Tourism workers union questions New Brunswick minister's European trip

The Canadian Press
Thu, May 9, 2024 



FREDERICTON — The union representing staff in New Brunswick's Tourism Department says money spent by the tourism minister and her deputy on a European trip could have helped stave off staffing cuts at popular attractions in the province.

At a news conference Thursday, CUPE Local 1190 president Jonathan Guimond said the $42,000 spent by Tourism Minister Tammy Scott-Wallace and staff last September on a trip to France and the United Kingdom amounts to 2,000 additional hours his members could have worked.

Union member Mike Bravener, who works at King's Landing outside Fredericton, said reduced staffing at the site means it sometimes feels lifeless rather than the living history museum it is supposed to be.

"We see the nice ads. We see the nice videos on some of the promotional websites and yet when you walk in the park it's almost looking like a bit of a ghost town," he said. "I think people are coming in they're going 'Oh, this isn't open. Oh, I thought this was happening today. Where's the theatre? There's no theatre? ... How come there's no barn dance anymore?'"


About six years ago, he said King's Landing was a "magical" recreation of life in the 19th century, with musicians wandering around, people working in fields and four or five people in every house.

"In the last couple of years, the village is quiet because the staff aren't there ... you visit a house, there might be two people in a house, there might be just one person in a house."

The loss in hours is also causing anxiety among seasonal employees who depend on getting enough work to qualify for employment insurance in the off-season, Bravener added.

Scott-Wallace and deputy minister Yennah Hurley, along with two staff members, travelled to the United Kingdom and France from Sept. 8 to 15. Their visit to Stonehenge, the British Museum, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Versailles, among other sites, has been denounced as extravagant by opposition parties.

Stephen Drost, CUPE New Brunswick president, said it was "concerning" that the province could find $42,000 for a trip for Scott-Wallace and her staff but couldn't find the money for the workers who keep attractions open.

He said that the minister should have used her time overseas to inquire about how workers at the world-famous sites were treated. "Because it is my understanding they're paid very well," he said.

Scott-Wallace dismissed the union's concerns about the cuts in hours, saying the union is in the midst of negotiations and is using her trip to "share their voice." She acknowledged staff at King’s Landing, and at Acadian Village in Bertrand, N.B., “will see a slight reduction in hours.”

She called it "unfortunate" that the union couldn't see her trip as a valuable way to attract more tourists to the province. "It's not a vacation when I go on a work trip," she said, adding that she rarely travels.

"I think that there's never been maybe a tourism minister who hasn't had to travel to build partnerships and to bring visitors to the province," she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press

FunGuyz mushroom dispensary in Chatham-Kent raided days after opening

CBC
Thu, May 9, 2024 

Chatham-Kent police say they seized more than $20,000 worth of product after executing a search warrant at a storefront on King Street West in Chatham, Ont., on Wednesday. (Chatham-Kent Police Service - image credit)


Chatham-Kent police have raided a FunGuyz psilocybin mushroom store that opened on King Street West in Chatham, Ont., a few days prior.

Officers who had a warrant to search the property seized more than 370 packages of psilocybin, worth over $20,000, police said in a media release on Thursday.

No arrests have been made at this point.

The raid took place on Wednesday. Police said the business opened four days before that. The location is less than a kilometre away from the police station.

"The Chatham-Kent Police and our community remain committed to actively combatting unlawful businesses," the police service said. "It is important to note that the possession, sale, and production of magic mushrooms, psilocybin, and psilocin are illegal."

FunGuyz is a magic mushroom dispensary that opened on Ouellette Avenue in Windsor's downtown. It's one of a few chains that have popped up across Ontario.

FunGuyz has a magic mushroom dispensary on Ouellette Avenue in Windsor's downtown. (Lamia Abozaid/CBC)

Despite operating illegally, FunGuyz has a growing list of stores, largely in Ontario. There are 23 locations listed on the FunGuyz website, which does not yet mention the Chatham store.

The downtown Windsor's location has been raided by police multiple times since it opened last summer.

Spokespeople for the business have previously told CBC News that they are fighting for legalization and will reopen locations that get raided.

