CANADA IS A SOCIAL DEMOCRACY
COMMENTARY: What O’Toole calls ‘radical’ is Canadian democracy at work

WHICH THE TORIES HATE
globalnewsdigital

© THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick 

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole holds a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021.

Though most of his attention is likely focused on keeping his own restive caucus united, federal Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole did manage to direct some of his mental energy last week to scaremongering about the unholy alliance he claims is taking shape in Ottawa: a “radical Liberal-NDP coalition.”

The first order of business of the re-elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, O’Toole warned Canadians in ominous tones, “is to let his new Liberal members of Parliament know that they will have to accept a radical Liberal-NDP coalition agreement. This coalition will mean billions of dollars of new spending to buy Jagmeet Singh’s silence.”

The so-called “Liberal-NDP government,” O’Toole added, would “cause devastating financial impacts for workers and communities from coast to coast to coast.”

Read more: O’Toole under fire as Tory senator launches petition seeking leadership review

To be clear, there is no coalition being formed. And there’s nothing radical about the re-elected Liberal government, as it plans its legislative agenda in a minority Parliament, comparing notes with the NDP — a party that holds the balance of power in the House (that’s just math) and which everyone knows shares a number of key policy planks with Trudeau’s left-leaning cabinet and caucus.

Paid sick leave. Affordable housing. Serious climate change commitments. Child care. Pharmacare. A vaccination-driven, science-based escape route from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Liberal and NDP policies in these areas differ in some details. Timelines for implementation aren’t perfectly aligned. The degree of determination to press ahead with certain changes isn’t exactly the same.

But these two parties — as well as the Greens and most Bloc Québécois MPs — are definitely in the same ballpark when it comes to such issues, all milling about in centre-left field as they get ready for the parliamentary return to play next week, on Monday, Nov. 22.

Still, we shouldn’t expect O’Toole to adjust his rhetorical strategy in the face of such basic facts or the will of Canadian voters who — broadly speaking — gave solid majority support in the Sept. 20 election to the country’s political progressives, as well as clear marching orders (all party leaders seemed to admit) to simply work together to get things done.

Even the Conservatives, if we are to believe what the moderate-sounding O’Toole was saying on the campaign trail just two months ago, are standing not so far away from the other parties on most of these issues — perhaps in straightaway centre (though some stubborn members of his team remain huddled in right field, angrily kicking dirt about the two-jab ground rules for the upcoming season).

Nevertheless, the official leader of the Opposition is duty-bound to oppose. And the messaging we can expect from O’Toole — and which he delivered on cue last week — had been telegraphed as early as August, in the opening days of the election campaign, when he bemoaned the left-wing “coalition” cabal that had been governing Canada since 2019, and might well be again after the Sept. 20 vote.

At a Conservative campaign rally on Aug. 17, O’Toole said: “Friends, 12 years ago, the Liberals, the NDP and the Bloc Québécois signed a pact to govern Canada as a coalition. Today, with the addition of the Green Party, that’s precisely what we have. There isn’t a choice between the Liberals, the NDP, and the Greens. They’re all the same.”

Read more: NDP MP Charlie Angus says no deal reached with Liberals after initial meeting

The term “coalition” in the Conservative lexicon is a synonym for “corruption.” It has been ever since 2008, when then-prime minister Stephen Harper faced the possibility of losing power to an alliance of opposition leaders that briefly flirted with pooling their seats to gain control of the House of Commons, as Canada’s parliamentary system certainly allows but the politics of that time ultimately did not.

So that’s why O’Toole has unconvincingly characterized the prospect of Liberal-NDP co-operation to pass legislation in the coming Parliament as nothing more than a dirty scheme by Trudeau’s Liberals to “buy Jagmeet Singh’s silence,” as if something criminal were transpiring here.

Singh, in fact, has explicitly ruled out joining a “formal coalition” with the Liberals. “That is a firm no from me,” the NDP leader told reporters during a press conference last week. “There is not going to be any coalition at all.”

Video: O’Toole announces shadow cabinet, moves Rempel Garner to natural resources, Poilievre back to finance

Instead, Singh not-so-scarily signalled, “like we did in the minority government previously during the pandemic, we use our position to fight for help for people. And we push the Liberal government to deliver more help to people.”

Gasp!

But Canadians should be braced for this: Even mere issue-by-issue collaboration between the Liberals and NDP (and possibly the Greens and Bloc) to pursue common legislative goals will be consistently tarred by O’Toole as illegitimate, the actions of a de facto undemocratic “coalition” bent on implementing policies that will always be “a disaster for the Canadian economy,” as he put it last week.

Yet Canadian political history offers several examples of constructive, collaborative governing arrangements negotiated by Liberal and NDP leaders of the past, with those progressive-minded minority governments recording major achievements: Lester B. Pearson and Tommy Douglas in the mid-1960s (Medicare, the Canadian flag); Pierre Trudeau and David Lewis from 1972 to 1974 (Petro-Canada, a new national program for affordable housing); and Paul Martin and Jack Layton in 2005, when the Liberal government shifted $4.6 billion in planned corporate tax cuts to spending on a series of NDP-backed programs, including education and training investments, affordable housing and increased foreign aid.

Read more: 100 day clock already ticking on Liberals’ promises to introduce host of bills

“We had the opportunity to put some of our ideas into practice for a change instead of just talking about them,” Layton said of the deal struck with Martin in his 2006 memoir Speaking Out Louder.

O’Toole and other Conservatives might see that kind of collaboration between a Liberal government and an NDP party with balance-of-power leverage as a form of social-democratic gunboat diplomacy. Progressives will see it as the fruits of a democratic election that compels constructive compromises between two broadly compatible parties.

But it’s hardly radical, coalition or not. And it’s what Canadians voted for.

Randy Boswell is a Carleton University journalism professor and former national reporter.

Monumental storm will loosen severe grip on B.C., cleanup to follow

Digital Writers 2 hrs ago

This 'pineapple express' that hit B.C. over the last few days surely came loaded with juice, unleashing widespread rainfall amounts of 100-200 mm for southern areas, resulting in floods and mudslides that closed roads and prompted evacuation alerts and orders for many communities Monday. Finally, the province will see a break from the rain Tuesday, with some potent winds lingering into the morning, but the cleanup and impacts will be far from over. At the height of the storm Monday evening, more than 100,000 customers were without power, according to BC Hydro.

 For a look at impacts, and what's left to come, see below.

