B.C. oil and gas producers warned of potential water shortages in drought-stricken areas

CBC
Sun, February 4, 2024 

A gas plant near Rolla, B.C., in the province's northeast. The B.C. Energy Regulator is warning oil and gas producers of potential water shortages in 2024.

 (Submitted by Wayne Sawchuk - image credit)

The agency overseeing oil and gas producers in British Columbia is warning of potential water shortages in 2024.

The B.C. Energy Regulator (BCER), formerly the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission, says persistent drought last summer and fall in the northern part of the province continue to negatively affect streamflows and groundwater, with snowpack levels at last reading only 72 per cent of the historical average.

"The combined impact of these events has created an increased potential for drought conditions in 2024 and another summer of possibly limited water supply in the north," reads the notice posted Jan 26.

The northeast of the province, where much of B.C.'s oil and gas production is concentrated, has been hit hardest by the drought.

Thefour water basins in the region — Fort Nelson, East Peace, North Peace and South Peace — remain at drought level 5, the most severe classification on the provincial scale. Level 5 is declared when "adverse impacts to socio-economic or ecosystem values are almost certain."

A significant portion of gas extraction in the region involves water-intensive hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

The fracking process blasts water, sand and chemicals at high pressure more than two kilometres underground to release the natural gas trapped in rock formations.

BCER hydrologist Ryan Rolick said the warning about potential water shortages was issued out of an abundance of caution, recognizing that snowpacks might still improve, and that spring and summer could still deliver the precipitation desperately needed.

But the opposite is also possible, he said.

"If snowpacks do not improve, or if we have a similar spring and summer to 2023, it could mean another season of potentially critical water shortages, primarily in the northeast," said Rolick.

The fracking process extracts natural gas by blasting water, sand and chemicals at high pressure into underground rock formations. (Brennan Linsley/The Associated Press)

Fracking is 'not creating new faults in the earth,' said geophysicist and lead researcher Amy Fox. 'These faults exist ... and we're sort of speeding up a natural earthquake that would have occurred anyway at some point.'

In a statement, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) said its members in B.C. are monitoring the drought situation.

"In northeastern B.C., operators rely on recycling water from their own operations to maintain activities and minimize the use of freshwater resources," said CAPP vice-president Richard Wong.

"According to the energy regulator, each year the amount of water withdrawn by industry averages 0.004 per cent of the total volume of annual runoff in northeast B.C."

CBC science specialist Darius Mahdavi says the drought in the northeast has been at or near Level 5 since the fall of 2022.

"The only exception was a couple weeks at the beginning of the 2023 drought season, when snowpack and cool temperatures helped briefly, but there was an incredibly fast return to extreme drought," he said.

"In the last couple years, B.C. has seen a lot of weather that's been described as 'unprecedented', 'record-breaking' and 'historic.' The drought in the northeast is all three, yet it's been largely overlooked."

Water permits remain indefinitely suspended on 10 rivers located in the Peace, Liard and Fraser River watersheds, according to the BCER.

Rolick said the message to the oil and gas sector is to be prepared for further water-use restrictions or suspensions.

"[Industry] should make sure they're updating their water management plans and that they're looking at having appropriate storage solutions so that they can withdraw when it is available and store it for use in the dry season," he said.

Kathleen Ganley first to declare bid for Alberta NDP leadership as contest kicks off


CBC
Mon, February 5, 2024 

Three-term MLA and former Alberta justice minister Kathleen Ganley, middle, announced Monday she would seek the leadership of Alberta's New Democrats. The race to replace Rachel Notley kicked off Monday. (Helen Pike/CBC - image credit)

Former Alberta justice minister and three-term Calgary MLA Kathleen Ganley officially launched a bid to become the next leader of Alberta's New Democrats on Monday, becoming first in the race to replace departing leader Rachel Notley.

Notley announced in mid-January she would step down as party leader as soon as the members choose her replacement. Under the rules of the leadership contest, which kicked off today, candidates who want to run must register before March 15.

Speaking to reporters at the Telus Convention Centre in downtown Calgary on Monday, Ganley said her campaign would zero in on delivering a message tied to the NDP's economic strategy, among other measures.

