Court finds Métis Nation of Alberta not the lone voice for off-settlement Métis, sides with province
The Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) is not the undisputed voice for Métis people off-settlement in the province.
A decision rendered by Court of Queen’s Bench Alberta last week said that not only had the MNA failed to prove itself as the sole representative of off-settlement Métis in Alberta, but the court would not force the provincial government to continue negotiations with the MNA on the Métis Consultation Policy (MCP).
“The requested declaratory relief (by MNA) requesting Alberta to continue negotiations … is coercive in nature as it seeks to compel Alberta to enter a negotiation process,” wrote Justice Bernette Ho in her 75-page decision Jan. 4.
“Moreover, I am of the view that the relief sought by the MNA is inappropriate because it seeks a determination of issues that exist, not just between Alberta and the MNA, but between other stakeholders as well.”
On June 17 and 18, 2021, the MNA challenged Alberta Indigenous Relations in court for doing an “about face”, deciding unilaterally to end negotiations that had been ongoing for five years on the creation of a MCP.
MNA said the United Conservative Party had “breached the honour of the Crown” and had given insufficient reasons for terminating negotiations.
Indigenous Relations suggested that negotiations for the MCP could be picked up at a later date and until then, consultation with the Métis would be guided by the revamped credible assertion process with other Métis groups on a case-by-case basis.
The credible assertion process, updated in December 2019 by the UCP, outlines nine points that if met by a Métis organization commits Alberta to consulting with that Métis organization on Crown land management and resource development. The credible assertion process is not proof or recognition of rights.
In the fall of 2015, Indigenous Relations was given the mandate by the then New Democrat government to engage with the MNA and other stakeholder groups to work toward the development of an MCP.
Documents presented to the court show that throughout the five years of discussions, which spanned two different provincial governments, MNA President Audrey Poitras asserted that the MNA had established itself as “the” voice of Alberta’s off-settlement Métis.
Among the documents drawn on by the MNA to validate its position was the Métis Government Recognition and Self-Government Agreement (SGA), which the MNA signed with Canada in July 2019.
However, Ho did not view the document as validation, pointing out that the SGA “speaks only to Canada’s recognition of the MNA for the purpose of addressing Métis issues on the federal level.”
Ho also noted that the SGA said the MNA was able to represent the “Métis Nation within Alberta,” which was a term defined by the document, as was the term “Métis government.” Finally, she pointed out that the self-government implementation date was to be set by a federal order-in-council, which had not yet been proclaimed.
The province continued to maintain it was conducting talks with the MNA, Métis locals and other non-settlement Métis communities, especially as it became clearer that some Métis organizations and communities did not want the MNA to speak for them.
This point was highlighted in early 2019 when the Fort McKay Métis terminated its relationship with the MNA. A year later, the Fort McKay Métis Nation became the first Métis organization to receive “credible assertion” of Aboriginal harvesting rights.
Also in 2020, Fort McKay Métis Nation was joined by Willow Lake, Athabasca Landing, Owl River, Lakeland, Chard and Edmonton in splitting from the MNA to form the Alberta Métis Federation.
“(Poitras) opined that there could only be one provincial policy for dealing with non-settlement Métis, and that it must be developed in collaboration with the MNA,” wrote Ho in her decision.
When the UCP came to power, at least one meeting and a number of communications happened between Poitras and the Indigenous Relations ministry. Engagements concluded in September 2019 with new Indigenous Relations Minister Rick Wilson saying that “(at) this time, Alberta will not be moving forward with the draft consultation policy …”
The MNA argued it engaged in negotiations with the province and had not simply had policy discussions, as the government asserted. Ho agreed that the depth and length of the “engagement between the parties was more than a mere policy discussion.”
However, she did not agree that the honour of the Crown had been breached.
“Alberta’s intention to deal with the MNA in a respectful, transparent and cooperative manner in developing the MCP are thoroughly documented in the Record,” said Ho.
Ho also did not agree with the MNA that when Alberta broke off negotiations that an agreement was about to be reached.
The Justice pointed out that the MNA “consistently sought a commitment from Alberta to be recognized as the sole entity authorized to act as the point of contact under the MCP” while “Alberta was aware that various non-settlement Métis were not in favour of representation though the MNA, and some locals took the position that even within the MNA structure, it was the locals, as opposed to the regional or provincial representatives, who should have a voice ….”
Ho said the “record demonstrates that Alberta continuously stated it was not in a position to tell the Métis how they were to be represented for the purpose of consultation” and that disputes should be resolved within the MNA’s governance structure.
“The MNA has not provided a conclusive answer to the question of who speaks for the non-settlement Métis,” said Ho.
Ho added that Alberta’s decision although reasonable could have been “more fulsome (but) perfection is not the standard.”
Windspeaker.com
By Shari Narine, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com, Windspeaker.com
Tuesday, January 11, 2022
Alberta man, winner of wire recycling raffle, charged in copper wire theft
Two southern Alberta residents, one of whom recently won hockey tickets in a raffle put on by a wire recycling business, are facing several charges related to wire thefts from oil lease sites northeast of Calgary.
Two southern Alberta residents, one of whom recently won hockey tickets in a raffle put on by a wire recycling business, are facing several charges related to wire thefts from oil lease sites northeast of Calgary.
RCMP cruiser.
On Dec. 16, Mounties with the RCMP’s southern Alberta crime reduction unit were investigating recent copper wire thefts from oil lease sites in the Three Hills and Hanna area, around 90 minutes out of Calgary. Officers saw a man and a woman enter one such site east of Three Hills, and as a covert police vehicle drove toward them, both suspects fled.
Officers confirmed wire had been cut and removed from the site, amounting to about $7,000 in damage. They later again evaded police after an officer pulled them over, speeding off as the officer exited their vehicle.
Mounties later arrested Tyree Ewing, 23, and Wanda Charlton, 51 — of Three Hills and Hanna, respectively — finding them attempting to sell copper wire at a wire recycling business in southeast Calgary, Bare Wire Recycling.
Bare Wire regularly runs contest draws for its clients, with the prize being Calgary Flames tickets. The admission fee? Bringing in 100 pounds of insulated wire for recycling.
Ewing won one of the recent contests at Bare Wire, winning tickets to see the Flames’ pre-season bout with the Winnipeg Jets in October, confirmed the business’s general manager, Taylor Cowley.
“At the time, there was no indication that anything was on the bad side,” said Cowley.
And that was the case until Dec. 16, when Cowley saw the two suspects being arrested outside his shop.
“The person has a vehicle, they have registration, they have all the proper identification to be able to sell scrap metal so, you know, he got entered into the draw and I guess he got the ticket,” he said, adding Bare Wire will continue to run similar contests, but in the future, will be a little more careful with the prize.
