Alberta sovereignty act, protection for the unvaccinated part of Shandro's mandate


EDMONTON — Alberta's justice minister has received a long to-do list from Premier Danielle Smith in a mandate letter.


Alberta sovereignty act, protection for the unvaccinated part of Shandro's mandate© Provided by The Canadian Press

The letter says Tyler Shandro is to develop and enact the proposed sovereignty act to challenge "unconstitutional federal encroachments on areas of provincial jurisdiction."

"I expect our cabinet to remain united and determined in the face of a federal government that no longer treats its partners in Confederation as equals," Smith writes in the letter dated Wednesday.

"We must proactively protect Albertans from continued federal government overreach, including hostile economic policies that landlock our provincial resources, that chase billions in investment and thousands of jobs from our province, and that are detrimental to the short-term and long-term prosperity of Albertans."

In an interview with The Canadian Press on Thursday, Shandro said the sovereignty act is the priority and will be ready by next month.

"That's going to be Bill 1. It's going to be sponsored by the premier so definitely from that perspective," he said Thursday.

"One of the directions I've received from the premier is for this to be constitutionally compliant and the way of confronting the federal government's repeated intrusions and stepping into provincial jurisdiction."

The letter says Shandro is also to take legislative or regulatory steps to prohibit discrimination on the basis of COVID-19 vaccination.

"A lot of Albertans and many of my caucus mates have heard anecdotes from people who continue to be discriminated against," Shandro said.

"We are in the endemic stage and so it says in the letter for us to take a look at whether there are any steps that need to be taken to address those concerns of discrimination."

Smith has previously said the unvaccinated are the "most discriminated group" she has seen in her lifetime.

In addition, Smith asks Shandro to make a final decision on establishing a provincial police service.

Shandro said there is no date for when a decision will be made, but added that the province is consulting with municipalities in a working group to address any concerns that still exist.

"It's not in the approval process at this time. I think because of that working group, we are closer than we ever have been before in this province," Shandro said.

Smith spoke to the fall convention of the Rural Municipalities Association in Edmonton on Thursday. She outlined government priorities but did not mention the provincial police plan. She didn’t take questions from reporters.

Paul McLauchlin, the president of the association, said his members have been clear they want to work with the RCMP.

"My members are just saying, 'You know what? Should we spend energy creating a new police force or should we spend energy on the root cause of crime?' And my members are saying today, wholeheartedly, 'let's invest in the root cause of crime,'" McLauchlin said.

"I've talked to pollsters and they're (saying) this is not a good idea from a strategic political standpoint. It is not resonating from a polling standpoint (and) it’s not resonating from the folks I represent."

In the letter, Smith says she also wants legislature security officers to be designated as peace officers and be allowed to carry firearms.

Shandro said this is a matter that has been studied since 2014. He said because the legislature officers answer to the Speaker, firearms have been prohibited. A simple amendment to the Legislative Assembly Act, however, is possible and would make the legislature a safer place, Shandro added.

"This is a long time coming," he said. "It has been studied to death and we're pleased to be able to look at whether there could be a legislative amendment to help this come forward."

Smith has also ordered Shandro to ensure Alberta fully participates in the Public Order Emergency Commission to challenge Ottawa's use of the Emergencies Act and to help develop policy recommendations to prevent the future use of the legislation from violating provincial jurisdiction.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2022.

— By Bill Graveland in Calgary

The Canadian Press

Competition Bureau opens probe of alleged 'greenwashing' by natural gas association
Barbara Shecter - 


Blue flames on a stove powered by natural gas.© Provided by Financial Post

The Competition Bureau has opened an inquiry into allegations of “greenwashing” by the Canadian Gas Association after receiving a complaint in September from a group of doctors, nurses and public health advocates.

The inquiry concerns representations about natural gas made through the association’s “Fuelling Canada” advertising campaign as well as other representations made to the public outside this campaign, according to a Nov. 4 letter sent to the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) by Josephine A.L. Palumbo, deputy commissioner in the competition authority’s cartels and deceptive marketing practices branch.

The complaint alleged representations by the Canadian Gas Association that natural gas is “clean” were false and misleading, as were claims that methane gas is more affordable than other home energy systems.

