Remission from HIV-1 infection: discovery of broadly neutralizing antibodies that contribute to virus control

Peer-Reviewed Publication

INSTITUT PASTEUR

 

IMAGE: ANTIBODY FRAGMENTS OF EPCT112 BNAB (BLUE) DISCOVERED AT THE INSTITUT PASTEUR BY HUGO MOUQUET'S TEAM, HERE FORMING A COMPLEX WITH THE HIV-1 ENVELOPE PROTEIN (ENV) (SHOWN IN YELLOW AND ORANGE) view more 

CREDIT: (C) INSTITUT PASTEUR / HUGO MOUQUET

Some HIV-1 carriers who have received an early antiretroviral treatment during several years are able to control the virus for a long term after treatment interruption. However, the mechanisms enabling this post-treatment control have not been fully elucidated. For the first time, teams of scientists from the Institut Pasteur, Inserm and the Paris Public Hospital Network (AP-HP), supported by ANRS | Emerging Infectious Diseases, have investigated and revealed how neutralizing antibodies, including those described as broadly neutralizing, contribute to virus control. These key findings were published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe on July 10, 2023. A clinical trial involving the use of broadly neutralizing antibodies should begin in France before the end of 2023.

"Post-treatment controllers" is the term used to describe the rare HIV-1 carriers who, having initiated treatment early and maintained it for several years, are able to control the virus for years after that the treatment has been discontinued. These individuals were identified several years ago in part through the VISCONTI[1] study, which assembled the largest cohort of long-term post-treatment controllers in France. Although the mechanisms of viral control enabling the long-term remission from HIV-1 infection without antiretroviral therapy have not been fully elucidated, the identification of these cases provides a unique opportunity to refine our understanding of the factors associated to HIV-1 infection control.

A study conducted by the Institut Pasteur's Humoral Immunology Unit led by Dr. Hugo Mouquet in collaboration with the team led by Dr. Asier Sáez-Cirión, Head of the Institut Pasteur's Viral Reservoirs and Immune Control Unit, is now contributing to efforts to describe these mechanisms in more detail. Asier Saéz-Cirión explains: "Our investigation published in 2020 on the immune response in post-treatment controllers marked a major first step in demonstrating an effective and robust antibody response to HIV-1 in some of these individuals, which may contribute to this control[2].This knowledge has now been further advanced by our new study. By investigating the role of antibodies in a specific "post-treatment controller" case with particularly high serum levels of broadly neutralizing antibodies, we discovered that remission was probably linked to the activity of this type of antibodies."

Hugo Mouquet describes the discovery: "Our study describes for the first time in a post-treatment controller a family of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) targeting the HIV-1 envelope protein, of which the antibody EPTC112 is one of the most active member."

The antibody EPTC112 neutralizes about a third of the 200 viral variants of HIV-1[3] tested in vitro and is able to induce the elimination of infected cells in the presence of natural killer (NK) cells, the immune cells eliminating abnormal cells in the body.

This study therefore provides important insights on how neutralizing antibodies modify the course of HIV-1 infection in this individual from the VISCONTI cohort. Although the HIV-1 virus circulating in this subject was found to be resistant to EPTC112 neutralization due to mutations in the region targeted by this antibody, it was effectively neutralized by other antibody populations isolated from the blood of the individual. Hence, the study suggests that neutralizing antibodies from the EPTC112 family impose a selective pressure on the HIV-1 virus. Although the virus escaped the action of these bNAbs, it remained susceptible to the neutralization by other anti-HIV-1 antibodies produced in this individual. This observation suggests the existence of a cooperation between the various populations of neutralizing antibodies.

"The fact that we discovered a potential link between the production of neutralizing antibodies, including bNAbs, and the HIV-1 control is exciting to better understand the underlying mechanisms of viral control, particularly by studying additional post-treatment controllers with similar profiles. Indeed, we wish to continue investigating on a short term whether the antibody responses in other 'post-treatment' controllers also contribute to long-term remission from the infection," explains Hugo Mouquet.

This discovery paves the way for new avenues of HIV-1 therapy and fuels hopes of therapeutic approaches for increasing the chances of remission without antiretroviral treatment through the use of broadly neutralizing antibodies. To this end, a clinical trial involving the administration of broadly neutralizing antibodies[4] should begin in France before the end of 2023.

