NYPD agrees to ‘significantly’ change how it handles protests in the city

Story by Gloria Oladipo in New York •

Photograph: John Minchillo/AP© Provided by The Guardian

The New York police department (NYPD) has agreed to ban several controversial policing tactics used on demonstrators – as part of a settlement agreement in response to lawsuits about police behavior during the 2020 racial justice protests.

The New York state attorney general Letitia James, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Legal Aid Society announced the reforms on Tuesday after the parties sued the city’s police department. James issued a statement noting the agreement will “significantly” change how the NYPD responses to mass demonstrations in future.

The NYPD will adopt a four-tiered response system that emphasizes de-escalation versus flooding protests with police officers, James’s office said, as seen in the 2020 racial justice protests that erupted across the US and internationally after the police in Minneapolis murdered George Floyd in May 2020.

The NYPD will also hire a senior executive who will oversee the implementation of the new response system in public demonstrations.

City police tactics such as “kettling”, where officers encircle and press upon a group of demonstrators, will be banned, NYCLU, the New York state affiliate of the ACLU, announced in a post on Twitter, now known as X.

Police will also no longer be allowed to use low-flying helicopters to intimidate protestors in New York City. Officers will only break up protests as a “last resort”, the NYCLU added, and will only make arrests after giving three warnings for crowds to disperse.

“The right to peacefully assemble and protest is sacrosanct and foundational to our democracy. Too often peaceful protesters have been met with force that has harmed innocent New Yorkers simply trying to exercise their rights,” said James in the statement.

“Today’s agreement will meaningfully change how the NYPD engages with and responds to public demonstrations in New York City.”

Eric Adams, the mayor of New York, also celebrated the forthcoming changes, calling the reforms balanced.

“Our administration is committed to improving our policies to keep New Yorkers safe and protect their civil liberties,” said Adams in a statement, the New York Times reported. Adams noted the reforms would protect public safety while also safeguarding the first amendment rights of demonstrators to exercise free speech.

The latest agreement comes as New York City paid out record settlement amounts to protestors injured by police while demonstrating for racial justice in 2020.

New York officials announced in July they would pay out a total of $13.7m to protestors who were beaten and arrested by police at a protest for George Floyd in 2020.

In March, New York City already agreed to pay $6m to protesters who were detained, arrested and subjected to excessive force during a racial justice protest in the Bronx borough.

As of May this year, at least 19 US cities had agreed to pay out a total of more than $80m to protestors injured during 2020 demonstrations, a record amount experts say is only likely to increase.

‘I’m starving’: N.W.T. evacuees waiting for government support

Story by Jasmine King •6h

N.W.T. evacuees at the Edmonton Expo Centre.© Global News

Evacuees from the Northwest Territories have been in Edmonton for weeks and have been receiving resources to help them survive.

However, that's not the case for all, with some struggling to get by as they wait for more support. Joshua Bourke, who has reached a boiling point, is among them.

"I've lost weight, I'm stressed out. It's frustrating," Bourke said.

Bourke was working in Hay River when he was forced to flee and says since he arrived in Edmonton three weeks ago, he hasn't received much government aid and he could be here a while.

Yellowknife residents are allowed to return this week but there's no estimate for when other evacuees can go home.

"The (Government of Northwest Territories) said they would be helping me two weeks ago and I haven't gotten anything yet. They gave me a run around for about a week before they got back to me," said Bourke.

A few days after Bourke arrived in Edmonton, he applied for programs that would be given to evacuees. He says he's only been given three days' worth of food vouchers and has had to turn to family for financial support.

"I shouldn't have to. I'm supposed to be working in Hay River right now; I should be making $1,500 a week at least and now I'm here starving."

In a social media post on Friday, Northwest Territories Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek says they've received over 5,000 applications for the Evacuee Income Disruption Program and Travel Support Program.

"We have received an incredibly high volume of emails and applications, and this team will continue to work diligently to respond to the enquiries and process the applications as fast as possible," read the post.

Video: NWT wildfire evacuees worry government may not cover costly evacuation expenses

Evacuee Ryan Heron says he's heard of others having similar payment issues because of registration.

"If you don't have the proper documentation you're going to slip through the cracks and that's where the problems will start," Heron said.

However Heron and his wife have had to deal with a different hurdle. They got their first hotel in Edmonton and are now in hotel number five up in Grande Prairie, after being kicked out of two because of funding issues.

"We were both just lost, we have everything we own in our car and we only have a small SUV," said Heron.

For Bourke, he's spending most of his time in Edmonton in his hotel room, waiting to get financial aid and hoping changes will come soon.

"Fund them, get them food, get them the help they need."

EPA delays new ozone pollution standards until after 2024 election



WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is delaying plans to tighten air quality standards for ground-level ozone — better known as smog — despite a recommendation by a scientific advisory panel to lower air pollution limits to protect public health.

The decision by EPA Administrator Michael Regan means that one of the agency's most important air quality regulations will not be updated until well after the 2024 presidential election.

“I have decided that the best path forward is to initiate a new statutory review of the ozone (standard) and the underlying air quality criteria,'' Regan wrote in a letter to the EPA advisory panel last month. The letter cites “several issues” raised by the panel in a recent report that "warrant additional evaluation and review.''

The review, which will last at least two years, will “ensure that air quality standards reflect the latest science in order to best protect people from pollution,'' Regan said.

Regan's decision avoids a potentially contentious, election-year battle with industry groups and Republicans who have complained about what they consider overly intrusive EPA rules on power plants, refineries, automobiles and other polluters.

The delay marks the second time in 12 years that a Democratic administration has put off a new ozone standard prior to an election year. Former President Barack Obama shut down plans to tighten ozone standards in 2011, leading to four-year delay before the standards were updated in 2015.

Paul Billings, senior vice president of the American Lung Association, called EPA's decision “profoundly disappointing” and a missed opportunity to protect public health and promote environmental justice. A recent report by the lung association showed that minority communities bear a disproportionate burden from ground-level ozone, which occurs when air pollution from cars, power plants and other sources mixes with sunlight. The problem is particularly acute in urban areas.

Billings called the ozone rule “the public health cornerstone of the Clean Air Act,'' adding that "millions of people will breathe dirty air for many more years'' as a result of the delay. An increased number of asthma attacks, sick days and even premature death are likely to occur, he and other public health advocates said.

Raul Garcia, vice president of policy and legislation for Earthjustice, called the delay “shameful” and unjustified. “The science tells us we are long overdue,” Garcia said.