“We’ll maybe do a little bit more planning when we’re doing this to make sure they go to proper businesses that are electricians and stuff like that,” he said.
Ewing and Charlton are charged with theft under $5,000, flight from police, mischief exceeding $5,000 and possession of break-in tools. Ewing faces three further charges for failing to comply with a police order and unlawful possession of both methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Both are scheduled to appear in court in Drumheller on Feb. 18. They’ve been released from police custody.
On Dec. 16, Mounties with the RCMP’s southern Alberta crime reduction unit were investigating recent copper wire thefts from oil lease sites in the Three Hills and Hanna area, around 90 minutes out of Calgary. Officers saw a man and a woman enter one such site east of Three Hills, and as a covert police vehicle drove toward them, both suspects fled.
Officers confirmed wire had been cut and removed from the site, amounting to about $7,000 in damage. They later again evaded police after an officer pulled them over, speeding off as the officer exited their vehicle.
Mounties later arrested Tyree Ewing, 23, and Wanda Charlton, 51 — of Three Hills and Hanna, respectively — finding them attempting to sell copper wire at a wire recycling business in southeast Calgary, Bare Wire Recycling.
Bare Wire regularly runs contest draws for its clients, with the prize being Calgary Flames tickets. The admission fee? Bringing in 100 pounds of insulated wire for recycling.
Ewing won one of the recent contests at Bare Wire, winning tickets to see the Flames’ pre-season bout with the Winnipeg Jets in October, confirmed the business’s general manager, Taylor Cowley.
“At the time, there was no indication that anything was on the bad side,” said Cowley.
And that was the case until Dec. 16, when Cowley saw the two suspects being arrested outside his shop.
“The person has a vehicle, they have registration, they have all the proper identification to be able to sell scrap metal so, you know, he got entered into the draw and I guess he got the ticket,” he said, adding Bare Wire will continue to run similar contests, but in the future, will be a little more careful with the prize.
“We’ll maybe do a little bit more planning when we’re doing this to make sure they go to proper businesses that are electricians and stuff like that,” he said.
Ewing and Charlton are charged with theft under $5,000, flight from police, mischief exceeding $5,000 and possession of break-in tools. Ewing faces three further charges for failing to comply with a police order and unlawful possession of both methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Both are scheduled to appear in court in Drumheller on Feb. 18. They’ve been released from police custody.
A college in upstate New York is shortening the work week to 32 hours, but pay and benefits are staying the same
insider@insider.com (Juliana Kaplan)
D'Youville College in Buffalo, New York is trying a 32-hour workweek for the next six months.
The new policy impacts about 140 staff members, who will have no reduction in pay or benefits.
D'Youville president Lorrie Clemo said that she hopes the shorter week will bring in high-quality workers who want balance.
Like many around the world, D'Youville College in Buffalo, New York is trying something new in 2022.
The college announced it's instituting a six-month trial of a 32-hour workweek for around 140 workers — and employees will still receive the same pay and benefits as they did during their five-day week. Those workers include mostly staff and administration members, as well as librarians. Non-librarian faculty members, who already do not work D'Youville's traditional 37.5-hour week, are not included in the current trial.
The 32-hour workweek first arose at D'Youville as part of a work-share program in the summer of 2020. The school had to get "creative" amidst the onset of the pandemic, experimenting with the shorter week as part of New York's Shared Work Program. Under that plan, employees' hours could be shrunk and they could collect unemployment insurance on the hours they were no longer working.
"During that time, we were very successful, very engaged with our students — surveys that we did with our students indicated improved engagement," Lorrie Clemo, D'Youville's president, told Insider. The school was still remote during that time.
As workers around the country rethink what they want out of work, and yearn for flexibility, Clemo hopes that the shorter week will reduce attrition and bring in high-quality workers who want that balance — and create a school of graduates who understand the benefits of a "modernized" work environment and potentially reshape their own future work.
"We think that work will be more satisfying to our employees if they're more rested, and they feel happier about their overall lives," Clemo said.
A 32-hour workweek has gained more prominence in recent years. Progressives in Congress have thrown their support behind a bill that would shrink weekly working hours to 32. A four-day workweek pilot in Iceland made headlines as workers saw their happiness go up and stress fall — but their productivity remained the same. Other countries like Scotland and Japan are trying out the concept.
"After a nearly two-year-long pandemic that forced millions of people to explore remote work options, it's safe to say that we can't – and shouldn't – simply go back to normal, because normal wasn't working," Rep. Mark Takano, the California Democrat behind the shorter workweek legislation, said in a statement announcing the bill.
Laura Hechtel, the interim president of the school's faculty union and who is serving as the chief negotiator amidst contract negotiations, told Inside Higher Ed that while professors support the new policy, faculty have "nothing similar," and they "are assuming additional responsibilities that have been thrust upon them due to the actions of the administration." Jason MacLeod, D'Youville's chief of staff, told Insider that the Vice President for Academic Affairs is "working on a proposal to help structure more faculty release time and fellowships to support faculty research and scholarship," and that they're anticipating new benefits will get rolled out during the spring semester.
In the meantime, Clemo said that she's already heard from some nonprofits and business partners who are interested in the plan and how they're rolling it out. She also said some staffers have gotten calls from colleagues at other schools.
"I think most employers are really generally trying to create work environments that are going to be better workplaces coming out of a period where the 60 hour workweek, 70 hour workweek was expected," Clemo said.
And, broadly, "we really do hope that it helps others," Clemo said, noting that the school is going to document their process and share results.
"We thought it was important to experiment with something, and to not try to go back to what we all felt like was not a perfect world of work prior to the pandemic," Clemo said.
insider@insider.com (Juliana Kaplan)
© Provided by Business Insider Dobson Field Athletics Complex. Courtesy of D'Youville
D'Youville College in Buffalo, New York is trying a 32-hour workweek for the next six months.
The new policy impacts about 140 staff members, who will have no reduction in pay or benefits.
D'Youville president Lorrie Clemo said that she hopes the shorter week will bring in high-quality workers who want balance.
Like many around the world, D'Youville College in Buffalo, New York is trying something new in 2022.
The college announced it's instituting a six-month trial of a 32-hour workweek for around 140 workers — and employees will still receive the same pay and benefits as they did during their five-day week. Those workers include mostly staff and administration members, as well as librarians. Non-librarian faculty members, who already do not work D'Youville's traditional 37.5-hour week, are not included in the current trial.
The 32-hour workweek first arose at D'Youville as part of a work-share program in the summer of 2020. The school had to get "creative" amidst the onset of the pandemic, experimenting with the shorter week as part of New York's Shared Work Program. Under that plan, employees' hours could be shrunk and they could collect unemployment insurance on the hours they were no longer working.