"This Phase II trial conducted by the ANRS RHIVIERA consortium through a partnership between the Institut Pasteur, AP-HP, Inserm and the Rockefeller University in New York, will investigate the combination of an antiretroviral therapy in the primary infection phase with two long-acting HIV-1 bNAbs versus placebo to determine whether these antibodies contribute to establishing viral remission after antiretroviral treatment discontinuation. 69 patients in the primary HIV-1 infection[5] phase are planned to be enrolled. They will first receive a short-term antiretroviral treatment, followed by a therapy with the two bNAbs targeting two different regions of the virus envelope protein. It will be possible to stop therapy after a year of close monitoring based on a detailed set of criteria. This trial will enable us to determine whether this therapeutic strategy is able to induce a sufficient immune response to control the infection after the discontinuation of antiretroviral therapy," concludes Hugo Mouquet.

 

###

 

[1] HIV: The Antibodies of "Post-treatment Controllers"

[2] Transient viral exposure drives functionally coordinated humoral immune responses in HIV-1 post-treatment controllers study, Nature Communication, April 11, 2022

[3] There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2 that differ from each other at molecular level. Variants occurring within these two types exhibit different levels of transmissibility, virulence and immunogenicity due to the various mutations associated with them.

[4] https://rhiviera.com/project/anrs-rhiviera-02/

[5] Primary infection: early phase of HIV-1 infection during which the viral load is high. The HIV virus invades the body, attacking the immune system and destroying its CD4 lymphocyte reservoirs.

 

 

---

JOURNAL

Cell Host & Microbe

DOI

10.1016/j.chom.2023.06.006 

ARTICLE TITLE

Anti-V1/V3-glycan broadly HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies in a post-treatment controller

 

Space project to tackle air pollution and weather forecasting

Grant and Award Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF SURREY

The UK’s largest regional space cluster, Space South Central, has won funding from the UK Space Agency for an international project to develop a new Earth observation mission to help Singapore manage climate change. 

The project, which is led by the University of Surrey, will focus on monitoring air pollution and atmospheric weather forecasting. The project aims to better measure climate change and inform disaster response in Singapore, although the findings will also benefit wider regions. Space South Central will work with counterparts in Singapore to develop critical instrumentation which can obtain data vital to understanding the challenges and impact presented by climate change. 

Global climate change is a national priority for Singapore, which is often impacted by high levels of air pollution, particularly when wildfires in neighbouring countries cause haze. The growing population and economy are increasing water demand and putting pressure on the water supply, which is vulnerable to climate change.  

The University of Surrey’s Dr William Lovegrove, who leads on international liaison for Space South Central, said:  

“We are thrilled to have been awarded this project by the UK Space Agency and are excited at the prospect of further deeper collaboration with our partners in Singapore. This project, developing critical instrumentation for climate change monitoring, encompasses so much of the newly-announced National Space Strategy by unlocking growth through international collaboration.  

“We would like to express our gratitude to our Singaporean project partners for their commitment to this endeavour. By combining our expertise and resources, we anticipate creating a new scientific satellite mission that not only addresses global challenges but also fosters stronger ties between our nations in the context of this significant trade agreement.” 

 The project will incorporate innovative electronic propulsion technology, state-of-the-art onboard AI processing technology, next-generation sensors enabled by quantum technology, and miniaturised timing mechanisms. These will form a very low-earth-orbit constellation to contribute to the sustainable use of space and address critical environmental issues like air pollution and weather forecasting. 

The project also involves Singapore’s Office for Space Technology & Industry (OSTIn), Singapore’s Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*Star), National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University. In the UK, it also involves the two other Space South Central cluster Universities of Southampton and Portsmouth and Twinparadox Ltd. 

Dr Chris Bridges, Principal Investigator for the project from Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey, said: 

“The cluster team has been working closely with experts in Singapore to understand what’s needed to help the island country cope with climate change. The cutting-edge and disruptive technologies emerging from the Universities of Surrey, Portsmouth and Southampton are combining to solve problems.”  

Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said: 

“Working with other space agencies and organisations across the globe through our International Bilateral Fund allows us to draw on skills that enhance our homegrown expertise and capabilities, drive up investment in the UK, and support world-class science and discovery. Projects such as the University of Surrey’s work with Singapore to advance sustainability and scientific sensors highlight the many ways in which we can collaborate with the global space community to help humanity push the boundaries of space innovation and unlock commercial opportunities that will benefit our economy now and in the future.” 

The project is worth nearly £75,000 and secured funding from the UK Space Agency’s International Bilateral Fund.     

