British Columbia

Kelowna man says opening his home to international students has helped him stave off loneliness

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'Without these beautiful people in my life, I'd be very lonely,' says Kelowna senior Bill Pittman

Jon Azpiri · CBC News · Posted: Sep 09, 2023 9:00 AM MDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

Rhoalle Davis, left, Bill Pittman, centre, and Sele Akere, right, are pictured. Pittman says welcoming international students into his home helps keep him busy. (Submitted by Bill Pittman)

When Sele Akere first saw a posting for cheap accommodation in Kelowna, B.C., he was suspicious. 

"With such a good offer, everybody I knew was like, 'It's probably a scam,'" Akere said.

The ad was posted by Bill Pittman, who offers space in his Rutland home for international students. He charges below-market rent in exchange for assistance with housework, although he says he gets more in return than help with chores. 

Pittman, 75, says welcoming international students has helped him deal with social isolation. 

"Without these beautiful people in my life, I'd be very lonely," he said.  

• International students call for LGBTQ-specific mental health support as they hide identities at home

After his children grew up, Pittman moved to Kamloops, but said he didn't find it fulfilling. He then relocated to a large eight-hectare property in Vernon with no neighbours in sight.

"It was desperately lonely," he said. "I lived there for a year and I was so desperate I sold it for about half of what its value was."

Pittman moved to Rutland and eventually started taking in students.

Building community

Among those students was Rhoalle Davis, who arrived from Jamaica to study business administration at Okanagan College. 

Pittman remembers Davis arriving at Kelowna airport in mid-December wearing shorts and a T-shirt in sub-zero weather. He took Davis to Value Village to get him some warm clothes.

Some students like Davis stayed in the area, and bonds have formed over time. 

• Emily Carr students stage walkout to protest tuition increase for international students

"I've been here eight years and there have been lots of international students that I've met at this house," Davis said.

Akere says far from being an online scammer, Pittman has served as an inspiration. 

"One thing I learned from him especially is he's so nice," Akere said. "He's the kind of guy that gives you something or helps you out and doesn't expect anything back."

Akere, a second-year student at Okanagan College who hails from Nigeria, says he tries to do the same, helping newcomers from Nigeria get settled in the community.

Pittman says he is proud that his home has become something of a hub for international students. 

 "I have 26 proteges now and they keep me busy and I love it," he said.

• Why do so many international students in B.C. end up in service jobs?

He says taking in students has helped him stave off social isolation. 

Social isolation in seniors is associated with increased emotional distress and prevalence of depression, increased number of falls and use of health and support services, and even premature death, according to a report from the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors Forum.

'We must open our doors to them'

Canada's housing minister recently said the federal government is considering a cap on the number of international students to ease the pressure on the housing market.

Sean Fraser also took aim at institutions he accused of exploiting students and exacerbating the housing crisis and cautioned against blaming the lack of affordable housing on new immigrants. 

• Minister, advocates say they fear international students will be blamed for housing crisis

Canada hosted more than 800,000 international students last year, according to the government's figures. 

Pittman disagrees with the notion of limiting international student visas.

"I've visited many countries in the world, I've seen unimaginable poverty and any young man or woman who has the courage to get on the ship and cross 1,000 miles of ocean through winds and storms to come to this country — to go to school, to improve their life — we must open our doors to them. They're so brave."

With files from Joseph Otoo, Catherine Tunney and The Canadian Press

Ford government’s plan to keep Toronto high school teachers on the job faces a new hurdle

A push by the Ford government to avert potential teacher strikes and keep kids in classrooms this fall is facing a new hurdle.

By Rob Ferguson Queen's Park Bureau
Friday, September 8, 2023

Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation president Karen Littlewood speaks to her union’s members at their annual general meeting in Toronto on Aug. 18, 2022.

Richard Lautens / Toronto Star file photo The Star

The large and influential Toronto unit of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) is speaking out against a tentative agreement the union reached with Education Minister Stephen Lecce to continue contract talks until Oct. 27 and send any remaining issues to binding arbitration.

That controversial plan — flatly rejected last month by other teachers’ unions that are frustrated with the slow pace of negotiations — “has the potential to set a dangerous precedent for education workers and the entire labour movement,” the Toronto unit executive warned in a memo to its members.

“We have concerns about voluntarily entering into a binding arbitration process that eliminates our right to strike or take other job actions such as selective withdrawal of services.”

