Iraq: Oil dispute rekindles Baghdad-Kurdish tensions in row that could compromise lifeline industry

The New Arab Staff & Agencies
18 July, 2022

Iraq, the second-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, sits on enormous oil reserves, and revenues from the sector feed 90 percent of the federal government budget.

Iraq exports an average of 3.3 million barrels of crude oil per day 

[Sebastian Meyer/Corbis/Getty-file photo]

Iraq's oil wealth is rekindling tensions between federal authorities and the autonomous Kurdish region, in a row that could compromise the lifeline industry and keep investors away, analysts say.

The long-simmering dispute came to a head in February – at a time of political deadlock in Baghdad – when the federal supreme court ordered Kurdistan to hand over oil extracted from its territories to the federal authorities.

Then earlier this month, a commercial court in the Iraqi capital annulled contracts between the Kurds and foreign firms, after the oil ministry in Baghdad filed a judicial complaint.

Authorities in the Kurdistan capital Erbil have cried foul, accusing Baghdad of heaping "unjust pressure" on them and announcing their own legal action.

Iraq, the second-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, sits on enormous oil reserves, and revenues from the sector feed 90 percent of the federal government budget.

It exports an average of 3.3 million barrels of crude oil per day (bpd), while production in Kurdistan amounts to just over 450,000 bpd.

The February ruling stated that a 2007 law adopted by Erbil to regulate oil and gas was unconstitutional.

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Iraqi Kurds decry 'unjust pressure' from Baghdad in oil row

MENA

The New Arab Staff & Agencies

But analysts say politics play a major role in the dispute in Iraq, whose political barons have failed to reach agreement on choosing a president and a prime minister since October legislative elections.

"When it comes to oil, each side uses their respective powers as carrots and sticks depending on the political atmosphere of the day," said Bilal Wahab of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

"At times when there was political accord, the courts were rather quiet. When there was political discord, however, the reverse was true," he told AFP.
'Reputation being damaged'

The nullification of oil contracts between the Kurds and four international oil companies (IOCs) from Canada, Britain, Norway and the United States at the start of July has inflamed the row.

"For Baghdad to be chasing IOCs out of Iraqi Kurdistan does not serve to show Iraq as a major producer welcoming of foreign investment," cautioned Yesar Al-Maleki, an analyst at the Middle East Economic Survey.

In a fightback, the Kurdish regional authorities in June initiated judicial proceedings against the federal government.

One lawsuit targets Oil Minister Ihsan Ismail, accused by the Kurds of trying to "intimidate" foreign firms operating in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq.

The Kurdish autonomous government has accused Baghdad of taking "illegal" and "politically motivated" actions.

For Wahab, Kurdish and federal government officials fail to appreciate "how much they are damaging the overall reputation of Iraq's energy industry".

"Questioning the sanctity of contracts… adds legal risk to a slew of other regulatory and governance risks that ail the Iraqi energy industry," he added.

The dispute, he said, "repels much-needed foreign investment".

Oil revenues are critical for Iraq, a country faced with widespread corruption but also mired in a financial crisis and in need of funds to rebuild infrastructure after decades of conflict.
'Compromise'?

Despite the legal actions, Kurdistan says it is open to a negotiated solution.

It is working on setting up two companies specialised in oil exploration and marketing that would coordinate with Baghdad, a spokesperson for the Erbil government said.

Baghdad's oil ministry, meanwhile, marked a small victory after oil giants Baker Hughes, Halliburton and Schlumberger committed not to initiate new projects in Kurdistan.

The ministry says the companies are also working to "liquidate and close" existing contracts.

Baghdad has fought to regain control of output from lucrative oil fields in Kurdistan since the autonomous region began marketing oil independently more than a decade ago.

But under a current deal, the Kurdish region delivers 250,000 barrels per day to Baghdad, in return for a share of federal funds to pay the salaries of Kurdish civil servants.

In recent weeks, tensions have risen further after a series of unclaimed rocket attacks targeting oil and gas installations in Kurdistan.

Experts say the assaults aim to put pressure on the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the largest in Kurdistan.

The KDP is allied to Shia Muslim leader Muqtada Al-Sadr, whose bloc won 73 seats in the October polls, making it the largest faction in the 329-seat parliament.

The party is eyeing the Iraqi presidency for one of its members, although traditionally the job has been held by a member of the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

"The timeline of events evidently shows that this whole crisis started because the KDP took the side of the Sadrist movement… opposing the Iran-backed Shiite Coordination Framework," Maleki said.

He expects a "compromise" will be reached to resolve the oil dispute because "Iraq is a country of compromise".

"Until then, the supreme court ruling will hang like the sword of Damocles over the Kurdish regional government," he said.