Antimicrobial resistance poses threat in all 35 countries in the Americas

More than 43% of infection-related deaths in the region were tied to AMR

Peer-Reviewed Publication

INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH METRICS AND EVALUATION

SEATTLE, Wash. August 8, 2023 – 569,000 deaths were linked to bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in all 35 countries of the WHO Region of the Americas, according to a new peer-reviewed paper published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas. This analysis on the burden of AMR in the Americas is the most comprehensive yet for the region, providing data for 35 countries, 23 bacterial pathogens, and 88 pathogen-drug combinations.

 

The study estimates more than two of every five deaths (569,000) that involved infection in the Americas in 2019 were associated with AMR; that’s 11.5% of the global deaths associated with AMR. Associated deaths refer to drug-resistant infections that contributed to someone’s death, but resistance may or may not have been a factor as the person might have had other underlying conditions that were also responsible for their death. 141,000 deaths were attributable to AMR, making up 11.1% of the total global deaths attributable to AMR. Attributable deaths are those in which people died precisely because their resistant infections were not treatable; in these cases, AMR is considered the cause of the death.

 

The four AMR-related infectious syndromes causing the most fatalities in the region were bacterial respiratory infections (293,000 deaths), bloodstream infections (266,000 deaths), intra-abdominal infections (181,000 deaths), and urinary tract infections (80,000 deaths). They accounted for 89% of deaths due to bacterial infection.

 

The six deadliest pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii. These pathogens were responsible for 452,000 deaths associated with AMR.

 

The five countries with the highest mortality rates associated with AMR were Haiti, Bolivia, Guatemala, Guyana, and Honduras. The countries with the lowest mortality rates associated with AMR were Canada, the US, Colombia, Cuba, Panama, Costa Rica, Chile, Venezuela, Uruguay, and Jamaica. The rankings by attributable mortality rate were generally similar, with Haiti having the highest mortality rate and Canada having the lowest.

 

AMR death rates by age for both associated and attributable burden had a similar pattern across countries. The estimates showed high rates of death among newborns followed by near zero rates in children under 5. Mortality slowly climbed until about age 65, at which point rates dramatically increased.

The highest death rates among newborns were in Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname, and Venezuela. Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Canada, Chile, and Costa Rica had the lowest AMR death rates among newborns.

 

The nine countries with the highest mortality rates associated with AMR all either did not have an AMR National Action Plan (NAP) or had not published their AMR NAP. National action plans detail the ways in which governments can strive toward achieving the five objectives of the global action plan on antimicrobial resistance published by the World Health Organization. Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and the US were four of the five countries that had both published their AMR NAP and financed the plan in at least one year since 2018. They had some of the lowest AMR mortality rates.

 

“Bacteria have developed resistance against the medicines we invented to kill them, and these pathogens are instead killing people at rates that are higher than HIV/AIDS or malaria,” said co-author and researcher Lucien Swetschinski, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). “If policymakers, clinicians, scientists, and even the general public don’t implement new measures now, this global health crisis will worsen and could become uncontrollable.”

 

AMR-associated infections were the third leading cause of death in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, and Peru, after cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms, and fourth in 22 other American countries.

 

“Our research shows which countries in the Americas differed by type of infection, pathogen, antibiotic resistance, and age. That’s important information that will help those in power to take the necessary steps to enact new policies, improve sanitation, and develop new treatments to stop AMR in its tracks,” said co-author and researcher Dr. Gisela Robles Aguilar, University of Oxford. “We must also make a concerted effort globally, regionally, and locally to develop a strong surveillance network that keeps experts informed about what’s working and what’s not.”

 

In countries with high rates of infectious deaths (e.g., from pneumonia, sepsis, meningitis), such as Haiti, Bolivia, and Peru, infection prevention and control could result in the greatest reduction in AMR burden. For countries with many resistant deaths among infectious deaths, such as Chile, Mexico, and Peru, strict AMR stewardship and surveillance are necessary.

 

After the global burden of bacterial AMR estimates were published in January 2022, IHME launched an interactive visualization tool to help raise awareness about the growing public health crisis. Two more peer-reviewed papers were also published: country-level estimates for the WHO European Region in The Lancet Public Health and the 33 bacterial pathogens in The Lancet. Researchers are preparing to release additional papers.

 

IHME also produced policy briefs for each of the 204 countries and territories studied. They are available online to help policymakers gain a better understanding of AMR’s toll and the strategies that could help reduce death and disability.

