Stornoway Diamonds to lay off 425 workers as operations halt at Quebec mine

 The Canadian Press

MONTREAL — Stornoway Diamonds Inc. says it is suspending operations at its Renard mine in northern Quebec.

The Montreal-based diamond company says 75 of the 500 workers will stay on board to maintain the mine's assets and facilitate a return to normal operations.

That leaves some 425 workers temporarily laid off from the mine, which sits about 700 kilometres north of Quebec City as the crow flies.

The 37-year-old company attributes the shutdown to growing uncertainty around global diamond prices.

The price of rough diamonds — unpolished, uncut stones — has plummeted over the past 18 months, falling by nearly a third since March 2022 to lows not seen in years as post-pandemic consumers steer clear of new luxury goods.

Stornoway says it has begun to place itself under the protection of the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act in order to restructure its business and turn its finances around.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2023.

The Canadian Press

116-year-old S.S. Keewatin finds a new retirement home in Kingston

Story by The Canadian Press  •

Kingston’s shoreline was a scene from the history books as the Edwardian-era steamship called S.S. Keewatin floated serenely into its new home at the Great Lakes Museum to the applause of the eagerly waiting throngs.

Crowds chatted excitedly around the old dry dock on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, as S.S. Keewatin, one of only three Edwardian steamships left in the world, was manoeuvred into place by a Doornekamp Tug Boat, duck boat, ropes, and winches. At 116 years old, the Keewatin is five years older than the Titanic and certainly saw far more successful years on the water than the doomed "unsinkable" ship. Much of the design of the Keewatin was duplicated by the Titanic's designers, only on a larger scale.

Many members of “Friends of Keewatin” could be found in the crowd welcoming the ship, in what was a bittersweet moment for the group. The “Friends of Keewatin” is the popular name for The RJ and Diane Peterson Keewatin Foundation, named for the Michigan couple who saved the S.S. Keewatin from the wreckers in 1967. Between 2012 and 2019 the Friends leased the S.S. Keewatin along with the dock and bay at which it resided, and operated the ship as a museum in its home port of Port McNicoll, Ontario.

Susan Rudy was among the "Friends of Keewatin," wearing her S.S. Keewatin crew jacket and Canadian Pacific Steamships cap. Her husband Peter Rudy died in 2019, she said, at the age of 91. He was an exceptional model-builder, and many examples of his work are displayed in museums and public buildings, including seven aboard the Keewatin. A solid supporter of the S.S. Keewatin in Port McNicoll, Peter kept the ship’s short-wave radio alive and could often be found typing out messages from the wireless room on the Keewatin. 

“He spent his final 11 years volunteering with her, which really rejuvenated him,” explained Rudy with a tear in her eye. 

She said she was extremely happy that the "Kee," as the ship's friends call it, would be well looked after in its new home.

Built in Govan, Scotland, and launched on July 6, 1907, the vessel sailed on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, docking at Lévis, Quebec. There, the ship had to be halved, because the canals below Lake Erie, specifically the Welland Canal, could not handle ships as long as Keewatin. The ship was reassembled at Buffalo, New York, where she resumed her voyage to begin service at Owen Sound, Ontario.

Originally designed to complete the link in the Canadian Pacific Railway's continental route, S.S. Keewatin used to haul people and cargo across Lake Superior from Fort William (current-day Thunder Bay) and Port McNicoll, a small port town in Georgian Bay on Lake Huron, on behalf of the original owner, Canadian Pacific Steamship Company. It remained in service from Oct. 7, 1908, until Nov 29, 1965 when the Trans-Canada Highway was completed, essentially eliminating the need for this service. 

Also in the crowd of onlookers was Doug Cunningham of Bath. His family had a cottage in the Huronia area, where they summered when he was growing up. He was hired as a young man aboard the "Kee."

“I started as a cabin watch and became a waiter, and a night steward… on both ships, the Assiniboine and the Keewatin," he said.

Eric Conroy (left), the former President and CEO of "Friends of Keewatin," bumped into Doug Cunningham of Bath on the Kingston dock. The two were delighted to discover they had worked on the S.S. Keewatin as waiters at the same time in the 1960s. Photo by Michelle Dorey Forestell/Kingstonist.

