Minister Sawhney driving unemployed Albertans back to work

There is a forecasted shortage of 3,600 Class 1 commercial drivers in Alberta.

This shortage initially came around when Alberta introduced the Mandatory Entry Level Training Program (MELT) for all Class 1 drivers. 

The introduction of this standard capped the program at $10,000. 

Before MELT, there was no standard in place for drivers. 

Due to this labour shortage, a $3,000,000 grant was initiated by the previous NDP Minister of Transportation to help unemployed Albertans looking for a job in commercial trucking. 

This is a grant that has now been renewed in 2021 for $5,000,000 by the current Minister of Transportation, Rajan Sawhney.

“That’s a lot of money and something that's out of reach for some people,” commented Sawhney. “One of the things that transportation did at that time under the previous minister was to introduce the grant for people who are unemployed and collecting employment insurance. The majority of the schooling and training would be provided by the government. It was extremely popular and over-subscribed by 100 people so I introduced stage two this fall. They can apply for this grant and the majority of the cost will be taken care of by the government of Alberta.”

The problem of cost was also addressed by Taber-Warner MLA Grant Hunter.

“The problem, first of all, was when MELT requirements were brought in, having drivers properly trained has caused problems in rural Alberta especially in that now it can be $10,000 to go and get a MELT Class 1 drivers license. More importantly too there's a bottleneck and it’s tough to get in especially if you're a long way away from the training facilities in the larger centres,” explained Hunter.

He also detailed a conversation he had recently around the issue.

“I had a farmer friend of mine say that he had hired up to three new labourers that had melt Class 1 licenses and within the first week a company had come in, offered them a large signing fee and he lost all three employees and this is typical when you have a shortage in any industry. You’ll get this stuff happening. What minister Sawhney has done as a transportation minister is recognize that we have this shortage and want to try and fix it. This will help 500 unemployed Albertans have the opportunity to get their MELT Class 1 and it’s a fix that’s extremely important right now especially with what’s going on all over the place. A lot of the people I talk to want to leave, and just don’t have the money to get a Class 1 and a lot of people don’t see the opportunity. That has never been the case with Alberta, you’ve always been able to find a job or start a business and with what's happening right now; we really need to take care of these issues. In my area, we are firing on all cylinders and we really need to try and tackle this.”

Over both Phase 1 and 2 of the Driving Back to Work Program (DBTW), Sawhney has noted it will help around 800 individuals, but also commented she believes the labour shortage will be greater than 3,600.

“People have left the province and when MELT was implemented there was a transition period of time where people could challenge the existing exams without taking the course and a lot passed, but a lot left the province and that's why I believe it's understated. This grant will not fully address it but it’s raising the profile of Class 1 drivers. It’s a great career and you can earn above a living wage, it’s good money and we want to attract people to it. We also have the Canada Jobs Grant and the Jobs Now Program that can also attract more people into trucking. It’s part of my job to make sure we have more people trained and people being attracted to labour so we can hopefully meet that demand in the future.”

As of 2020/21, of the 249 individuals that completed MELT Class 1 training, only eight have come from southern Alberta — 215 of the grantees responded to a survey where 44 per cent indicated they received employment within three months of completing the training. Sawhney also mentioned that the first phase of the program was oversubscribed by 100 people.

“I want people to know that this grant is out there and I want them to not delay and apply right away because we have a lot of demand and interest. I don’t want eligible people to miss out. Alberta's economic recovery does depend a great deal on bringing goods from one end of the country to another. We play a pivotal role in terms of having those economic corridors, moving supplies and the whole logistics industry is really well developed in Alberta but the limiting factor is always labour. Even if everything is going well if you don’t have the people doing the work then you’re bottlenecked. Our recovery in this province does depend on people in the trucking industry and more people having a Class 1 and taking these great job opportunities.”

This was a statement that Hunter echoed.

“People who drive trucks are incredibly important in our society, in Alberta, in Canada. There’s nothing here that doesn’t have to be transported by truck so if we don’t have that component right it’s going to cause major problems for our economy and our ability to grow.”

Additionally, Hunter also stated around 30 per cent of labourers in the ag industry in southern Alberta are made up of Low German Mennonites.

