Negotiations are set to resume in B.C. port work stoppage

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 says they have been called back to the table


Author of the article:
The Canadian Press
Chuck Chiang
Published Nov 07, 2024 • 

Workers pose for a photo while picketing at Neptune Terminal during an International Longshore and Warehouse Union labour dispute in North Vancouver, on Tuesday. Canadian retailers say their frustration is growing with what they describe as a lack of urgency to resolve disruptions at Canada's two largest ports. Photo by ETHAN CAIRNS /THE CANADIAN PRESS

Talks are set to resume between the union representing more than 700 locked-out British Columbia port supervisors and their employers.

A representative for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 said they have been called back to the table with the B.C. Maritime Employers Association and federal mediators on Saturday, and that Sunday and Monday have been set aside for talks to continue.

The employers association confirmed in a statement that a meeting was set for Saturday and added that its “final offer” has been on the table for more than a week, representing a “fair and balanced proposal for employees.”

Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon had earlier Thursday criticized a lack of progress in talks to end the dispute, as well as a dockworkers strike at the Port of Montreal, saying there had been a “concerning lack of urgency.”

In a statement on X before the talks being announced, MacKinnon said he was “closely monitoring” bargaining in the disputes in B.C. and Montreal, which he described as “progressing at an insufficient pace.”

“Public services, such as ports, exist to serve the needs of Canadians,” MacKinnon’s statement said. “It is with this in mind that the federal government supports these negotiations. The parties must reach an agreement quickly.”

B.C.’s port lockout spilled into its fifth day on Friday, while Port of Montreal dockworkers have been on strike at two container terminals since Oct. 31.

The fresh talks in B.C. come after the union said it had filed a complaint against the employers, accusing them of “bargaining in bad faith, making threats, intimidation, coercion and interference with the administration of a union.”

Frank Morena, president of International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514, said in a statement that they filed the complaint with the Canada Industrial Relations Board, accusing the employers association of favouring confrontation rather than negotiation as an end to the dispute.

“Once again, the BCMEA is doing everything it can to push the federal government into intervening instead of doing its job to bargain a new contract — it’s offensive and we expect our complaints to be upheld,” Morena said.

The employers association said in its statement that it will be denying any wrongdoing, calling the complaint “meritless.”

“The BCMEA remains committed to negotiating a fair and equitable agreement that recognizes the efforts and skills of the waterfront workforce and restores supply chain operations as quickly as possible,” the statement said.

Canadian retailers expressed their frustrations through their industry association, saying the sector was increasingly concerned with the lack of movement in the disruptions at Canada’s two largest ports.

Matt Poirier, vice-president of federal government relations with the Retail Council of Canada, said Thursday there “doesn’t seem to be any urgency” in resolving the disputes in B.C. and Quebec and it may result in empty shelves as the holiday season approaches.

“Manufacturing, agriculture and retailers like our sector that rely on these services don’t have a say in the matter,” Poirier said. “We’re not seated at the table, yet we’re the ones that are bearing all the costs and the punishment of these delays.”

Poirier described the situation as a “triple-threat” of labour disruptions, referencing the port stoppages and uncertainty at Canada Post.

He said retailers could face a “staggering” effect in the holiday season “where every delivery counts,” with four days of port disruptions potentially equating to about a month in delays due to ripples in the supply chain.

“We just want it to happen, and it frankly should have happened a lot sooner than it has,” Poirier said of settlements in the disputes.
Before the talks were announced, a retired University of British Columbia professor and labour expert, Mark Thompson, said it appeared the employers are “playing hardball” by making what they call a final offer to the union.

“They’ve said that the offer that they’ve put on the table is their last offer,” Thompson said. “Maybe they mean that. I’ve always wondered if it’s the last offer and it’s not accepted, what happens next? They may be hoping that the government will intervene in some way, but that’s very hard to do.”

The right to strike in a labour conflict is protected in the Canadian Constitution, Thompson noted, making federal intervention difficult.

Concerning Absence of Urgency” as Canadian Port Strikes Get Nasty

Montreal strikes are back on the picket line after their 2021 strike ended in arbitration (Syndicat des débardeurs - SCFP section locale 375 photo)

Published Nov 8, 2024 3:06 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

Strikes are continuing on each of Canada’s coasts shutting down many of the busiest ports in the country. As the actions are dragging on, the unions and employers are trading barbs while government officials and businesses express frustrations.

Canada’s Minister of Labour and Seniors Steven MacKinnon summed up the growing sentiment in Canada writing on social media, “Both sets of talks are progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved… The parties must reach an agreement quickly.”

MacKinnon reports he is monitoring the situation while saying the “federal government supports these negotiations.” However, frustration is growing in the business communities, with the Retail Council of Canada reiterating that there “doesn’t seem to be any urgency” in resolving the labor disputes across British Columbia and Quebec. Businesses continue to call for the federal government to intervene with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business opening questioning “How long can the government let the whole situation last?”

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) of which the striking Montreal group is a local however is cautioning the federal government to let the issues be resolved. They noted that the federal government intervene in the 2021 strike imposing arbitration. The union contends the issues in the current strike were all left unresolved due to the intervention.

