ALBERTA 

First images of Jasper after 100m high wildfire hit

UCP DOES NOT BELIEVE IN CLIMATE CHANGE

Brandon Livesay - BBC News
Sat, July 27, 2024 

[Reuters]


The fierce wildfire which swept through the Canadian town of Jasper in recent days melted cars to the road and turned homes to ash.

The first images of the devastation at the famous tourist town have emerged, after a 100m (328ft) firewall swept through late on Wednesday.

It has been difficult to get a sense of the scale of what happened because the fire burned out-of-control for days.


Some 25,000 people were evacuated from the town and the Jasper National Park, in Alberta.

Firefighters were helped by wetter weather towards the end of the week [Reuters]

[Reuters]

On Friday, authorities from Jasper National Park said 358 of the 1,113 structures in town had been destroyed by the fire, which was caused by a lightning storm

However, all critical infrastructure was protected, including the hospital, library and firehall.

A list of addresses where buildings were damaged is being finalised and will be released “shortly”, authorities said.

Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland looks at what is left of his home of 67 years [Reuters]

One local who does know he has lost his home is Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland, who came back to the town with other officials on Friday.

He stood in front of what remained of his home, reduced to a few charred cement blocks, and said: “Now, it’s well, it’s just memories of family and fire.”

Mr Ireland spoke of a photograph lost to the flames, where he was just a two-year-old sitting on some moving boxes next to a birthday cake at that very house. He had lived at the same address for 67 years.

"So many others are going to go through this same thing," he told local media.

Canadians mourn as Jasper, jewel of the Rockies, burns

[Reuters]

Melted metal from a car in Jasper [Reuters]

New images show extraordinary damage at the tourist town, nestled in the Canadian Rockies.

The heat was so intense it turned parts of a car into a pool of metal, dripping across the road like a silver ice cream on a hot day.

Other photographs show the twisted remains of cars piled on top of each other, and a school bus now black with only a tinge of that iconic yellow remaining.

Hotels and a church were destroyed, and many homes.

[Reuters]

The remains of a church, destroyed by fire [Reuters]

Authorities are cautious of confirming what has been levelled, at this stage.

"We are empathetic to the residents and businesses seeking more information on specific details on the extent of damage," an update from authorities said.

"We know people are seeing images on media and social media but what we know about fire incidents is getting the information right is paramount.”

Fire crews are now taking advantage of cooler weather and recent rainfall.

They are containing the remaining hotspots in smouldering structures and along the wildfire perimeter closest to the townsite.

Burned wine bottles at a hotel in Jasper [Reuters]

Several hotels were destroyed by the fire [Reuters]

But winds were expected to pick up and hot, dry weather is forecast to return by Monday.

Sitting just north of the more popular Banff National Park, Jasper National Park is the largest in Canada's Rocky Mountains.

The Unesco World Heritage Site is home to elk, grizzly bear, moose and bison.

The adjacent town of Jasper has a population of about 5,000, but has some dozen hotels to accommodate the roughly 2.5 million people who pass through to visit the park every year.

Fire crews work to cool down hotspots [Reuters]

Melted chairs outside the gutted Maligne Lodge [Reuters]

Karyn Decore, whose family has owned the historic Maligne Lodge over 60 years, has been receiving condolences from around the country since learning it was destroyed as the fire swept through town.

Ms Decore says her now-destroyed hotel is normally 100% occupied from May to October every year. Now, all of the tourists and staff have evacuated the area, and they don't know when they may return.

Park officials estimated that a power outage in the town last year, which lasted two weeks, deprived local businesses of some CAD$10m ($7.2m;£5.6m) in revenue.

[Reuters]

It remains to be seen how long it will take to restore the resort town, as well as the pristine ecology that helps make the majestic park a pride of Canada.

Meanwhile, there are currently 48 wildfires burning "out of control" around the Alberta province.



'We will rebuild': A look inside the wildfire devastation in Jasper

Fakiha Baig
Fri, July 26, 2024 



JASPER NATIONAL PARK — Richard Ireland's eyes well up with tears as he gazes in silence towards his home and sees memories of a lifetime burnt to ashes.

The mayor of Jasper then leans over what remains of the small, cosy home he grew up in — a piece of a concrete wall — and says all he can think about is a framed photograph that was taken after his family moved in when he was two years old, lost somewhere in the rubble.

"We grew up here … a family of five kids and our parents, and just about always at least one grandparent was living with us," the 69-year-old says on Friday during his first visit to where his home once stood in the historic Rocky Mountain resort town before a wildfire burned it down.

"That's the way life was lived in those days … extended family all under one roof. My home was full of memories," he says while holding back tears, his lips quivering.

His siblings moved away from his home after and more memories of his own children growing up in the home were formed. He feels sad for the hundreds of photographs of those moments now also burnt to ashes.

But although the ashes of his home lie below his feet, Ireland says he's glad his garage still stands, with his grandchildren's toys inside.

"We will rebuild," he says.

He notes his neighbours' homes on both sides of his are standing without a scratch, a reflection of how randomly the wildfires destroyed one-third of all structures in Jasper, mostly in the western part of town, or left them grey, ashy, mangled and covered in soot.

During a tour of the town with Ireland, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and other dignitaries on Friday, the indiscriminate nature of the wildfires could be seen everywhere, with Jasper National Park's glorious mountain peaks overlooking the devastation.

A trailer park on Cabin Creek Drive in western Jasper has been annihilated, and the disfigured pieces of metal scraps that remain are blanketed in grey ash and black soot.

The burnt skeleton of a bright yellow pickup truck sits nearby with its metallic skid plate melted on the concrete. Heaps of smoke float upwards from the ground in some areas. Shattered glass lies everywhere.

Across the street, however, a row of homes were spared.

Household items, such as chairs, tires, propane tanks and Halloween decorations, could be seen on the sidewalk in front of the homes.

James Eastham, an information officer with Parks Canada who was a part of the tour, says the items are highly flammable and were brought out by firefighters as a preventive measure while Jasper's approximately 5,000 residents and 20,000 visitors were forced to flee on Monday night as two fires advanced to the town from the north and south.

Jasper's iconic Maligne Lodge burned down on Wednesday when winds of about 120 kilometres per hour pushed a 100-metre-tall wall of fire into town.

On Friday, a sign for the lodge stood tall while the lodge itself on Connaught Drive was destroyed. Only the skeleton of the rooms' entrances withstood the flames that firefighters were seen still pouring water over.

Mangled red chairs where tourists once rested were seen in front of the lodge.

Down the street, a Petro-Canada gas station has been obliterated. The silver-coloured steel skeleton of the gas pumps were seen falling over and wooden pieces of the station's roof were littered across the ground.

Nearby, only a few feet of burnt, brick wall and a tower remained of the Anglican Church of St. Mary and St. George, where residents of Jasper have been gathering since 1928 to pray and attend weddings.

Elsewhere in town, cars were parked on fields of grass, away from flammable homes. Residents abandoned them there before they fled.

Heaps of wood and other unidentifiable, burnt material pushed into a pile by excavators were seen all around town.

After the tour, Ireland told reporters he was feeling hopeful even though 30 per cent of the Jasper townsite had been destroyed.

"That's important because we have 70 per cent of the base to work from," he said.

He said he plans to approach the rebuilding of Jasper knowing he's going through what many other residents are going through after losing their homes.

"Their pain is just unfathomable," he said. "I feel (their) pain."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2024.

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press

New numbers confirm one-third of Jasper townsite destroyed in this week's wildfire

The Canadian Press
Fri, July 26, 2024 



HINTON, ALBERTA, CANADA — One-third of all structures in the townsite of Jasper are gone, burned to the ground in this week’s wildfire, officials confirmed Friday.

Premier Danielle Smith said there are 1,113 structures in the picturesque Rocky Mountain resort community.

She said Wednesday night’s wildfire destroyed 358 of them and damaged seven more.


The structures were homes and businesses. Much of the damage was contained to the west side of town.

Smith said critical infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and water treatment services, remain intact.

“It was the hard work of firefighters and front-line workers who protected Jasper from even more damage,” Smith told reporters at a news conference near the eastern gate of Jasper National Park.

Smith said it will be a while before residents will be allowed back, but there is no definite timeline as the fire is still raging in the park.