“We have to make sure, first of all, there’s not a language barrier, so they know about this program, and if need be have someone reach out to them and let them know this is available and to help them circumnavigate that. Our office is very interested in helping anybody in our area be able to navigate this and apply for this. My office can be contacted at (403) 223-0001 and we have some great staff in my office that can help them get that information. If there’s a language barrier we will make sure there will be someone to help them through interpretation, or a cultural understanding we can help them figure that out as well.”

In closing, Sawhney wanted to add that commercial trucking shouldn’t be generalized by stereotypes.

“I want to dispel that myth because the technology has grown so greatly in terms of how trucks are put together and the future will be very interesting. We have autonomous trucks that are being researched and we have two trucks relatively soon that have a lot of technology, AI and machine learning that are autonomous so the industry is quite exciting. It’s not what people think it is and there's a lot of cool things happening. It’s not necessarily super long hours and a lot of time away from home like people think because there really is a lot of opportunities. Those preconceived notions aren’t necessarily true.”

To apply for the DBTW program you can visit: https://www.alberta.ca/dbtw-class-1-funding-application.aspx

For more information on the DBTW program, you can view the news release at: https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=800855E8201E2-EF56-80CA-AB251169F1370315. The Class 1 MELT program is provided in English, however driving training schools are able to accommodate Canada’s official languages and others through translation to ensure language is not a barrier to safety on Alberta’s roads.

Kenyon Stronski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Taber Times

Striking BCGEU workers reach tentative new deal

A tentative new collective agreement has been reached between the BC General Employees’ Union and its administrative support staff.

Workers in Fort St. John and across B.C. walked off the job on Nov. 9, and are represented by the Movement of United Professionals (MoveUP). Christy Slusarenko, vice-president of MoveUP, said in a release Wednesday that workers are happy to be back at the table.

“We are pleased to see we were able to return to the table with the employer and, through mediation, address the critical issues that our members identified and come to an agreement,” Slusarenko said in a statement.

“Our members wanted to see the employer’s offer respect the work that they do and compensate them fairly for the value they bring to the organization. We feel this agreement does that, and we will be endorsing it to our members and recommending they accept the deal.”

No date has been set to ratify the agreement, and MoveUP says there will be no further job action while the two parties continue to work on the details.

tsummer@ahnfsj.ca

Tom Summer, Local Journalism Initiative, Alaska Highway News

Operator: Impact from release of Fukushima water minimal

WHEN IS A LIE, NOT A LIE; WHEN ITS PROPAGANDA

TOKYO (AP) — The operator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant said Wednesday that a data simulation of its planned release of treated radioactive water into the sea suggests it would have an extremely small impact on the environment, marine life and humans.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The Japanese government and the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, say they will start gradually releasing the water in the spring of 2023 so hundreds of storage tanks at the plant can be removed to make room for facilities needed for its decommissioning.

The plan has been fiercely opposed by fishermen, residents and Japan’s neighbors, including China and South Korea.

TEPCO plans to send the water through an undersea tunnel and discharge it about 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) away from the coastal power plant after treating and diluting it with large amounts of seawater.

According to the simulation, radiation levels of seawater right above the release point temporarily increased slightly but quickly fell to normal levels, TEPCO said, Exposure to radioactivity was significantly lower than the maximum safe levels set by international organizations, it said.

Government and TEPCO officials say tritium, which is not harmful in small amounts, cannot be removed from the contaminated water, but all other isotopes selected for treatment can be reduced to safe levels. Controlled release of tritium from normal nuclear plants is a routine global practice, officials say

The simulation showed a slight rise in tritium levels within 2-3 kilometers (1.2-1.8 miles) from the plant, TEPCO official Junichi Matsumoto said.

But some experts say the long-term impact on marine life from low-dose exposures is still unknown.

The estimated radiation exposure for local fisherman in coastal areas, and for people who regularly consume seafood from the region was much less than 1 millisievert, an annual dose considered safe, TEPCO said.

Japan has requested help from the U.N. nuclear agency to ensure the discharge meets international safety standards and to gain the understanding of the international community.