"During that time, we were very successful, very engaged with our students — surveys that we did with our students indicated improved engagement," Lorrie Clemo, D'Youville's president, told Insider. The school was still remote during that time.
As workers around the country rethink what they want out of work, and yearn for flexibility, Clemo hopes that the shorter week will reduce attrition and bring in high-quality workers who want that balance — and create a school of graduates who understand the benefits of a "modernized" work environment and potentially reshape their own future work.
Lorrie Clemo. Courtesy of D'Youville
"We think that work will be more satisfying to our employees if they're more rested, and they feel happier about their overall lives," Clemo said.
A 32-hour workweek has gained more prominence in recent years. Progressives in Congress have thrown their support behind a bill that would shrink weekly working hours to 32. A four-day workweek pilot in Iceland made headlines as workers saw their happiness go up and stress fall — but their productivity remained the same. Other countries like Scotland and Japan are trying out the concept.
"After a nearly two-year-long pandemic that forced millions of people to explore remote work options, it's safe to say that we can't – and shouldn't – simply go back to normal, because normal wasn't working," Rep. Mark Takano, the California Democrat behind the shorter workweek legislation, said in a statement announcing the bill.
Laura Hechtel, the interim president of the school's faculty union and who is serving as the chief negotiator amidst contract negotiations, told Inside Higher Ed that while professors support the new policy, faculty have "nothing similar," and they "are assuming additional responsibilities that have been thrust upon them due to the actions of the administration." Jason MacLeod, D'Youville's chief of staff, told Insider that the Vice President for Academic Affairs is "working on a proposal to help structure more faculty release time and fellowships to support faculty research and scholarship," and that they're anticipating new benefits will get rolled out during the spring semester.
In the meantime, Clemo said that she's already heard from some nonprofits and business partners who are interested in the plan and how they're rolling it out. She also said some staffers have gotten calls from colleagues at other schools.
"I think most employers are really generally trying to create work environments that are going to be better workplaces coming out of a period where the 60 hour workweek, 70 hour workweek was expected," Clemo said.
And, broadly, "we really do hope that it helps others," Clemo said, noting that the school is going to document their process and share results.
"We thought it was important to experiment with something, and to not try to go back to what we all felt like was not a perfect world of work prior to the pandemic," Clemo said.
Hundreds more Afghan refugees arrive in Canada, including human rights defenders
CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada
© Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images People attempting to flee the Taliban climb on a plane at the Kabul airport on August 16, 2021.
The federal government announced on Tuesday the arrival of more than 250 Afghan refugees.
The refugees — most of whom are described as human rights defenders by the federal government — are the latest to arrive in Canada since the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban last year.
A charter flight carrying the refugees arrived in Calgary from Islamabad, Pakistan.
"It is a privilege to welcome today this cohort of Afghan refugees, who face persecution as a result of their work to protect the human rights of others," said Immigration Minister Sean Fraser in a media statement.
"I am grateful for their work to document and prevent human rights abuses and proud that they now call our country home.
Ottawa says about 6,750 Afghan nationals have been resettled in Canada since the Taliban took over. They include Afghans who assisted the Canadian military during its mission in Afghanistan.
The refugees also include Afghans deemed vulnerable, such as women leaders, members of religious and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ individuals and journalists.
The group of 252 refugees includes 170 people considered human rights defenders by the government.
The remaining 82 are people whose employment involved a "significant and/or enduring relationship with the Government of Canada, and their families," the government said in a news release.
Those individuals, who are judged by Ottawa to have contributed to the protection and promotion of human rights and freedoms, are eligible to apply for resettlement in Canada as part of a new dedicated stream.
The government has pledged to resettle up to 250 human rights defenders per year from around the world.
The federal government announced on Tuesday the arrival of more than 250 Afghan refugees.
The refugees — most of whom are described as human rights defenders by the federal government — are the latest to arrive in Canada since the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban last year.
A charter flight carrying the refugees arrived in Calgary from Islamabad, Pakistan.
"It is a privilege to welcome today this cohort of Afghan refugees, who face persecution as a result of their work to protect the human rights of others," said Immigration Minister Sean Fraser in a media statement.
"I am grateful for their work to document and prevent human rights abuses and proud that they now call our country home.
Ottawa says about 6,750 Afghan nationals have been resettled in Canada since the Taliban took over. They include Afghans who assisted the Canadian military during its mission in Afghanistan.
The refugees also include Afghans deemed vulnerable, such as women leaders, members of religious and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ individuals and journalists.
The group of 252 refugees includes 170 people considered human rights defenders by the government.
The remaining 82 are people whose employment involved a "significant and/or enduring relationship with the Government of Canada, and their families," the government said in a news release.
Those individuals, who are judged by Ottawa to have contributed to the protection and promotion of human rights and freedoms, are eligible to apply for resettlement in Canada as part of a new dedicated stream.
The government has pledged to resettle up to 250 human rights defenders per year from around the world.
Vast Roman town uncovered along UK high-speed railway route
The remains of a vast Roman trading settlement have been discovered by a team of archaeologists working along a future high-speed railway route in England.
© Courtesy HS2 Ltd The site is known as Blackgrounds.
Hundreds of Roman coins, jewelry, pottery and a pair of shackles were among the artifacts to be discovered at the site near a village in Northamptonshire, according to a press release from High Speed 2 (HS2) Tuesday. HS2 is a large-scale project intended to create high-speed rail links between London and major cities in central and northern England.
The site, known as Blackgrounds, dates back to around 50 AD, although it initially housed an Iron Age village dating back to around 400 BC, HS2 said.
As an Iron Age road and more than 30 roundhouses were found near the Roman remains, archaeologists believe the Iron Age village developed into a wealthy Roman settlement.
The area is believed to have developed over time and become wealthier, with new roads and stone buildings being constructed.
A huge Roman road around 10 meters in width (33 feet) runs through the settlement, far exceeding the normal maximum of around four meters (13 feet), said James West, site manager for MOLA Headland Infrastructure, which oversaw the excavation.
Experts believe this road -- described as "exceptional in its size" -- indicates the settlement was once a busy area with carts going in and out with goods.
"Uncovering such a well-preserved and large Roman road, as well as so many high quality finds has been extraordinary and tells us so much about the people who lived here," West said in the press release.
"The site really does have the potential to transform our understanding of the Roman landscape in the region and beyond."
Unearthed workshops, kilns and several wells suggest the town would have been a "bustling and busy area" at its peak, the press release says. In addition to industrial practices, the foundations of buildings used for domestic purposes were also uncovered.
More than 300 Roman coins were found, suggesting a significant volume of commerce passed through the area.