“I would go around and do all the fire points and so forth, plus serving sandwiches to the crew at night," Cunningham explained. "The next year I became a waiter, so I was in the dining room. The funny thing about the dining room was we had to memorize everything. There were three main dishes on the menu each time, plus the desserts and the appetizers, and we kids had to remember this. We had an in-door and an out-door and we had to carry the trays left-handed… more people are right-handed, but it had to be left-handed because of the way the doors [worked], so it was quite physical and mentally demanding.”

Coincidentally, Cunningham bumped into Eric Conroy, the former President and CEO of "Friends of Keewatin," on the Kingston dock. The two were delighted to discover they had worked on Keewatin as waiters at the same time in the 1960s, and exchanged stories, promising to catch up after the fanfare had died down a little.

S.S. Keewatin is 102.6 metres long, with a beam of 13.3 metres and a draught of 7.2 metres. In its heyday, it ran on a quadruple expansion steam engine with four coil-fired boilers and its maximum speed was 16 knots. It carried 288 passengers and 86 crew members.

After ending its runs across the Great Lakes in 1965, S.S. Keewatin passed several times to different owners, serving as a museum on Lake Michigan, and then returning to its home port of Port McNicoll in 2012. It was to be used as a museum and event centre. While at Port McNicoll, the ship was even used as a set for maritime-related movies and documentaries, and featured on an episode of CBC's Murdoch Mysteries, called “Murdoch Ahoy!”

The crowd heard words of greeting from Chris West, the Chair of the Board of the Great Lakes Museum (formerly the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes).

“Today is a truly extraordinary day," said West. "The end of the S.S. Keewatin’s voyage to Kingston marks the beginning of a new chapter in her life. And a new chapter for our museum. Typically here at the museum, we say we are in the business of preserving history. Today, we are making history.”

West celebrated the extensive restorative work that has already been done on the ship, and noted, “There's much more to be done. And it is truly fitting that the work will continue here in our historic shipyard dry dock, so that the Keewatin is looking her best for the grand opening in May, and for years to come.”

Next, Indigenous historian and former Great Lakes Museum employee Paul Carl addressed the gathered dignitaries and crowd. 

“My aunties and uncles, and our grandmothers and grandfathers here, we acknowledge that this vessel came here to visit Mississauga Pointe similar to how the original Europeans, the immigrants to North America, or Turtle Island came... when they visited with the Mississaugas here hundreds of years ago.”

“I was told that the name Keewatin means northwest wind… storm of the north, or the blizzard in the north, and that’s an Anishinaabemowin word... I also want to ask the staff, the board, the volunteers, and the Marine Museum to tell the whole story. For the original owners, CP Rail, also helped with the colonization and the opening of the west… I did speak to Chris and the staff here to say that they need to acknowledge the whole story, not just the good stuff, but also what the original owners did for this country that you call Canada and we call Turtle Island."

The story of the S.S. Keewatin and its sister ships, the Great Lakes Museum website points out, features significantly in the history of Canada and Turtle Island: "It is vital that the ship, which is the last of its kind, be preserved for current and future generations. The Marine Museum of the Great Lakes has both the expertise and funding to be able to do this. In fact, we’ve raised several million dollars from our generous supporters to fund refurbishments, renovations, and towing of the Keewatin. The ship will be integrated into our extensive transportation collection covering the past two hundred years of Great Lakes history and we look forward to sharing the story of the Kee and the people who worked aboard, who took trips, and the many other facets of its important history."

S.S. Keewatin will be "ship shape" and ready to welcome visitors in its new home in May 2024.

Michelle Dorey Forestell, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Kingstonist.com

Pope orders reopening of case of prominent priest accused of abuse

Story by By Philip Pullella • 

Pope Francis looks on, on the day of the weekly general audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, October 25, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane© Thomson Reuters

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Francis has ordered a review of the Church's handling of the case of an internationally known religious artist who was expelled from the Jesuit religious order after being accused of sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse of adult women.

