthea said it was too soon to know how many invalid ballots there were. Two people had been detained, he said, for "little irregularities".

The CPP's selling point has been its rural development and ensuring peace and stability after decades of war, which helped spur average growth of more than 7% until 2019, creating jobs in garment manufacturing and construction.

"I don't really need more from the new leader," voter Nin Sinath, 58, said on Hun Sen's succession. "I have what I want now, we have peace and prosperity for the people already."

(Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Additional reporting by Chantha Lach; Writing and additional reporting by Martin Petty; Editing by Robert Birsel and William Mallard)

XYZ Films Boards North American Sales for South African Freedom Documentary ‘London Recruits’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Story by Naman Ramachandran • Variety - July 22,2023

XYZ Films Boards North American Sales for South African Freedom Documentary ‘London Recruits’ (EXCLUSIVE)© Provided by Variety


XYZ Films will represent documentary “London Recruits” for North American sales, it was revealed at the ongoing Durban FilmMart.

Directed by Gordon Main, the film sheds light on a pivotal moment in South Africa’s history. In 1970, the struggle against the apartheid government in South Africa developed a new secret weapon. Oliver Tambo hatched a plan to infiltrate young British activists into the country, posing as tourists. Their mission, in the face of brutal lockdown by the racist regime, was to help inspire ordinary South Africans to join a liberation movement that would never give up till freedom was won.

To mark the partnership, Ronnie Kasrils, now 86, the former underground African National Congress (ANC) freedom fighter at the heart of the story, participated in detonating a bucket “leaflet bomb” outside the market hotel. These were the devices deployed in 1970 by amateur secret agents that Kasrils recruited in London on orders from Tambo. The devices brought messages of hope from the banned ANC to the South African population at large.

The film is produced by Jacintha de Nobrega (“Deep End”), Robyn Slovo (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” “McMafia”), Geoff Arbourne (“Forever Pure,” “African Apocalypse”), Colin Charles (“The Surveyor”),

James Barrett (“A Change in the Weather”) and Felix Gill (“78/52″).

XYZ Films’ Todd Brown said: “XYZ couldn’t be more thrilled to be working alongside Gordon and Geoff to bring “London Recruits” to audiences. This is truly one of those so unbelievable it has to be true stories, a real-life espionage tale told with urgency, insight and style. Quite simply, it’s a remarkable story told impeccably well, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience it.”

Main added: “If you were looking for the perfect company to represent this film – XYZ would be at the top of your list. From our very first conversations with them, we could tell that they just ‘got’ the movie. Sealing the relationship here in Durban, where we shot so much of it, is a fitting tribute to the talent here on the ground in KwaZulu Natal who helped turn our story into a great film.”

de Nobrega said: “We are delighted that Todd and the cutting edge team at XYZ Films share our enthusiasm for this documentary’s creative and commercial potential. XYZ has been committed to working in South Africa for many years, so landing this deal at DFM in Durban feels like a natural next step. Together, we look forward to unveiling this extraordinary film to audiences worldwide, sparking thought-provoking conversations and leaving an indelible mark on the cinematic landscape.”

Arbourne said: “The positioning of XYZ Films in the global market is truly impressive, and it will undoubtedly take the project to new heights.”

Residential school survivors still waiting for next steps a year after papal visit

Story by Olivia Stefanovich • CBC - July 22, 2023

When Piita Irniq picked up his handmade wooden drum to perform for Pope Francis last year in Iqaluit, he was reclaiming an Inuit tradition that the Roman Catholic Church tried to erase through its residential schools.

"I wanted him to know that this is what you cut off as part of colonialism," Irniq said.

"You thought it was a witchcraft. You thought it was a pagan religion when, in fact, drum dancing has always been a celebration of life."

One year later, Irniq and many other residential school survivors are still waiting for the Roman Catholic Church to outline the next steps it wants to take in repairing its relationships with Indigenous Peoples.

"Nobody has been in touch with me from the church," Irniq said. "It's rather disappointing."


After performing a drum dance, residential school survivor Piita Irniq presents his drum to Pope Francis in the square outside Nakasuk Elementary School in Iqaluit on July 29, 2022. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)© Provided by cbc.ca

During an open air mass last year at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium, Canada's Catholic bishops made a pledge to Pope Francis.