TUESDAY: RAINS SUBSIDE, BLUSTERY WINDS LINGER, ICY ROADS FROM TEMPERATURE DROP

After a relentless atmospheric river targeted B.C. multiple days with excessive rainfall, enhanced by tropical Pacific moisture, the province will finally catch a break from the precipitation Tuesdy after winding down Monday afternoon

The prolonged event has been especially impactful, with some areas receiving more than 200 mm through Monday. Parts of Metro Vancouver picked up 160 mm, and even Victoria, often sheltered by Vancouver Island's rain shadow, has picked up around 117 mm, which is on the higher end for the city in terms of events

.

© Provided by The Weather Network

But that doesn't mean Tuesday will be a quiet day for B.C.

The winds will continue to be intense through Monday overnight, though not as destructive as during the day, lingering into Tuesday morning before subsiding. Gusts of 40-60 km/h will continue for the South Coast, 50-70+ km/h through the southern Interior.

As for the mountains, low freezing levels will bring icy conditions to all highway passes, especially the Coquihalla, through Monday overnight. Snow will quickly accumulate overnight Monday with up to 25 cm possible in some of the passes by midday Tuesday. Strong and gusty southwesterly winds may also reduce visibility due to blowing snow

.

© Provided by The Weather Network

Another issue will be slick and slippery roads as temperatures will drop considerably by Tuesday morning. Daytime highs Tuesday afternoon will plummet into the single digits for the coastal and Interior regions. Motorists will need to be cautious when heading out on the roads.
IMPACTS: MUDSLIDES, FLOODING, EVACUATIONS

This was a large amount of rain even under normal circumstances, but the heaviest amounts fell at elevations where some snowfall has already accumulated. Local runoff, then, was boosted by melting snow.

One of the worst results of that is increased mud and rockslide risk, and indeed, many have been reported across the province. Highway 1 is closed in multiple directions, as are numerous other roads. Travel is not recommended if you can avoid it.

Meanwhile, rescue efforts by helicopter were underway Monday after two mudslides trapped hundreds of people on a southern B.C. highway, CBC reported. As many as 275 people, among them 50 children, have been trapped on the stretch of highway since Sunday evening, the City of Vancouver and Canada Task Force 1, the locally based urban search and rescue team, said in a joint release.

© Provided by The Weather Network

On Thursday night, a mudslide near Agassiz was reported to have stranded several motorists, with ongoing efforts to extricate them.

That runoff made its way into local streams, and flood warnings were issued for several parts of the Interior.

On Monday, evacuation orders – meaning residents in the affected areas must leave at once – were in effect for parts of the Fraser Valley and Okanagan–Similkameen regional districts. An evacuation alert – meaning residents must prepare to evacuate if asked – was issued for parts of Princeton and Abbotsford.

In Merrit, the evacuation became citywide after flooding caused the complete failure of the municipality's wastewater treatment plant and what city officials are calling an "immediate danger to public health and safety."

Officials also said residents with friends or family outside of the community should make plans to stay with them and evacuate to that location.

Meanwhile, power outages continue to escalate, with BC Hydro reporting more than 100,000 customers are in the dark as of Monday evening

Thumbnail courtesy of John Soos/Twitter.

Check back for updates as we continue to monitor the situation. This article contains files from CBC News.

Canada: floods prompt evacuations in region hit by summer wildfires

80-100 Vehicles Are Trapped Between 2 Landslides In BC & Here's The Rescue Plan

Daniel Milligan 8 hrs ago

Search and rescue teams in B.C. are trying to reach people trapped in their cars between two landslides.

© Provided by Narcity

Multiple road closures are in place as intense rainfall contributed to several landslides across some of the province's busiest highways.

Two of the landslides, on Highway 7 near Agassiz, trapped between 80-100 vehicles overnight.

In a press conference on Monday morning, Mike Farnworth, B.C.'s minister of public safety, said that they are "looking at the possibility of air rescue" but added that high winds may "challenge these efforts."

Minister Farnworth added, "[The search and rescue teams] are the experts who will be able to determine what the best way is to reach the people who are stranded in their vehicles.

"It is very difficult weather so they will be determining the best way — the safest way — to extricate people who are trapped between those slides. They will be doing it as quickly and as safely as they can."

Terrifying images show another mudslide, which swept across the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt.

The city of Merritt is among the hardest hit locations in this storm, with some residents told to evacuate their homes and the entire community warned not to use the water due to issues at the wastewater treatment facility.

Helicopters start rescue efforts after landslide traps hundreds on B.C. highway

CBC/Radio-Canada 13 hrs ago

Rescue efforts by helicopter are underway after two mudslides trapped hundreds of people on a southern B.C. highway while an assessment has started to determine if others may have ended up in the flow of debris.

The landslides, which occurred on Sunday on Highway 7 near Agassiz, B.C., about 125 kilometres east of Vancouver, came as communities in southern parts of the province dealt with heavy rainfall.

As many as 275 people, among them 50 children, have been trapped on the stretch of highway since Sunday evening, the City of Vancouver and Canada Task Force 1, the locally based urban search and rescue team, said in a joint release.

It says they were joined by Chilliwack Search and Rescue and a geotechnical engineer to survey the area for anyone who may be trapped in the debris.

Canadian Forces Cormorant helicopters started the first of multiple rescue flights on Monday, transporting evacuees between the slide area and a reception centre in nearby Agassiz.

David Boone, the team director of the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Task Force team in B.C. and an assistant chief at the Vancouver Fire Department, said early Monday that his team hasn't yet had a full view of the scope of the landslides and debris flow.

Boone said his team arrived to support members of the fire department in Agassiz, who had already rescued at least 12 people trapped in vehicles from the debris flow. Two others were rescued on the east side, by either a search and rescue team or workers from the fire department in Hope, he told CBC News Network.

"What complicates this situation is we have two slides on Highway 7 and we have people that were trapped in the debris … and some have been rescued," Boone told CBC's Heather Hiscox, noting that officials are not yet sure if there are other vehicles missing and other people who are not accounted for.

He said officials believe there are approximately 50 vehicles trapped on Highway 7 in between the two debris fields, with approximately two to three people in each vehicle.

B.C. Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth said search and rescue crews were mobilized early in the morning, but the conditions have been difficult.

"One of the challenges they have been facing, obviously, is the weather and the ability to get into the area safely," Farnworth said at a news conference on Monday.

"That's currently being assessed. And, they will be doing everything they can to ensure that they reach people who are trapped in their vehicles between those slides as quickly as possible, but also as safely as possible."

Boone said he spoke to a nurse who was travelling in one of the vehicles who was doing assessments. The nurse found those they had seen were "safe and secure at this time." People trapped between the slides have been urged to stay in their vehicles for now, he said.

'It's very scary'

Martina Martinkova, who is trapped in her vehicle with her daughter on Highway 7, said she is "very stressed."