Customary Barbarity: Britain’s SAS in Afghanistan

by Binoy Kampmark / July 17th, 2022

The insistence that there is a noble way of fighting war, one less bloody and brutal, has always been the hallmark of forces self-described as civilised.  Restraint characterises their behaviour; codes of laws follow in their wake, rather than genocidal impulses.  Killing, in short, is a highly regulated, disciplined affair.

The failed wars and efforts of foreign powers in Afghanistan have destroyed this conceit.  Lengthy engagements, often using special forces operating in hostile terrain, have been marked by vicious encounters and hostile retribution.  Australia’s Special Air Services supplied a very conspicuous example. The 2020 report by New South Wales Court of Appeal Justice Paul Brereton on the alleged murders of Afghan non-combatants was an ice bath for moralists claiming they were fighting the good fight.

Known rather dully as the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry Report, Brereton claimed that 39 alleged non-combatant murders were perpetrated by Australian special service units during their tours of duty.  The report was inspired, in no small way, by the work of consultant Samantha Crompvoets, a sociologist commissioned by the Special Operations Commander of Australia (SOCAUST) to conduct a “cultural review” of the Special Operations Command in mid-2015.

Her January 2016 report makes grim reading, noting such endemic practices as body count competitions and the use of the Joint Priority Effects List (JPEL).  The JPEL effectively constituted a “sanctioned kill list” characterised by tinkered numbers.

Units of the British SAS are now accused of almost identical practices, a point that will come as little surprise to some in the Royal Military Police. Titled Operation Northmoor, the RMP initiated a number of investigations in 2014 that covered 675 criminal allegations, some of which were said to have been committed by the special forces.  In 2019, the Ministry of Defence closed the investigation claiming that there was no evidence of criminality.

The RMP team disputed the finding, and had to face an atmosphere of hostility encouraged by then Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer.  According to Mercer, the whole effort was a crusade by overly keen human rights lawyers keen to harass the MOD.  In his sights was the solicitor’s firm Leigh Day, which was twice cleared of allegations of professional misconduct for their handling of compensation claims against the MOD over alleged incidents in Iraq.

A recent BBC investigation has revisited Britain’s military efforts, finding evidence of unlawful killings during 2010-11.  One unit took its work so seriously as to be allegedly responsible for the deaths of 54 people over six months.  The pattern of behaviour is markedly similar to those of the Australian special forces: detainees supposedly shot after producing a concealed weapon; the use of “burner” weapons rather than formal issue to do the deed.  Institutional complicity is also alleged, with officers higher up the pecking order covering up the misdeeds of their subordinates.

The investigation also suggests that vital information was not shared with the RMP.  A claim is made that General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, director of the special forces, did not disclose to the RMP earlier concerns about unlawful killings, or the existence of a review into the squadron.

With these allegations come enormous impediments to accountability.  The British government, captured by a Brexit atmosphere of exceptionalism, has busied itself with making prosecutions harder than ever.  In 2020, the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill was introduced to provide serving and former military personnel “more legal protection from prosecution for alleged offences resulting in overseas operations.”

The press release announcing the Bill went on to note the number of compensation claims against the UK Ministry of Defence – near 1,000 – for unlawful detention, personal injury and death.  To this could also be added 1,400 judicial review claims against the MOD seeking investigations and compensation for a number of human rights violations.

Instead of seeing such figures as an instance of cultural blight and abuse in the UK military forces in their conduct of overseas operations, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace preferred a different reading.  The “vast majority” of personnel had “acted in accordance with the rule of law and often at great personal risk” but had been “faced with the prospect of repeated investigations by inquest and police”.

The Bill became law in 2021.  Under the law, prosecutors are discouraged from initiating actions in various ways.  There is a general presumption against the prosecution of soldiers for overseas offences committed five years after the alleged incident.  The original bill even went so far as to apply this presumption to all crimes bar sexual offences, though this was subsequently amended to exclude torture, war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

“Particular weight” must be given by the prosecutor to a range of matters, such as “being exposed to unexpected or continuous threats, being in command of others who were so exposed, or being deployed alongside others who were killed or severely wounded in action.”  It was imperative for the prosecutor to “have regard to the exceptional demands and stresses to which members of Her Majesty’s forces are likely to be subject while deployed on overseas operations, regardless of their length of service, rank or personal resilience.”  If the prosecutor favours prosecution, another limitation must be negotiated.  Any action against military personnel can only proceed with the consent of the Attorney General.

The UK authorities have also insulated themselves from civil claims based on harmful overseas acts that might arise in connection with the Human Rights Act.  The time bar there is six years.

Given that the acts alleged in the BBC investigation took place over a decade ago, the prospect of genuine, fully committed prosecutions is almost impossible to envisage.  An investigation of some shape or form is likely to happen, though it will be carefully managed to fail.  Britain has shown, time and again, that the rich rhetoric of human rights can be uttered even as its soldiers butcher for Queen and country.FacebookTwitter

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Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne and can be reached at: bkampmark@gmail.com. Read other articles by Binoy.