"The bishops of Canada are fully committed to walking together with the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples," Edmonton Archbishop Richard Smith said during the July 26 event.

Although some work has been done, there is still no cohesive national plan from the bishops for working with Indigenous Peoples on reconciliation.

'The Vatican used us'

Ted Quewezance, a residential school survivor from the Keeseekoose First Nation in Saskatchewan, said he personally accepted the Pope's apology for residential schools when he delivered it on Canadian soil in Edmonton. That came after an initial apology made in Rome.

Quewezance said he tried at first to remain optimistic about residential school survivors' prospects for working with the church on reconciliation, but has only grown more frustrated since.

"I really feel I've been used as an individual," Quewezance said.

"The government used us. The Vatican used us. The bishops used us … There's not a peep out of them. It's silence."



Piita Irniq, a residential school survivor and Inuit cultural teacher, says it's disappointing that no one from the Roman Catholic Church has been in touch since last year's papal visit. (Olivia Stefanovich/CBC)© Provided by cbc.ca

Quewezance said he hasn't been able to meet with the bishops to develop a plan for how the church can move forward with survivors and address reconciliation.

"I don't think it really helped our survivors or First Nations across the country," Quewezance said.

"It's the same old, same old. It's everybody protecting their own liability."


Ted Quewezance, former chief of the Keeseekoose First Nation, wants Canadian Catholic Bishops to work with residential school survivors like him on a post-papal visit plan.

(Alexander Quon/CBC)

Although conversations have taken place between Canadian Catholic Bishops, Indigenous leaders and survivors, there have not been any official follow-ups since the papal visit.

The bishops have invited national Indigenous leaders for a meeting but it hasn't taken place yet due to scheduling issues

Bishops 'committed' to working with Indigenous people

Archbishop Smith, who oversaw the papal visit, said the work is going to take time but he remains committed to seeing it through.

"The Pope himself said that the journey is going to take a long time," Smith said.

"His visit was important, but one step … I'm certainly excited and looking forward to walking that journey."

Smith said progress is being made at the local level.



Edmonton Archbishop Richard Smith said the Pope's visit was the first step in a long journey towards reconciliation. (Jessie Wardarski/The Associated Press)

At the Sacred Heart Catholic Church of the First Peoples in Edmonton, which Pope Francis visited, cultural workshops have started between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

The bishops are working with archivists on releasing more residential school documents through a new national committee, said Smith.

He said they have raised $10 million out of a promised $30 million for reconciliation efforts, including language revitalization.

Smith said that in Edmonton, an Indigenous-led committee is asking for applications to find ways to distribute their portion of the money.

"What is key is for the bishop to show up locally, meet with Indigenous leadership," Smith said.

"It could well be that that takes different amounts of time in local areas, depending upon mutual availability, depending upon resources and these sorts of things. But to me, it's absolutely clear that the bishops are committed to doing this."

Unaddressed demands

Smith said he's encouraged by the work underway. Others say progress has been too slow.

"Just having an apology without action to help the current generations of the residential school survivors and their children is overall inappropriate," said Chelsea Brunelle, a member of Batchewana First Nation in northern Ontario.

"It's not the right way to go about reconciliation between the survivors and ancestors and current generations of genocide because we still live in a colonial society and we are still suffering."

Brunelle unfurled a large banner that said "Rescind the Doctrine" at a mass the Pope led outside Quebec City last year. She and her cousin Sarain Fox were honouring their great-aunt Mary Bell, a survivor of the Spanish Indian Residential School.

The banner is a reference to the Doctrine of Discovery, which is inspired by centuries-old papal bulls that justified the colonization, conversion and enslavement of non-Christians and the seizure of their lands. Scholars say the doctrine laid the foundation for Canada's claim to Indigenous lands and the Indian Act.

Last spring, the Vatican repudiated the doctrine by issuing a new statement.

Brunelle said it's not enough.

"There still isn't any plan to rescind the Doctrine of Discovery," Brunelle said. "That's what I would still request a year later."



Batchewana First Nation members Chelsea Brunelle and Sarain Fox unfurl a banner ahead of a mass at Saint Anne de Beaupre Basillica. 

(Sarah Levitt/CBC/Radio-Canada)

Last year, Irniq asked Pope Francis to personally intervene in the case of Johannes Rivoire, a former Oblate priest who faces charges of sexual assault in Canada.