"We don't have any information," she said in an interview with Heather Hiscox Monday morning. She said she's been trying for hours to find out what will happen with rescue efforts.

People were starting to share their food and water, she said, noting that she saw at least one family on the highway with a baby.

She said she's been in touch with her loved ones, who know she and her daughter are safe.

"You see this in the movies, honestly, and you thought it will never touch you," she said. "It's very scary."

Adam Wuisman and his fiancé were travelling back to their home in Richmond, B.C., on Highway 7, following a weekend trip in Nelson, when he said a landslide came down behind them.

"We were going westbound and there were huge lines of traffic ... and all of a sudden, I noticed there's no vehicles behind us, which was odd," he told CBC's The Early Edition on Monday morning.

"We must have just missed the first [landslide] and now somehow we're between both of them."

The pair have been stuck on that stretch of Highway 7 since 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Wuisman said.

"It's a very eerie feeling here," he described.

"When we got here, everybody had their headlights on and then slowly, as the hours passed, headlights went off and everything became pitch-black."

Emergency officials said they don't yet have a complete picture of how many people are trapped. Wuisman, however, said he thinks there are far more than 50 vehicles stuck — estimating around 200 to 300 vehicles stranded on that patch of highway.

"I definitely heard people screaming for help," he said.

"It's kind of helpless to feel like you're between a very vulnerable mountainside side and the Fraser River on the other side. And there's really nothing you can do about it, but hope nothing comes down on top of you."
Officials hope to survey from air

Boone, who noted that officials are "still a bit blind" on the full scope of the issue, said the stability of the ground and issues around hydro wires are complicating the rescue efforts.

He said it's too dangerous to get close right now, noting that further assessments will come at daybreak.

"We're assessing as to the best access points for us to make entry into the area," he said, noting that rescue workers will co-ordinate with CP Rail as the best way in may be along a rail line.

"We won't put our rescuers into the area until we determine it's safe to do so," he said, noting that they hope to be able to survey from the air later in the day.

Communities affected by extreme heat and wildfires are forced to flee their homes again after record downpour

A view of the Coquihalla Highway following mudslides and flooding in British Columbia, Canada, on Sunday. Photograph: British Columbia Transportation/Reuters

Leyland Cecco in Toronto
Mon 15 Nov 2021

Communities in western Canada who were forced to flee their homes this summer by wildfires and extreme heat are once again under evacuation orders after overwhelming floods across the region.

Helicopters were dispatched on Monday to Highway 7, more than 100 kilometres (62 miles) east of Vancouver, to rescue about 275 people, including 50 children, who had been stranded on the road since it was blocked by a mudslide late on Sunday.

“I definitely heard people screaming for help,” Adam Wuisman, who was driving the section of the highway when a landslide hit, told CBC News. “It’s kind of helpless to feel like you’re between a very vulnerable mountainside on one side and the Fraser River on the other side. And there’s really nothing you can do about it, but hope nothing comes down on top of you.”

Images of surging rivers, mudslides, flooded cities and destroyed highways circulated on social media as officials scrambled to assess the full extent of the damage, warning residents the situation could deteriorate further as winds picked up throughout the day.

According to Environment Canada, 225 millimetres of rain fell on the community of Hope since the storm began Saturday and 180 millimetres had fallen around Agassiz and Chilliwack in the eastern part of the Fraser Valley.

After two bridges and its water treatment facility were overwhelmed by flood waters, the city of Merritt issued an evacuation order to all residents, warning that “continued habitation of the community without sanitary services presents risk of mass sewage back-up and personal health risk”.

Here in British Columbia, we have spent the summer running from cruel wildfires
Mary Stockdale

Merritt last issued evacuation orders this summer after the wildfire that destroyed the village of Lytton came dangerously close to the city.+

Since June, the province has experienced a record-setting “heat dome”, huge wildfires that destroyed two communities and choked the air for weeks, that experts say was worsened by the climate crisis. Last week, Vancouver, British Columbia’s largest city, was briefly placed under tornado watch, a rare event for the region.

Heavy rains force evacuations, trap motorists in Canada

Issued on: 15/11/2021 - 

A view of a road near Popkum following mudslides and flooding in British Columbia, Canada, on Sunday. Photograph: British Columbia Transportation/Reuters

Ottawa (AFP) – Relentless rain battered Canada's Pacific coast on Monday, forcing a town's evacuation and trapping motorists as mudslides, rocks and debris were washed across major highways.

"Heavy rains and subsequent mudslides/flooding have impacted various highways in the BC interior," British Columbia's transportation ministry said on Twitter.

Rescuers were deployed to free people trapped for hours in 80-100 cars and trucks between two mudslides near the town of Agassiz, the province's safety minister, Mike Farnworth, told a news conference.

"We are looking at the possibility of air rescues, if needed," he said, adding that "high winds may challenge these efforts."

Farnworth said there had been "multiple rain-induced incidents" in the southwest and central regions of the province, describing the situation as "dynamic."

In the city of Abbotsford, outside Vancouver, authorities ordered more than 100 homes evacuated in several neighborhoods threatened by flooding and mudslides.

The town of Merritt, 290 kilometres (180 miles) east of the coastal city, also ordered all 7,000 of its residents to leave after their wastewater treatment plant was compromised and two bridges were washed out, according to a statement.

Emergency centers were set up for displaced residents of both communities.

Environment Canada said up to 250 millimetres (almost 10 inches) of rain was expected by the afternoon in and around Vancouver, which was also hit last week by a rare tornado.

"A significant atmospheric river event continues to (bring) copious amounts of rain to the BC south coast today," it said.

"Heavy rain will continue this morning and ease this afternoon as the system moves inland."

Environment Canada meteorologist Armel Castellan said strong winds gusting up to 90 kilometers per hour (55 miles per hour) could cause widespread power outages.

The extreme weather comes after British Columbia suffered record-high temperatures over the summer that killed more than 500 people, as well as wildfires that destroyed a town.

© 2021 AFP

Entire city of Merritt, B.C. forced to evacuate

due to flooding

Merritt, British Columbia has a population of around 7,000 people. Severe flooding forced the evacuation of the entire city when the municipal wastewater treatment plant shut down due to the floods. Source - Brislian, CC SA 4.0.

The entire City of Merritt, population 7,000, is under an evacuation order after flooding caused the complete failure of the municipality’s wastewater treatment plant in what city officials are calling an “immediate danger to public health and safety.”

“The wastewater treatment plant is inundated and non-operational and will be for an indefinite period of time,” reads the order, which was issued at 10:05 a.m. PT Monday, reports The Weather Network.

“Continued habitation of the community without sanitary services presents the risk of mass sewage back-up and personal health risk.”