"We're not out here selling to kids, you know, we're not bothering anyone, we open up doors... to the public. That's all," said one spokesperson who gave the name Edgars Gorbans in a July 2023 interview.

Gorbans later admitted he gave CBC News a fake name.

Strange wreckage discovered on farmer's field in Saskatchewan

CTV News

 May 10, 2024

A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.

Exclusive: Corporate climate watchdog document deems carbon offsets largely ineffective


Virginia Furness
Thu, May 9, 2024 

 The sun sets next to a smoke stack from a coal-burning power station in Beijing


By Virginia Furness

LONDON (Reuters) - Staff at an influential corporate climate action group whose board announced a plan to allow companies to offset greenhouse gas emissions from their supply chain with carbon credits has now found such offsets are largely ineffective, a confidential preliminary draft reviewed by Reuters shows.

At stake is the growth of the still nascent market for voluntary carbon offsets. While they are used by some of the world's biggest companies, including Microsoft, Salesforce and Amazon.com, the size of the market remains small at around $2 billion.

The Science-based Targets initiative (SBTi), a U.N.-backed nonprofit that audits the emission reduction plans of companies, triggered a revolt among staff last month by declaring its intention to allow use of carbon credits prior to concluding its research on them.


Since then, the SBTi's board of trustees has issued a clarification to state it had not yet changed its policy and that any decisions would be "informed by the evidence".

The findings in the SBTi staff document seen by Reuters have not been previously reported. They are based on a review of evidence in scientific papers and other submissions by interested parties in a consultation.

The findings are subject to further analysis and review, including from the Scientific Advisory Group, a panel comprising climate scientists from around the world. If upheld, they would represent a major obstacle to SBTi's board of trustees adopting carbon offsets as part of companies' emission reduction plans.

Many of the SBTi's financial backers, including the Bezos Earth Fund, are pushing for adoption, as is former U.S. climate envoy John Kerry. They argue offsets are needed to spur more investment in clean energy and meet a global pledge to reduce emissions to zero on a net basis by 2050.

An SBTi spokesperson said its research on carbon offsets has not been completed and that it would be incorrect to state that there are even interim findings at this stage.

"Once we have completed the analysis, we will make the results available publicly. Until that point we will not be able to comment on the submitted evidence," the spokesperson said.

The document reviewed by Reuters states that "higher quality empirical and observational evidence suggests that some or most emission reduction credits are ineffective in delivering emissions reductions."

The draft cites cases where carbon credits have failed to deliver the climate benefits they tout. It states, for example, that one scientific paper it reviewed found no significant evidence that projects in the Brazilian Amazon have mitigated forest loss.

The draft states the staff also reviewed evidence showing some schemes sell more carbon credits than the projects can deliver on, or exaggerate the emission reductions they achieve.

POLICING THE QUALITY

Proponents say selling credits from carbon offset projects to companies so they can offset pollution can help move money to climate-friendly projects. Critics question the quality of the offsets and worry this could let companies off the hook when it comes to reducing emissions.

The nonprofit tasked with policing the quality of carbon offsets is the Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Markets. It has been seeking to expand its list of approved credit generation projects.

The U.S. said last month it is preparing to unveil guidelines for use of carbon offsets inside and outside of government to build confidence in the market and ensure credits reflect real emissions cuts. The European Union is studying where to introduce voluntary carbon credits into a carbon allowance scheme it already runs.

The United Nations' COP28 climate talks failed in December to seal a deal on new rules which would allow the launch of a central system for countries and companies to begin offsetting their carbon emissions and trading those offsets.

(Reporting by Virginia Furness in London; Editing by Greg Roumeliotis and David Gregorio)

Mitigating climate change is no longer enough. Europeans need protection

Iratxe García Pérez, Mohammed Chahim
Thu, May 9, 2024 

Mitigating climate change is no longer enough. Europeans need protection


Amidst the relentless onslaught of extreme weather events, it is no longer enough — though crucial as it is — to mitigate climate change.

We also need to learn to live with the consequences, which are happening here and now and affecting the most vulnerable European citizens and regions the hardest.

Recent findings from the European Environment Agency reveal that Europe is the fastest-warming continent on the planet.


Climate hazards are affecting everything from energy and food security to ecosystems, infrastructure and public health.

