It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Brian Jean apologizes for social media post highlighting ethnicity of political opponent
Social Sharing
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Reddit
LinkedIn
'That's not who we are in Alberta and that's not who we are in Fort McMurray,' councillor says
THAT'S EXACTLY WHO UCP IS, A PARTY OF WHITE RIGHT WING REACTIONARIES
Brian Jean faced criticism this weekend after a post on his LinkedIn referenced his political opponent's ethnicity. (Submitted by Brian Jean)
United Conservative party hopeful Brian Jean is apologizing after a post on his social media page highlighted the ethnicity of his political opponent in the race to represent the UCP in the Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche constituency.
On Saturday, a post was made on Jean's LinkedIn page, asking people to buy a $10 UCP membership in Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche, a riding that currently has no MLA after Laila Goodridge made the successful jump from provincial to federal politics.
The post read: "There can only be one UCP candidate. Jason Kenney's people don't want it to be me. They are pushing a Nigerian economist who lives in Fort McMurray," referring to candidate Joshua Gogo, who is also seeking the UCP nomination.
Jean has since removed the post and in a statement he said the post was written by a campaign volunteer.
Jean said in the email that the post had "unacceptable connotation. The comment was promptly removed."
He also said he called and texted Gogo and apologized.
"Not checking the work of the volunteer was an oversight on my part," wrote Jean.
Joshua Gogo shared Brian Jean's comments on Facebook. (Facebook/Joshua Gogo)
He added that he met with leaders in Fort McMurray's Nigerian-Canadian community to apologize.
On Facebook, Gogo said he thought Jean implied he wasn't an Albertan.
"If he so chooses, Brian Jean can try to make this election about my ethnicity," wrote Gogo.
"I will stay focused on showing people from Fort McMurray to Lac La Biche and everywhere in between that I am here to work for them, and to provide the stable representation our area deserves."
Joseph Mugodo, member of the UCP and president of the Zimbabwe Fort McMurray Association, said he's happy that Jean has apologized and removed the comments.
"When candidates or people are being selected for any position, it should not be about the race… it should be about what can you do," said Mugodo.
Mugodo said the most important quality for a candidate is someone who will bring positive change for the community.
"To me, that was uncalled for," said Mugodo.
Mugodo said he would like to move forward and focus on what the candidates can bring to the table.
Funky Banjoko, a Wood Buffalo municipal councillor, said she was surprised when she first saw this post.
"This doesn't look good coming from a leader," she said.
"That's not who we are in Alberta and that's not who we are in Fort McMurray."
Banjoko said she's proudly Nigerian-Canadian and if Jean wanted to talk about Gogo's background, the proper term would have been Nigerian-Canadian.
"To say Nigerian looks like it's trying to downplay the fact that he is a full-blown Canadian," said Banjoko. "We shouldn't be bringing such negativity to politics."
Banjoko said Fort McMurray is an example of a multicultural community and her experience in politics has been very positive.
She added this kind of behaviour could make people step back and avoid politics.
"He needs to go public and take a step forward and apologize and then we can focus on getting the best person to go and represent the region," said Banjoko.
She thinks Jean should offer an open apology to all immigrants and to Gogo.
The UCP's party nomination isn't open at the moment and a date for the byelection has not been set.
Quebec coroner 'uncomfortable' with Arruda's answers about pandemic preparedness in care homes
Social Sharing
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Reddit
LinkedIn
Arruda admits problems in seniors homes during first wave raise questions about planning
Quebec's director of public health, Horacio Arruda, arrives to testify at the coroner's inquiry in Quebec City on Monday. (Pascal Poinlane/Radio-Canada)
The coroner overseeing an inquiry into COVID-19 deaths in seniors' residences in Quebec last year questioned some of the responses from the province's top public health official on Monday.
Dr. Horacio Arruda, Quebec's public health director, is the highest-ranking public official to testify at the inquiry so far, and during his two days of testimony he was forced to defend many of the government's decisions in preparing for the first wave of the pandemic.
Arruda testified Monday that his department, when planning for the pandemic, had internal discussions about the possible risks COVID-19 might pose to seniors in long-term care residences (CHSLDs) as early as January and February of 2020.
Coroner Géhane Kamel told Arruda Monday that she was surprised to hear that, considering that all testimony at the inquiry to this point suggested that there was almost "no planning" for pandemic response in CHSLDs in the early months of that year.
"It's a bit troubling what you're saying," Kamel said.