A six-member team from the International Atomic Energy Agency, currently in Japan, visited the plant on Tuesday to inspect preparations for the planned discharge.

A massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 severely damaged three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, causing large amounts of contaminated cooling water to leak. The water has been stored in about 1,000 tanks which the operator says will reach their capacity late next year.

Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press

EXPLAINER: Why India has repeated air pollution problems

WASHINGTON (AP) — New Delhi struggles with pollution year-round, but the problem becomes acute during fall and winter months. On Wednesday, the concentration of tiny pollution particles was nearly 30 times above the level deemed safe over a 24-hour period by the World Health Organization.

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Around the world, researchers closely track levels of airborne particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter — known as PM 2.5 — because it can lodge in the lungs and other organs, causing long-term health damage. In 2020, 13 of the 15 cities with the most polluted air were in India.

In northern India, “the autumn spike in air pollution relates in part to the annual burning of crop residue in fields," said Deborah Seligsohn, an Asia air pollution expert at Villanova University. Other sources of air pollution include vehicle emissions, trash burning, electricity production and heavy industry, including steelmaking and brick kilns.

It remains unclear how much of an impact a proposed “ pollution lockdown " will have on New Delhi's air pollution, she said.

While the New Delhi government has already closed city schools and shown willingness to impose a broader emergency weekend lockdown — similar to the one implemented during the pandemic — it doesn't have the power to shut down traffic and industry regionally.

“This lockdown would be in New Delhi, but a significant portion of Delhi's air pollution doesn't come from the city itself — it's a regional air shed," said Seligsohn.

Prolonged exposure to air pollution leads to increased rates of respiratory illness, cardiovascular diseases, premature births and other health concerns, said Jessica Seddon, an air pollution expert at the World Resources Institute.

While greater awareness of air pollution in India in recent years in has led to more government attention, it remains a difficult problem to solve, she said.

___

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

Christina Larson, The Associated Press

Teachers' union 'alarmed' by dozens of vacancies across N.W.T.

Dozens of positions remain unfilled in the Northwest Territories' schools and almost every school lacks enough substitute teachers, a survey by the territory's teachers' union has found.

The N.W.T. Teachers' Association surveyed 48 principals representing 49 schools. In sharing the data, the association's president said the results were "alarming."

Matthew Miller said the survey reported 36 vacancies, with 21 of the 48 principals unable to fill all positions. Some schools still have three roles unfilled.

Only one in eight N.W.T. schools has an adequate number of substitute teachers.

"Trying to fix that is going to be difficult," Miller said of the staff shortage.

“We’re not putting these numbers out here to say anyone is doing anything wrong, it’s just really to bring awareness that this is where we are with those shortages – especially recognizing some of these positions are program support teachers, and instructional coaches, and administration. It’s really hard for the rest of the school who now have to pick up the extra duties,”

“Those services still have to be done one way or another, so it’s a difficult year here. Anyone saying that it’s a normal year? Principals were very clear with me, saying this is not a normal year.”

Miller said French immersion teachers are being referred to as “unicorns” because finding someone to teach French in the N.W.T. is now so rare.

“Not very often are you going to get the best teachers out there mid-November. The best teachers are already taken and they’re already working,” he said.

“You may have someone that was in an area where the fit wasn’t great for them, and they may look to transfer, but a lot of the positions that are open right now may not be filled.

“We’re already fielding calls with people looking to resign as it is, so there may be more people leaving. Trying to make sure we get more people coming up is going to be very difficult this year.”

In June, the teachers' association said more than 130 teachers were expected to leave the N.W.T. at the end of the 2020-21 academic year, a higher turnover figure than is normal.

A quarter of respondents in the survey – 12 of the 48 principals - said housing was a factor in failing to fill positions.

Miller previously told Cabin Radio the lack of housing is a decades-old issue. Some school boards offer assistance in finding homes or offer boarding in dedicated housing for school staff.

Councillors in one N.W.T. village, Fort Simpson, recently expressed concern that there was nowhere in the village for teachers to live.

Philippe Brulot, superintendent of the Dehcho Divisional Education Council – or DDEC, which serves Fort Simpson – said he lost one teacher in Fort Simpson earlier this year because they could not find housing.