A statement on Friday said the pope had asked the Vatican's doctrinal office to review the case of Father Marko Ivan Rupnik and had lifted any statute of limitations that would apply so that a complete process could take place.

It said the pope made the decision after a Vatican commission on the prevention of sexual abuse "brought to the pope's attention that there were serious problems in the handling" of the Rupnik case, as well as a "lack of outreach to victims".

About 25 people, mostly former nuns, have accused Rupnik, 69, of various types of abuse, either when he was a spiritual director of a community of nuns in his native Slovenia about 30 years ago or since he moved to Rome to pursue his career as an artist.

Allegations against Rupnik began surfacing in Italian media late last year, after which the Jesuit headquarters acknowledged that he had been banned in 2019 from hearing confessions and leading spiritual retreats.

He was expelled from the Jesuits in June. Victims expressed outrage after he was allowed to work as a priest in the diocese of Koper, in his native Slovenia. The diocese said he had been accepted because he was not convicted in either a Church or civil court.

Rupnik has never publicly responded to the accusations against him, which the Jesuits said last February were "very highly" credible.

One ex-nun told an Italian newspaper how he used what she called psychological control to force her into sexual acts, and deployed "cruel psychological, emotional and spiritual aggression" to "destroy" her, particularly after she refused to have three-way sex.

The reopening of the case and the lifting of the statute of limitations means that Rupnik could eventually be defrocked, meaning a dismissal from the priesthood.

The Jesuits, the Vatican's doctrinal department have come under criticism for their handling of the case. There has also been Italian media speculation that the Vatican bureaucracy gave him special treatment because the pope, too, is a Jesuit.

The Jesuits disclosed under media pressure last year that the Vatican had investigated Rupnik and ruled that some of the alleged abuse fell beyond the statute of limitations.

The order disclosed that in 2020 the Vatican's doctrinal department excommunicated Rupnik for "absolution of an accomplice," referring to when a priest has sex with someone and then absolves the person in confession. Rupnik repented and the sanction was lifted after only a month, an unusually short period.

Rupnik specialised in mosaics and came to prominence when the late Pope John Paul II commissioned him to redesign a chapel in the Vatican between 1996 and 1999. He later designed chapels around the world.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

Gulf oil lease sale postponed by court amid litigation over endangered whale protections

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A sale of federal Gulf of Mexico oil and gas leases that had been scheduled for Nov. 8 was delayed Thursday by a federal appeals court, pending court arguments that focus on protections for an endangered whale species.

The Biden administration announced the sale in March and originally scheduled it for Sept. 27. But, in August, the administration reduced the the area available for leases from 73 million acres (30 million hectares) to 67 million acres (27 million hectares), as part of a plan to protect the endangered Rice's whale. The changes from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM, also included new speed limits and new requirements for personnel on industry vessels in some of the areas to be leased.

Oil and gas companies sued, resulting in a Lake Charles-based federal judge's order throwing out the changes. The administration appealed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. The appeals court initially set the sale for Nov. 8 while the appeal proceeded. On Thursday, however, the court issued an order that delays the sale until some time after the case is argued on Nov. 13.

BOEM had adopted the reduced area and new rules for the lease sale as part of an agreement the administration reached with environmentalists in efforts to settle a whale-protection lawsuit filed in federal court in Maryland.

Chevron, Shell Offshore, the American Petroleum Institute and the state of Louisiana sued to reverse the cut in acreage and block the inclusion of the whale-protecting measures in the lease sale provisions. They claimed the administration’s actions violated provisions of a 2022 climate measure — labeled the Inflation Reduction Act — that provided broad incentives for clean energy, along with creating new drilling opportunities in the Gulf.

Among the environmental groups involved is Earthjustice.

“We look forward to the opportunity to present our arguments to the Court of Appeals. We’ll continue to press for restoring basic measures to prevent harm to the critically endangered Rice’s Whale,” Earthjustice attorney Steve Mashuda said in an emailed statement.

Thursday's court delay came as critics of the administration policy sounded off at a Senate hearing. Sens. John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, and Joe Manchin, the West Virgina Democrat who was a key player in passing the Inflation Reduction Act, both said the administration was too slow to implement the act's required lease sales.