Labor experts however are saying it appears the employers are “playing hardball” on both coasts. On the West Coast, the B.C. Maritime Employers Association has been saying for nearly two weeks it has made its last, best offer. They assert it provides a 19 percent pay increase for median pay, 16 percent improvement in pension entitlements, and provides for a large lump sum payment and “does not require any concessions from the union.”

BCMEA locked out approximately 700 foremen starting with the Monday afternoon shift in a dispute over the contract that expired at the end of 2023. All week both sides remained dug in with no talks scheduled while Vancouver, Canada’s largest port, and Prince Rupert, Canada’s third largest port, were both mostly at a standstill.

Both sides have been ordered back to the negotiations on Saturday afternoon with the union saying it has reserved time on Sunday and Monday for further talks if needed. The talks will be run by a federal mediator. The issues relate primarily to the use of automation and its impact on employees and the work-life schedule.

The local representing the foremen however also filed an unfair labor practice complaint with Canada’s Industrial Relations Board. They assert the employers have threatened to pull terms from the expired contract and are doing everything possible to force the federal government to intervene. BCMEA responded denying any wrongdoing and calling the complaint “meritless.”

The dispute in Montreal is also growing more contentious. About 320 longshore workers have been on strike at two of the largest container terminals which account for 40 percent of the port’s volume. They went on strike on October 31.

The East Coast Marime Employers Association on November 7 submitted what it is calling its “final, comprehensive offer” to the Longshoremen’s Union local. They said it provides a 20 percent pay increase over six years, starting with three percent in the first four years as well as improvements in pension plan and benefits.

The MEA however set a deadline for acceptance of Sunday evening, November 10, saying it would otherwise lock out the union across the port. “Only essential services and activities to longshoring will continue.”

CUPE says it is reviewing the proposal for the Montreal longshoremen. In the mean time, disruptions are spreading across Canada as businesses complain of problems and concerns over supplies. 

Vessels Pile Up as Foreman Lockout Continues at Canada’s West Coast Ports

Vessels are waiting as Vancouver and Canada's West Coast ports remain closed due to a union contract dispute (file photo)

Published Nov 7, 2024 2:45 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

The strike/lockout of the foreman for the dockworkers union in Canada is continuing with reports that there are no new talks between the two sides. As it enters its third day, vessels have begun to pile up at Vancouver while business associations are increasingly calling for the federal government to intervene.

The BC Maritime Employers Association told The Canada Press that there has been no engagement with the local representing the foremen or federal mediators since the lockout began Monday afternoon. The employers continue to blame the local for calling a strike while saying the offer they presented is the same as what the longshore union accepted in July 2023. They also added provisions to address the foremen’s issues while saying it does not require any concessions of the union nor to waive the technological change notice provisions.

The association representing the employers has repeatedly called this its “final offer” in the contract negotiations that date back to March 2023. They however said without qualifying that the employers may be “required to reassess” their position on the current offer.

The strike is impacting all the container terminals including in Vancouver which accounts for 40 percent of the cargo movement in Canada. General cargo and some bulk are impacted but not grain or cruise ships.

Carriers appear to be taking a wait-and-see approach so far while the terminals remain closed. Containers ships, including CMA CGM Orfeo, HMM Peridot, MOL Premium, YM Plum, and Ever Steady, all are waiting outside Vancouver Island. Reports said two more were due to arrive during the day on Thursday.  Several car carriers are also waiting off the terminal while in the Out Vancouver Harbor and elsewhere more than two dozen bulkers have piled up. 

“The shutdown of West Coast ports endangers approximately C$800 million (US$577 million) in daily trade in goods. This represents around 25 percent of Canada’s daily merchandise trade and will affect businesses, workers, and consumers across the country,” wrote the Business Council of British Columbia. They acknowledged the complexities of labor negotiations while emphasizing the importance of an agreement and saying “However, those negotiations having failed, we now call upon the federal government to intervene to reach a swift settlement.”

Similarly, the BC Chamber of Commerce issued a statement saying it was “disappointed” by the inability of the two to negotiate a new contract. Like the Business Council, the Chamber is saying the federal government should be involved so that both sides can work diligently to find a resolution quickly.

“Our port infrastructure is too critical to the health and success of businesses and workers to have this dispute continue one moment longer. It will only serve to inflict further harm to our provincial and national economies and our international reputation as a reliable trading partner,” writes Fiona Famulak, President and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce.

Businesses note that the pressures are greater in this year’s strike because of the time of year. In July 2023, the longshore union was on strike for 13 days closing down the West Coast ports.

The government has convened an Industrial Inquiry Commission to explore the labor disputes at Canada’s West Coast ports. It is due to release its recommendations in the Spring of 2025.

Canada Post unionized workers rally as strike threat looms

Workers won’t ‘shy away’ from strike, union says

Ben Andrews · CBC News · Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Postal workers rallied in downtown Ottawa as labour talks at Canada Post worsen amid abysmal revenues and competitors who cut costs with gig labour.

Social Sharing

Facebook

Canada Post workers rallied at several locations across the country Thursday, as the threat of a strike between the Crown corporation and its unionized employees looms.

"There are a lot of worries on postal workers' minds right now, from the present moment into the future," said Wesley Bartlett, a letter carrier who attended the rally in Ottawa.