Smith said they have to make sure gas pipelines are not damaged. Power and electricity have to be turned on again. And the wildfire has to be tamed so that stray embers don’t reignite another tragedy.

“This is not a fast process,” said Smith.

Canadian National Railway Co., meanwhile, resumed freight shipments through the park after closing service through its Rocky Mountain mainline corridor because of the fires.

Smith and other officials were set to tour the devastation in the townsite later Friday.

Crews were helped out overnight by rain and cool weather, but temperatures were forecast to rise again over the weekend.

The two blazes that menaced Jasper earlier this week have since merged. The total area burned or partially burned is estimated at 360 square kilometres.

Jasper was receiving fire help from 32 municipalities across the province along with aid from the federal government and even international crews from as far away as Australia and New Zealand.

About 25,000 people, including all of the town's 5,000 residents, were forced to flee the fires Monday night.

Those without a place to stay have been sent to evacuation centres in Edmonton, Calgary, and Grande Prairie.

Everyone in the park had to get out at a moment’s notice around 10 p.m. Monday when two fires, advancing from the north and south, cut off road access to the east and south, leaving the only path out west to British Columbia.

Relentless, fierce winds gusting up to 100 km/h challenged and eventually overwhelmed crews, and the southern fire broke through early Wednesday night and began wreaking havoc.

Questions have been raised over why the fire wasn’t contained and whether there was adequate existing fire protection. Both Parks Canada officials and Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis have said little could be done in the face of towering walls of fire moving at lightning speed.

At Friday’s news conference, federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan said Jasper was considered one of the safest communities against fire.

“Mother Nature, in this case here, just won out,” he said.

Richard Ireland, the mayor of Jasper, agreed. “Despite all of that preparation, the nature of this fire was such that it humbled the humans on the ground," he said.

Ireland said while some residents won't have homes or businesses to go home to, supports are on the way to help them over the next weeks and months.

“There is starting to emerge the glimmer of hope," he said.

“If there are homes for some, there is community for all. We will all get back.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2024.

-- By Lisa Johnson in Edmonton

Jasper Fire: Latest map after wildfires break out in Jasper National Park in Alberta

MEREDITH DELISO
Fri, July 26, 2024 

The western Canadian resort town of Jasper has been "ravaged' by wildfire, officials said, as the large blaze burns out of control.

The perimeter of the Jasper Wildfire Complex was estimated to be 36,000 hectares (approximately 89,000 acres) as of Thursday night, according to Jasper National Park.

Mapping the complex has been challenging due to factors including strong winds, smoke and "extreme fire behaviour," the park said.

PHOTO: In this July 24, 2024, image obtained from the Jasper National Park in Canada, smoke rises from a wildfire burning in the park. (Handout/Jasper National Park/AFP via Getty Images)

The complex includes two wildfires that ignited on Monday in Jasper National Park and have since combined, as well as the Utopia Wildfire, which started on July 19 near Miette Hot Springs.

"Crews will take advantage of this time to make as much progress as possible to suppress the wildfire and reduce further spread," Jasper National Park said in an update Thursday night, though it noted warm weather in the forecast will increase wildfire activity.


MAP: A map of the estimated perimeter of the Jasper Complex Fire, as of Thursday night. (ABC News / Jasper National Park, as of July 25, 2024)

MORE: Jasper wildfire: 'Heartbreaking' damage as Canadian Armed Forces ordered to respond to Alberta blazes

The town of Jasper and Jasper National Park, located in the province of Alberta, closed and were evacuated earlier this week due to the wildfires in the park, the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies.

The fire reached the town of Jasper on Wednesday evening, the park said, resulting in "significant loss."

Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland said the town has been "ravaged" by wildfire. There could potentially be 30% to 50% structural damage in Jasper, according to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, as assessments remain ongoing.

PHOTO: In this July 24, 2024, image obtained from the Jasper National Park in Canada, smoke rises from a wildfire burning in the park. (Handout/Jasper National Park/AFP via Getty Images)

There have been no reported injuries due to the wildfire, Jasper National Park said in an update Thursday morning.

More than 25,000 people were ordered to evacuate from the park and Jasper due to the wildfires, officials said.

MORE: Wildfires break out across California: Latest fire and smoke maps

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday authorized the Canadian Armed Forces to respond to the wildfires. He said later Thursday that the government is deploying more resources to "reinforce" the response to the wildfires in Jasper and across Alberta.

"Our governments are working together to keep Albertans safe and supported through this," he said on social media Thursday night.

Alberta is experiencing "extreme wildfire conditions," with more than 170 wildfires burning across the province, according to the government of Alberta.

Jasper Fire: Latest map after wildfires break out in Jasper National Park in Alberta originally appeared on abcnews.go.com


Blaze in Canadian tourist town still out of control but rain helping firefighters

David Ljunggren and Anna Mehler Paperny
Updated Fri, July 26, 2024



FILE PHOTO: Smoke rises from a wildfire burning in Jasper


By David Ljunggren and Anna Mehler Paperny

(Reuters) -A massive wildfire that destroyed about a third of the western Canadian tourist town of Jasper is still out of control but rain and cooler conditions are helping firefighters, authorities said on Friday.

Jasper, located in the middle of Alberta's picturesque Jasper National Park, is a major tourist destination. The town and park, which draw more than 2 million tourists a year to this area of the Rocky Mountains, were evacuated on Monday.

"Rain and cooler temperatures and the incredibly hard work of firefighters have resulted in fire activity that is significantly subdued," said Alberta premier Danielle Smith.

"It is important to note that the fire is still out of control, and it remains unsafe for people to return," she told a press conference.

Parks Canada said between 10 mm and 15 mm (0.39 and 0.59 inch) of rain had fallen on Thursday and would most likely keep fire behavior low until into the weekend.

Jasper town council said that out of a total of 1,113 structures in the town, 358 - or over 32% - had been destroyed.

"It's going to be difficult. The pain that will be felt almost defies description. It is beyond comprehension," said Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland.

Residents and business owners have been combing through images that have begun to emerge from the town to assess the extent of the devastation.

Brett Ireland, who co-owns the Jasper Brew Pub is anxious to get back and assess the damage to his business. He thinks it is still standing, but does not know the extent of the water and smoke damage. Ireland knows the building next door burned and that his parents' house is gone.

"It's actually mind-blowing how bad it is," Ireland said.

Some estimate that the cleanup and rebuild could take years, and fear that severe wildfire seasons are increasingly hurting western Canada's lucrative tourism industry that is responsible for bringing in billions of dollars in revenue each year.

RAIL TRAFFIC RESUMES

CN Rail, one of the country's two largest rail companies, resumed the movement of goods through Jasper National Park on Friday after the fire forced it to suspend operations.

CN remains in regular contact with officials and is monitoring weather and fire movements, it said in a statement.

Officials estimated that when the evacuation order was given, there were up to 10,000 people in the town and a further 15,000 visitors in the park.

Late on Thursday, authorities said crews had managed to protect all of Jasper's critical infrastructure, including the hospital, schools and a wastewater treatment plant.

The blaze however, has damaged a number of bridges around the town and in the park, they added.

The Jasper Park Lodge, one of the largest hotels in town, said it had suffered some damage but most structures remained standing and intact. The 400-room residence is run by Fairmont, a group owned by France's Accor.

The Trans Mountain oil pipeline, which can carry 890,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil from Edmonton to Vancouver, runs through the park. The operator said on Thursday there were no signs of damage.

The federal government said in April that high temperatures and tinder-dry forests meant this could be a catastrophic year for wildfires in Canada.

The current fire could be one of the most damaging in Alberta since a 2016 blaze that hit the oil town of Fort McMurray, forcing the evacuation of all 90,000 residents and destroying 10% of all structures there.

(Additional reporting by Nia Williams in British Columbia and Ismail Shakil in Ottawa; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Ros Russell and Sandra Maler)

Rain expected to help worsening Alberta, Canada, wildfire situation
Simon Druker
Fri, July 26, 2024 

No deaths have yet been reported but evacuation orders have forced around 5,000 residents and 20,000 tourists to leave the area. Photo courtesy of Parks Canada

July 26 (UPI) -- Rain and cooler temperatures Friday are expected to help crews in the Canadian province of Alberta, where wildfires have destroyed up to half of the historic town of Jasper, forcing some first responders to pull back.