BC Transportation

The heavy rains that began over the weekend have led to severe flooding, along with roads being washed out and bridges being inundated. Rescue efforts have been initiated after 80 to 100 vehicles were stuck on numerous roads due to mudslides, rock debris, and flooding.

Some residents of the city were awakened Sunday night and ordered to evacuate. Merritt resident Brodie McDonald said he received a knock on the door around 12:30 a.m. and only had a little time to pack as the water was rising quickly.

McDonald said, “Some of the road in front of my house is washed out. The pavement is actually ripped up and there is a truck falling into a sinkhole in the water.”

BC Hydro

At around 7:30 a.m. Monday, officials issued another evacuation order covering the Collettville neighborhood, warning that residents might have to be rescued by helicopter if they didn’t flee quickly.

“Merritt is and will remain strong,” Mayor Linda Brown said in a statement, per CTV News Canada. “Please, offer help to your friends, families, and neighbors, drive safely, and take care of yourselves. We will meet each other again, in our homes, where we belong.”

And according to Reuters, Canada’s Trans Mountain oil pipeline has been shut down temporarily because of rainstorms pounding parts of the province of British Columbia, the operating company said in a statement on Monday.

Do not cross rivers or flowing streams, Don’t walk or drive across flooded roads, and Follow all directions from local officials. Environment Canada.

“As a precaution, Trans Mountain has shut down the Trans Mountain Pipeline due to widespread flooding and debris flows in the area around Hope, BC,” a company spokeswoman said in an email.

Monday at about 1:30 a.m., the City of Merritt issued an evacuation order for several addresses in the 200-year flood plain of the Coldwater River, south of Nicola Avenue.

“If you are within the 200-year flood plain of the Coldwater River, South of Nicola Avenue you must evacuate immediately,” the city’s notice said. “The city will update this evacuation order as soon as possible with specific property addresses.”

OF COURSE HE DOES ITS THE POLITICS OF WHINING

Alberta premier snipes at Trudeau as province signs on to $10-day child-care deal

EDMONTON — Alberta has signed on to Ottawa’s $10-a-day child-care program, but not before Premier Jason Kenney dismissed the federal contribution as recycled provincial money and accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of playing favourites.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

“This agreement means bringing 3.8 billion tax dollars paid by Albertans to Ottawa back to Albertans to address a key priority for so many families,” Kenney, with Trudeau at his side, said Monday during an event at a downtown YMCA.

The United Conservative premier accused Trudeau of playing favourites by giving Quebec a child-care deal with more flexibility, while Alberta had to fight to get what it considered a fair bargain for its mix of care providers. More than half of current care spaces in Alberta are in privately run businesses.

“It’s not the only time where we see what appears to be a two-tier federation,” said Kenney.

“The basic aspiration of Albertans is to be treated equally, to have the same powers that Quebec exercises and the same treatment from the federal government, which includes unconditional funding when there are national policy goals.”

That comment prompted Trudeau to take to the podium to stress that Quebec was not getting sweetheart treatment.

He said Quebec’s plan already met the goals of the federal program and, in fact, exceeded them with $8.50-a-day child care.

“It made no sense for us to impose conditions (on Quebec) that they’ve already surpassed,” said Trudeau. “It’s not about treating one province differently.

“If Alberta already had child care at $8 a day across the province, we would have had an approach similar to Quebec, so let’s not create constitutional conventions out of this.”

Kenney has often criticized the Liberal federal government for treating Alberta unfairly in Confederation. He has said that Albertans contribute generously to the rest of Canada through equalization yet are stymied at times by federal policies that restrict development of the province's oil and gas industry.

The bilateral deal is to provide $3.8 billion in federal funding over the next five years. Child-care fees are to be halved starting next year and reduced to an average of $10 a day by 2026

The deal also calls for the creation of 42,500 new regulated early-learning and child-care spaces.

"Within five years, $10-a-day child care will be a reality right across the province,” said Trudeau.

"This will make a huge difference in the lives of all families but also in our economic recovery.”

Choice of child care had been a sticking point in negotiations between Ottawa and Alberta.

PRIVATE DAY HOMES & BABA CARE

Kenney said the Alberta agreement will make the subsidies eligible for all types of licensed facilities for child care up to age six.

"The province has secured a deal to allow Alberta parents to have the type of child care that works best for them, which has been a key element of any deal this government would sign,” he said.

The agreement is to fund services and grow the workforce for early childhood teachers.

The money is also to support child care for children with disabilities or special needs as well as a plan to work with Indigenous organizations to develop child-care programs best suited to their needs.

The federal government has completed bilateral $10-a-day care deals with nine provinces and territories. Ontario, New Brunswick, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories have yet to sign on.

Trudeau’s government announced the $30-billion, five-year plan in the spring as a cornerstone in an initiative to help families and get the economy moving.

Rakhi Pancholi, the Alberta Opposition's children’s services critic, said the deal is similar to what the NDP caucus proposed in July.

The deal should have been done much earlier to get benefits flowing faster, she said. It was only persistent demands from the public that broke the deadlock, she added.

“Ultimately, Albertans told the UCP that this affordable child-care program was important to them,” said Pancholi. “The UCP were never on board, they dragged their heels, but Albertans made their voice loud and clear to get us where we are today.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 15, 2021.

Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press

Alberta, Ottawa ink $3.8-billion childcare deal to lower cost to average of $10-a-day, create 40,000 new spaces

Author of the article:

Ashley Joannou
Publishing date: Nov 15, 2021 • 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced a childcare deal for the province on Monday. 

PHOTO BY SEAN KILPATRICK/THE CANADIAN PRESS; IAN KUCERAK/POSTMEDIA
Article content

Alberta and the federal government have reached a five-year $3.8 billion childcare agreement using the federal funding to create more than 40,000 new childcare and early learning spaces and bring the average cost for children under six down to $10-a-day.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Minister Chrystia Freeland announced the deal Monday, alongside Premier Jason Kenney and Families, Children and Social Development Minister Karina Gould.

“Now, I think people know that the provinces and the federal government don’t always get along on everything. And there’s always going to be points of disagreement. But I am really, really pleased to be here today with Premier Kenney and the Government of Alberta to demonstrate that on the things that matter most to citizen, on the things that matter to the people that we serve, we can get big things done,” Trudeau said.

“That’s exactly what we’ve been able to do here today with Alberta on moving forward with a historic agreement on childcare.”

Alberta is the ninth jurisdiction to sign a childcare deal with Ottawa. Freeland estimated 60% of Canada’s children are now covered under a deal.

