Thursday, January 04, 2024

City, police dismantle homeless encampment northeast of downtown Edmonton

Story by Phil Heidenreich • Global News

One day after the third of what police say are eight "high-risk" homeless encampments in Edmonton was dismantled, the city and police began removing another camp just northeast of the downtown core.© Global News

One day after the third of what police say are eight "high-risk" homeless encampments in Edmonton was dismantled, the city and police began removing another camp just northeast of the downtown core.

The Edmonton Police Service said work to dismantle an encampment in the area of 105A Avenue and 96th Street began Wednesday morning.

A garbage truck was parked at the scene and crews could be seen working to remove items from the area.

A number of people came to watch crews dismantle the camp and to call for more to be done to help homeless Edmontonians.

Nadine Chalifoux, the chair of the Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness, said she wants Edmontonians to witness the camp removals because she wants people to know "how inhumane this is."

"It's heartbreaking," she said, noting that the people being forced to leave may not end up in shelters because of capacity issues or because of concerns about safety there or whether they can bring pets if they have them.

"It's going to be -19 C next week. And now you're telling them they can't even take half this stuff with them ... tarps, blankets."

Jordan Morgan is an advocate for homeless Edmontonians and a volunteer for Water Warriors, an Indigenous-run street outreach team. He was also at the encampment to witness its removal on Wednesday.

4th high-risk Edmonton homeless encampment dismantled near Bissell Centre (VIDEO)

A day after a homeless camp was taken down in a ravine near Dawson Park, Edmonton police and cleanup crews began shutting down and dismantling a 4th camp - this one on 105 Avenue and 96 Street near the Bissell Centre in the city's core. Slav Kornik has more on the noon news.

Morgan said he believes the camp removals are not a viable solution to the problem and new camps will just be set up elsewhere as part of a vicious cycle.

"They're a community ... living together. ... They're all sharing and contributing to each other's cause. Now you're dispersing them across the city -- how are they going to fend for themselves?"

Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood MLA Janis Irwin was also at the site Wednesday to "bear witness" to the event.

"It's been heartbreaking," the NDP housing critic said. "These folks who are being cleared, they're my constituents.

"They may not have roofs over their heads but they matter and having a home matters."

While the provincial UCP government has invested in shelter space and taken other steps to address the crisis, Irwin said she believes the government needs to invest much more in affordable and social housing.

She also said the idea of repurposing hotels and motels to help provide shelter is one that needs to be explored again.

"I don't want to see more of my constituents die on the streets," Irwin said, noting cold weather is coming to Edmonton soon. "I fear that's going to happen."

A statement issued to Global News by the office of Seniors, Community and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon on Wednesday said the province is investing $9 billion with its partners to build 25,000 more affordable housing units by 2031 -- "an increase of more than 40 per cent."

"We also recognize that housing linked with supports is an integral part of the overall response to homelessness and we are actively taking steps to ensure help is there for those who need it. That is why Budget 2023 provides $41 million to Homeward Trust Edmonton for programs aimed at moving people out of homelessness and into housing with supports."

In a statement issued last week, Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said the city's top priority is the safety of unhoused people and the surrounding community.

"We know that encampments are not a safe situation for vulnerable people, and long-term solutions like permanent supportive housing and more affordable housing are necessary to tackle houselessness," he said, adding that the city manager has been asked to evaluate ways Edmonton can update its encampment response process, "including enhanced engagement with the social sector partners and Indigenous organizations."

"Our partners shared that they were seeking more transparency and participation in the planning process especially for high-risk encampments, a co-ordinated communication response and better data co-ordination."

A statement issued by the provincial government on Dec. 15 said it has provided funding for 1,700 shelter spaces and that it anticipates Edmonton's emergency shelter capacity would grow from 1,388 to 1,510 by the end of 2023 and to 1,700 spaces "early in the new year."

Police Chief Dale McFee and other officials in the city have described many of Edmonton's homeless camps as dangerous places because of concerns regarding fires, health, drugs and crime.

In 2023, the city said Edmonton Fire Rescue Services responded to 135 fires in encampments resulting in 22 injuries and three deaths.