“It’s really tied to the flood we had in the spring. We started the school year with a deficit in housing,” he said.

Brulot said the DDEC had not been informed in time of the struggle the teacher was having, and could have offered more help.

“I cannot say that it’s easy to find something," he said.

"For example, if we have a new staff member going into Fort Providence, it will not be easy to necessarily find something – but eventually you will find a place."

Brulot said a “domino effect” where teachers take new positions internally, leaving gaps in other areas, can cause difficulties.

“We had a couple of postings in the spring and we had candidates from different parts of the country, but what happened is we also had people from within our board who applied on those positions,” he said.

“If somebody who has a job with us gets an interview in July, and gets the position out of priority, then it creates a vacancy in the position they were holding. Now, instead of filling your initial posting ... you’ve created a vacancy you need to fill for August.

“By the time you conduct interviews, you’re already into the school year.”

Miller said COVID-19 travel restrictions were another factor identified by principals in a hard year for recruitment.

Pandemic-related travel restrictions meant leaving the territory over the past year usually involved 14 days' isolation when travellers returned.

“We are seeing a bit of a ripple effect where people were not able to travel last year,” Miller said.

“I think people this year want to stay closer to their loved ones.”

Only six principals said their schools had enough substitute teachers. According to the survey, 11 per cent of substitute teachers in the territory are certified teachers.

Miller said there are two scenarios when schools lack substitutes: teachers are reassigned or support assistants are pulled from their roles to cover classes.

“Teachers are often reassigned if they’re fortunate enough to have a preparation period, and those are normally used for planning, marking, and their meetings,” he said.

“All these tasks still need to be completed during a teacher’s evenings and weekends if they’re pulled to do internal coverage, and this creates more of a disparity between their work-life balance.”

During the pandemic, Miller fears more teachers are using sick time and more classes need to be covered. That could result in increased teacher burnout, he said.

Support assistants in 60 per cent of N.W.T. schools are used as substitute teachers, which affects students who require extra support.

“When you start pulling support assistants you are creating a void in other roles within the school," said Miller.

Brulot said almost all of the DDEC’s communities lack substitute teachers and in Fort Simpson, the number is “far from what we need.”

“The impact of a sub shortage is insidious, it’s not necessarily visible but it’s very powerful,” Brulot said.

“There is no miracle solution because when you’re in a community, the subs have to come out of who is available in the community.”

In some instances, principals in Fort Simpson are filling in, meaning they cannot fulfill administrative tasks or converse with parents and staff.

Ultimately, said Miller, if teachers have a negative experience, word of mouth will pass that along to others who might be looking at working in the North.

“We have to make sure the workload of our teachers is in line with what they’re signing up for,” he said.

“Right now, I don’t feel that our education system is properly funded."

Sarah Sibley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio

Opinion: Time to drop any separatism rhetoric
Howard Leeson 

© Provided by Leader Post

Premier Scott Moe's nation within a nation suggestion has been met with must derision across the country.

Premier Scott Moe wants Saskatchewan to be “a nation within a nation ,” and to be more “independent” like Quebec. In particular, he seems to admire many of the moves made by the extreme nationalists and separatists in Quebec. My initial reaction is, enough of the separatist rhetoric.

What should we make of what the premier has to say? First, we should note that there is a deep well of western alienation in Saskatchewan, possibly as deep as that in Alberta. “Fighting against Ottawa” has a long and honourable history in our province. Indeed, it reached a crescendo in 1981 when then-premiers Allan Blakeney and Peter Lougheed combined to ensure provincial control of natural resources in the two provinces. However, both of those premiers were strong Canadian nationalists and resisted any and all attempts at separation and separatism.

Second, while Scott Moe is not proposing separatism, or independence, he is purposefully dancing to the rhetoric being peddled by Western separatists . Obviously, he is trying to secure a political flank against the Buffalo Party provincially. He wants to make sure that any of his voters who might lean that way will stay home in the Saskatchewan Party.