Manchin said the administration “capitulated” in the settlement with environmentalists. And Barrasso said the administration “is working to choke off all future offshore lease sales.”

The administration has come under criticism from the energy industry and environmentalists as it contends with competing interests. A five-year plan announced Sept. 29 includes three proposed sales in the Gulf of Mexico — the minimum number the Democratic administration could legally offer if it wants to continue expanding offshore wind development under the 2022 climate bill.

Kevin Mcgill, The Associated Press

Mysterious jaguar makes an appearance in Southern Arizona’s Huachuca Mountains

Story by Jeppe W • 

This photo of the "jaguar" was shared with Center for Biological Diversity which got it through a public records request

© Provided by Dagens.com (CA)

In a thrilling turn of events for wildlife enthusiasts and conservationists alike, a mysterious jaguar has been captured in photos prowling through the Huachuca Mountains in Southern Arizona.

The images, obtained through a public records request by the Center for Biological Diversity, were shared exclusively with Arizona Luminaria, providing a rare glimpse into the elusive life of these majestic big cats.

This marks the first sighting of a jaguar in the Huachuca range since 2017, sparking excitement and curiosity amongst the scientific community.

The jaguar was captured by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s remote trail cameras in March and April of this year, with the border agency duly noting the big cat’s presence in a public database dedicated to tracking jaguars.

Russ McSpadden, the southwest conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, was the first to notice this new entry into the jaguar database, quickly moving to secure the photographs for further analysis. “We have no idea who this jaguar is.

It’s a mystery jaguar,” McSpadden stated, highlighting the challenges posed by the dark, grainy nature of the photographs which prevent scientists from conducting a detailed “spot analysis” to identify the jaguar based on its unique coat markings.

Despite these challenges, the sighting has generated a wave of optimism regarding the connectivity of jaguar habitats.

Cholla Duir, the assistant director of the Northern Jaguar Project, expressed her happiness at seeing a jaguar that has managed to navigate past or around the border wall, affirming that their “top person is working on the spot analysis.”

The jaguar in question could potentially be one of the known local males, “El Jefe” or “Sombra,” who have been known to wander into the Huachuca range from nearby mountains.

Alternatively, it could be a previously unidentified jaguar that has been residing in Arizona for some time, or even a new visitor from Mexico.

“No matter where that jaguar came from, it’s a good sign of connectivity,” McSpadden commented, highlighting the importance of such sightings in illustrating the mobility of jaguars across regions and the potential for a healthy population in Mexico.

Threats from border wall constructions, major mining projects, ongoing development, and climate change continue to loom large, posing significant threats to the jaguars and the broader ecosystem.

The sighting of this jaguar in the Huachuca Mountains thus represents a beacon of hope and a symbol of resilience for conservationists and wildlife biologists dedicated to ensuring the survival of these incredible creatures and the overall health of the ecosystem.

Myles Traphagen, borderlands program coordinator of the Wildlands Network, aptly summarized the significance of this event, stating, “The jaguar symbolizes wildness. It’s the last representative of free-ranging wildness we have in this part of the world. It’s nature at its apex.”

Melanie Culver, a University of Arizona geneticist who specializes in big cats, echoed these sentiments, asserting that the photographs serve as a promising indication of somewhat complete habitats in the region. “

The presence of a jaguar is really important for the health of the community,” Culver concluded, underscoring the critical role these apex predators play in maintaining ecological balance.

B.C.'s new fossil emblem an 80-million-year-old marine reptile called elasmosaur

© Provided by The Canadian Press

VICTORIA — British Columbia has officially designated a large, fierce-looking marine reptile that swam in waters off Vancouver Island 80 million years ago as the province's official fossil emblem.

The government adopted the long-necked, sharp-toothed 12-metre elasmosaur as the fossil emblem on Thursday, adding to the list of provincial symbols.

The designation follows a five-year recognition effort by paleontology enthusiasts and a provincewide public poll in 2018 where the elasmosaur received 48 per cent of the votes.