"They have to get that man back to Canada," Irniq said. "Not doing anything is re-victimizing Rivoire's victims in Canada. That is not acceptable."

Despite international pressure led by Inuit, France is not extraditing Rivoire and it's not clear if Pope Francis has done anything to help in the case.

Even though there are still many demands left unaddressed, Irniq said he still feels inspired by the Pope's historic apology.

Now is the time, he said, for the church to work with residential school survivors on supporting victims of sexual abuse, promoting Indigenous culture and traditions, revitalizing Indigenous languages and making good on promises of financial support.

"I am willing. Inuit are willing to move forward with healing and reconciliation with the church," Irniq said.

"It's your move. It's time for you to make a move … There is no other way of doing it."

Canadian Oil CEO says too much government talking, not enough action, putting climate targets in jeopardy

Story by Elise von Scheel • Yesterday

An oil company CEO says federal and provincial governments are stuck on "academic discussions" about greenhouse gas emissions targets, putting timelines for their own goals in jeopardy.

Derek Evans, the head of Calgary-based MEG Energy, told CBC Radio's The House the lack of concrete details on climate policies are interfering with the chronology for decarbonization.

"The whole 2030 timeline, what we said we thought we could do by 2030, that starts to get risked," he said, adding the dialogue has been productive but lacking action.

Ottawa is crafting policies that would put legislative pressure on the sector to decarbonize more quickly, including an impending emissions cap and killing "inefficient" fossil fuel subsidies. An announcement on the latter is expected next week, but specifics have been scarce for years.

Canada has committed to net-zero by 2050, with an interim goal that would require oil and gas to cut 42 per cent of its greenhouse gas emissions below 2019 levels by 2030.



Canada's Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault photographed speaking in Vancouver in 2022. Ottawa is crafting policies that would put legislative pressure on the oil and gas sector to decarbonize more quickly. (REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier)© REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier

Both levels of government are feuding over 2030 targets, though they agree on the end date of 2050. Both are providing support to industry in the form of funding and tax credits, but disagree on the methods to reach a carbon-neutral economy.

"We are going to lose the next generation"

"We will lose not only the opportunity to decarbonize, we are going to lose the next generation in terms of their belief in are we actually doing what's right for the environment," Evans said.

His daughter often presses him about his work, he said, and whether oil companies are serious when it comes to climate change.

Industry titans, including MEG's partners in the Pathways Alliance that represents 95 per cent of oilsands production, have told the federal government getting to the 42-per-cent reduction goal is unrealistic by the end of the decade (In fact, they say it would take an extra five years to get there at the current pace).

The oilsands produce about 70 million tonnes of emissions annually, according to the Alberta government — about 11 per cent of Canada's total pollution output.

"At some point, if you are serious about decarbonizing the oilsands for a variety of reasons, we need to see some progress towards that," said Andrew Leach, a professor and energy and environment economist at the University of Alberta.

"But I think also … if the government is not going to recognize, for example, enhanced oil recovery as a means of carbon capture and sequestration, industry needs to know that before they can decide where to put their money."

Policies underway, but industry lacks details

The federal government has announced billions in clean energy incentives and tax credits for things like carbon capture and storage. That's what the industry wants clarity on. Alberta has also committed about $2 billion into carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) and approved 25 proposals for carbon storage hubs.

CCUS technology traps and stores pollution from production underground. Despite political and industry buzz, it hasn't been proven at a massive scale yet and remains relatively expensive.

Canadian oil and gas companies are hoping to lead the world in its development, but that's becoming a steep task as U.S. measures like the Inflation Reduction Act provide historical investments for green tech.

Canada has been floating decarbonization and carbon capture for 30 years (early mentions appear in a 1994 report on climate to the United Nations).



An oilsands plant in Fort McMurray, Alta. The federal government has announced billions in clean energy incentives and tax credits for things like carbon capture and storage. 

(Jason Franson/The Canadian Press)

"We are ready to go. We are waiting for the governments to collectively get at the table and join us and push this across the line. In my personal perspective, this is the single biggest imperative that we as people in the oil and gas business and as stewards of the land and the economy for the next generation, we absolutely need to make this happen as quickly as we can," Evans said.

Record profits prompt questions about investment

Oil companies are also coming off the most lucrative year they've ever seen.