Peiris: Across wide range of issues, Moe government needs to listen to experts

Cuthand: Moe's nation within a nation talk is laughable

What about his specific proposals? He wants more power over immigration. Frankly, this is not new. Immigration is a shared jurisdiction with the federal government, and all provinces have some kind of deal. Go ahead I would say. He also wants to set up a provincial police force. I personally think this is a very bad idea. We have the best police force in the world in Canada, the RCMP. We have the training centre here, and a long history with the force. If some extra federal money is required to keep it in Saskatchewan, then negotiate with the federal government on this. He also wants to collect our own corporate income tax. This also, I believe, is a bad idea. It would lead to extra costs with not enough benefit to justify the expense. As a former director of the Canada Revenue Agency, I can tell you that the CRA does a good job. Let’s leave it where it is. Finally, the premier also wants the province to participate more fully in international trade, and to expand the number of international trade offices. I think this is a waste of money. Having been in charge of trade offices myself, I can tell you that they are for the most part expensive and inefficient vanity projects.

One last matter has to do with equalization. The premier wants to support Alberta on a constitutional amendment that would remove equalization from the constitution of Canada. I was part of Premier Blakeney’s team who, together with Premier Lougheed, insisted on this program being part of a new constitution in 1982. If the existing arrangement is unfair, then change it. You don’t need to remove it from the constitution. Saskatchewan has derived huge benefits from this program in the past and while we may not need it now, it is one of the programs that binds Canada together. Instead of removing equalization, we should be insisting on a $200-billion reconstruction program for the oil-producing provinces, designed to rebalance development in a Canada that is going to need less and less oil and natural gas.

Forget the rhetoric on how we should look like Québec or become a nation. We are a proud province in a great country. Instead, spend your time cheering our team onto the Grey Cup this year.

Howard Leeson was deputy minister for Intergovernmental Affairs to NDP premiers Allan Blakeney and Roy Romanow.

Manitoba premier says she will end court fight, negotiate carbon price with Ottawa

WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government has decided to not appeal a court ruling that said the federal government has a right to impose a carbon price on provinces.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Instead, Premier Heather Stefanson is hoping for a more amicable negotiation with Ottawa than her predecessor, Brian Pallister.

"This is an opportunity, I think, for us to press reset with the federal government and have more of a collaborative relationship with them," Stefanson said Wednesday.

"From the conversations that I've had so far with the prime minister, I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll be able to come to some deal that will be obviously in the best interest of Manitobans."

Pallister planned in 2018 to have a flat $25 per tonne price on carbon. That was lower than the minimum escalating level set by the federal government, but Pallister said Manitoba deserved credit for billions of dollars spent on clean hydroelectric projects, which utility customers continue to pay for.

Pallister said Manitoba's emissions plan, which included wetlands improvements and subsidies for fuel efficiency in the trucking industry, could meet or exceed federal emission targets without imposing a high carbon tax.

Ottawa brought in a "backstop'" carbon price on provinces that did not meet its demands, and promised to return the money, mainly to individuals through income tax rebates.

Manitoba took the issue to Federal Court and lost last month.

Stefanson did not provide any indication that Ottawa has softened its demand or agreed to give Manitoba a discount for its energy development.

"I think that those discussions are ongoing. I'm not going to reveal that right now."

Opposition NDP Leader Wab Kinew said Manitoba should reach a deal with Ottawa and come up with its own carbon-pricing plan.

"Spending money on pointless court battles is not doing anything to solve the climate crisis," he said.

Canada's carbon price started in 2019 at $20 a tonne and is set to rise to $170 a tonne by 2030. The current price of $40 a tonne adds about 8.8 cents a litre to gasoline, or about $3.50 more to a 40-litre fill-up of a car.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2021.

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press

NO COMMENT FROM ATA, YET

Alberta proposes bill to overhaul, publicize teacher discipline and decisions

EDMONTON — Alberta is proposing legislation to make public the names and case details of teachers disciplined for unprofessional conduct or incompetence.

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The bill introduced by Education Minister  AND FORMER SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER 

Adriana LaGrange  would reorganize the disciplinary process and require ongoing criminal record checks for all teachers.

LaGrange says the vast majority of teachers are caring and responsible, but there needs to be more transparency and efficiency around teacher discipline.