Tourism Minister Lana Popham says in a statement the elasmosaur designation raises awareness that B.C. has a fossil heritage worthy of celebration and stewardship.

The first elasmosaur fossil was discovered in 1988, along the Puntledge River on Vancouver Island, marking the first fossil of its kind found west of the Canadian Rockies.

The elasmosaur lived along the coast of B.C., dating back to the Cretaceous period.

Other official B.C. emblems include the Pacific dogwood, Stellar's jay, spirit bear, Pacific salmon, jade and the western red cedar.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2023.

The Canadian Press

Smith says Alberta's CPP exit campaign to continue despite questions over key number

HEAD STRONG & BAT SHIT CRAZY

THIS IS THE CHILEAN PRIVATIZATION OF STATE PENSION PLAN PROMOTED BY THE OLD REFORM PARTY

EDMONTON — Premier Danielle Smith says Alberta will continue its $7.5-million pension-exit advertising and survey campaign, despite acknowledging the key dollar figure is disputed and likely headed to court.

Smith says her government stands by its assertion that Alberta deserves $334 billion if it leaves the Canada Pension Plan — a figure that represents more than half of all CPP assets.

Smith says the number stands because it’s the only number out there.

“We've asked the federal government to give us their interpretation. They declined,” Smith told reporters in Calgary on Thursday.

“We've asked the CPP Investment Board to give us their interpretation, it declined. 

“So maybe the next step is to go to court to see if the court supports our interpretation.” 

Related video: Finance ministers to meet on Alberta's proposal to leave Canada Pension Plan (The Canadian Press)  Duration 2:57  View on Watch

cbc.ca  'Many provinces' concerned about Alberta's CPP exit proposal: Trudeau

0:34

Smith reiterated comments she made a day earlier in Edmonton that until that transfer number is nailed down, she will not ask Albertans to vote in a referendum on leaving the CPP.

“We will have a firm number before we go into a referendum,” Smith said.

“Albertans want to know what the number will be.

“The amount of the asset transferred will then determine how much we can reduce premiums or it will determine how much we can increase benefits.”

Opposition NDP Leader Rachel Notley said it’s time for Smith’s government to stop altogether with its yo-yo messaging. 

“Two days ago, the premier and I think (pension engagement panel chairman) Jim Dinning were completely confident that the ($334-billion) number was a good number,” Notley told reporters Thursday in Calgary.

“Yesterday, they started to show what all the rest of us know, which is that it's a ridiculous number. 

“Today it's back to being a good number.”

Notley added, “At the end of the day, what is happening is Albertans’ money is being spent in a campaign full of misinformation and lies in order to persuade Albertans to let Danielle Smith and the UCP (government) have access to their retirement savings.”

For the past month, Smith’s government has been expounding in ads and an online survey the benefits that could come to Albertans with a $334-billion transfer from the CPP. That would include lower premiums, higher pensions and perhaps thousands of dollars in bonus payments to seniors.

Economists and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board say the amount Alberta would get would be, at best, half that amount and likely lower.

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board pegs Alberta’s share of the CPP at 16 per cent. 

University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe, whose research on this topic has been cited by Dinning, puts the figure at about 20 per cent.

Alberta represents about 15 per cent of the people who contribute to CPP.

The advertising campaign and the online survey have come under fire from the NDP, the Canada Pension Plan board and from some callers on Dinning’s two recent telephone town halls.

They note the survey doesn't ask Albertans if they want to leave the CPP, but instead only asks them how they would like an Alberta plan structured.

The advertising trumpets the benefits of a government-commissioned report from analyst LifeWorks — which computed the $334-billion figure — but avoids mentioning the potential risks and downsides also flagged by LifeWorks.

Smith is slated to get a report from Dinning next spring on what Albertans think about a provincial pension plan.

She is then tentatively slated to make a decision on whether there is enough public interest in an Alberta pension plan to take it to referendum, with that vote possibly coming in 2025. 

In recent days, the issue has garnered national attention.

On Wednesday, federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland agreed to convene a meeting with provincial and territorial finance ministers to discuss Alberta's CPP-exit proposal.