 

New Long COVID Treatments: Mostly Questionable – OpEd

 July 18, 2022  

By Joel S. Hirschhorn

With many millions of long COVID victims there clearly is a huge need and potential market for treatments.

The latest data will be reviewed. But the issue of how long COVID is defined is critical to evaluating the quality of research articles. The core problem is there are a large number of symptoms hitting most victims. Does a specific treatment work effectively for most or even all of them? If it only works for one of two, is it really a success? Are relief of symptoms permanent?

The definition problem

Imagine that a long COVID solution is hard to imagine unless the illness is well defined. A great article was titled “Experts Urge Caution in Rushing to Define Long COVID.” It noted that “Specific definitions may overemphasize certain symptoms, harming those who don’t fit the bill.”

It correctly noted that long COVID “is a rapidly emerging health crisis across the U.S. and abroad.” CDC and WHO have been useless in this area. More significantly: “Medical societies have taken a more clinical swing at defining long COVID in an effort to improve patient care. The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation has listed 50 different symptoms that could be related to long COVID.”

Also: “Still, researchers and clinicians working to understand long COVID are no closer to identifying clear definitions for diagnosing or treating the condition. The absence of a clearly outlined algorithm for long COVID might be frustrating for physicians and their patients, but experts agree that rushing to define long COVID could present a slew of new challenges.”

Another good point: “Should researchers focus on setting a specific number of days a person experiences fatigue after an acute COVID infection? If so, what should those ranges look like — fatigue after 30 days?”

Also: “Another emerging insight into long COVID is the probability that it is more than just one syndrome.” … “researchers will need to focus on developing not just one definition, but multiple definitions, each with clinically relevant algorithms and guidelines to help clinicians work through each version of long COVID.”

David Putrino, PhD, the director of rehabilitation innovation at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, has made the point that there are probably 10 to 15 different causes of long COVID, which is why waiting to develop clinically meaningful definitions is critical for the sake of long COVID patients.

“The first interaction that most people with long COVID have with medical professionals is with their primary care provider; their primary care provider has 15 minutes to work with them, which is just not nearly enough time,” Putrino noted.

Putrino emphasized that the risks from narrowing the definition would be entirely placed on patients who struggle to get the proper care to treat their unique symptoms. A definition that excludes even a small number of patients would be a critical mistake in the effort to address this crisis, he said.

“What we should be doing right now, given how hard it is to receive care, is we should be keeping the definition necessarily broad,” he stressed. “We should be counting everybody, and we should be saying this is the number of people nationwide who have persistent symptoms.”

COVID vaccines

Put aside the view held by some that COVID vaccines may cause long COVID because they place spike proteins in the body. Another, probably wider view, is that COVID vaccines can help prevent long COVID. Two recent medical research articles attempt to make that case. But they fail to accomplish that goal. But pro-vaccine advocates may keep pushing the view. Millions of long COVID victims failing to find effective treatments or cures may eagerly embrace the idea that COVID vaccines and boosters offer help. Nothing more than false hope.

NBC News ran an article “Vaccines offer little protection long COVID study finds.”

“The COVID vaccines… offer little protection against long Covid, according to research published …in the journal Nature Medicine. The findings are disappointing, if not surprising, to researchers who were once hopeful that vaccination could significantly reduce the risk of long Covid. Compared to an unvaccinated individual, the risk of long Covid in a fully vaccinated individual was cut by only about 15 percent, the study found.”

“Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis and the lead author of the study. But said they “offer very modest protection against long Covid.”

Another recent article did not make a strong case for using vaccines to treat long COVID. Especially important was the absence of specific symptoms, which were self-reported by participants.

Looking for another market for Paxlovid

Unimpressive work was reported. Paxlovid was used in two people to treat symptoms of long COVID.

Case One: This was a 47-year-old woman had symptoms of ill health such as fatigue and body pain that persisted. 6 months after initial infection. Her symptoms of long COVID resolved while on the medication. It was reported that within 3 days of taking the prescription, her symptoms lessened, and she was back to normal. No information on other symptoms or the length of the “cure.”

Case Two: This woman had developed headaches, insomnia, and chronic fatigue quickly and these persisted for 4 months even as she kept testing positive for viral persistence. She reported reduced symptoms before the end of her 5-day treatment. She also recounts that her fatigue was completely cleared two weeks after completing the treatment. But was this “cure” permanent?

The most innovative treatment

A recent article reported on an investigation reported by The BMJ and ITV News. What makes this treatment especially interesting is that it is based on the theory that has always appealed to me that the basic cause of long covid are micro blood clots. However, no extensive data have been reported on treatment success.

