Thursday, December 28, 2023

Despite a difficult 2023, Trudeau says he's not ready to 'walk away'

LET'S NOT FORGET HE GOT DIVORCED

CBC
Mon, December 25, 2023

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sits down with CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton for a year-end interview on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. (Marc Robichaud/CBC - image credit)

While it hasn't been a terrific year for the Liberal government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has no intention of stepping aside.

Recent polls have placed the Liberals well behind the Conservatives in voter support.

But Trudeau told CBC News chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton in a year-end interview that he's determined to stay on as Liberal leader.

"With the challenges that people are facing right now, with the way the world is going now and everything that we are doing that's making positive differences in a very difficult time that isn't done yet, I wouldn't be the person I am and be willing to walk away from this right now," he said.

The prime minister touched on a number of issues and challenges in his interview with Barton.

Carbon tax

Faced with internal pressure from members of his Atlantic caucus, Trudeau announced a carve-out for one of his key environmental policies in October.

The government is exempting heating oil from the federal carbon tax for three years. Trudeau said the move is meant to help those who currently use oil furnaces to hear their homes to switch to greener sources like electric heat pumps.

The exemption became a political flashpoint during the House of Commons' fall sitting, with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre claiming that Trudeau made the carbon tax the issue that will define the next election.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sits down with CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton for a year-end interview on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sits down with CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton for a year-end interview on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. (Marc Robichaud/CBC)

Asked if he was trying to save Liberal seats in Atlantic Canada, where 30 per cent of homeowners have oil furnaces, Trudeau maintained that the exemption is meant to give people more time to switch to heat pumps.

"Politics is about responding to people's problems and that doesn't mean that there wasn't deep, real policy concerns," he said.

The federal carbon tax applies in provinces and territories that don't have carbon pricing systems that Ottawa considers sufficient to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Households in those provinces receive a rebate to offset the tax.

Asked if his government has failed to communicate how the policy works, Trudeau said he'll continue to reach out to Canadians.

"It's always harder for a government to talk about its proposals than it is for an opposition party to critique them. That's the way our government, that's the way our democracy is set up," he said.

Foreign interference

Foreign interference dominated the political arena in the first half of the year after a number of media reports — citing unnamed security sources and classified documents — accused China of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

Under pressure from opposition parties, the federal government launched a public inquiry to investigate foreign interference in elections.

Barton asked Trudeau if he thinks those who leaked the top secret information will face criminal charges.

"I certainly hope so. The integrity of our intelligence services and, quite frankly, the well-being of people who put their lives at risk around the world in some very dangerous places [are] at risk every time there are leaks from our national security framework," he said.

Barton pointed out that if it hadn't been for the leaks, a public inquiry might never have been launched. But Trudeau suggested that his government has been active in preventing foreign interference. He pointed to the establishment of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, a group of MPs who are given access to top secret information.

"We have very robust oversight mechanisms, including the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, which we set up exactly for those oversights so that politicians can raise the flag when things are going on," he said. "We've been doing lots and we're going to continue to do lots."

Housing

The Liberals returned to the House of Commons in September and immediately launched a new policy push on housing.

Trudeau shuffled his cabinet in the summer and put Nova Scotia MP Sean Fraser in charge of the housing file. Fraser has since announced a number of funding deals with municipalities aimed at boosting housing construction.

But Canada's national housing agency estimates that, in order to address the problem of unaffordable housing, almost 3.5 million new units would have to be built by the end of the decade, over and above construction already in the works.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre holds a press conference regarding his “Axe the Tax” message from the roof of a parking garage in St. John’s on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023.

(Paul Daly/The Canadian Press)

While he agreed more needs to be done on housing, Trudeau said programs like the Rapid Housing Initiative and the first home savings account (FHSA) will help more Canadians afford homes.

"I think young people are rightly worried about [affording a home] because right now the situation is so difficult," he said. "But the things we're putting in place means that young people will be able to aspire to own a home."