Glass vessels, highly decorative pottery, jewelry and evidence of cosmetics -- as the mineral galena, which was crushed and mixed with oil to create makeup -- was also discovered.
The quality of the soil, which is a fiery red color in some parts, suggest activities involving burning took place in the area, such as bread making, metal work or pottery.
A pair of shackles discovered could also be evidence of either slave labor or criminal activity, the press release says.
The artifacts will be cleaned and examined by specialists, while the layout of the area and details of the buildings are being mapped.
Blackgrounds is one of more than 100 archaeological sites between London and Birmingham that HS2 has examined since 2018.
HS2 has unearthed a number of interesting archaeological finds, such as rare Roman statues found at a church in Buckinghamshire and a Roman mosaic at a farm in Rutland in the East Midlands.
This coin depicting Marcus Aurelius from the reign of Emperor Constantine was one of more than 300 unearthed.
The remains of a vast Roman trading settlement have been discovered by a team of archaeologists working along a future high-speed railway route in England.
© Courtesy HS2 Ltd The site is known as Blackgrounds.Hundreds of Roman coins, jewelry, pottery and a pair of shackles were among the artifacts to be discovered at the site near a village in Northamptonshire, according to a press release from High Speed 2 (HS2) Tuesday. HS2 is a large-scale project intended to create high-speed rail links between London and major cities in central and northern England.
The site, known as Blackgrounds, dates back to around 50 AD, although it initially housed an Iron Age village dating back to around 400 BC, HS2 said.
As an Iron Age road and more than 30 roundhouses were found near the Roman remains, archaeologists believe the Iron Age village developed into a wealthy Roman settlement.
The area is believed to have developed over time and become wealthier, with new roads and stone buildings being constructed.
A huge Roman road around 10 meters in width (33 feet) runs through the settlement, far exceeding the normal maximum of around four meters (13 feet), said James West, site manager for MOLA Headland Infrastructure, which oversaw the excavation.
Experts believe this road -- described as "exceptional in its size" -- indicates the settlement was once a busy area with carts going in and out with goods.
"Uncovering such a well-preserved and large Roman road, as well as so many high quality finds has been extraordinary and tells us so much about the people who lived here," West said in the press release.
"The site really does have the potential to transform our understanding of the Roman landscape in the region and beyond."
Unearthed workshops, kilns and several wells suggest the town would have been a "bustling and busy area" at its peak, the press release says. In addition to industrial practices, the foundations of buildings used for domestic purposes were also uncovered.
More than 300 Roman coins were found, suggesting a significant volume of commerce passed through the area.
Glass vessels, highly decorative pottery, jewelry and evidence of cosmetics -- as the mineral galena, which was crushed and mixed with oil to create makeup -- was also discovered.
The quality of the soil, which is a fiery red color in some parts, suggest activities involving burning took place in the area, such as bread making, metal work or pottery.
A pair of shackles discovered could also be evidence of either slave labor or criminal activity, the press release says.
The artifacts will be cleaned and examined by specialists, while the layout of the area and details of the buildings are being mapped.
Blackgrounds is one of more than 100 archaeological sites between London and Birmingham that HS2 has examined since 2018.
HS2 has unearthed a number of interesting archaeological finds, such as rare Roman statues found at a church in Buckinghamshire and a Roman mosaic at a farm in Rutland in the East Midlands.
This coin depicting Marcus Aurelius from the reign of Emperor Constantine was one of more than 300 unearthed.
Satellites reveal record high methane concentrations despite reduction pledges
Concentrations of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere continued to rise in 2021 in spite of climate pledges and the economic slowdown brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, satellite data reveal.
Concentrations of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere continued to rise in 2021 in spite of climate pledges and the economic slowdown brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, satellite data reveal.
Concentrations of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere
continue to rise despite climate pledges.
Methane concentrations in particular showed a worrying trend, rising to a new maximum of nearly 1,900 parts per billion (ppb), according to the European Earth observation program Copernicus.
Methane, which is released naturally by decaying matter but also by the agriculture and energy industries, is 80 times more potent in warming the climate than carbon dioxide. The gas is a target of a global emissions reduction pledge announced at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in November 2021.
The annual increase in methane concentrations also set a new record, reaching 16.3 ppb, slightly more than in 2020 but more than double the average annual increase between 2005 and 2015.
Scientists don't know yet what drives the trend, Vincent-Henri Peuch, the director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), said in a news conference held virtually on Monday (Jan. 10).
"Methane is a very potent greenhouse gas and it's a concern to see the atmospheric concentration growth rate double compared to the average," Peuch said. "More science is needed to see whether it's something that is part of the natural variability cycle or if it's something linked to more recent trends and the anthropogenic effects of climate change."
Related: Satellites discover huge amounts of undeclared methane emissions
Peuch said that in addition to an increase in both natural and anthropogenic methane emissions, the rise in methane concentration may reflect a decrease in the atmosphere's ability to break down the gas. Methane reacts in Earth's atmosphere with oxygen to gradually form the less potent and more prevalent carbon dioxide. Scientists don't yet fully understand the intricacies of these processes.
The rapid increase in methane concentrations shows that the world is nowhere near on track to slowing down the projected course of climate change. Experts believe that due to methane's potency, reductions in emissions of the gas could significantly slow down global warming. A 30% cut in methane emissions by 2030 could slash 0.5 degrees Fahrenheit (0.28 degrees Celsius) from the temperature rise expected by 2050, according to the European Commission.
Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide rose in 2021 as well, according to measurements by the Copernicus satellite constellation. Carbon dioxide concentrations increased 2.4 parts per million (ppm), reaching an annual average of 414.3 ppm. This growth rate is slightly higher than the average for the 2005 to 2015 period. Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have risen by a whopping 50% since the late 18th century's industrial revolution, according to an earlier estimate by the U.K. Met Office, the nation's weather and climate authority.
Copernicus data also showed that 2021 was one of the seven hottest years on record globally, along with the six years prior to it.
But the latest data set revealed some nuances as well.
Europe, which in the long term is warming much faster than the rest of the world, experienced a somewhat cooler year than other regions, with mean temperatures only slightly above the 1991 to 2020 average and outside the warmest 10 years on record, Freja Vamberg, a senior scientist with the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, said in the briefing.
Europe is already on average 3.9 degrees F (2.2 degrees C) warmer than it was before the industrial revolution, well beyond that 2.7 degrees F (1.5 degrees C) threshold called for in the Paris Agreement, the international treaty negotiated at the UN Climate Conference in Paris in 2015. Warming beyond that threshold could have unforeseen consequences for Earth's climate, experts believe. The world is currently on average 2 to 2.2 degrees F (1.1-1.2 degrees C) warmer than during the pre-industrial period.