Democratic lawmakers also were disappointed. "Inaction threatens public health and puts those with underlying conditions such as asthma or lung disease, at an elevated risk,'' said Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse. He and 51 other Democrats had urged swift action on a new rule

"Unfortunately we’ve seen the process for updating the ozone standards repeatedly swept up in political games that risk lives,'' the lawmakers said in an Aug. 7 letter to EPA.

Conor Bernstein, a spokesman for the National Mining Association, applauded EPA’s decision "not to race ahead with an unnecessary revision of the ozone standards,'' which have not been changed since 2015. The current standard was reaffirmed in December 2020 under then-President Donald Trump.

Bernstein, whose members produce coal and other fossil fuels, urged officials to reconsider other regulations that he said target coal-fired power plants and endanger reliability of the electric grid. “It's clear — and deeply alarming — that EPA (does not) understand the cumulative impact its rules will have on the grid and the nation’s severely stressed power supply,'' he said.

A spokeswoman for the American Petroleum Institute, the top lobbying group for the oil and gas industry, said current ozone limits are among the most stringent in the world. “Any tightening of the standard could impact energy costs, threaten U.S. energy security and impact businesses and American consumers,'' spokeswoman Andrea Woods said in an email.

The EPA's decision comes after two advisory panels — the EPA's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee and the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council — urged the agency to lower the current ozone standard of 70 parts per billion.

“Based on the scientific evidence currently available, it is concluded that the level of the current standard is not protective with an adequate margin of safety,'' the EPA panel said in a June report. A limit of 55 to 60 parts per billion "is more likely to be protective and to provide an adequate margin of safety,'' the panel said.

Lianne Sheppard, a University of Washington biostatistics professor who chairs the scientific advisory panel, said Regan's decision was “his alone” to make.

“However, I am disappointed, given the robust scientific evidence that ozone is harmful to public health and welfare,” she told E&E News last month.

The White House environmental justice council, meanwhile, cited the “horrible toll of air pollution'' and its disproportionate effect on minority communities. In a letter to the White House, co-chairs Richard Moore and Peggy Shepard said the problem is "compounded by the inadequate monitoring and enforcement in many of our communities.''

Moore is co-director of Los Jardines Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, while Sheppard is co-founder and executive director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice in New York City.

Tomas Carbonell, a top official in EPA's Office of Air and Radiation, said the report by the scientific panel left EPA with little choice but to launch a comprehensive review even though all but one panel member supported a stricter ozone standard.

“When we’re looking at our national air quality standards, there's really no way to cut corners around that process,'' Carbonell said in an interview.

The agency will convene workshops next spring to gather information and will release a review plan for action in late 2024, he said. A final decision could be years away.

Matthew Daly, The Associated Press

POLICE STATE KANGAROO COURT
61 indicted in Georgia on racketeering charges connected to 'Stop Cop City' movement



ATLANTA (AP) — Sixty-one people have been indicted in Georgia on racketeering charges following a long-running state investigation into protests against a planned police and firefighter training facility in the Atlanta area that critics call “Cop City.”

In the sweeping indictment released Tuesday, Republican Attorney General Chris Carr alleged the defendants are “militant anarchists” who supported a violent movement that prosecutors trace to the widespread 2020 racial justice protests.

The Aug. 29 indictment is the latest application of the state’s anti-racketeering law, also known as a RICO law, and comes just weeks after the Fulton County prosecutor used the statute to charge former President Donald Trump and 18 other defendants.

The “Stop Cop City” effort has gone on for more than two years and at times veered into vandalism and violence. Opponents fear the training center will lead to greater militarization of the police, and that its construction in an urban forest will exacerbate environmental damage in a poor, majority-Black area.

Most of those indicted have already been charged over their alleged involvement in the movement. RICO charges carry a heavy potential sentence that can be added on top of the penalty for the underlying acts.

Among the defendants: more than three dozen people already facing domestic terrorism charges in connection to violent protests; three leaders of a bail fund previously accused of money laundering; and three activists previously charged with felony intimidation after authorities said they distributed flyers calling a state trooper a “murderer” for his involvement in the fatal shooting of a protester.

“The 61 defendants together have conspired to prevent the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center by conducting, coordinating and organizing acts of violence, intimidation and property destruction,” Carr said during a news conference Tuesday.

In linking the defendants to the alleged conspiracy, prosecutors have made a huge series of allegations. Those include everything from possessing fire accelerant and throwing Molotov cocktails at police officers, to being reimbursed for glue and food for activists who spent months camping in the woods near the construction site.

Activists leading an ongoing referendum effort against the project immediately condemned the charges, calling them “anti-democratic.”

“Chris Carr may try to use his prosecutors and power to build his gubernatorial campaign and silence free speech, but his threats will not silence our commitment to standing up for our future, our community, and our city,” the Cop City Vote coalition said in a statement.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, meanwhile, praised the indictment, saying in a statement, “My top priority is and always will be keeping Georgians safe, especially against out-of-state radicals that threaten the safety of our citizens and law enforcement.”

Protests against the training center escalated after the fatal shooting in January of 26-year-old protester Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, known as Tortuguita. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has said state troopers fired in self-defense after Paez Terán shot at them while they cleared protesters from a wooded area near the proposed facility site. But the troopers involved weren’t wearing body cameras, and activists have questioned the official narrative.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and others say the 85-acre, $90 million facility would replace inadequate training facilities, and would help address difficulties in hiring and retaining police officers.

Prosecutors trace the roots of the “Stop Cop City” movement back to May 25, 2020, the date George Floyd was murdered by police officers in Minneapolis, even though the resulting protests occurred months before officials announced plans for the training center. Long after the racial justice protests died down, “violent anti-police sentiment” persisted among some Atlantans and it remains one of the demonstrators' “core driving motives," according to the indictment.

Since 2021, numerous instances of violence and vandalism have been linked to the movement. Days after the killing of Paez Terán, a police car was set alight at a January protest in downtown Atlanta. In March, more than 150 masked protesters chased off police at the construction site and torched construction equipment before fleeing and blending in with a crowd at a nearby music festival. Those two instances have led to dozens of people being charged with domestic terrorism, although prosecutors previously admitted they’ve had difficulty proving that many of those arrested were in fact those who took part in the violence.

Among those charged with domestic terrorism in March near the music festival and indicted last week is Thomas Jurgens, a Southern Poverty Law Center staff attorney. Jurgens' lawyer has said his client wore a bright green hat — a well-known identifier used by legal observers — and his arrest alarmed many human rights organizations.

The law center called it an example of “heavy-handed law enforcement intervention against protesters." DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston, a Democrat, mentioned her concerns about Jurgens' prosecution in announcing her June decision to withdraw from criminal cases connected to the movement, citing disagreements with Carr over how to handle the matters.