Officials estimate around 89,000 acres have burned so far in Jasper National Park, including up to 50% of the structures in the town of Jasper, Alberta Premiere Danielle Smith said Thursday.

Entire streets have been engulfed in fast-moving flames fed by heavy winds in the region, leading the Municipality of Jasper to declare a State of Emergency Monday.

An evacuation order issued Wednesday forced many wildfire firefighters to abandon their lines and retreat to safety, leaving only municipal firefighters with water to battle the flames.

"Temperatures cooled and rain started shortly after midnight. The [0.59 inches] of rainfall in the national park has led to minimal fire behavior and spread today. This precipitation will likely keep fire behavior low for the next 72 hours," Parks Canada said in its latest update.

"Crews will take advantage of this time to make as much progress as possible to suppress the wildfire and reduce further spread. While rain in Jasper is a welcome sight, warm weather is forecasted and will increase wildfire activity. Currently, the Jasper Wildfire Complex poses no threat to neighboring communities."

Federal, provincial and local firefighters are working to contain the blaze, while members of the Canadian Armed Forces began arriving Thursday. Shifting winds have made it difficult to develop established perimeters around the fire.

Smith said Thursday she asked Ottawa for more help with the fire that is expected to continue burning for another week despite the change in weather. Lightning strikes in the tinder-dry grass and forested area is also upping the risk of further blazes developing.

"I also spoke to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier to ask for a full update from the federal government on their wildfire efforts within the Jasper National Park," Smith said on X.

No deaths have yet been reported but evacuation orders have forced about 5,000 residents and 20,000 tourists to leave the area.

Hundreds of active blazes also are buriing in the neighboring province of British Columbia, as well as in California and Utah.

The iconic Jasper Lodge said on X the tourist destination had been damaged badly by the fire, but did not elaborate on the extent of the damage.

"My heart goes out to the community of Jasper on this devastating evening, wildfire reached the Jasper townsite. We need to pray for the firefighters that remain in town doing everything they can to combat multiple structural fires and protect critical infrastructure," Alberta Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen said on X.

Rail, phone, power services affected by Jasper wildfire

Amanda Stephenson
Thu, July 25, 2024 



Critical infrastructure has been affected by the wildfires that have raged through Jasper National Park, Alta., and into the picturesque townsite itself.

Telus Corp. confirmed Thursday that some of its infrastructure in the Jasper area was damaged Wednesday in the blaze.

Telus spokeswoman Brandi Merker said some home phone and mobility services in the area are down, and technicians are working to restore service.

Priority is being given to restoring the ability to make voice calls, including those to 911, emergency services and hospital communication, she said in an email.

Merker said the company is securing helicopters to refuel critical cell tower sites and has also brought in backup generators to ensure the company can maintain wireless coverage for first responders.

"We know this is a difficult time and we are doing all we can to support our customers and team members who have been impacted, including supplying resources to the evacuation centre in Hinton, Alberta," Merker said.

Telus said Thursday it is committing $100,000 to support rebuilding efforts in Jasper.

Canadian National Railway Co., whose main line runs through Jasper, suspended operations in the area Wednesday afternoon as conditions worsened.

CN first suspended rail service through Jasper on Tuesday but restarted it briefly Wednesday before shutting it down again a few hours later.

"Early reports indicate the wildfires caused significant damage to the town. We stand in support and solidarity with the community, home to many of our CN team members and their families," said CN spokeswoman Ashley Michnowski in an email.

The historic train station in Jasper is owned by Parks Canada and the train platform is owned by Via Rail, which offers scenic passenger rail journeys from there through the Rocky Mountains and onward to Vancouver and Prince Rupert, B.C.

Via Rail said Thursday that the station and platform appear to still be intact, according to the latest information the company has received. The company's operations through Jasper have been temporarily halted.

The Trans Mountain oil pipeline, which passes through Jasper on its way to the B.C. coast, continued to operate safely on Thursday, said the Crown corporation that operates it.

Trans Mountain is Canada's only crude oil pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast, and a vital piece of infrastructure for the country's energy sector.

Trans Mountain Corp. said in a statement Thursday that "at this time there is no indication of damage" to the pipeline or related infrastructure.

Trans Mountain said it is deploying sprinklers to protect the pipeline, emphasizing it is using its own firefighting equipment and bringing in water from elsewhere in an effort to support local emergency services.

Atco Ltd., which provides electric and gas services in the town of Jasper, said it won't know the extent of the damage to its infrastructure until technicians are able to safely re-enter the community to complete a full assessment.

Spokesman Kurt Kadatz said Atco operators turned off the natural gas distribution service to the town and isolated the natural gas transmission line at a valve just south of the Athabasca River at approximately 4 p.m., just before they themselves had to evacuate.

Power remained on in the community to support firefighting efforts, but was ultimately knocked out later that afternoon, he said.

"On behalf of our people at Atco, we are devastated by the aggressive fires that came through the town of Jasper last night. We care deeply about this community and everyone who has been impacted," Kadatz said in an email.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:T; TSX:CNR; TSX:ACO-X)

Amanda Stephenson, The Canadian Press

Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge reported to have survived horrifying wildfire in Canada

Jason Lusk
Thu, July 25, 2024 

Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge CC

A massive wildfire that rushed into Jasper in Alberta, Canada, has left much of the town in ruins. Local news outlets reported that 30 to 50 percent of structures have burned as 300-foot-plus walls of flames poured across the mountainous landscape Wednesday and Thursday. Nearby Jasper National Park likewise suffered extensive damage.

The area is also home to the historic Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and its golf course, which opened in 1925 with a layout by famed Canadian designer Stanley Thompson. The course is rated among the best classic courses in the country.

The lodge was evacuated as the fires approached, but after many anxious hours it appears the lodge and course escaped most of the damage so far, as firefighters are still combating the inferno.

The lodge posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday evening that the hotel did incur fire damage, but most of the lodge’s structures had so far remained intact, including the main lodge. While it will take time to assess all the damage around the lodge, its operators posted “we are deeply relieved that much of the property was spared and the resort will reopen in the future.” 

Guests with upcoming reservations in the short term were advised their plans will be canceled as the full scope of the fire damage is evaluated. The lodge asks that anyone who has booked a visit call 800-257-7544 or 403-762-2211 to reach the reservations team for further guidance.

The staff went on to thank the many organizations that have fought the fire or offered assistance, care and relief. The lodge pledged its support to the community and colleagues when rebuilding efforts begin.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge reported to have survived horrifying wildfire in Canada

Jasper National Park engulfed in flames: Shocking before and after photos show famous Maligne Lodge burning as Alberta wildfire spreads

Canadians across social media are sharing their memories of Jasper National Park, while pointing fingers at Alberta's government for cutting resources to fight the flames

Joy Joshi
·Writer, Yahoo News Canada
Thu, July 25, 2024 

The images coming out of the Alberta this week have left Canadians in shock as wildfires engulf a “national treasure”, Jasper National Park. To many in the province and abroad, the park and its iconic features are part of one of the most beautiful landscapes in Canada. The damage from the flames has left a devastating impact on some of the most recognizable destinations, Maligne Lake Lodge, with before and after shots showing the wrath of nature.

“Brace yourself. This is a tough image to see of Jasper-Maligne Lodge. Same eyewitness says PetroCan/ Brightspot were hit. This was over half hour ago,” posted news anchor Lindsay Warner along with a picture of what is identified as the burning Maligne Lake Lodge on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The wildfires at Jasper are believed to have caused “significant loss” as they consumed several buildings — belonging to homes and businesses, causing Albertans to vent their frustration with the provincial government online.

“Danielle Smith should’ve spent less time watching Oilers games in the private boxes of millionaire lobbyists while cutting wildfire funding and more time preparing for a fire season in one of the hottest summers on record. She’s a failure on every level and should resign,” wrote a social media user online.

The extent of the fires burning at Jasper remains unknown, however, local authorities and first responders believe multiple buildings based in the heart of the town have now been lost.

A total of 182 fires are burning across the province of Alberta.

‘Last trip I ever took with Mom was to Maligne Lodge’: Canadians reminisce over the iconic location

Many people, who visited Jasper in the past, were quick to share their memories of the place and drew contrasts between the visuals of the place in the grip of adversity and the peaceful serendipity it stood for back in the day.