Bartlett, who has worked with Canada Post for about six years, said job security is something postal workers are "going to have to fight for."

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and Canada Post have been in contract talks for nearly a year. Those talks continue. Last month, workers voted overwhelmingly in support of a strike if a deal could not be reached at the bargaining table.

Numbers reported by the union show 95.8 per cent of urban workers and 95.5 per cent of rural workers voted to back the strike mandate.

So far, neither Canada Post nor the union has provided the minimum 72 hours' notice of their intent to start a labour dispute.

• Canada Post says strike threat is already affecting revenue

• Canada Post presents latest offer in union negotiations after last week's strike mandate

But earlier this week the union said in a written statement it "won't shy away from taking the next step" if no progress is made during negotiations.

At the rally in Ottawa on Thursday, CUPW national president Jan Simpson reiterated that position, adding the rally was intended to signify the union's desire to negotiate a contract without going to arbitration.

Wesley Bartlett, a Canada Post mail carrier, said he attended the rally in Ottawa out of solidarity with his co-workers. (Nick Persaud/CBC News)

'Fair wages, safe working conditions'

In a news release announcing the rallies, CUPW said it has been bargaining with Canada Post for "fair wages, safe working conditions, the right for all workers to retire with dignity and the expansion of public postal services for all communities.

"Throughout this process, Canada Post has not dropped its proposed rollbacks and is asking for many of our major issues to be resolved through arbitration," the news release read.

Jan Simpson, national president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, says she would like to see Canada Post expand its services to increase revenues. (Nick Persaud/CBC News)

In an email Thursday, Canada Post stressed what appears to be a key sticking point in the negotiations: a desire to move toward seven-day-a-week parcel delivery.

"This new delivery model is essential for the future of the company, and critical to our ability to afford the offer we've put forward for current employees," the statement read, adding the company is also seeking more competitive pricing.

"We've offered wage increases and additional paid leave, while protecting their defined benefit pension and stringent job security provisions."

The mere threat of a strike has been enough to rapidly erode Canada Post's revenue, the Crown corporation said Monday. Customers are switching delivery services out of concern that a service disruption may prevent holiday packages from arriving, it added.

Canada Post pointed to its deteriorating financial position as a key reason why the company must revisit proposals to the union.

• Canada Post lost $748 million last year, warns of 'critical' financial situation

The Crown corporation has lost $3 billion since 2018, including $490 million in the first six months of 2024.

It has also spent big on infrastructure investments in recent years, including the building of a new Toronto processing plant and the greening of its delivery fleet.

Core business 'dissolving,' prof says

At the same time, Canada Post's core products are "literally dissolving underneath [its] feet," said Ian Lee, a business professor at Carleton University.

Lee, who has published extensively on Canada Post, said there isn't enough business to support the current workforce of mail carriers.

"The revenues are declining year after year after year," he said. "Their situation is very, very grim. But it's getting worse and worse."

Ian Lee, a business professor at Carleton University, says Canada Post's core business is 'dissolving.' (Alexander Behne/CBC)

In its most recent annual report, Canada Post said it will fall below its required operating and reserve cash requirements by early 2025 if it does not add additional borrowing and refinancing.

As for parcel delivery, Lee said private industry offers the service for much less, further diminishing Canada Post's share of that market.

Bartlett said he extends his "full solidarity" to the gig workers he encounters each day he's out on his own route — especially those who are doing the job without the protections of a union. But he believes he has a responsibility as a member of an organized labour force to "get these unorganized, organized."

"These people are out there working without job protections for very low wages, and a lot of these private companies are offloading a lot of these costs … onto the workers' back," he said.

Lee argued Canada Post should instead downsize and pivot to focusing on so-called "last mile delivery," a service which the private market does not adequately fulfil.

Such a service would see Canada Post complete the final leg of a parcel's journey, including to far-flung addresses where private services won't ship.

Simpson said the union would rather see Canada Post go the other direction — instead expanding its operations to bring in more revenues by introducing services such as postal banking and senior check-ins.

"We want to expand services at Canada Post to help them to bring in money," she said.

Cornwall, Ont. prepares for potential influx of asylum seekers following U.S. election

Tyler Fleming
CTV News Ottawa Multi-Skilled Journalist
Published Nov. 9, 2024 

As the possibility of mass deportations looms following Donald Trump's re-election on Tuesday, border towns like the City of Cornwall are preparing for a potential influx of asylum seekers.

"The initial response is panic," says Steve Densley, a local resident.

"This is a good thing and immigration is what Canada is known for. We'll have more people that are coming and they will work. They will get jobs, and they'll commit to society like it's always been."

The RCMP are on 'high alert'(opens in a new tab) as many fear an increase in migrants seeking refuge in Canada, particularly in Quebec, and other border towns.

"We're probably going to have more officers on the ground, more roving patrols," says Sgt. Charles Poirier of the RCMP.

"And depending on the scale of it all we might have to rent a space, buy some buildings like we did in the past, buy some more police cruisers, charge some buses like we've done in the past."

Cornwall Mayor Justin Towndale anticipates an increase in asylum seekers in the coming months before Trump takes office in January and is urging the federal government for more funding to handle the expected surge.

