CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Colorado fines Suncor US$10.5 million for air pollution violations

The Canadian Press
Mon, February 5, 2024 



DENVER — The state of Colorado is fining Suncor Energy Inc. US$10.5 million for air pollution violations.

In a news release, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says the fine concerning Suncor's Commerce City refinery is for violations from July 2019 through June 2021.

The department also says the Calgary-based energy company must double the number of air-pollution monitors compared with the refinery's original monitoring plan.

In the news release, it says it's the largest air pollution enforcement package the state has ever levied against a single facility.

Suncor's Commerce City refinery, which processes 98,000 barrels of crude oil per day into products like gasoline and jet fuel, is the only facility of its kind in Colorado.

In recent years, the facility has been plagued by a number of problems, including a fire in late 2022 that injured two workers, weather-related damage that forced a temporary shutdown of the facility in 2023, as well as complaints from nearby residents about odour and air pollution.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:SU)

The Canadian Press

Lockdown impact on children risks damaging productivity for decades, says OECD


Szu Ping Chan
Mon, 5 February 2024 

Pandemic School Closures

Lockdowns threaten to wipe £700bn off the global economy and stunt growth for decades because of the lasting impact of school closures on young people, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The Paris-based organisation said a marked deterioration in basic reading and writing skills among 15-year olds since 2018 would damage the earnings potential of a generation of school leavers for most of their working lives.

The OECD said this could drag down economic growth for much of this century, warning in its latest economic outlook that this could have a “persisting negative impact on the level of productivity over the next 30 to 40 years”.

Clare Lombardelli, the OECD’s chief economist, estimated the recent decline in educational performance will “reduce the size of G20 advanced economies by at least 1pc at the point when these students are having their maximum impact as workers.”

With the total size of the global economy estimated at $105 trillion in 2022 (£85 trillion) in cash terms by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and G20 economies including China and the US currently estimated to account for 85pc of this, it suggests more than £700bn could be wiped off the global economy in the long term.

Ms Lombardelli added: “This will last for decades to come.”

Referring to work published by the OECD last year, the former chief economic adviser to the UK Treasury added the reduction in growth was probably a “minimum” estimate with “greater impacts beyond this”.

She said: “There are many wider positive impacts of education not captured in this analysis such as the positive impact of education on health. It does not capture increasing technology which we know makes education and skills even more important and so the effects will likely be greater.”

The warning comes just months after the OECD warned that post-pandemic maths and science test scores among British pupils had fallen to the lowest level since records began in 2006, while reading proficiency has fallen to a level last seen in 2009.

The results of the internationally-respected research, known as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), was described in its latest economic outlook on Monday as “particularly concerning” for global growth prospects.

The OECD added: “School closures during the pandemic may have contributed to the recent drop in test scores, particularly for disadvantaged students who were unable to benefit fully from online teaching.”

The organisation urged countries to invest more in teaching quality and teachers’ qualifications as it highlighted a longer term decline in educational attainment.

Productivity growth is crucial for rising living standards because wages can only sustainably rise faster than prices when workers generate more output.

The OECD’s stark warning came as it urged countries around the world to do more to support disadvantaged students as well as expanding vocational education and lifelong learning as technological advances threaten to destroy more jobs.

It also warned that inflation was likely to remain higher and more stubborn in the UK than in any other major advanced economy.

The OECD predicts inflation will remain the highest in the G7 for the next two years, despite a big drop in energy costs that is predicted to push the headline rate to 2pc within months.

Its latest forecasts showed prices, as measured by the consumer prices index were likely to average 2.8pc this year and 2.4pc next year – higher than any other rich large nation.

It left its predictions for UK growth unchanged at 0.7pc this year and 1.2pc in 2025, which is far weaker than growth rates seen before the financial crisis.

The Bank of England warned last week that the drop to 2pc by spring was likely to be temporary, with inflation not returning sustainably to its 2pc target until the end of 2026.