 

The findings were produced by the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) Project, a partnership between IHME and Oxford, supported by the UK Fleming Fund, the Wellcome Trust, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

 

Researchers will present their findings at a panel session titled An Emerging Threat: AMR Burden at the Country Level at the World AMR Congress in Philadelphia, September 7-8.

 

Journalists can access the article and appendix

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667193X23001357/fulltext

---

JOURNAL

The Lancet Regional Health - Americas

DOI

10.1016/j.lana.2023.100561 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

ARTICLE TITLE

The burden of antimicrobial resistance in theAmericas in 2019: a cross-country systematic analysis

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

8-Aug-2023

After a glacial dam outburst destroyed homes in Alaska, a look at the risks of melting ice masses

After a glacial dam outburst destroyed homes in Alaska, a look at the risks of melting ice masses

 

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — People in Alaska's capital have lived for more than a decade with periodic glacial dam outbursts like the one that destroyed at least two homes over the weekend.

But the most recent flood was surprising for how quickly the water moved as the surging Mendenhall River devoured riverbanks, undermining and damaging homes, and prompted some residents to flee.

Here are some issues surrounding glaciers and the floods that result from the bursting of snow-and-ice dams.

WHAT CAUSED THE FLOODING IN JUNEAU?

The water came from a side basin of the spectacular but receding Mendenhall Glacier that is known as the Suicide Basin. The glacier acts as a dam for precipitation and melt from the nearby Suicide Glacier that collects in the basin during the spring and summer. Eventually the water gushes out from under the Mendenhall Glacier and into Mendenhall Lake, from which it flows down the Mendenhall River.

Such glacial dam outbursts have been occurring in the area since 2011, but often the water releases more slowly, typically over a few days, said Eran Hood, a University of Alaska Southeast professor of environmental science.

Lake and streamflow levels reached record highs during Saturday's flooding in Juneau, which is home to about 30,000 people and has numerous homes and popular hiking trails near the meandering Mendenhall River.

IS CLIMATE CHANGE TO BLAME?

Climate change is melting glaciers. A study released this year suggested significant melting by the end of this century amid current climate change trends, and a separate report indicated that glaciers in parts of the Himalayas are melting at unprecedented rates.

But the relationship between the changing climate and glacial outburst floods like the one in Juneau is complicated, scientists say.

The basin where the rain and meltwater collect was formerly covered by Suicide Glacier, which used to contribute ice to the Mendenhall Glacier. Smaller glaciers, like Suicide Glacier, respond more rapidly to changes in climate and the retreat of Suicide Glacier exposed the basin, Hood said.

But the floods that occur “really have nothing to do with climate change and glacier melt directly,” he said.

“The phenomenon itself is caused by climate, but the individual floods don't have anything to do with climate because they're basically just the case where water is filling up a basin and then draining at some point during the summer,” he said.

HOW UNUSUAL ARE THESE FLOODS?

These events aren't new and happen in places around the world, threatening about 15 million people globally, according to researchers. There's an Icelandic term for them, jökuhlaups.

But they're not something many in the U.S. think about — even in Alaska, which is home to the bulk of U.S. glaciers, many of them remote.

One challenge with glacial dam outbursts is that the severity and timing can vary from year to year, researchers said.

Celeste Labedz, an environmental seismologist at the University of Calgary, said glaciers are dynamic. For example, as the long-retreating Mendenhall Glacier continues to melt, a process aided by the warming climate, it's possible it will someday no longer block the basin and flooding from that basin will no longer be a concern. But there's also potential for new basins to form, she said.

“As a glacier is thinning and retreating and changing, you can see some floods are going to stop happening and new ones are going to start happening. It's a variable system,” Labedz said.

WHAT HAPPENS AS GLACIERS MELT?

In addition to flooding risks, glacial loss can mean diminished water supplies in parts of the world and could affect such things as agriculture and tourism.

Alaska is a bucket-list destination for visitors drawn by wild landscapes such as mountains and craggy glaciers that spectacularly calve into lakes or the ocean.

Glaciers cover about 33,000 square miles (85,000 square kilometers) of the state, and annual ice loss from glaciers in Alaska would be enough to cover Texas in 4 inches (10 centimeters) of water, said Christian Zimmerman, director of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Alaska Science Center.

Retreat of glaciers can also affect ecosystems, including salmon habitat, something researchers are hoping to better understand.