In the European Union alone, floods, devastating wildfires, scorching heatwaves and prolonged droughts have already inflicted staggering economic losses exceeding €650 billion since 1980, claiming 195,000 lives.

According to the same agency, around €520bn per year is needed to reach the climate-neutrality goal by 2050 and to implement the Green Deal.
The super-rich are in the driver's seat

Climate change exacerbates existing inequalities as the burden of climate change disproportionately harms marginalised communities and regions, making them more susceptible to the impacts of climate-related disasters, food insecurity and economic instability.

Lower-income European countries bear the brunt, with higher fatality rates and greater economic tolls on their GDP. And the grim forecast indicates these disasters and social injustices will only intensify.

At the same time, the super-rich are driving climate change. The richest 10% of the global population is responsible for around 50% of all emissions. Therefore, reducing inequality is essential to tackling the climate crisis.

Our continent finds itself ill-prepared to confront these mounting threats. That is why, alongside ambitious climate mitigation efforts, we must enact adaptation policies to shield every European from the costly fallout.

Municipal workers clean a street that was flooded overnight in Alges, just outside Lisbon, December 2022 - AP Photo/Armando Franca

Our continent finds itself ill-prepared to confront these mounting threats. That is why, alongside ambitious climate mitigation efforts, we must enact adaptation policies to shield every European from the costly fallout.

Those least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions should not bear the greatest burdens of transitioning away from fossil fuels. We need social-ecological protection.

Central to this vision is our call for developing a comprehensive EU adaptation law — one that is cohesive, forward-thinking and legally binding.

In the European Court of Human Rights, we won a victory for generations

It’s time to score a radical climate goal — by slapping sport with green legislation

While the current EU adaptation strategy marks a crucial starting point, it lacks the precision and enforceability needed to deliver tangible results.

Our proposed adaptation law must set clear, measurable targets and adopt a holistic approach that tackles underlying social, economic and environmental injustices head-on.
It's about paying a fair share

The EU adaptation law will have to focus on investing in natural solutions — the cheapest way to fight global warming while minimising its impacts on cities and rural areas.

Planting trees in cities will reduce heat islands and allow citizens to breathe again, and investing in soil, water and biodiversity protection will help farmers cope with the harmful effects of climate change.

Like the Loss and Damage Fund at the global level, the law must prioritise the most economically disadvantaged and climate-vulnerable regions of Europe. These regions are hardest hit and not equipped to bear the costs alone.

Sufficient funding for adaptation is another essential element. People who are uninsured or not well-insured are losing their homes because of floods or forest fires, and they need to be protected.

Large corporations, big polluters and the ultra-rich must pay their fair share. We advocate for a permanent investment tool at the EU level to safeguard our social and climate priorities.

A person watches as wildfire advances near Palma de Gandia in Valencia, November 2023 - AP Photo/Andreu Esteban

Hence, we advocate for the establishment of a European Insurance Climate Fund, financed by markets and insurance companies, to bolster the resilience of European people and businesses against climate-related impacts.

We must step up climate risk assessment on the financial market and ensure financial actors take responsibility for people and the planet. We will also need to redirect sufficient funds from the EU budget and the European Investment Bank towards financing just adaptation policies beyond climate mitigation.

Climate change is creating a ‘cocktail’ of health hazards for 2.4 billion workers

The EU can fight Big Oil's lawfare by ending the money train

Fiscal policy plays an important role in climate mitigation and adaptation of both revenue and expenditure policy. Large corporations, big polluters and the ultra-rich must pay their fair share. We advocate for a permanent investment tool at the EU level to safeguard our social and climate priorities.
Our future has to be rooted in social justice

This robust adaptation framework and funding should target those who are most affected by climate change.

Outdoor workers, for instance, who face dangerous weather conditions such as heatwaves, should not incur any financial risk and should be able to take part in decisions regarding adaptation policies at the workplace. According to the International Labour Organisation, the EU has seen a 42% increase in heat-related workplace fatalities since 2000.

The framework should also target workers employed in those sectors transitioning away from fossil fuels, such as the car or energy sector. Protective labour market policies together with reskilling initiatives to avert job losses are key to leaving no one behind.