OSSTF president Karen Littlewood downplayed the opposition to the deal Friday as the union’s 60,000 members began online voting on the pact, a process that will continue until Sept. 27.

“We knew that there would be people who would come out and say they’re not in favour. That happens every time we bring something forward,” she told the Star, calling an arbitrator’s decision “the right way forward” at this time.

“We have to do something because 14 months at the bargaining table with nothing happening is not OK.”

Teachers’ contracts expired in August of last year.

The timing of the OSSTF Toronto unit’s objections, as voting began and just in time for a Thursday evening town hall meeting of the union, is significant and shows “there are clearly divisions inside the union,” said Larry Savage, chair of the department of labour studies at Brock University in St. Catharines.

“The deal with Lecce undermines the bargaining position of all the other unions in the sector and helps fuel the provincial government’s tried and true divide-and-conquer labour relations strategy,” he added.

Should the deal pass, Lecce could use it as a “cudgel” against other unions for public elementary, Catholic and French-language teachers to get them to agree to the same terms, Savage said. If it fails, the OSSTF can rejoin with the other unions in a “common front that will bolster their collective bargaining power in pursuit of a negotiated settlement that everyone can live with.”

The wary Toronto unit said the arbitration pact is “the most significant departure” ever from the union’s collective bargaining strategy and cautioned gains are not guaranteed.

Savage said arbitration is “seductive” because it avoids risks but caters mainly to “conservative elements” in the union.

“Disputes in the public sector often come down to disagreements over the quality of public services, but arbitrators are loathe to weigh in on such debates. As the other education unions have alluded to, an arbitrator is unlikely to agree to any union demands framed around supports for students, class sizes, violence in schools, or the need for better ventilation, including air conditioning in schools.”

Littlewood got support for the arbitration plan Friday from the president of a smaller Toronto-area OSSTF unit representing school psychologists, social workers, counsellors and graduation coaches.

“I do not believe this proposal will potentially set a dangerous precedent for education workers and the entire labour movement,” said Solange Scott.

As the debate continues, Canadian Labour Congress president Bea Bruske took to social media with words of caution for public high school teachers.

“The right to strike is a cornerstone of work power, and for good reason,” she wrote. “When all else fails, being able to withhold your labour is the only thing workers can do to get what they deserve. It should never be given away lightly.”



Rob Ferguson has been a reporter covering provincial politics in the Queen's Park Bureau of the Toronto Star since 2004 and is in his third term as president of the Ontario Legislative Press Gallery.

 Nova Scotia·Weather

All eyes are on Hurricane Lee in Atlantic Canada

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The hurricane may threaten Atlantic Canada late next week

Ryan Snoddon · CBC · Posted: Sep 09, 2023 

Hurricane Lee is tracking westward in the tropical Atlantic. (NASA Worldview )

Hurricane Lee is a powerful hurricane slowly tracking through the Caribbean.

There is good forecast model agreement that Lee will continue to track west northwest over the next few days, tracking mainly north of the Greater Antilles.

Beyond that there is still a lot of uncertainty and many questions when it comes to the storm's eventual track.

Here are the five biggest questions we will need answered over the next few days.

There are many factors that will influence the track of Hurricane Lee in the coming days. (Ryan Snoddon/CBC)

When will the storm turn north?

We're seeing good model agreement that the storm will turn northward at some point in the middle of next week. However, there has been a recent small shift in the guidance, that the turn northward may occur a little earlier. This is important because even a slightly earlier turn will impact the forecast moving forward.

How quickly will the storm move northward?

Where we are seeing some of the largest disagreements between the forecasts is in the forward speed of the storm following its turn to the north. The image below shows the many different model ideas for where the centre of the storm may be on the morning of Sept. 15.

Uncertainty remains in many parts of the forecast, including the forward speed of Lee next week. (Tomer Burg/arctic.som.ou.edu)

This is important because the speed of the storm will determine how the storm will interact with a low-pressure trough over eastern North America.

How will the low-pressure trough impact the storm track?

Many of these questions are tied together. How Lee interacts with the trough over the Great Lakes will be critical to the forecast. The trough in question will strengthen over North America early next week as it slowly works toward the Eastern Seaboard.

The strength and placement will be important factors and remain uncertain at the moment. 

How will the high-pressure ridge impact the storm track?