Becky Bohrer, The Associated Press

Tough road ahead for Australia’s landmark Indigenous referendum as support dips

Story by By Praveen Menon •

 Launch of a campaign for constitutional recognition of Australia's indigenous people in Adelaide

FIRST NATIONS PEOPLE IN NORTH AMERICA DO THE SAME SMUDGING CEREMONY USING LOCAL SWEETGRASS (SAGE)

By Praveen Menon

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A referendum to constitutionally recognise Australia's Indigenous people would fail if held now, opinion polls out this week show, adding pressure on the government to improve its messaging before the date of the vote is announced.

Australians will vote in a landmark referendum later this year on whether they support altering the constitution to include a "Voice to Parliament", an Indigenous committee to advise parliament on matters affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people.


FILE PHOTO: Launch of a campaign for constitutional recognition of Australia's indigenous people in Adelaide© Thomson Reuters

Supporters argue voting yes will help mend fraught ties with the Aboriginal community and "unite the nation", while recognising the 65,000 year-old culture will bring progress for Indigenous health, education, employment and housing.

Some opponents, however, argue the move would hand excessive powers to the Indigenous body, while others have described it as tokenism and toothless.

A Guardian poll this week showed more Australians are planning to vote no in the referendum than yes, a first in the survey. Other polls also showed a majority in most states will vote against the constitutional change.

"My prediction is that only 46% will vote yes, and therefore it will go down in flames," said Matt Qvortrup, a visiting professor of constitutional law at the ANU College of Law and a global expert on referendums. "Typically in referendums there are issues that people aren't familiar with. And when people are not familiar with an issue they get a little bit of anxious, and then they vote no to them."

Parties on both sides of a debate released official pamphlets last month, and are holding road shows about the upcoming vote.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he is undeterred by the poor polling numbers.

"I believe Australia is ready," he said in a radio interview on Wednesday, which marked World Indigenous Day.

"We are the only former colony in the world that hasn't recognised its first peoples. And what this is about is a very simple proposition. It recognises Indigenous people in our Constitution."

"And secondly, it's about listening to Aboriginal people through an advisory body, because you get better results when you listen to people who are directly affected."

Australia has no treaty with its Indigenous people, who make up about 3.2% of its near 26 million population and track below national averages on most socio-economic measures.

IMAGE TARNISHED

The issue of granting Aboriginal communities more say flared again this week, when the West Australia state government overturned new cultural heritage protection laws. Laws were changed after the destruction of ancient rock shelters in 2020 sparked outrage, but were criticised by landowners as unworkable.

Getting constitutional change is even more difficult in Australia. The referendum must gain more than 50% of votes nationwide, and a majority of voters in at least four of the six states must back the change.

In the past there have been 44 proposals for constitutional change in 19 referendums, and only eight of these have passed.

Albanese has said the referendum will be held between October and December, but has given no fixed date.

The government has staked significant political capital the referendum's success, while top sporting codes, major corporations and welfare groups have proclaimed support for the campaign.

The 'NO' campaign did not respond to Reuters request for comment, but campaign head and Indigenous leader Warren Mundine has slammed big corporations for backing the proposal and said the Voice to Parliament will just adds another layer of bureacracy.

"YES" Campaign Director Dean Parkin said 40% Australians are still undecided and there was "plenty of time" to engage them.

A failed referendum would "not look good" for Australia's international image, but need not necessarily be bad for Albanese who could emerge as a leader who stands for the modern Australia, Qvortrup said.

"Australian prime ministers who lose referendums win elections."

($1 = 1.5225 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Lincoln Feast)

Religious group sues Quebec government for blocking event over abortion concerns

IT'S A RIGHT WING POLITICAL LOBBY 

NOT A RELIGIOUS GROUP

© Provided by The Canadian Press

QUEBEC — A Christian group announced Wednesday it is suing the Quebec government after the tourism minister cancelled a religious gathering last June at a publicly owned convention centre because she assumed the event would promote anti-abortion views.

British Columbia-based Harvest Ministries International filed a motion in Quebec Superior Court against Minister Caroline Proulx, the convention centre and Quebec's attorney general. 

The court filing, dated Aug. 2, argues that the cancellation of the "Faith, Fire and Freedom" rally was a violation of the group's Charter rights to non-discrimination and to freedom of religion, expression, opinion, and peaceful assembly. The group is asking for more than $200,000 in compensation for moral and material loss, and for punitive damages. It is also asking for a declaration that its rights were unjustly interfered with.

In early June, Proulx cancelled a 10-day event at the Quebec City Convention Centre by Harvest Ministries International only weeks before it was set to begin. Proulx explained her decision by stating that the event would promote anti-abortion views, which she said are contrary to the core values of Quebec.