“When properly accounted for, ‘natural’ gas has comparable greenhouse gas emissions to coal, in part because methane, the main ingredient in ‘natural’ gas, has up to 80 times the climate-warming potential of carbon dioxide,” CAPE claimed in a statement Thursday.

“The extraction and production of gas also pollutes the air and contaminates water sources, while closer to home, gas appliances cause indoor air pollution and pose a serious health risk for children’s respiratory health.”

Late Thursday, the Canadian Gas Association said it was informed by the Competition Bureau on Nov. 4 that an inquiry had been opened related to messaging around natural gas.

In an emailed statement, Timothy M. Egan, chief executive of the CGA, said the association plans to cooperate and is confident in its position.

“Natural gas plays an important part in Canada’s energy mix, meeting 38 per cent of Canadians’ energy needs, a number that is growing,” he said.

“Canadians need access to energy they can count on, and natural gas meets that need.”

Marie-Christine Vézina, a spokesperson for the Competition Bureau confirmed the watchdog “has launched an investigation into the Canadian Gas Association’s alleged deceptive marketing practices“ after receiving an application, and said the Competition Act obligates the Bureau to launch a formal investigation to determine the facts as long as such an application meets technical requirements.
“As the Bureau is obligated by law to conduct its work confidentially, we cannot provide any further details related to this matter,” she said in an email.

Greenwashing, in which environmental claims are not backed by substantial action, came under fire this week from Catherine Mckenna, Canada’s former minister of environment and climate change, at this week’s COP27 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

As chair of a UN expert group focused on net zero, McKenna laid out expectations for governments and companies and said it’s “time to draw a red line” around greenwashing.

“Too many of these net-zero pledges represent little more than empty slogans and hype,” she told the Canadian Press.

This is the second probe Canada’s Competition Bureau has opened into complaints about greenwashing.

Royal Bank of Canada is facing a probe following a complaint last summer by a handful of individuals backed by environmental groups. The complaint said the bank’s claims of being a climate leader were misleading because it continued to finance fossil fuel projects.

Groups making claims of greenwashing have scored some recent victories.

In October, HSBC Holdings PLC, one of the world’s largest banks, was forbidden from showing ads it had created when the United Kingdom’s marketing authority agreed with complaints they were “misleading” about the financial institution’s efforts to tackle climate change. In its first finding of greenwashing, The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that HSBC “omitted material information” about its activities, which include financing businesses that contribute to carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions.

Amazon has made history as the first public company ever to lose $1 trillion in market value, as the tech sell-off worsens

htan@insider.com (Huileng Tan) - Yesterday 

Amazon's share price has almost halved so far this year. 

Mike Segar/Reuters© Provided by Business Insider

Amazon has become the first public company ever to lose $1 trillion in market value, per Bloomberg.

Its share price closed 4.3% lower at $86.14 on Wednesday, taking its market value down to $879 billion.

Amazon's market value was nearly $1.9 trillion in July 2021.

Amazon has become the first public company ever to lose $1 trillion in market value amid a tech stock rout, according to Bloomberg. That's almost like losing Google parent Alphabet's worth of market value, which is now around $1.13 trillion.

The world's largest online retailer's share price closed 4.3% lower at $86.14 on Wednesday, taking its market capitalization to about $879 billion.

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The stock has lost around 48% of its value this year alone, and is a far cry from July 2021 when the company's market cap almost touched $1.9 trillion, per Bloomberg.

Amazon's market value fell below the $1 trillion mark on November 1, days after the company posted mixed third-quarter earnings and projected the company's slowest fourth-quarter growth ever.

It's not just Amazon that's bleeding money, the top five US tech companies by revenue have already lost nearly $4 trillion in market value so far this year, thanks to rising inflation and macroeconomic headwinds, per Bloomberg.

"We are seeing signs all around that, again, people's budgets are tight, inflation is still high, energy costs are an additional layer on top of that caused by other issues," Amazon CFO Brian Olsavsky told the reporters in a call on October 27, per Reuters. "We are preparing for what could be a slower growth period, like most companies."