Trudeau acknowledged in the interview that 2023 has been a difficult year for him personally. In August, he and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau announced that they had decided to separate.

Trudeau told Barton that his personal challenges haven't affected his job and he credited his cabinet with limiting the impact his separation had on his work.

"I have an amazing team of extraordinary ministers around who are doing great, great work," he said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau watches Minister of Housing Sean Fraser as he speaks at the construction site of an affordable housing project in London, Ont. on Wednesday, September 13, 2023. (Nicole Osborne/The Canadian Press)

Trudeau said the separation has given him a "renewed focus."

"One of the things that this personal process and personal year has led to ... was a renewed focus on the things that really, really matter," he said. "At the centre of it is building a better country and a better future for my kids."

Asked where he finds optimism after a rough year, Trudeau pointed to his government's child-care agreements with provinces and recent deals to create electric vehicle battery plants in Ontario and Quebec.

"A lot of things that we're putting into place now are going to be delivering [results] in the coming years," he said.

"Yes, it's really tough right now and people are frustrated and people are uncertain. But the building blocks are there."

Halifax doctor calls for action to keep cyclists safe on city streets

CBC
Tue, December 26, 2023

Dr. Kirstin Weerdenburg is an emergency room doctor and avid cyclist.

(Daniel Jardine/CBC News - image credit)

A Halifax trauma expert is calling on the municipal government to address an increase in cycling injuries.

The number of cyclists injured by motor vehicles in Halifax has doubled every year since 2019.

Dr. Kirstin Weerdenburg is an emergency room doctor and avid cyclist. She says the injuries are not only increasing in numbers, but also seriousness.

"As a trauma expert, I started hearing and seeing more people affected by cycling injuries and the people that I saw that were affected by it were having much more severe injuries," she said.

Weerdenburg says it's important to consider the data to find out why this increase is happening.

"There's probably a lot more people on the roads with their bikes, probably a lot more drivers."

She said it's vital to find out whether the infrastructure for drivers and cyclist to share the roads is working effectively and worries not enough focus is put on prevention.

"I don't want to see people come into the emergency department with these injuries and we need to do a much better job."

Kevin Wilson is an advocate for cycling in Halifax. (Daniel Jardine/CBC News)

He says that although aggressive drivers and road rage are threats to cyclists, one of the biggest problems that may be unintentional is distracted driving.

"A lot of times it's just somebody on their phone who maybe doesn't understand what it means to be two inches away from a cyclist. [It] feels a bit like a bullet going past your head … somebody passing you doing 50, when they're within kind of elbow reach," said Wilson.

Wilson also said that from a statistical standpoint, the most common danger faced by cyclists is something they call a right hook. It's when a car passes a cyclist before suddenly taking a right turn in front of them.

"It is definitely something that when you're in a protected bike lane, you do need to be cognizant [of] that they are probably not paying attention," he said.

But Wilson also said he's not deterred from riding the roads despite the safety concerns. He often plans his routes ahead of time to be in protected lanes as much as possible, and recommends the same to other cyclists.

Wilson says he choses his bike routes in advance to avoid more dangerous roads.

(Daniel Jardine/CBC News)

"The network is deeply imperfect, but you can use it to get around. Don't be afraid to like, start small, go for smaller scale trips, go on those quiet side streets and then as you feel a bit more confident, scale up as you feel comfortable," said Wilson

Weerdenburg says the approach for prevention should be a collaborative one.

"We all have a shared responsibility at making the roads safer and not putting blame on one versus the other. We're all in this together," she said.

David MacIsaac, the city's active transportation manager, previously told CBC News the Halifax Regional Municipality is aiming to have a more robust cycling network in place in the next two to five years.

In the meantime, he said the city is installing features like speed bumps and curb extensions to shorten the distance cyclists have to travel at crossing streets, as well as speed bumps to slow vehicles down.

MacIsaac said these changes are easy to align with road construction, making the measures more affordable.