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of Harvest Ministries International, said the religious group is claiming damages for "ending the rental agreement without notice, and for the unconstitutional and unjustified infringement of its Charter freedom of expression and its right to be free from religious discrimination."

"It is simply not acceptable that anyone should suffer discrimination at the hands of government on account of religion or political opinion," the centre's president, John Carpay, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Quebec Premier François Legault supported Proulx's decision to cancel the event, stating in June that the province wasn't going to allow "anti-abortion groups to put on big shows in public places."

Proulx's office declined to comment Wednesday because the lawsuit is before the courts.

In the court filing, the group says that while it holds and defends "pro-life positions," the cancelled event had no items on its program related to abortion.

"That said, this lawsuit is not about the merits of Harvest's views on abortion, but rather about the fundamental rights of Harvest, its members and followers, to live out their faith, to express themselves politically and to assemble peacefully without state hindrance," the court filing says.

In a statement, Pastor Art Lucier said the rally was intended to be "a Christian event of reconciliation between Canada’s founding peoples."

The lawsuit claims that the organizers tried to find another space after the cancellation but were turned down by 43 more venues due to lack of availability or "fear of controversy." 

They say the rallies are their main source of revenue and are usually fully offset by donations. While they eventually put on an "impromptu event" in a smaller room, they say the cancellation resulted in a net loss of $137,647. The group is claiming that amount from the government, as well as $25,000 for moral loss and $50,000 for punitive damages.

Quebec’s human rights commission criticized the government's decision back in June, noting that freedom of expression is an "essential pillar of a democratic society," even when it comes to unpopular or controversial ideas.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 9, 2023.

— By Morgan Lowrie in Montreal.

The Canadian Press

Edmonton residents fight proposed apartment complex overlooking Riverdale

Story by Natasha Riebe • CBC

A group of Edmonton residents is trying to stop a six-storey apartment building from being built in the Quarters on a hill overlooking the river valley.

The proposed 25-unit complex was approved by the city in June. It's slated to be built at 9321 101A Avenue, next to a row of Artspace Housing Co-operative townhouses and across the street from the Artspace co-op apartment complex. 

The narrow lot is at the top of a steep hill above Rowland Road called the Riverdale Lookout.

Lorna Thomas lives down the hill from the site in the Riverdale neighbourhood. Her brother, Ken Thomas, has cerebral palsy and lives in the Artspace co-op apartments. 

Thomas has several concerns about the proposed development, including construction noise, the stability of the hill and vehicle and pedestrian access to the Artspace being blocked. 

"A really noisy environment is very detrimental to one's health and when it goes on for weeks and months. It would be really difficult for anybody," she said. 

"In this case, I think it would be particularly disruptive because some of the folks who live in these accessible apartments are struggling with difficult health issues, so they're already vulnerable."

Thomas was one of several residents who spoke in opposition to the development at a subdivision and development appeal board hearing on Aug. 3. 

Ken Thomas, Lorna Thomas and Kate Wallace gather outside the Artspace Housing Co-operative in the Quarters neighbourhood east of downtown Edmonton.

(Chris Mihailides/CBC)© Provided by cbc.ca

Kate Wallace lives on the fifth floor of the Artspace complex and also presented concerns to the SDAB hearing. She's also concerned about the months of noise during construction.

She noted that some people in the building have disabilities and she's afraid machinery used during construction would block the narrow road, especially for emergency vehicles. 

"We absolutely cannot lose the access, around the building access … for the emergency services, which are called on a very frequent basis." 

The permit, issued by a city development authority in mid-June, gives the lot a variance under the city bylaw as the site area is 413 square metres instead of the standard 600.

Wallace said she's not concerned about the building possibly blocking views of the river valley. 

Lot challenges

The SDAB lists the applicant as SPAN Architecture.

Songlin Pan with SPAN, the Edmonton-based firm in charge of the project, would not identify the developer. 

He said the lot poses challenges so they hired Stantec to do a geotechnical assessment, which determined the builders would need to drill concrete pilings into the ground to create a stable foundation for the building. 

The major development permit attached to the SDAB hearing also lists a geotechnical assessment report by Stantec Consulting from April 28, 2023, and a pile wall design plan prepared by PT Engineering.

Developers want to build on the lot next to and across from the Artspace Housing 

Co-operative on 93rd Street and 101A Avenue. 

(Chris Mihailides/CBC)© Provided by cbc.ca

Pan said this kind of complex typically takes eight to 12 months to build but he's advising they give it an extra two months. 