The mildly cooler average temperatures in Europe in 2021 are likely caused by natural variability rather than a beginning of a new, cooling trend on the continent, Vamberg said.
"Last year was still just about above the average of the last 30 years," Vamberg said. "This is just part of the natural climate variability that happens above the warming trend. You will also have some years which are slightly cooler, or slightly warmer than others."
In fact, 2021 still broke a record for Europe's warmest summer. The continent's new record high temperature of 120 degrees F (48.8 degrees C) was set on the Italian island of Sicily in August.
The Copernicus results, Peuch admitted, reveal that existing greenhouse gas emissions reduction measures have yet to kick in.
"When you look [at the data] in detail, you will see that last year with all the COVID-related measures, carbon dioxide emissions only decreased by maybe 5 to 7%," Peuch said. "The difficulty in the current state is that we are looking at the emissions in the atmosphere, but anthropogenic emissions represent only a small fraction of the global carbon cycle."
The European Commission, which runs the Copernicus program, is currently cooperating with the European Space Agency on a new satellite constellation capable of measuring anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide in real time on the level of individual factories and power plants.
Satellites already play an important role in monitoring methane leaks from oil and gas installations. In the past years, these observations revealed that much more methane is escaping from the industrial establishments than previously thought.
The new European constellation, called CO2M, will provide a new level of detail and coverage also for methane monitoring. This in turn, will lead to better enforceability of greenhouse gas reduction pledges, experts hope.
In a separate announcement, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) revealed on Monday that 2021 was the fourth warmest year in the U.S. since records began nearly 130 years ago. All six of the warmest years have occurred since 2012, NOAA said. A string of weather-related disasters including devastating wildfires, powerful hurricanes and giant tornadoes killed nearly 700 people in the U.S. in 2021 and caused $145 billion worth of damage.
Follow Tereza Pultarova on Twitter @TerezaPultarova. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
Methane concentrations in particular showed a worrying trend, rising to a new maximum of nearly 1,900 parts per billion (ppb), according to the European Earth observation program Copernicus.
Methane, which is released naturally by decaying matter but also by the agriculture and energy industries, is 80 times more potent in warming the climate than carbon dioxide. The gas is a target of a global emissions reduction pledge announced at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in November 2021.
The annual increase in methane concentrations also set a new record, reaching 16.3 ppb, slightly more than in 2020 but more than double the average annual increase between 2005 and 2015.
Scientists don't know yet what drives the trend, Vincent-Henri Peuch, the director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), said in a news conference held virtually on Monday (Jan. 10).
"Methane is a very potent greenhouse gas and it's a concern to see the atmospheric concentration growth rate double compared to the average," Peuch said. "More science is needed to see whether it's something that is part of the natural variability cycle or if it's something linked to more recent trends and the anthropogenic effects of climate change."
Related: Satellites discover huge amounts of undeclared methane emissions
Peuch said that in addition to an increase in both natural and anthropogenic methane emissions, the rise in methane concentration may reflect a decrease in the atmosphere's ability to break down the gas. Methane reacts in Earth's atmosphere with oxygen to gradually form the less potent and more prevalent carbon dioxide. Scientists don't yet fully understand the intricacies of these processes.
The rapid increase in methane concentrations shows that the world is nowhere near on track to slowing down the projected course of climate change. Experts believe that due to methane's potency, reductions in emissions of the gas could significantly slow down global warming. A 30% cut in methane emissions by 2030 could slash 0.5 degrees Fahrenheit (0.28 degrees Celsius) from the temperature rise expected by 2050, according to the European Commission.
Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide rose in 2021 as well, according to measurements by the Copernicus satellite constellation. Carbon dioxide concentrations increased 2.4 parts per million (ppm), reaching an annual average of 414.3 ppm. This growth rate is slightly higher than the average for the 2005 to 2015 period. Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have risen by a whopping 50% since the late 18th century's industrial revolution, according to an earlier estimate by the U.K. Met Office, the nation's weather and climate authority.
Copernicus data also showed that 2021 was one of the seven hottest years on record globally, along with the six years prior to it.
But the latest data set revealed some nuances as well.
Europe, which in the long term is warming much faster than the rest of the world, experienced a somewhat cooler year than other regions, with mean temperatures only slightly above the 1991 to 2020 average and outside the warmest 10 years on record, Freja Vamberg, a senior scientist with the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, said in the briefing.
Europe is already on average 3.9 degrees F (2.2 degrees C) warmer than it was before the industrial revolution, well beyond that 2.7 degrees F (1.5 degrees C) threshold called for in the Paris Agreement, the international treaty negotiated at the UN Climate Conference in Paris in 2015. Warming beyond that threshold could have unforeseen consequences for Earth's climate, experts believe. The world is currently on average 2 to 2.2 degrees F (1.1-1.2 degrees C) warmer than during the pre-industrial period.
The mildly cooler average temperatures in Europe in 2021 are likely caused by natural variability rather than a beginning of a new, cooling trend on the continent, Vamberg said.
"Last year was still just about above the average of the last 30 years," Vamberg said. "This is just part of the natural climate variability that happens above the warming trend. You will also have some years which are slightly cooler, or slightly warmer than others."
In fact, 2021 still broke a record for Europe's warmest summer. The continent's new record high temperature of 120 degrees F (48.8 degrees C) was set on the Italian island of Sicily in August.
The Copernicus results, Peuch admitted, reveal that existing greenhouse gas emissions reduction measures have yet to kick in.
"When you look [at the data] in detail, you will see that last year with all the COVID-related measures, carbon dioxide emissions only decreased by maybe 5 to 7%," Peuch said. "The difficulty in the current state is that we are looking at the emissions in the atmosphere, but anthropogenic emissions represent only a small fraction of the global carbon cycle."
The European Commission, which runs the Copernicus program, is currently cooperating with the European Space Agency on a new satellite constellation capable of measuring anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide in real time on the level of individual factories and power plants.
Satellites already play an important role in monitoring methane leaks from oil and gas installations. In the past years, these observations revealed that much more methane is escaping from the industrial establishments than previously thought.
The new European constellation, called CO2M, will provide a new level of detail and coverage also for methane monitoring. This in turn, will lead to better enforceability of greenhouse gas reduction pledges, experts hope.
In a separate announcement, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) revealed on Monday that 2021 was the fourth warmest year in the U.S. since records began nearly 130 years ago. All six of the warmest years have occurred since 2012, NOAA said. A string of weather-related disasters including devastating wildfires, powerful hurricanes and giant tornadoes killed nearly 700 people in the U.S. in 2021 and caused $145 billion worth of damage.