Kenney had previously said that Trudeau’s deal was “only for a kind of cookie-cutter, nine-to-five, urban, government and union-run institutional daycare options” and that the choices of parents need to be recognized.

On Monday, he called the announcement “a good day for Alberta families.”

He said Alberta’s deal will mean more jobs and access to childcare for families.

“All types of licensed childcare for kids aged up to kindergarten like preschools, daycare and licensed family day homes will now be supported through this deal with the federal government,” he said.

“And to ensure that every child has the care that works for them, there’s funding for specific needs, such as linguistic, cultural and special learning supports.”

The 2021 federal budget said Ottawa would authorize the transfer of 2021-22 funding as soon as bilateral agreements are reached.

 RECENT RESEARCH ON GLOBAL FASCISM TODAY

Exploring White Extremism as a Function of Historical Legacy ...by C Gassiot · 2021 — To answer this question, I evaluate historical racism, impacts of globalization, the rise of right-leaning populism, racist skinhead subcultures of the 1980s ...

Jackson - Transnational neo Nazism in the USA, Unit
by P JACKSON · 2020 · Cited by 10 — What follows will explore these themes by focusing on a loose network of neo-Nazi groups that have emerged in Britain, America and Australia. 

Keeping the Nazi Menace Out: George Lincoln Rockwell and the Border Control System in Australia and Britain in the Early 1960s

by 

Evan Smith

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia

Soc. Sci. 2020, 9(9), 158; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci9090158

Received: 21 August 2020 / Revised: 4 September 2020 / Accepted: 8 September 2020 / Published: 11 September 2020

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Global Rise of the Extreme Right)

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/9/9/158/htm

The Nexus Between Far-Right Extremists in the United States and Ukraine

APRIL 2020, VOLUME 13, ISSUE 4

Authors:

TIM LISTER

https://ctc.usma.edu/the-nexus-between-far-right-extremists-in-the-

united-states-and-ukraine/

Classical music under the Nazis

A forthcoming DW documentary looks into the role of classical music during the Holocaust. For Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, a cellist at Auschwitz, music saved her life.


Anita Lasker-Wallfisch played in an orchestra for young girls at the Auschwitz concentration camp


When 17-year-old Anita Lasker-Wallfisch stood on the ramp to enter Auschwitz-Birkenau, she was certain that death awaited her.

It was December 1943, and she had already witnessed her parents being deported, then disappearing. "So this is now the last stop," Lasker-Wallfisch, now 96, recalls thinking during the "admission ceremony."

When an officer asked her what she used to do, she replied fearfully: "I played the cello." Moments later, she was approached by the leader of the newly founded concentration camp girls' orchestra, Alma Rose. "I was scared stiff, naked and Alma Rose asks me: 'Where and what did you study?' It was an insane conversation."
The cello saved her life

In an interview for the upcoming DW music documentary "Der Klang der Diktatur — Klassik unterm Hakenkreuz" ("The Sound of Dictatorship — Classical Music under the Swastika"), written and directed by Christian Berger, Lasker-Wallfisch recalls how the cello saved her life.

She was accepted into the 56-piece orchestra of the women's camp. "We were children and amateurs," she says.

Rose, the niece of Jewish composer Gustav Mahler, who was labeled "degenerate" by the Nazis, arranged pieces for the ragtag musical troupe herself. Marches were especially in demand; the orchestra played for the workers at the gate of the women's camp each morning and evening, even in freezing cold weather.

Although the cellist was spared from doing punitive manual labor, she did not feel safe. "They won't send us to the gas chamber only as long as they want music. It's just a reprieve!" she thought.

Lasker-Wallfisch had already experienced the disappearance of family members when she arrived at Auschwitz

But why did the Nazis even bother to play music for the prisoners they murdered? "This mentality is so perverse that it's hard to comprehend, but it's essential: Music and the arts were used as part of the murder machine," Norman Lebrecht told DW. "And the whole of the musical establishment and the music profession in Germany either turned a blind eye or collaborated."

The British music journalist has been researching the role of classical music under the Nazis for many years. "Culture was one of the ways to justify Nazi rule in Germany" — it was a sort of cover for the Nazis, Lebrecht points out. "They could say, we are a cultural nation, we are a cultural people. You couldn't possibly suspect that we're doing something that was uncultural."

Jewish musicians play for SS mass murderers

Hitler himself was aware of the power of music. "It is certain that music is to be addressed as the greatest shaper of feelings and sensations that move the mind," he said at the NSDAP Party Congress in 1938.

The cynical reality was that, though Jewish composers and musicians were ostracized and murdered, Nazis such as concentration camp doctor Josef Mengele had classical music pieces played to them by Jews including Lasker-Wallfisch in Auschwitz.

Even Hitler's private record collection is said to have included recordings by Jewish musicians.

Conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler made a pact with the Nazis to save himself

The new DW music documentary addresses these contradictions and, for the first time, summarizes classical music events as they related to the Third Reich in their entirety.

The film's two main characters represent musical life under the Nazis in very different ways: Star conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler made a pact with the Nazis, while Lasker-Wallfisch survived thanks to her musical talent.


ANITA LASKER-WALLFISCH AND THE POWER OF MUSIC
Hope: a survival strategy
A successful cellist in Great Britain, she toured the world — but long steered clear of Germany. It was only later in her career that she traveled to the land of her birth to tell students and young people about her experiences as a Jew in the Nazi era. A survivor of the Holocaust, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch is now well known in Germany. On July 17, she celebrates her 95th birthday in London.
12345678910

This dramatic period in history is brought to life through historical film footage that has been digitally restored and carefully colorized.

The documentary includes scenes of Hitler at the Bayreuth Festival, Furtwängler's birthday concert for the Führer, composer Richard Strauss at the opening of the 1936 Olympic Games, and footage of cellist Lasker-Wallfisch being interviewed by British journalists after the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where she was deported shortly before the end of the war.

Lasker-Wallfisch spoke about antisemitism in the Bundestag in 2018

Lasker-Wallfisch: 'Music is untouchable'

Lasker-Wallfisch can still remember the moment very well. The then 19-year-old wanted the whole world to know about the atrocities committed against Jews. "What I was trying to describe was actually unbelievable. How do you describe Bergen-Belsen? You walk on corpses. It's impossible to describe."

In 1946, the cellist emigrated to Britain. She did not visit Germany again until 1994. After decades of not speaking about what she had experienced, she has extensively discussed her experiences in recent years. In addition to giving numerous lectures, she also gave a speech on the topic of antisemitism at the German Bundestag in 2018.

Anita Lasker-Wallfisch is not bitter and does not hold a grudge. Despite the unimaginable horrors she endured, one thing was always there for her: music. "They can't destroy it! Music is music," she said. "It's untouchable."