Video: After delay, closure of high-risk Edmonton homeless camps begins

Late last year, police identified eight "high-risk encampments for removal, but an emergency court injunction sought by the Coalition for Justice and Human Rights on Dec. 18, 2023, was granted by a judge and briefly postponed the plan.

While the injunction has been extended until the application for a lawsuit against the city's encampment response is heard on Jan. 11, a judge ruled that the city and police are still allowed to remove high-risk encampments as long as a number of conditions are met, including that officials ensure there is enough shelter space available to accommodate those being forced to leave.

On Tuesday, the city said more than 200 spaces remain available at Edmonton shelter locations. Chalifoux and Morgan disputed the city's claim and said they are hearing there is no shelter space left.

Chalifoux added that she does not believe emergency shelters are the answer to the problem anyway.

"They're not even a very good Band-Aid because people go there for an overnight stay, but in the morning they're kicked back out onto the street with nowhere else to go," she said. "So they have to stay warm.

"This is a crisis across the world and we need to have specific actions that we're putting money into."

In its statement on Wednesday, Nixon's office said "shelters in Edmonton are currently under-capacity and not turning people away."

"Our department watches shelter utilization numbers on a daily basis and if capacity becomes an issue, our government would take immediate action to make sure people are not turned away."

Both Morgan and Chalifoux called for more money to be invested into affordable and supportive housing and for more funding for social workers and street outreach efforts.

According to Homeward Trust Edmonton, there were 3,043 people experiencing homelessness as of Dec. 16, 2023.

Of those, 670 are homeless with nowhere to go, 1,743 are provisionally accommodated and 534 are staying in overnight shelters.

--with files from Global News' Karen Bartko and Emily Mertz

Walmart halts $100M project in Quebec, leaving many people ‘very surprised’

Story by Gloria Henriquez •

A rendering of what Walmart's distribution centre in Vaudreuil-Dorion was set to look like. January 3rd, 2024.© Credit: Walmart

Walmart has decided to put a stop to its plan to open a $100-million distribution centre in Vaudreuil-Dorion, a decision that has taken many businesses and elected officials by surprise.

A beacon of business in the area, the 57,000-square-foot facility was supposed to be a brand new delivery hub for online orders in Quebec and Atlantic Canada. The state-of-the-art facility was expected to create 225 jobs, but many are just learning that the project is dead on arrival.

"Actually we were very surprised, we learned it through the newspaper," said Mathieu Miljours, general manager of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Chamber of Commerce.

Walmart announced its plans to set up the facility in September 2022. The grand opening was set to be soon.

"It's a symbol for us, a big company like Walmart coming in the area, it was all making sense and now we don't know why," said Miljours.

In a statement to Global News, Walmart says that instead of moving forward with the opening of the centre, the company has "decided to accelerate upgrades to our existing network, including our Quebec stores, to unlock more omni capacities to better serve the growing needs of our local Quebec customers," writes Stephanie Fusco, the company's senior manager of corporate affairs. "By the end of our next fiscal year, we plan to invest about $100M to upgrade eight stores within the province."

"My guess is it's the economic situation, the global economic situation," said Luc Boyer, the director of territorial development at Développement Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon is disappointed too, but he's looking at the bright side.

"We dealt with a promoter, the promoter built it, they paid for everything. I have a brand new industrial park for free," Pilon said.

Pilon believes it won't take long before someone else scoops up the facility, nearly completed and strategically located at the corner of Marier Avenue and Henry-Ford Street, boasting easy access to several highways.

Boyer agrees.

"I'm not really worried by the fact that it will remain empty a long time," Boyer said.

Walmart is leasing the land from Harden, a local developer. Global News called Harden's director of development but he wasn't authorized to speak on the matter.

For now, the mystery of why Walmart withdrew its project, remains unsolved.

B.C. government fined $710K for unsafe wildfire mitigation work

© Provided by The Canadian Press

WONOWON, B.C. — British Columbia's government has been fined more than $700,000 after inspectors say they found unsafe wildfire mitigation practices at a site in the province's northeast.