“The Jasper fire is hitting me pretty hard. You know how in Nova Scotia the ocean is your backyard. Jasper was pretty much my backyard growing up in Alberta. Lots of weekends spent adventuring. Last trip I ever took with Mom was to Maligne lodge. Just heartbreaking 💔,” posted a dejected Jasper lover online.

The Jasper fire is hitting me pretty hard.
You know how in Nova Scotia the ocean is your backyard. Jasper was pretty much my backyard growing up in Alberta. Lots of weekends spent adventuring. Last trip I ever took with Mom was to Maligne lodge. Just heartbreaking 💔

— Pride Be@n 🏳️‍🌈✨🌻🫐 (@MLimaBean) July 25, 2024

“Had a wonderful, memorable breakfast @WickedCup in Jasper with friends in early June. It is the cafe attached to Maligne Lodge. Now it’s gone. So devastating 😥. Thinking about Jasper friends and all towns folks right now,” wrote another.

“This appears to be the beautiful Maligne Lodge burning in Jasper, Alberta, in the Canadian Rockies. The whole city was evacuated. I have stayed there. Given what happened to my hometown of Lahaina, my heart is with everyone who call Jasper home,” chimed in a third.

Albertans ‘terrified’ by fires in and around Banff and Hector Lake

Many Albertans reacting online to the seriously horrific events unfolding at Jasper also took note of other fires burning in the region, especially those in and around Banff and Hector Lake.

On Wednesday, the Banff National Park reported a new fire burning south of Hector Lake inside the park late afternoon which resulted in a road closure to and from BC.

Many Canadians, learning of the wildfires reaching Banff, were quick to share their concerns online

“I just saw that there’s a fire near Banff now. I’m terrified,” posted a worried X user.

“Dropped my mom, brother, and his gf off at the airport yesterday. They’re in Canada for a week and a half and are in Banff this weekend. Supposed to go to Jasper next week. Hotel refunded their rooms 2 days ago. If the fire makes it to Banff it might actually break me 😭,” said another.

‘This is on her’: Albertans, Canadians slam Premier Danielle Smith for unpreparedness as she asks Trudeau for help

The United Conservative Party of Alberta and leader Danielle Smith are under fire for the decision to slash the wildfire budget and cut response strategy initiatives like the Wildland Firefighter Rappel back in 2019.

Canadians online called out Smith for “fighting all climate actions for years” and “cutting fire prevention funding” only to request the federal government to help out with the Jasper tragedy in the end.

“The fire in Jasper, Alberta growing out of control is direct result of Danielle Smith not asking for help from the federal government sooner. Trudeau cannot help until a request comes from the Premier first. Alberta will continue to suffer until they start holding her accountable,” a user wrote on X.

“Jasper is a National Park, yes. But there is no NATIONAL firefighting service. THAT is up to the province. The Feds send HELP to the PROVINCIAL firefighters. This is a Danielle Smith and UCP fuck up. Not Trudeau,” said another.

“Danielle Smith is heartbroken but she defunded wildfire prevention and have no climate change plan. This is on her,” joined a third.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his government approved Alberta’s request for federal assistance and deployed relevant wildfire resources.

"Alberta, we're with you," the PM reiterated.

I've studied past assassination attempts in US politics. The most similar one to Trump's resulted in a loss in the election.

Lauren Crosby Medlicott
Sat, July 27, 2024 

David Head specializes in US history and lectures at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

He outlines the presidential assassinations and attemps throughout US history.

Head said presidential assassinations or attempts rarely if ever impact the election results.

This is an as-told-to essay based on a transcribed conversation with David Head, a historian specializing in American history, author, and lecturer at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL. It has been edited for length and clarity.

The photos of Donald Trump struck by a bullet with blood on his face are remarkable.

When I first read that the former President had been shot, I was shocked.

Then came a sinking feeling we were descending into the chaos of the 1960s and 70s, when political assassinations, bombings, and rioting marred campaigns in the US and globally.

Working as a historian and lecturer at the University of Central Florida, I'm interested in conspiracy thinking in American politics, both in the early period and in the 20th century, especially the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963.

However, I didn't think the attempt would significantly impact the 2024 election outcome. Throughout history, an election is won or lost based on the context in which it happened, not an assassination attempt.
The most similar historical assassination attempt to Trump's resulted in a loss

The closest parallel, although very different, was the 1912 assassination attempt on Theodore Roosevelt while he was running for president. Like Trump, Roosevelt had already been president but had left office for four years after two terms, leaving Republican William Howard Taft as president.

For the 1912 election, Taft had the official Republican Party nomination, but Roosevelt decided to run as a third-party independent candidate. They were both running against Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson.

At a campaign event in Milwaukee on October 14, 1912, Roosevelt was shot getting in his car en route to a campaign speech.

Despite his injury, he continued to the event and spoke. Roosevelt understood the drama of presenting his speech in a blood-stained shirt.

Like Roosevelt, Trump is a natural showman. He probably didn't need to think about how to react —he knew how powerful a defiant image captured by the media could be.

Roosevelt's popularity surged following the incident. The shooting happened in October, so it was very close to the election.

But in the end, the Republicans were split between Taft and Roosevelt. He went on to lose to Wilson. Whether Roosevelt had been shot didn't change the dynamic of the election campaign.
JFK and Robert Kennedy's assassinations had different electoral outcomes

After John F. Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson became president. Johnson enjoyed significant popularity — over a 75% approval rating — on the coattails of Kennedy's assassination. He rode that popularity to win the US election in 1964 with a landslide victory.

Johnson's popularity waned, however, as the Vietnam War dragged on through his term. By 1968, his diminished support among Democrats led him to end his presidential bid early in the campaign.

While seeking the Democratic nomination, Robert F. Kennedy was shot and killed following a campaign event in Los Angeles in 1968. Due to his brother's legacy, he was a strong candidate to succeed Johnson and run against Nixon.

Robert Kennedy's assassination meant Johnson's vice president, Hubert Humphrey, had an easier time securing the Democratic nomination. However, Robert Kennedy's death and the chaos surrounding it reinforced the image of a Democratic Party in disarray. Richard Nixon, leading a unified Republican Party, won the presidency in 1968.

Two tragic deaths had opposing political outcomes based on the context of the race.
The dynamics of the political race are more influential than assassination attempts

In 1975, a year before the next presidential election year, Republican President Gerald Ford was shot at twice. Ford had taken over the presidency after Richard Nixon resigned in August 1974 following the Watergate scandal.

Ford pardoned Nixon and tried to move past Watergate, but the Republican Party couldn't overcome Nixon's stink and Ford's dismissal of his wrongdoings.

Ford went on to lose the 1976 election because of the underlying dynamic of the race — attempted assassinations had little to no impact.
As this race has suggested, elections can change quickly

And now, there is Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

Trump has been incorporating the assassination into his speeches and social media messaging. His ear was bandaged when he spoke at the Republican convention, and he recently said he "took a bullet for democracy."

I expect this will be a part of his campaigning from now on. The shooting galvanized the party at the Republican convention days later.

The intensity of Republicans' enthusiasm at the convention played a role in Biden dropping out. Biden was already facing calls to drop out because of concerns that his health would prevent him from winning in November.

But, just like in these historic assassination attempts, the context of the campaign is what matters on election day.

No one feels undecided about Trump right now. He's dominated political and cultural discussions since 2015. If people's opinions weren't already set, I don't think this shooting would change that.

Kamala Harris now gets a chance to make a first impression as a presidential candidate. We'll see what she does with the opportunity.

While it is helpful to consider the outcomes of historical presidential assassination attempts and what they could mean for our future, it's also not determinative. Things can change very quickly, as they have time and time again during this current campaign.

Read the original article on Business Insider

HE WILL DECLARE HIMSELF EMPEROR

Trump Tells Christians They Won’t Have to Vote in Future: ‘We’ll Have It Fixed’

Charisma Madarang
Fri, July 26, 2024 





Donald Trump, the former president who double downed on his ambitions of being a dictator, told a crowd gathered in West Palm Beach on Friday that if elected for a second term, they “won’t have to vote anymore.”

At the Florida summit, hosted by conservative group Turning Point Action, Trump promised that if he wins in November, he would “once again appoint rock-solid conservative judges who will protect religious liberty.”

After repeating his usual unfounded claims about mail-in voting, Trump launched into an appeal directed at Christian voters. “Christians, get out and vote!” yelled Trump. “Just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years. You know what? It’ll be fixed! It’ll be fine! You won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians. I love you, Christians!” He added, “You gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not gonna have to vote.”