Follow Tereza Pultarova on Twitter @TerezaPultarova. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
ALBERTA
CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M
Public group wants role in talks over probe into alleged ATCO illegalitiesEDMONTON — A group representing residential power consumers wants a seat at any discussions involving alleged illegal behaviour by one of Alberta's main power providers and is asking the regulator to release all information involving ATCO's actions.
Jim Wachowich, lawyer for the Consumers' Coalition of Alberta, said ATCO is trying to "deflect attention" by keeping the matter out of the public.
"This is a watershed event," said Wachowich.
ATCO said it has already disclosed much information and is working with the commission to settle the matter.
In November, the Alberta Utilities Commission's enforcement branch requested a hearing into its findings that ATCO Electric deliberately overpaid a British Columbia First Nation by millions for work on a new transmission line. It allegedly did so to secure lucrative contracts for another ATCO company to provide construction camps for the Trans Mountain Expansion oil pipeline project.
Investigators said the company then allegedly tried to pass the $12-million overpayment on to Alberta consumers, in violation of the law. They alleged company management was aware the arrangement was questionable and tried to cover its tracks.
In materials filed with the commission, the enforcement branch alleges that ATCO "violated (its) fundamental duty of honesty and candour ... the duty upon which the entire regulatory system relies."
ATCO has acknowledged it made mistakes and said the overpriced contract was entered into to help the First Nation build capacity in a new area of business.
In an Oct. 29 letter to the commission's enforcement branch, company president Melanie Bayley said there was an offer of a $16-million settlement.
The letter and other documents recently obtained by The Canadian Press show that investigators and ATCO representatives agreed to meetings beginning this week, before the commission holds any formal hearings.
"Both parties would like an opportunity to pursue discussions to determine whether, or to what extent, it might be possible to resolve any aspects of the case," said a letter from a lawyer for the enforcement branch to the commission.
Any proposed settlement would have to be approved by the commission.
But Wachowich argues the public must be represented at any talks involving a regulated utility.
"Granting us standing would indicate the broader public interest is being considered — we're not just considering one side of the equation," he said.
As well, his group is asking for all information collected by the enforcement branch and ATCO to be made public. That includes the results of an internal company probe.
"The biggest document is the one we don't have," he said.
Bayley said in an email that it's normal for the commission's enforcement arm to work with a company on a settlement.
"It's typical for administrative penalty matters to be handled by a utility and the (commission) with no customer or intervener involvement, since only the utility is impacted," Bayley wrote.
Bayley said a number of ATCO documents are already public. She said the company plans to release the internal investigation at some point, with commercial and personal details redacted.
"Again, this is normal in regulatory hearings and is granted by the commission all the time," she wrote.
However, ATCO has also argued some information already made public should be removed from the record.
"AUC enforcement has disclosed certain commercial arrangements between unregulated entities that are not subject to the AUC’s jurisdiction and has done so without their permission and in conflict with the express confidentiality provisions of these agreements," said a letter from the company's lawyers.
In anotherletter to the commission, ATCO chairwoman Nancy Southern said the overpriced contract wasissued out of an "entrenched and important" respect for Indigenous communities.
"This had an important impact on the decisions made," she wrote.
The documents filed by the enforcement branch alleged the First Nation took ATCO's cheque and subcontracted the work to another company at a lower price. The same documents alleged ATCO managers knew that would likely happen.
"At that point, you're not trying to build capacity, you're trying to curry favour," said Wachowich.
Wachowich said the seriousness of ATCO's alleged breach warrants public participation.
"They breached a very important standard."
Utilities commission spokesman Geoff Scotton said there are no mandated timelines for resolving the issue.
The investigators have asked the commission to force ATCO to refund the money it received from rate increases due to the overpriced contract as well as impose administrative penalties. Those penalties can be as high as $1 million per day per offence.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 11, 2022.
— Follow Bob Weber on Twitter at @row1960
Bob Weber, The Canadian Press
Apple CEO earned 1,447 times more than average Apple employees in 2021
Apple CEO Tim Cook earned $98.7 million USD (roughly $125 million CAD) last year, according to a proxy statement filed by the company.
Apple CEO Tim Cook earned $98.7 million USD (roughly $125 million CAD) last year, according to a proxy statement filed by the company.
© Tim Cook, Chief Executive Officer of Apple Inc., speaks during the launch event for the iPad 6 at La... Apple CEO earned 1,447 times more than average Apple employees in 2021
Cook’s salary stayed consistent at $3 million ($3.8 million CAD) but saw the addition of $82.3 million (roughly $104 million CAD) in stocks, and $13 million ($16.4 million CAD) in other compensation, including incentives. This is almost seven times his 2020 pay and eight-and-a-half times his 2019 pay.
MacRumors reports this number doesn’t include the $750 million in shares Cook took on as part of a ten-year package when he became CEO.
The increase in pay is reflective of Apple’s general success over the last year. When stock markets opened for the first time this year, Apple became the most valuable company in the world when it was (momentarily) valued at $3 trillion USD.
But this success wasn’t reflected throughout the company. As The Verge reports, Apple employees were vocal about a number of issues last year, including transparency on pay equity. Employees also launched a website to share statements on alleged mistreatment they faced at the company.
The statement further goes on to say the median compensation for employees in 2021 was $68,254 (roughly $86,000 CAD). This includes base salary, bonuses, and commissions. The compensation ratio between Cook and employees is 1,447 to 1.
Image credit: Shutterstock
Source: Apple Via: MacRumors, The Verge
Cook’s salary stayed consistent at $3 million ($3.8 million CAD) but saw the addition of $82.3 million (roughly $104 million CAD) in stocks, and $13 million ($16.4 million CAD) in other compensation, including incentives. This is almost seven times his 2020 pay and eight-and-a-half times his 2019 pay.
MacRumors reports this number doesn’t include the $750 million in shares Cook took on as part of a ten-year package when he became CEO.
The increase in pay is reflective of Apple’s general success over the last year. When stock markets opened for the first time this year, Apple became the most valuable company in the world when it was (momentarily) valued at $3 trillion USD.
But this success wasn’t reflected throughout the company. As The Verge reports, Apple employees were vocal about a number of issues last year, including transparency on pay equity. Employees also launched a website to share statements on alleged mistreatment they faced at the company.
The statement further goes on to say the median compensation for employees in 2021 was $68,254 (roughly $86,000 CAD). This includes base salary, bonuses, and commissions. The compensation ratio between Cook and employees is 1,447 to 1.
Image credit: Shutterstock
Source: Apple Via: MacRumors, The Verge
'Do what you love' could be contributing to the Great Resignation
Galen Watts, Banting Fellow, Centre for Sociological Research, KU Leuven
“Do what you love,” is no longer just advice.