The important role of micro blood clots, including their formation, composition and impacts are detailed in this excellent review: A central role for amyloid fibrin microclots in long COVID/PASC: origins and therapeutic implications.

Here are some main points made by MedPage Today.

“With long COVID patients becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of available treatments, some have now taken to traveling to Cyprus, Germany, and Switzerland for experimental ‘blood washing'” according to a recent investigation by The BMJ and ITV News.”

“Over the past year, people experiencing this often debilitating condition have visited private clinics for apheresis, a blood filtering treatment normally used for patients with lipid disorders, where they are also given anticoagulants, citing the hypothesis that “symptoms of long COVID are caused by small clots in the blood that are blocking the flow of oxygen through capillaries,” wrote Madlen Davies, investigations editor for The BMJ.”

“With long COVID patients becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of available treatments, some have now taken to traveling to Cyprus, Germany, and Switzerland for experimental “blood washing,” according to a recent investigation by The BMJ and ITV News.”

“Over the past year, people experiencing this often debilitating condition have visited private clinics for apheresis, a blood filtering treatment normally used for patients with lipid disorders, where they are also given anticoagulants, citing the hypothesis that “symptoms of long COVID are caused by small clots in the blood that are blocking the flow of oxygen through capillaries,” wrote Madlen Davies, investigations editor forThe BMJ.”

“In addition to the experimental nature of the treatment and its potential expense, some experts have expressed concerns about the lack of follow-up care for patients after they leave these clinics, Davies noted. Anticoagulation should be given by clinicians who regularly follow up with patients, Amitava Banerjee, MBChB, a cardiologist in London and long COVID researcher, told The BMJ. Bleeding could present as something as mild as bruising or nosebleeds, or could be severe, such as a brain hemorrhage.”

“I’m concerned that this has been pushed in a vulnerable group,” Davies said.

Conclusion

The millions of suffering long COVID victims have limited reason to be optimistic about effective treatments. We can only hope that hard work and great medical research along with the profit motive may eventually produce sound, reliable treatments. If there is more than one cause for long COVID and several forms of the disease, then likely more than one universal effective treatment will be needed.

Dr. Joel S. Hirschhorn, author of Pandemic Blunder and many articles and podcasts on the pandemic, worked on health issues for decades, and his Pandemic Blunder Newsletter is on Substack. As a full professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, he directed a medical research program between the colleges of engineering and medicine. As a senior official at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment and the National Governors Association, he directed major studies on health-related subjects; he testified at over 50 US Senate and House hearings and authored hundreds of articles and op-ed articles in major newspapers. He has served as an executive volunteer at a major hospital for more than 10 years. He has been a member of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, and America’s Frontline Doctors.

Joel S. Hirschhorn was a full professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and a senior official at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment and the National Governors Association; he has authored five nonfiction books, including Delusional Democracy – Fixing the Republic Without Overthrowing the Government.

Sri Lanka acting president Wickremesinghe declares state of emergency

A man waves the Sri Lankan national flag during a protest near the Presidential secretariat in Colombo on July 17, 2022. PHOTO: AFP


COLOMBO (REUTERS, AFP) - Sri Lanka’s acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe has declared a state of emergency, according to a government notice released late on Sunday (July 17), as his administration seeks to quell social unrest and tackle an economic crisis gripping the island nation.

“It is expedient, so to do, in the interests of public security, the protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community,” the notification stated.

Sri Lanka’s ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled overseas last week to escape a popular uprising against his government, has said he took “all possible steps” to avert the economic crisis that has engulfed the island nation.


Mr Rajapaksa’s resignation was accepted by parliament on Friday. He flew to the Maldives and then Singapore after hundreds of thousands of anti-government protesters came out onto the streets of Colombo a week ago and occupied his official residence and offices.

Sri Lanka’s parliament met on Saturday to begin the process of electing a new president, and a shipment of fuel arrived to provide some relief to the crisis-hit nation.

Mr Wickremesinghe, an ally of Mr Rajapaksa, is one of the top contenders to take on the presidency full-time but protesters also want him gone, leading to the prospect of further unrest should he be elected.

Sri Lanka's protest movement reached its 100th day on Sunday having forced one president from office and now turning its sights on his successor as the country's economic crisis continues

Mr Rajapaksa’s mismanagement is blamed for Sri Lanka’s financial turmoil, which has forced its 22 million people to endure shortages of food, fuel and medicines since late last year.

The campaign to oust Mr Rajapaksa, organised mainly through posts on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, drew people from across Sri Lanka’s often unbridgeable ethnic divides.

Under Sri Lanka's constitution, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was automatically installed as acting president following Mr Rajapaksa's resignation, and is now the leading candidate to succeed him permanently in a parliamentary vote this week.