Perhaps most critical to the forecast will be the strength and placement of the high-pressure ridge over Atlantic Canada and the northwest Atlantic ocean through next week.

A stronger ridge of high pressure in the early and middle part of next week will likely slow the storm, which will then have implications for how the storm interacts with the trough, and the eventual track.

A stronger ridge later in the week could push the system further west toward North America or, depending on its position, allow the storm an exit route offshore.

How will Margot impact the high-pressure ridge?

Finally, we have Margot. The latest named storm, which may become a hurricane over the next few days, will track northward through the middle of the Atlantic ocean over the next week or so.

This matters because Margot's track and strength will have implications for the high-pressure ridge over the northwest Atlantic, which will in turn have impacts on the track of Lee.

The track and strength of Margot next week may also have an impact on the track of Hurricane Lee. (Tomer Burg/arctic.som.ou.edu)

So when will we know more?  

Unfortunately, with so many factors to consider, we likely will not know until early next week where Lee may eventually be heading.

Something to keep in mind next week is that while we will all be focused on the track of the centre of Lee, this will likely be a large storm and its impacts may expand hundreds of kilometres from the centre.

What we do know is that while Lee is currently a powerful major hurricane, the storm will begin to weaken as it tracks northwards next week into waters that are below the 26.5 C threshold tropical cyclones need to maintain strength. 

We will continue to monitor the storm over the next few days so be sure to stay tuned for updates.

Meteorologist Ryan Snoddon says Hurricane Lee is at least a week out from any potential impact in Nova Scotia.

Simple G20 truth is—India gained in last Cold War by playing both sides. No longer a choice

The Modi-Biden joint statement is long but the Quad makes its appearance in the 4th paragraph. A new Cold War can't be avoided unless one or the other side collapses.

RAJESH RAJAGOPALAN
09 September, 2023 

PM Modi with President Biden Friday | ANI

Despite all its rhetoric around emerging economies, with its vaguely anti-West slant, New Delhi continues to deepen its strategic ties with the United States. There can be no better illustration of the growing intensity of a new Cold War than this deepening strategic camaraderie. The G20 is as much a venue of this competition, despite the ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ overcoat that India wants to paint over this reality.

The joint statement the two countries released after the meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden is long as usual. Despite the occasion, the Quad makes its appearance in the fourth paragraph itself. Many elements are meaningless, of course, such as US support for India’s bid for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Any UNSC reform will require China’s support, a country that will not even let India become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). So, this is a non-starter.

Moreover, an increasingly tense global political situation is not conducive to major institutional reforms such as changing membership of the UNSC. Indeed, even without the growing international tensions, reforming the UNSC would have likely proved next to impossible due to competing contestants and regional disagreement. For example, it would have been difficult for Germany to be added because there are already two European powers in the UNSC, and, of course, Italy also has its hat in the ring. China, Pakistan, and South Korea would never allow India or Japan to become members either. Nevertheless, even if meaningless, the joint statement illustrates American efforts to please New Delhi at very low costs.

Similarly, the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), though relatively new, is not very easy to translate into technological cooperation on the ground. It’s more an enabling mechanism than a single programme. Still, it illustrates the desire on both sides to work on one area that New Delhi sees as particularly important, though some scepticism is warranted about what can be achieved.

Also read: After G20, India won’t get to be leader of Global South, can’t prevent new Cold War either

India has no choice this time

Nevertheless, some achievements are highlighted. The most substantive is probably on space cooperation. After initially demurring, in June 2023, India signed the US Artemis Accords. Now, the two countries have agreed to a joint mission to the International Space Station in 2024. The primary Indian international collaboration on the human spaceflight programme has, until now, been with Russia, so this represents another quite important shift in India’s space cooperation. Obviously, this does not mean that India will stop cooperating with Russia on space, but it is significant that Indian reticence about the US is overcoming one more hurdle.

Equally important is the growing defence technology and supplies cooperation between Washington and Delhi, including the sale of General Electric jet engines and the supply of long-range drones. All these efforts are aimed at directly enhancing Indian military technological capabilities against China. Though it does not appear to have made it to the joint statement, Washington and Delhi are also discussing a plan for new infrastructural links between India and Europe passing through the Middle East. This is designed to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) — an aspect of the new Cold War.