In December 2023, during a town hall in Davenport, Iowa, when asked by Fox News’ Sean Hannity if he would “abuse power as retribution against anybody,” Trump replied: “Except for day one. I want to close the border, and I want to drill, drill, drill.”

The former president later defended his comments, and at the New York Young Republican Club’s 111th Annual Gala less than a week later, Trump said, “I didn’t say that. I said I want to be a dictator for one day. You know why I wanted to be a dictator? Because I want a wall, and I want to drill, drill, drill.”

Trump has also called for the termination of the Constitution in order to overturn the 2020 election results following his loss to President Joe Biden. In December 2022, during one of his rants on Truth Social, he incorrectly called himself the “rightful winner” and claimed that “Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.”

Following Biden exiting the 2024 presidential race last weekend and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, Trump is now set to face the VP in the upcoming elections.

The convicted former president has been grasping at straws since then. Earlier this week, when baselessly accusing Harris of committing crimes, Trump referenced his own criminal record while bringing up the VP’s background as a courtroom prosecutor. Trump also backed out of his previous vow to debate “ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE,” and demanded the showdown be hosted by Fox News, instead of ABC News. The former president’s communications director also said that Trump would not debate Harris “until Democrats formally decide on their nominee,” despite Trump previously debating Biden in June.


Trump urges Christians to vote, says they won't have to again if he wins 2024 election

Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY
Sat, July 27, 2024 

WASHINGTON – Former President Donald Trump implored Christians attending a summit hosted by the conservative group Turning Point Action to vote in November, saying they wouldn’t have to cast a ballot again if he wins the presidency because “it’ll be fixed.”

“I don't care how, but you have to get out and vote,” Trump told the crowd at Turning Point Action’s Believer’s Summit. “Christians get out and vote. Just this time. You won't have to do it anymore.”

“In four more years, you know what? It’ll be fixed. It’ll be fine. You won't have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians,” Trump added during his 70-minute long speech. “We'll have it fixed so good. You're not going to have to vote.”

He delivered the comments during a keynote speech at Turning Point Action’s Believers’ Summit in West Palm Beach, Fla. The event was aimed at “empowering attendees with practical knowledge and strategies to live out their faith boldly and counteract the prevailing 'woke' narratives with grace, truth, and conviction, rooted in the Gospel,” according to the group’s website.

Politically conservative Christian voters are a key segment of Trump’s base that he must turnout in order to prevail in November’s election.

Recent polls published since President Joe Biden exited the 2024 race show Trump’s lead in the race slipping. He is now neck-and-neck with likely Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.

Secret Service agents help former President Donald Trump leave his reelection campaign rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa., after he was injured in an assassination attempt.

In the aftermath of the assassination attempt against him, Trump has also emerged as an unlikely spiritual figurehead. During a speech at the Republican National Convention in mid-July, Trump said he felt like he had God on his side as bullets whizzed by, coming within inches of killing him.

If he wins the 2024 election, Trump won’t be able to run for the presidency again. The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prevents presidents from serving more than twice.

But the GOP presidential nominee also has a history of using authoritarian rhetoric on the campaign trail. In December, he suggested that he would be a dictator for “one day” if elected again.

At a rally in Michigan last weekend, Trump hailed Xi Jinping of China as a “brilliant man” for ruling “with an iron fist” over the countries 1.4 billion people. He also praised Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Russia’s Vladimir Putin as “tough” and “smart” leaders.

Trump is facing multiple felony charges for allegedly conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The ex-president has spread false claims that widespread voter fraud led him to lose the race to President Joe Biden. There is no evidence to back the claims.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump tells Christians to vote, says they won't have to again if he wins


Trump tells Christians they won't have to vote after this election

Tim Reid
Updated Sat, July 27, 2024 


Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump attends The Believers Summit 2024 in West Palm Beach


By Tim Reid

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told Christians on Friday that if they vote for him this November, "in four years, you don't have to vote again. We'll have it fixed so good, you're not gonna have to vote."

It was not clear what the former president meant by his remarks, in an election campaign where his Democratic opponents accuse him of being a threat to democracy, and after his attempt to overturn his 2020 defeat to President Joe Biden, an effort that led to the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for clarification of his comments.

Trump was speaking at an event organized by the conservative group Turning Point Action in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump said: "Christians, get out and vote, just this time. "You won't have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what, it will be fixed, it will be fine, you won't have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians."

He added: "I love you Christians. I'm a Christian. I love you, get out, you gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don't have to vote again, we'll have it fixed so good you're not going to have to vote," Trump said.

In an interview with Fox News in December, Trump said that if he won the Nov. 5 election he would be a dictator, but only on "day one", to close the southern border with Mexico and expand oil drilling.

Democrats have seized on that comment. Trump has since said the remarks were a joke.

If Trump wins a second term in the White House, he can serve only four more years as president. U.S. presidents are limited to two terms, consecutive or not, under the U.S. Constitution.

In May, speaking at a National Rifle Association gathering, Trump quipped about serving more than two terms as president.

He referred to the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat, the only president to serve more than two terms. The two-term limit was added after Roosevelt's presidency.

"You know, FDR, 16 years - almost 16 years - he was four terms. I don't know, are we going to be considered three-term? Or two-term?" Trump asked the NRA crowd.

Trump's remarks on Friday pointed to the need for both parties to energize their base voters ahead of what will likely be a closely fought election. Trump has enjoyed loyal support from evangelicals in the past two elections.

The race has abruptly tightened after the decision by Biden to end his reelection bid and with his vice president, Kamala Harris, becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Recent opinion polls show Trump's significant lead over Biden has been largely erased since the torch was passed to Harris.

Jason Singer, a Harris campaign spokesperson, in a statement did not directly address Trump's remarks about Christians not having to vote again.

Singer described Trump's overall speech as "bizarre" and "backward looking".

(Reporting by Tim Reid; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

In JD Vance Country, an Addiction Scourge That Won’t Go Away

Robert Draper
Fri, July 26, 2024 

Curtis RamseyÕs little sister Shyla does cartwheels outside her grandmother Cheryl StumboÕs home in Pomeroy, Ohio, July 25, 2024. (Maddie McGarvey/The New York Times)

POMEROY, Ohio — Sitting in a KFC restaurant in the former coal-mining town of Pomeroy, Ohio, a few hours before JD Vance addressed the Republican National Convention, Curtis Ramsey, 18, recalled the first time he heard the Ohio senator’s name.

It was last month, he said, in the Washington office of another Ohio Republican, Rep. Jim Jordan.

Ramsey, who had never been to a big city or flown on an airplane before, was in the capital with two filmmakers seeking to draw attention to a new documentary, “Inheritance.” The film features Ramsey and examines the plight of drug-ravaged Appalachian communities like his own.

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When the filmmakers, Matt Moyer and his wife, Amy Toensing, explained to Jordan what their documentary was about, the congress member broke into a smile. “Sounds like the story of the next vice president of the United States!” Jordan said.

Recalling this encounter, Ramsey bit into his chicken sandwich and considered the supernova trajectory of the “Hillbilly Elegy” author against his own precarious life.

“He was lucky,” Ramsey said of Vance, an Ohioan who spent time in his early years 165 miles southwest of Pomeroy in Jackson, Kentucky. “He got out.”

Central to Vance’s narrative as Donald Trump’s 39-year-old running mate is that he broke free from the grinding poverty of Appalachian roots and his mother’s drug addictions to become a corporal in the Marines, a Yale Law School graduate, a bestselling author and finally a political phenomenon.

In his acceptance speech, Vance vowed, “I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from.”

The statement is unassailable if measured by Vance’s public allusions to his upbringing. When the standard is addressing the complexities of drug-addicted families like Ramsey’s, his devotion is more complicated.

Experts in the addiction field, both in Ohio and nationally, say that healing the wounds of drug-dependent communities is an expensive, unglamorous endeavor. The most notable champion for this issue in Congress, they say, is Rep. Hal Rogers, a Republican who represents the district in Kentucky where Vance spent his childhood. Rogers has steered millions of dollars to related programs back home and has also established the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit, an annual national gathering to explore the opioid epidemic.

Vance’s leadership has been comparatively modest thus far.