The dip in Amazon's share price has also hit Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' net worth. The world's fourth richest person is now worth $113 billion after starting the year at $192.5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Danielle Smith's lobbying record holds clues to her governing agenda, observers say


EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith promised to focus on the concerns of everyday people after winning a seat in the legislature Tuesday, but observers say other clues to her agenda can be found in her record as a lobbyist for one of the province's most powerful business groups.



"I find this extremely useful as an indicator of what she's going to do," said Laurie Adkin, a political scientist at the University of Alberta.

"These are her people. These are the people she worked for."

Smith first registered as a lobbyist in June 2019 for the Alberta Enterprise Group, a Calgary-based association of 100 companies of which she was also president. It represents a broad swath of the provincial economy with members ranging from oilsands giant Syncrude to the Oilers Entertainment Group, the company behind the Edmonton Oilers NHL team. It also includes firms from health care, transportation, construction, energy, law and finance.

It refers to itself as "Alberta's most influential business organization."

Smith last renewed her lobbying status for the group in January. Ten months later, she was premier.

"They now have their president as premier," said Adkin. "Whose premier is she?"

In response to a question about how Smith's lobbying record might suggest her legislative priorities, Rebecca Polak, the premier's press secretary, wrote in an email: "Premier Smith has always operated in accordance with the Lobbyists Act and the Conflicts of Interest Act."

The registry lists more than a dozen pages of issues Smith lobbied the government on during her years with the business group.

They include a "free enterprise approach to delivering public services such as health spending accounts and vouchers in child care."

Smith, a former advocate of bogus COVID-19 cures such as Ivermectin, met with then-health minister Tyler Shandro — now Alberta's justice minister — to discuss "the College of Physicians and Surgeons interference with doctors' ability to prescribe medications based on best available medical research."

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She and Shandro also discussed "a new accountability model for delivering health care that would split the roles of purchaser, provider and performance oversight."

Smith advocated a government-run "concierge" service for large development projects. She argued for a "streamlined model" to assess rural property taxes on roads and pipelines for the oilpatch. Smith lobbied for charter schools.

She held repeated meetings on the so-called RStar program, which would give energy companies an up to $5-billion break on their royalties if they met their legal obligations and cleaned up their abandoned wells. That proposal is now being considered by Alberta Energy.

Many items on her list have already been enacted under former premier Jason Kenney, such as the 50 per cent cut in the corporate tax rate.

The list is consistent with the agenda Smith has pursued her entire public career, said Lori Williams, a political scientist from Calgary's Mount Royal University.

"It's more or less a confirmation of what we've already seen," she said.

But Williams said if Smith's legislative agenda follows her lobbying efforts, she may alienate Albertans.

"In some respects, Jason Kenney misread Alberta as being more conservative than it actually is. Danielle Smith seems to have tacked even further to the right."

Smith's lobbying work immediately preceding the resumption of her political career "raises lots of questions," Williams said.

"We often hear conservatives discussing special interest groups and their undemocratic influence on government. There could be questions raised whether Danielle Smith represents all Albertans or will allow disproportionate influence to an interest group."

New Democrat Opposition deputy leader Sarah Hoffman said Smith's lobbying record isn't in sync with what Albertans care about.

"Most Albertans want to have a public health system where if they get diagnosed with something scary that they have access to quality treatment as soon as possible, not based on how much money they've got in their bank account," she said. "I think most Albertans are concerned about the cost of living, want things to be more affordable for them.

"These are top of mind for most people, not wanting to push a voucher system."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2022.

— Follow Bob Weber on Twitter at @row1960

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

Russian man accused of being global ransomware mastermind arrested north of Toronto

Adrian Humphreys - 

A Russian-Canadian man accused of being one of the world’s most prolific ransomware operators behind high-stakes attacks on critical infrastructure and companies has been arrested north of Toronto after an international investigation by European, American, and Canadian police.


Ukrainian officers and officials with European and United States agencies search a home in Kyiv in 2021 after the arrest two men accused of being LockBit ransomware accomplices of a man arrested in Ontario in October.

When police raided Mikhail Vasiliev’s house in Bradford West Gwillimbury, 60 kilometres north of Toronto, on Oct. 26, officers found him sitting in the garage at a table with an open laptop computer. Police restrained him before he was able to lock his laptop, according to authorities.

