After The Mass Shooting In Colorado, Advocates Ask: Will We Ever Have Gun Reform?
Sarah Midkiff 

Ten people were shot and killed on Monday when an unidentified gunman opened fire at a grocery store in Boulder, CO. According to authorities, a suspect is in custody after being injured during the shooting, but they are still unsure of what prompted the attack.

© Provided by Refinery29 BOULDER, CO – MARCH 22: Police respond at a King Sooper’s grocery store where a gunman opened fire on March 22, 2021 in Boulder, Colorado. Ten people, including a police officer, were killed in the attack. (Photo by Chet Strange/Getty Images)

Around 2:30 p.m. yesterday, shoppers and employees ran for cover and some escaped through the back of the King Soopers grocery store, which is part of a large shopping center a few miles south of the University of Colorado campus. A witness who posted a live video from the scene not long after the shooting began said he heard about a dozen shots and three people injured. Two of the people injured were in the parking lot, while one was inside the supermarket. The first officer who was on the scene was also shot and killed.

“These were people going about their day, doing their food shopping, and their lives were cut abruptly and tragically short by the shooter, who is now in custody,” Boulder County district attorney Michael Dougherty said at a news conference on Monday night.

Investigators have revealed few details about the gunman other than that they have a suspect in custody and he has been injured. Videos of the massacre show a handcuffed man being escorted from the building by police officers. His right leg appears to be covered in blood, but the nature of the suspect’s injuries was unclear.

Among those who were killed, Eric Talley, a Boulder police officer, is the only person to have been identified so far. Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold credited Talley for his bravery as the first on the scene, calling his actions “heroic” during a press conference. “My heart goes out to the victims of the incident and I’m grateful for the police officers who responded,” she said. “I am so sorry about the loss of Officer Talley.”

On Twitter, Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado said he was following the events as they unfolded. “My prayers are with our fellow Coloradans in this time of sadness and grief as we learn more about the extent of the tragedy,” Mr. Polis said before the death toll was announced.

The shooting comes less than a week after a white gunman shot and killed eight people across three different Atlanta massage parlors. And, on Sunday, another gunman opened fire at a Philadelphia “pop-up” party, killing one man and injuring five others. However, unlike the Atlanta killings — which have sparked a national call to end violence against Asian Americans — it is unclear so far if this was a racially motivated attack. Still, many advocates are calling for immediate gun reform policies as a result.

“This past weekend it was a house party in Philadelphia. And last week it was an armed attack on Asian American women in the Atlanta area,” former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, who is a shooting survivor, said in a statement. “This is not normal, and it doesn’t have to be this way. It’s beyond time for our leaders to take action.”

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colorado, also called for a national gun violence conversation and nonpartisan action. “It’s long past time for Congress to take meaningful action to keep deadly weapons out of the wrong hands,” he said.

“People in America shouldn’t have to worry about getting shot while shopping for groceries, working a job, going jogging, worshipping, driving home, watching a movie, walking to school, or sleeping,” Everytown for Gun Safety posted on Twitter Monday. “And politicians owe us #MoreThanThoughtsAndPrayers to end our gun violence crisis.”

NRA bragged about blocking AR-15 gun ban before Boulder shooting

The National Rifle Association (NRA) recently boasted about helping to block a ban on assault-style rifles in Boulder, Colo., less than two weeks before 10 people were killed in a mass shooting at a grocery store in the city.

© Chet Strange/Getty Images Healthcare workers walk out of a King Sooper's Grocery store after a gunman opened fire on March 22, 2021 in Boulder, Colorado.

One person was arrested in connection with the mass shooting in Boulder on Monday. Authorities did not immediately provide details of the weapon used, but a senior law enforcement source told CNN that it was an AR-15-style rifle.

Read more: Colorado supermarket shooting suspect charged with 10 counts of 1st degree murder

The shooting occurred days after a Colorado judge blocked Boulder from enforcing a two-year ban on assault-style rifles in the city. The judge ruled that the ban violated an older state law that prohibits municipalities from making their own firearms rules.

Video: Shoppers inside Boulder, Colorado King Soopers grocery store recall shots fired, scramble to get out

The city said at the time that it would consider appealing the ruling, according to the Denver Post, but police said they would not enforce the ban while the case remained unresolved.