"Even if it's not the final product, it should improve things for all road users from a safety perspective and especially people walking and biking," he said.

Apple’s iPhone design chief jumps ship to work with Jony Ive

Trevor Mogg
Tue, December 26, 2023

Apple’s iPhone and Watch design chief is leaving the company to work with Jony Ive, the man who led Apple’s design decisions until 2019 and who was key in creating the look of some of its most iconic products.

Tang Tan, who joined Apple a decade ago, is heading to the LoveFrom, the design firm set up by Ive after departing the tech giant four years ago, according to Apple tipster and Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman.

Citing people familiar with the matter, Gurman said that Tan will lead hardware engineering for a new project set up by Ive and Sam Altman, the AI visionary who co-founded and now heads ChatGPT creator OpenAI.

The Ive/Altman-led venture made headlines in September, with the pair reported at the time to be in talks about creating a product dubbed “the iPhone of artificial intelligence.”

There’s been no public announcement about the ambitious-sounding endeavor, but the news of Tan’s reported move to LoveFrom to help with the venture suggests that it’s still very much moving forward.

According to Gurman, Tan will “shape the look and capabilities of the new products,” but he added that the first products — apparently for the home — remain at an early development stage, with the current focus on building a team that will create concepts.

Gurman notes how Tan’s exit marks a further disintegration of the design team that Ive built at Apple, with more than a dozen members having left since Ive’s departure and only about six remaining in post. It’s reported that more than 20 personnel have moved from Apple to Ive’s LoveFrom.

With a team in place and Ive joining forces with Altman, 2024 will hopefully be the year in which the endeavor drops some big news about its ambitions or even reveals its first product. Other firms are already showcasing phone-replacement devices with AI at their core, so Ive and his crew won’t want to leave it too long before unveiling something themselves.

As for who will take over from Tan at Apple, reports suggest that rather than bringing in a replacement, his duties have been divided up among existing personnel.

Mumbai doctors blame pigeons for spike in lung disease

Pigeon droppings contain fungi that can cause a severe inflammation of the lungs after prolonged exposure.

"People have a religious belief that if you feed them, you get the pigeon's blessings. You can't ban it, you can't do anything,"

CBC
Wed, December 27, 2023

Mumbai's pigeon population has exploded in recent years and the city's doctors point to that rise as the reason behind a fivefold increase in cases of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, a severe inflammation of the lungs. (Glen Kugelstadt/CBC - image credit)

At his clinic in a northern suburb of Mumbai, Dr. Pralhad Prabhudesai stared at an X-ray, flipped through a chart and quickly fired a string of questions at the patient standing before him.

"Are you around pigeons often? What else are you exposed to?"

The pulmonologist is part of a group of doctors working in India's most populous city who are increasingly alarmed over what they've observed over the past seven years: a fivefold increase in cases of a severe inflammation of the lungs called hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

It's a steep spike that experts link directly to Mumbai's exploding pigeon population. The bird's droppings contain fungi that, if inhaled over a sustained period, can cause the immune system disorder.

"It's a terrible, progressive condition," said Dr. Prabhudesai in an interview with CBC News, adding that in chronic cases, hypersensitivity pneumonitis causes irreversible scarring to the lungs, which can require the patient to be on a constant supply of oxygen, or even lead to a lung transplant.

"There are more than 300 reasons to get this hypersensitivity pneumonia and [exposure to] pigeons is one of them," Prabhudesai said. "Most importantly, this is the most common cause of the disease in our country."

Pulmonologist Dr. Prahlad Prabhudesai, who's seeing more cases of lung disease hypersensitivity pneumonitis caused by exposure to pigeon droppings, often tells patients to not feed birds.

Pulmonologist Dr. Prahlad Prabhudesai, who's seeing more cases of lung disease hypersensitivity pneumonitis caused by exposure to pigeon droppings, often tells patients to not feed birds. (Salimah Shivji/CBC)

Other causes are allergens found in grains, feathers and air conditioning units that aren't properly maintained, but several recent studies monitoring newly-diagnosed patients in India identified exposure to birds as the leading link to the chronic disease.