The filming of the DW music documentary "The Sound of Dictatorship — Classical Music under the Swastika" has already begun.

This article was translated from German.

SEE  https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Nazi_Culture/_cyR3QyuSdIC?hl=en&gbpv=0

ISS crew shelters as space debris veers close by

Twice on Monday, the seven current occupants of the International Space Station had to go into a docked spaceship, fearing the possible impact of space debris.


Astronauts were forced to take emergency precautions

Fears of being hit by space debris forced the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) to go into a docked spaceship for their safety twice on Monday.

The US State Department said the debris was the result of an anti-satellite missile test Russia carried out targeting one of its own satellites, adding there was now an increased risk to astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the ISS as well as other human space flight activities.

Cosmonaut Piotr Dubrov said the threats were over after the remains of an out-of-service satellite flew by. There were "no signs" of impact, he added.

Anton Shkaplerov, the current ISS commander, tweeted, "Friends, everything is regular with us! We continue to work according to the program."

 


There are currently seven crew members aboard the ISS.

Roskosmos, the Russian space agency, confirmed that the station was "in the green zone."

Had the threats been more dangerous, the crew would have had to quickly return to Earth in the Crew Dragon vessel.

US media cited a statement by the US Space Command confirming "a debris-generating event in outer space," saying that it was looking into identifying the debris field.

Other outlets, citing unnamed officials, reported on a possible test of antisatellite weapons by Russia.

Such incidents are becoming more common as the skies fill with debris.

Last week, The New York Times reported that a piece of debris that was spawned by a Chinese anti-satellite weapon test in 2007 forced the ISS to maneuver itself to avoid it on Wednesday.

The US has long warned that the 2007 destruction of a defunct Chinese satellite by a rocket fired from Earth risked creating potentially catastrophic levels of space debris.

Astronauts Forced to Take Shelter as Debris Cloud Threatens Space Station

Unconfirmed reports suggest the debris cloud was caused by the sudden breakup of a satellite and that a Russian weapons test is responsible.

By
George Dvorsky
Today 11:28AM



The International Space Station

Image: Roscosmos

All seven astronauts currently aboard the International Space Station are having to take shelter inside their respective spacecraft owing to the sudden appearance of a debris cloud in orbit, the source of which remains unclear.

Information is slowly trickling in, but we do know that the ISS is currently functioning normally and that all seven crew members are healthy and safe. The crew had to take shelter earlier this morning due to the sudden appearance of an orbiting debris field. The unexplained breakup of the defunct Russian satellite Kosmos-1408 is currently the leading candidate for the source of the orbiting debris cloud.

NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron, and ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer are sheltering inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon docked to the ISS, while Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov, Pyotr Dubrov, and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei are inside a Soyuz capsule, reports Russian state-owned news agency TASS. The astronauts could use these spacecraft to safely return to Earth in the event the ISS is damaged by the debris.

A live feed of NASA mission control is available, allowing you to follow the events as they’re happening.

Related Stories
Space Station Will Make an Emergency Maneuver After Detection of Threatening Space Junk

The crew was instructed to close the hatches between the U.S. and Russian segments, and also the radial hatches that seal off several modules, including the ESA’s Columbus module, as CBS reports. The radial hatches might have to stay closed for an entire day.

In a tweet, Roscosmos said the crew is “routinely performing operations according to the flight program,” and that the threatening “object” has “moved away from the ISS orbit.” By “object,” the Russian space agency is referring to the debris field. The “station is in the green zone,” Roscosmos added.

“Friends, everything is regular with us!,” tweeted Shkaplerov. “We continue to work on the program.”

Despite these words of reassurance, operations aboard the ISS are most certainly not back to normal. Mission controllers are continually providing countdowns of each debris field transit (i.e. the closest approach of the debris field to the ISS). At 10:32 a.m. ET, controllers provided instructions for the NASA crew to temporarily enter into the Columbus module to perform some quick tasks and to collect personal items should they have to remain inside Dragon overnight (a possible indication that this could take a while).

The debris field transits were happening about once every 93 minutes at first, but now they’re happening about once every 30 to 40 minutes. In an email, Harvard University astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell said that, assuming it’s a debris field caused by a broken-up satellite, “there will be a big error bar on whether there is risk to ISS, hence the caution.”


The source of the debris field remains unconfirmed, but its sudden appearance coincides with reports that Russia has conducted an anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons test. In a tweet, Gunter Krebs, a physicist and editor of Gunter’s Space Page, said the target was an “old Soviet Tselina-D SIGINT satellite called Kosmos-1408 (1982-092A) launched in 1982, which has been dead for decades,” and that ”14 debris objects have been tracked.” But Krebs cautions: “So far no confirmation from official sources.”

U.S. Space Force “is aware of a debris-generating event in outer space” and is “working to characterize the debris field and will continue to ensure all space-faring nations have the information necessary to maneuver satellites if impacted,” tweeted space reporter Joey Roulette from the New York Times.

Today’s incident comes less than a week after the ISS had to make an emergency maneuver to evade potentially threatening space junk. In that case, it was a remnant of the Fengyun-1C weather satellite, which China deliberately destroyed in 2007 as part of an anti-satellite missile test. India did something similar in 2019, joining the United States, Russia, and China as countries that have tested anti-satellite weapons. Currently, the use of ASATs “occupy a gray zone” when it comes to international arms control, writes Talia M. Blatt from Harvard University.

Russia destroys satellite in ASAT test

by Jeff Foust — November 15, 2021

The Russian ASAT test destroying Cosmos-1408 drew comparisons to a 2007 Chinese ASAT test that created thousands of pieces of debris still being tracked today. 

Credit: AGI

LAS VEGAS — A Russian satellite broke up in low Earth orbit in a deliberate test of a Russian antisatellite device that created thousands of pieces of debris.

The satellite, Cosmos-1408, appears to have broken up late Nov. 14 or early Nov. 15 Eastern time, based on commercial and government tracking data. The satellite, weighing about 2,000 kilograms, was launched in 1982 and, now defunct, was last tracked in an orbit about 485 kilometers high.

State Department spokesman Ned Price confirmed the satellite was destroyed by an ASAT. “The Russian Federation recklessly conducted a destructive satellite test of a direct-ascent antisatellite missile against one of its own satellites,” he said at a Nov. 15 State Department briefing. “The test has so far generated over 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris and hundreds of thousands of pieces of smaller orbital debris that now threaten the interests of all nations.”

He added that the test “will significantly increase the risk to astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station, as well as to other human spaceflight activities.”