The OECD said interest rates globally were likely to remain higher for longer, even as it said the US could probably start to lower interest rates by June.

The World Bank has previously warned that today’s students could lose up to 10pc of their future earnings due to lockdown-induced education shocks.

It warned in a report last year that “the cognitive deficit in today’s toddlers could translate into a 25pc decline in earnings when these children are adults.”

Appeals court weighs whether to let stand Biden's approval of Willow oil project in Alaska

BECKY BOHRER
Mon, February 5, 2024 

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — An appeals court panel is deciding whether to let stand the Biden administration's approval of the massive Willow oil project in a federal petroleum reserve on Alaska's North Slope.

Environmentalists and a grassroots group called Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic are seeking to have last March's approval overturned. Arguments before a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel Monday in San Francisco focused largely on the groups' claims that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management did not consider a “reasonable” range of alternatives in its review and limited its consideration of alternatives to those that allowed for full-field development of the project by ConocoPhillips Alaska.

The court did not immediately rule.

Amy Collier, a U.S. Justice Department attorney, told the court the federal agencies involved complied with their legal obligations. Jason Morgan, an attorney for ConocoPhillips Alaska, said Willow wasn't presented on a “blank slate” — that prior lease decisions providing a right to develop subject to restrictions and a plan governing where development in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska can take place also were part of the equation.

“Context is very important,” Morgan said.

In court documents, he and other attorneys for the company said the leases in ConocoPhillips' Bear Tooth Unit are in areas open to leasing and surface development and that the Bureau of Land Management committed the unit to development in issuing leases there over a period of years. Willow is in the unit, in the northeast part of the petroleum reserve.

Two separate lawsuits seek to overturn the project's approval. A coalition of environmentalists in one of the cases argues the Bureau of Land Management predicated its assessment “on the flawed premise that it must allow ConocoPhillips to extract all economically viable oil from its leases and assessed only a narrow range of action alternatives that each allowed nearly identical oil production.”

The groups are challenging U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason's decision in November upholding Willow’s approval. She found ConocoPhillips Alaska has the right to develop its leases in the reserve “subject to reasonable restrictions and mitigation measures imposed by the federal government.” She found the Bureau of Land Management “did consider the requisite reasonable range of alternatives based on the Project’s purpose and need.”

Work on the project is underway after Gleason and an appeals court rejected efforts by the environmental groups to block winter activities, including construction of new gravel roads, while the appeals are being heard.

State political and union leaders have endorsed Willow, and the project has broad support among Alaska Native leaders on the North Slope and groups with ties to the region who see Willow as economically vital for their communities.

Climate activists see the project at odds with President Joe Biden’s pledges to combat climate change. The administration has defended its climate record.

It is estimated that using the oil from Willow would produce the equivalent of about 263 million tons (239 million metric tons) of greenhouse gases over the project’s 30-year life, roughly equal to the combined emissions from 1.7 million passenger cars over the same time period.

ConocoPhillips Alaska proposed five drilling sites for Willow but the bureau approved three, which it said would include up to 199 total wells. The project could produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day at its peak. Supporters say that would be significant for the trans-Alaska pipeline, which hit its peak for throughput in 1988 with an average of about 2 million barrels per day.

An average of about 470,000 barrels a day coursed through the pipeline last year.

Maori protesters heckle New Zealand leaders at treaty celebration

Benedict Smith
Mon, 5 February 2024 

Maori warriors welcomed the government leaders in Waitangi with traditional rituals - Fiona Goodall/Getty Images AsiaPac

New Zealand’s prime minister has been heckled at a Māori gathering amid fears he is planning to tear up a British colonial agreement to protect indigenous people’s language and status.

Christopher Luxon was booed by Ngapuhi tribe members on Monday following weeks of nationwide protests against his Right-leaning government.