Climate change is not merely an environmental predicament — it is a matter of social justice. Any claim to serve the people rings hollow if it ignores this existential crisis.

On the other hand, our transition to a sustainable future can only succeed if it is rooted in social justice, brings people hope for the future, and leaves no one behind – a Green Deal with a Red Heart.

MEP Iratxe García Pérez serves as President of the S&D Group, and MEP Mohammed Chahim is S&D Vice-President for the Green Deal.

At Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation.

Climate change leading to food price volatility, campaigners warn

Josie Clarke, PA Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Thu, May 9, 2024 



Climate change is leading to food price volatility and British households are not equipped to cope, campaigners have warned ahead of the Government’s second Farm to Fork summit next week.

Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday ahead of the summit, Food Foundation executive director Anna Taylor said the “failures” of the current food system were being felt by both farmers and consumers.

She said: “Inflation may be out of the news but a basic food basket remains 25% higher than it was two years ago and wages have not kept pace.

“The result is eight million adults and three million children living in food insecurity and struggling to put food on the table. Climate change is leading to more price volatility and British households are not equipped to cope.

“But it’s not just citizens who are struggling. So too are farmers. At both ends of our supply chains, the failures of our current food system are felt.

“The Farm to Fork summit should be setting out a visionary agenda for a food system which prevents global heating and provides affordable nourishing food, and ultimately allows farmers and citizens to thrive.”

The summit, hosted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Downing Street on May 14 to discuss food production and security comes against a backdrop of challenges for farmers, from an “unprecedented” wet winter leading to harvests being hit, to Brexit trading delays and costs and ongoing high input costs such as fertilisers.

According to the Met Office, 1,695.9mm of rain fell from October 2022 to March 2024, the highest amount for any 18-month period in England.

This has led to farmers’ fields being so waterlogged that they cannot be planted, or too wet for tractors to apply fertilisers, leading to poor crop condition.

Tom Clarke, farmer and chairman of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) cereals and oilseeds sector council, told the briefing: “It’s been a hell of a year. Farmers across the UK are really on the brink.

“It’s a fact that this year, this country is going to be growing, and therefore very likely harvesting, less food.

“I’ve had fields that will remain uncropped for the first time this year. Those crops that have gone in are in very bad condition, there is high levels of disease, fertilising is late or has been missed.”

Separately, David Blacker, an arable farmer at Church Farm, near York, told PA Media that the weather conditions over recent months were “unprecedented”.

He said: “In my farming life I have never known it be so wet for so long.

“Those who didn’t plant before autumn have not had an opportunity at all to plant a crop. Normally you get a chance in autumn or spring. There was a window in September, but by October it had gone.”

Mr Blacker, whose main crop over the winter was wheat, said he would normally have 600 to 700 plants per square meter, but this was down to about 300.

He planned to plant 200 hectares in spring with barley or beans but has had to cut this down to five hectares.

“I’ve drawn the line under any profit-making crop. But growing nothing isn’t good for the soil. I have plans to plant a temporary cover crop, just to drag some moisture out of the soil.

“That obviously has a knock-on effect on profit. There’s zero return on that.”

“We’ll feel the financial knock-on effects for 18 months, and that’s providing things return to normal.”

Analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), based on AHDB crop area forecasts and Defra yield data, estimates that the production of wheat, barley, oats and oilseed rape may be down by four million tonnes compared to 2023, a reduction of 17.5%.

Compared to the 2015-2023 average, the decline would be over five million tonnes or 21.2%.

The ECIU said there was also a risk that the price of staples such as bread, beer and biscuits could increase as the poor harvest may lead to higher costs.

Helen Browning, chief executive of the Soil Association, told Thursday’s briefing: “Climate change is threatening food security in this country, of that there is no doubt. And we can’t import our way out of this problem either, given that countries around the world are facing similar problems. So what can we do to help make farming more resilient in the face of climate change?

“Crucially, farmers need support to either maintain practices that increase resilience to climate change, or support to transition to those practices.

“If we want food to be grown here, we need to ensure that the risks are shared through the supply chain; supermarkets and large food manufacturers in particular need to do more to help farmers transition.