"What this province needs is less drama. It needs experienced, competent leadership focused on what matters," Ganley said. "That's what this team will deliver."

When asked by a reporter whether she was interested in launching talks on the future of the provincial NDP's relationship with the federal NDP, Ganley said she was open to having that conversation with members.

"I think the concerns of members, especially when you hear them repeatedly, are very valid," she said.

Ganley's leadership bid was widely expected by political observers. In early January, before Notley's resignation, Ganley posted a 55-second leadership-style video on X, formerly known as Twitter, discussing her background growing up in northwest Calgary and her recognition of the various challenges facing Albertans.

First out of the gate with a focus on Calgary

One of the things that has set Ganley apart is a strategy of being first, said Lisa Young, a professor of political science at the University of Calgary.

"I think that Ganley wants to, in a sense, corner the market on being the Calgary candidate. She is distinctive in this race, given the discussion of the potential front-runners, as the candidate who comes from Calgary," Young said.

"She has history in the party, she has ministerial experience, and she is going to probably have quite a bit of support from Calgary MLAs — a real sort of coming together as the Calgary candidate."

Though the party enjoys a strong base of support in Edmonton, expanding support in Calgary will be a key priority for the NDP in the next provincial election, Young noted.

The big question mark moving forward is in regards to speculation as to whether or not former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi will join the race, which would change the race's trajectory.

Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi is pictured in a file photo. Nenshi has been rumoured to be considering a bid for the leadership of the Alberta NDP. 

(Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press)

"It takes away from Kathleen Ganley's claim that she is the Calgary candidate. It changes the terrain of the contest," Young said.

"If we think back to the UCP leadership contest, there were moments where it seemed like all of the leadership contestants were opposing Danielle Smith as this outsider. I think we might see a dynamic similar to that if Nenshi does jump into the race."

In the previous election, the Alberta NDP picked up seats in Calgary after being nearly wiped off the board in 2019.

Race will run until June

Ganley's fellow former cabinet minister Sarah Hoffman and second-term MLA Rakhi Pancholi are also expected to be contestants in the race to replace Notley, and Edmonton MLAs David Shepherd and Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse are said to be considering bids.

One of the big questions moving forward will be the issue of who can take on Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, Young said.

"We're going to see all of the front-running candidates trying to demonstrate that they are the person who can counter Danielle Smith's very powerful communication abilities," she said.

"So it'll be interesting to see the ways that that plays out in Alberta politics over the next two or three months."

To vote in the race, members must purchase or renew a membership by April 22. The race will have a spending limit of $500,000 per leadership contestant, with an entry fee of $60,000.

The final day for voting in the leadership race will be June 22 at noon.

In the 2023 Alberta election, the United Conservative Party took 52.6 per cent of the vote compared to the NDP's 44 per cent.

Quebec coroner to hold public hearings on death of homeless Innu man in Montreal

CBC
Mon, February 5, 2024 

Raphaël André was found unconscious and pronounced dead in Montreal on Jan. 17, 2021. (Submitted by John Tessier/The Open Door - image credit)

The Quebec coroner's office has announced that public hearings on the death of Raphaël Napa André will be held in May and June.

The 51-year-old Innu man was found in a portable toilet, mere steps away from the Open Door shelter in January 2021, after public health officials had ordered it closed overnight.

André was pronounced dead at the scene, at the corner of Milton Street and Parc Avenue. He was originally from the community of Matimekush-Lac John in northern Quebec.

Montreal police determined the death wasn't criminal and turned the investigation over to the coroner.

According to a news release Monday, the coroner's office says the hearings will be from May 13 to 24 and from June 3 to 14.

Coroner Stéphanie Gamache has been appointed to preside over this inquiry.

"The hearings will allow any interested party to express themselves regarding the circumstances of this death in order to analyze all contributing factors and propose solutions for better protection of human life," said the news release.

Beyond that, the coroner's office is not issuing any more statements on the matter. Those wishing to learn more about the hearings or wishing to participate, can go to the coroner's website, where the information is available in French only.

Soon after André's death, John Tessier, an intervention co-ordinator at the Open Door, said there are "a lot of people in here who are very sad. He was respected and people cared about him."