She noted that when the pandemic hit, it was clear there wasn't enough staff, personal protective equipment or training in CHSLDs and that they were "anything but ready" for the pandemic.
Kamel said she was "really uncomfortable" with Arruda's responses.
Nearly 4,000 people died in long-term care homes in the first wave of the pandemic that spring.
Arruda noted that his department sent a COVID-19 preparation guide to CHSLDs on March 12, and that he took quick action to curtail infections by banning visitors later that month.
But he admitted that the thousands of deaths in CHSLDs during the first wave "raises questions" about planning and how resources were distributed.
Patrick Martin-Ménard, a lawyer for the families of some of the residents who died, asked Arruda if seniors' residences were "a blind spot" in pandemic planning.
"It depends how you interpret the term 'blind spot,'" Arruda responded.
A 'mad house'
After Arruda's testimony concluded, Martin-Ménard told reporters that what he heard was unsatisfying.
Patrick Martin-Ménard, the lawyer representing families of some of the residents who died at long term care homes, said Arruda's testimony demonstrated that the health ministry was 'a bit like a mad house' in its planning for the pandemic (Radio-Canada)
Martin-Ménard noted that at several points during his testimony, Arruda responded by saying certain things didn't fall under his responsibility, or that other witnesses would be better placed to respond.
"What emerges a lot from Dr. Arruda's testimony, and from other witnesses' testimony, is that it's very difficult to know who decided what, when," Martin-Ménard said.
"It's a little bit like a madhouse," he said.
Arruda's testimony sets the stage for the testimony Wednesday of former health minister Danielle McCann, the first and only elected official scheduled to testify at the inquiry.
Initially Marguerite Blais, the minister responsible for seniors, was to testify, but McCann was asked to take her place when Blais went on sick leave last month.
The inquiry Monday was also scheduled to hear from two assistant deputy ministers who were heavily involved in pandemic planning,Dr. Lucie Opatrny and Nathalie Rosebush.
Cancer-causing air pollution forecast at 44 times annual level in Ont. First Nation, docs show
2:10 Newly revealed data from the Ministry of Environment, disclosed last week following questions from Global News, shows a startling forecast for a chemical linked to cancer - up to 44 times the annual level - in the northern part of Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Ontario.
After a prolonged battle with the provincial government, an Ontario First Nation has finally obtained critical air pollution data — previously held in secret — showing alarming levels of a cancer-causing chemical in the air.
Newly revealed data from the Ministry of Environment, disclosed last week following questions from Global News, shows a startling forecast for benzene pollution, a chemical linked to cancer, up to 44 times the annual level in the northern part of the First Nation.
Members of Aamjiwnaang First Nation, located along the Michigan border, said the Ontario government has been stonewalling them and withholding crucial data for years in what amounts to a “disrespectful” partnership that has treated them as less than equal.
“When we’re talking with the ministry and the province about nation to nation and reconciliation, if we can’t even get a minister to answer our letters, it speaks to the commitment of the government,” said Aamjiwnaang’s environment coordinator Sharilyn Johnston.
Aamjiwnaang had been asking the government for the benzene data for months, and for other air pollution reports since 2017. Community members were also anxiously awaiting a new government regulation to reduce sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions from nearby petroleum plants.
Both the reports and the proposed SO2 regulation were released last week following questions from Global News.
“The only reason that he shared any of the data is because of the pressing by (Global News),” said Aamjiwnaang Chief Chris Plain.
Health concerns in Chemical Valley go back years
Aamjiwnaang First Nation lies on the south side of Sarnia and is surrounded by heavy industry.
The area is known as Chemical Valley: a cluster of more than 50 registered polluters — some located mere steps from the homes in Aamjiwnaang. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT
For years, the people living here have suspected the high level of pollution was making them sick. A study published last spring by an Ontario health research institute indicated that air pollution is likely contributing to a higher risk of asthma in kids in the region.
Other serious health concerns — including cancer cases — have remained anecdotal in the absence of hard data.
A 2017 Global News investigation, in partnership with the Toronto Star and the Institute for Investigative Journalism, exposed a pattern of industrial leaks and spills in the Sarnia area and revealed the stories of residents who believed it was making them sick.
Just two days after the investigation was made public, the provincial government announced it would launch a health study that the community had been requesting for a decade.
23:05 Toxic Secret: A troubling trend of leaks and spills in the Sarnia area – Oct 14, 2017 The stakes of the health study are high.