“There are no silver bullets and this won’t be easy, but we need to get it right. If we get it wrong, the consequences will be dire for both people and planet.”

Dr Hannah Cloke, professor of hydrology at the University of Reading, said: “The exceptionally wet winter we’ve experienced in the UK, with some areas such as Reading not seeing a dry week for more than six months, is a stark reminder of the growing impact climate change is having on our food security.

“As global temperatures rise, we can expect both floods and droughts to become more extreme. This will lead to waterlogged or parched fields, reducing crop yields, and could increase our reliance on imports. This leaves us more vulnerable to global food price fluctuations and increases the environmental impact of our meals.

“To protect our food security, we must redouble our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change that are already locked in.

“This means investing in sustainable farming practices, improving flood defences, and supporting farmers as they navigate these challenges.”

Cruise ship sails into New York City port with 44-foot dead whale across its bow

Associated Press
Wed, May 8, 2024 

NEW YORK (AP) — A cruise ship sailed into a New York City port with a 44-foot (13-meter) dead whale across its bow, marine authorities said.

The whale, identified as an endangered sei whale, was caught on the ship's bow when it arrived at the Port of Brooklyn on Saturday, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries spokesperson Andrea Gomez said.

A spokesperson for MSC Cruises said the whale was on the MSC Meraviglia, which docked at Brooklyn before sailing to ports in New England and Canada.

“We immediately notified the relevant authorities, who are now conducting an examination of the whale,” officials with the cruise line said in a statement.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of any marine life,” the officials said, adding that the Geneva-based MSC Cruises follows all regulations designed to protect whales, such as altering itineraries in certain regions to avoid hitting the animals.

The dead whale was relocated to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and towed to shore there to allow for better access to equipment and to conduct a necropsy, Gomez said.

The necropsy, an autopsy on an animal, was conducted on Tuesday, Gomez said. Samples collected from the whale will help biologists determine whether it was already dead when it was struck by the ship, she said.

Sei whales are typically observed in deeper waters far from the coastline, Gomez said. They are one of the largest whale species and are internationally protected.

Ocean technology centre goes to court over Dartmouth Cove infilling approval

CBC
Thu, May 9, 2024 

A view of the area at Dartmouth Cove where infilling is proposed. (Steve Lawrence/CBC - image credit)

A Nova Scotia ocean technology research and development hub is going to court against Transport Canada, after the department approved a construction firm's proposal to dump 100,000 cubic metres of rock into Halifax harbour's Dartmouth Cove.

In court documents filed this week, the Centre for Ocean Ventures & Entrepreneurship (COVE) warned some research operations could be forced to cease if the proposal to infill 2.7 hectares adjacent to the facility is allowed to go ahead.

The infilling project, which would include rock such as pyritic slate from construction sites around Halifax and would create land for future development, has been opposed by a neighborhood group, the local councillor and the federal MP for the area.

COVE was founded in 2018 as a not-for-profit, and millions of dollars of public money have been spent on the centre. The facility aims to advance ocean technology and grow businesses by offering marine facilities and spaces for shops and laboratories to companies and academic researchers.

'I'm sure there is a path forward'

COVE filed for a judicial review in Federal Court on Wednesday, seeking an order overturning Transport Canada's decision. The court filings also name the numbered company proposing the project, which is associated with Atlantic Road Construction and Paving Ltd.

While Transport Canada has approved the infilling application related to navigation, a separate approval is also needed from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which is examining whether the project adheres to the Fisheries Act.

Bruce Wood, the chief financial officer of Atlantic Road Construction and Paving, told CBC News the company will address the claims by COVE once it sees them.

"I'm sure there is a path forward," he said.

As a civil contractor, he said Atlantic Road Construction and Paving digs up large amounts of pyritic slate during projects in Halifax, and it needs to find environmentally safe ways to dispose of it, similar to other major construction firms in the city.

A spokesperson for COVE declined comment.

Claims by COVE

But the centre said in court filings it currently has 60 tenants and is used by more than 350 marine-sector organizations. Its chief concern with the infilling proposal is that it could restrict vessels, including those used for research and by the coast guard and military, from using floating docks at the site.