At a time when there's money available, companies have been criticized for not investing more of their record profits into clean technology development or accelerating their commitments to existing options.

Advancing without government direction and support — and out of step with other countries like Norway — would kill the competitiveness of Canadian oil, Evans said.

"I think we would just ultimately say it's probably cheaper for us to pay the carbon tax and not abate the carbon. And then we have lost on two fronts: We have lost a global leadership opportunity … and we have not abated an iota of CO2."

A recent report commissioned by an environmental group concluded it would be significantly cheaper to meet reduction targets for greenhouse gases than it would be to pay carbon taxes on it.

Leach said the path forward depends on whether decisions are influenced more by politics or by global market and environmental factors.

That question rests largely with the industry.

"Is decarbonizing the oilsands something that has to happen for the future of the industry or is it something that has to happen so long as the current Liberal government makes it a priority," he said.

Evans remains optimistic the governments and companies can find a path forward.

"I have never heard a federal official tell me that they want to see production shut in and clearly the premier doesn't either. So with those basics, I feel we're going to be able to thread the needle here."

Undue influence? Anonymous donations to World Health Organization's new foundation raise concerns

Story by The Canadian Press • Thursday, July 20, 2023


Nearly 40% of the money raised by the WHO Foundation in its first two years came from anonymous sources, worrying some that donors may be trying to influence the World Health Organization and its role in shaping global health policy with their gifts.

The foundation, launched in 2020 to help raise private sector funds for the WHO, said it received $66 million in direct gifts through 2022, with $26 million coming from donors who chose not to be publicly named. Anil Soni, WHO Foundation CEO, told The Associated Press the foundation’s board, which includes a representative from the WHO, knows the donors' identities and that the foundation will not accept a gift if there is a conflict of interest.

“They want to be anonymous because they’re otherwise solicited or even targeted because they’re seen to be a source of wealth,” Soni said in an interview. “And I respect that.”

The foundation, which is based in Switzerland, is not required to disclose its donors.

Some global health practitioners worry anonymous donations make it harder to spot potential conflicts of interest. They say companies may donate to the foundation to influence the WHO's global health policies and reports that often have wide-ranging ramifications. For example, food and beverage companies took note last week when two branches of the WHO found that the sweetener aspartame — used in diet soda and countless foods — may be a “possible” cause of cancer.

“For the integrity of the WHO, I think it’s really important that there’s some greater transparency around this,” said Sophie Harman, professor of international politics at Queen Mary University of London, of the anonymous donations, which include a single anonymous gift of $20 million to the foundation’s operating expenses.

Private and philanthropic funding have long supported other large global health organizations like Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, but Harman said the WHO has stood out as the publicly funded body that also sets standards across all areas of health.

“This is a big step change for the WHO that it’s now doing this,” Harman said.

The bulk of the WHO’s funding comes from governments. But in 2020 with the onslaught of the pandemic and then-President Donald Trump's move to withdraw from the WHO, many hoped the WHO Foundation might generate new financing from wealthy individuals, the private sector and public fundraising campaigns.

Soni, the first leader of the foundation, has become an evangelist of sorts for bringing in new private sources of funding for the WHO. A veteran of major global health organizations like the Global Fund and the Clinton Health Access Initiative, he most recently worked eight years at the pharmaceutical company Viatris.

Soni said he is committed to transparency. The foundation published a list of donors and their donations online, including the anonymous ones. Soni pointed to the foundation’s gift acceptance and whistleblower policies as examples of how it guards against undue outside influence. It also bundles gifts to support specific work, such as the WHO’s Ukraine and COVID-19 responses.

“What they’ve set out in their gift policy is a really good start,” said Quinn Grundy, assistant professor with the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto, who has studied the interactions of industry with health systems. She also encouraged the foundation to decline gifts from donors who do not want to be publicly named.

The WHO already receives private support from major philanthropies, like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which directs much of its donations toward eradicating polio. The WHO Foundation does not aim to redirect that support, but rather motivate new donors.

Among the companies that have donated to the foundation are Meta, the parent company of Facebook, medical technology company Masimo Corp., luxury travel company DFS Group, and food giant Nestle. That donation elicited outcry from some global health professionals because of Nestle’s history of marketing baby formula. WHO guidelines advocate for breastfeeding and say that formula should be available when needed, but not be promoted.