Experts are calling for further data to be collected and the Indian Council of Medical Research has now developed a registry to track cases of the lung disease, along with the identified causes.

Problem with feeding pigeons

The problem is acute in Mumbai, India's most densely-populated city that has millions of apartment buildings with flat surfaces where pigeons love to roost. The city also has a robust cultural tradition of feeding the birds for religious reasons, such as a deep-seated belief that caring for pigeons brings blessings and will help wash away a person's sins.

Mumbai is known for its kabutarkhanas, designated feeding parks often located near temples and other places of worship where thousands of pigeons gather and are fed. It's not uncommon to see people dragging large bags of grain to pour in front of the birds.

"In Mumbai, a lot of feeding is being done near your house, near temple…everywhere you go," Prabhudesai said.

He often fields questions from patients asking if there is a pigeon repellent or other technology being developed to drive the birds away from homes.

Pigeon droppings contain fungi that can cause a severe inflammation of the lungs after prolonged exposure.

(Glen Kugelstadt/CBC)

'I had no idea'

"Patient awareness [of the danger of pigeons] has started to increase over the past five years," he said, but many of them feel helpless "because they are very stubborn birds."

A hypersensitivity pneumonitis diagnosis came completely out of the blue for Namrata Trivedi, who just returned to work in the past year after more than a decade of battling the disease.

She began experiencing breathing problems and a persistent dry cough in 2011 and a string of doctors couldn't figure out what she had.

"When I saw the X-ray from my CT scan, I could see a black layer all over my lungs," she told CBC News in an interview in Gujarati.

"The doctor looked right at my husband and my mother, and told me I had only three years left to live."

Namrata Trivedi, who has been fighting severe symptoms of hypersensitivity pneumonitis for years, was incredulous when doctors told her she got the lung disease from pigeon droppings. 'I had no idea,' she told CBC. (Salimah Shivji/CBC)

Trivedi, 57, frequently used to feed pigeons and, in one of her previous homes, there were large nests of the birds tucked into a windowsill. Still, she was floored when she was diagnosed and told the cause of her lung disorder was pigeon poo.

"I had no idea, I was completely unaware," she said. "I remember thinking how can pigeons cause such a huge problem! It's not possible."

Trivedi has defied the doctors' predictions and her condition is now under control, even though she still has occasional lung pain and has to take precautions to avoid large crowds when going out.

The hairstylist wishes more people in Mumbai knew how deadly pigeon droppings can be.

Experts believe Mumbai's many apartment buildings, along with a tradition of feeding the birds, have contributed to the city's thriving pigeon population.

(Glen Kugelstadt/CBC)

"People don't understand, they keep saying feeding pigeons is 'jeev daya,'" Trivedi said, using the Hindi and Gujarati term meaning to help or show compassion to all living beings, including animals.

"But humans are also worth helping," she added, saying it breaks her heart to see children suffering from the condition because the people around them insist on feeding the birds.

Hard to avoid the pigeons

Prakash Punjabi, 68, who found out he was suffering from the chronic lung disease due to exposure to pigeon droppings last year, is trying to process the same physical and emotional pain.

He spends at least four days a week exercising at a rehabilitation centre adjacent to Prabhudesai's clinic in north Mumbai, often hooked up to an oxygen machine.

Prakash Punjabi, 68, who has chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis, feels grateful to have access to a rehabilitation centre to keep the symptoms at bay.

(Salimah Shivji/CBC News)

"It's very difficult," he said, panting through his oxygen supply while on the treadmill. "I find it difficult while breathing through my nose, and I feel tired all day."

Punjabi was not in the habit of feeding pigeons, but he and his doctors suspect he got the disease after spending so much time at home during the COVID-19 lockdown.

"Where I stay, there are a lot of pigeons," he explained. "We have grills and an aluminum [siding] where all the pigeons dance all day."