Imran Khan's party makes come back in Pak's Punjab assembly by-polls: PM Sharif suffers setback

Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday made a 'clean sweep' in the crucial Punjab assembly by-polls.


Press Trust of India Lahore

July 18, 2022


Imran Khan (File image)

Ousted premier Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Sunday made a 'clean sweep' in the crucial Punjab assembly by-polls, in a major setback to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif whose Chief Minister son Hamza Shehbaz is all set to lose his post.

The election for the chief minister will be held on July 22 on the Supreme Court's order and PTI-PMLQ joint candidate Chaudhary Parvez Elahi is likely to the new chief minister of politically crucial province Punjab.

According to unofficial results so far, the PTI has secured victory on 16 seats while Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) just three. An independent candidate has also won.

The ruling PML-N of the Sharifs has accepted its defeat and even congratulation PTI Chairman Khan for 'landslide victory' in the by-polls.

"We respect the mandate of the people. Now we ask the PTI-PMLQ to form the government in Punjab," the Prime Minister's spokesperson Malik Ahmad Khan told PTI.

To a question whether Prime Minister Shehbaz would dissolve the National Assembly to call early general elections, he said: "The PML-N leadership will decide about it in consultation with its allies.”

PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz also accepted her party's defeat. "We should accept our defeat with an open heart," the daughter of PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif said in a tweet.

She said that in politics, victory and defeat is a part of the game. "We will see our weakness and remove them," she said.

"Tehreek-e-Insaf is winning at least 15 seats. But it is very important for all our people on duty at all polling stations not to leave their place until the official results are obtained from the returning officers,” Khan said in a tweet.

His party’s senior leader Asad Umar said Khan would announce the party strategy after a meeting of the core committee on Monday.

He said now the PML-N is left with only one option and that is "immediately calling for fresh general elections."

Earlier on Sunday, the by-polls on 20 assembly seats of Punjab were held in relatively a peaceful manner amid scattered incidents of violence. A heavy contingent of police was deployed in five 'sensitive' constituencies of Lahore and Multan.

A couple of political workers were injured in Lahore during a clash between the PML-N and PTI supporters. A violent clash was reported between the two arch-rivals in Muzaffargarh (some 350 kms from Lahore) too. Turnout in most constituencies reportedly remained low.

According to Punjab police, they arrested 15 persons near different polling stations for indulging in violence and carrying arms. The police have also arrested PTI Chairman Imran Khan's close aide Shahbaz Gill from Muzaffargarh for keeping armed guards.

Khan strongly condemned Gill's arrest and alleged that the PML-N-led Punjab government had “brazenly violated the Supreme Court's” verdict by resorting to rigging.

"Today Punjab government has brazenly violated SC orders [and] election rules by openly using all government and state machinery to rig Punjab elections through illegal ballot stamping [and] harassing voters while arresting PTI leaders,” he said.

He also accused the Election Commission of turning a blind eye and said "courts must open now [and] act."

Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb rejected Khan's rigging claim, saying "not a single complaint" of rigging was reported in these 20 constituencies. She said these were rigging free by-polls unlike the ones held during the tenure of Imran Khan as premier.

This contest was seen as a matter of ‘life and death’ for both major competitors who practically have their political futures in the province on the line.

As the opposition PTI managed to won majority seats, it is going to dethrone Hamza as the Punjab chief minister, which the Sharifs, especially Hamza’s father Prime Minister Shehbaz, cannot afford, as it could restrict the junior Sharif’s rule to the Centre only.

Khan's victory could trigger a new political crisis in Pakistan as Prime Minister Shehbaz's rule would be reduced to Islamabad and his government has yet to get a final approval of its financial life line from the International Monetary Fund.

The PML-N had hinted that if it loses the Punjab chief ministership to PTI, it may leave the federal government too. For the PTI, today's by-polls mean a lot more than defeating the Sharifs and Zardaris.

Khan and his companions had painted the contest as "a fight between good (his party) and evil (the ruling coalitions in the Centre and Punjab)" and a matter of the country’s sovereignty in the face of alleged foreign (US) meddling in its affairs.

The PML-N-led coalition needed at least 11 seats of the 20 to achieve the magic 186-member majority in the assembly for Hamza to survive as the chief minister.

The joint candidate of PTI-PMLQ Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, who required 13 to oust Hamza, is in a comfortable position to form a government.

The Punjab Assembly currently stands at 349 members: the PTI has 163 lawmakers and its ally PML-Q 10. The PML-N has 163 members while its coalition partners PPP seven, four independents and one Rah-i-Haq Party.

Three-time premier Nawaz Sharif who has been in London since November 2019 in 'self-exile' had monitored his party campaign.

Lobster capital of the world: Shediac welcomes new lobster centre

Sun, July 17, 2022 

The Homarus Centre in Shediac allows visitors to learn about the lifecycle of a lobster and also touch one. (Radio-Canada - image credit)

For those who have always wanted to touch a lobster, Shediac, N.B., might be an ideal destination.