The foundation eventually reallocated Nestle’s $2.1 million donation to the vaccine-sharing initiative COVAX rather than to the WHO’s COVID-19 response. Nestle did not comment on the donation but said it complies with national laws on marketing formula. It has also voluntarily extended a policy not to promote formula for babies up to six months to all countries, including those like the U.S. that do not have regulations, among other commitments.

“Any donor to the WHO, whether a company or a government, the entirety of what they’re doing is not necessarily going to be compliant with WHO norms and standards,” Soni said, adding that the foundation’s acceptance of those gifts should not limit the WHO’s ability to hold those countries or companies accountable.

Another new vehicle that the foundation has created is an impact investment fund, which launched last year. The Global Health Equity Fund will be run by the Israeli-venture group OurCrowd and seeks to raise $200 million to invest in “breakthrough” technologies for health care and in industries that impact health, like energy and agriculture. The foundation will not select the investments but will work with companies to make their technologies accessible and appropriate for markets in low- and middle-income countries.

Javier Guzman, director of global health policy at the Center for Global Development, thinks it is inappropriate that the WHO Foundation is involved with the development of any technology that might eventually be evaluated by the WHO, which he said has the power to shape industries and markets.

“The foundation should not be associated with any global venture firm, should not be associated with picking winners and deciding what companies and what technologies should or should not be developed,” Guzman said.

Soni responded that “The WHO Foundation does not ‘pick winners’, but we are helping to make more bets to encourage innovative solutions to save lives.”

He pointed to his experience working on access to treatments for HIV and AIDS as one motivation for the fund. While great strides have been made, he said, it generally takes years for new medications and interventions to reach poorer countries. The fund will ask the companies it invests in to make a plan to incorporate those countries into their business models.

“Too often in these debates about development, whether it’s health, education or climate, we’re focused on public capital or charitable capital,” said Soni, adding the foundation is seeking to influence return-seeking capital to be better aligned with public good.

___

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

Indigenous artifacts that may be up to 4,500 years old found in downtown Hamilton park

Story by Bobby Hristova • CBC - Jun 28, 2023

Indigenous artifacts that may be up to 4,523 years old have been found in a downtown Hamilton park, city officials say.

An archeological dig at Victoria Park, where the city is also installing a spray pad, unearthed a stemmed point and triangular point both made of stone. The city said they may be up to 4,523 and 1,523 years old, respectively. Five flint flakes were also found.

There are also artifacts that aren't Indigenous, including an 1859 Queen Victoria coin, a 16th Regiment military button made in 1860 and a carved-bone, single domino piece.

Wes Kindree, the city's landscape architectural services supervisor, said archeological work has been done at the park since 2007 because of its "rich history."

The discovery of Indigenous artifacts in early June was unexpected because the area was supposedly a "Euro-Canadian site," according to Kindree.

Within its history, the park was also home to the "glass-enclosed" Crystal Palace, which, according to the Hamilton Public Library, opened in 1860 and was "used year round for agricultural and industrial exhibits."



The archeological dig that uncovered the Indigenous artifacts was at Victoria Park, where the city is also installing a spray pad. (Bobby Hristova/CBC)© Provided by cbc.ca

It's not surprising Indigenous artifacts have been found near the city's core, said Rick Monture, a McMaster University associate professor in the departments of English, cultural and Indigenous studies.

Monture, who is also a member of the Mohawk Nation, Turtle clan, from Six Nations of the Grand River, said most towns and cities in southern Ontario were built on Indigenous villages because of their access to clean water and their esthetic qualities.

"You could probably put a shovel in any city block and find something of note," he said.

Indigenous artifacts have been found in the Red Hill Valley in Hamilton and, more recently, in the present-day Mount Albion West area.

Only licensed archeologists are allowed to investigate and excavate archeological sites, which are protected under the Ontario Heritage Act. Anyone looting or destroying the sites can face up to a $1-million fine.

Monture said the artifacts in Victoria Park may not have a tonne of cultural significance, so the city should do their due diligence but may not need to halt work for a long time.



European artifacts found at the park include a carved bone domino, alphabet ware and an 1859 Queen Victoria coin. 

(Submitted by the City of Hamilton)

"If they'd found human remains … or evidence of a village … that's one thing, but these are probably arrow points that a guy took a shot at a deer [with] and missed," he said.