Earlier this year, the federal government ended funding for temporary refugee housing at the Dev Centre in the city, where 500 migrants, including children, were forced to find new accommodation.

"We're happy to do it again, we're ready to do it again and we have enough experience to do it again, but I would once again reiterate my calls to the federal government to help us out in that regard. We're still looking for assistance with the cost that we incurred at an administrative level," said Towndale.

"We're just asking for our fair share and the federal government has been very, very, very generous to cities like Toronto and Ottawa and much, much larger municipalities."

Martha Woods, executive director with the Eastern Ontario Training Board, which offers employment services to newcomers, says local groups such as theirs are ready to provide all the necessary services.

"From housing, to schooling, to legal aid, clothing to household items, there's a lot that goes into it," said Woods.

"It has happened before so if it happens again, we're definitely ready for it. It will be a conversation around the table at our next local immigration partnership meeting in terms of if we do see that influx we will be ready with boots on the ground again."

On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the revival of a special cabinet committee(opens in a new tab) dedicated to Canada-U.S. relations focusing on "critical" issues between the two countries. Among the cabinet ministers sitting on the committee is Immigration Minister Marc Miller.

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said he was briefed on contingency plans drawn up by the RCMP and the CBSA but declined to go into specifics.

With files from CTV National News

A border crossing in Cornwall, Ont. on Nov. 8, 2024. (Tyler Fleming/CTV Ottawa)

US, Canada Tougher Border Rules Leave Little Choice for Migrants

Millions of undocumented migrants facing prospects of mass deportation under US President-Elect Donald Trump are unlikely to find refuge in the country’s northern neighbor this time around.


Bloomberg News
Randy Thanthong-Knight
Published Nov 08, 2024 • 
5zmimnot)7(pieajr749xo{1_media_dl_1.png Immigration and Refugee Board of
Article content

(Bloomberg) — Millions of undocumented migrants facing prospects of mass deportation under US President-Elect Donald Trump are unlikely to find refuge in the country’s northern neighbor this time around.

During Trump’s first White House term, his 2017 travel ban on Muslim-majority countries, suspension of refugee intakes and uncertainty around the protected status of Haitians sent the number of migrants crossing into Canada soaring. And Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared to greet them with open arms, posting on social media: “To those fleeing persecution, terror and war, Canadians will welcome you.”

But since then, post-pandemic influxes of asylum seekers that overwhelmed shelter systems across Canada led to the closing of a loophole that allowed refugee claims at irregular entry points such as a rural road north of Plattsburgh, New York. Meanwhile, rapid surges of foreign students and workers have soured Canadian support for mass immigration, forcing Trudeau to drastically restrict inflows and halt the country’s population growth.

Canada’s policy turnaround is a departure from its previous embrace of newcomers and brings its stance on curbing migration closer to that of the US and many of its peer European countries. It also suggests a repeat of large-scale irregular crossings seen in recent years is now doubtful, even though the US and Canada share the world’s longest undefended border.

“This sense of panic, the sense that they’re better off in Canada and that they go through whatever they have to go through to cross the border — it’s less likely than it was before because there are just so many obstacles that are now in the way,” said Pia Zambelli, chairwoman of the refugee committee at the Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association.

In closing the loophole last year, the US and Canada have effectively sealed their borders, substantially cutting down irregular crossings. Under the current rules, asylum seekers entering Canada from the US risk being turned back at the border, which raises their probability of being detained and deported from the US if they’re undocumented.

Some refugees have instead turned to smugglers to help them cross the border and go into hiding for 14 days, a period after which they could file asylum claims in Canada. But the journey can be perilous, involves crossing bodies of water or forests and sometimes in cold and harsh weather. Eight migrants drowned in the St. Lawrence River trying to reach the US last year and an Indian family of four froze to death in Manitoba in 2022, examples of how dangerous the voyage can be.

Advocates for refugee rights have been pushing for Canada to rescind the so-called Safe Third Country Agreement with the US to allow migrants to seek asylum in Canada without the risk of being denied entry.

“This agreement is built on the premise that the US is a safe place to return asylum seekers to and that their actions won’t place Canada in breach of its international legal obligation,” said Julia Sande, a lawyer for Amnesty International Canada. “Canada also has a duty to monitor the situation. We would say that as of today, that’s not the case.”

Trump’s threat to deport undocumented migrants has alarmed many economists and businesses. The impact would likely land hardest in industries like construction, leisure and hospitality – and states including Texas, Florida and California – where migrants make up the biggest share of the labor force.

Many doubt that deportations of migrants are feasible on the scale Trump has proposed. He’s floated using the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement or even the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 — last used to justify World War II-era internment of non-citizens — to carry out the plan, which would likely face court challenges.

Still, some Canadian officials have raised concern in recent days over the possibility of an increase in refugees after Trump won his second presidential term. Politicians from Quebec, which previously saw the influx from the Roxham Road crossing north of New York, have been most vocal.

“The kind of panic and fearmongering that we’re seeing from politicians — there’s no need to raise that kind of alarm,” said Gauri Sreenivasan, co-executive director at the Canadian Council for Refugees. “If we do see an increase, which would not surprise us, it’s not going to come overnight.”

Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Wednesday that Trudeau’s government will ensure that Canada has a “controlled flow” of migrants into the country. “Our interests are aligned with the US in making sure that we have a northern border that is secure.”

Canada’s national police force has “worked through various scenarios in the event of a sudden increase in irregular migration between official ports of entry at the Canada-US border,” the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in an email statement. The surges in recent years “provided us with the tools and insight necessary to address similar types of occurrences.”

NASA astronauts won't say which one of them got sick after almost 8 months in space

By MARCIA DUNN,AP Aerospace Writer

Updated Nov 9, 2024 

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Three NASA astronauts whose prolonged space station mission ended with a trip to the hospital last month declined to say Friday which one of them was sick.

Astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps publicly discussed their spaceflight for the first time since returning from the International Space Station on Oct. 25. They spent nearly eight months in orbit, longer than expected because of all the trouble with Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule and rough weather, including Hurricane Milton.
Soon after their SpaceX capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast, the three were taken to a hospital in nearby Pensacola along with Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, who launched with them back in March.

One of the Americans ended up spending the night there for an undisclosed “medical issue.” NASA declined to say who was hospitalized or why, citing medical privacy.

When asked at Friday’s news conference which one had been sick, the astronauts refused to comment. Barratt, a doctor who specializes in space medicine, declined to even describe the symptoms that the unidentified astronaut had.

“Spaceflight is still something we don’t fully understand. We’re finding things that we don’t expect sometimes. This was one of those times and we’re still piecing things together on this," said Barratt, the only member of the crew who had flown in space before.

Epps said everyone is different in how they respond to space -- and gravity.

“That’s the part that you can’t predict," she said, adding, "Every day is better than the day before.”

Dominick said little things like sitting comfortably in a hard chair took several days to get used to once he returned. He said he didn’t use the treadmill at all during his time in space, as part of an experiment to see what equipment might be pared on a long trip to Mars. The first time he walked was when he got out of the capsule.

The two astronauts who served as test pilots for Boeing's Starliner — Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams — will remain at the space station until February, flying back with SpaceX. Starliner returned empty in September.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

New research shows most space rocks crashing into Earth come from a single source

The Conversation
November 8, 2024 

Meteor Shower (Makarov Konstantin/Shutterstock)

The sight of a fireball streaking across the sky brings wonder and excitement to children and adults alike. It’s a reminder that Earth is part of a much larger and incredibly dynamic system.

Each year, roughly 17,000 of these fireballs not only enter Earth’s atmosphere, but survive the perilous journey to the surface. This gives scientists a valuable chance to study these rocky visitors from outer space.

Scientists know that while some of these meteorites come from the Moon and Mars, the majority come from asteroids. But two separate studies published in Nature today have gone a step further. The research was led by Miroslav Brož from Charles University in the Czech Republic, and Michaël Marsset from the European Southern Observatory in Chile.

The papers trace the origin of most meteorites to just a handful of asteroid breakup events – and possibly even individual asteroids. In turn, they build our understanding of the events that shaped the history of the Earth – and the entire solar system.
What is a meteorite?

Only when a fireball reaches Earth’s surface is it called a meteorite. They are commonly designated as three types: stony meteorites, iron meteorites, and stony-iron meteorites.

Stony meteorites come in two types.

The most common are the chondrites, which have round objects inside that appear to have formed as melt droplets. These comprise 85% of all meteorites found on Earth.

Most are known as “ordinary chondrites”. They are then divided into three broad classes – H, L and LL – based on the iron content of the meteorites and the distribution of iron and magnesium in the major minerals olivine and pyroxene. These silicate minerals are the mineral building blocks of our Solar System and are common on Earth, being present in basalt.


“Carbonaceous chondrites” are a distinct group. They contain high amounts of water in clay minerals, and organic materials such as amino acids. Chondrites have never been melted and are direct samples of the dust that originally formed the solar system.

The less common of the two types of stony meteorites are the so-called “achondrites”. These do not have the distinctive round particles of chondrites, because they experienced melting on planetary bodies.


An iron-nickel meteorite found near Fort Stockton, Texas, in 1952. 

JPL/Smithsonian Institution

The asteroid belt

Asteroids are the primary sources of meteorites.

Most asteroids reside in a dense belt between Mars and Jupiter. The asteroid belt itself consists of millions of asteroids swept around and marshalled by the gravitational force of Jupiter.

The interactions with Jupiter can perturb asteroid orbits and cause collisions. This results in debris, which can aggregate into rubble pile asteroids. These then take on lives of their own.

It is asteroids of this type which the recent Hayabusa and Osiris-REx missions visited and returned samples from. These missions established the connection between distinct asteroid types and the meteorites that fall to Earth.


S-class asteroids (akin to stony meteorites) are found on the inner regions of the belt, while C-class carbonaceous asteroids (akin to carbonaceous chondrites) are more commonly found in the outer regions of the belt.

But, as the two Nature studies show, we can relate a specific meteorite type to its specific source asteroid in the main belt.


Artist’s graphic of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. NASA/McREL
One family of asteroids

The two new studies place the sources of ordinary chondrite types into specific asteroid families – and most likely specific asteroids. This work requires painstaking back-tracking of meteoroid trajectories, observations of individual asteroids, and detailed modelling of the orbital evolution of parent bodies.