"The lot is a bit more complicated so I'm thinking maybe we need more time to resolve some surprises, something that we didn't expect." 

Consultants have provided detailed design, Pan said, but construction can sometimes reveal unforeseen issues.

The subdivision and development appeal board has 15 days from the hearing to rule whether to allow or reject the project.

A decision is expected on Aug. 18. 

Alberta minister says federal strings on electricity climate funding a 'threat'

UCP WARCRY SOUNDS LIKE WHINING

Alberta minister says federal strings on electricity climate funding a 'threat'© Provided by The Canadian Press

EDMONTON — Ottawa is threatening the provinces by suggesting it will withhold federal funding from electricity projects that don't reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, says Alberta's minister of environment and protected areas.

"We see (Federal Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan) Wilkinson saying it isn't his style to have fights and wanting to work with the provinces and have a national conversation," Rebecca Schulz said Tuesday. 

"Announcing in a press conference a threat to withhold funding isn't really the right way to start a conversation."

Earlier Tuesday in Vancouver, Wilkinson said billions of dollars in tax credits and grants will be tied to progress toward Ottawa's target for a net-zero electricity grid by 2035.  

"To access the tax credit will require that we are moving in the direction of a non-emitting grid," he said. 

That's an ultimatum, said Schulz.

"Starting out from a position like that is not the way to enter a discussion in good faith."

Saskatchewan's minister for SaskPower, Don Morgan, said the federal position will increase electricity costs. 

"By withholding the very funding meant to help provinces reach the Trudeau government's net-zero targets, Saskatchewan's customers will see a dramatic impact on their rates," he said in a statement.

Neither Saskatchewan nor Alberta say they can meet the 2035 goal, preferring to set it off until 2050. 

Related video: Global Climate Crisis | As Climate Crisis Alters Their Lands ands, Indigenous Peoples Turn To Courts (News18)

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Wilkinson said provinces will be afforded flexibility in how they achieve the earlier target. 

"We are cognizant of the need for the regulations to provide sufficient flexibility," he said. "Every province and territory has different needs."

He said talks between Ottawa and the provinces have already begun, including with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. 

Blake Schaffer, an energy economist at the University of Calgary, said much will depend on exemptions granted within the regulations, which are expected to be released this month. He said Canada's rules are expected to be similar to those in the United States.

"Both Canada and the U.S., when they talk about clean power, both have in their plans very significant carve-outs and exemptions to recognize the need for flexibility," he said. 

The U.S., for example, contains provisions to allow old power plants to run out their life as well as for fossil fuel generation that only runs occasionally. 

"From everything I'm hearing, (Canada's) similarly contains much-needed flexibility."

Schaffer said Canada's rules could contain carve-outs for industrial facilities that generate their own power from waste heat — a big slice of Alberta's power generation. 

Meeting the federal 2035 target will be a stiff challenge, said Schaffer. But not necessarily impossible. 

"You haven't even heard what the final terms are yet," he said. 

Provinces, especially those with emissions-heavy grids, have much at stake. An analysis from Clean Energy Canada, a clean energy think tank at Simon Fraser University, has calculated that those jurisdictions are in line for a third more funding than those provinces that have cleaner power. 

The group also said provinces with non-fossil-fuel-powered grids tend to have lower and more stable power prices. 

 This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2023. 

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

NB

Questions remain over multibillion-dollar dam fix

Despite complaints from several quarters, the energy minister insists a huge, multibillion-dollar overhaul of New Brunswick’s biggest hydroelectric plant will undergo proper scrutiny before any work is done.

Mike Holland has been under fire since his Progressive Conservative government passed an amendment to the Electricity Act in late 2021 that removed a key NB Power requirement: it will no longer have to provide expert testimony to the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board to see if the Mactaquac Generating Station is economically feasible and in the public interest.

The Six Chiefs of the Wolastoqey Nation recently complained there would be little independent financial oversight of the refurbishment of a dam and power plant near Fredericton that’s disrupted the lives of their Indigenous communities over the last 55 years.

Even the regulator’s late chairman, François Beaulieu, complained to a legislature committee last year that his board’s role on the project had been greatly diminished, and it would no longer be able to provide a sober second opinion.

In an interview last week, the energy minister gave new insight into why his government passed the bill.

Holland and Premier Blaine Higgs wanted NB Power to shed a huge chunk of its massive $5-billion debt and get to a sound financial position in line with that of other Canadian utilities. But NB Power officials complained that past governments and regulators had kept power rates unreasonably low.