Should it prove a connection between elevated air pollution levels and adverse health impacts, oil and chemical companies — the lifeblood of Sarnia — could be forced to invest millions to renovate their plants.
The financial cost, some speculate, could jeopardize Ontario’s competitive advantage, putting jobs at risk.
A spokesperson for the Environment Ministry said the Sarnia Area Environmental Health Project will “enhance our understanding of the links between environment and health.” It is slated to be completed this spring.
In 2017, the provincial government, then led by Kathleen Wynne, assured the Aamjiwnaang First Nation that it would be included in the project, which the government said would “improve the relationship with Ontario’s Indigenous communities.”
The Ford government also reiterated its importance.
“People can count on us to make sure that the health study gets done, obviously in partnership with the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, with the town, with the health authorities,” former environment minister Rod Phillips said in 2018.
While the Ministry of the Environment has kept the First Nation regularly updated on the project, until last week it withheld key air pollution data informing the health study.
“This is just the continuation of the Canadian legacy of putting Indigenous people, people of colour, at a lower place,” said Janelle Nahmabin, chair of Aamjiwnaang’s environment committee, who goes by the spirit name Red Cloud Woman.
The recently released benzene data is part of the health study’s air exposure review, which is meant to identify the hazards, evaluate exposures and characterize risks.
Five priority chemicals were identified by the ministry for inclusion: benzene and 1,3 butadiene, which are known carcinogens, as well as sulphur dioxide, which can cause respiratory distress.
2:10 Ontario enviro watchdog, First Nation demand health study after ‘Chemical Valley’ investigation – Oct 15, 2017
All five chemicals were modelled by the Ministry of the Environment — a projection of pollution levels based on combined industrial emissions and weather patterns.
Global News was able to obtain part of that modelling data, under freedom of information legislation. The data indicated sulphur dioxide levels at much higher concentrations than most Canadian cities.
The maximum annual average of sulphur dioxide over three years was forecast to be as high as 11 parts per billion (ppb) in Sarnia’s industrial heart and five to six ppb in north Aamjiwnaang, which is located close to a petroleum plant.
Toronto, by contrast, had an annual SO2 level of 0.3 ppb for the last year data was reported.
The Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standard for SO2, a non-enforceable standard, is five ppb annually, and is being lowered to four ppb annually in 2025.
“These are very high levels,” said Scott Grant, an air pollution engineer who retired from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and is now consulting with Aamjiwnaang. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT
“There have been a number of studies going back into the early 2000s that demonstrate an increased level of hospitalizations and increased level of mortality, even with these higher levels of SO2 on a long-term basis. This is a significant concern.” READ MORE: A year after Ontario promised change, toxic emissions still spilling into Sarnia
On Oct. 27, Global News contacted the Ministry of the Environment seeking information about sulphur dioxide and its health effects. On Nov. 1, there was a follow-up request for more data and an interview with the minister — which was not granted.
If it is approved, heavy emitters would be required to reduce SO2 levels by 30 per cent by early 2022 and would have to reduce emissions by up to 90 per cent by the end of 2026. It would also allow the province to fine a company up to $100,000 for contravening the new requirements.
“Our facilities in Ontario, near Aamjiwnaang, are decades behind in terms of air pollution control,” Grant said.
“There are cost-effective solutions that have already been proven in the United States that could be applied here.”
The proposed regulation also stipulates that companies will have to share emissions data with local municipalities and First Nations.
‘Tired of empty words’
Among the other documents disclosed to the First Nation this week: an air monitoring report that shows the government had been aware of how severe the benzene exposures were for years.
The emissions report was published in 2017 by a Swedish firm hired by the ministry to conduct specialized air monitoring using “state of the art” infrared and laser techniques.
It measured the air quality at 18 different locations in the Sarnia area and found benzene levels outside two of the industrial plants which neighbour Aamjiwnaang up to 10 times Ontario’s hourly benchmark. The report also zeroed in on the specific sources of the emissions. Aamjiwnaang had been asking the government for this report for four years.
“It is unconscionable as to why the Ministry would fail to produce a report to Aamjiwnaang First Nation,” Aamjiwnaang Chief Chris Plain wrote to Environment Minister David Piccini on July 13, 2021.
Currently, benzene emissions have been reduced in parts of Aamjiwnaang, but they are still well above Ontario’s stringent air quality standard.
An independent analysis by Global News found the annual benzene level in 2020 at a government air monitor on the north side of Aamjiwnaang was still seven times Ontario’s Ambient Air Quality Criteria — a threshold established to protect health.