Yukon raises pay to draw in more EMS volunteers in rural communities


CBC
Mon, February 5, 2024 

Ryan Soucy, the deputy chief of technical operations at Yukon Emergency Medical Services, stands in the ambulance bay at Yukon EMS headquarters in Whitehorse.

 (Anna Desmarais/CBC - image credit)

The Yukon Government is increasing the on-call honoraria for volunteer community responders.

As of Jan. 1, the department of Health and Social Services increased the on-call honoraria from $3.71 per hour, to $7.70 per hour.

"An increase was needed," said Yukon Emergency Medical Services' (EMS) acting chief Ryan Soucy. "We wanted to increase it to assist with recruitment and retention. As well as just to let them (volunteers) know that they're a valued member of the organization."

On top of the honoraria's increase, community responders also earn operational pay of up to $30.74 per hour for time spent in training or responding to EMS calls.

In rural communities, emergency medical services provided by staff paramedics are available on a Monday to Friday daytime schedule. But, if a medical emergency happens in the evening or on the weekend, the on-call volunteer paramedics are dispatched. In instances when an on-call paramedic isn't available, a paramedic from Whitehorse travels to the community by land or air.

An ambulance parked on in Dawson City, Yukon. In fall, firefighters here said they were having to respond to medical calls, because paramedics weren't available. Dawson City, Yukon is has struggled to maintain a consistent level of emergency medical services. (Chris MacIntyre/CBC)

Soucy said it's still to early to see if this will attract more volunteers but said he's optimistic.

"Two of the communities that we've identified hoping this will help with recruitment in is Pelly Crossing, and potentially Teslin," Soucy told CBC News.

"We're actively recruiting in all of our communities but we're hoping that this will increase incentives to come out to volunteer."

Sense of fulfilment

The town of Watson Lake's Fire Chief Joey Cherpin told CBC News that he supports the increase, and the government's reasons behind it.

Cherpin said his department has responded to calls meant for emergency medical professionals when none were available. He said having more volunteers would free up his crew for fire emergencies.

"Often times it's with lift assists or heavier hands on calls where the two person staffing isn't going to be adequate anyway," he said. "We don't mind providing that support in those cases however when there's staffing issues and then we are fulfilling the services of EMS that's when there's an issue."

Cherpin said many of the first responders in town do so as their second job.

He said the increase will make it a bit more worthwhile.

"Having that honoraria bumped up, that's huge for somebody who can now have a bit of that passive income," he said. "Might get called out once or twice in a shift kind of thing but still have a bit of passive income and be comfortable but also get that sense of fulfilment from serving their community."

If Watson Lake, for example, sees one or two more volunteers join up as a result of the raise, that will be a big help, Cherpin said.

"A wise member of the EMS in Watson Lake told me that at the end of the day all you have to do is be nice to people, and take them to the hospital. And they're very successful at what they do."

'Significant improvement'

Dawson City, Yukon is another community that has struggled to maintain a consistent level of emergency medical services.

So much so that former Yukon EMS paramedic Mike Ellis decided to start the Dawson City Ambulance Association (DCAA), to advocate for consistent ambulance and emergency medical services in town. The group is made up of former EMS volunteers and medical professionals who want to fill in the gaps when there is no ambulance service or on call paramedics available.

He said his association is currently in discussions with Yukon EMS about how it can compliment the city's ambulance services after hours. The association is ready to start providing ambulance, and medical services as soon as they work out the kinks around how emergency calls would be dispatched to the DCAA.

In the meantime, Ellis said the pay increase is a proactive approach to entice potential community responders.

"It's a significant improvement," he said. "It would be nice to think that it may make a difference for some people as community responders because they may be able to make it a bigger part of their income."

Ellis told CBC News that Yukon EMS should also take compensation for the volunteers one step further.

"I think what would be really positive to see is if that increase in the honoraria came with similar representation for things like employment conditions ... [like the ones] that are applied when you're a unionized, employed member of staff," he said.

Union representation, he said, would help the responders if there are workplace issues.

"So to allow people to have that representation if there are problems. .. (like) the way that management deals with you, as a paid community responder, because that does feel different than being truly a volunteer."

Ellis echoed Cherpin's comments saying that any method to attract more volunteer first responders is a good thing.