In addition to the 61 racketeering indictments, five of the defendants were also indicted on domestic terrorism and first-degree arson charges. Three previously charged leaders of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund, which has provided bail money and helped find attorneys for arrested protesters, were also each indicted on 15 counts of money laundering.

The case was initially assigned to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, the judge overseeing the racketeering case against Trump and 18 others. But McAfee recused himself, saying he'd worked with prosecutors on the case prior to his judicial appointment. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams now oversees the case.

R.j. Rico, The Associated Press

How the ultra-wealthy infiltrated anti-capitalist Burning Man

Story by By Allison Morrow, CNN •10h

Burning Man, the desert confab that descended into chaos over the weekend, isn’t quite the scrappy, free-spirited revelry that it once was.

For many watching the disarray of Burning Man from afar, the rain and mud that left 70,000 people stranded quickly became a symbol of the festival’s departure from its roots.

Or, more simply: how the billionaires ruined Burning Man.

The festival began as a small gathering in 1986 on a San Francisco beach, and eventually grew into a gritty countercultural community of “Burners” who eschew commercialism within their makeshift city, erected annually in a desiccated lake bed known as the playa.

There’s no money trading hands on the playa — that’s core to to the community’s “decommodification” ethos. But there is, increasingly, a lot of money on the playa.

Going to Burning Man is, in some elite circles, akin to having climbed Everest or taken ayuhuasca on a meditation retreat — a spiritually transformative experience, undertaken with a considerable safety net of privilege.

Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, has been a regular at Burning Man, telling Recode in 2014 that “if you haven’t been, you just don’t get it.” Mark Zuckerberg flew in for a day in 2012 to serve up grilled cheese sandwiches and even set up his own tent, according to his friend and Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz. In 2018, shortly after she was indicted on federal fraud charges, Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes retreated to the desert and burned an effigy for her failed startup, she told the New York Times.

One of the 10 pillars of Burning Man is “radical self-reliance,” and in that spirit most revelers haul their own water and shelf-stable food in for the week, and “rely on their inner resources” for survival, according to the organization’s website.

For the one-percenters in attendance, however, self-reliance can be outsourced.

The ultra-wealthy have been known to fly in personal chefs for the week, and pay as much as $50,000 to camp in luxurious tents, as the New York Post reported in 2019. A Business Insider reporter, similarly, wrote about so-called fancy camps around the playa that came with chandeliers, party rooms and outdoor showers.

“Burning Man is the perfect example of how many rich White people recreationally manufacture hardship because they are immune from it systematically,” wrote one user on X, formerly Twitter, this weekend.

The infiltration of the jet set is the driving force behind the schadenfreude emanating from social media in response to video footage of Burners — some of whom paid $2,750 for a single ticket — tromping through ankle-deep mud, unable to drive out of the camp following unusually heavy rain.

“It’s a tiny violin emoji for me,” wrote one TikTok user.

While some festival-goers found the situation scary — a “Lord of the Flies” vibe, as one attendee described it — many seasoned Burners were taking the weather and road closures in stride, offering food and shelter to those who need it. While one person died at the festival, the death was “unrelated to the weather.”

One attendee, Andrew Hyde, told CNN the rain and mud have taken the meaning of the event back to its roots.

“You come out here to be in a harsh climate, and you prepare for that.”

— Nouran Salahieh and Holly Yan contributed to this article.


Burning Man costs most people a minimum of $800 for just a ticket and a parking spot. All the other expenses can easily push the total cost into the thousands.

Story by sjackson@insider.com (Sarah Jackson) •8h

Nevada's nine-day Burning Man festival can cost Burners hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of dollars to attend. JULIE JAMMOT/Getty Images© Provided by Business Insider
Burning Man may be "decommodified" but it's still pretty expensive to attend.
The 9-day festival cost most Burners at least $800 this year, just for a ticket and a vehicle pass.
Transportation, food, and other survival-related supplies can easily push the cost into the thousands.


1 of 9 Photos in Gallery©Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS
See the mass exodus of vehicles inching through the Nevada desert as people clamor to escape Burning Man's soggy Black Rock City playa
Burning Man 2023's Exodus — when all its attendees depart — officially began on Monday.
Festivalgoers had been trapped as desert roads became waterlogged from torrential rains.
Photos show hundreds of vehicles making their escape from muddy festival as it draws to a close.

Festivalgoers could finally depart Burning Man on Monday after being trapped for days by heavy rains that swamped event's makeshift desert town in thick mud.

The nine-day party event turned into a soggy disaster when a downpour turned the desert into a massive mud pit. Attendees were told to hunker down and ration food and water, and organizers rebooted their guidelines page, called a "survival guide," into a "Wet Playa Survival Guide."

A driving ban was lifted at 2 p.m. Pacific Time on Monday as roads out of the festival site began to dry, allowing a remaining 64,000 attendees to leave.

Hundreds of trucks, buses, and other vehicles poured out of Black Rock City on Monday, with attendees being asked to consider postponing their exit to avoid a traffic build-up.

Here's a look at the exodus from Burning Man 2023 as the beleaguered event draws to a close.See More


Burning Man only sells ice on site, but don't let that fool you: Burners still shell out a small fortune to be there.

The typically nine-day event in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, roughly 120 miles north of Reno, draws tens of thousands of attendees each year, and sets them all back at least $630 for a ticket including its taxes and fee — with total costs easily ballooning into the thousands.

The survival supplies aren't anything to scoff at either. This year, a storm put a damper on the festivities, turning much of the famous playa into mud and resulting in stranded attendees.

Here's a closer look at the expenses you're on the hook for as a Burner.

Tickets alone aren't cheap

Most tickets sold directly from Burning Man cost $575 each this year, according to the event's website. (There are 5,000 tickets available at a discounted $225 for people with financial hardships, and "FOMO" tickets priced at $1,500 and $2,750 for Burners who want to secure their spots two months before the main sale opens.) Vehicle passes, which are required for every vehicle driving into Black Rock City, cost $150 each; for Burners who qualified for discounted rates due to financial hardships, vehicle passes are $75 each.

All tickets are subject to the 9% Nevada Live Entertainment Tax; on the $575 tickets, this tax comes out $51.75 each. Both tickets and vehicle passes are subject to a $4 fee each. There's also a 3.4% credit card processing fee on purchase subtotals.

All told, this means Burners are shelling out at least $800 between tickets, vehicle passes, fees, and taxes if they're attending solo. Lots of people carpool, however, which means you can share the cost of the vehicle pass, but the ticket and its taxes and fees alone will set you back around $630.