Lauren Vastano, a city spokesperson, said the city contacted Huron Wendat First Nation, Six Nations of the Grand River, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and Haudenosaunee Development Institute to share the artifact findings and invite them to help with the rest of the archeological work.

Kindree said the archeological work was set for this week, but may be done next week due to the wet weather changing soil conditions.

He said the spray pad won't be open this year, but should be ready for next May.

Nova Scotia hasn’t built public housing in 30 years. Why that was a ‘huge mistake’

Story by Alex Cooke •Global News- Jun 26, 2023

Ahern Manor, a public housing building, is seen on Gottingen Street in Halifax on June 21, 2023.© Alex Cooke/Global News

As Nova Scotia continues to grapple with affordability and housing crises, experts are questioning the government’s failure to build new public housing units in nearly three decades.

“If you consider housing as a human right – as a basic foundational structure for your citizenship – yes, it’s a huge mistake,” said Jeff Karabanow, a professor at Dalhousie University and the co-director of Dal’s Social Work Community Clinic.

Public housing is residential space owned and operated by the government, with rent based on a household’s income rather than market rates. It is one part of the “social housing” sector, which also includes co-op and non-profit housing.

Nova Scotia has around 11,200 public housing units and the average age of the structures is 42 years. The last significant public housing project was completed in 1995.

Karabanow said across the country, public housing construction dwindled after the federal government ended a funding partnership with the provinces in 1993.

At the time, he said, the sentiment was that the private market would step in and provide forms of housing for all – part of the “trickle-down economics platform that rarely materializes,” he said.

It didn’t materialize in this case.

“We’ve seen huge increases of people living on the streets; we’ve seen huge increases of folks that are in core housing need,” said Karabanow.

“We’re seeing lots of segments of low-income and middle-income populations that are struggling to find any form of housing.”

More public housing the ‘only way forward’

While Nova Scotia’s housing crunch reached peak crisis levels during COVID-19, advocates say they have been concerned about the dwindling affordable housing supply for years.

“Even pre-COVID, we were extremely concerned with the levels of folks that were on the streets that had nowhere left to go,” said Karabanow. “And that kind of was the beginning of really seeing the outcrop of a disinvestment in any form of social or public housing mechanism.”

There were 4,790 applicants waiting for a public housing unit as of January 2023 – the most recent data made available by the province – a figure representing more than 40 per cent of the total public housing units in the province.

The January numbers are actually a 30 per cent reduction from June 2022, when there were 6,625 applicants on the waitlist.

The province attributes the decrease in part to IT upgrades, as well as a “strong focus” on unit turnaround – “that is, getting vacant units back in service quickly once someone has moved out.”

“We are cautiously optimistic to see the number of applicants on our waitlist decreasing, but the list is fluid and can change,” a spokesperson for the Department of Housing said in a statement.

There is an average two-year wait time to get into a public housing unit, though the statement said that includes both ends of the “wait time spectrum” and most clients wait for a unit for less than two years.

Wait times can vary because clients can either wait for specific communities or buildings, or broaden their options and get in quicker.

The province has said it has no plans to build new public housing units, instead focusing its efforts on improving its current public housing stock.

“We know our units are aging and we are making historical and record investments to improve and preserve them,” the Department of Housing statement said.

“Over the next four years, the province will invest over $50 million in capital funding for major repairs and maintenance. Together with operational funding, we will spend approximately $56 million on public housing this year alone.

“This investment will touch over 7,700 units; more than two-thirds of our public housing portfolio.”

But Karabanow said the province should be doing both – maintaining existing units while also building new public housing units to address demand.

“It’s the only way forward,” he said.

Core housing need

According to the 2021 Statistics Canada census, one-in-10 Nova Scotia households were considered to be in core housing need – households who “live in an unsuitable, inadequate or unaffordable dwelling and cannot afford alternative housing in their community.” An unaffordable dwelling is defined as a household that spends more than 30 per cent of their income on housing.

The difference in core housing needs between those who own their homes and those who rent is staggering. While five per cent of Nova Scotia homeowners were described as being in core housing need, that number is 20 per cent for renters.

Once known as a province with relatively low housing prices, Nova Scotia has seen its rent prices explode in recent years. Last year, Halifax had the highest year-over-year increase in rent prices out of all Canadian cities.

According to the latest national report from Rentals.ca, the average price of a one-bedroom apartment in Halifax was $1,855 in June, with two-bedroom apartments going for an average of $2,141.