The simple truth is that a 21st-century Cold War cannot be avoided unless one or the other side collapses. India benefited in the last Cold War by playing both sides, but this time, there is no choice. A frontline State such as India does not have such luxuries. The deepening US-India ties is an illustration that India’s natural instinct to reprise last century’s game is increasingly failing. That India resists so hard against the natural strategic gravity cannot but raise questions about its foreign policy planning.


The author is a professor of International Politics at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. He tweets @RRajagopalanJNU. Views are personal.

G20: EU and US back trade corridor linking Europe, Middle East and India

Joe Biden describes ambitious rail and sea plan to counter China’s Belt and Road project as a ‘really big deal’

Hannah Ellis-Petersen in DelhiSat 9 Sep 2023 

The US and the EU have backed an ambitious plan to build an economic corridor linking Europe with the Middle East and India via rail and sea, a project the US president, Joe Biden, described as a “really big deal”.

The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, and the European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the project during a Saturday afternoon session at the G20 leaders’ summit, being held in Delhi this weekend.

Modi said the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor promised to be “a beacon of cooperation, innovation, and shared progress”. Biden said it was “game-changing investment”.


G20 leaders agree joint declaration after deal on Ukraine statement

Von der Leyen described it as “much more than just a railway or a cable”. “It is a green and digital bridge across continents and civilisations,” she said.

The planned corridor would link India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Israel and the EU through shipping ports and rail routes, in an effort to make trade quicker and cheaper and to boost economic cooperation and digital connectivity across the region.

The project, called the Partnership for Global Infrastructure Investment, could speed up trade between India and Europe by 40% and help normalise relations between Israel and the Gulf states, which the Biden administration has been pushing for.

The initiative would also provide a counterbalance to China’s vast infrastructure corridor, the Belt and Road project, which currently stretches across Asia, Africa and Latin America and has given China sizeable influence over countries that have struggling economies.

“We think that the project itself is bold and transformative, but the vision behind the project is equally bold and transformative, and we will see it replicated in other parts of the world as well,” said Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser.

The leaders did not lay out who would be paying for the project. A working group will lay out fuller plans over the next 60 days, including a timeline for building the infrastructure.

Sullivan said discussions for the project had begun in July last year during Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia, and that another meeting between Saudi Arabia, the UAE and India had taken place earlier this year to formalise an agreement. Israel, which does not have diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia, was also brought on to the project along with Jordan.

Rescue begins of ailing US researcher stuck 3,000 feet inside a Turkish cave, Turkish officials say

CAVE RESCUE BEGINS

The Canadian Press - Sep 9, 2023 / 8:55 am | Story: 445842

Photo: The Canadian Press

Turkish governor of Mersin, Ali Hamza Pehlivan, front center, during his visit to the Morca cave during a rescue operation near Anamur, south Turkey, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. 

Rescue teams began the arduous process Saturday of extricating an American researcher who became seriously ill while he was 1,000 metres below the entrance of a cave in Turkey, an official from Turkey’s disaster management agency said.

It could take days to bring Mark Dickey to the surface since rescuers anticipate he will have to stop and rest frequently at camps set up along the way as they pull his stretcher through the narrow passages.

“This afternoon, the operation to move him from his camp at 1040 metres to the camp at 700 metres began,” the official from the Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate told The Associated Press.

The 40-year-old experienced caver began vomiting because of stomach bleeding while on an expedition with a handful of others in the Morca cave in southern Turkey’s Taurus Mountains.

Teams of rescuers from across Europe have rushed to Dickey’s aid. A Hungarian doctor reached and treated him inside the cave on Sept. 3. Doctors and rescuers have since been taking turns caring for him.

Climate protesters have blocked a Dutch highway to demand an end to big subsidies for fossil fuels

A protester holds a sign reading "Fossil Subsidies Are Not Cool" as they block a highway during a climate protest of Extinction Rebellion and other activists near the Dutch parliament in The Hague, Netherlands, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. 

(AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Published Sept. 9, 2023 

Several thousand climate activists blocked a Dutch highway on Saturday in anger at billions of euros in government subsidies for industries that use oil, coal and gas revealed in a report earlier this week. 

The protesters -- from Extinction Rebellion, Greenpeace and other organizations -- broke through a police barrier and sat on a main road in The Hague heading to the temporary venue for the lower house of parliament.

They threatened to stay until the subsidies are lifted, and to come back every day if the police remove them.