Transportation and lodging can easily cost thousands

Lots of Burning Man attendees opt for an RV — which can be costly to rent. Matt Mills McKnight/REUTERS© Matt Mills McKnight/REUTERS

Don't forget you have to actually get to the playa. And you also have to figure out where you're going to sleep for 9 days.

CNN

Huge exodus of people getting out of the Burning Man festival in Nevada.

Duration 0:37  View on Watch

Related video: Man stuck at Burning Man tells Channel 13 about festival conditions (KTNV Las Vegas, NV)

Duration 2:25  View on Watch

The Wall Street Journal Burning Man Revelers Describe ‘Disaster Like Never Been Seen’

1:31

NBC News  Burning Man attendees makes the best of muddy festival: ‘The best burn ever!’

1:08

Daily Mail  Enormous lines of Burning Man attendees make painfully slow departure

2:05

Burners coming from other parts of the country will likely have to cover airfare or the cost of other transportation to Reno, and then take additional transportation from the Reno airport to Black Rock City. Some attendees of the festival, which is popular with influencers and the wealthy tech elite, even fly in on private jets, which were the subject of protests at this year's Burning Man.

Once you've arrived, there's also the matter of food, water, and lodging. One Burning Man veteran recommends budgeting $10 a day for food, water, and supplies when cooked in a communal kitchen for a group, which would come out to another $90. In keeping with the festival's emphasis on "radical self-reliance," Burners should also be budgeting for supplies like shade structures, sleeping gear, and toiletries. A list of recommended survival supplies on Burning Man's website could easily add up to $100 or more.


A screenshot from Burning Man's website of items "you should probably bring." Burning Man© Burning Man

As for lodging, many people pitch tents, rent RVs, or even stay in yurts.

RV rentals can easily set you back thousands of dollars: Multiple RV rental websites estimate even a basic rental will cost anywhere between $5,500 and $7,000, and if you're staying with other attendees, the biggest RVs start at around $10,000.



Yurts at a past Burning Man. Aly Weisman/Business Insider© Aly Weisman/Business InsiderOne website advertising yurts for Burning Man lists structures ranging in price from $3,000 to $11,500. Many attendees often camp together, sometimes paying a hefty price to do so: One luxury camp infamously charged up to $100,000 for accommodations, private chef included, before Burning Man shut it down.

Smaller, optional expenses can add up

Black Rock City, the temporary city constructed once a year, is enormous and can take a while to traverse by foot — so many people opt to bring or rent a bicycle to get around, as driving is prohibited on the playa except when arriving or departing the festival. Burning Man's approved bike shops offer rentals from $80 to $125 and up for the duration of the festival.

Then, there's also the freewheeling fashion of Burning Man. Another one of the festival's central tenets is self-expression, and attendees are known to sport flamboyant outfits and costumes, with people dressing up in steampunk or sci-fi outfits. It's entirely optional and you can always cobble together something unique from what you already own, but if you're starting from scratch or want a more elaborate costume, it's yet another expense to consider.

The Burning Man disaster is ‘a teachable moment’ about climate change

Story by Dino Grandoni, Kim Bellware •
The Washington Post
Burning Man Topper

Burning Man is supposed to arrive and disappear like the desert breeze.

Near the end of every summer, attendees of the multiday mega-festival venture to the Nevada wilderness. Their motto: “Leave no trace.”

This year, thousands got stuck in the mud instead after about a half an inch of rain hit what is normally the driest state in the nation. Instead of leaving no trace, many self-described “burners” abandoned bicycles and vehicles on the drenched, muddy Black Rock Desert.

Once an underground carnival for free spirits, Burning Man today is famous as a party spot for Hollywood stars, Silicon Valley tech bros and other jet-set elites. The latest event offers a glimpse at how extreme weather can — and more frequently will — dramatically transform the environment in a moment’s notice.


The Burning Man disaster is ‘a teachable moment’ about climate change

“It’s a teachable moment, as far as climate disasters and extreme weather” go, said Anya Kamenetz, a Burning Man attendee forced to flee the festival. “This is very much just a trial run under really, really easy conditions for what a lot of people go through.”

No single storm can be attributed to climate change. But flooding in Nevada is expected to become more frequent as storms intensify and snow shifts to rain due to higher temperatures, according to state officials.

On Aug. 27, as the festival was getting started, climate activists blockaded a road into Burning Man in protest of its environmental footprint.

This year’s event is only expected to fuel critics who have long charged the festival for leaving trash in surrounding communities and not living up to its eco-conscious goals as crowds rush away from the encampment. As festivalgoers made the long trek to the exits, they left more behind than usual, including cars, Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said.

“This behavior definitely does not fall within the 10 principles of Burning Man,” he said. The neglect, he added, is “a societal issue” and not necessarily the fault of the Burning Man Project, the group behind the festival.

Burning Man gets rained out

At first, a sprinkling of rain helped settle some of the dust swirling through the encampment. But by Friday evening, the rain didn’t stop — and it didn’t take much precipitation to turn the playa into a muddy mess.

“By the time we went to bed that night, it was really clear that this is going to be something that would shut down the city,” said Kamenetz, who writes a Substack newsletter about climate change.

By Saturday morning, the burners were trapped. Those who remained held a camp meeting, Kamenetz said. No more showers, no more dishwashing. No more portable toilet use except for solid waste.

Unsure of when attendees would be able to leave, organizers urged those who remained to conserve food, water and fuel. The gates and airport in and out of what was supposed to be a desert oasis were closed.

So, burners sheltered in place. Festivalgoers covered their tents in tarps to keep the rain out. The mud was so thick and sticky that many abandoned their hiking boots, trekking through the encampment barefoot or slipping plastic bags over their socks.

To dig mud out of a portable toilet, Kamenetz unbolted a gold-colored decorative shovel attached to a zebra-striped, safari-themed vehicle brought to Burning Man as an “art car.”

“It was gold,” she said of the shovel. “It’s not gold anymore.”


Sept. 3 | Black Rock City, Nev. A portable toilet covered in mud.

© Instagram @martinposc/Reuters

Revelers tried to make the best out of a bad situation. During the day, the group sculpted a statue of an elephant out of mud. At night, they played music. As a sign, perhaps, that things would be okay, a rainbow arched across the playa Saturday.

“People really didn’t miss a beat,” Kamenetz said.

‘Better prepared than the average Joe Schmo’

This year’s Burning Man brought some of the most extreme weather Christine Lee had seen in the eight years she’s attended the festival.

But many burners, particularly veterans of the festival, are resourceful and well-prepared for the week-plus of off-the-grid survival, said the 39-year-old circus performer. Lee traveled with friends in a built-out conversion van, so they were equipped with heat, air conditioning and power — as well as stacks upon stacks of foil-wrapped packs of tuna.