A summary posted online by WorkSafeBC says inspectors went to a site near Wonowon, B.C., where trees were being cut down to reduce wildfire fuel, finding evidence of unsafe cuts.

Inspectors say they also found that the provincial government as the employer did not verify faller certification and did not actively monitor work, as required by a safety program.

The $710,488 fine was imposed in October but WorkSafeBC says updates to its online penalty database were delayed for several months due to a staffing vacancy.

The Ministry of Forests said in a statement that it's "disappointed" by the situation which involved a subcontractor and not anyone affiliated with the BC Wildfire Service.

It said it agrees that "process improvements" are warranted.

"Everyone should be able to perform their work safely. We are taking action, working with all contractors and subcontractors to ensure we meet the high standards we always strive to achieve," the statement said.

It said it requires all contractors to be certified, including having their own safety program "to ensure safety certification standards are met along with WorkSafeBC regulations."

The ministry said no one was hurt in the incident and it is "reviewing its safety and contracting processes and procedures" to make sure contactors meet certification requirements to do hazardous work.

The ministry said it plans to appeal the size of the fine it was given, arguing that it was not properly calculated.

"Our view is that the amount of penalty imposed is arbitrary and disproportionately high, as the penalty was calculated using the entire Government of B.C.’s payroll for what we believe should be a specific location infraction," the statement said.

WorkSafeBC penalties are calculated based on the size of a company's payroll, but can be increased in some situations including for high-risk violations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2024

The Canadian Press

Heads of 17 Canadian environmental charities collecting major compensation packages

STILL LESS THAN BIG OIL EXECS

THESE NGO'S ARE PART OF THE STATE

MONTREAL — A small group of leaders of Canadian charities in the environment, conservation, and animal protection sectors are taking home compensation packages equivalent to, and in some cases higher than, the salaries of provincial premiers.

An analysis by The Canadian Press identified 17 charities whose top executive drew annual compensation that was in the $200,000 to $250,000 range or higher, according to filings with the federal government made in 2022 and 2023.

The review focused on organizations recognized by the Canada Revenue Agency as registered charities in the categories of "environment" and "animal protection," which include several conservation organizations. The group of 17 with the highest salaries represents just over one per cent of all charities in those two categories.

The bracket of $200,000 to $250,000 was chosen as a cutoff because at the time it aligned with the compensation of the two highest-paid premiers in Canada — Ontario's Doug Ford with $208,974 and Quebec's François Legault with $208,200. Legault's salary has since risen to $270,120 after members of the legislature voted themselves a 30-per-cent pay raise in June.

Data was sourced from the T3010 Registered Charity Information Return forms of each organization. Compensation, as defined by the CRA, includes salaries, bonuses, honorariums and all other benefits given to employees.

The overwhelming majority of the 864 registered charities in the two sectors examined rely on volunteers or a modestly paid workforce. Almost 59 per cent of them only have volunteers and 14 per cent have no employees earning more than $40,000. Another 15 per cent have no employees earning more than $80,000.

The charity with the highest-paid executives was Ducks Unlimited Canada, based in Manitoba. Its 2023 declaration indicates that two people earned more than $350,000, three others received between $250,000 and $300,000, and four received compensation between $200,000 and $250,000. The organization has 565 full- and part-time employees. Governments contributed just over $27 million to Ducks Unlimited for its year ending March 31, 2023, and a quarter of its $140 million in revenue came from donations.

Spokesperson Janine Massey defended the pay packages in an email. “Ducks Unlimited Canada is Canada's largest nature conservancy .... It is difficult to compare environmental non-profits due to wide variation in mission, scale, and complexity of operations," she said.

"We regularly undertake competitive compensation reviews and adjust our compensation accordingly to ensure that we can attract and retain highly skilled personnel." Among organizations that responded to requests for comment, the competitiveness argument was frequently used to justify the salaries.

Sylvie St-Onge, professor of management at Montreal business school HEC and an expert in compensation management, governance and boards of directors, said the green movement has turned into a small industry. “When they compare themselves, they're going to compare themselves to others in the industry who are like a core group of well-offs,” she said.