Early Nov. 15, the seven people on the ISS were instructed to shelter in their Crew Dragon and Soyuz vehicles because of a “debris cloud.” That debris cloud has since made several other close approaches to the station, although no damage was reported. The station’s crew resumed some operations later in the day although parts of the station remain sealed off as a precaution against any impacts.

“Russia’s dangerous and irresponsible behavior jeopardizes the long-term sustainability of outer space and clearly demonstrates that Russia’s claims of opposing the weaponization of space are disingenuous and hypocritical,” Price said.

Asked later if the United States would file a formal diplomatic protest, Price said the U.S. has “spoken to senior Russian officials multiple times to warn them of the irresponsibility and dangerousness of such a test.” He declined to comment on any “specific measures” the United States government or those of allies would take in response to the test.

The British government also spoke out against the test. “This destructive anti-satellite missile test by Russia shows a complete disregard for the security, safety and sustainability of space,” said Defence Secretary Ben Wallace in a statement. “The debris resulting from this test will remain in orbit putting satellites and human spaceflight at risk for years to come.”

Before the State Department statement, there was widespread speculation that Cosmos-1408 was the victim of an ASAT test, particularly given notices to airmen filed by Russians for a rocket launch from Plesetsk consistent with a direct-ascent ASAT test.

“We are tracking this Cosmos-1408 event. Where there used to be one satellite, we now see six radar detections, which could be individual objects, debris or clouds of debris,” said Dan Ceperley, chief executive of LeoLabs, a few hours before the State Department statement. The company later said it was seeing at least 30 distinct objects.

He later said that his company’s ground-based radars had been tracking Cosmos-1408 as a single object three times a day until detecting multiple objects at 11:20 a.m. Eastern Nov. 15, suggesting that the object broke up within the last day.

Ceperley was speaking on a panel about space domain awareness at the ASCEND conference by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics here Nov. 15. Other panelists also weighed in, calling the incident “unfortunate” by increasing the population of debris in LEO.

“We had the Chinese ASAT in 2007. That’s been our nemesis for an extended period of time. It looks like now we have another one of these. This is not what we need to do,” said Bill Gerstenmaier, vice president of build and flight reliability at SpaceX and the former longtime head of NASA’s human spaceflight programs.

That 2007 Chinese ASAT test created debris that continues to be a hazard for the satellites and the International Space Station. Last week, the station performed a debris avoidance maneuver when one piece of debris from that test showed a risk of passing close to the station. While the risk diminished before the time of closest approach, NASA and the other ISS partners elected to go ahead with the maneuver in place of a reboost maneuver originally planned for later this month.

US slams Russia for 'irresponsible' space missile test that sparked debris


By AFP
Published November 15, 2021

The United States denounced Russia Monday for conducting a “dangerous and irresponsible” missile test that blew up one of its own satellites, creating a debris cloud that forced the International Space Station’s crew to take evasive action.

“Earlier today, the Russian Federation recklessly conducted a destructive satellite test of a direct ascent anti-satellite missile against one of its own satellites,” US State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a briefing.

“The test has so far generated over 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris and hundreds of thousands of pieces of smaller orbital debris that now threaten the interests of all nations.”

The crew aboard the orbital outpost — currently four Americans, a German and two Russians — had to take shelter in their return ships, which is standard procedure in the event of an emergency that might force evacuation.

Russian space agency Roscosmos downplayed the incident.

“The orbit of the object, which forced the crew today to move into spacecraft according to standard procedures, has moved away from the ISS orbit. The station is in the green zone,” the agency tweeted.

But in his strongly-worded prepared remarks, Price said the danger was far from over.

“This test will significantly increase the risk to astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station, as well as to other human spaceflight activities,” he said.

“Russia’s dangerous and irresponsible behavior jeopardizes the long term sustainability of outer space and clearly demonstrates that Russia’s claims of opposing the weaponization of space are disingenuous and hypocritical.

“United States will work with our allies and partners to respond to Russia’s irresponsible act,” he added, while declining to comment on specific measures.

Washington and Moscow have maintained strong space ties since the end of the Cold War, despite increasing political tensions in recent years.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby also briefed reporters, in a sign of the incident’s strategic significance, and stressed that Russia did not give Washington advance warning of the missile.

“We watch closely the kinds of capabilities that Russia has seemed to want to develop, which could pose a threat not just to our national security interests, but the security incentives of other spacefaring nations,” he said.

“We’ve been very clear, we would like to see norms for space so that it can be used responsibly by all spacefaring nations.”

Industry looks to simplify policy challenges of orbital debris removal

by Jeff Foust — November 14, 2021

Policy challenges associated with active debris removal led ESA to devote its initial efforts on European debris only. Credit: ClearSpace SA Credit: EPFL/J.Caillet

WASHINGTON — Policy issues regarding active debris removal are not as difficult to overcome as many believe, industry officials say, but acknowledge that those challenges may hinder efforts to remove the most dangerous pieces of debris in orbit.

While much of the focus on active debris removal (ADR) involves the technologies needed to capture objects and remove them from orbit, policy challenges may be more significant. For example, removing a derelict satellite or upper stage requires permission of the owner, which can be difficult if the owner is another country.

“When someone looked at the policy and legal feasibility of active debris removal, often the conclusion was that this is too hard, there are so many insurmountable roadblocks. The only conclusion is that we need to have an international institution or an international treaty that is handling active debris removal,” said Josef Koller, co-lead of the Space Safety Institute at The Aerospace Corporation, during a Nov. 9 panel at the ASCEND conference by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

He disagreed. “I don’t think we can wait for an international treaty of an international institution,” he said. He published a paper that took a “bottoms-up” approach to the issue to find cases where active debris removal would be feasible from a policy perspective.

There are many scenarios where active debris removal is legally feasible, he said. Those scenarios involve consent between the debris owner and the ADR service provider, regulatory approval and contractual agreement between the parties that addresses liability and related issues.

Charity Weeden, vice president of global space policy for Astroscale U.S., endorsed the approach outlined by Koller in his paper. “We can’t be overwhelmed with, ‘it’s too hard, it’s too expensive,’” she said. “We need to break it down, and there are things that we can do today.”

Active debris removal systems would likely start first with the largest objects, including upper stages and large satellites left behind in orbit. Those objects present the greatest risk of producing large amounts of debris if they break up, either in a collision or on their own.

“If one of them gets involved in either a collision or a breakup, that will immediately produce hundreds of thousands of small ones,” said Holger Krag, head of the European Space Agency’s Space Debris Office. “Large objects are the source of small ones, and we need to tackle the source of debris. That means all our efforts should concentrate on removing large objects.”