On the open laptop, police found a browser window with several open tabs including one titled “LockBit LOGIN,” at a site hosted on a dark web domain, according to allegations.

He is accused of being the mastermind behind LockBit, perhaps the most notorious of recent extortion tools called ransomware, that targets, blocks and locks access to computers and private data until a ransom is paid.

The Ontario Provincial Police arrested Vasiliev, 33, but kept it quiet while a large, international response unfolded.

While Vasiliev was charged by the OPP only on gun charges after two weapons and ammunition were allegedly found on the premises, he now faces an extradition request by the United States and attracts keen interest in Europe. He appeared in court in Barrie Thursday on the extradition request, a hearing adjourned until next week.

European authorities said he is alleged to have deployed LockBit to attack infrastructure and large industrial groups across the world. Companies in Canada, Europe and the United States have been hard hit.



Ukrainian officers and officials with European and United States agencies search a home in Kyiv in 2021 after the arrest of two men accused of being ransomware accomplices of a man arrested in Ontario in October.© Cyber ​​Police Of Ukraine

Europol, the European police agency, said he is allegedly known for extortionate ransom demands ranging between 5 million to 70 million euros, which is about $7 million to $95 million in Canadian currency.

Investigators from the French Gendarmerie, the FBI, and Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre were deployed to Ontario to jointly conduct investigative measures with Canadian police, Europol said.

Europol said two guns, eight computers and 32 external hard drives were seized in the search of the home, along with 400,000 euros in cryptocurrencies, which is about $544,000 Canadian.

The timing of the raid seems to have caught Vasiliev by surprise, but that police would return likely didn’t. His home was first raided by Canadian police in August, according to documents filed in U.S. court in New Jersey.

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During that raid, officers found a file titled “TARGETLIST” which appears to be a list of prospective or historical cybercrime victims. It included a New Jersey based business that was hit last November, according to an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Matthew Haddad, that is attached to a criminal complaint against Vasiliev.

Canadian authorities also seized screenshots of messages sent on an encrypted platform from a user named “LockBitSupp,” believed to be short for “LockBit Support” and a moniker known by authorities to have been used in ransomware communications. Also found was a file that appears to be instructions for deploying a LockBit attack, according to Haddad.

Police seized source code for a data encryption program and photos of a computer screen showing usernames and passwords belonging to employees of a LockBit victim in Canada that was hit in January, according to Haddad.

When police returned to his home last month, and arrested him at his open laptop, officers found further potential evidence — the FBI believes the tab was a LockBit control panel. Other files on the computer showed it had working access to the site, the U.S. complaint alleges.

Police also found a seed phrase for accessing a Bitcoin wallet. The wallet showed a payment on Feb. 5. The FBI alleges the funds originated as a portion of a ransom payment made six hours earlier by a confirmed LockBit victim. At the time, the cryptocurrency deposit was worth about $53,000. This morning the same amount was worth about $18,500 after a drop in Bitcoin value.

The OPP would only confirm that guns were seized — and that is all he was charged with in Canada — although the OPP confirmed the arrest is part of a cross-border ransomware investigation. The OPP said it worked with the RCMP’s National Cybercrime Coordination Centre.

Vasiliev faces charges in Ontario of possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition, possession of a prohibited device or ammunition, and careless storage of a firearm.

He originally appeared in court in Orillia the day after his arrest and has been released on bail pending a court appearance. The OPP said its investigation remains active. His release conditions include GPS monitoring and for him not to be within 10 kilometres of Pearson international airport nor within 20 kilometres of any land border with the United States.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of New Jersey said U.S. charges against Vasiliev were filed on Nov. 9, followed by a request for his extradition to New Jersey. He is wanted in Newark for conspiring to damage protected computers and to transmit ransom demands.

Two of his alleged accomplices were arrested last year in Kyiv, Ukraine. An investigation by French and Ukrainian police led to the arrest of two men accused of being prolific LockBit operators.

Europol said they were part of an organized group that was one of Europol’s high-value targets and, at the time, said officers continued to search for the “main operator.” Along with those arrests in September 2021, police seized US$375,000 in cash, two luxury vehicles, and froze assets of US$1.3 million in cryptocurrencies.

According to analysts at Blackberry, LockBit ransomware has been particularly damaging.