Ren Thomas, an associate professor at Dalhousie’s School of Planning whose research focuses on rental housing policy, non-profit and co-op housing, said there isn’t enough rental housing in general.

She said the percentage of households seeking to rent in Nova Scotia is increasing because homeownership is getting increasingly out of reach.

“There’s always been an assumption that people would only need these options (rentals) for a short time … that it’s just kind of a temporary thing and eventually people will own houses,” she said.

“Across most advanced economies, it’s not the case anymore.”

Video: Not enough homes for renters

While many Canadian cities have set records in the past few years for housing construction, rental housing is still nowhere near keeping up with demand. And the housing that is being built just isn’t attainable for many people on low-to-moderate incomes.

“Most governments are not planning for the people they have. They’re planning for the people they want to have, and they want to have high-income people,” Thomas explained.

“They don’t want people who earn very little.”

However, she noted that those at the lower end of the income spectrum – such as those working in retail and grocery – are “definitely essential to how our cities function” and are just as deserving of a home.

“It’s a very weak link between the actual households that live here, and the units that are being built.”

The increasing unaffordability of rental housing is driving the demand for public and other forms of low-income housing, but there just isn’t enough supply.

Thomas said in addition to the stagnating public housing stock, there’s also been little growth in the non-profit and co-operative housing sectors, which can provide more affordable options for different groups like those fleeing domestic violence and people with disabilities.

“So housing for all of those groups has really decreased in the last 30 years, 40 years, really. And that’s something that the private market doesn’t provide very well,” she said.

“Private market developers are great at providing housing for anyone in the top, let’s say, 20 per cent of incomes, but not so great at providing it for anyone else.”

In a May 2021 report, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives recommended the province build or acquire 33,490 non-market rental units by developing and funding a 10-year plan to expand the stock of permanently affordable, non-profit and co-op housing.

“Providing shelter predominantly via the private marketplace is at odds with shelter being both a human right and a major social determinant of health, particularly considering the extent to which households live in poverty in Nova Scotia,” the report said.

According to data from the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia, there were 921 actively homeless people in the Halifax area as of June 20 – an increase of nearly 300 since this time last year.

Both Karabanow and Thomas noted that housing affordability issues are being seen across the country, not just in Nova Scotia.

When ‘affordable’ housing isn’t affordable

The National Housing Strategy – a 10-year, $82-billion plan introduced in 2017 – is touted as the “largest and most ambitious federal housing program in Canadian history.”

Through a number of different programs and initiatives, the strategy provides funding for developers, municipalities and provinces to construct new housing and modernize existing units.

The National Housing Strategy website said the federal government is “re-engaging in affordable housing,” and the strategy “provides a platform for the public, private and non-profit sectors to come together.”

But the strategy doesn’t make clear what exactly “affordable housing” means.

Video: Advocates call for public housing funding in Halifax amid skyrocketing rent

A Parliamentary Budget Office report from February 2023 noted that there is “no standard definition of affordability” in the National Housing Strategy – “rather, each program uses its own unique definition, which can lead to the construction of units presented as ‘affordable’ but which in reality may require households to devote more than 30 per cent of their income to housing.”

One of its major programs, the Rental Construction Financing Initiative, assesses affordability relative to median before-tax income at the family level in a given census metropolitan area, which “does not account for the fact that renters generally have lower incomes than homeowners.”

“With this definition, ‘affordable’ rent can be much higher than what renters can afford based on their income.”

Meanwhile, the strategy’s National Housing Co-Investment Fund defines affordable rent as rent that is less than or equal to 80 per cent of median market rent.

This could “lead to the creation of units that are unaffordable for Canadians, since it is possible to pay below-market rent and still spend more than 30 per cent of household income on rent.”

And the Rapid Housing Initiative defines affordable as less than 30 per cent of gross income for targeted groups. The report said these units are “likely to be more affordable” than units supported by the previous two programs.

Video: N.S. to help create 24 housing units in Annapolis Valley

Karabanow said these varying definitions of affordability can muddy the waters when it comes to creating affordable housing for those who need it the most.

“We can’t forget extremely low-income assistance rates here, extremely low minimum-wage rates here as well. That all impacts this idea of affordability,” he said.