The activists brandished signs with sayings like "Fossil Fuel Subsidies are Not Cool," and warned that the extreme temperatures seen around the world this summer are a sign of the future if fossil fuels aren't abandoned.

The action is part of a series of protests led by Extinction Rebellion targeting the Dutch parliament.

A report published Monday said the Dutch government spends around 37.5 billion euros ($40.5 billion) per year in subsidies to industries that use fossil fuels -- notably the powerful shipping industry. The report was published by the The Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations, known as SOMO, the Dutch arm of Friends of the Earth and Oil Change International.

Minister for Climate and Energy Rob Jetten acknowledged that the country has to end the subsidies, but has offered no timeline.

The report calls on lawmakers to begin phasing out the subsidies even before the country's Nov. 22 general election.

------

For AP's climate and environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

Dutch police use water cannon, detain 2,400 climate activists

NOT ENOUGH JAIL CELLS

Activists brandish signs like ‘Fossil Fuel Subsidies are Not Cool’ and warn extreme temperatures are a sign of the future if fossil fuels are not abandoned.

Water cannon is fired to disperse demonstrators who blocked a highway during a climate protest 

[Peter Dejong/AP]

Published On 10 Sep 2023

Police deployed water cannon to disperse thousands of climate activists protesting on a highway in the Netherlands to demand an end to government subsidies for the fossil fuel industry.

More than 10,000 people marched along the A12 highway into The Hague on Saturday, ignoring warnings from authorities not to block the major traffic artery into the Dutch seat of government.

The police said in a statement they detained 2,400 protesters, including minors. There were no reports of injuries.

Extinction Rebellion, which organised the event, has said it will continue to hold protests until the government of the Netherlands stops using public funds to subsidise the oil and gas industry.

“The seas are rising and so are we,” chanted the crowd, which included children and the elderly.

A report last week detailed 37.5 billion euros ($40.5bn) in subsidies in the Netherlands, notably related to the shipping industry, prompting calls for a quick halt to the practice.


The protesters — from Extinction Rebellion, Greenpeace and other organisations — broke through a police barrier and sat on a main road.

They threatened to stay until the subsidies were lifted and to come back every day if police removed them. “This is much larger than any one of us. This concerns the whole world,” activist Yolanda de Jager said

.

Protesters block a highway during a climate protest near the Dutch parliament in The Hague 

Peter Dejong/AP Photo]

End the subsidies

The activists brandished signs with sayings such as “Fossil Fuel Subsidies are Not Cool”, and warned extreme temperatures around the world this summer are a sign of the future if fossil fuels are not abandoned.

After several hours, police moved in and fired volleys from water cannon at the crowd. They picked up or dragged some protesters, wheeling them away in special orange wagons.

Protesters on the front line held up their fists in resistance or put their heads down to protect themselves from the jets of water. Those farther back danced and jumped up and down under the spray, appearing to enjoy the shower on an unusually hot September day for the Netherlands.

The roadblock is part of a series of protests led by Extinction Rebellion targeting the Dutch parliament.

The Netherlands is often seen as a leader in renewable energy and progressive climate policies. Minister for Climate and Energy Rob Jetten acknowledged the country has to end the subsidies but has offered no timeline.

A new protest is planned for Sunday.

At the G20 summit in India on Saturday, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told world leaders the planet is facing an “unprecedented climate emergency“.

Extinction Rebellion and other activists protest near the Dutch parliament on Saturday [Peter Dejong/AP Photo]

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES

ONTARIO

Hydrogen Optimized expands in Owen Sound

Government of Canada Invests $3.5 Million to Support Expansion of Clean Hydrogen Company in Owen Sound. 

Photo from City of Owen Sound

BY JANICE MACKAY
SEPTEMBER 8, 2023 

Owen Sound based Hydrogen Optimized Inc. (HOI) will use a repayable $3.5 million Government of Canada contribution to expand production of clean Hydrogen.

On Thursday, Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), announced the investment at HOI’s headquarters. The company plans to install advanced manufacturing equipment, which will create about 50 new high-skilled jobs.

HOI’s patented RuggedCell technology has the potential to produce zero-emissions hydrogen at an industrial scale. Major industries can use the hdydrogen which is created using electricity generated from renewable sources such as wind, solar, and hydro. That will support the road to decarbonization for industries including steel, ammonia, and cement.