He has pledged to dissolve the country’s Māori Health Authority, minimise the use of its language in public services, and end limits on tobacco sales – which will disproportionately affect the Māori population given their high smoking rates.


His government – elected in October after Jacinda Ardern stood down – also intends to “reinterpret” the Treaty of Waitangi, a pact that Māori chiefs agreed with the British Crown almost two centuries ago to guarantee their rights and autonomy.

While Mr Luxon and senior government figures travelled to Waitangi, northern New Zealand, to mark the treaty at a commemorative event, clashes soon followed with the Māori in attendance.

Maori perform a welcome haka for New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and officials at the Waitangi Treaty House - Michael Cunningham/NZ Hearld

Winston Peters, the deputy prime minister, told one heckler to “get an education” and suggested Māori leaders were talking “cr--” about plans to redefine the treaty’s legal principles.

“Whoever said we’re getting rid of the Treaty of Waitangi? Who?” he asked. “Stop the cr--. Stop the nonsense. Stop the hysteria.”

He continued: “Some of us were out here before you were born, fighting for Māori land rights ... so we aren’t here to apologise.”

Many in the crowd held signs spattered with fake blood calling on ministers to honour the treaty, which resulted in the creation of New Zealand when it was signed by more than 500 Māori chiefs in 1840.

Deputy prime minister Winston Peters told one heckler to 'get an education' - Fiona Goodall/Getty Images AsiaPac

The pact has long been a source of contention because key distinctions exist in its English and Māori forms.

However, tensions reached new heights following government plans to redefine how the treaty affects law, which has prompted disquiet from the Māori king.

David Seymour, the regulation minister, was incensed as the audience sang over his speech and labelled him a “joke” and “sandfly” – a species of blood-sucking insect.

“You can sing, you can sing, you’re not going to beat an idea by singing,” he said, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

“I’m sorry to say, not even Donald Trump is calling his opponents sandflies. You should attack ideas, not people.”

Mr Luxon told reporters after the event that the crowd had not shown “full respect”, adding: “It was pretty much as I expected.”

ALBERTA
Pause on renewables projects to lift at month's end as planned

CBC
Mon, February 5, 2024 

Alberta's seven-month moratorium on approving wind and solar power projects will end on Feb. 29, 2024, according to Premier Danielle Smith. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press - image credit)

The Alberta government's seven-month moratorium on approving wind and solar power projects will end on Feb. 29 as planned.

Premier Danielle Smith confirmed the date on Monday in Ottawa.

"We are the destination for solar and wind investment in the country," Smith said.

"We want to continue to be the leader, in adding a responsible amount of wind and solar onto our grid. But people need to remember what happened in the middle of the month when it was -35, in some cases -61 with the wind chill. At 5 o'clock at night, there was zero solar and there was seven megawatts of wind blowing."

She said reliability and affordability are the top priorities for the government when it comes to electricity.

In August, the provincial government announced the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC), the agency which evaluates and approves electricity generation projects, would hold an inquiry on land use and reclamation.

As the commission conducts its work — with its report due at the end of February — officials paused power plant project approvals for wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and hydroelectric generators.

The pause surprised renewables developers and was criticized by environmental groups. The Pembina Institute, a green energy think tank, said the pause would put at risk billions of dollars in investment and tens of thousands of jobs.

But a number of farmers and rural municipalities welcomed the decision, hoping the commission's review would examine their concerns with the immediate and long-term impact of renewables infrastructure.

To that end, the commission is to report back to government on how to foster an orderly development of renewable power in the province, considering the effects on agricultural, recreational and Crown land.

The report is also to look at whether developers should pay a security to account for future site cleanup costs.

New report says Windsor-Sarnia region had 1,600 vacant manufacturing jobs


CBC
Mon, February 5, 2024 

The Windsor-Sarnia region of Ontario was short 1,600 manufacturing jobs in the summer of 2023, according to a report from the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press - image credit)

A report from the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) says the Windsor-Sarnia region had 1,600 open manufacturing jobs in the summer of 2023.