Boulder City Council originally passed two ordinances banning assault weapons and large-capacity magazines in 2018. The ban was a direct response to the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., which left 17 people dead.

The NRA celebrated the ruling as victory on its website and on social media last week.

"A Colorado judge gave law-abiding gun owners something to celebrate," the NRA tweeted. "He ruled that the city of Boulder's ban on commonly-owned rifles (AR-15s) and 10+ round mags was preempted by state law and STRUCK THEM DOWN."

The Colorado shooting has sparked another wave of calls for gun control in the United States, as well as a fresh round of backlash against the NRA.

“What happened in Colorado yesterday was predictable and preventable,” Fred Guttenberg, an anti-gun activist and father of a Parkland victim, tweeted on Tuesday. “This is why we have to stop the NRA,” he wrote, along with a screenshot of the NRA’s tweet about the ban.

“Boulder shooter carried an AR-15,” actor Mia Farrow tweeted before that detail had been confirmed. “No civilian needs to own or carry such a weapon.”

Thousands joined Farrow in echoing the hashtag #GunReformNow.

Read more: National Rifle Association says it filed for bankruptcy in move to restructure

The NRA did not directly address the backlash. Instead it doubled down on its defence of the Second Amendment.

"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed," the NRA tweeted, quoting the Second Amendment within hours of Monday's shooting.

Critics highlighted the phrase "well-regulated" in response to the tweet, and suggested that it should mean greater gun control regulations in the U.S.

In addition to the NRA backlash, police also faced criticism for their response to the mass shooter.

Many accused police of a double standard after the mass shooting suspect was arrested alive following an extended siege at the supermarket. Some compared the incident to the death of Elijah McClain, a Black man who died days after Colorado police put him in a chokehold in 2019, not far from the site of the mass shooting in Boulder. He was not accused of any crimes, but police had stopped him based on a 911 report of a "sketchy" person near a convenience store.

Read more: NRA sends Nerf guns to boy after mall Santa said no to his wish

Hundreds of police officers from the Denver area responded to Monday's incident at the King Soopers supermarket. SWAT officers and heavily-armoured vehicles were also used to end the siege and save most of the people inside the store.

The suspect faces 10 charges of first-degree murder.

— With files from The Associated Press

Anti-Asian racism in Canada: How to have open conversations with kids

Arti Patel 

3/22/2021

Following the deadly shooting in Atlanta that left eight dead, including six Asian women, Asian people across North America have been speaking up about ongoing anti-Asian racism and violence.© Getty Images Anti-Asian racism in Canada: How to have open conversations with kids

While parts of Canada saw a rise in anti-Asian racism -- earlier this year Vancouver police noted anti-Asian hate crimes were up 717 per cent in 2020 -- experts say now more than ever all Canadians should be speaking about anti-Asian racism at home.

Mom Cristina Carpio in Toronto and psychologist Gina Wong in Edmonton recently join The Morning Show to talk about having conversations about anti-Asian racism with our children.

Read more: Atlanta shootings puts spotlight back on surge in B.C. anti-Asian racism

Both experts noted racism towards Asian people in Canada isn't new and as Wong points out, has been rooted in Canadian history for decades.

"There is a long-standing history of hate and racism against Asian individuals going far back as over a century ago," she says.

"Chinese workers were brought in to U.S. and Canada to build the railway and seen as a dispensable race."

Read more: These Asian Canadians are concerned as hate crimes spike in the coronavirus pandemic

Once the railway was finished in 1885, the Canadian government enforced a "head tax" and any Chinese immigrant would have to pay a tax from $50 up to $500. This meant millions of dollars over the next few years.

"In 2006 the Canadian government issued an apology and financial reparation, but there is long-standing history of racism against Asians."

Read more: Suspect in Atlanta spa shootings that left 6 Asian women dead charged with murder

Carpio and Wong, who are both moms, added that while the history can be heavy, it's important to start having these conversations with children of all ages.

Carpio says her 16-year-old daughter is troubled by the ongoing news.

"Teens are on social media and it is very hard to shield them from what's going on and I honestly don't think we should shield them," she says, adding that children need to understand the impacts of racism.