The decision came after Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy called for a meeting in a letter to Freeland, saying Alberta's withdrawal could cause "serious harm over the long term to working people and retirees in Ontario and across Canada.''

Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government will fight to retain the stability and integrity of the CPP, while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre encouraged Albertans to stay in the federal nest-egg fund.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2023.

Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press

The Evolution of the Canadian Pension Model - World Bank Doc...

https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/780721510639698502/pdf/121375-The-Evolution-of-the-Canadian-Pension-Model-All-Pages-Final-Low-Res-9-10-2018.pdf

to the Canada Pension Plan and ongoing reforms to improve the governance and ... larger public sector plans, offering third-party asset management services ...


Ontario Pension Policy Making and the Politics of CPP Reform, 1963–2016

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 November 2019
Benjamin Christensen[Opens in a new window]
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Abstract


After years of pension policy drift in a broader context of global austerity, the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) was enhanced for the first time in 2016 to expand benefits for Canadian workers. This article examines Ontario's central role in these reforms. The deteriorating condition of workplace plans, coupled with rising retirement income insecurity across the province's labour force, generated new sources of negative feedback at the provincial level, fuelling Ontario's campaign for CPP reform beginning in the late 2000s. The political limits of policy drift and layering at the provincial level is considered in relationship to policy making at the national level. As shown, a new period of pension politics emerged in Canada after 2009, in which the historical legacy of CPP's joint governance structure led to a dynamic of “collusive benchmarking,” shaped in large part by political efforts of the Ontario government, leading to CPP enhancement.

Canada: Manitoba enacts Pension Benefits Act reforms

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Jared Mickall
Principal, Mercer Wealth


Contributor
Stephanie Rosseau
Principal, Mercer’s Law & Policy Group


Contributor
Fiona Webster
Principal, Mercer’s Law & Policy Group

August 31, 2021


Reforms to Manitoba’s Pension Benefits Act and accompanying regulations (Bill 8 and Regulation 63/2021) with a proclamation date of 1 Oct 2021, modernize the law, create a framework that protects individuals in times of financial hardship, and provide greater and easier access to locked-in funds.

Highlights

Plan participation after normal retirement. Pension plans may permit an active member who has reached the plan’s normal retirement age to stop contributing to the plan and accruing benefits. At actual retirement, for defined benefit pension plans, the member will be entitled to receive at least the actuarial equivalent value of the defined benefit pension that would have been paid if the member had retired at the normal retirement age.

Division of pension assets in event of relationship breakdown. Parties will be able to divide pension assets up to 50%, rather than choosing between the currently mandated 50-50 split or no division.
Unlocking fundsIndividuals who have reached age 65 will be allowed to fully unlock their Manitoba locked-in accounts held by a financial institution, subject to certain limitations.

A one-time 50% unlocking of a person’s pension funds after age 55 and prior to age 65 is still permitted; however, the Superintendent will no longer be required to approve such requests.

Individuals undergoing prescribed hardship will be able to unlock all or part of their Manitoba locked-in accounts held by a financial institution, subject to certain limitations.

Other changes. The legislation also addresses the filling of a nonactive voting representative on a pension committee, allows for specified multiemployer plans, clarifies the application of specific provisions, and includes other housekeeping changes.
Related resourcesNews release (Government, 17 Aug 2021)

Bill 8 (Government)

Regulation 63/2021 (Government)

Alberta Environment Minister sounds off on federal interim impact assessment plan

Story by Lisa Johnson • Edmonton Journal

“I do believe in technology and emissions reduction but I don’t believe in magic,” Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz says of federal energy policies.

Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz says the federal government’s new temporary impact assessment plan for major natural resource projects shows that Ottawa isn’t listening.

On Thursday, the federal government released interim guidance in an effort to allow major natural resource projects to continue to move forward until it tables and passes amendments to the Impact Assessment Act (IAA), formerly known as Bill C-69.

It comes after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on Oct. 13 that the Impact Assessment Act, which ushered in a new review process in 2019, was largely unconstitutional, and stepped into provincial jurisdiction.