At the David Suzuki Foundation in Vancouver, one manager received compensation of between $250,000 and $300,000 for the year ending Aug. 31, 2022, and three others were in the $200,000-to-$250,000 bracket. Spokesperson Charles Bonhomme said the organization has always made it a priority to pay its employees fairly and noted its offices “are located in the most expensive cities in Canada: Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal." The foundation employs just under a hundred people.

Bonhomme said it called on “the expertise of a human resources consulting firm" to help carry out "a salary review across the entire organization.” He said recent staffing changes mean the salaries posted in the most recent publicly available report “no longer reflect our current team."

World Wildlife Fund Canada employs approximately 110 people, and nearly 80 per cent of its revenues come from donations. One of its executives received compensation between $250,000 and $300,000 for the year ending June 30, 2023, and two others received between $200,000 and $250,000. In its response, the organization said its compensation structure "is comparable to that of similar national charities, including in the field of the environment (…) We believe that to have the greatest possible protection, we must recruit the best individuals.”

Nature United had 36 Canadian employees, according to its 2022 statement. One manager received compensation between $250,000 and $300,000 and another between $200,000 and $250,000. Its director of communications, Jacqueline Nunes, says salaries are based on “robust salary review processes” that ensure that they are in the mid-range relative to peer organizations.

"As a non-profit organization, we take our finances very seriously and would not be compensating leaders more than necessary to secure strong leadership, which is so crucial as we work towards a Canada where people and nature are united, and ecosystems, communities and economies are thriving," she wrote in an email.

The Atlantic Salmon Federation, based in Saint-Andrews, N.B., had one employee earning between $200,000 and $250,000 in 2022. The federation, which employs 32 people, derived 22 per cent of its $6 million in revenue from government sources and 16 per cent from various donations in 2022.

"We recently completed an external compensation review, which found our salary structure to be competitive with other mid- and large-sized Canadian NGOs focused on conservation and the environment," federation spokesman Neville Crabbe said. "Whether people work in the private sector, for government, or non-government organizations, they should be compensated fairly and reasonably for the quality of their work."

St-Onge, however, suggested the high pay might be delivering a message that is at odds with the public persona of these charities, which ostensibly are there to help the planet.

"When we talk about sustainable development, it is also about social responsibility. It's like sending a contradictory message with the values that there should be," she said. "Somewhere, there is a board of directors that either did not do its job or that found a rationale for it."

It would be preferable, according to her, to look for people for such organizations who are motivated by a calling rather than by ambition. “In these organizations, it is not so much the best in terms of expertise that you need, but the best in terms of mobilization, faith, belief in adherence to the mission — someone who doesn’t come so much to get the money.”

Other organizations with compensation in the higher bracket that did not respond to a request for comment include the Nature Conservancy of Canada — which in 2022 paid one employee between $300,000 and $350,000 and three between $200,000 and $250,000 — and the Alberta Conservation Association, who had one employee in the $300,000-to-$350,000 range and two in the $200,000-to-$250,000 bracket.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 4, 2024.

Pierre Saint-Arnaud, The Canadian Press

Korea Maritime & Ocean University researchers develop a new method for path-following performance of autonomous ships

The developed computational fluid dynamics model can lead to more accurate predictions of path-following performance

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NATIONAL KOREA MARITIME AND OCEAN UNIVERSITY

Analyzing the Path-Following Performance of Autonomous Ships Using a Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) Model — IMAGE:
TRADITIONAL MODELS FOR ANALYZING THE PATH-FOLLOWING PERFORMANCE OF AUTONOMOUS SHIPS CAN LEAD TO INACCURATE PREDICTIONS. CFD MODELS CAN LEAD TO MORE ACCURATE ASSESSMENT AND THEREFORE LEAD TO SAFER AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATION.
view more
CREDIT: DAEJEONG KIM FROM KOREA MARITIME & OCEAN UNIVERSITY

The rising popularity of autonomous vehicles has spurred significant research interest in the maritime industry, particularly for the development of maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS). An essential requirement of MASS is the ability to follow a pre-determined path at sea, considering factors such as obstacles, water depth, and ship maneuverability. Any deviation from this path, say, due to adverse weather conditions, poses serious risks like collision, contact, or grounding incidents. It is thus desirable for autonomous ships to have a mechanism in place for effectively resisting deviations.