He said that ensuring all Yukoners in Whitehorse and the surrounding communities have access to the health care they need will create for a stronger territory.

Marine Stewardship Council pauses new standards for seafood sustainability


CBC
Tue, February 6, 2024

The Marine Stewardship Council rates the sustainability of seafood by providing a blue check mark to products that meet its standards. It's now reworking its latest rules after complaints from Canadian and other fisheries organizations. (Marine Stewardship Council - image credit)

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), whose blue check mark is a global symbol of seafood sustainability, has been forced to pause and rework its latest fisheries standard less than a year after it was launched.

The London-based non-profit organization is responding to complaints by fishing industry groups around the world, including major players in Atlantic Canada, that the new standard is vague and unworkable.

"There have been challenges and that's why we are taking the action we are today to make sure there's clarity. So people can see the bar they need to meet and can do so efficiently," said Jay Lugar, head of fisheries outreach at MSC in Canada.

"We missed the mark in some of the elements and some of the clarities I think that were needed in version three of the standard, which is why we're undertaking this pause,'" Lugar said.

The move is being greeted with relief by one Canadian industry group representing multiple Atlantic fisheries and scorned by an environmental organization.

MSC said it will introduce an updated standard in July and then conduct an independent review of new requirements for evidence, the most contentious element in the new standard.

Previous standard OK for now

"Among the issues to be addressed is whether the framework can be applied in a more efficient manner, leading to less complexity and cost. Input from [non-governmental organization] and industry stakeholders will be sought in the course of the review,' MSC said in a Jan. 31 announcement.

Jay Lugar is the head of fisheries outreach at the Marine Stewardship Council in Canada. (CBC)

Fisheries wishing to recertify will be allowed to use the previous standard for another two years until February 2026, as will new fisheries wishing to enter the MSC program.

The updated version will be mandatory by 2030.

"We have all had significant concerns," said Steve Devitt, director of sustainability with the Atlantic Groundfish Council. It represents five MSC certified fisheries in the region, including the southwestern Nova Scotia haddock fishery and halibut harvesters throughout much of Atlantic Canada.

As an example, he said a new requirement to prove that damage from ghost gear is "demonstrably absent" can't be met.

Confusion over ghost gear

"How do you prove that? Well, it's essentially impossible to prove that a loss, a piece of lost gear, has zero impact. We don't know how to do that," Devitt said.

"That phrase in particular is a concern to us and requires clarification. Are you talking about the gear itself? Are you saying that there should be no lost gear?"

Steve Devitt is the director of sustainability with the Atlantic Groundfish Council. (CBC)

Lugar from MSC said confusion over ghost gear will be fixed.

"That is one particular element that we are definitely going to address in this amended version," he said.

Lugar said refinements can be made "without adjusting the sustainability performance level."

"We don't want to see fisheries just leave because they get frustrated. We want them to continue to try and achieve sustainability outcomes," he said.

Environmental group rejects industry claims

A Halifax environmental group said the Marine Stewardship Council has taken a step back.

Shannon Arnold, associate director of marine programs at the Ecology Action Centre, rejects industry claims.

Shannon Arnold, left, is an associate director of marine programs at the Ecology Action Centre. (Moira Donovan/CBC)

"The requirements that these industry groups are complaining about the most, like providing better information about what they're pulling from the water, how they're fishing, what are their impacts on the environment and endangered species and showing that they have clear evidence that they're even complying with rules that are out there already," Arnold said.

"This has been coming down the pipeline for a decade. You know, it's not a surprise that this is going to be required and a lot of it is achievable."

Questions around testing the new standard

MSC took four years to develop the new standard after what it called "the most comprehensive review in 25 years."

But Devitt said it was introduced without "hardcore" testing it on actual fisheries.

Opinions differ on what happened when a certified Canadian fisher was tested under the new standard.

Devitt said it came across a number of issues under the new rules "that caused the overall scoring to essentially fail the fishery."

Lugar said the test was not an adequate assessment and the results were "misleading."

"After further dialogue with the people involved in that testing, they realized that in actual fact it does pass."

Neither would identify the fishery.

2-year extension

The two-year extension will allow the Maritime lobster fleet to recertify as a sustainable MSC fishery in 2025 under the older standard.