The study led by Miroslav Brož reports that ordinary chondrites originate from collisions between asteroids larger than 30 kilometres in diameter that occurred less than 30 million years ago.

The Koronis and Massalia asteroid families provide appropriate body sizes and are in a position that leads to material falling to Earth, based on detailed computer modelling. Of these families, asteroids Koronis and Karin are likely the dominant sources of H chondrites. Massalia (L) and Flora (LL) families are by far the main sources of L- and LL-like meteorites.

The study led by Michaël Marsset further documents the origin of L chondrite meteorites from Massalia.

It compiled spectroscopic data – that is, characteristic light intensities which can be fingerprints of different molecules – of asteroids in the belt between Mars and Jupiter. This showed that the composition of L chondrite meteorites on Earth is very similar to that of the Massalia family of asteroids.

The scientists then used computer modeling to show an asteroid collision that occurred roughly 470 million years ago formed the Massalia family. Serendipitously, this collision also resulted in abundant fossil meteorites in Ordovician limestones in Sweden.

In determining the source asteroid body, these reports provide the foundations for missions to visit the asteroids responsible for the most common outerspace visitors to Earth. In understanding these source asteroids, we can view the events that shaped our planetary system.

Trevor Ireland, Professor, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

4 years after the giant Arecibo Observatory collapsed, we finally know what happened

By Conor Feehly 

SPACE.COM

A Zinc decay was to blame for cable failures at the Arecibo Observatory, which held the title of "world's largest radio telescope.

Image credit: Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images

What does the discovery of a binary pulsar in 1974, the discovery of the first exoplanets, and the most powerful message humans have ever sent out into space all have in common? They all happened at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.


With a spherical reflector dish that was 305 meters (roughly 1000 feet) in diameter, Arecibo held the title of world's largest radio telescope for over half a century — from its construction in 1963 until 2016. To the dismay of astronomers around the world, in 2020, Arecibo's reflector dish collapsed when support cables gave way, leading to the eventual decommissioning of one of science's most fruitful instruments.

Not long after the decommissioning, the National Science Foundation and the University of Central Florida began an investigation into the primary causes of the collapse — and after nearly four years of investigation, the Committee tasked with finding an explanation have finally released an official report detailing its findings.

In the report, the Committee writes:
You may likeThe Arecibo Observatory radio telescope in Puerto Rico has collapsed
Terrifying footage shows collapse of Arecibo Observatory's massive radio telescope

"After analyzing the data and the extensive and detailed forensic investigations commissioned by the University of Central Florida and the National Science Foundation (NSF), the committee consensus is that the root cause of the Arecibo Telescope's collapse was unprecedented and accelerated long-term zinc creep induced failure of the telescope's cable spelter sockets."

The reports details how structural failure of the telescope likely began in 2017 when Hurricane Maria hit the Observatory which "subjected the Arecibo Telescope to winds between 105 and 118 mph … the winds of Hurricane Maria subjected the Arecibo Telescope's cables to the highest structural stress they had ever endured since it opened in 1963."

According to the report, inspections were conducted after the hurricane, but no significant damage was deemed to have jeopardized the telescope's structural integrity. Still, repairs were still ordered — yet these repairs were delayed for years. And, as the investigation states, they were targeted "toward components and replacement of a main cable that ultimately never failed," which suggests the repairs would not have prevented the eventual collapse of the Observatory's reflector dish even if they weren't delayed.

Eventually, in August and September of 2020, an auxiliary and main cable failed, leading the NSF to announce the decommissioning of the telescope through a controlled demolition. More support cables gave way on Dec. 1, 2020, causing the instrument platform to collapse into the dish itself. Thankfully, no one was injured by the cable failures.

The report continued to detail how hidden outer wire failures triggered the collapse, which had fractured due to shear stress from zinc creep (or zinc decay) in the telescope's cable spelter sockets. Unfortunately, this issue was not identified during the post-Maria inspection, which meant engineers hadn't considered the degradation of these mechanisms as a source of a potential future collapse.

Despite Arecibo's discovery days being over, the observatory will be remade into a education center known as Arecibo C3. Hopefully, the decommissioned observatory can inspire the next generation of astronomers to make discoveries as impactful as those made at Arecibo during its days peering out into the universe.

New report outlines impact a large earthquake could have on Vancouver


DAMAGE AND EARTHQUAKE COULD DO TO VANCOUVER.



A new report from the City of Vancouver and Natural Resources Canada has outlined how a 7.2-magnitude earthquake could impact Vancouver. It highlights six neighborhoods that are in high-risk areas.

By Joe Sadowski

Posted November 7, 2024 10:39 pm.

 

Last Updated November 8, 2024 10:09 am.

A new report from the City of Vancouver and Natural Resources Canada has outlined how a 7.2-magnitude earthquake could impact Vancouver, and it highlights six neighborhoods in high-risk areas.

In the report, Vancouver’s West End, Yaletown, the Downtown Eastside, Kitsilano, Fairview, and Mount Pleasant have the highest risk of damage from a large earthquake.