“LockBit ransomware has been implicated in more cyberattacks this year than any other ransomware, making it the most active ransomware in the world,” according to a report by Blackberry.

LockBit was first detected in 2019, LockBit 2.0 in 2021; and the current version, LockBit 3.0, was detected in June.

“LockBit attacks typically employ a double extortion tactic to encourage victims to pay, first, to regain access to their encrypted files and then to pay again to prevent their stolen data from being posted publicly,” the report says.

LockBit attracted added scrutiny when analysts found it had a special process before launching an attack: It determined where the target’s servers were located and if they were in Russia or one of the former Soviet Union states, it would abort the attack.

• Email: ahumphreys@postmedia.com | Twitter: AD_Humphreys

‘A twisted joke’: UN’s flagship climate summit sees sharp jump in fossil fuel industry delegates

Sam Meredith - 14h ago

The sharp jump in attendees associated with some of the world's biggest polluting oil and gas giants at the U.N.'s flagship climate conference is thought to reflect the rise in the influence of the fossil fuel industry to shape the debate.

Campaigners described the findings as a "twisted joke."

The data showed more fossil fuel industry delegates were set to attend COP27 than any national delegation from the African continent, despite the talks being described as the "Africa COP."


The sharp jump in attendees associated with some of the world's biggest polluting oil and gas giants at COP27 is thought to reflect the rise in the influence of the fossil fuel industry to shape the debate.© Provided by CNBC

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — More than 600 fossil fuel industry delegates have been registered to attend the COP27 climate talks in Egypt, according to analysis from campaign groups, reflecting an increase of over 25% from last year.

The sharp jump in attendees associated with some of the world's biggest polluting oil and gas giants at the U.N.'s flagship climate conference is thought to reflect the rise in the influence of the fossil fuel industry to shape the debate.

Campaigners described the findings as a "twisted joke" and said it appeared to set the stage for COP27 to be a "festival of fossil fuels and their polluting friends, buoyed by recent bumper profits."

A spokesperson for Egypt's COP presidency was not immediately available to comment on the findings of the report.

Around 35,000 delegates from nearly 200 countries are expected to convene in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss collective action to tackle the climate emergency.

An analysis of data from the U.N.'s provisional list of named attendees by campaign groups Corporate Accountability, Corporate Europe Observatory and Global Witness found that 636 fossil fuel lobbyists had been registered to take part in the talks.

That reflects an increase of over 100 when compared to last year's talks in Glasgow, Scotland.

It means that more fossil fuel lobbyists are represented at the two-week-long summit than any single country besides the United Arab Emirates, which has 1,070 delegates registered compared to 176 last year.

Why poorer countries want rich countries to foot their climate change bill

The data also showed that more fossil fuel industry delegates were set to attend COP27 than any national delegation from the African continent, despite the talks being described as the "Africa COP."

Researchers pored through the U.N.'s provisional list of named attendees to count the number of individuals registered either acting on behalf of the fossil fuel industry or those directly affiliated with oil and gas companies, such as BP, Shell and Chevron.
'Extraordinary presence' of the fossil fuel industry

"With time running out to avert climate disaster, major talks like COP27 absolutely must advance concrete action to stop the toxic practices of the fossil fuel industry that is causing more damage to the climate than any other industry," a spokesperson for the groups said.

"The extraordinary presence of this industry's lobbyists at these talks is therefore a twisted joke at the expense of both people and planet," they added.

To be sure, the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, is the chief driver of the climate crisis.

A flurry of major U.N. reports published in recent weeks delivered a grim assessment of how close the planet is to irreversible climate breakdown, warning there is "no credible pathway" in place to cap global heating at the critical temperature threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius.

"There's been a lot of lip service paid to this being the so-called African COP, but how are you going to address the dire climate impacts on the continent, when the fossil fuel delegation is larger than that of any African country?" said Philip Jakpor of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa.

"More than 450 organisations around the world are calling on world governments to do what they should have done from day one," Jakpor said in a statement. "It's time to kick Big Polluters out! No more writing the rules or bankrolling the climate talks."