Environment Ministry spokesperson Gary Wheeler said that level is a 50 per cent reduction from 2019 and the government has taken action by issuing orders, requiring an industrial plant across from Aamjiwnaang to reduce its benzene emissions.
For Red Cloud Woman of Aamjiwnaang, the continued pollution and the lack of partnership is environmental racism.
In an era of reconciliation with Indigenous communities across Canada, she said the rhetoric of rebuilding relations rings hollow.
“We’re tired of empty words. We want action.”
Large UK earthquake sees homes rocked and startled residents forced awake at 2am
Residents in Lochgilphead, Scotland, and neighbouring towns have reported significant tremors after a 3.1 magnitude earthquake startled residents in the early hours of this morning
The epicentre is thought to be just outside of Lochgilphead, northwest of Glasgow in Argyll
A significant earthquake has rocked homes and woken people up in Scotland, with locals reporting serious shaking.
It registered 3.1 on the Richter scale and caused widespread disturbance at around 2am on Tuesday morning.
The epicentre is believed to be near the town of Lochgilphead, northwest of Glasgow in Argyll, and shaking has also been reported in Oban, Inveraray and Tarbert.
Nearby residents said their homes shook during the tremor, reports The Mirror.
One said: "I'm in Tarbert Argyll. I've never felt one that big, everything in my room shook."
Another said: "Argyll earthquake was around 7km from Lochgilphead and felt widely across Argyllshire. Possible 4.2 magnitude which would make sense for reported duration."
The quake has struck the idyllic west coast of Scotland (Image: Getty Images)
Scotland shaken by early-hours earthquake I
The earthquake's epicentre was 11 miles north west of Lochgilphead
People in the west of Scotland have been shaken by an earthquake in the early hours of the morning.
The earthquake, with a magnitude of 3.3, happened just before 02:00.
Its epicentre was about 11 miles (18km) north west of Lochgilphead in Argyll and Bute, and 88 miles (142km) north west of Glasgow, according to the United States Geological Survey.
More than 30 people reported the tremor, from as far away as Edinburgh and Ballycastle in Northern Ireland.
The agency said the quake happened six miles (10km) below the Earth's surface.
Rosemary Neagle, who lives on a farm in Kilmartin Glen near Lochgilphead, said the noise of the tremor was so loud that she initially thought something had exploded in one of her sheds.
She told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "It kept on intensifying and the house vibrated. It rumbled on for about 10 seconds afterwards, so it was quite frightening.
"I have experienced them before here but never to that extent. The house has never shook like that in the past."
Stephen Fenwick tweeted: "Earthquake in western Scotland? Probably earth tremor caused by several hundred thousand Glaswegians celebrating Scotland's historic 2-0 win over Denmark last night."
Data from the British Geological Survey shows that between 200 and 300 earthquakes are detected in the UK every year, with tremors of between 3.0 and 3.9 magnitude happening on the mainland once every three years on average.
The overnight earthquake registered on all the seismographs across Ireland.
Dr Martin Möllhoff, director of Seismic Networks in Dublin at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, said it was the first felt earthquake that had been anywhere in Ireland since one was recorded close to the Irish border in County Donegal in 2019.
"It is a little bit exciting because this does not happen so often and most people think there are no earthquakes in Ireland," he said.
Pfizer agrees to let other companies make its COVID-19 pill
FILE - The Pfizer logo is displayed at the company's headquarters in New York, on Feb. 5, 2021. In a statement on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021, drugmaker Pfizer Inc. said it has signed a deal with a U.N.-backed group to allow other manufacturers to make its experimental coronavirus pill, in a move that could make its treatment available to more than half of the world’s population.
(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
LONDON (AP) — Drugmaker Pfizer Inc. has signed a deal with a U.N.-backed group to allow other manufacturers to make its experimental COVID-19 pill, a move that could make the treatment available to more than half of the world’s population.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Pfizer said it would grant a license for the antiviral pill to the Geneva-based Medicines Patent Pool, which would let generic drug companies produce the pill for use in 95 countries, making up about 53% of the world’s population.
The deal excludes some large countries that have suffered devastating coronavirus outbreaks. For example, while a Brazilian drug company could get a license to make the pill for export to other countries, the medicine could not be made generically for use in Brazil.
Still, health officials said the fact that the deal was struck even before Pfizer’s pill has been authorized anywhere, could help to end the pandemic quicker.