"It is so heartbreaking for her to watch elderly Asians on video getting attacked and hearing about Asian kids like her getting discriminated and bullied."


She says parents have the responsibility to engage in these types of conversations and also find out how their children are reacting and feeling.

Wong says for any parent, Asian or non-Asian, it is important to not be complacent and acknowledge how burned out some parents are.

She adds we should spend time being positive role models to our children and teaching them when to speak up against anti-Asian racism.

Read more: Calgary seeing rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, incidents, police, community members say

She also adds as allies, education is key.

It's important to learn about sinophobia (hatred against Asians) and understanding self-worth.

"When we teach our children self-worth we are empowering them," Wong says. "They have their own sense of worthiness, they are more likely to speak out."

For the full interview, watch the video 

Anti-Asian racism rises across parts of Canada, the U.S.

Sandra Oh Delivers Powerful Speech at Stop Asian Hate Rally: “I’m Proud to Be Asian”

Ata Owaji Victor 
3/22/2021

Sandra Oh at Atlanta Rally
The rally comes a few days after a shooting in Atlanta.

This story originally appeared on ELLE UK

Sandra Oh has spoken out against hate and violence towards the Asian community.

On Saturday, the 49-year-old Killing Eve actor delivered a powerful speech at a Stop Asian Hate rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The rally came just days after eight people, many of whom were Asian, were killed following a shooting at three spas in Atlanta, Georgia.

The shootings further ignited intentional concerns about a spike in violent hate crimes and attacks directed at people of Asian descent, following a narrative that has put the blame on them for the spread of Covid-19 over the last year.

During the rally, Oh took to the street to deliver a powerful speech, in which she stated that she is ‘proud to be Asian’. The actor continued by addressing the crowd of supporters, noting:

“Pittsburgh, I am so happy and proud to be here with you, and thank you to all the organizers for organizing this just to give us an opportunity to be together and to stand together and to feel each other.”

“For many of us in our community, this is the first time we are even able to voice our fear and our anger, and I really am so grateful to everyone willing to listen.”

“I know many of us in our community are very scared and I understand that and one way to get through our fear is to reach out to our communities. I will challenge everyone here, if you see something will you help me?”

The Greys Anatomy alum ended her speech with the rallying cry: “I am proud to be Asian! I belong here!”

© Instagram: @serietv.and.more Sandra Oh at Atlanta Rally

The actor has joined fellow actors Gemma Chan, John Legend, Lana Condor and many others in a recent call to action to end Asian hate and xenophobia following the shooting, which took place last week.

Over the weekend, the BBC reported that a 21-year-old man named Robert Aaron Long had been charged with murder over the killing of the eight people, six of whom were women.

Many organizations are working to decrease violence and provide resources to the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community’s most vulnerable members, including Heart of Dinner, Stop AAPI Hate, the Asian Pacific Fund’s COVID-19 Recovery Fund, Welcome to Chinatown, and the Asian Mental Health Collectively.

Read more:

Here’s How You Can Support the Asian Community Right Now

Racism Against the Asian Community Is a Beauty Industry Problem

15 Inspirational Asian Canadians to Know

The post Sandra Oh Delivers Powerful Speech at Stop Asian Hate Rally: "I'm Proud to Be Asian" appeared first on Elle Canada.

Asian Americans seek greater political power

Duration: 01:46 

There are 160 Asian American and Pacific Islanders in 33 state legislatures, but 51 are in Hawaii alone. Out of 535 members of Congress, just 17 are of AAPI descent. Activists hope tragedy will spur a push for political activism. (March 23)

RIPPED OFF BY EMPLOYERS NOT EMPLOYEES

Tax agency lacked tools to keep wage subsidy away from ineligible employers: AG

Catharine Tunney 

© Erik White/CBC As of March 21, the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy had paid out $71.48 billion.

Canada's auditor general says the Canada Revenue Agency lacked controls and the up-to-date information it needed to properly assess applicants when the federal government launched its wage subsidy program at the start of the pandemic — putting the integrity of the program at risk.

In a new report released today, Auditor General Karen Hogan said CRA needs to bolster its tax compliance wing.