“This interim guidance shows that Ottawa still does not get it,” said Schulz in a statement to Postmedia Thursday, accusing the Liberal government of failing to accept the Court’s opinion by not abandoning the act entirely.

“This interim guidance does not help reduce confusion – it only adds to it,” she said.

Earlier, Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said it’s too early to know the exact amendments that need to be made to the legislation, and didn’t offer a timeline, but said the government is working towards the “shortest path forward” to bringing it into compliance with the ruling.

“We intend to make it clear in an amendment act that the prevention of adverse environmental effects within federal jurisdiction is the government’s core policy impact – that this has always been our mission,” he said.

As part of the plan, the minister’s discretionary authority to designate projects or environmental impact will be paused

Guilbeault said that power has only been used five times since the legislation came into effect in 2019, but would be off the table until the amended legislation has come into force.

“The government of Canada wants to ensure clarity and certainty for investment in the projects this country needs,” he said.

cbc.ca   'It's simply not true:' Minister Guilbeault on Alberta's ads
0:50

Under the new guidance, the Impact Assessment Agency will look at all projects currently under assessment, and provide an opinion on whether their impact is under federal jurisdiction. Guilbeault said project proponents should still continue information sharing to advance their assessments.

He said if a project doesn’t fall within federal jurisdiction, then Ottawa would look to provincial authorities to ensure a proper assessment is being done.

Consultation that’s already started with Indigenous Peoples through the existing process will continue in cases where the federal government has clear jurisdiction.

There are 23 projects currently being assessed under the IAA, and another 20 continue to be reviewed under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act 2012, the former relevant legislation.

Of the 23 projects, 10 are in the planning phase, 10 are in the impact statement phase of the assessment process and three are substituted to the Government of British Columbia.

Schulz said Alberta strongly supports Ontario’s move to apply for judicial review to affirm the bill’s unconstitutionality, and is calling on the federal government to work with provinces to find practical and constitutional ways to regulate projects and keep growing the economy.

“We want to see investment grow in Alberta, not have it driven away by unbalanced, unpredictable new rules for large-scale infrastructure projects,” she said.

lijohnson@postmedia.com

Sikh activists in B.C. emboldened by Trudeau's comments on India ahead of referendum

SURREY, B.C. — Canada's allegations about India's links to the killing of activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar have significantly bolstered vocal support for the movement calling for an independent Sikh state, said organizers of an upcoming referendum.

The group Sikhs For Justice is scheduled to hold a second round of voting for its unofficial referendum on Khalistan — referring to an independent Sikh state in India — on Sunday at the gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., where Nijjar was shot on June 18.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the group's lawyer and spokesman, said organizers are expecting "thousands" of voters after the first vote in September drew such large crowds that a second day of voting was deemed necessary.

Pannun said while many supporters of the Khalistani movement had been reluctant to voice their opinions over fear of being labelled a terrorist, they now have confidence to speak out after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's statement that there were "credible allegations" of a potential link between the Indian government and Nijjar's killing. 

"The community has really taken it to a point where … they have formed the belief that if they do not come out in large numbers, these killings will continue," Pannun said from Washington, D.C., where he is en route to Vancouver for this weekend's vote.

He said Trudeau's statement to Parliament on Sept. 18 has opened more frank discussions in countries such as the United States and Great Britain on India's handling of the fallout from Nijjar's killing, allowing supporters to vocalize their positions without fear.

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"Now they are more vocal, and they will be coming in the thousands in Surrey and in the future Khalistani voting centres," Pannun said.

The Indian government has denied involvement in Nijjar's death, calling the allegations "absurd." 

Nijjar had been wanted in India for what authorities say were links to terrorism, including an alleged attack on a Hindu priest, an allegation that Nijjar denied.

Nijjar was also a key organizer of the Canadian referendums. Similar votes have been held in the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy and Switzerland.

The Indian government has long maintained that independence activists in the Punjab region undermine India's national security, while Canada said its citizens have freedom of speech if they don't incite violence.