The Homarus Centre opened its doors Sunday, offering an immersive experience into the world of the Northumberland Strait marine ecosystem.

Pierre Dupuis, the centre's director, said the opening was the first step.

"We finally made it," he said. "It's a bit of a relief now knowing that that day has come and it's going smooth."

Radio-Canada

Visitors will learn about lobster from beginning right up to the plate, said Dupuis.

The centre is owned by the Maritime Fishermen's Union and used to occupy a small spot on the Pointe-du-Chêne wharf.

"We are the science branch of the Maritime Fishermen Union and a lot of it revolves around the fishermen [and] what they do trying to make sure that the species are sustainable for the future ahead," Dupuis said.

A tank at the centre allows visitors to reach in and touch a lobster.

Radio-Canada

Dupuis said all of the lobsters are banded except for the smallest. The touch tank is not part of a guided tour where people learn about the lifecycle of a lobster.

There's also a boutique that showcases work from local artists, said Dupuis.

Tourist benefit 

Shediac Mayor Roger Caissie said the centre is a great addition to the area.

Town of Shediac

"The Homarus Centre is going to create another reason or another bonus in terms of visiting Shediac," he said.

Caissie said the Homarus building created an opportunity for the town to relocate its visitor information centre.

Before the pandemic, Caissie said the town would get around 600 tour buses per year to see its giant lobster statue. But he thinks the centre will create an incentive to stay longer.

"This will generate some economic spinoff for local businesses here — restaurants, hospitality, that sort of thing," said Caissie.

Shediac is known for its lobster fishing industry and is widely considered the lobster capital of the world.

Radio-Canada

Dupuis said many people who arrive in Shediac think they know a lot about lobsters, but he said they can always learn something new.

"Even some of the fishermen come in and they think they know a lot. But when they go through the biology and everything's explained, they're like, 'I did not know that.'"

Dupuis said the centre doesn't only focus on educating about the species, but also about the ecosystem and sustainability.

The Shediac Lobster Festival also happened in early July, but Dupuis said the timing of the centre's opening is a coincidence.

He said they partner with the festival every year and this year, they released 10,000 lobster larvae into the water on the closing day of the festival.

"It basically represents the lobsters that were sold during the festival that people ate," said Dupuis. "We put it back in the water."

A peek at P.E.I.'s wild, rare orchids

Sun, July 17, 2022

Yellow Lady's Slippers are biologist Kate MacQuarrie's favourite wild P.E.I. orchid because they are so showy. 

Kate MacQuarrie

Prince Edward Island's wild orchids are putting on a show, but you'll have to trek to forests or bogs to find the rare flowers.

P.E.I. is best known for its provincial flower, the Pink Lady's Slipper, but did you know there are three dozen species of wild orchids on the Island?

"This is probably one of the best orchid years I've seen in a long time, and I think it's the wet conditions that we've had so far — orchids love moisture," says P.E.I. biologist Kate MacQuarrie.

Orchids bloom on P.E.I. from mid-June to mid-July, with some hanging on till the end of July.

Kate MacQuarrie

They are found in "orchid hot spots" like bogs and older-growth mixed hardwood forest, MacQuarrie says.

'Really hard to grow'

She won't divulge the exact locations she found these stunning orchids she photographed, however.

Kate MacQuarrie

"Historically — not necessarily on P.E.I., but globally — there's been issues with people picking orchids and harvesting them, sometimes in large numbers, and that's led to many species becoming rare," she says.

"Orchids are really neat plants in that they're really hard to grow," she explains. When most plants release seeds they include a "food packet" to help the seeds germinate, but orchids don't. They produce huge numbers of seeds — sometimes as many as a million per plant — but they're too tiny to include the food packet. Instead, they partner with fungus in the soil, which is hard for home gardeners to reproduce, and results in very low germination even in the wild.

Kate MacQuarrie

'They're all really rare'

Contrary to popular belief, it is not illegal to pick any of the Island's orchids including Lady's Slippers, she says, but it is not advisable for several reasons.

"They're all really rare," she says. "Take photos, enjoy them where they are, but leave them be."

Kate MacQuarrie

The orchid family is one of the largest and oldest families of flowering plants on this planet, including roughly 28,000 species and dating back some 100 million years, MacQuarrie says, noting they've had a long time to evolve complex and beautiful flowers and reproductive strategies.

She loves how different orchids are and how they've adapted to attract insects. For instance, she says the bulbous "slipper" of the Lady's Slipper is actually a modified petal that's there to trick insects into crawling inside it and pollinating it.

Bearded orchids feature little hairs that are also designed to attract pollinators. Others emit powerful smells that bring in insects, even when the flowers themselves offer no nectar, and some cleverly mimic female insects to trick males into landing and pollinating as they attempt to mate.