It also said the project will prevent the operation of the subsea platform Stella Maris, which sits about 10 metres below the surface and is used to test marine sensors, because its location, which was approved by Transport Canada, abuts the planned infilling zone.

No date has been set to hear the judicial review.

Dartmouth-Cole Harbour MP Darren Fisher, who represents the area, said he was "flabbergasted" when the infilling project was approved, and said Dartmouth is "not a dump site for someone's construction waste."

He said he has asked Transportation Minister Pablo Rodriguez to cancel the project.

"If you ask anybody, there's no question that this project would impede the work that COVE is doing," he said in an interview.

HEAR, HEAR 

N.W.T.'s chief electoral officer wants voting age lowered to 16

CBC
Thu, May 9, 2024 

In 2023's N.W.T. territorial election, voters under 30 had the lowest turnout, while voters 60 and older had the highest turnout. Stephen Dunbar, the territory's chief electoral officer, suggests the voting age be lowered from 18 to 16. (Randall McKenzie/CBC - image credit)


The Northwest Territories' chief electoral officer wants to see 16- and 17-year-olds voting during the territory's next election.

It's one of a few recommendations Stephen Dunbar makes to legislators in a recent report looking back at last year's territorial election.

He says lowering the voting age in the N.W.T. from 18 to 16 could be a good way to improve voter turnout among young people in the territory more generally — which he calls "stubbornly low," in the report.


In 2023's territorial election, voters under 30 had the lowest turnout, while voters 60 and older had the highest turnout.

"Voting is habit-forming," Dunbar told CBC in an interview about the report.

"In the jurisdictions where they have lowered the voting age, what they've found is that 16- and 17-year-olds vote at a higher rate than 18- to 24-year-olds… but they're also more likely to vote in the next election, and the one after that."

He says the change would also make it much easier to register young N.W.T. voters, many of whom end up leaving the territory for post-secondary education and can be challenging to reach as a result.

Need to modernize elections act

Dunbar also argues in the report that N.W.T. needs new election legislation.

The current Elections and Plebiscites Act was introduced in 2006, Dunbar said. And while it has been amended since then, he says that those amendments have created inconsistencies in the act.

Dunbar also argues that because a lot of the current legislation is still based on the N.W.T.'s original elections act from 1978, it doesn't take in the realities of the online world.

He says one troubling example related to third-party advertising during elections.

Right now, a third-party advertiser doesn't need to register with Elections N.W.T. until they have spent $500 or more on election advertising. But advertising space on Facebook could go for as little as $40, Dunbar says.

"Someone could be having ads on Facebook and reaching a lot of people for a $40, $50 ad buy," he said.

"It becomes a bit of a wild west situation where you have a lot of money in the system that doesn't meet the threshold but is influencing the outcome."

In the 2023 territorial election, only two parties registered as advertisers: the NWT Disabilities Council and the Union of Northern Workers. Neither spent any money on social media advertising, according to information they filed to Elections N.W.T.

The current rules around absentee voting are also outdated, Dunbar said.

Right now, eligibility for absentee voting ends 10 days before an election, a rule he said was created in 2006 to ensure enough time for ballots to be mailed back to returning officers.

But with much of absentee voting now happening online, he said, the 10-day buffer isn't necessary, and could make absentee voting less accessible.

Another concern he flags in his report is that the current Elections and Plebiscites Act does not mention artificial intelligence technology at all.

Hamilton couple finds over 800 real Group of Seven landscapes

CBC
Fri, May 10, 2024

Jim and Sue Waddington with their granddaughter Emma on a trip to Ontario's Killarney Provincial Park in 2006. Emma narrates a new documentary on her grandparents' search for Group of Seven landscapes. (Submitted by Jim and Sue Waddington - image credit)


If a picture's worth a thousand words, to Jim and Sue Waddington, a painting's worth a thousand miles.

For nearly five decades, Jim and Sue Waddington have hiked, portaged and paddled rapids around Canada, all to track down and photograph over 800 landscapes that inspired the Group of Seven's works.

They've given more than 300 talks on their travels, published a best-selling book, and are now the subject of a short documentary narrated by their granddaughter Emma.

Now, in their eighties, the two are still at it.