These days, Punjabi doesn't leave his house without wearing a mask to protect him from dust and pigeon droppings, but he said it's often hard to avoid with Mumbai's kabutarkhanas.

Pigeon feeding, seen as a way to help the birds and accumulate religious blessings, is common practice in Mumbai. (Glen Kugelstadt/CBC)

"People have a religious belief that if you feed them, you get the pigeon's blessings. You can't ban it, you can't do anything," he continued. "But people have to be very cautious when dealing with [pigeons]."

The city of Mumbai technically does have fines of 500 rupees ($8 Cdn) on the books for feeding pigeons in non-designated areas but residents say the bylaw is rarely enforced.

It's left to chest surgeons like Prabhudesai to sound the alarm and repeat the same advice over and over:

"We always try to tell people: "Number one, don't feed the pigeons."

Quebec, FAE teachers' union reach tentative deal on salaries

CBC
Thu, December 28, 2023

The FAE represents about 65,000 teachers. It has been on an unlimited strike since Nov. 23. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press - image credit)

A teachers' union in Quebec, which has been on an unlimited strike, said Wednesday night it reached a tentative deal with the government on both salaries and working conditions.

The tentative agreement will be submitted Thursday to the Fédération autonome de l'enseignement (FAE)'s council, which must decide whether it is an agreement in principle before putting it to a vote by union members.

The FAE represents about 65,000 teachers. It has been on an unlimited strike since Nov. 23, closing about 800 schools for four weeks before the holiday break, including at the province's largest school board in Montreal.

"The 66,500 members of the FAE have just spent 22 days in the streets, without pay, to make themselves heard," FAE president Mélanie Hubert said in a news release. "We will respect our democratic processes before expressing ourselves further."

Teachers represented by the common front — a coalition of public sector unions — will be voting on a tentative deal on working conditions but have yet to reach an agreement on wages.

More Quebec public unions have tentative deals on working conditions, but not on pay

CBC
Sun, December 24, 2023

The common front has staged three strikes to date and are threatening an unlimited strike in the new year if no agreement is reached with the government before then. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press - image credit)

Unions representing more than 200,000 Quebec government workers reached tentative working condition deals with the government over the weekend, but that may not be enough to stave off a strike in the new year.

Negotiations around salaries and benefits remain ongoing and aren't part of the proposed deals announced Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

The unions are part of a labour group calling itself the "common front," which has said its 420,000 members will launch an unlimited strike in the new year if an agreement isn't reached.

One of the unions that has announced a tentative working condition deal, the Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux (APTS), said its 65,000 members won't vote on the proposal until an agreement is also reached on wages.

"Salary issues will have to be resolved in order to avoid an unlimited general strike by the common front in early 2024," the union said in a news release Sunday morning.

APTS President Robert Comeau, whose union members include professional and technical staff in the health-care system such as laboratory technicians, said the working condition agreement will lead to better recognition of members expertise and will help the government attract and retain workers.

The government also announced a tentative working condition deal Sunday with a union representing 35,000 education support workers.

"This will, in particular, reduce precariousness and encourage more full-time positions, because more hours will be offered to support staff who will have new responsibilities providing help and support in the classroom," the office of Sonia LeBel, the minister responsible for government administration and the chair of the Treasury Board, said in a news release Sunday. She added details of the agreement remain confidential.

Quebec's treasury board president, Sonia LeBel, has reached several tentative deals with various unions to improve working conditions. However, these will have to be paired with an agreement on salaries to avoid an unlimited strike in the new year.

Quebec's treasury board president, Sonia LeBel, has reached several tentative deals with various unions to improve working conditions. However, these will have to be paired with an agreement on salaries to avoid an unlimited strike in the new year. (Sylvain Roy Roussel/Radio-Canada)

Another tentative deal announced Sunday morning includes unions representing around 20,000 teachers at the province's junior colleges.

The Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ), one of the unions that is part of the common front, said Sunday that one of its member unions, which represents support staff at junior colleges, has also reached a tentative working condition deal, but like the APTS, it said that proposal will have to be combined with an agreement on salaries to avoid a strike.

On Saturday evening, the province said a tentative deal on working conditions had also been reached with a union representing 120,000 health-care workers, including patient care attendants, respiratory therapists, administrative staff and some nurses.

That proposed deal, which covers 40 per cent of Quebec's health-care workers, will improve work-life balance for staff and "improve the services offered during unfavourable shifts through better working conditions," LeBel's office said in a news release.

Tentative working condition deals were also announced with unions representing support workers in junior colleges and professionals — such as psychologists, librarians, engineers and analysts — who are employed by French-language school service centres.

The common front is negotiating together, with discussions around salaries, benefits and retirement taking place at a central bargaining table. Talks around working conditions are being conducted separately and discussed by sector.

As recently as Wednesday, union leaders had said the central negotiations were more advanced than the sector negotiations.

On Friday, unions representing around more than 100,000 teachers said they've reached similar proposed deals on working conditions.

The common front has not said when in the new year a strike would begin. Its members have staged three strikes, each one longer than the last, since November, with the most recent lasting a week.

A separate teachers union, Fédération autonome de l'enseignement (FAE), said Friday that it was entering intensive negotiations with the provincial government. Its 65,000 members have been on a general unlimited strike since Nov. 23.

The Fédération Interprofessionnelle de la santé du Quebec (FIQ), which represents most nurses as well as other health-care workers, said Saturday that negotiations remain ongoing.

LeBel said they will continue negotiations on Dec. 26.

India targeting high-profile journalists with spyware: Amnesty

Agence France-Presse
December 28, 2023

Created by Israeli firm NSO Group and sold to governments around the world, Pegasus software can be used to access a phone's messages and emails, peruse photos, eavesdrop on calls, track locations and even film the owner with the camera (JOEL SAGET)

India's government has recently targeted high-profile journalists with Pegasus spyware, Amnesty International and The Washington Post said in a joint investigation published Thursday.

Created by Israeli firm NSO Group and sold to governments around the world, Pegasus software can be used to access a phone's messages and emails, peruse photos, eavesdrop on calls, track locations and even film the owner with the camera.

Amnesty said journalists Siddharth Varadarajan of The Wire and Anand Mangnale of The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project had been targeted with the spyware on their iPhones, with the latest identified case occurring in October.

"Our latest findings show that increasingly, journalists in India face the threat of unlawful surveillance simply for doing their jobs, alongside other tools of repression including imprisonment under draconian laws, smear campaigns, harassment, and intimidation," said Donncha O Cearbhaill, Head of Amnesty International's Security Lab.

India's government did not immediately respond, but it denied similar accusations in 2021 that it used Pegasus spyware to surveil political opponents, activists and journalists.

Indian media reported last month that the country's cyber security unit was investigating allegations by opposition politicians of attempted phone tapping after they reported receiving Apple iPhone warnings of "state-sponsored attackers".

In that case, Ashwini Vaishnaw, the information and technology minister, said the government was "concerned" by the complaints.

New reptile on the block: A new iguana species discovered in China

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PENSOFT PUBLISHERS

Calotes wangi — IMAGE:
*CALOTES WANGI*.
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CREDIT: HUANG ET AL.

A new iguana joins Asia’s rich reptile fauna, officially described as new to science in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

“From 2009 to 2022, we conducted a series of field surveys in South China and collected a number of specimens of the Calotes versicolor species complex, and found that the population of what we thought was Calotes versicolor in South China and Northern Vietnam was a new undescribed species and two subspecies,” says Yong Huang, whose team described the new species.

Wang’s garden lizard (Calotes wangi) is less than 9 cm long, and one of its distinguishing features is its orange tongue.