“It’s quite significant that we will be able to provide access to a drug that appears to be effective and has just been developed, to more than 4 billion people,” Esteban Burrone, head of policy at the Medicines Patent Pool, said.
He estimated that other drugmakers would be able to start producing the pill within months, but acknowledged the agreement wouldn’t please everyone.
“We try to strike a very delicate balance between the interests of the (company), the sustainability required by generic producers and most importantly, the public health needs in lower and middle-income countries,” Burrone said.
Under the terms of the agreement, Pfizer will not receive royalties on sales in low-income countries and will waive royalties on sales in all countries covered by the agreement while COVID-19 remains a public health emergency.
Earlier this month, Pfizer said its pill cut the risk of hospitalization and death by nearly 90% in people with mild to moderate coronavirus infections. Independent experts recommended halting the company’s study based on its promising results.
Pfizer said it would ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulators to authorize the pill as soon as possible,
Since the pandemic erupted last year, researchers worldwide have raced to develop a pill to treat COVID-19 that can be taken at home easily to ease symptoms, speed recovery and keep people out of the hospital. At the moment, most COVID-19 treatments must be delivered intravenously or by injection.
Britain authorized the Merck’s COVID-19 pill earlier this month, and it is pending approval elsewhere. In a similar deal with the Medicines Patent Pool announced in October, Merck agreed to let other drugmakers make its COVID-19 pill, molnupiravir, available in 105 poorer countries.
Doctors Without Borders said it was “disheartened” that the Pfizer deal does not make the drug available to the entire world, noting that the agreement announced Tuesday also excludes countries including China, Argentina and Thailand.
“The world knows by now that access to COVID-19 medical tools needs to be guaranteed for everyone, everywhere, if we really want to control this pandemic,” said Yuanqiong Hu, a senior legal policy adviser at Doctors Without Borders.
The decisions by Pfizer and Merck to share their COVID-19 drug patents stands in stark contrast to the refusal of Pfizer and other vaccine-makers to release their vaccine recipes for wider production. A hub set up by the World Health Organization in South Africa intended to share messenger RNA vaccine recipes and technologies has not enticed a single pharmaceutical to join.
Fewer than 1% of Pfizer’s COVID-19 shots have gone to poorer countries.
Flooding in Merritt, B.C., is seen in this still taken from video (Big Power Films/CTV News)
TORONTO -- An intense storm slamming the West Coast has left a trail of devastation and chaos in British Columbia, with flooding, mudslides and evacuation orders issued to try to ensure public safety.
The entire city of Merritt was evacuated by officials when floodwaters “inundated” bridges and shut down the local sewage treatment plant.
Torrential rain caused mudslides, flooding, and rockslides and forced highway closures between B.C.’s Lower Mainland and Southern Interior, with some homes in Merritt evacuated overnight. An expanded evacuation order was issued after 10 a.m. local time urging nearby Nicola Valley community members to leave the area.
Dozens of homes in the district of Okanagan-Similkameen were evacuated Sunday night, and landslides and flooding hit the city of Abbotsford, with several roads cut off as a result of the weather.
Thousands of residents on Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands were without electricity Monday, with downed trees and flooding cutting off electricity.
Transportation has been stymied across parts of the provinces, with ferries and public transit routes cancelled and highways closed due to safety concerns around road and bank instability.
Photos and videos from across the province show the scale of the storm’s aftermath and the repercussions as rain continues to fall in some areas and evacuation orders continue to be issued.
Strong winds overturned a tent in Metro Vancouver (Shane McDonald via Storyful)
A front door bell camera captured the rising floodwaters in Merritt, B.C. (Jared Thomas via Storyful)
Twitter footage shows a flooded highway near Abbottsford, B.C. (Anthony Gwillim via Storyful)
Video shows vehicles in floodwaters on 16th Avenue and Courtenay Street in Vancouver early Monday morning, Nov. 15. (Stuart Chase via Storyful)
Footage shows raging waters slamming along a bridge in Merritt, B.C. (Jamie Caccia via Storyful)
Vancouver is now completely cut off from the rest of Canada by road
There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada.
The Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley are now completely cut off from the rest of British Columbia and the country by road.
Photo Credit: Linda Corscadden The southbound lanes of the Coquihalla Highway have been completely washed out near Othello Tunnels.
Flooding and mudslides had closed most routes between the coast and BC Interior over the past 24 hours, but the back route through Whistler on Hwy 99 remained open this morning.