The centrepiece of the bill proposes a new online portal to search Alberta teachers and teaching leaders.

The portal would contain dates and details of disciplinary decisions about individual teachers dating back to 1990.

The Alberta Teachers’ Association is currently in charge of disciplining its active members.

The portal would be run by the Alberta Education registrar and would be updated no later than two months after a decision was made.

There could be exemptions on a case-by-case basis, including having to comply with court orders or to make sure no harm or distress came to third parties.

"The overwhelming majority of teachers are incredible professionals; however, when disciplinary matters do arise the process should be timely and transparent," LaGrange told the house Tuesday as she introduced the bill.

"This important legislation would further ensure safety for students, confidence for parents, and accountability for teachers."

Under the bill, the number of disciplinary committees would be reduced and the minister would be granted the power to immediately cancel the teaching certificate of any educator convicted of a serious Criminal Code offence.

Which offences that would apply to are to be determined in regulations later.

The six current disciplinary panels would be telescoped into one staffed by ATA members and by individuals from the public selected by the education minister.

That main panel would handle disciplinary matters via three subcommittees.

The ATA would be required to inform the provincial government of any complaints lodged against its members and to deliver updates on ongoing complaints.

School authorities would have to do criminal checks when hiring new teachers and every five years afterward.

Current teachers would have 16 months to complete the checks.

Opposition NDP education critic Sarah Hoffman characterized the bill as misdirection from a minister who has failed students on multiple fronts, including not providing adequate supports to protect against COVID-19.

"This bill is a cynical attempt to distract from the catalog of harm Adriana LaGrange has caused to Alberta's education system," said Hoffman.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 16, 2021.

Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press

'No Nukes' footage bypasses Springsteen's aversion to film

© Provided by The Canadian Press

NEW YORK (AP) — If there's one thing Bruce Springsteen's fans can find fault with in their hero, it's his early aversion to film cameras.

Because of that, there is very little onscreen documentation of Springsteen onstage in the mid- to late-1970s, when the power and majesty of the E Street Band combined with youthful exuberance for some truly epic concert experiences. Without a ticket and a good memory, they passed you by.

That makes this week's release of a 90-minute film that shows them performing at the “No Nukes” benefit concerts in September 1979 significant for fans and music historians. It's found money.

Before a friendly crowd at New York's Madison Square Garden, Springsteen and his gang of Jersey toughs crackle with pent-up energy. They'd been off the road in 1979, recording “The River,” and are thrilled to be before an audience again. Their typical four-hour show was condensed into 90 minutes. Sharing a bill with artists like Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, and Bonnie Raitt, they burned to show peers what they could do.

Little wonder, then, to see them burst onto the stage with a roaring version of “Prove it All Night.” That's exactly what they intended to do.

When filmmaker Thom Zimny first reviewed the footage, it was without sound, and he could still tell something special was happening.

“You see them explode onscreen,” he said. “The sheer force of E Street at this point was amazing to see.”

Springsteen explains that superstition led him to keep cameras away in those days, something about a musician not wanting to look too closely at his bag of tricks.

“I don't want to see what I'm doing, because it might change what I'm doing,” he said recently, “and what I'm doing is working for me and it's working for the audience.”

It's different now; all of Springsteen's shows are filmed. Back in 1979, the “No Nukes” concert escaped the film phobia because a crew was on hand to make a documentary on the benefit for alternatives to nuclear energy.

There actually wasn't much incentive for filming shows in the pre-MTV, pre-YouTube days, said Chris Phillips, editor and publisher of Backstreets, the website for Springsteen news, With no real outlet on television or the movies, “you were just playing rock ‘n’ roll,” he said.

As a result, footage of more than snippets of Springsteen onstage then are relatively rare, he said. One show in Phoenix turns up on YouTube, recorded by his record company for a commercial to promote Springsteen in parts of the country where he wasn't well known yet. Portions of a Houston show, taken for an arena's in-house use, survive. So does a recording Springsteen's first show in London, at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1975.

A couple of Springsteen's performances appeared on the “No Nukes” documentary and album. Mostly, the footage remained locked away in a vault until Zimny was given access.

He turned it into the film that is being released now partly as a pandemic project.