“Calotes wangi is found in subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests and tropical monsoon forests in southern China and northern Vietnam, mostly in mountainous areas, hills and plains on forest edges, arable land, shrub lands, and even urban green belts. It is active at the edge of the forest, and when it is in danger, it rushes into bushes or climbs tree trunks to hide. Investigations found that the lizards lie on sloping shrub branches at night, sleeping close to the branches,” says Yong Huang.

It is active from April to October every year, while in the tropics it is active from March to November or even longer, and eats a variety of insects, spiders, and other arthropods.

For now, the researchers estimate that the new species is not threatened, but they do note that in some areas its habitat is fragmented.

“In addition, their bodies are used medicinally and the lizards are also eaten,” they write in their research paper.

This is why they suggest that the local government strengthen the protection of their ecological environment and pay close attention to the population dynamics.

Research article:

Huang Y, Li H, Wang Y, Li M, Hou M, Cai B (2023) Taxonomic review of the Calotes versicolor complex (Agamidae, Sauria, Squamata) in China, with description of a new species and subspecies. ZooKeys 1187: 63-89. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1187.110704

JOURNAL

ZooKeys

DOI

10.3897/zookeys.1187.110704

ARTICLE TITLE

Taxonomic review of the Calotes versicolor complex (Agamidae, Sauria, Squamata) in China, with description of a new species and subspecies

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

20-Dec-2023

Large-scale indoor farming takes root in Calgary industrial park

CBC
Wed, December 27, 2023

A large tray of micro peas at GoodLeaf Farms will be harvested and packaged for delivery to local retailers. (Bryan Labby/CBC - image credit)

Think of it as a sanctuary for leafy vegetables. That's how GoodLeaf's Barry Murchie describes the company's 100,000-square-foot vertical farm operation that he predicts will eventually produce 900,000 kilograms of veggies a year.

The company's president and CEO says it's one step toward increasing food security, possibly leading to lower prices for home grown food and a smaller carbon footprint compared to veggies that are trucked in from the United States.

"We are creating an alternative, a domestic alternative to deal with Canada's food sovereignty," said Murchie.

"But our intent is to be an option to replace imports and to have as high a per cent as possible of domestically grown produce."

The giant warehouse represents an investment of $50-$60 million, according to Murchie. The Government of Alberta contributed $2.7 million toward the project.

The baby greens and micro veggies are grown hydroponically in hundreds of trays stacked 12 metres high in a climate controlled environment.

The irrigated plants are given a carefully timed dose of water to maximize the various stages of growth. The water is drained, filtered and used again. The condensate from all of the humidity is also captured and pumped into the large trays.

Within such a tightly controlled environment, the veggies grow remarkably fast, going from seed to package in two weeks or less, depending on the variety.

The setup is a carefully guarded secret — so much so that Murchie would not allow CBC's cameras to take any pictures inside the growing area.

"We've got an enormous amount of intellectual property in all the foundational elements of our farm and we want to protect that," he said.

Barry Murchie, president and CEO of GoodLeaf Farms, checks in on the company's large scale vertical farm. Murchie would not allow any video of photos of the farm operation, citing a need to protect the company's intellectual property.

Barry Murchie, president and CEO of GoodLeaf Farms, checks in on the company's large scale vertical farm. Murchie would not allow any video or photos of the farm operation, citing a need to protect the company's intellectual property. (Bryan Labby/CBC)

It's not the first indoor, vertical farm in Calgary. The city's food action plan supports "a sustainable and resilient food system" to improve access to local and healthy food.

"To promote a more supportive environment for agricultural activities at all scales to happen within our city," said Kristi Peters, Calgary's food system planner.

She says there are about a dozen indoor farms operating in Calgary, but only a few, including GreenLeaf, are large-scale operations.

Some experts believe the large-scale models can be successful when located in close proximity to large centres and are able to sell their goods in major retailers and restaurants.

That's something that GoodLeaf and another local indoor operation, Deep Water Farms, have done.

Perfect timing

Stuart Smyth is a professor in the department of agricultural and resource economics at the University of Saskatchewan. He is also the Agri-Food Innovation and Sustainability Enhancement Chair.