Kate MacQuarrie

Kate MacQuarrie

MacQuarrie's favourite orchid is the Yellow Lady's Slipper, the rarest of the Lady's Slippers.

"What I love most about it is it's got these spirals on either side of the slipper that are actually petals as well .... there's just something so aesthetically pleasing about that whole plant."

Yellow Lady's Slippers grow in cedar swamps, so if you like putting on your rubber boots and "mucking about cedar swamps" you'll probably find them, she said.

Wild Irises are plentiful across P.E.I. and although they look similar, they are not an orchid, so if you want to pick wild flowers it's OK to pick irises, MacQuarrie says.

Kate MacQuarrie

Kate MacQuarrie

Being non-binary: A primer on the term and what it means


Sun, July 17, 2022 

Lucky Fusca is the executive director of the P.E.I. Transgender Network, and came out as non-binary a couple of years ago. Fusca now uses the pronouns they/them rather than she/her. (Lucky Fusca - image credit)

You may have seen it as part of people's email signatures these days, identifying their preferred pronouns: she/her, he/him and they/them or a combination of any of these.

They/them usually refers to someone who identifies as non-binary (BN), a term used by those whose identities do not fit into a strictly male/female binary.

Lucky Fusca is the executive director of the P.E.I. Transgender Network, and is also the chair of Pride P.E.I. They are non-binary, and they agreed to answer some questions about what it means.

What is non-binary?

"Non-binary is kind of an umbrella term folks use when they neither identify as male or female," Fusca said. "I don't want to say that it means that it's somewhere in between — non-binary is usually something that is very personal to the individual.

"I really don't feel like either of the ends of the binary are anything that resonate with me. I do feel more comfortable outside of the identity box in general."

A few years ago, Fusca, 28, moved to Prince Edward Island, where they first heard the term non-binary. "It really resonated with my inner child, how this child really felt out of alignment with the gender or sex that I was assigned at birth."

They'd been assigned female at birth, and said they struggled from the age of five or six to conform to pressure to be and act what society considers female. In fact, they eventually conformed really well — wearing their hair long, applying makeup and dressing femininely. It was exhausting, they said.

Desmond Picotte

Everything changed when Fusca came out as lesbian a couple of years ago and started hanging out with more queer people, and met someone who was non-binary. "That gave me access to the language, gave me access to the representation and visibility, which allowed me to go back and say 'Wait a minute, I think this might be me!' and it was super liberating," they said.

Fusca is an artist, and describes non-binary people as the blending of blue for boys and red for girls: if the two are mixed, many shades of purple emerge — those are like the many different kinds of non-binary people. Some non-binary folks feel more in alignment with the masculine end of the spectrum, and others "feel more femme," they said.

If there's a Pride flag of any kind in your establishment and you have gendered bathrooms, you either need to remove your Pride flag or get rid of the signs on the bathroom doors. — Lucky Fusca

Coming out as non-binary has freed them of the internalized shame and hate passed on from the world around them, Fusca said.

"I have so much more energy to put into other things that I care about, that isn't being concerned about how the world is perceiving me," they said. "Really I just go out into the world and live my authentic truth ... I'm just doing and being."

What pronouns should people use for non-binary folks?

The safest way is not to assume anyone's gender, ever, no matter how you perceive them.

Check their social media for their pronouns, Fusca suggests. If you're not sure, refer to people by their name, if you know it. If you don't know it, introduce yourself and state your pronouns, which may open up a safe space for others to share theirs. Many non-binary people use they/them while others use she/them, he/them or a combination.

Fusca said it is important to try to use proper pronouns and names, and misusing them intentionally, known as misgendering, can be a form of violence. However if someone does it accidentally, Fusca is happy to educate people and says it's "a beautiful thing to watch the process of folks moving away from gendered language."

Who do non-binary people love?

Being non-binary has nothing to do with sexual orientation, Fusca said. "They're two completely different things."

Submitted by Lucky Fusca

Sexual preference for NB's can be cisgender heterosexual men or women, gay men or women, other NB's are pansexual, asexual or demisexual — the entire rainbow of genders and sexual identities.

Fusca said some lesbians are negative toward non-binary or trans folks identifying as lesbians — such hardliners are known as terfs: trans-exclusionary radical feminists.

"Sexuality, just like gender identity, they are things that can be very fluid for most people. Right now I would say I identify as a non-binary queer person," Fusca said.

Do most non-binary people change their name?

Fusca changed their name and says many others in the non-binary and transgender community have or are heavily considering it, while others do not.

Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images

"And even pronouns — not all non-binary people use they/them pronouns," they said. Some will use a combination, like she/them.