Geoff Irvine of the Lobster Council of Canada said in December the fishery would not meet the third-party monitoring required in the new standard.

"It's a gold-standard program. But we also know that we may not be able to stick with MSC. So we're looking at other options and there's some active things happening there," Irvine told CBC News.

Devitt said fisheries in Canada and around the world were left wondering whether they could meet the new 200-page standard as written.

"We're pleased to see that the MSC have recognized they need to put the brakes on this and have some consideration about what the outcome of this could be in the worldview," he said.

"If all of a sudden fisheries that perform very highly against the gold standard, because the MSC standard is the gold standard for eco-certification for wild capture fisheries, it would not look good to have those fisheries significantly change, their performance be significantly changed without any actual change in the practice of the fishery."

2nd round of rotating strikes for Sask. teachers to begin Wednesday


CBC
Sun, February 4, 2024 

On Wednesday, about 4,300 teachers will be involved in the rotating strikes, and the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation estimates about 65,000 students will be affected. 

(Liam O'Connor/CBC - image credit)

The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation has announced its latest round of job action amid the ongoing bargaining impasse with the provincial government.

The federation gave 48 hours of notice for strikes that will begin in various provincial communities starting Wednesday, it said in a Sunday news release.

About 4,300 teachers will be involved in the strike, with approximately 65,300 students will be affected, according the release.

"[The] government thinks they can wait us out, but they have failed to account for the most important factors," federation president Samantha Becotte said in the release.

"Teachers are fed up and are united."

The following teachers' local associations will be taking strike action on Wednesday:

• Creighton Teachers' Association, including Creighton School Division.

• Northern Area Teachers' Association, including Northern Lights School Division.

• Prairie Spirit School Division, including Prairie Spirit School Division.

• Saskatoon Teachers' Association, including Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools and Saskatoon Public Schools.

The rotating strike also includes Conseil des écoles fransaskoises schools and Saskatchewan Distance Learning teachers.

Teachers have already taken job action three times since the current contract dispute started, including two province-wide one-day walk outs, and rotating full-day strikes.

The teachers' union and government both claim the other side is holding up negotiations.

The federation says the province is refusing to bargain on class size and complexity, but the government maintains the true issue is over salary proposals.

Teachers want a two percent annual wage increase, and also to account for inflation they want their salaries to be tied to the Consumer Price Index.

The province says the index isn't a part of other collective agreements, and they are offering a seven per-cent raise over three years.

Quebec's order of nurses shelves university degree requirement for nurses


CBC
Sun, February 4, 2024 

The Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec (OIIQ), which regulates nursing in the province, says it will concentrate its efforts on improving the licensing exam at the end of a nurse's studies. (CBC - image credit)

Quebec's order of nurses is changing course, saying it will temporarily suspend its plan that would have required nurses to hold a university degree before working in the profession.

The Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec (OIIQ), which regulates nursing in the province, says it will concentrate its efforts on improving the licensing exam at the end of a nurse's studies.

In May 2022, the order announced it wanted new nurses to obtain a university degree. However, since then, the exam nursing students have to pass to enter the field has come under fire for its high failure rate, with some nurses calling for a change in how future nurses are tested.

Quebec's largest nurses' union, the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ), welcomes this decision.

"The FIQ invites the OIIQ to now focus its energies on the fundamental problems of the nursing profession," said FIQ president Julie Bouchard. "These problems were denounced by the OIIQ in the past. For example, the employer moving nurses from one care unit to another without adequate preparation."

Bernard Tremblay, the head of the Quebec federation of CEGEPs, also welcomes the order dropping the university requirement, citing a labour shortage and a seven per cent drop in registrations for nursing programs in 2023.

Tremblay says attracting young people to the profession is a challenge. He says he wants Quebec's Health Ministry Ministry of Health to better promote CEGEP level nursing diplomas so the province's next generation of nurses can apply in "full confidence" that they will be able to practise.

Quebec currently has about 81,000 nurses, 53 per cent of whom have a bachelor's degree.

The OIIQ has also suspended its plan to use the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) exam, which is used in the United States and Canada's other provinces to obtain a licence to practise.

"It's recommended that nursing candidates not wait for the NCLEX-RN to register for the professional exam," said Alexandre Banville, head of the president's office at the order.