That changed shortly after 11 am, when DriveBC reported that a mudslide 42 kilometres south of Lillooet had shut down Hwy 99 as well.
The only way to drive between the coast and the rest of Canada at this time is through the United States.
However, Washington is also seeing highway closures due to the inclement weather and residents would need a COVID-19 test to re-enter Canada.
Here’s a full list of mainland BC highways currently closed:
Hwy 1 between Hope and Lytton
Hwy 1 between Lytton and Spences Bridge
Hwy 3 between Hope and Manning Park
Hwy 3 between Princeton and Keremeos
Hwy 3 near Fernie
Hwy 5 between Hope and Merritt
Hwy 7 on both sides of Agassiz
Hwy 7 between Maple Ridge and Mission
Hwy 11 between Mission and Abbotsford
Hwy 93 between Radium Hot Springs and the BC-Alberta border
Hwy 99 between Pemberton and Lillooet
Damage to BC highways, including the Coquihalla, is still being assessed
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth could not say how long some highways might be closed after mudslides and flooding cut off most routes between the Southern Interior and the Lower Mainland.
Extensive damage is reported on several routes , including the Coquihalla Highway, where whole portions of road were reportedly washed away.
Geotechnical assessments are underway. There have been aircraft out looking at exactly the state of the damage.
Farnworth said on some highways it may be as simple as removing debris and ensuring the road is good for vehicle traffic to go through again.
“In the case of the Coquihalla, I have not seen a detailed report on that, but from what I have heard, there does appear to be a significant issue on one side of the highway. Obviously we’re going to have to wait for the full geotechnical reports on that before we’re able to say, look, it’s going to be open in X amount of days or X amount of weeks.”
The new threat is strong wind and in the Interior, colder air.
“On the highways, the freezing levels are going to drop. So, even if you’re not dealing with snow because you’re not dealing with precipitation any more, we’re dealing with something like a flash freeze warning Not quite at that level, but still I believe there will be some localized freezing of the water that has fallen, said Armel Castellan, Warning Preparedness Meteorologist with Environment Canada.
A new highway closure will take effect on Highway 1 this evening in the Fraser Valley.
The highway will be closed starting at 7 p.m. PST between Highway 11 and No. 3 Road, due to the flood warning on the Sumas River.
UPDATE 3:05 p.m.
The province will be giving another live update on the flooding at 4 p.m. PST.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth will be joined by officials from Emergency Management BC, the River Forecast Centre, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and Environment and Climate Change Canada.
UPDATE 12:40 p.m.
A new mudslide has reportedly come down on Highway 12 south of Lillooet.
DriveBC said crews were on their way to assess the slide, reported about 25 kilometres south of Lillooet. Highway 12 connects the community to Lytton.
UPDATE 12:15 p.m.
A portion of the Trans-Canada Highway has reopened between Sicamous and Revelstoke.
Hwy 1 was closed in the area due to rocks on the road, but they have been cleared.
However, DriveBC is still cautioning travellers that driving conditions are constantly changing and you should drive with care and watch for debris on roadways.
UPDATE 11:35 a.m.
Two more B.C. highways have been closed.
Highway 99 is off limits in the Lillooet area due to a new mudslide. It is closed from Lil'wat Pl to Texas Creek Rd for 44.6 km.
To the east, Highway 93 is shut because of flooding. It’s closed between the end of Highway 93 and St. Joseph St for 93.9 km (British Columbia and Alberta Border to Radium Hot Springs).
UPDATE 10:50 a.m.
Photos circulating on social media suggest it will be days before the Coquihalla Highway is restored.
A photo taken near the Othello Road exit shows a large chunk of Highway 5 completely washed out by the adjacent river.
This morning Minister of Safety Mike Farnworth said he was unable to comment on the status of the highway when asked about the photos.
There is believed to be multiple slides on the Coquihalla, with the Ministry of Transportation sharing an video update on the slide at Mine Creek Road.
ORIGINAL 10 a.m.
The rainfall totals are staggering, and it’s still coming down in many parts of B.C., causing widespread flooding and washing out highways, leaving dozens of people trapped.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth held a Monday morning news conference to update the situation.
Environment Canada said 225 millimetres of rain had deluged the community of Hope since the storm began Saturday and 180 millimetres had fallen around Agassiz and Chilliwack.
The District of Kent, which includes Agassiz, issued a local state of emergency after landslides severed Highway 7.
Farnworth said 80 to 100 people were trapped in their vehicles between two slides on Highway 7. Others are stuck on parts of Highway 3 and Highway 5.