Frenchman designs smart bracelet aimed at protecting women from assault, inspired by a painful personal experience


Sun, November 6, 2022 

Alexandre Cerret will never forget the phone call he received three years ago, when what was supposed to be a regular evening turned into a nightmare.

He was living in central Paris at the time, waiting for his girlfriend to come home from a night out near the Eiffel Tower. She was late and he was worried.

When he finally received her call, she told him that she had been stopped by a stranger as she walked to her car, who then attacked and raped her.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Unfortunately, Cerret says the police investigation was severely hampered by a lack of evidence, and the case did not go through as not enough proof was given.

"We didn't have security cameras in the street, we had no material evidence, this was a big issue when we reported it to the police," Cerret, now 23 years-old and living in Geneva, told the Post via a Zoom call.

As he helped his girlfriend through the healing process, he could not shake off the urge to do something to help those who want to protect their loved ones.

After three years of preparation, he and his team of five launched Carrat, a piece of wearable tech in the form of a stylish bracelet with a connected mobile app, which alerts emergency contacts once activated.

By pressing the face of the bracelet twice, an emergency phone call is made to the user's principal security contact. Additionally, a message with the user's GPS location is sent to five phone numbers.

It works anywhere in the world as long as there is a Bluetooth connection, according to Cerret.


Beyond the bracelet, the founder of Carrat wants to develop an educational programme that could be rolled out around the globe. Photo: Handout alt=Beyond the bracelet, the founder of Carrat wants to develop an educational programme that could be rolled out around the globe. Photo: Handout>

However, when it comes to consumer adoption, there is a separate challenge. The international wearables market is facing headwinds, and wristbands are an at-risk category, according to a report by market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) in September.

The country with a population of 1.4 billion has quite a few missing pieces in safeguarding women, experts said.

"On an administrative level, we need a cross-function mechanism for stakeholders like the transport system, the medical system, public security bureaus and employers to work together," said Wang Xiaozhe, who spearheads diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at global tech consultancy ThoughtWorks' China office. "Culturally, there is a lack of empathy towards females, which may be derived from the lack of gender education and legal protection."

Wang believes Carrat's feasibility in China depends on whether it can find the right product scenario, noting that users can use their phone or an app instead of a bracelet.

Cerret is aware of the potential limitations and wants to sell more than just a bracelet. "The bracelet is really a short-term solution, this cannot save you [on its own]. This cannot mentally help you," he said. "Even after the bracelet is put to use, you still need to be supported [if you have been attacked]."

Beyond the product, he is aiming to develop an educational programme that could roll out around the globe and is currently in talks with undisclosed organisations in India, Pakistan and Hong Kong. He has started raising funds for the company, while planning to set up a separate foundation that manages the education programme.

In the meantime, he is continuing to support his girlfriend and help her to feel safe and go out in public again. She is not involved in the business and does not want to be named, he said.

"We want to [stop incidents from happening] at the prevention point, which comes with the bracelets, but also come with educating people," he said.

Copyright (c) 2022. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lithium-ion batteries 

EXPLAINER: Bikes, batteries and blazes spark concern in NYC


 A man making deliveries rides an electronic bike in New York, Dec. 21, 2017. A weekend fire that injured over three dozen people and forced firefighters to use ropes to pluck people from a 20th-story window is drawing attention to a rising concern in New York City: battery fires that can arise in the electric bikes and scooters that have proliferated here. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) 

JENNIFER PELTZ
Mon, November 7, 2022 

NEW YORK (AP) — A weekend fire that injured over three dozen people — and forced firefighters to use ropes to pluck people from a 20th-story window — is drawing attention to a rising concern in New York City: battery fires that can arise in the electric bikes and scooters that have proliferated here.

City officials are considering new laws after the fire department counted nearly 200 blazes and six fire deaths this year tied to problems with lithium-ion batteries in such “micromobility” devices.

WHAT ARE THESE BATTERIES? ARE THEY THE SAME TECH USED IN PHONES AND CARS?

Lithium-ion batteries are a Nobel Prize-winning innovation that entered the market in the early 1990s. Hailed as rechargeable, lightweight, powerful, durable and safe, the batteries have been envisioned as a key to greening the world's energy supply by storing energy, including from the sun, wind and other renewable sources.