We can’t ignore mental illness prevention in a COVID-19 world
Galen Watts receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Galen Watts, Banting Fellow, Centre for Sociological Research, KU Leuven
“Do what you love,” is no longer just advice.
© (Shutterstock)
The passion paradigm is one cause of what has been dubbed the “Great Resignation.
High school students learn early on that their future careers should be passion-driven. Self-help books counsel job searchers to start with reflection on what they love. And Hollywood films teach people, in romantic fashion, to aspire to work that is intrinsically satisfying and expresses our authentic selves.
Researchers call this way of thinking about work the passion paradigm, and studies show it has become pervasive in modern societies.
The passion paradigm emerged in the 1960s. During this time, there was widespread questioning of social and cultural norms — especially among youth — which helped develop a new way of thinking about the role of work in human life.
This trend was spearheaded by the scholarship of humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow, who applied his theory of the “hierarchy of needs” to the modern workplace. In Eupsychian Management, Maslow argues that work should be thought of as a key source of personal growth and self-actualization.
Maslow envisioned a world where individuals derive deep satisfaction from their working lives, and who treat their work as a sacred activity.
Since early 2021, I have conducted interviews with over 90 professionals and managers in Toronto, to learn how they think about work. Although there are exceptions, what the data shows, in general, is that Maslow’s theory has increasingly become common.
The downsides of the passion paradigm
Because the rising popularity of the passion paradigm has coincided with both increasing economic inequality and a steep decline in the power of unions, it has attracted a host of criticism.
Sociologist Lindsay DePalma contends that the passion paradigm encourages workers to romanticize their work while blinding them to the unequal distributions of power that characterize their working lives.
In her book Work Won’t Love You Back, journalist Sarah Jaffe argues that loving your job is a bad idea because it is a recipe for (self)exploitation.
Derek Thompson, a staff writer at The Atlantic, maintains that the passion paradigm has fuelled a new religion — “workism” — which is responsible for causing burnout and depression even among high-wage earners.
High school students learn early on that their future careers should be passion-driven. Self-help books counsel job searchers to start with reflection on what they love. And Hollywood films teach people, in romantic fashion, to aspire to work that is intrinsically satisfying and expresses our authentic selves.
Researchers call this way of thinking about work the passion paradigm, and studies show it has become pervasive in modern societies.
The passion paradigm emerged in the 1960s. During this time, there was widespread questioning of social and cultural norms — especially among youth — which helped develop a new way of thinking about the role of work in human life.
This trend was spearheaded by the scholarship of humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow, who applied his theory of the “hierarchy of needs” to the modern workplace. In Eupsychian Management, Maslow argues that work should be thought of as a key source of personal growth and self-actualization.
Maslow envisioned a world where individuals derive deep satisfaction from their working lives, and who treat their work as a sacred activity.
Since early 2021, I have conducted interviews with over 90 professionals and managers in Toronto, to learn how they think about work. Although there are exceptions, what the data shows, in general, is that Maslow’s theory has increasingly become common.
The downsides of the passion paradigm
Because the rising popularity of the passion paradigm has coincided with both increasing economic inequality and a steep decline in the power of unions, it has attracted a host of criticism.
Sociologist Lindsay DePalma contends that the passion paradigm encourages workers to romanticize their work while blinding them to the unequal distributions of power that characterize their working lives.
In her book Work Won’t Love You Back, journalist Sarah Jaffe argues that loving your job is a bad idea because it is a recipe for (self)exploitation.
Derek Thompson, a staff writer at The Atlantic, maintains that the passion paradigm has fuelled a new religion — “workism” — which is responsible for causing burnout and depression even among high-wage earners.
© (Shutterstock) It wasn’t just managers who were part of the Great Resignation.
These commentators rightly fear that the passion paradigm can (and does) lead workers to accept harmful working conditions, poor treatment from their employers and unrealistic expectations from themselves — basically to put up with what they shouldn’t.
When people aspire to love their work, they may prioritize work at the expense of other important aspects of life — family, friends and hobbies. An overvaluation of work can lead people to see those who cannot work as lazy, stupid or undeserving of concern.
And yet, despite these evident pitfalls, the passion paradigm can also have the opposite effects. In fact, I would argue that it is one cause of what has been dubbed the “Great Resignation.”
The Great Resignation
In August 2021, 4.3 million American workers quit their jobs, the highest ever recorded. And similar waves have hit the U.K..
In Canada it’s not clear whether the Great Resignation is taking place with equal intensity, but some studies show that Canadian workers are increasingly considering leaving or switching their jobs.
Read more: Vast majority of American workers like their jobs – even as a record number quit them
There are many factors causing the Great Resignation. Among the most notable are wage subsidies which have given workers more freedom to choose the kind of work they want to do, the added work stress caused by the pandemic, the need to stay home with young children and the shift to remote work.
However, I think another reason has to do with the expectations workers have around work — expectations which derive from the passion paradigm.
The passion paradigm and the Great Resignation
By disrupting people’s routines, the pandemic has reawakened in many the deep-seated desire for a job they actually enjoy — a desire that has long been suppressed.
My interviews make it clear that many Canadian workers are looking at their jobs and asking themselves, “Is this really what I’m passionate about?” “Do I want to spend the majority of my waking hours doing this?” “Does my job bring me meaning?”
And this isn’t just managers. The highest number of resignations in Canada have taken place within the accommodation and food service industries. And as a recent article in The Atlantic put it, “this level of quitting is really an expression of optimism that says, ‘We can do better.’”
In a sense, the passion paradigm is paradoxically fuelling the demand for better, more satisfying, and more meaningful work. It is because workers expect more that they are no longer willing to put up with the status quo.
These commentators rightly fear that the passion paradigm can (and does) lead workers to accept harmful working conditions, poor treatment from their employers and unrealistic expectations from themselves — basically to put up with what they shouldn’t.
When people aspire to love their work, they may prioritize work at the expense of other important aspects of life — family, friends and hobbies. An overvaluation of work can lead people to see those who cannot work as lazy, stupid or undeserving of concern.
And yet, despite these evident pitfalls, the passion paradigm can also have the opposite effects. In fact, I would argue that it is one cause of what has been dubbed the “Great Resignation.”
The Great Resignation
In August 2021, 4.3 million American workers quit their jobs, the highest ever recorded. And similar waves have hit the U.K..
In Canada it’s not clear whether the Great Resignation is taking place with equal intensity, but some studies show that Canadian workers are increasingly considering leaving or switching their jobs.
Read more: Vast majority of American workers like their jobs – even as a record number quit them
There are many factors causing the Great Resignation. Among the most notable are wage subsidies which have given workers more freedom to choose the kind of work they want to do, the added work stress caused by the pandemic, the need to stay home with young children and the shift to remote work.