“It was a big moment for people who were in recovery having his mother stand up during the convention and be saluted,” said Keith Humphreys, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University who served on the board of a nonprofit, now shut down, that Vance set up in 2016 to explore social challenges in Ohio. “But that’s not the same thing as a comprehensive approach to the addiction crisis.”

In 2017, a year after the publication of “Hillbilly Elegy,” a political memoir, Vance told conservative journalist Megyn Kelly, “The things that I care most about are the opioid crisis, about solving some of the issues that I write about in the book.”

Years later in a campaign ad, the Senate candidate echoed that sentiment, saying, “This issue is personal. I nearly lost my mother to the poison coming across the border.”

But in Vance’s 19 months in the Senate, his talk and actions have been more pitched to partisan politics than to the tragic complexities he experienced firsthand. He has not introduced legislation targeted to drug-afflicted communities. Instead, he has frequently cited the spread of fentanyl as a data point in criticizing the Biden administration for failing to secure the border and curb China’s malign influence.

Vance was a sponsor of a Republican bill to reclassify fentanyl as a Schedule I controlled substance. He was also an early sponsor of a bill to tax remittances out of the U.S. to foreign countries with the aim of curbing drug trafficking. Both bills have been stuck in committees for the past year.

Another bipartisan bill on which he was a sponsor, to combat fentanyl trafficking, was signed into law by President Joe Biden in April.

Experts in the field say they are waiting for more from Vance. “I haven’t seen a lot of what he’s done on this, to be honest,” said Marcia Lee Taylor, the former CEO of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids and currently an advisory council member of National Fentanyl Awareness Day.

“I do give Sen. Vance credit for talking about the issue in a personal way,” she added. “And I would hope that someone who’s had a front-row seat to this complicated problem would recognize that addressing only the supply side of the addiction crisis isn’t sufficient.”

Beyond the legislation, there is little mention of addiction on Vance’s Senate website: Only a handful of his 248 statements to the media refer to drugs. One highlights his appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” last year to discuss fentanyl trafficking, and a second describes his questioning of a Drug Enforcement Administration agent at a Senate hearing about China’s role in the drug trade. A third recounts his visit to a new addiction treatment center.

That visit was in October to the town of Xenia, Ohio, to tour the Emerge Recovery and Trade Initiative, which received startup funding from the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan. The center offers not only treatment but also vocational pathways of the sort that eluded Vance’s mother during her addiction struggles.

Emerge’s director of philanthropy, Elaine Bonner, said in an interview that the encounter was a positive one and that she would welcome more help from Vance. She said she was unaware if he had offered to steer more federal funds to the program. “I’m hoping he can come back one day,” she said.

Ohio stakeholders in the addiction crisis interviewed for this article have tempered their expectations about their native son’s dedication to the matter. “I remain hopeful about Mr. Vance,” said Robin Harris, who leads an Ohio agency, the Gallia-Jackson-Meigs Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services, that provides treatment services to struggling communities.

Harris added that she had met Vance only once, after a panel discussion shortly after the publication of “Hillbilly Elegy.” She recalled approaching him and asking what he envisioned as an effective method of drug prevention.

“And he said, ‘How would I know?’” she said.

Vance’s spokesperson, William Martin, did not respond to a request for comment about the encounter.

But in an earlier statement, he characterized Vance’s dedication to the issue as a high priority. “Whether it’s working with treatment centers in Ohio to help addicts get clean or fighting to stop the flow of deadly drugs across the wide-open southern border,” Martin said, “Sen. Vance has spent years working on this issue, and he won’t stop until the job is done.”

Ramsey, who now lives in a trailer with friends near Pomeroy, said he would like to find his own path out of Vance’s former world.

“The pursuit of happiness isn’t even ossible here,” he said. Ticking off the steps with his fingers, he added, “It’s the pursuit of survival. Then you just live. And after that, maybe there’s happiness.”

The documentary “Inheritance” amply documents this: The filmmakers followed Ramsey’s family over an 11-year period, during which two of the principal characters died of drug overdoses. “My entire family, every single one of them, has been an addict at some point in their lives,” Ramsey said.

He aspires to be more than just a member of his family. Finding the first steppingstone has not been easy. He dropped out of high school, to the disappointment of teachers and local social workers who have seen promise in him and hoped to help him rise above his grim circumstances.

“Kids like him are superhero-strong,” said Angela Lariviere, an advocate for at-risk youth in Ohio who got to know Ramsey after seeing him in “Inheritance.”

“But the trauma he’s experienced is hard for people to appreciate,” she said. “They say, ‘Curtis, why can’t you stay in school? Why can’t you get a job and meet these goals?’”

Meigs County, in which Pomeroy sits, is a Republican stronghold. Trump won 76% of the vote in the 2020 election. Nearly all of Ramsey’s family members are enthusiastic supporters of the former president.

An uncle of Ramsey, Johnny Lee Stumbo, said in an interview that he was cheered by the addition of Vance to the Republican ticket. “He’s kind of like a hometown hero,” said Stumbo, adding that he anticipated a Trump administration would stem the tide of illegal immigration. He did not see it as the White House’s duty to address the impact of drugs on communities like his.

“I was an addict for years, just like the rest of them in my family,” he said. “But I don’t think politics has anything to do with your habits. Drugs is a personal choice.”

Ramsey does not see things quite that way. “I mean, everyone knows what the problems here are,” he said after finishing off his chicken sandwich. “But what I don’t get is: If everyone knows, how can there still be a problem?”

c.2024 The New York Times Company

Sanders explains why he hasn’t yet endorsed Harris

Ian Swanson

THE HILL
Sat, July 27, 2024 

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in a Friday interview with MSNBC’s Ali Velshi explained why he has yet to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president, suggesting he wants first to see more specific commitments from her on issues important to the working class.

The Hill reported this week that Sanders is looking to shape Harris’s campaign, and that he had held off on an endorsement in part to exert some pressure on the vice president to adopt some of his priorities.

Sanders in the interview made it clear he will work to elect Harris, noting he is taking part in events in Maine to do so. He said he wanted to do everything he could to defeat former President Trump and to make Harris the next president.

But he said he wanted to get more specific commitments from Harris on issues such as expanding Medicare and Social Security before providing an official endorsement.

“I think it’s important for some of us to say look, we know that there’s a lot of big money in the Democratic Party,” Sanders told Valshi. “We want to make sure that the vice president is listening to the working class of this country, to the progressives as well.

“These are not radical ideas and I would hope very much we get specificity,” he added.

Asked about what issues he’s looking for commitments from Harris, Sanders talked about the need to lift the income cap on Social Security in order to expand it. He also said Medicare should be expanded to cover dental and vision.

He said all student debt should also be forgiven, and that there should be a cap on rents in the United States.

Sanders did not suggest he needed specific commitments on all of these issues, and he offered no criticism of Harris in any of his remarks.

“I have talked to the vice president and look forward to speaking to her in the near future,” he told Valshi when asked if he was having a discussion with Harris. “Yeah, that conversation is going on.”

He added that he hopes he does get assurances on these issues from Harris.

Sanders ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016 and 2020, finishing as the runner up in both cases. His efforts have pushed the Democratic Party to the left and he praised President Biden’s work for the working class during his remarks to Valshi.

Harris adopted a number of liberal positions during her 2020 run for the White House, but she is also expected to come under pressure to move toward the center ahead of a tight race with Trump in the falls.

Polls show Harris is closing the gap with Trump, but the contest is expected to be very close in the swing states that will decide the election.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Puts Elon Musk In His Place With Perfectly Patronizing Reminder

Kelby Vera
Thu, July 25, 2024 


Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) just toasted Elon Musk with a few of his own words.

On Thursday, AOC subtly dissed the tech CEO while explaining why over half of the Democratic congressional caucus was absent from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address on Capitol Hill the day prior.

“Just so we’re clear, Netanyahu has lost so many people that he is addressing just a fraction of Congress,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in response to an X post from Axios reporter Andrew Solender, which tallied how many Democrats skipped the speech.

Musk, who was one of the non-legislators who was invited to attend Netanyahu’s speech on Wednesday, then found his way into AOC’s replies.

“The Democratic Party has become openly & boldly antisemitic,” he alleged.

The progressive lawmaker thought Musk’s accusation was rich, considering the billionaire’s well-documented history of bigoted remarks.