“I did have enough tuna for an extra week,” Lee said. While there were moments of panic over the sight of overflowing toilets and calls to reserve food and water, people coming to Burning Man follow the principles of self-reliance and community, she said.

“They’re going to be prepared better than the average Joe Schmo,” Lee added.

The social contract Burning Man is known for largely held up, though Lee noticed human waste outside one trailer, and more forks and litter — sights she hadn’t seen in past year. Lee chalked it up to a small percent of attendees behaving selfishly.

The broader community stepped up to clean the grounds and shelter, and to feed burners who were struggling as resources dwindled, she said. Burning Man is famously “commerce-free” — or at least strives to be — which means everything including meals and bicycle repair is barter and community-based.

“It totally worked — there’s nowhere else I’d rather be in the middle of a zombie apocalypse,” Lee said. “I’d see people walking around with trash bags, offering water, handing out food. You see someone clearly struggling because they look hungry and doesn’t have a poncho and you help them.”

The rain arrived as Reno, the largest nearby city, is in the middle of its second-wettest year on record, according to Scott McGuire, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The area has entered a “boom-or-bust” mode when it comes to rain, oscillating between wet and drought years. “We swing on this pendulum,” McGuire said.

Rainstorms like the one over Labor Day weekend are unusual but not unprecedented for the region, he added.

The Southwest United States has seen more rain than normal this year, both because of an active monsoon as well as the passage of Tropical Storm Hilary. Around the same time downpours drenched Burning Man, torrential rain also brought flooding to Las Vegas, which has received 2.55 inches of rain during the monsoon season, the 11th-most on record.

On Friday, the Weather Service’s forecast had predicted isolated thunderstorms and scattered showers for the area over the weekend.
A muddy exodus

Burning Man Project chief executive Marian Goodell told NBC News that the group was “prepared for the whole spectrum” of weather scenarios.

“We’ve chosen a dry lake bed” for the event, she said. “The environment is always a survival environment.”

Yet by Sunday, an exodus was underway even as roads remained closed. Over Labor Day, people pushed RVs and kicked mud out from under wheels to get them to move. Others hoofed it by foot. Kamenetz walked more than three miles through mud to catch a bus.

Every year, large piles of trash are left in Reno and other spots outside the desert, said Allen, the Pershing County sheriff.

“This year is a little different in that there are numerous vehicles strewn all throughout the playa for several miles,” he added. “Some participants were unwilling to wait or use the beaten path to attempt to leave the desert and have had to abandon their vehicles and personal property wherever their vehicle came to rest.”

The Burning Man Project, Allen added, is responsible for cleaning up the trash in the desert. The project did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post.

By Tuesday morning, the departure was “going smoothly” despite the heavy volume of travelers, Pershing County Sheriff Sgt. Nathan Carmichael said. The only major incident from Burning Man that the sheriff’s office was actively investigating Monday was the death of Leon Reece, a 32-year-old attendee who was found unresponsive at the festival Friday.

At the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, operations were returning to “business as usual” after a double dose of traffic from Labor Day travelers and the influx of burners headed home, according to spokesperson Stacey Sunday.

The airport on Monday tallied around 7,000 passengers, Sunday said, citing TSA data — compared with 4,000 to 6,000 travelers on a typical day.

Among the ways airport officials typically prepare for Burning Man travelers is to have plastic bags on hand to wrap their dust-covered luggage so that baggage machines don’t get clogged. This year, the airport provided travelers with disposable booties to cover their mud-caked shoes.

“[It’s] our biggest thing because there’s construction going outside, there isn’t the curb for burners to sit on, make flight arrangements,” Sunday said. “They’re either inside or out, but it doesn’t seem to be a big deal.”

This year’s experience hasn’t deterred Lee from Burning Man, though she plans to pack more boots and ponchos in case of rough weather next year. Even the hard rain, she said, created a joyful, art-filled memory. During a brief period when the rain slowed this past weekend, people started walking the streets and creating mud art: clay Minions and Buddhas and snowmen.

But Kamenetz, a nine-time attendee, said this would be her last Burning Man, a decision she had considered even before the rain.

“Is this really how I want to be spending my leisure time?”

Jason Samenow contributed to this report.

The Washington Post
Rain falls during Burning Man

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Burning Man mud after rainfall
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Burning Man attendees create mud statue
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A Burning Man attendee and their costume in front of dozens of bikes on the playa. Aly Weisman/Business Insider© Aly Weisman/Business Insider

It's not mandatory, but since gift-giving is one of Burning Man's 10 core principles, it's common for attendees to also factor into their budgeting equations gifts to bring and share with one another.

Add it all up, and Burning Man can easily set you back at least $1,000 to $2,000 unless you've gotten really creative and figured out a way to pinch pennies and carpool — and even then you're looking at the high hundreds of dollars.

Let's just hope next year's Burners get more for their money than a giant mud pit.

Chevron, unions begin mediation talks to avert Australia LNG strike

SYDNEY/SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Chevron Australia and unions representing workers at two of the U.S. energy major's liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Australia began talks on Monday aimed at averting strikes scheduled for Thursday should the parties fail to reach a deal.

A senior member of the Fair Work Commission (FWC), Australia's industrial umpire, is hosting talks in the Western Australia state capital of Perth every day this week, as first reported by Reuters on Friday.

Chevron Australia hoped to "narrow points of difference" through the mediated bargaining sessions, a spokesperson said.

"The discussions are continuing. There are mediated negotiations going on, which I think is positive," Freeman Shaheen, head of global gas at Chevron told reporters at the Gastech conference in Singapore.

Shaheen said everybody has the right to industrial action, but he does not think it's needed. "So we’re hopeful and they’ll continue the negotiated mediation and that we will get to the right spot."

Employees last week almost unanimously rejected a pay and conditions deal put to them directly by Chevron, bypassing unions.

The Offshore Alliance, a coalition of two unions, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the status of the talks, which are not open to the public or media.

Related video: Chevron's Parfitt On LNG Market Outlook (Bloomberg)   

Duration 6:09  View on Watch

Industrial action will begin at 6.00 am local time on Thursday (2200 GMT on Wednesday) at Chevron's Gorgon and Wheatstone projects, which account for more than 5% of global LNG production capacity, if parties cannot find a resolution.

Employees plan work stoppages of up to 11 hours in several time blocks and will stop performing certain tasks until at least Sept. 14.

The union group has said the stoppages could cost Chevron "billions of dollars".

Prolonged industrial action could disrupt LNG exports and increase competition for the super-chilled fuel, forcing Asian buyers to outbid European buyers to attract LNG cargo. China and Japan are the top two lifters of Australian LNG, followed by South Korea and Taiwan.