The next exam is scheduled for March 26 and will be open to all candidates, regardless of how many times they have failed it.

In November, Quebec's office of professions announced it wanted to force the OIIQ to review the admissions exam.

In January, the OIIQ's annual report showed that it has been issuing fewer permits in 2022-2023 than in the last decade.

Protesters in Montreal's South Shore march against Northvolt battery plant project


CBC
Sun, February 4, 2024 

Demonstrators in McMasterville, Que., told CBC on Sunday that the provincial government needs to be fully transparent with Quebecers over the Northvolt EV battery plant project. (Chloë Ranaldi/CBC - image credit)

On Sunday, protesters marched through the streets of McMasterville, Que., on Montreal's South Shore, carrying banners and rattling noisemakers.

They showed up to oppose Quebec's plan to go through with the Northvolt EV battery plant without an independent environmental study.

Patrick Bonin, climate and energy campaigner at Greenpeace Canada, said the government is setting a bad precedent by ignoring calls for an independent environmental assessment and fast-tracking the project.

The government's recent raising of the Bureau d'audiences publique sur l'environnement (BAPE) evaluation threshold is "unacceptable," Bonin said, and a sign that Quebec is willing to bypass independent environmental studies, even amid a climate crisis.

In September, Premier François Legault said the project would not be subject to an evaluation by the BAPE as it didn't meet the threshold. However, that threshold changed only one year ago.

In February 2023, the threshold to trigger a review for cathode manufacturing increased from 50,000 to 60,000 tonnes. The Northvolt plant's production capacity would be 56,000 tonnes.

The process, Bonin said, lacks transparency and also threatens to destroy thousands of trees and vast stretches of wetland, putting endangered species in the region at risk.

He also cited other concerns such as the amount of river water that would be used, the quantity of electricity that would be needed, and the impact on traffic the new plant would create.

"We need to make sure that if they go forward with this project that we avoid all the impact," Bonin said. "And at the moment we don't have this information. They are bulldozing the site without providing the proper expertise and proper information for people."

Protesters voiced concern about the impact the plant might have on the region's wetlands. (Chloë Ranaldi/CBC)

'How can we be confident?'

Sylvie Cantin, was also among the protesters. As a member of Mères au front Rive-Sud, a group that brings together mothers and grandmothers to protect the environment on behalf of their children, she also wants answers.

"Right now the government is not responding to any of our questions," said Cantin. "So how can we be confident that this is good?

McMasterville resident Lucie Lamontange said that rules have been "pushed aside." She said she will continue to oppose the project until Quebec reverses course and conducts the BAPE study.

"They shouldn't have anything to hide from us if they're that green," she said. "All the wetlands around here are at stake."

The Conseil central de la Montérégie (CSN) union, which helped organize the demonstration, echoed a similar message.

"The land granted to Northvolt in Montérégie is one of the last wetlands in the region and an important refuge for heavily threatened biodiversity," the CSN said in a press release. "The rush to issue both national and local permits for the felling of 8,000 trees has done irreparable damage to the site and demonstrates political incoherence."

Public info sessions to come

Several weeks ago, lawyers with the environment group Centre québécois du droit de l'environnement (CQDE) urged a Quebec Superior Court judge to suspend construction, saying the city of Saint-Basile-le-Grand, Que., lacked the authority to greenlight the cutting of wetland trees to make way for the Northvolt plant.

In January, a Quebec Superior Court judge rejected CQDE's request for an injunction to stop work at the site.

The judge acknowledged the destructive nature of the plant's construction on wetlands but said the company had taken steps to make up for it, like investing $4.7-million to restore other wetlands and pledging to plant 24,000 new trees for the 8,730 living trees it would cut down and the 5,365 dead ones that would be removed.

Earlier in January, Northvolt said the plant site was sabotaged by an anonymous group after nails were driven into trees set to be cut down.

Quebec's Environment Ministry told CBC that the Northvolt plant is part of a shift to a greener approach in the province.

"What we're creating in Quebec with the battery industry is promising for our energy transition, for the economy and for our decarbonization objectives," a spokesperson for the ministry said in a statement.

Public consultations were held last fall, the ministry said, and public information sessions will be announced in the coming days.