Clapping back, she posted a screenshot of a Wall Street Journal article about Musk defending an antisemitic social media post he once made, claiming Jewish people have a “dialectical hatred” of white people, as “the truth.”

“Hmm,” she wrote, along with a thinking face emoji. “Sometimes being quiet is free and good for you.”



The exchange was far from the first time Ocasio-Cortez has called Musk out for his hypocrisy.

Back in March, after the South African-born businessman baselessly accused Democrats of trying to “import voters,” she reminded him, “You’re literally an immigrant.”
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OPP officers ratify four-year deal to become highest paid cops in Ontario

Liam Casey and Allison Jones
Thu, July 25, 2024 at 2:28 p.m. MDT·3 min read




TORONTO — Ontario Provincial Police officers are now the highest paid in the province, their union says, after they ratified a four-year deal last week.

The contract covers 2023 to 2026 and the officers will see raises of 4.75 per cent retroactive to the first year of the deal, followed by an increase of 4.5 per cent in the second year and 2.75 per cent raises in each of the last two years of the deal.

By the end of the deal, a first-class constable will earn a salary of $123,194, said the Ontario Provincial Police Association, the union that represents about 10,000 officers and civilian employees.

"We're very happy with the deal," said John Cerasuolo, the association's president.

"We had fallen behind our provincial policing partners to 32nd in the province and it's become very, very competitive over the last few years in the policing profession to attract and retain people."

The force went to arbitration for its last contract in 2019 shortly before Premier Doug Ford's government passed a law, known as Bill 124, which capped wages for public sector workers. OPP officers were caught up in that new law, which did not apply to municipal workers.

That meant other police forces across the province were not subject to the wage cap.

Unions challenged Bill 124 in court in 2022, arguing it was unconstitutional.

First a lower court agreed, which was followed earlier this year by a ruling from the Court of Appeal that also found the law unconstitutional. Shortly after that decision, the province chose not to try to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada and instead decided to repeal the law entirely.

"Bill 124 came into play and we did not want to subject our members to a one per cent increase over the first three years of any contract, so our strategy was to wait it out," Cerasuolo said.

Once the Appeal Court found the law unconstitutional in February, the union went to management to begin negotiations.

The OPP said little about the deal.

"A new OPPA collective agreement for uniform and civilian members was ratified on July 18, 2024," said OPP spokesman Robert Simpson. "The agreement applies to the period of January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2026."

Over 75 per cent of union members participated in the ratification vote and, of those, 88 per cent voted in favour of the deal for uniformed officers, and 93 per cent voted in favour of the agreement that applied to civilian members.

The union also secured more mental health coverage for its members. The force had struggled with active and retired police officers dying by suicide. The force lost 10 current or former members in 2018 alone, which prompted a coroner's review.

Out of that review, the union and the OPP created an integrated mental health program for both active and retired members. But part-time contracted civilians were left out.

That has changed with the new deal, Cerasuolo, of the police union, said.

"That was one of the big pluses," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2024.

Liam Casey and Allison Jones, The Canadian Press

Deal that averted TTC strike will cost Toronto $176M

CBC
Sat, July 27, 2024 

A deal signed last month to avert a major transit strike will cost the city $176 million. It provides a 13% wage increase for over 13,000 TTC workers over 3 years. (Michael Wilson/CBC - image credit)


Securing a labour peace between the TTC and its largest union will cost Toronto $176 million over the next three years, and the chair of the transit commission is defending the deal.

The full contract terms of the eleventh-hour agreement struck on June 6 to avert a strike have now been disclosed by the TTC. The deal kept 12,000 frontline workers from walking off the job following weeks of tense talks between the transit agency and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, which threatened job action.

The deal sees workers receive a 13.04 per cent pay hike over the term: 4.79 per cent in 2024, 4.25 per cent in 2025 and four per cent in 2026.

TTC chair Jamaal Myers defended the expense to taxpayers and stressed a work stoppage would have cost Toronto's economy millions.

"I think it was a reasonable deal," Myers said. "I think it recognizes the work that (TTC workers) were doing and I think it made sure that the city kept moving. Because I think we all understood, if they were to go on strike, it would have been a disaster for everyone."

The deal will also increase late night premium pay and provides a number of benefit enhancements and increased clothing allowances. The wage increase for workers and other changes will have an immediate impact on the city's 2024 operating budget, increasing costs by over $45 million.

Union gets key job security provisions in agreement

The deal also makes clear promises on job security and contracting out. The city has agreed not to contract out, bus, streetcar, or subway operators for the life of the contract. The same goes for operators of new light-rail trains, which are expected to come online in the years ahead.

The contract also guarantees a set level of 422 Wheel-Trans operators over the life of the deal and promises not to reduce that number.

Coun. Stephen Holyday was the lone vote against ratifying the TTC/ATU contract deal at the agency's last board meeting. He isn't sure how the city will pay for the $176 million agreement.

Coun. Stephen Holyday was the lone vote against ratifying the TTC/ATU contract deal at the agency's last board meeting. He isn't sure how the city will pay for the $176 million agreement. (Alexis Raymond/CBC)

The agreement addresses a key concern of the union that TTC service could be hived off to other regional transit agencies, endangering workers' jobs. The agreement says the TTC will implement cross-boundary service integration on only four routes, but does not specify which ones. The TTC would then have the ability to reallocate that service across the system.

The deal will also see some cleaning services on streetcars that had been contracted out, returned to the ATU at a cost of $2.6 million. That will mean an increase of 42 jobs over the life of the agreement.

Both the ATU and TTC board have ratified the deal.

Deal could impact other negotiations with city unions: Holyday

Coun. Stephen Holyday is a member of the TTC board and was the only member of that group to vote against the new agreement.

Holyday said he isn't sure where the city will find the cash to pay for deal. A combination of fare hikes, service reductions or increased subsidies from property taxpayers could be needed to finance it, he added.

"It's not just the city that has to pay for it," Holyday said. "It is, of course, the citizens of the city."

Holyday said the deal could also influence how negotiations play out between the city and unions that represent its workers. Later this year, Toronto is set to bargain with both CUPE Local 79 and 416, unions that represent over 30,000 workers.

"This is a very large award, and conventional wisdom is that it will help inform other awards in the future," he said.

Last month, Mayor Olivia Chow said the city had factored in negotiation estimates when making this year's budget — as the city's finances are increasingly strained.

"Toronto has a fiscal problem," said Chow, pointing toward an annual deficit.

"But if you consider the economic loss of people not being able to get to work, people not being able to get to their doctor's appointments ... it'll be a huge, huge economic damage."

A spokesperson for Chow said Friday that the mayor is increasing transit service and addressing TTC state of good repair needs because of the upload of the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway to the province.

Arianne Robinson said the TTC deal was within the envelope of funds that was passed by the TTC board.

"As far as future collective bargaining process, Mayor Chow will always negotiate in good faith with the unions that represent city workers, and pursue fair deals that are fiscally responsible," she said.

ATU Local 113 represents about three quarters of all TTC employees, including many frontline roles such as operators, fare collectors, maintenance workers and stations staff. The union did not immediately provide comment on the details of the deal.

Paris Olympics: Canada’s soccer drone scandal highlights the need for ethics education

Lianne Foti, University of Guelph and Kathleen Rodenburg, University of Guelph
Fri, July 26, 2024 at 2:55 p.m. MDT·4 min read

The Canadian women’s soccer team has become the centre of controversy after reports from the 2024 Paris Olympics revealed the team used a drone to observe the New Zealand soccer team’s training sessions. That has led to New Zealand’s team lodging a formal complaint with the International Olympic Committee.

Canada’s Olympic committee has since apologized for the incident and removed the head coach of the women’s soccer team, Bev Priestman, from the Canadian Olympic team. Two other team staffers have also been sent home and one has received a suspended prison sentence.

This is not the first time in history that an incident like this has occurred. Further reports indicate this incident is part of a broader pattern, suggesting that Canada’s national soccer teams have a history of using drones and other spying techniques to observe opponents’ training sessions. Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue recently revealed that the men’s team also attempted to use drones to spy on other teams at the recent Copa América championship in the United States.

This practice highlights the urgent need for comprehensive ethical education and stricter regulations to prevent such breaches in sports.
Unethical behaviour in sport

The “win at all costs” mentality pervasive in sports competitions has driven several organizations to commit similar infractions.