"It keeps us busy," Sue told CBC Radio's The Current this week.

The Group of Seven were Canadian landscape painters who formed from 1920 to 1933, often depicting the country's raw, natural beauty in their works. They included A.Y. Jackson, Lawren Harris, Franklin Carmichael, Frank Johnston, Arthur Lismer, J.E.H. MacDonald and Frederick Varley.

A passion formed from a love of the outdoors, not painting

Neither Sue nor Jim come from an art background. But like the famous painters, they love to canoe and camp, and in 1977, they set out with a specific goal in mind.

Sue says the first location they found was the subject of A.Y. Jackson's 1933 painting, "Hills Killarney, (Nellie Park)". She'd discovered the painting during a course at Mohawk College, and wondered if the place really existed.

"And we looked at the map of Killarney Park where we had been canoeing a couple of years and saw Nellie Lake and decided maybe we better go and see if it was there," she said.

After a week of portaging, they found it.

"We were quite surprised that we could actually find it and that it actually looked almost identical," Sue said.

A.Y. Jackson (1882 - 1974), Hills, Killarney, Ontario (Nellie Lake), c. 1933, oil on canvas, 77.3 x 81.7 cm, Gift of Mr. S. Walter Stewart, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1968.8.28

A.Y. Jackson (1882 - 1974), Hills, Killarney, Ontario (Nellie Lake), c. 1933, oil on canvas, 77.3 x 81.7 cm, Gift of Mr. S. Walter Stewart, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1968.8.28 (McMichael Canadian Art Collection)

A photo from the Waddington's first trip to Nellie Lake in 1977.

A photo from the Waddington's first trip to Nellie Lake in 1977. (Submitted by Jim and Sue Waddington)

That began a lifelong obsession.

"After we found that first place, we thought, well, there must be a lot more that we could find," said Jim.

The couple consulted art galleries, topographic maps and artist notes to narrow down where they might find the artists' original vantage points. They carried the artists' sketches on their trips, which were more realistic than the paintings the artists later produced in studio, Jim says. He says the puzzle of it has kept them going.

"The artists often gave us enough clues to show where the painting might be," Jim said.

The Waddington's returned to Nellie Lake to take another photo for a recent documentary.

The Waddington's returned to Nellie Lake to take another photo for a recent documentary. (Submitted by Jim and Sue Waddington)

A country-wide hobby

The pair have since travelled all around the country in search of these places, even returning to Nellie Lake for their new documentary, Hidden Secrets of the Canvas: One Couple's Lifetime Quest to Uncover a Century, available on YouTube.

After decades of trips, Jim says they've been lucky to have experienced so much rare beauty they wouldn't have without their unusual hobby.

"Canadians have grown up with these paintings and it's their idea of what Canada is," Jim said. "The Canada that most of us are familiar with is not like that at all; it's cities and towns."

Of all the places they've been, Jim says one trip to Algoma in northern Ontario stands out. At 75, he says a friend convinced them to take their first whitewater canoe trip in order to find a landscape painted by J.E.H. MacDonald.

"It was really exciting for us," Jim said. "He could take us exactly to the places that they sat. We could see exactly the same rocks in the river."

Still going strong

Artist and art historian Michael Burtch says the Waddingtons will likely be able to continue their hobby for as long as they're physically able.

"It could take several lifetimes," he said in an interview. "They were extraordinarily prolific."

Burtch was part of a similar documentary to the Waddingtons', Painted Land: In Search of the Group of Seven, that also followed pilgrimages to the spots the Group of Seven painted.

The Waddington's photo of a landscape A.Y. Jackson painted.

The Waddington's photo of a landscape A.Y. Jackson painted. His painting that appears to depict the same spot is entitled Shoreline Wawa, Lake Superior. (Submitted by Jim and Sue Waddington)

Not only are there thousands of sketches and paintings, he notes they depict landscapes from coast to coast to coast and everywhere in between.

"Parts of the country where footprints can't be found," he said.

But the Waddingtons are still trying to find them. They take off for another canoe trip in Ontario's Killarney Provincial Park on Thursday.

Asked how the couple manages the trips now that they're in their eighties, Sue said, "Jim carries the lightweight canoe and I carry the wine."