"All words are 'made up,' every single one of them," Fusca said. Some people want to get away from any word used to describe their past self, while others "are happy to continue to use them as long as the people around them treat them with respect and still perceive them to be the non-binary person that they are."

Is non-binary the same as androgynous?

No. Androgynous means presenting as neither distinguishably masculine nor feminine.

"Non-binary people do not owe the world androgyny," Fusca says. "We don't owe people any explanation around the way that we dress versus the way that we identify."

Do most non-binary people modify their bodies?

It is common for non-binary people to modify their bodies, Fusca said, noting there is a wide range of options for medical transitioning.

Options include top surgery (a double mastectomy) and bottom surgery to create a penis or vagina. Some folks may masculinize or feminize their faces using injections.

Many non-binary folks including Fusca quit shaving legs and armpits and grow out their body hair.

Where do non-binary people go to the bathroom?

"I've been trying to figure this out for quite some time now!" Fusca said.

Heidi Barrett

They said right now they'd choose the women's bathroom. "I'm going to take what feels to be the safer of the two poor choices."

Fusca urges business owners, especially those who indicate they are an LGBTQ ally or queer-safe space, to provide non-gendered bathrooms.

"If there's a Pride flag of any kind in your establishment and you have gendered bathrooms, you either need to remove your Pride flag or get rid of the signs on the bathroom doors," they said.

How can I learn more?

Fusca suggests reading the "easily-digestible" Beyond the Gender Binary, by Alok Vaid-Menon.

They also enjoyed the episode of Johnathan van Ness's Netflix Show Getting Curious in which the Queer Eye celebrity hosted Vaid-Menon.

People could also watch the bittersweet comedy Sort Of on CBC Gem.

Fusca said the new Charlottetown Public Library is planning to offer a wider range of literature for the queer community and those wanting to know more about the community.

Follow the P.E.I. Transgender Network on Facebook for profiles of some non-binary Islanders, featured for international non-binary people's day July 14.

B.C.'s Kamloopa Powwow introduces 2-spirit dance, ends blood ancestry rules after online backlash


Sun, July 17, 2022 

People gather for a Kamloopa Powwow event in 2019. The society has removed rules regarding gender identity and family ancestry for this year's event. (muriversum/Facebook - image credit)

The president of B.C.'s Kamloopa Powwow Society says it's making substantive changes to the event, in collaboration with local Indigenous 2SLGBT+ organizations, after social media outcry last week over gender and blood ancestry rules.

Delyla Daniels, president of the society, told CBC News the society is immediately removing language that stated powwow dancers must have at "least one-quarter Native blood," perform in full regalia, and "be in the correct gender for the category."

It is also adding a switch dance special — allowing anyone to dance a traditional powwow dance regardless of gender — and committing to hosting an annual two-spirit round dance. In addition, all self-identified Indigenous people are now welcome at the powwow.

The society faced online backlash last week from many people including two-spirited Indigenous advocates who said the rules were limiting participation in the event, which is being held for the first time since 2019. The rules had been on the books for more than two decades before the recent backlash.

"We absolutely knew right away that those items that were flagged had to be addressed. It's the year 2022. There's no place for that type of wording to exist in our rules," said Daniels. "We just had to be mindful of what's relevant today and not what was many years ago in our rules."

Daniels said past blood quantum rules would prevent a lot of young Indigenous people from participating, as well as those who may not have Indian status cards.

"If you as a person know that you're Indigenous, and you want to dance, you're more than welcome to come to our powwow and dance," she said.

The changes were made after working together with two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (2SLGBT+) individuals in the Tḱemlúps te Secwépemc Nation, including Daniels' two-spirit brother Jeffrey McNeil Seymour. The society also worked with the chief and council of the nation, which is the host community for Western Canada's largest powwow.

"It's the action that we take that's going to matter," Daniels said. "This issue is bigger than Kamloopa ... there are going to be changes across the country."

While Daniels says the changes made by the society may not work universally across all communities, she looks forward to seeing how other communities will work to become more inclusive.

Rosanne Casimir, chief (Kukpi7) of the Tḱemlúps te Secwépemc Nation, said in a statement that she thanked the society for taking the "corrective steps to address the outdated rules."

Advocate welcomes changes

Kairyn Potts, a two-spirit advocate and TikTok creator with more than 230,000 followers, was one of the first to flag the regulations around gender, as well as ancestry requirements known as blood quantum.

In an interview with CBC News on Sunday, Potts said he welcomed the changes to the society's rules.

"I think it's a big win for for young people who want to compete in powwows across Turtle Island," he said. "[This] lets them know that not only is there space for you, but we honour you."

muriversum/Facebook

For organizers of other powwows, he says the incident with Kamloopa should be a learning experience.

"Regardless of whether their rules and regulations are outdated or not ... our young people are listening," he said. "When there are older, archaic traditions or rules ... in place, they're no longer going to be overlooked."