“This investment in Hydrogen Optimized from FedDev Ontario continues to build momentum for Owen Sound’s future economy as we focus on clean energy and nuclear isotopes," said Mayor Ian Boddy. "We look forward to seeing Hydrogen Optimized’s future growth, research, and innovation.”

“With this investment, Hydrogen Optimized and its dedicated workforce will continue to build on its potential and establish the company as a key manufacturer in the global energy market," said Tassi. "Our government is pleased to support the growth of clean energy and innovative technology so we can work together to create good jobs for rural communities and build a greener and more sustainable future for Canadians.”

“With support from the Government of Canada through FedDev Ontario, we are expanding production of our RuggedCell water electrolyzers and creating 50 new full-time jobs in Owen Sound," said Andrew T.B. Stuart, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hydrogen Optimized Inc. "This community offers a depth of skilled people and business-friendly culture that makes it a great place to invest.”

Following the investment announcement, Mayor Ian Boddy joined Minister Tassi and other dignitaries for a Community Economic Development Roundtable for Bruce and Grey Counties at Owen Sound City Hall. At the meeting, participants discussed future opportunities for economic development, upcoming challenges, and partnerships with government, industry, and regional organizations.

Federal funding helps amp up Hydrogen Optimized production

Author of the article: Scott Dunn
Published Sep 07, 2023 • 

Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, or FedDev Ontario, announced a $3.5-million loan to Hydrogen Optimized in Owen Sound, Ont. Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (Scott Dunn/TheSun Times/Postmedia Network)
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Hydrogen Optimized will expand and automate production capacity in Owen Sound of its scalable RuggedCell electrolysis system, and add 50 jobs, with the help of about a $3.5-million federal economic development loan.

Missing production capacity has been holding back sales because purchasers of the technology have to feel secure that the company can deliver the product, Hydrogen Optimized president and CEO Andrew Stuart said at the announcement Thursday.

“We can’t sell anything unless we can produce it. How many cars could Toyota sell if they didn’t have a production line producing them?”

The jobs will be added as company production grows. Jobs will include more manufacturing jobs, technicians to program robots, engineers, research and development workers, as well as global sales and implementation staff, Stuart said. About 60 people work in the Owen Sound plant, some of whom are already part of the 50 new jobs, he said.

Filomena Tassi, minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, or FedDev Ontario, made the announcement on the shop floor at the plant, attended by Owen Sound Mayor Ian Boddy, Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Rick Byers, employees, investment partners and others.

Tassi said the funds will go toward an $11-million project that will increase RuggedCell electrolyzer production in Owen Sound fivefold, to 5,000 electrolyzer units per year for major industrial applications such as steel-making, and create 50 “rural” jobs.

“Something very special is happening here in Owen Sound,” she said. “We know that Canada is leading the charge in clean hydrogen production . . . and we are on our way to becoming a leader producer, user and exporter of clean hydrogen, as the growth continues.”

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Clean production means using electricity from non-carbon sources, including wind and solar, to make hydrogen, which itself emits no carbon when burned.

Tassi said Hydrogen Optimized is “at the forefront, producing cutting-edge technology called the RuggedCell electrolyzer, which is simpler to build, more cost-effective, and made right here in Owen Sound, using local suppliers.”

Behind Tassi, in the demonstration room, employees in white coats and face visors walked around the company’s commercial version of its 100,000-ampere electrolyzer system, which breaks oxygen and hydrogen out of demineralized tap water.

The Hydrogen Optimized control room in Owen Sound, Ont., on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (Scott Dunn/The Sun Times/Postmedia Network)

An adjacent control centre which was monitoring the operating electrolyzer cells, will monitor other RuggedCell installations once installed elsewhere in the world. The company has global ambitions, with Owen Sound as its base, Stuart said.

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Tassi said the Hydrogen Optimized work provides a decarbonization option for hard-to-abate heavy industry, and enhances competitiveness, so the company has “endless potential” for growth. If steel and cement industries and other heavy emitters decarbonize, it significantly helps meet the country’s zero-emission targets, Tassi said.

Asked if the federal government would prioritize buying Canadian technology like Hydrogen Optimized’s hydrogen production system in its procurements, Tassi said where there are opportunities to support Canadian business “absolutely. When we look at procurement practices, we want to support and enhance the economic benefits locally.” She also said, “At the end of the day, we have a responsibility of delivering the best value for Canadians.”