"We have in place business continuity plans... We do plan to be a reliable supplier. We talk to our customers all the time," Chevron's Shaheen said.

Gorgon, Australia's second-largest LNG plant, has an export capacity of 15.6 million tonnes a year and Wheatstone 8.9 million.

Australia is the world's biggest LNG exporter and the dispute has stoked volatility in natural gas markets with players nervous about the risk of long-term disruption.

Energy analyst Saul Kavonic said last week the planned work disruption would "add inefficiency" to Chevron's operations and may keep the projects from sustaining full production "but it is unlikely to impact production to an extent it will move the dial for global markets".

A similar dispute between the union alliance and Woodside-operated North West Shelf LNG facility, Australia's biggest, was resolved last month after workers approved a deal.

(Reporting by Renju Jose and Lewis Jackson in Sydney and Emily Chow in Singapore; Editing by Christopher Cushing, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Sharon Singleton)

Trial for 'Freedom Convoy' organizers not about their political beliefs, Crown says

ANTI-VAX/ANTI-MASK/ANTI-TRUDEAU/

WHITE GRIEVANCE/EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN

Story by The Canadian Press •


OTTAWA — Tamara Lich and Chris Barber are not on trial for their political beliefs against COVID-19 public health orders, but for the means the two "Freedom Convoy" organizers used in trying to end them, a Crown prosecutor argued Tuesday.

Tim Radcliffe used his opening remarks at the start of the 16-day trial to paint a picture of Lich and Barber as the heart of the protest that gridlocked downtown Ottawa near Parliament Hill for three weeks in January and February 2022, until police moved in to clear the streets.

"This occupation was anything but peaceful," Radcliffe told the court.

Lich, who hails from Medicine Hat, Alta., and Barber, who is from Swift Current., Sask., were part of the original group that mobilized a convoy of big rigs and other vehicles to drive to Ottawa to protest COVID-19 public health orders and, more broadly, the federal Liberal government.

Together they are charged with mischief, counselling others to commit mischief, intimidation and obstructing police. Barber, who owns a trucking company in Saskatchewan, is also charged with counselling others to disobey a court order that banned loud honking in the city's downtown core.

In a signed admission to the court, Lich and Barber acknowledged the actions of "certain individuals" interfered with the lawful use, enjoyment and operation of property and businesses in downtown Ottawa during the protest.

In a separate document signed by Lich and Barber, Lich admitted that she was a leader, organizer and authorized spokesperson for the "Freedom Convoy."

Both appeared in court and sat quietly on a front bench as the Crown presented its opening arguments.

Radcliffe told the court that Lich and Barber not only counselled people to come to Ottawa but to remain there, using what the lawyer called their "infamous 'hold the line' rallying call."

He told the court Lich and Barber did not just "hold the line" during those three weeks in Ottawa, but they "crossed the line, and in so doing they committed multiple crimes."

The pair "pressured decision-makers" and exerted "control and influence" when it came to where vehicles were parked, all in the name of achieving the political purpose of ending pandemic health orders, such as vaccine mandates, Radcliffe said.

"This case is not about their political views," Radcliffe told the court. "What's at issue … is the means they employed, not the ends."

The Crown hopes to establish that Barber and Lich worked together in lockstep, so that evidence against one of them will apply to both.

About 50 people, including roughly 20 who were there to support Lich and Barber, filled the Ottawa courtroom on Tuesday.

Related video: Freedom Convoy Truckers Trial Sparks Calls For 'Uprising' (Newsweek)

Duration 0:47  View on Watch

Justice Heather Perkins-McVey said she requested the largest courtroom to allow as many people as possible to watch, given the public interest in the case. She also took a moment during the Crown's opening remarks to remind the members of the public in the room that the Crown's opening remarks are not considered evidence, but only its perspective of the case.

At the heart of the Crown's case is whether Lich and Barber encouraged people to come to Ottawa and stay there, even as police ordered protesters to leave. The other question is whether doing so is considered illegal.

Before the trial got underway, Radcliffe told the court the Crown plans to submit more than 100 pieces of evidence and call 22 witnesses, including top Ottawa police and city officials. Former Ottawa mayor Jim Watson appeared at the courthouse Tuesday believing he would be called to testify but he is not on the Crown's list of witnesses.

Lich and Barber's defence lawyers said they hope that by admitting the protest was disruptive, they can avoid having to hear from nine witnesses, including Ottawa residents, business owners and an employee who works for the city's transit operator.

The Crown said it intends to use 50 videos, including some filmed by Lich and Barber themselves, to show they were key organizers of the movement that led to an "occupation" around downtown Ottawa.

Immediately, each of their lawyers jumped in to dispute the use of the word "occupation," calling it "inflammatory, inaccurate and insensitive."

"In a world where the trite, the mundane and the trivial are called 'awesome' and 'amazing,' it is no surprise, but nevertheless disappointing, that the demonstration of Jan. 26 to Feb. 19 in the downtown of Ottawa would be referred to as an occupation," Lawrence Greenspon, who is representing Lich, said Tuesday.

The word has far more serious connotations for people around the world who are truly victims of an occupation, he said.

The court was introduced to life in Ottawa during the protests with a 12-minute video of scenes recorded by police from the protest compiled by the first witness in the case, Const. Craig Barlow with the Ottawa police cyber crimes unit.

The sound of revving engines, air horns, chants of "freedom" and "we're not leaving" filled the Ottawa courtroom as scenes of blocked intersections, large crowds, open fires and Canadian flags played on a large TV screen.

The video also showed a sea of protesters pushing back against police during a massive operation to put an end to the protest.

In her cross-examination, Diane Magas, who is representing Barber, asked Barlow whether he reviewed video of people hugging, games of pickup street hockey, a bouncy castle, and other scenes from the convoy that weren't included in the compilation video.

He said he did, but wasn't asked by the Crown to include them.

The Crown also filed videos that showed protesters yelling "hold the line" as police officers in riot gear attempted to push demonstrators off the street.

In one clip, a protester says "we're not going anywhere."

Magas then showed another series of video clips showing police using force against protesters. She asked for a copy of all pieces of video Barlow viewed but opted not to include in his compilation for the court.

He said he has watched "months" worth of footage of the "Freedom Convoy" recorded by police, protesters and media outlets since March 2022.

"I pressed play and watched video after video," he said. He joked that he retires in five years, and it'll probably take him longer than that to track down and download all the videos he's witnessed.

Perkins-McVey suggested he start with police body-camera footage and the court would go from there. His evidence is scheduled to resume next week.