Current methods for assessing the path-following performance of autonomous ships, however, rely on simplified mathematical ship models. Unfortunately, these models are unable to capture the complicated interactions between the hull, propeller, rudder, and external loads of ships, leading to inaccurate estimates of path-following performance.

Furthermore, in response to the International Maritime Organization’s Energy Efficiency Design Index to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Marine Environment Protection Committee has provided guidelines to determine the minimum propulsion power required to maintain ship maneuverability in adverse weather conditions.

In light of these guidelines and the need for assessing path-following performance, a multinational team of researchers, led by Assistant Professor Daejeong Kim from the Division of Navigation Convergence Studies at the National Korea Maritime & Ocean University, has recently studied the path-following performance of MASS using a free-running computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model combined with the line-of-sight (LOS) guidance system, at low speeds under adverse weather conditions. “We employed a CFD model based on a fully nonlinear unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes solver that can incorporate viscous and turbulent effects and the free surface resolution critical to path-following problems, enabling a better prediction of path-following performance,” elaborates Dr. Kim. Their findings were made available online on September 25, 2023, and published in Volume 287, Part 2 of the journal Ocean Engineering on November 01, 2023.

The team employed the CFD-based analysis on the popular KRISO container ship model equipped with the autonomous LOS guidance system. The adverse weather conditions were modeled as disturbances from the bow, beam, and quartering sea waves, and these three cases were studied at three different speeds to identify the effect of forward speeds on the path-following performance.

Simulations revealed that the ship experienced oscillatory deviations in all the three cases. In the case of the bow and beam waves, these deviations decreased with an increase in propulsion power. Interestingly, in the case of quartering waves, there was a negligible effect of propulsion power on the deviations. Additionally, the heave and pitch responses of the ship were heavily influenced by the direction of the incident waves. Furthermore, in all three cases, the roll amplitudes were consistently below 1.5 degrees. However, the team could not ascertain the effectiveness of increasing speed in improving path-following performance.

Elaborating on the implications of these findings, Dr. Kim says, “The proposed CFD-based model can provide a valuable contribution to enhancing the safety of autonomous marine navigation. Moreover, it can also offer low-cost alternatives to model-scale free-running experiments or full-scale sea trials.”

In summary, this study establishes a foundation for analyzing the path-following performance of MASS at low speeds in adverse weather conditions and could help in ensuring safer autonomous marine navigation!

***

Reference

Title of original paper: Path-following control problem for maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) in adverse weather conditions at low speeds

Journal: Ocean Engineering

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2023.115860

About National Korea Maritime & Ocean University

South Korea’s most prestigious university for maritime studies, transportation science and engineering, the National Korea Maritime & Ocean University is located on an island in Busan. The university was established in 1945 and since then has merged with other universities to currently being the only post-secondary institution that specializes in maritime sciences and engineering. It has four colleges that offer both undergraduate and graduate courses.

To know more, visit: http://www.kmou.ac.kr/english/main.do

About Assistant Professor Daejeong Kim

Daejeong Kim is currently an Assistant Professor in the Division of Navigation Convergence Studies at the National Korea Maritime & Ocean University. His research interests span a wide spectrum of subject areas, including conducting CFD simulations for ship maneuverability, motions, and resistance in waves. Additionally, he explores the performance of ship path-following and collision avoidance at sea. He has also actively contributed to various domestic research and development projects related to maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS).