“It was something that I did because I missed the band so much,” Zimny said.

Unlike much of the surviving footage of Springsteen from those days, Zimny was working with quality film, shot by a crew that could provide multiple angles. Still, there are imperfections: images of Steve Van Zandt's solo on “Jungleland” are missing, perhaps because they were reloading cameras.

Zimny kept to the running list of the shows, held on back-to-back nights (including Springsteen's 30th birthday), and including some different encores — the “Detroit medley” of covers one night, a performance of Buddy Holly's “Rave On” another. The shows included sneak peeks of “Sherry Darling” from “The River” and the upcoming album's title cut, and a duet with Browne on “Stay.”

Rabid fans were always aware this footage had to exist, somewhere, Phillips said. Its emergence is a treat for the Backstreets editor, too: He didn't see Springsteen live until the “Born in the USA” tour five years later.

“After waiting 40 years for this, it does not disappoint,” he said. “It's an amazing thing, with tempos that are off the charts.”

That's evident when they play “Born to Run.” Decades into the song's existence, its appearance in concert is now a karaoke-like ritual — the lights go up, everyone sings along. It was still a relatively new song in 1979, and the band attacks it on “No Nukes” with a double-time ferocity.

The film also illustrates how vital Clarence Clemons was to the show: catch how he and Springsteen make eye contact during “Rosalita,” launching an extended choreography. Springsteen leans on him, literally and figuratively. With Clemons and organist Danny Federici now dead, the band's not the same.

The “No Nukes” film is on sale as a DVD or Blu-Ray disc, in separate packages with audio CDs of the music. The film won't be available on streaming services until next year; audio is available for streaming on Friday.

Zimny described how Springsteen, now 72, was juiced when he was first shown the concert footage, and quickly sang along with his 30-year-old self on the screen.

“We were young, we were kids,” Springsteen said at a public screening last week in New Jersey. “What the film is packed with is youthful energy at a level that was surprising even to me when I saw it. It's a great document of the band at a very, very specific moment.”

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David Bauder, The Associated Press

RIP

Singer on 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight,' Dead at 79
Ashley Boucher

Philip Margo, a member of the band The Tokens, has died. He was 79.© Charley Gallay/Getty Philip Margo

Philip died on Saturday at a hospital in Los Angeles after suffering a stroke, his family told The New York Times. Further details about his death were not given.

Perhaps best known for singing baritone in The Tokens' 1961 hit song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," Philip also worked as a music producer and television writer throughout his career. He wrote on shows including Diff'rent Strokes, Small Wonder and The Upper Hand, among others.

The Tokens also featured Philip's brother Mitch Margo, Jay Siegel and Hank Medress. The band's Facebook page paid tribute to Philip, who they said was "surrounded by his beloved family" at the time of his death.

"He loved the space program, Hallmark movies and salt-water taffy but he loved family most of all," the statement read, in part.

The group's biggest hit has a complicated history.

South African musician Solomon Linda first came up with the melody in the 1930s, according to Rolling Stone, and later recorded it with the Original Evening Birds as the song "Mbube," according to the New York Times. That track was later performed by the Weavers in the 1950s before it was brought to The Tokens

.

© Provided by People Michael Ochs Archives/Getty The Tokens

In 1961, songwriter George Weiss was hired by RCA Records to add lyrics to the song for the doo-wop band. In December of that year, the song went No. 1 on the Billboard chart and has since become one of the most recognizable pop songs worldwide.

When a version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was used in Disney's The Lion King in 1994, Philip said: "Now that it's current, we're current. I am thrilled," the New York Times reported.

But while the track brought The Tokens success, Linda wasn't credited or compensated at the time for the use of his melody. His family ended up suing Disney after a 2000 Rolling Stone article told the story of the song's origins. A settlement was reached in 2006 and Linda, who died in 1962, was given a postmortem writing credit on the song.

The Margos, Siegel and Medress first started singing together in 1959, and wrote their first song, "Tonight I Fell in Love," together before coming up with a name for themselves. They landed on The Tokens, the name of a group that Medress had formerly been a part of, according to the New York Times.

Philip is survived by his wife, three children and eight grandchildren.