One problem with that approach is that many of those objects are Russian or Chinese. A study last year found that the 20 “statistically most concerning” debris objects in orbit were all the same class of Zenit upper stages. Overall, 78% of the top 50 most dangerous objects are upper stages.

“That is one of those harder cases,” Koller acknowledged, but argued it would still be possible to work out an agreement that could allow an American active debris removal system to deorbit a Russian upper stage.

One additional obstacle would be export control regulations, given the sensitivity of ADR technologies. “I think it depends on the technology that is being used for removing that piece of debris,” he said. A net, for example, might pose fewer challenges than a robotic arm or docking mechanism.

“Those 50 bodies are the harder ones. You don’t necessarily have to start there,” he said. “You can start with pilot projects, with objects in the same nation.”

Krag was more skeptical. “There’s technical consensus in the community that these upper stages are the most crucial to be removed,” he said of that top-50 list. “However, my prediction is that we will not see them removed in the near future. There are several legal hurdles to overcome, in particular across national boundaries.” That was a key reason that ESA’s project to remove an upper stage focused on a European one.

Another major emphasis for ADR, he said, was for satellites not yet launched, such as those in megaconstellations that are unable to deorbit themselves. “We will see, hopefully, in the future tighter national guidelines and space laws that mandate a ‘zero debris’ policy,” he said. “That means that an object that is not removed by own means will have to be removed by using these services.”

“These are hard problems, but we can do hard,” said Weeden. “If we developed a COVID vaccine within a year, I think we can tackle the ADR problem.”

WW3.0

India hastens to build strategic Ladakh tunnel amid China conflict

Hundreds of workers are racing to finish what officials say will be India's longest and highest tunnel connecting Kashmir Valley with Ladakh, which shares de facto borders with Pakistan and China.


The tunnel is expected to open to the public on January 25, the eve of India's Republic Day, in 2024

India is ramping up efforts to build the strategic Zojila tunnel in Indian-administered Kashmir, aiming to reduce travel time to Ladakh, where China is increasingly pushing its territorial claims along the so-called Line of Actual Control (LAC).

India has developed a network of tunnels, bridges and roads in Ladakh to allow for a rapid mobilization of troops in the hostile high-altitude region — where temperatures dip as low as -45 degrees Celsius (-49 F).

The tunnel, the mass infrastructure project's last, will pass through Zojila in Indian-administered Kashmir to Sonamarg, which marks the end of conifer-clad mountains before Ladakh begins across the rocky Zojila mountain pass.

Officials say the Zojila tunnel, expected to cost $932 million (€815 million), will be India’s longest and highest tunnel, at 11,500 feet (3,485 meters).

The tunnel would not only allow the Indian Army more flexibility in handling logistics — it would also reduce the travel time on Zojila Pass from 3.5 hours to 15 minutes.

The horseshoe-shaped, single-tube bidirectional tunnel would also decrease the distance from Baltal to Minamarg from 40 kilometers (25 miles) to 13 kilometers, said P Arun, deputy general manager execution of Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Limited, which is tasked with building the tunnel.

"It is an engineering marvel. It involves great skill, not just blasting mountains," Arun told DW.

The cutoff time for the completion of the tunnel has been reduced by almost three years, to December 2023. Officials said they hoped that the tunnel would open to the public in 2024 on January 25, the eve of India's Republic Day.

How will Zojila improve livelihoods?

The Zojila Pass, which connects Kashmir's capital city, Srinagar, to Ladakh, an Indian union territory that constitutes part of the larger Kashmir region, is at present accessible about six months per year because of heavy snowing in winter.

Ladakh depends on Kashmir valley for most basic necessities, from vegetables to fuel to medicine. Most essentials must come through the Zojila pass, making life difficult for locals, who are forced to stockpile items for half of the year.

Indian officials are also optimistic that the Zojila tunnel might open up Ladakh to tourists year-round and help facilitate easier delivery of health care products and other basic amenities for the locals.

Asghar Ali, a shopkeeper in Kargil, a city in Ladakh, told DW that much of the produce he purchases for his store in bulk every year typically expires by the time summer arrives.

He said the tunnel would provide him with the luxury to sell as per the daily requirements of the local population.

"It will be a big relief," he said. "It will hopefully change our lives for good."

Asgar Ali Karbalai, a former legislator from Kargil, told DW that Ladakh's isolation from the outside world has a strong impact on the mental health of residents.

"Every winter brings the feeling as if we are being caged. We remain disconnected from the outside world, and it adversely affects our mental health," Karbalai said.

To gain access to the outside world, the people of Kargil have to travel nearly 250 kilometer to Leh airbase — an aerial route to escape the region during winters.

Karbalai said the new tunnel could boost winter sports and tourism in Drass, Zanskar, and other parts of Ladakh.

Many students have welcomed the construction of the tunnel as past closures of the road resulted in missed national university entrance examinations.

Hakeema Bano in Kargil missed her entrance examination for a postgraduate course at Jamia Milia University three years ago in New Delhi after Zojila Pass was closed because of a landslide. She had to wait one year to obtain admission in a postgraduate course later at the Central University of Kashmir.

"Zojila tunnel has discouraged scores of our students to take up higher education because they either miss entrance examinations conducted at national level after paying the fee or can't travel back home for a long time," Bano said.

Countering China and Pakistan

Security analyst Rigzin Spalbar told DW that the Zojila tunnel will be of great importance to India's defense, as military activities increase at the borders in the Ladakh, Gilgit and Baltistan regions.

Both India and China have stationed tens of thousands of soldiers in those areas, backed by artillery, tanks and fighter jets.

"The tunnel will provide logistics flexibility to the military and give it operational and strategic mobility. In emergencies, we can quickly make the movement of troops and weaponry to Ladakh through the tunnel," Spalbar said.

India-China tensions have spiked in recent years as New Delhi accused Beijing of sending troops to the borders.

In June last year, at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash with Chinese forces in Ladakh, Indian officials say, marking the first deadly clash in the border area in at least 45 years.

The 13th round of talks between Beijing and Delhi in October to resolve the disputed Himalayan border broke down, with the sides blaming each other for the failure to make progress.

Instead of removing troops from the border over the harsh winter, as many as 50,000 Indian soldiers will stay on the line for a second consecutive year.

Spalbar also pointed out that the alternative routes between Srinagar and Leh are not only long and hazardous in winters, but located close to India's borders with Pakistan and China.

The need for such a tunnel was first felt during the 1999 India-Pakistan Kargil war, and now the recent incursions by China are making it an "urgent necessity," he said.

With China-Pakistan military cooperation becoming stronger in the region, India must speed up work on the tunnel to make Ladakh accessible to the Indian Army by road, Spalbar added.

Edited by: Sou-Jie van Brunnersum