However, I think another reason has to do with the expectations workers have around work — expectations which derive from the passion paradigm.
The passion paradigm and the Great Resignation
By disrupting people’s routines, the pandemic has reawakened in many the deep-seated desire for a job they actually enjoy — a desire that has long been suppressed.
My interviews make it clear that many Canadian workers are looking at their jobs and asking themselves, “Is this really what I’m passionate about?” “Do I want to spend the majority of my waking hours doing this?” “Does my job bring me meaning?”
And this isn’t just managers. The highest number of resignations in Canada have taken place within the accommodation and food service industries. And as a recent article in The Atlantic put it, “this level of quitting is really an expression of optimism that says, ‘We can do better.’”
In a sense, the passion paradigm is paradoxically fuelling the demand for better, more satisfying, and more meaningful work. It is because workers expect more that they are no longer willing to put up with the status quo.
The passion paradigm can fuel demands for better.
The passion paradigm requires a strong safety net
Of course, none of this could have happened without the government supports that reweighed the balance of power between workers and bosses.
Since the 1980s, workers have had less and less power to negotiate. So, while the passion paradigm may have grown in popularity, it grew in economic conditions that were largely determined by employers, not employees.
But in the wake of the pandemic this has slowly begun to change. Faced with labour shortages, employers are forced to take workers’ seriously when it comes to demands around pay, flexibility, autonomy and scheduling. They are receiving the message that “business as usual” is no longer acceptable — and, in some cases, they’re caving.
The crucial takeaway is that the passion paradigm can fuel demands for better, more meaningful work, but this is only possible when it’s accompanied by a strong social safety net.
Workers don’t need to stop loving their jobs. But they should ask whether their jobs are themselves loveable. And this is easier to do when you have real economic freedom.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Read more:
COVID stress syndrome: 5 ways the pandemic is affecting mental health
Of course, none of this could have happened without the government supports that reweighed the balance of power between workers and bosses.
Since the 1980s, workers have had less and less power to negotiate. So, while the passion paradigm may have grown in popularity, it grew in economic conditions that were largely determined by employers, not employees.
But in the wake of the pandemic this has slowly begun to change. Faced with labour shortages, employers are forced to take workers’ seriously when it comes to demands around pay, flexibility, autonomy and scheduling. They are receiving the message that “business as usual” is no longer acceptable — and, in some cases, they’re caving.
The crucial takeaway is that the passion paradigm can fuel demands for better, more meaningful work, but this is only possible when it’s accompanied by a strong social safety net.
Workers don’t need to stop loving their jobs. But they should ask whether their jobs are themselves loveable. And this is easier to do when you have real economic freedom.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Read more:
COVID stress syndrome: 5 ways the pandemic is affecting mental health
We can’t ignore mental illness prevention in a COVID-19 world
Galen Watts receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
United's CEO said one worker a week was dying from COVID-19 before the company mandated vaccines.
Now, no vaccinated employees have died in 2 months.
jepstein@insider.com (Jake Epstein,Taylor Rains) 12 hrs ago
United Airlines says an average of one employee a week died from COVID-19 before vaccine mandate.
Since enforcing a vaccine mandate, no vaccinated employee has died from COVID-19 in two months, the airline's CEO said.
The airline's CEO said that no vaccinated staff members are hospitalized with COVID-19.
More than one United Airlines employee on average was dying from COVID-19 each week prior to the company's vaccine mandate, CEO Scott Kirby said on Tuesday.
Now that a vaccine mandate is in place, the airline has not seen a COVID-19-related death among its vaccinated employees in two months, according to a memo sent by Kirby to United staff and obtained by Insider.
A spokesperson for United confirmed to Insider that the vaccine mandate went into place in September, and that "the memo references the stats before the mandate and afterwards."
It remains unclear if the data refers to all deaths that happened since the pandemic began or if it refers to a shorter time period.
Kirby also said that while nearly 3,000 United employees are currently positive for COVID-19, and there are no vaccinated employees currently in the hospital.
"In dealing with COVID, zero is the word that matters — zero deaths and zero hospitalizations for vaccinated employees," Kirby said in the memo.
Airlines recently have been canceling flights as the highly transmissible Omicron variant has forced employees to call in sick and disrupted travel across the country.
Alaska Airlines axed about 10% of its January flight schedule due to an "unprecedented amount of sick calls while JetBlue cut roughly 1,280 flights through January 13 over COVID-related absences. Delta and SkyWest confirmed to Insider that the Omicron variant has impacted their operation and flight schedule, as well.
Kirby said in his memo that on one specific day at Newark Liberty International Airport, a United hub, one-third of the company's workforce called out sick. It was not made immediately clear when, exactly, this happened.
jepstein@insider.com (Jake Epstein,Taylor Rains) 12 hrs ago
United Airlines planes are seen at Newark International Airport in New Jersey, United States on September 29, 2021. United Airlines is firing employees over its vaccine mandate.
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
United Airlines says an average of one employee a week died from COVID-19 before vaccine mandate.
Since enforcing a vaccine mandate, no vaccinated employee has died from COVID-19 in two months, the airline's CEO said.
The airline's CEO said that no vaccinated staff members are hospitalized with COVID-19.
More than one United Airlines employee on average was dying from COVID-19 each week prior to the company's vaccine mandate, CEO Scott Kirby said on Tuesday.
Now that a vaccine mandate is in place, the airline has not seen a COVID-19-related death among its vaccinated employees in two months, according to a memo sent by Kirby to United staff and obtained by Insider.
A spokesperson for United confirmed to Insider that the vaccine mandate went into place in September, and that "the memo references the stats before the mandate and afterwards."
It remains unclear if the data refers to all deaths that happened since the pandemic began or if it refers to a shorter time period.
Kirby also said that while nearly 3,000 United employees are currently positive for COVID-19, and there are no vaccinated employees currently in the hospital.
"In dealing with COVID, zero is the word that matters — zero deaths and zero hospitalizations for vaccinated employees," Kirby said in the memo.
Airlines recently have been canceling flights as the highly transmissible Omicron variant has forced employees to call in sick and disrupted travel across the country.
Alaska Airlines axed about 10% of its January flight schedule due to an "unprecedented amount of sick calls while JetBlue cut roughly 1,280 flights through January 13 over COVID-related absences. Delta and SkyWest confirmed to Insider that the Omicron variant has impacted their operation and flight schedule, as well.
Kirby said in his memo that on one specific day at Newark Liberty International Airport, a United hub, one-third of the company's workforce called out sick. It was not made immediately clear when, exactly, this happened.
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