So Holland said he asked the utility what it wanted to get to the right financial position.

“I had been saying for a long time we needed to see better performance from the utility, we need to see a trajectory where they achieve their financial goals. That bill came from going to them, and saying, ‘What do you need? And what does it take to facilitate it?’”

When the regulator last reviewed a big refurbishment at NB Power in 2002, it rejected an overhaul at the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station. After examining the $845-million proposal in detail, the board, known as the Public Utilities Board (PUB) at the time, recommended mothballing the plant because it wasn’t economically feasible to keep it going.

But the Progressive Conservative government of Bernard Lord rejected the expert advice and went ahead with the refurbishment, which would eventually go $1.2 billion over budget. On top of that, Lepreau’s performance has been shaky since coming back online.

Holland said his government did not change the rules to save itself similar embarrassment if Mactaquac’s overhaul became a white elephant and went way over budget.

“It’s not a factor on what we’re talking about here,” the minister said, pointing out the two projects were very different. He said over and above the baseload of electricity Mactaquac provides, it’s also New Brunswick’s most important renewable energy source. Such a consideration has become increasingly important due to concern over the burning of fossil fuels, which contributes heavily to global warming.

NB Power last month filed an application to the provincial government seeking an environmental approval to do the overhaul and hopes to start work next year.

Still missing is a reliable cost estimate. Seven years ago, the former president and CEO of NB Power, Gaëtan Thomas, said the overhaul would be at least $3 billion. More recently, various media reports have cited costs of between $2 billion and $3.6 billion. In NB Power’s latest application for an environmental impact assessment, none is provided.

“As project planning progresses, cost projections are being updated,” said Dominique Couture, the public utility’s spokesperson, in an email to Brunswick News. “We expect new estimates to be submitted for thorough internal review later in 2023.”

She also argued that finances could not be the sole factor in making a decision on Mactaquac: given the need to combat climate change, she described the refurbishment as the most significant investment in clean energy in New Brunswick in half a century.

“A project this important requires the appropriate approval process which allows for all relevant considerations to be factored into a decision – including economic factors, environmental impacts, economic stimulus for the province, and quality of life benefits for landowners, to name a few,” she wrote.

“The Mactaquac Life Achievement Project will go through a stringent governmental approval process, which ensures all factors can be considered as part of the decision, versus factoring only the potential economic and rate impacts. This is consistent with practices in other parts of Canada and recognizes the importance of a project of this magnitude to our province.”

Liberal energy critic Keith Chiasson agrees that the provincial cabinet should have the final say on Mactaquac because it is such an important project.

But he still wants to see a full, independent review, with experts testifying under oath, to see how much it will realistically cost.

“The issue is, how much trust do we have in Blaine Higgs and his government?" Chiasson said. "To have government have the final say, that’s fine, but to have Blaine Higgs have the final say, that’s where we have an issue because of his lack of transparency and the way he’s been handling the province the last few years.”

Green party Leader David Coon said it would be difficult to come up with a position for or against Mactaquac’s life extension till the year 2068 without having the proper facts.

“This is a big project with big implications, and we need to drill down into it,” Coon said. “Normally, it would be a process where the EUB renders the decision based on all the evidence presented to them in their hearings. It’s an excellent and transparent process that gives us an answer whether it makes economic sense."

John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Daily Gleaner

Ontario’s auditor general says developers with ties to ministry 'favoured' in Greenbelt decision

A housing development is seen on the edge of the Ontario Green Belt in the Greater Toronto Area of Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ontario, Canada, on May 25, 2023.

© Provided by National Post

Ontario’s auditor general says the province’s decision to open up the protected Greenbelt to housing construction “favoured” developers with connections to the housing minister’s chief of staff.

Bonnie Lysyk says the Ontario government also failed to consider the environmental, agricultural and financial risks and impacts of the move in 2022 to remove some lands while adding others to the protected Greenbelt.

She says the owners of the 15 land sites removed from the Greenbelt could see an $8.3 billion increase to the value of those lands, and that 14 of those sites were “brought to the exercise” by the housing minister’s chief of staff.

Lysyk launched a value-for-money probe in January after a joint request from all three opposition leaders.

Media reports have suggested that some prominent developers who are Progressive Conservative donors bought Greenbelt land in the last few years despite the province’s previous pronouncements it wouldn’t be developed.

Premier Doug Ford and Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark have both denied tipping off developers ahead of the public announcement last year that the government would remove land from 15 different Greenbelt areas so that 50,000 homes can be built.