He says these local operations could reduce our reliance on veggies imported from California and Arizona — and the timing could be ideal. He says recent water restrictions in Arizona affected the amount of leafy greens that could be planted.

"The challenge down there is that they're facing droughts and reduced water availability for irrigation," said Smyth.

Employees at GoodLeaf Farms remove a large tray of micro peas from the five-storey vertical farm operation in Calgary.

Employees at GoodLeaf Farms remove a large tray of micro peas from the 12-metre-high vertical farm operation in Calgary. (Bryan Labby/CBC)

As GoodLeaf gears up toward full production, it's already looking ahead to expansion. The current site has enough room to double capacity.

"Think of it as the Salinas Valley of the north, as we can sort of create a situation to generate an enormous amount of produce for Canadians by Canadians," said Murchie.

Electronic “soil” enhances crop growth

Peer-Reviewed Publication

LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY

Eleni Stavrinidou and Alexandra Sandéhn — IMAGE:
ELENI STAVRINIDOU, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, AND SUPERVISOR OF THE STUDY AND ALEXANDRA SANDÉHN, PHD STUDENT, ONE OF THE LEAD AUTHORS, CONNECT THE ESOIL TO A LOW POWER SOURCE FOR STIMULATING PLANT GROWTH.
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CREDIT: THOR BALKHED

Barley seedlings grow on average 50% more when their root system is stimulated electrically through a new cultivation substrate. In a study published in the journal PNAS, researchers from Linköping University have developed an electrically conductive “soil” for soilless cultivation, known as hydroponics.

“The world population is increasing, and we also have climate change. So it’s clear that we won’t be able to cover the food demands of the planet with only the already existing agricultural methods. But with hydroponics we can grow food also in urban environments in very controlled settings,” says Eleni Stavrinidou, associate professor at the Laboratory of Organic Electronics at Linköping University, and leader of the Electronic Plants group.

Her research group has now developed an electrically conductive cultivation substrate tailored to hydroponic cultivation which they call eSoil. The Linköping University researchers have shown that barley seedlings grown in the conductive “soil” grew up to 50% more in 15 days when their roots were stimulated electrically.

Hydroponic cultivation means that plants grow without soil, needing only water, nutrients and something their roots can attach to – a substrate. It is a closed system that enables water recirculation so that each seedling gets exactly the nutrients it needs. Therefore, very little water is required and all nutrients remain in the system, which is not possible in traditional cultivation.

Hydroponics also enables vertical cultivation in large towers to maximise space efficiency. Crops already being cultivated in this manner include lettuce, herbs and some vegetables. Grains are not typically grown in hydroponics apart for their use as fodder. In this study the researchers show that barley seedlings can be cultivated using hydroponics and that they have a better growth rate thanks to electrical stimulation.

“In this way, we can get seedlings to grow faster with less resources. We don’t yet know how it actually works, which biological mechanisms that are involved. What we have found is that seedlings process nitrogen more effectively, but it’s not clear yet how the electrical stimulation impacts this process,” says Eleni Starvrinidou.

A barley seedling grows within the eSoil, an artificial electronic soil that makes seedlings grow faster.

CREDIT

Thor Balkhed

Mineral wool is often used as cultivation substrate in hydroponics. Not only is this non-biodegradable, it is also produced with a very energy intensive process. The electronic cultivation substrate eSoil is made of cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer, mixed with a conductive polymer called PEDOT. This combination as such is not new, but this is the first time it has been used for plant cultivation and for creating an interface for plants in this manner.

Previous research has used high voltage to stimulate the roots. The advantage of the Linköping researchers’ “soil” is that it has very low energy consumption and no high voltage danger. Eleni Stavrinidou believes that the new study will open the pathway for new research areas to develop further hydroponic cultivation.

“We can’t say that hydroponics will solve the problem of food security. But it can definitely help particularly in areas with little arable land and with harsh environmental conditions.”