The report also stated that if a large earthquake centred at the Strait of Georgia were to occur, there would be over 1,300 casualties and over 6,000 privately owned buildings that would be damaged in Vancouver.

The co-author of the report says the economic impact on the city could be more than $17 billion, with a $30 billion loss provincewide.

“If we don’t fix these buildings, then when an earthquake happens, people are going to be out of those houses, those homes, and those buildings,” said Dr. Tiegan Hobbs, a seismic risk scientist with Natural Resources Canada.

“Everybody will be out all at once while we have to rebuild everything, as opposed to these programs where we might have to move people out to fix a building but we can do it in stages and work towards it slowly for many years or even decades.”

Related:

• The Big One: How a megathrust earthquake could hit the Pacific Northwest
• Early morning earthquake rattles the Lower Mainland

Hobbs said in the report that three problematic building types should take priority with the retrofitting process: older concrete highrises in the West End and downtown, and older brick and wood residential buildings.

While this retrofitting process is still in the works, Vancouver City Coun. Pete Fry says it will be important to secure funding from the provincial and federal governments as they map out a seismic risk-reduction strategy in the future.

“On receipt of the report, the next step would be to come up with a plan for how we can approach these risks in a sensible and measured way, recognizing that we already do have a crisis with housing and affordability. This is not an inexpensive undertaking, and if we want to replace these high-risk seismic buildings, it is going to cost a lot of money, and it’s going to take some time,” Fry said.

“It’s a complicated undertaking, and I hope that this also informs conversations not just here in the city of Vancouver but with the region, the province, and of course the federal government, because it is going to need an ‘all hands on deck’ approach, especially when it comes to private property.”

Hobbs says that while the numbers the report has outlined are “doom and gloom,” the odds of a large earthquake hitting the city within the next 50 years is around 5 per cent.

This report will be brought to Vancouver City Council in their next meeting on Tuesday.

 

Federal government faces potential loss if Trans Mountain pipeline sold: budget watchdog

PBO says pipeline could be worth between $29.6B and $33.4B

The Canadian Press · Posted: Nov 08, 2024 8:30 AM MST | Last Updated: November 8

Crude oil tankers SFL Sabine, front left, and Tarbet Spirit are seen docked at the Trans Mountain Westridge Marine Terminal, where crude oil from the expanded Trans Mountain Pipeline is loaded onto tankers, near a residential area in Burnaby, B.C., on June 10. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

Social Sharing

• Facebook
• X
• Email
• Reddit
• LinkedIn

The federal government faces a potential loss on the sale of the Trans Mountain pipeline as it estimates it's worth less than it cost to build, the Parliamentary Budget Office said Friday.

The pipeline could be worth between $29.6 billion and $33.4 billion, depending on what happens after the initial 20-year contracts expire, the budget watchdog said in an updated financial assessment of the controversial project.

Meanwhile, the cost to build the pipeline, which went into service in May, came in at $34.2 billion, dramatically higher than the $7.4 billion estimate in 2017.

The PBO's valuation estimate doesn't factor in sunk costs, such as the $4.5 billion the federal government paid to buy the project in 2018, or capital spending before 2024.

Whether the government makes a profit or takes a loss depends on what someone is willing to pay for it, the PBO said in its report, noting the numerous variables at play.

The potential sale will be influenced by the number of potential buyers, their cost in raising capital, when and how it will be sold, the market conditions at the time and whether it will be an arm's-length transaction, the PBO said.

Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux waits to appear before the standing committee on national security, defence and veterans affairs in Ottawa on June 3. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)

But it said if sold at the PBO's estimated value, it faces a loss.

Government-owned Trans Mountain Corp. had assets of $35.2 billion, liabilities of $26.9 billion and shareholder equity of $8.3 billion, as of Dec. 31, 2023.

"If the Trans Mountain Pipeline system was sold in 2024 at either of the (present values) calculated by PBO, after the outstanding liabilities are repaid, the remaining amount would be less than the shareholder's equity. TMC would have to write off the balance of the equity and record a loss."

For its valuation estimates, the PBO said the higher valuation would be if the current contracts are renewed after two decades, while the lower range would be if the pipeline reverts to a cost-of-service scenario.

The PBO notes that scenarios outlined by the Canada Energy Regulator show there could be considerable spare capacity in the pipeline by the early 2040s, depending on what climate action is taken in the meantime.

The Trans Mountain pipeline carries crude oil from Alberta to the B.C. coast. Its expansion tripled the capacity of the existing pipeline, adding an additional 590,000 barrels per day of shipping capability, bring the pipeline's total capacity to 890,000 barrels per day.

• 'Take your time': Trans Mountain CEO says Ottawa shouldn't rush to sell pipeline

• Six months on, what has the Trans Mountain pipeline project achieved and what's next?

The Trans Mountain expansion has brought an end — for now — to the transportation bottlenecks that for years kept a lid on the Canadian oil industry's ability to grow. With fresh ability to ship barrels out of Western Canada's oil-producing region, companies have been able to turn on the taps.

Now that it is completed, Canadian oil production is smashing records, and economists say Trans Mountain will provide a lift to the GDP of both the province of Alberta and Canada as a whole this year.

The federal government has said it does not wish to be the long-term owner of the pipeline and has already launched the first of what is expected to be a two-phase divestment process.