The technology has woven its way into many people's everyday lives, powering phones, laptop computers, vehicles and more.

WHY CAN THEY CATCH FIRE?

The batteries' electrolyte — a solution that lets electrical current flow — is flammable, explains Massachusetts Institute of Technology materials chemistry professor Dr. Donald Sadoway. The substance was chosen for its ability to handle the voltage involved, but fires can happen if the batteries are overcharged, overheated, defective or damaged, for instance.

Over the years, problems have periodically triggered fires involving laptops, cellphones, hoverboards, electric vehicles, airplanes and battery power storage installations. A U.N. aviation agency said in 2016 that lithium-ion batteries shouldn't be shipped on passenger planes.

Battery industry group leader James Greenberger notes that other energy sources aren't trouble-free, and he says there's nothing inherently unsafe about the batteries. But he said the industry is concerned about the fires lately in New York and worries that they could scare off consumers.

“This shouldn’t be happening and we need to figure out what’s going on,” said Greenberger, the executive director of NAATBatt — the North American trade association for advanced battery technology developers, manufacturers and users.

WHY ARE E-BIKES AND SCOOTERS GETTING SCRUTINY IN NEW YORK?

The city has seen “an exponential increase” in fires related to faulty lithium-ion batteries in recent years, Chief Fire Marshal Daniel Flynn said. He said there have been more deaths and injuries already this year than in the past three years combined.

“It’s a big issue," he said at a news conference Monday, describing fires that occur without warning, grow rapidly and are tough to extinguish.

The batteries "fail almost in an explosive way — it’s like a blowtorch,” he said.

Saturday's fire in a Manhattan apartment was sparked by a malfunctioning e-bike battery that residents were attempting to charge and left unattended while they fell asleep, he said. They were trapped when the battery, plugged in by the front door, caught fire, Flynn said.

Electric bikes and scooters have become popular, non-gasoline-burning ways to make deliveries, commute and zip around a city that has promoted cycling in recent decades. For the “deliveristas” who carry restaurant takeout orders, the bikes are crucial tools of the trade.

“What these workers have learned over the years, and they know it well, is that, like any equipment, it requires the maintenance required,” said Hildalyn Colón Hernández, a spokesperson for worker advocacy group Los Deliveristas Unidos. She said many workers have used their batteries for years without a hitch.

WHAT'S CAUSING THE PROBLEM?

There are different opinions. Greenberger, the industry group director, suggests there’s too little quality control on some of the largely imported batteries. Sadoway, the scientist, believes “we don’t have the appropriate protective measures” on e-bikes and scooters themselves to monitor the batteries for problems.

Colón Hernández, the delivery worker advocate, thinks there need to be tougher standards around the batteries, such as regulations for businesses that sell or service them.

WHAT IS NEW YORK CITY DOING ABOUT THIS?

The Fire Department has repeatedly issued warnings and safety tips over the past year. Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh asked the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission in August to consider new regulations. Mayor Eric Adams pointed again to the CPSC on Monday.

“The responsibility of navigating safe and unsafe batteries on the market should not fall to hard-working New Yorkers,” the mayor, a Democrat, said in a statement.

Some city lawmakers want to take their own steps.

A City Council committee has set a Nov. 14 hearing on various proposals. Some would require public education campaigns or safety reports. Another would prohibit the sale of some secondhand lithium-ion batteries, or e-bike or scooter batteries without certain seals of approval.

Meanwhile, fire officials continue to urge everyone not to leave batteries to charge unattended, to check that they're not damaged or near a heat source, and to make sure the batteries, chargers, cords and devices are all from the same manufacturer and used as instructed.

“We understand the benefits that these batteries pose to our communities, and we want to encourage use of them, but safe use,” Flynn said. “So understand that it does pose a danger, and just use them safely.”

French cardinal says he abused 14-year-old girl 35 years ago


Archbishop of Bordeaux, France, Cardinal Jean-Pierre Bernard Ricard blesses his titular church - Sant' Agostino - during a ceremony to officially take possession of his church, in Rome, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2006. Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard said on Monday Nov.7, 2022 that he had abused a 14-year-old girl thirty-five years ago and is withdrawing from his functions. The move comes after a report issued last year revealed a large number of child sex abuse cases within the country's Catholic Church. 