A 2005 Canadian government report concluded that the 1985 Air India bombings that killed 331 people were carried out as a result of a conspiracy by Sikh Khalistani separatists that was "planned and executed" in Canada. Only one man, bomb maker Inderjit Singh Reyat, was ever convicted.

India-Canada relations have frayed since Trudeau's statement about Nijjar's killing.

Earlier this month, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said Canada had removed 41 of its 62 diplomats from India after Indian authorities threatened to strip diplomatic immunities for Canadian officials and their families.

There have been signs of thawing relations, as India said this week it is resuming entry visa services in Canada for some categories, including business, medical and those wanting to attended conferences.

Visas for tourists, students, journalists and missionaries appear to remain restricted.

"Emergency situations will continue to be addressed by the high commission (of India) and the consulates general as it is being done currently," said a statement posted to Indian consulates' websites.

Pannun said Sikhs For Justice has "never incited, provoked or promoted any kind of violent activity. 

However, he said India believes the referendum on Khalistan is a violent activity. 

"That's India's version," Pannun said, adding that members of the activists community are acting to protect their democratic rights by voting.

"Whenever there is going to be injustice, you need raise your voice, even if you have to lose your life. So, this is the basic principle of Sikhism, and that's what we follow."

The first vote in September included a question on whether voters felt India was involved in Nijjar's killing, but Pannun said the question has been removed since Trudeau made his comments.

— By Chuck Chiang in Vancouver 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2023.

The Canadian Press

Canada's Tammara Thibeault wins Pan Am boxing gold in thrilling final

Story by CBC/Radio-Canada  • 

Canadian boxer Tammara Thibeault, left, celebrates her victory over Panama's Atheyna Bylon in their middleweight gold medal bout at the Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile on Friday.

© Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press

Canada's Tammara Thibeault will arrive in Paris next summer looking to complete her golden collection.

The Shawinigan, Que., native beat Panama's Atheyna Bylon in the 75-kilogram final to win the Pan Am Games title on Friday in Santiago, Chile.

The two combatants were tied after two rounds, but Thibeault earned a unanimous decision in the third and final round to take gold.

"It means the world," Thibeault said. "Out of all the tournaments I've been to, I've been able to capture gold and I was missing Pan Ams. Now missing the Olympics, but hopefully we're on the right path and that's what we're going to get.

"I'm very proud of myself, very proud of my team. I couldn't have done it alone."

Thibeault, 26, also holds the 2022 world and Commonwealth Games titles.

She booked her spot at next summer's Olympics by winning her semifinal on Thursday. Now, she'll work toward improving on her Canadian women's record quarterfinal finish from Tokyo 2020.

"I expect to come out on top [at Paris 2024]. Expect to come out with a gold medal, and make history for Canada," Thibeault said.

In a rematch of last year's world championship, Thibeault and Bylon traded blows throughout. Despite their similar statures, contrasting styles turned the fight into a strategic battle, with the Canadian looking to aggressively attack while the Panamian preferred to pick her spots.

Related video: Tammara Thibeault looking to add Pan Am Games gold to her trophy case (cbc.ca) View on Watch

It was Bylon who held the advantage with three of five judges after the first round, prompting Thibeault to lean even further into her quick-strike ability. By the end of the second round, four judges had the tilt all-square, with one favouring the Canadian.

A tense final round saw the combatants take turns holding the seeming advantage, with Bylon controlling much of the pace. But a late flurry from Thibeault might have swung things the other way, and the Canadian emerged with a unanimous victory.

"We did know each other pretty well. She's s tricky boxy to fight. She's skilled. She's a little rough," Thibeault said. "I was a little disappointed in my performance today. I pulled off the win, yeah, but I could have boxed better.

"I would have cleaned it up a little bit, use straighter punches, less holding, work a little bit more on the inside, be smarter tactically and not let it get so messy and so close."

Thibeault now holds the 2-0 edge in title fights over Bylon — but the next one could be for the Olympic crown.

Later Friday, Wyatt Sanford of Kennetcook, N.S., will look to join Thibeault atop the boxing podium when he takes on Mexico's Miguel Angel Martinez in the men's 63.5kg final.

Live coverage of the Pan Am Games continues on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.

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