In the 2019 “Spygate” scandal in English football, Leeds United’s then-manager Marcelo Bielsa admitted to sending a staff member to spy on Derby County’s training sessions.

During the 2007 Women’s World Cup in Wuhan, China, Denmark officials requested FIFA investigate after discovering men with cameras at a closed training session. Despite the Danish team’s complaints, FIFA chose not to take further action.

That same year, the New England Patriots’ “Spygate” scandal involved the organization videotaping the New York Jets defensive signals during a game, resulting in significant fines and the loss of draft picks.

Similarly, the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal from 2017-2018 involved the use of a camera system to record and steal signs from opposing teams, leading to heavy penalties and the firing of key personnel. Additionally, in 2018, Barcelona Football Club faced accusations of hiring a company to create fake social media accounts to criticize players and opponents.

These ethical breaches, driven by the intense pressure to succeed in professional sports, are just the tip of the iceberg. What sets the Canadian soccer scandal apart is that it occurred on the world stage, causing reputational damage, not only to women’s soccer and soccer overall, but also to the Canadian Olympic team.

This incident raises questions about Canada’s commitment to ethical standards in sports, potentially impacting the nation’s international reputation and trust in Canadian athletes.

These kinds of incidents can damage a country’s image and credibility. Recall the outrage when Russian figure skating judges rigged the results during the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Lack of ethical sensitivity

Unless foundational changes are made, these infractions will continue to persist.

What is often lacking in competitive sports is ethical sensitivity among its participants. This includes the inability to interpret a particular situation as an ethical issue and a lack of awareness of the possible actions and their effects on the concerned parties.

The prevailing approach to unethical behaviour in sports often involves investigating, fines and firing personnel. That is quickly followed by forgetting about the incident. However, this pattern of actions fails to address or rectify the underlying causes of unethical conduct in sports.

There are several reasons why sports infractions continue despite the significant consequences. Business management and psychology experts have explained how the ability to recognize and correctly evaluate ethical dilemmas is essential for making good ethical decisions.

They identify that the degree of moral intensity — how personally invested one feels — as well as organizational barriers and cultural norms, determines the likelihood of recognizing unethical behavior.
Comprehensive ethics education

Several factors in professional sport culture numb our moral intensity. In competitive sports, the pressure to succeed and the culture surrounding it can often cloud a person’s ethical judgment, leading to decisions that prioritize winning over ethical considerations. The drive to win overshadows the ethical implications of certain behaviours.

There are also cultural norms embedded in sport organizations that can make certain competitive behaviours seem acceptable, even if they border on unethical.

In addition athletes and coaches might believe their actions are unlikely to cause harm. That is particularly so if the immediate reward, such as winning a game, diminishes the perceived ethical implications. Additionally, in sports, the focus on team success can create a sense of distance from those who may be harmed by unethical actions.

There is a crucial need for comprehensive ethics education. This education should empower sports professionals to navigate ethical quandaries, enhance their decision-making skills and understand the incentives and organizational pressures that can impair their judgment.

With national pride, coaching careers and athletes’ futures on the line, it is crucial we truly embrace and teach the values that embody good sportsmanship.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organisation bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Lianne Foti, University of Guelph and Kathleen Rodenburg, University of Guelph

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Canada Olympics drone scandal, explained: Why women's national team coach is out in Paris

Jon Hoefling, USA TODAY
Updated Fri, July 26, 2024 


The Canadian Olympic Committee removed women's national soccer team coach Bev Priestman at the Paris Olympics on Thursday amid stunning allegations of using drone surveillance to spy on the opposition.

Two staff members — assistant Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi — were also sent home before Priestman was suspended by Canada Soccer for the tournament. It all marked a steep fallout after the Canadian website TSN reported Canada's men's and women's teams had used drones to spy on opponents for years.

Canada, the reigning gold medalist, beat New Zealand 2-1 on Thursday in its Olympic opener. Priestman, Mander and Lombardi did not coach in the game.

"The Canadian Olympic Committee has removed the Canadian Women's National Soccer Team Head Coach Bev Priestman from the Canadian Olympic Team due to her suspension by Canada Soccer," the COC statement said. "Assistant coach Andy Spence will lead the Women's National Soccer Team for the remainder of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games."

Here's what to know about the drone allegations:

USWNT: 2024 Paris Olympics - Women's soccer group stage action

USWNT: Team comes out swinging at Paris Olympics but leaves 'a lot of room for improvement'
Canada drone surveillance surfaces at the Olympics

According to TSN, Lombardi was caught by French police retrieving a drone that had been flying over the training facility for the New Zealand national team. French police investigated and found additional video of New Zealand's practices, as well as text messages between Lombardi and Mander indicating that Mander was aware of Lombardi's actions.
Canada Olympic drone timeline, investigations

It's unclear when the surveillance started. TSN reported it could trace back prior to a match against the United States on Nov. 15, 2019. The U.S. won the game, 4-1.

The spying has been consistent ever since, according to the report published Thursday, with instances in 2021, '22 and '23. That includes the buildup to the 2021 CONCACAF match between the men's team and Honduras, which stopped practice in Toronto after noticing a drone flying overhead, the report said.

"I’d imagine there’s probably a lot of people in Canada that fly drones," John Herdman, then the coach of Canada's men's national team, said at the time.

"When a big team like Honduras turn up, I’m sure people are probably interested in what they’re doing when they come into our country," Herdman continued. "So I know for sure we won’t be heading into people’s countries too early because with drones these days, people can obviously capture footage. You’ve got to be really careful."

Jesse Marsch, current coach for the men's national team, was not implicated in the reporting.
What Bev Priestman said about Canada drone scandal

It wasn't immediately clear how much Priestman knew about the scandal.

FIFA and Canada Soccer launched investigations into the spying allegations Wednesday. Canada Soccer intends to make its findings public.

"I am ultimately responsible for conduct in our program," Priestman said Thursday in a statement, announcing the decision to voluntarily withdraw from coaching against New Zealand, prior to the COC decision. "In the spirit of accountability, I do this with the interests of both teams in mind and to ensure everyone feels that the sportsmanship of this game is upheld."
When does Canada play next?

Canada's next game is scheduled for Sunday, July 28 against France. Canada and France are both 1-0 in Group A play.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Canada Olympics soccer scandal: Why Bev Priestman is out as coach

Canada’s men’s and women’s soccer teams have reportedly been using spying drones for years

Andrew Joseph
Thu, July 25, , 2024

Dec 5, 2023; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Overview of B.C. Place Stadium renamed "Christine Sinclair Place" for one night only, in honor of the Canada captain's final international outing. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports


The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris haven't even had an opening ceremony yet, and we're already dealing with a potential cheating scandal.

According to a report from New Zealand media, the New Zealand women's national soccer team caught Canada using a drone to spy on the squad's Monday practice session in Saint-Etienne -- the site of Thursday's Group A match between the two sides.

French police have been stationed at the various practice facilities to be on the look out for drones during team sessions and spotted the drone during the Football Ferns' session. With this Canada-New Zealand incident, a member of the Team Canada support staff was detained by police.


New Zealand made a formal complaint to the IOC integrity unit. And Canada didn't deny the accusation, blaming a "non-accredited" staffer for going rogue with the drone. The Canadian Olympic Committee also issued an apology in its statement.


Canada -- the No. 8 ranked team by FIFA -- would have been considered heavy favorites against 28th-ranked New Zealand. But we'll have to see what sanctions -- if any -- are taken against Canada as group play opens.

Update: The Canada Olympic Committee reviewed the incident and uncovered that another drone was used to spy on New Zealand's July 19 practice session.

Team Canada sent home two staff members, and Canada women's soccer head coach Bev Priestman will sit out Thursday's match. She issued a statement:


“On behalf of our entire team, I first and foremost want to apologize to the players and staff at New Zealand Football and to the players on Team Canada. This does not represent the values that our team stands for,” Priestman said. “I am ultimately responsible for conduct in our program. Accordingly, to emphasize our team’s commitment to integrity, I have decided to voluntarily withdraw from coaching the match on Thursday. In the spirit of accountability, I do this with the interests of both teams in mind and to ensure everyone feels that the sportsmanship of this game is upheld.”

Update: According to a new report from TSN's Rick Westhead, Canada's men's and women's soccer teams have been using drones to spy on opposing programs for years, including during the women's gold medal run at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.