It also says there were close to 19,000 vacancies across the province.

The organization's president thinks there are a range of factors behind the industry vacancies.

"It was really exacerbated during the pandemic where immigration fell to an all-time low," said Dennis Darby. "What's happening right now snuck up on everybody. Our baby boomers are retiring."

Darby says the situation in Windsor will get tougher if those vacancies remain unfilled, especially as NextStar creates another 2,500 jobs for its electric vehicle battery plant.

In a statement to CBC News, LouAnn Gosselin, Stellantis' head of communications in Canada, says the bulk of the recruitment will take place closer to when the plant becomes fully operational next year.

As of Feb. 5, NextStar's website is advertising 17 positions, ranging from an electrician to a financial analyst.

Two of the recommendations in the report highlight the importance of getting young people interested in the field by getting prospective employers, and secondary and post-secondary institutions to push students to think about entering the industry.

Darby said provincial tax credits related to investing in training new manufacturing workers could also help.

"We're going to have chronic shortages and that is a risk to Ontario and to the region if we don't start to attract more folks to come into the sector," he said.

In a statement to CBC News, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development said despite the province's manufacturing sector currently employing more than 807,000 people, "Ontario recognizes that we have been facing the largest labour shortage in a generation."

The statement continued, saying the government "is creating more supportive pathways for workers to enter into the skilled trades; and last year invested over a billion dollars in employment, training, and apprenticeship programs across the province."

But the CEO of Workforce WindsorEssex says such a shortage of workers is typical from what they see in Windsor-Essex alone.

"We see about 1,500 vacancies in that time and, of course, a job posting can hire more than one candidate," said Justin Falconer.

Workforce Windsor-Essex CEO Justin Falconer is pictured in an April 2023 file photo.

Workforce Windsor-Essex CEO Justin Falconer says they see roughly 1,500 manufacturing vacancies on their job board at any given time. (Katerina Georgieva/CBC)

He says with employers actively recruiting it's a sign of a healthy industry, adding the expansion of Windsor's manufacturing industry is a good thing.

"We're really blessed to have this expansion on our doorstep," said Falconer.

This comes as the unemployment rate in Windsor was at 7.9 per cent in December 2023, the highest among all major Canadian cities, according to Statistics Canada. But Falconer says that number doesn't paint the full picture.

"In Windsor-Essex alone, there's well more than 15,000 people unemployed and looking for work," he says. "That means there's an opportunity for people to get into this industry."

The NextStar EV battery plant in Windsor, Ont., is shown under construction in the summer of 2023.

The NextStar EV battery plant in Windsor, Ont., is shown under construction in the summer of 2023. The facility is expected to create 2,500 jobs once it goes online. ( Patrick Morrell/CBC)

Falconer said the opening and closure of the Windsor Assembly Plant can increase or decrease the unemployment rate.

"The labour force survey is in the field in a certain week every month and if [the] Windsor Assembly plant isn't operating that week, it's going to pull up the unemployment numbers," he said. "We've had a lot of that happening this year, whether it's retooling or chip shortages or break weeks."

The present and future vacancies are not expected to all be labourers, according to Falconer.

"They could be a secretary or an administrative assistant who works for that company," he said. "It could be a marketer or a buyer."

Striking Jamieson workers block bus carrying non-union employees


CBC
Mon, February 5, 2024 

Workers on strike at Jamieson Laboratories in Windsor turned away a bus with non-unionized staff on Monday. (Jacob Barker/CBC - image credit)

Workers on the picket line Monday afternoon at Jamieson Laboratories in Windsor, Ont., prevented a bus carrying employees from entering the building's parking lot, but the company says those on board were not replacement workers.

A large white coach bus accompanied by security was parked in front of the facility and eventually left early Monday afternoon.

The company confirmed in a statement some non-unionized employees "attempted to go to work today but were denied access by the picketers."