“So the idea of keeping it at 30 per cent of somebody’s income, at least that metes out a more universal sense to what people can afford or not.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, which oversees the National Housing Strategy, said more than 175 units of permanent, affordable units were created across Nova Scotia in the first two rounds of the Rapid Housing Initiative – which are priced based on income rather than market rates.

The federal government will also invest $1.5 billion in developing new co-op housing, which will be the largest investment in co-op housing in 30 years.

“To ensure affordability for everyone, we need a drastic increase in housing supply, particularly rental, and more supply of social and affordable housing,” the statement said.

More than $500 million will also be distributed through the multilateral Housing Partnership Framework to “protect, renew and expand community housing.”

More units, more money

Thomas said while the National Housing Strategy provides some money to help maintain and refurbish existing public housing units, there’s “very little set aside for actual construction of new, affordable units.”

After the federal government froze funding for new public housing back in the 90s, some areas – such as Quebec, B.C., and Ontario – have been working on expanding their own social and public housing projects.

But taking the lead on public housing is more of a challenge in a smaller, less populous province like Nova Scotia, which has less money to go around.

“Building housing is extremely expensive. The average cost of building an apartment unit – it varies, but it’s somewhere in the range of $200,000 per unit,” Thomas said. “And maintaining even a public housing unit … (is) pretty much in the range of $20,000, $25,000 per unit per year.”

Video: Halifax mayor wants long-term plan to address affordable housing

But Thomas said another thing to consider is the impact of homelessness and core housing needs on other areas of public spending, such as health care.

“If someone has a stable place to live, they use the health-care system less, their health is better, their mental health is better,” she said.

“We should be thinking this way, as Canadians, because we have a public health-care system … if people don’t have stable housing, their health is often the first thing that is more precarious.”

Karabanow noted that governments have “dumped huge amounts of money in emergency, Band-Aid approaches” like shelters, rather than “taking the leap” and investing in sustainable long-term approaches like accessible, truly affordable housing.

He acknowledged it wouldn’t be easy.

“Spending money for any government is not seen as a very viable platform for re-election,” he said. “It just isn’t the way that politics and elections allow for any type of far-reaching and deeper foresight.”

Video: ‘Huge amounts’ of money going to ‘Band-Aid approaches’

Maintaining and improving existing stock

In an interview, Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister John Lohr said Nova Scotia has one of the highest concentrations of public housing units in the country, with about 11 units per thousand people.

“We’ve got a very good stock of public housing in terms of the numbers, but we know we have a lot of need to maintain and improve it,” he said.

The province’s public housing stock is managed by the Nova Scotia Provincial Housing Agency, a Crown corporation created last year following a damning auditor general report that found the stock was poorly managed by the province’s five former housing authorities.

Lohr noted the province is spending $50 million over the next four years to improve its current public housing stock and upgrade its management system, which was called for in the auditor general report and in a 2021 report by the Affordable Housing Commission, which Thomas worked on.

“We’re reorganizing everything on the human side, and we’re also changing the organization on how we renovate them and update them, and how we track them, and how we manage the whole stock of public housing,” he said.

Video: Nova Scotia plans to create single Crown corporation to oversee public housing

While the province is firm on its decision to not build new public housing, Lohr said the province is helping to expand its non-profit and cooperative housing sector.

He said in recent years, their efforts have touched about a thousand non-profit and co-op housing units through programs such as Compass, the Housing Trust of Nova Scotia, and the Land for Housing Initiative.

He couldn’t say how many of those units were rent-geared-to-income but said they were a mix of different options with more affordable rates.

In terms of “affordable” units going for 80 per cent of market value – a figure typically touted on housing announcements in Nova Scotia – Lohr said it “doesn’t work for some people, but for those it works for, it’s incredibly important.”

“We’re interacting in just a really broad number of ways in the housing crisis,” he said.

A ‘wicked problem’

Karabanow said while it’s “very, very important” for the province to invest in things like land trusts and co-ops, they make up a smaller proportion of the social housing sector and can be a “huge burden” for non-profits and other entities to run.

He said in order to truly diversify communities and create healthy, mixed-use neighbourhoods as the province’s population grows, more public housing units are desperately needed.

“Government’s role in a pluralistic society is to provide for all, where we see deep, deep gaps,” he said.

“I can’t think of a larger, wicked problem now, as sociologists call it, than our housing structures.”