He said Canada Task Force 1, a heavy urban search and rescue team, has been dispatched to the scene on Highway 7, but the weather could hamper rescue efforts. Helicopters might have to be used to get some people out, but high winds in the forecast could make that difficult.
As of this morning, closures continue on the Coquihalla, Fraser Canyon and Hope-Princeton highways to the coast as well as on the Trans-Canada Highway to Alberta, between Revelstoke and Golden.
Highway 5, The Coquihalla Highway, is closed by a mudslide south of the Great Bear Snowshed with no estimated time of reopening available. Damage is reported to the highway. Farnworth said geotechnical experts will be flying over the area to assess the extent of the damage, and until that happens, they won’t know how long it will take to get the route reopened.
Farnworth added that Highway 1 could open west of Hope at 5 p.m. Many travellers had to spend the night in the town, without electricity, which was knocked out by landslides.
A travel advisory is in effect between Golden and Revelstoke, with a closure west of Revelstoke due to rockfall. Travel is not recommended unless absolutely necessary, DriveBC advises.
On Highway 3, there is flooding at Princeton, and the highway is closed. An assessment is in progress. Highway 5A at Princeton is also closed due to flooding.
In southeastern B.C., a closure has ended on Highway 93 between Radium Hot Springs and Banff, but a snowfall travel advisory remains in effect.
Highway 3 between Fernie and Elko is closed due to flooding. A detour is in place.
Environment Canada said rain along the coast and snow in the eastern part of the province wasn't expected to let up until sometime later Monday. About 50 centimetres blanketed Highway 1 through the Rogers Pass and another 25 centimetres was expected.
"The snow level is expected to briefly rise to near Rogers Pass this afternoon, and snow may change to rain," said the weather office post. "However, rain will change back to snow this evening and additional accumulations are possible before the snow eases to scattered flurries late tonight."
Forecasters also warned of powerful winds over Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the southwest Interior later in the day — with gusts up to 90 km/h — which could add to power outages that affected more than 16,000 customers, mainly in the eastern Fraser Valley, on Sunday night.
Environment Canada Meteorologist Armel Castellan noted the rainfall over the past 24 to 36 hours in some parts of the province is more than the entire total for a typical November, which is usually one of the wettest months.
Argentina’s far right and far left make big gains in congressional elections
Ruling Peronist party lost majority as Javier Milei turned notoriety into votes and a Trotskyist party got third largest vote share
Javier Milei of the Liberty Advances party addresses supporters in Buenos Aires on Sunday.
‘Free souls: thank you for you roar,’ he said. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Argentina’s political system is braced for an earthquake after parties on the extreme left and right made big gains in weekend midterm congressional elections, putting an end to decades in which the country’s populists and conservatives wrestled for power. Sunday’s vote saw the Peronist Front for Everyone coalition of President Alberto Fernández lose its majority in Congress for the first time in almost 40 years and lose its stronghold of Buenos Aires province to the center-right coalition Together for Change. Nationally, the Trotskyist Leftist Worker Front (FIT) won the third largest share of the votes, but it was the sudden rise of the far-right libertarian Liberty Advances party that dominated local coverage of the results.
The party’s wild-haired leader, Javier Milei, has refused to be vaccinated against Covid, denies climate change is real, and describes himself as a “lion”.
Milei rose to fame last year with on-air boasts of his sexual prowess, eventually converting media notoriety into votes and peeling away support from Together for Change, the conservative party of former president Mauricio Macri, who hopes to return to the presidency in 2023.
“Free souls; thank you for your roar,” Milei said after wining 17% of the vote in the capital city of Buenos Aires – previously unheard of for a third party in the nation’s capital. “This is a historic event. Being a liberal is no longer shameful in Argentina.”
As if to confirm the party’s maverick image, a victory celebration on Sunday night was overshadowed by the behaviour of an armed party bodyguard who flashed his weapon at a heckler.
The party’s congressional seat winner, Victoria Villarroel, looked on impassively as the bodyguard stormed on to the stage before her, pulled back his coat and unclipped his holster in what appeared to be a threat, before he was removed by party officials. Chile far-right candidate rides anti-migrant wave in presidential poll
Villarroel, who campaigns for the release of the jailed torturers and murderers of Argentina’s 1976-83 dictatorship, said: “They’ve taken the bread from our mouths, they’ve stepped on our heads with taxes and regulations. Today is the victory of the common people.”