JOURNAL

Ocean Engineering

DOI

10.1016/j.oceaneng.2023.115860

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Path-following control problem for maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) in adverse weather conditions at low speeds

Laser scarecrows make birds see red

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SOCIETY OF CHEMICAL INDUSTRY

Laser scarecrows set up in experimental flight pen in Gainesville, Florida, US, — IMAGE:
LASER SCARECROWS SET UP IN EXPERIMENTAL FLIGHT PEN IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA, US,
view more
CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

Damage to crops caused by birds costs millions of dollars each year. Now, researchers from the University of Florida and the University of Rhode Island in the US are investigating the effectiveness of laser scarecrows – a high-tech solution using light to deter birds.

In a new study published in Pest Management Science, they presented captive flocks of European Starlings with fresh ears of sweetcorn and demonstrated that devices emitting a moving laser beam can significantly mitigate damage to the crop, up to 20m from the laser device.

Kathryn Sieving, Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida and corresponding author of the research explained that more and more growers are seeking inexpensive and portable laser units, like the ones tested in the research.

‘Growers need big effects for affordable prices, and if they can spend $300-$500 each for lasers to protect large fields for 1-3 weeks instead of more expensive options such as hiring people to patrol with dogs, falcons, or rifles, then lasers would be beneficial’, she said.

One reason why lasers provide a particularly effective solution for the protection of sweet corn is the short timeframe before harvest in which birds would target the crop, known as the ‘vulnerability window’. This short window reduces the risk of birds becoming desensitised to the lasers.

Sieving explained, ‘Lasers are being explored widely for crops with short vulnerability windows, like sweet corn. They seem to be performing very well and especially when different non-lethal deterrents are combined (e.g., lasers with loud noises). Birds only attack sweet corn during the brief ripening phase (called the milking stage) and it lasts only 5-10 days. So, as soon as it ripens, harvest begins. Therefore, in sweet corn, the protection does not need to last very long, and lasers seem to be working well – surprising birds such that they leave fields with lasers, and this reduces damage during milking stages by far more than 20%.’

The study involved two types of trials: Stick Trials, where fresh sweet corn ears were mounted on sticks at varying distances from laser units, and Natural Trials, where birds foraged on ripe corn grown from seed in a flight pen. Laser and control treatments were alternated each day over five days, allowing the researchers to assess the birds' response to repeated laser exposure.

‘We designed the stick trials to increase the sample size for more robust results. Natural corn matures over several weeks but then is only attractive to birds for two weeks – so our planted crop was not going to give us enough sample size. With the stick corn experiments we could study small scale effects and amp up the sample sizes,’ said Sieving.

The results showed that lasers reduced sweet corn damage marginally in Stick Trials and dramatically in Natural Trials. Explaining this difference in effectiveness, Sieving noted ‘the sticks we presented corn on were sturdy and the birds likely could perch and feed on corn while avoiding the laser layer sometimes. Natural corn stalks are flimsy though and the birds would be bouncing in and out of the laser layer with no control. Thus, just as in larger fields it seems that natural corn makes lasers quite effective.’

The researchers also examined how distance from the lasers affected the amount of damage to the sweetcorn. They found that there was effective deterrence up to 20m from the laser source however beyond this distance, damage to the crop increased, with little to no deterrence at 30m. Sieving notes, ‘The data showing that relationship with distance is really the only data of its kind and was possible to get because we did the work with captive birds.’

However, she explained that in true field settings, this effect seems to be unimportant. ‘In open fields, birds will simply leave a field that has detectable laser protection, and they fly far out of its influence. It seems that just one laser per field can often do the trick to keep birds mostly out of a field. So, the fine scale spatial effects might only apply if birds were overly committed to feeding a small area – then a grower may need to add a couple of laser units with overlapping ranges.’

Sieving hopes that laser scarecrows can offer a sustainable solution for the protection of crops with short vulnerability windows.

‘Lasers are silent, unlike acoustic deterrents (loud bangs, other noises occurring several times per hour) which can be very disturbing to neighbours and workers. Lethal deterrents require permits and time and labour to apply and the potentially toxic secondary effects on wildlife, soil and water are often unacceptable.’

Wooden stake presenting corn during the Stick Trials

Planted corn rows in one of the test plots

European starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) feeding on corn ear in Stick Trial

CREDIT

University of Florida