In the meantime, the Crown expects to call other senior police officers to the stand when court resumes Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2023.

Laura Osman and Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press

Federal government declines comment on First Nations elver quota court ruling

ELVER; BABY EELS

Story by The Canadian Press 


HALIFAX — The federal Fisheries Department is remaining silent while it reviews last week’s court ruling that affirms Ottawa’s decision to transfer part of the lucrative Maritimes elver fishery quota in 2022 to First Nations fishers.

In an emailed response, the department declined to comment on the Federal Court ruling, which rejected an application by three commercial elver licence holders who were seeking a judicial review of the minister's quota transfer.

“The department welcomes the Federal Court’s decision and we are conducting a thorough review of the findings,” said the department. “Because this decision is subject to an appeal process it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”

In her Aug. 29 ruling, Justice Elizabeth Walker said the quota transfer was “fair and reasonable'' given the broad discretion the fisheries minister has to manage Canadian fisheries.

Former federal fisheries minister Joyce Murray cut the commercial quota for baby eels — also known as elvers — by about 14 per cent to give Indigenous fishers access to the fishery in recognition of a treaty right. Commercial fishers decried the decision because they weren't compensated, questioning whether Ottawa was moving away from the willing buyer, willing seller model, in which someone exits the commercial fishery through a buyout of his or her licence.

“Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is committed to working with First Nations to advance and uphold inherent and treaty rights and to increasing access in the fisheries … DFOs preferred approach remains, willing buyer – willing seller,” said the department, although it did not elaborate.

In an interview Friday, lawyer Michel Samson, who represents Wine Harbour Fisheries, a Nova Scotia licence holder who was part of the case, said the court’s decision leaves the door open to “arbitrary” cuts to quotas in other sectors of the industry, such as the lobster fishery.

However, the ruling noted that the elver quota transfer came after negotiations to buy out the existing licence holders were discontinued. The judge also said the substance of her decision was a “licensing decision applicable solely to the 2022 elver fishing season.”

Rick Williams, a former deputy minister of policy and priorities with the Nova Scotia government who advises fish harvester organizations, said he doesn’t think the ruling will lead to forced quota transfers in other fisheries.

“There’s a certain amount of gamesmanship going on here and it’s quite specific to this (elver) fishery,” Williams said.

Author of the book "Contested Waters: The Struggle for Rights and Reconciliation in the Atlantic Fishery," Williams said elver fishing is unique and regulations around the industry can't easily apply to other fisheries.

Ottawa has issued nine licences for elver fishing on rivers in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick — with a total quota of 9,960 kilograms that has been in place since 2005. The American eel was designated as threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada in 2012.

The contentious fishery was shut down by federal officials this year over safety and conservation concerns amid complaints about growing violence and intimidation due to unauthorized fishing.

Williams said ease of access and the low capital cost of participating in the elver harvest pose continuing problems “from a management point of view.”

“There’s a good reason why … DFO doesn’t just simply issue more licences in order to give First Nations access,” he said. “They are trying to limit the harvest to protect the fish stock by only reallocating existing quota.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2023.

Keith Doucette, The Canadian Press

B.C. helps Williams Lake First Nation buy property at former residential school site

Story by The Canadian Press 


WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. — A former British Columbia residential school site being investigated as a possible location of unmarked graves has been purchased by the Williams Lake First Nation with the help of the provincial government.

Buying the private property will ensure the integrity of the ongoing investigation and allow the First Nation to consider how to honour both the children who disappeared and those who were taken from their families to attend the school, Chief Willie Sellars said Tuesday.

"It has long been the goal of Williams Lake First Nation's current and previous councils to see this property preserved and protected," Sellars said in a statement.

He said the return of the property to the control and stewardship of Indigenous people is an important step to commemorate the history and legacy of the residential school system in B.C.

A First Nation investigator said last January there was evidence of crimes against children. Two separate investigations using ground-penetrating radar at the former school site had detected 159 possible unmarked graves.

The Catholic-run school operated from 1891 to 1981 near Williams Lake, located about 500 kilometres northwest of Vancouver.

First Nations in B.C. have taken different approaches to former residential schools on their territories, with Alert Bay and Lower Post demolishing the sites, while nations in Kamloops and Williams Lake decided to keep the buildings.

B.C.'s Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Ministry said the Williams Lake First Nation purchased the 5.5 hectare property for $1.2 million from private owners, with an $800,000 contribution from the province.

Murray Rankin, B.C.'s Indigenous relations and reconciliation minister, said in a statement that residential school survivors and their families say the sites are of great significance and they must be protected.

"The return of these lands will support the process of truth telling, healing and remembrance as it will ensure future generations know the true history of this site and its impact on the generations of children who were forced to come here," he said.

Indigenous children from almost 50 communities were taken to St. Joseph's Mission.

The B.C. Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Ministry says in the 1980s and 1990s there were three high-profile criminal convictions for physical and sexual assault that took place at St. Joseph's Mission.

The investigation at St. Joseph's was launched after ground-penetrating radar located what are believed to be more than 200 graves at a former residential school in Kamloops in May 2021, prompting similar searches and findings in several provinces.

The final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which documented the experiences of those affected by Canada's residential school system, found at least 4,100 children died while attending the institutions.

— By Dirk Meissner in Victoria

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2023.

The Canadian Press

Enbridge to purchase three U.S. utilities for $14 billion in cash and debt

Story by The Canadian Press •


CALGARY — Enbridge Inc. has signed a US$14 billion cash-and-debt deal that represents a major vote of confidence by the Canadian company in the future of natural gas.

The Calgary-based energy infrastructure giant said Tuesday it will purchase three U.S.-based utility companies— The East Ohio Gas Company, Questar Gas Company and its related Wexpro companies, and the Public Service Company of North Carolina — all of which are owned by Virginia-based Dominion Energy Inc.

Enbridge, which plans to finance the deal through a combination of US$9.4 billion of cash consideration and US$4.6 billion of assumed debt, said the deal will double the scale of its gas utility business and will serve to balance its asset mix evenly between natural gas and renewables, and liquids.

In a presentation for investors Tuesday afternoon, Enbridge CEO Greg Ebel said the company's earnings mix is currently about 60 per cent weighted towards crude oil and liquids, and 40 per cent weighted towards natural gas and renewable energy. (Enbridge is currently the only major pipeline company in North America that owns a regulated utility. Enbridge Gas Inc. currently serves about 75 per cent of Ontario residents.)

Following the Dominion deal, which remains subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in 2024, that balance will be closer to 50-50, Ebel said. The deal will give Enbridge gas utility operations in Ohio, North Carolina, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming, representing a significant presence in the U.S. utility sector.