"We're not letting them in," said Nikola Savic, the Jamieson union chairperson, noting they had a similar conversation with police. "They can cross the street but we're not letting cars into the parking lot."

Savic said there's no sign negotiations would resume soon, as workers have been on the picket line for five days. He said the union wants to return to the table but there has not been any contact with the company in the last several days.

Manny Sforza, international vice-president with the Amalgamated Transit Union, said dozens of ATU members were on the picket line in solidarity with Unifor members at Jamieson.

"We're here for them, because we know they would have been on our picket line this morning if we were on one," Sforza said. "This is what the labour movement is all about, supporting each other."

Workers at Transit Windsor, represented by ATU, secured a last-minute deal late Sunday night, averting a city-wide transit strike.

Jamieson said in its statement that people who attempted to come to work on Monday included laboratory technicians and quality control staff, and they were not replacement workers.

"We remain committed to working with union representatives to reach an agreement as soon as possible," said Ruth Winker, senior director of communications for Jamieson.

More than 300 workers at the plant went on strike Thursday night as Unifor Local 195, representing workers, noted wages and workload were two of the most pressing issues in negotiations.

PM Trudeau invited veteran of Nazi unit to attend Zelenskyy rally in Toronto

CBC
Mon, February 5, 2024 

Yaroslav Hunka, right, waits for the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Sept. 22, 2023. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press - image credit)

Yaroslav Hunka, the man at the centre of the controversy surrounding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's September address to Parliament, was also invited by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to attend a Toronto rally honouring Zelenskyy during his visit to Canada.

Hunka was in the gallery during Zelenskyy's address to parliamentarians and received a standing ovation after then-Speaker Anthony Rota acknowledged the Ukrainian-Canadian for fighting the Russians during the Second World War. Media reports later revealed he fought for Nazi Germany.

An invitation obtained through an access to information request, and first reported by Rebel News, was sent to Hunka to attend a rally in Toronto on the day that Zelenskyy addressed Parliament.

The invitation was sent on behalf of Trudeau through the Office of Protocol of Canada.

The Prime Minister's Office confirmed to CBC News on Monday that Hunka was invited to the rally in Toronto, where Zelenskyy met with members of the Canadian-Ukrainian community. It said that Hunka didn't attend.

"Last September, there was a community event with the President of Ukraine in Toronto with over 1,000 people invited. Hundreds of Canadians were invited," a statement from the PMO said.

"The individual in question's name was submitted by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress. The individual did not attend. Knowing what is known now — the individual shouldn't have been invited."

CBC News has reached out to the Ukrainian Canadian Congress for comment.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy greet supporters after a rally at the Fort York Armoury in Toronto on Friday, September 22, 2023.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy greet supporters after a rally at the Fort York Armoury in Toronto on Friday, September 22, 2023. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)

Hunka's invitation to the Toronto event likely will raise new questions about government vetting processes for events featuring foreign dignitaries.

Rota, who invited Hunka to the House to hear Zelenskyy's address, was forced to resign days after Zelenskyy's visit.

Conservatives are placing the blame for the incident squarely on Trudeau and are accusing him of not being truthful about the invitation.

"It is appalling and bewildering, although entirely unsurprising, that Justin Trudeau would embarrass our country and undermine our relationship with an ally," Sebastian Skamski, a spokesperson for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, said in an email.

Snap is cutting 10% of staff as social media copes with ad slump

Lynn Doan, Bloomberg News

A pedestrian holds a Snap Inc. bag outside of the company's building in Los Angeles. Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg , Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg

Snap Inc. is reducing its workforce by roughly 10 per cent worldwide, joining the chorus of technology companies that have announced a fresh round of cuts since the start of the year.

The social-media company estimated that the reductions will result in pre-tax charges of US$55 million to $75 million from severance and related costs, as well as other charges including $45 million to $55 million in future cash expenditures. Most of these costs will occur in the first quarter, Snap said in a filing Monday.