The party’s success was hailed by far-right groups across the region which have found growing political success with a mixture of climate-skeptic, Covid-denialist, nationalist and militarist messages.
“The triumph of Javier Milei in Argentina is great news for Latin America. Argentina is a great country and for decades it has been ravaged by populism and incompetence. Enough of abuse and corruption!” tweeted José Antonio Kast, the far-right candidate in Sunday’s presidential elections.
The arrival of new far-right and far-left faces in congress is likely to add further uncertainty to a scenario in which President Fernández has lost his quorum in the senate.
Fernández’s Peronist Front for Everyone and the conservative Together for Change coalition ran neck and neck in Argentina’s main electoral district, the province of Buenos Aires with 15 million of Argentina’s 45 million inhabitants, both obtaining 15 seats in the lower house of congress. Another far-right party led by the economist José Luis Espert won three seats and the leftwing FIT two.
FIT meanwhile emerged as the third political force nationwide, with about 6% of the national vote, previously unheard of for a leftist party, gaining congressional seats in a number of provinces.
“There’s been a growth on both the right and on the left,” said Myriam Bregman, elected as a lower house legislator for the city of Buenos Aires. “It’s evident that there is a sector that is starting to see the left as a way out of the economic and social situation, because the left is now the third national political force,” Bregman added.
'Drained of power': Argentina's Peronists face identity crisis
after midterm rout
Eliana Raszewski and Nicolás Misculin
By Eliana Raszewski and Nicolás Misculin
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Argentina's Peronist ruling coalition is teetering on the brink of political crisis, with President Alberto Fernandez facing a fight for control after voters abandoned his party in bruising midterm elections, sapping his power in Congress.
The party, a mix of center-left moderates allied with the president and a powerful hard-left faction around Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, now has a dilemma: concede ground to work with the opposition, swerve left - or split down the middle.
"The government has serious problems. It is a president who is totally drained of power," said Mariel Fornoni from political consultancy Management & Fit. "The coalition is broken."
The Sunday vote https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/argentines-vote-midterm-trial-by-fire-president-fernandez-2021-11-14 saw the Peronists lose their majority in the Senate for the first time since 1983, with a number of provinces swinging sharply away from the government of Fernandez, who swept to power in 2019.
The loss hobbles his government's ability to push through legislation in Congress, hitting plans for judicial reform and adding complexity to talks over a new $45 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund, which needs lawmaker approval.
Alberto Ramos at Goldman Sachs said in a note that the defeat could leave the ruling party weakened and that "internal dissent over policy direction could grow further," potentially impacting moderate voices like Economy Minister Martin Guzman.
"Losing control of Congress implies the government would have to negotiate with a stronger and re-energized opposition that could lead to a noisy and volatile policy-making process," he said.
In a message recorded after the defeat, President Fernandez struck a moderate tone, saying he would call for dialogue with the opposition, redouble efforts to solve the IMF debt, put a economic plan to Congress and take aim at inflation.
However, he played down suggestions of reining in public spending, that many see as vital amid tough economic conditions.
"It is necessary to get the state accounts in order, but never at the cost of an adjustment in spending. The adjustment was tried repeatedly in Argentina and only deepened inequality and poverty," he said.
The IMF said through a spokesman that they "continue to work" on a plan that tackles "Argentina's most pressing economic and social challenges, including high inflation, which disproportionately hurts the most vulnerable."
POLITICAL COST
The government has a long list of crises to solve.
Inflation is running at over 50% annually, poverty is above 40%, and the peso currency trades at some 200 per dollar in informal markets that have blossomed amid capital controls, double the official exchange rate of 100 pesos per dollar.
Some foresee a faster devaluation of the currency to bring the two rates closer together and to match rising prices.
"In December or a bit earlier, the pace of the official devaluation is going to accelerate to prevent the dollar from lagging too far behind inflation," said Roberto Geretto, an economist at Fundcorp.
Talks with the IMF over a new deal have also dragged, amid divisions within the government. Many Argentines blame the lender for worsening previous economic crises.
Julio Burdman, a political analyst from the Electoral Observatory, said, however, that the opposition would likely get on board with the deal.
"I think the agreement with the IMF does not depend on politics," he said. "There is no one interested in Argentina not signing an agreement."
(Reporting by Nicolás Misculin and Eliana Raszewski in Buenos Aires; Additional reporting by Rodrigo Campos in New York; Editing by Adam Jourdan, Robert Birsel and Rosalba O'Brien)
I
.jpg)