(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)

Mon, November 7, 2022 

PARIS (AP) — Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, one of France's highest-ranking prelates of the Catholic Church, said Monday that he had abused a 14-year-old girl 35 years ago and is withdrawing from his religious duties.

The move comes after a report issued last year revealed a large number of child sex abuse cases within the French Catholic Church.

“Thirty-five years ago, when I was a priest, I behaved in a reprehensible way with a young girl aged 14,” Ricard said in a written statement.

“My behavior has inevitably caused serious and lasting consequences for this person,” he said.

Ricard, 78, used to be the archbishop of Bordeaux, in southwestern France, until he retired from that position in 2019 to serve in his home diocese of Dignes-les-Bains, in the south of the country. In the 1980s, he was a priest in the archdiocese of Marseille.

The announcement was made Monday at a news conference by the president of the French bishops’ conference, Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort.

Moulins-Beaufort said a total of 11 bishops and former bishops, including Ricard, have been targeted by accusations in relation with sex abuse in diverse cases investigated by French justice or church authorities.

Ricard said he had talked to the victim and asked her for forgiveness, without specifying when. He said he was also asking for forgiveness “to all those I hurt" through his statement. He did not elaborate on that.

At times when the French Catholic Church has just started to pay financial compensation to victims of child sexual abuse, Ricard said he decided “not to stay silent anymore about (his) situation” and that he was available for the country’s justice and for church authorities.

The broad study released last year by an independent commission estimated that some 330,000 children were sexually abused over 70 years by priests or other church-related figures in France.

The tally included an estimated 216,000 people abused by priests and other clerics, and the rest by church figures such as scout leaders and camp counselors. The estimates were based on broader research by France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research into sexual abuse of children.

The report described a “systemic” coverup by church officials and urged the French Catholic Church to respect the rule of law in France.

Tiff Macklem: "Difficult Adjustment" Coming to Canadian Labour Markets

TIFF DOING HIS SNL CHURCH LADY IMITATION 

Investing.com -- In a speech hosted by the Public Policy Forum at the Toronto Metropolitan University, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem stressed the need to “Rebalance the labour market”, which he called “a symptom of the general imbalance between demand and supply that is fuelling inflation and hurting all Canadians”.

Despite growing calls for a recession, the Canadian jobs market remains tight, with last month’s jobs reports blowing away all expectations by adding over 100,000 jobs after three months of losses. The unemployment rate for October meanwhile held steady at 5.2% (the record low of 4.9% was reached earlier this year in June).

Mr. Macklem also pointed to record job vacancies as evidence of overheated labor markets, as businesses struggle to find workers amidst a labour shortage. Canadian job vacancies hit a record of over one million in Q2 this year.

Mr. Macklem went on to note that despite excessive demand in the economy, the Canadian labour market is beginning to see early signs of cooling, which he sees as a sign that the Bank of Canada’s rate hike spree is working.

The Bank of Canada has raised its benchmark overnight lending rate to 3.75%, from the emergency pandemic low of 0.25% in March. Last month, the BoC surprised market expectations with a relatively tame 50 bp move.

Related video: Canada sees unexpected job gains in October
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“In recent months, we’ve seen initial signs that these exceptionally tight labour market conditions have started to ease”, the BoC governor said.

“Job vacancies have started to decline,” Macklem said. “Their softening has been evident in sectors that are more sensitive to interest rates, such as manufacturing and construction.”

He also noted that wage pressures “now look to be plateauing”.

However, Mr. Macklem foresees a further cooling in the Canadian labour market as the impact of rate hikes trickles through the economy. He also notes that a further easing in the labour market is a necessary condition to cool the overheated Canadian economy and consequently ease inflationary pressures.

“With more modest spending growth, the demand for labour by businesses will ease, vacancies will decline, and the labour market will come into better balance,” Macklem noted. “This will relieve price pressures.”

He does note however, that “This will be a difficult adjustment."

In terms of what’s next, the BoC governor said the bank will be “looking beyond headline employment numbers to gauge how different groups in the labor market adjust” to higher interest rates.

Markets are currently pricing in a one-third chance of another 50 bp rate hike from the Canadian central bank in December.