Snap said the cuts are being made to “best position our business to execute on our highest priorities.”

Like its social media peers, Snap has been working to offset a deceleration in ad revenue, coping with the slump by cutting jobs and culling projects that are no longer seen as a priority.

Just four months ago, Snap announced it was closing a division focused on making augmented reality services for businesses, pulling the plug on what was its latest attempt to diversify the ad-dependent company. Shuttering the business was expected to cut 170 jobs.

The company employed about 5,400 workers as of September. A 10-per-cent reduction based off that total would amount to about 540 jobs lost.

Snap said the mass layoffs may extend into the second quarter of 2024 while the company works to comply with local laws

Snapchat owner Snap Inc to cut more

than 500 jobs

Sky News
Mon, 5 February 2024 



The owner of Snapchat has become the latest tech firm to announce job cuts.

Snap Inc said it would shed approximately 10% of its workforce - around 530 employees - with most of the roles expected to go in the first quarter.

The disclosure was made in a regulatory filing, which also revealed the company expects to face charges of up to $75m (£60m) in severance payouts and other related costs.

The California-based firm employs more than 5,300 staff globally, including around 500 in the UK.

A Snap spokeswoman told Sky News it was unable to say at this stage if any posts at its London offices would be affected.

She added: "We are reorganising our team to reduce hierarchy and promote in-person collaboration.

"We are focused on supporting our departing team members and we are very grateful for their hard work and many contributions to Snap."

Snap Inc previously announced plans to cut around 20% of its workforce in 2022.

Around 406 million people use Snapchat every day on average, according to the firm. It also has more than 5 million Snapchat+ subscribers.

Other tech companies to announce job losses recently include Microsoft, which plans to shed 1,900 employees and online retailer eBay, which is planning to cut 1,000 roles.

Meta, the owner of social media brands Facebook and Instagram, also announced 10,000 redundancies last year.

Shares in Snap fell 4% following the announcement on Monday.

The firm is due to reveal its fourth quarter results on Tuesday.

 

Amazon-tied Vancouver office towers sold in US$223M deal

Ari Altstedter, Bloomberg News

A pair of Canadian pension funds struck a deal to sell two downtown Vancouver office buildings with tenants including Amazon.com Inc. for about $300 million (US$223 million). 

Germany’s Deka Group agreed to purchase the towers at 402 Dunsmuir St. and 401 West Georgia St., according to two people familiar with the deal who asked not to be named because the details are private. 

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Oxford Properties Group Inc., the real estate arm of the pension fund for Ontario’s municipal workers, had put the buildings up for sale about six months ago. Spokespeople for Oxford Properties, CPPIB and Deka Group declined to comment on the sale, which has not yet closed. 

The funds had initially aimed to get around C$350 million for the properties, sources familiar with the sales process told Bloomberg News in June. But recently, it’s been hard to accurately price office buildings because few sizable properties have traded globally, one reason the sale of the Vancouver towers was so closely watched both in Canada and abroad.

High interest rates and the shift to remote work have led to prolonged uncertainty over what such assets are worth. Office landlords have been facing a rise in borrowing costs that’s pressured valuations, coupled with a slump in demand as more employers have work-from-home policies. 

While these concerns have been weighing on the outlook for office properties for some time, the severity of the office downturn was thrown into sharper relief last week as banks in the US and Japan were forced to bulk up reserves against potential losses in office properties.

In Canada, Allied Properties Real Estate Investment Trust, a major owner of office buildings in cities including Toronto and Vancouver, announced a $500 million writedown last week as well. 

With central banks in both Canada and the U.S. now signaling they are likely done raising interest rates, the Vancouver transaction may be the latest sign that clearer financial conditions are helping buyers and sellers agree on price. Another Canadian landlord, Dream Office Real Estate Investment Trust, announced the sale of a Toronto building for $135 million last month, and began marketing another one shortly after.