Strike averted: Transit union, city of Windsor reach tentative deal

CBC
Sun, February 4, 2024 

Riders of Transit Windsor's Dominion bus line up at the downtown Windsor terminal in a January 2024 file photo. (Chris Ensing/CBC - image credit)

A tentative deal has been reached between the union representing Transit Windsor workers and the city, averting a strike just hours ahead of a 12:01 a.m. deadline.

The city of Windsor says buses will be running on their usual schedule Monday morning.

"We're absolutely thrilled to have this deal done ahead of any disruption to service for our community," Mark Winterton, Windsor's acting commissioner of infrastructure services said in a media release just after 9 p.m. on Sunday.

"It's been a marathon of negotiating to get here but we have a tentative agreement that we can present to city council and that Local 616 can take to their members."

Amalgamated Transit Union international vice-president Manny Sforza said in a media release that "both sides worked hard to come to an agreement." He called it a "fair and reasonable deal for our members."

The city says no details of the deal will be made public before it can be seen by city council and the union's membership.

The union says transit workers will see the contract in the coming days.

The ATU had previously issued a 72-hour strike notice on Jan. 11, 39 days after the union said it had entered into a legal strike position.

Last week, the union said transit workers would be on strike as of 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 5 if a deal couldn't be reached.

The union has said giving workers 10 federally mandated paid sick days was a key sticking point in the negotiations.

ATU Local 616 president Dragan Markovic said Sunday that "members now have a pathway to the middle class and the federally mandated sick days they deserve for the essential public service they provide."

Carney raises $10bn to back net zero projects

Tim Wallace
Mon, 5 February 2024 

Mr Carney said the successful fund raising proves there is money to be made in the shift to net zero - Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg

Mark Carney has raised $10bn (£8bn) for an eco-friendly investment fund, as the former Bank of England governor seeks to boost funding for net zero projects.

Mr Carney has criticised Rishi Sunak’s environmental policies and thrown his support behind the Labour Party in recent months, as he ramps up his campaign to bring more money into green investments.

His new fund has already bought a renewable energy company which runs on-shore wind farms in Scotland and the north of England, and is building solar projects across the country.

The new fund has raised $10bn so far, and follows a previous vehicle which raised $15bn from investors.

Mr Carney, now chairman of Brookfield Asset Management, is understood to have helped bring in international backers including pension funds, insurers and high-net-worth families.

Brookfield said the new fund will invest in renewable energy, nuclear power, carbon capture and storage, and renewable natural gas, which can be made by processing manure through an anaerobic digester and harvesting the resultant methane.

Mr Carney, who served at the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020, said the fund proves there is money to be made in the shift to net zero.

“We have demonstrated beyond doubt the breadth and scale of attractive investment opportunities in the transition to a net zero economy,” said Mr Carney.

“By going where the emissions are, the Brookfield Global Transition Fund strategy is aiming to deliver strong risk-adjusted financial returns for investors and make meaningful environmental impacts for people and the planet.”

The former governor, who gave speeches on greening the financial system while at the Bank of England, has mounted a series of projects promoting net zero investments.

He helped launch the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance (NZIA) in his capacity as a UN climate envoy. The initiative aimed to encourage the insurance industry to assess, and then reduce, its impact on the environment.

But the NZIA suffered a series of blows last year as criticism from US politicians and anti-ESG (environmental, social and governance) campaigners led some, largely American, companies to quit the group.

In Davos last month, Mr Carney criticised Mr Sunak’s decisions to water down some of the British Government’s net zero plans.

“What I didn’t like, at least what it looked like to me, is that policies were being taken off the table certainly without replacements being put in and they were being done for purely political signalling purposes,” he said.

Some environmental restrictions, including the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, have been pushed back by several years by the Prime Minister.

Last year Mr Carney endorsed the Labour Party ahead of the general election. At Labour’s party conference in October he appeared in a video message in which he praised Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, as “a serious economist”.

“She understands the economics of work, of place and family,” he said. “It is beyond time we put her energy and ideas into action.”

Ex-central banker Carney backs Trudeau to lead Liberals in Canada's next election

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2024/01/ex-central-banker-carney-backs-trudeau.html