Workers lay pipe during construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion on farmland in Abbotsford, B.C., on May 3, 2023. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

The first phase involves talks with more than 120 Indigenous nations located along the Trans Mountain route to see if any of them are interested in an equity stake.

The second phase, for which the timing is unclear, will involve the consideration of commercial offers.

Complicating any prospective sale, however, is the fact that Trans Mountain Corp. is still locked in a dispute with oil companies over the tolls it wishes to charge to use the pipeline.

• $20M deal bars Burnaby from speaking badly about Trans Mountain

• Tariffs and 'drill, baby, drill' — What Trump 2.0 could mean for Alberta's energy sector

Trans Mountain is looking to charge higher tolls to offset some of the project's budget overruns, but oil companies don't want to be held responsible for construction-related challenges.

The Canada Energy Regulator is scheduled to hold an oral hearing on the tolling dispute next spring. Critics say if the CER determines the oil industry should not have to pay for the bulk of the government-owned pipeline project's cost overruns, then taxpayers will be left on the hook.

Investigation into incident at wind turbine in east-central Alberta

no injuries

Damage at a wind turbine near Halkirk, Alberta on Nov. 8, 2024. (Contributed)

By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

Nov 8, 2024 | 5

An investigation is underway after parts fell off a wind turbine early Friday morning near Halkirk, Alberta.

Michael Sheehan, a senior advisor with Capital Power, confirms that at 7:22 a.m. on Nov. 8, an incident occurred at the company’s soon-to-be operational Halkirk 2 (H2) wind facility in Paintearth County.

At this time, the cause remains part of what the company is trying to determine.

“The nacelle and rotor at one of the turbines (T33) fell from the tower. There are no injuries or damage to public property,” he assures.

“In response, a full site-wide safety stand-down has been implemented with the remainder of the H2 turbines not operating, and the site has been secured. As a precautionary measure, the area around each tower is being secured and an investigation is underway.”

A nacelle is a housing for components of the the turbine, including the generator and brake assembly, among other things.

Sheehan adds, this is the first time this has happened with one of its turbines.

H2 is the second wind facility the Edmonton-based company has near Halkirk, which is about 120 km east of Red Deer, and just 27 minutes past Stettler.

H2 is under construction and expected to be operational in late 2024.

According to Capital Power’s website, the H2 project will use Vesta’s V150-4-5 wind turbine technology. Its hubs are 105 metres high, with a 150 metre rotor diameter and 74 metre blade length.

Damage at a wind turbine near Halkirk, Alberta on Nov. 8, 2024. (Contributed)

Israeli fans attack pro-Palestine supporters in Amsterdam

Racist chants included, 'Kill Arabs,' and, 'Victory to the IDF'

Violence broke out in Amsterdam after Israeli fans attacked Palestinians


By Judy Cox
Friday 08 November 2024

 SOCIALIST WORKER

Israeli football fans went on a rampage in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Thursday night. They had travelled to watch a football match, but seized the chance to attack Palestine supporters.

Fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv team occupied Dam Square ahead of the game. Footage shared on social media showed the visitors shouting, “Fuck Palestine” and tearing down Palestinian flags.

Racist chants included, “Kill Arabs,” and, “Victory to the IDF.” They even chanted about how there are no schools left in Gaza.

Barbara Weenink, a Palestine supporter who lives in Amsterdam, said, “I saw the Israeli fans walking here before the match—I found it very threatening.”

Palestine activists had been banned from protesting against the outrageous presence of an Israeli team in the European football competition. Police attacked them as they tried to protest—and arrested 57.

In the stadium, the Israeli fans jeered and chanted through an official minute’s silence for the victims of the floods in the Spanish state.

After the game, fights broke out between rival football fans and Israeli fans were beaten up. Israeli supporters tried to intimidate and humiliate Amsterdam’s Arab community—but the locals fought back and won.

The media spun it as a story of antisemitism and unprovoked violence against Jews. Some politicians have even claimed that the fights were really pogroms—murderous assaults on Jews in eastern Europe in the early 20th century.

Israel’s security minister, the far right Ben-Gvir, wrote on X, “Fans who went to see a football game encountered antisemitism and were attacked with unimaginable cruelty just because of their Jewishness and Israeliness.”

Israeli president Isaac Herzog compared the fight to the Palestinian resistance’s counter attack on 7 October 2023. He said, “We see with horror this morning the shocking images and videos that since October 7, we had hoped never to see again. An antisemitic pogrom currently taking place against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and Israeli citizens in the heart of Amsterdam.”

Prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu even promised to send two rescue planes to Amsterdam to save the Israeli fans. He quickly dumped the idea, leaving them to make their own way back to Israel.

The far right has seized on this distorted story to grab more support for their racism. Geert Wilders leads the Freedom party which is now the largest in the Dutch governing coalition. Wilders, who is well known for his anti-Muslim racism, said Dutch authorities “will be held accountable for their failure to protect” Israeli citizens.

To talk of antisemitism and pogroms of Jews in Amsterdam is nonsense. The fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv came to Amsterdam looking to beat up Arabs and Palestinians supporters.

Arabs in Amsterdam were right to fight back—self-defence is no offense.