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Stuart in his remarks noted his company is running “the world’s largest water-electrolysis cells” which he wants to export to the world, helping meet what’s estimated will be a US$1.4-trillion per year market by 2050.

“Let’s make this factory full and scaled and this factory (will be) the mother of factories around the world. I think this is something we can do.”

He called the federal money significant, he noted an additional $500,000 grant Ontario contributed, and investment tax credits which will help as the business scales up.

Stuart credited the foreign direct investment by the Swiss power rectifier and robotics giant ABB, which is being levered with federal funding and shareholders to build up the production capacity.

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He gently urged Tassi to encourage the government to buy his Canadian technology. “We want you to convince ministers (Jonathan) Wilkinson (Energy) and (Francois-Philippe) Champagne (Innovation, Science and Industry) Canadian technology should be in Newfoundland.” Two huge wind-powered hydrogen and ammonia projects are proposed to be built in western Newfoundland.

Ivette Vera-Perez, president and CEO of the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association called Hydrogen Optimized “a true Canadian leader in the development of hydrogen electrolyzers.”

“If we want to become a major producer and exporter of hydrogen, we need to work fast, we need to work hard, and we need to enable our Canadian companies to be leaders in Canada and to be able to export their products abroad.”

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She said the government funding will increase production capacity, through automation with robots and operational improvements, which will reduce the production costs of each electrolyzer cell.

“So we are long past the time (when people would ask) does electrolysis work? Can we do this? We are now in the times of all right, how do we improve it, how do we make it better, how do we improve the efficiencies?”

The funding “will allow the company to deliver on a number of large-scale projects that I know you’re looking at and are targeting,” Vera-Perez said.

“It is a game-changer,” she said in an interview. “It’s also at the same time incremental, in the sense that the industry needs a lot of capital but this is a game-changer for this company.”

For large-scale users like steel manufacturers, the hydrogen must keep flowing. Doing so requires production capacity to allow that hydrogen production to exist, she said.

Andrew Stuart, president and CEO of Hydrogen Optimized, stands in front of the company’s RuggedCell 100,000-ampere electrolyzer system, which breaks oxygen and hydrogen out of de-mineralized tap water on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023 in Owen Sound, Ont. (Scott Dunn/The Sun Times/Postmedia Network)

CANADA
Ag emissions report shows increases continue

By Karen Briere
WESTERN PRODUCER
Published: 3 days ago

The National Farmers Union says new data from Environment Canada seems to show that diesel fuel use has increased over the last 31 years, leading to a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions. | File photo

Greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizer production and use, along with on-farm diesel fuel, contribute to the increase

An updated report on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions shows that emissions continue to rise.

The data is from Environment and Climate Change Canada and compiled by the National Farmers Union’s director of climate crisis policy and action, Darrin Qualman. This is the third edition of the report that includes all emissions and soil sequestration values.

Qualman said the new data and methodology the government uses to calculate the National Inventory Report is complete to the end of 2021. That year was the second highest on record behind 2020.

Two main things contributed to the upward trend of emissions, which have gone up 41 percent since 1990.

“We see increasing emissions from fertilizer production and use on the one hand, and increasing emissions from increasing diesel fuel use on the other hand,” Qualman said.

He said fertilizer use has approximately doubled since 1990.

“Until recently the models seemed to indicate a relatively flat line for diesel fuel use and emissions and now a new set of data seem to indicate that diesel fuel use is going up over that 31-year period leading to quite a significant increase in emissions,” he said.

Emissions from on-farm diesel fuel have also doubled since 1990.

The method used to calculate that amount has changed but Qualman said when that happens the government changes all the values for past data so that the methodology is consistent.

The report also noted that soil carbon sequestration is high, averaging 22 million tonnes as farmers adopt different practices.

Qualman said the report presents the data in a straightforward way and can serve as a starting point for discussion.

“No matter what you think of solutions, whether you think we should be moving full speed ahead on solutions or not, at least this report gives everyone a common understanding of where the emissions are coming from and whether the emissions are increasing and if so how fast and by how much,” he said.

Qualman said he expected change will come through small and medium-sized changes in ways that make sense to farmers. He observed that virtually everyone in agriculture is thinking and talking about emissions reduction and should be interested to see the analysis in the report.

He is also working on calculating emissions from wetland destruction.