The acquisition is expected to double the scale of Enbridge's gas utility business to approximately 22 per cent of Enbridge's total adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.

While the purchase is larger than the more modest "tuck-in" acquisitions Enbridge has been pursuing in recent years, the scale and price of the Dominion assets made them a "once in a generation" opportunity that couldn't be passed up, Ebel said.

The purchase also fits with the company's previously stated bullish outlook on natural gas — even as the world aims to reduce emissions from fossil fuels to tackle climate change.

"We remain firmly of the view that all forms of energy will be required for a safe and reliable energy transition," Ebel said in Tuesday's investor presentation.

"This transaction helps us to achieve greater balance and gives us more exposure to natural gas, which is and will continue to be a critical fuel to help us realize our lower-carbon emissions."

Enbridge said following the transaction, its gas utility business will be the largest by volume in North America with a combined rate base of over C$27 billion and about 7,000 employees delivering over nine billion cubic feet per day of gas to approximately seven million customers.

Ebel said the purchase will be accretive to Enbridge's earnings within the first year, and the utilities will offer long-term, low-risk, predictable cash flow growth.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2023.

Companies in this story: (TSX:ENB)

Amanda Stephenson, The Canadian Press

Enbridge set to be top US gas supplier with $14 billion bid for Dominion utilities

Story by Reuters •7h

LNG 2023 energy trade show in Vancouver

By Arunima Kumar and David French

(Reuters) -Enbridge will buy three utilities from Dominion Energy for $14 billion including debt, the Canadian pipeline operator said on Tuesday, creating North America's largest natural gas provider and doubling its gas distribution business.

The deal is seen as a bet on the future of natural gas in a regulated market even as energy companies and consumers are transitioning to a greener future by phasing out fossil fuels.

The deals for East Ohio Gas, Questar Gas, and Public Service Co of North Carolina will consist of $9.4 billion in cash and $4.6 billion of assumed debt.

U.S.-listed shares of Enbridge fell 6.5% to $33.01 in extended trading after the company also announced a C$4 billion ($2.9 billion) bought-share sale to fund a portion of the deal.

The divestments are the latest by Dominion following a strategic refresh announced last year aimed at focusing on its regulated operations. In July, Dominion agreed to sell its 50% stake in Cove Point LNG to the energy arm of Berkshire Hathaway for $3.3 billion.

Enbridge President and CEO Greg Ebel described the assets the company is acquiring as "must-have" infrastructure for providing safe, reliable and affordable energy.

The deal is expected to close in 2024, subject to approvals from the Federal Trade Commission and Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, among others.

Upon closing, Enbridge would supply over 9 billion cubic feet per day (bcfpd) of gas to about 7 million customers in Ohio, North Carolina, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming, making it the largest gas utility business by volume in North America.

It would give the Calgary-based company access to a bigger chunk of cash from U.S. consumers as they buy gas for cooking and heating from an Enbridge-owned utility.

"Enbridge is currently the only major pipeline and midstream company that owns a regulated gas utility and we've further strengthened that position today by doubling the size of our GDS (gas distribution and storage) business," Enbridge's Chief Financial Officer Patrick Murray said in a statement.

U.S. utilities have zeroed in on their regulated operations as they provide the steady returns preferred by investors, compared with unregulated assets whose returns are dictated by market dynamics.

Morgan Stanley & Co LLC and RBC Capital Markets acted as financial advisors to Enbridge, while Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and McCarthy Tétrault LLP were legal advisors.

($1 = 1.3636 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by Arunima Kumar in Bengaluru and David French in New York; Editing by Shailesh Kuber, Sriraj Kalluvila and Richard Chang)

Canadians' view of economy deteriorates on eve of Bank of Canada rate decision, poll finds

Story by Gigi Suhanic •11h

Financial Post

Pedestrians walk past the Bank of Canada in Ottawa. 

Canadians’ view of the state of the economy continues to deteriorate, a new poll suggests, just as the Bank of Canada prepares to announce its latest interest rate decision .

A survey by Maru Public Opinion found the mood about the economy continued to sour over the summer, with only 33 per cent of people saying they believe the national economic outlook will improve over the next 60 days, down from 38 per cent in July and 41 per cent in the May edition of the poll of approximately 1,500 Canadians.

People are also more pessimistic about the prospects for their local economies, with 35 per cent expecting them to improve over the next two months, down from 40 and 41 per cent in the previous months.

“The sentiment reality: Things are dismal,” said John Wright, executive vice-president of Maru Public Opinion in a press release accompanying the latest results of the consumer sentiment survey, which was conducted from Aug. 25 to Aug. 27.

The results offered an echo of the latest GDP data from Statistics Canada that showed the economy contracted 0.2 per cent annualized in the second quarter. GDP slowed due to a drop in housing investment, smaller inventory accumulation, and slower international exports and household spending, the data agency said.

Analysts and the Bank of Canada had forecast GDP to grow 1.2 per cent and 1.5 per cent, respectively, in the second quarter.

Early estimates for July indicated GDP was flat, StatCan said.

The GDP shocker and an increase in the unemployment rate in July to 5.5 per cent have left most economists expecting the Bank of Canada to hold rates at five per cent, the highest level since 2001, when it meets on Sept. 6 . The bank has increased its benchmark lending rate 10 times from the pandemic-low rate of 0.25 per cent.

Economists expect GDP to keep softening as higher interest rates continue to seep through the Canadian economy. Many also said they believe the slowdown in GDP will finally bring an end to any more rate hikes .

“On the economic front, there’s still much more potential pain to come, especially if there is more than a soft-landing recession in the cards,” Wright said.

The Maru Household Outlook Index (MHOI), which is based on the results survey, has been mired in pessimism for some time. It registered 86 for August and has been stuck at that level for the last three months just off the index’s lowest reading of 83 in March.

The base number for the index is 100. A result above 100 indicates optimism and below that threshold pessimism. Canadians appeared to have the wind at their backs in July 2021 with the index soaring to 107 as the pandemic shackles loosened.

However, the long-running survey provides a time capsule of the ever-worsening condition of people’s personal finances.

For example, more than a third of Canadians said they struggled to make ends meet in August up from 27 per cent in April 2021. Meanwhile, 31 per cent said they rely on government payments to square up their budget, a 12 percentage point increase from 19 per cent in May 2022.

Half of people said they are worried about their finances and one quarter said they were worse off in August compared with July.

Further, those who say they will likely default on a major loan or mortgage doubled to 16 per cent last month from eight per cent in May.

More evidence Bank of Canada should stop hiking rates

Bank of Canada rate hikes might really be over this time

Economists diverge of Bank of Canada's July rate hike