Hogan today tabled three performance reports in the House of Commons on the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of those audits looked at the Canada emergency wage subsidy (CEWS) — a program that, when it was first launched a year ago, subsidized up to 75 per cent of wages for workers who were kept on their employers' payrolls.

To get the program out the door as quickly as possible, the CRA was only able to conduct limited tests before approving payments, said the audit.

"Without effective controls for validating payments, the integrity of the program is at risk and ineligible employers might receive the subsidy," said the audit report.

The AG also said CRA did not have all up‑to‑date earnings and tax data when assessing applicants.

For example, 28 per cent of applicants did not file a GST/HST return for the 2019 calendar year.

"We noted that the subsidy was paid to applicants despite their history of penalties for failure to remit and other advance indicators of potential insolvency," said the audit.

"Indeed, the agency held no legislative authority to deny access to the subsidy on the basis of an employer's history of non‑compliance with tax obligations.

© Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press Auditor General Karen Hogan holds a press conference after releasing a report in Ottawa on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021.

"It is our view that this situation presented a risk that the subsidy program would not achieve its goal of maintaining the employee‑employer relationships needed to support economic recovery because it may have subsidized applicants that were operating non‑viable organizations."

Hogan wrote in a press statement that the sprint to get the program launched highlighted existing weaknesses within the CRA.

Her team reported that the 273 employees the CRA had enforcing GST/HST delinquent filer compliance earn about $27.7 million in total annual salary — but had a fiscal impact of $3.2 billion for the 2019–2020 fiscal year.

"These amounts represent a return on investment of more than 100 to 1," said the audit.

"The fiscal impact includes the federal tax, provincial tax, interest and penalties collected. Given the good return on investment, we encourage the agency to do more of this work."

The CRA has agreed to strengthen the unit.

Separate audit looked at CERB

The team of auditors also found the CRA didn't take steps to prevent Canadians from receiving both the wage subsidy — which as of March 21 has paid out more than $71 billion — and the Canada emergency response benefit (CERB).

"The agency decided that it would not ask employers applying for the subsidy to provide their employees' social insurance numbers, though this information could have helped the agency prevent the doubling-up of financial support," notes the audit.

In a separate audit, Hogan also looked at the CERB program, which paid $2,000 a month to millions of Canadians who were either out of work or had lost work due to the pandemic. The most recent figures show the program, which was wound down last fall, had spent about $74 billion as of 4 October 2020.

Hogan said that while the federal government will have to check up on Canadians who received emergency benefits during the COVID-19 crisis, it did well to get the money out the door and into Canadians' wallets quickly.

Federal departments relied on applicants' attestations — that they did not quit their jobs voluntarily and that they had stopped working because of the COVID-19 pandemic — when the emergency benefits were issued.

Hogan's team found that the government knew that relying on applicants' honesty and limiting the number of prepayment controls meant some payments would be issued to people who were not entitled to the benefit. She said accepting a degree of risk in order to get help to those in need was consistent with international best practices.

Employment and Social Development Canada and Canada Revenue Agency said they are working on collecting ineligible payments.

Neuroscientists discover 'zombie genes' that come to life in the human brain after death

IT'S TRUE 

JUST SHOOT THEM IN THE HEAD

Devika Desai

3/24/2021

Once a human dies so does their body, we might assume. All major systems shut down, muscles gradually atrophy and all organs, including the brain, are rendered obsolete.

© Provided by National Post A 'zombie gene' grows tentacles and busies itself with post-death clean up work in the brain tissue

Not quite so, researchers at the University of Illinois have discovered. Turns out some cells in the human brain don’t take kindly to being told their services are no longer needed and instead grow in size and ramp up their activity for hours after death.

Scientists studying samples of brain tissue collected during routine brain surgery, watched as these cells, aptly named ‘zombie genes’, sprouted tentacles and went on to clean things up in the brain for several hours post-mortem.

Only glial cells, inflammatory cells that support the neurons, were observed carrying out the post-mortem maintenance, the researchers wrote in their study.

“That glial cells enlarge after death isn’t too surprising given that they are inflammatory and their job is to clean things up after brain injuries like oxygen deprivation or stroke,” Dr. Jeffrey Loeb, a neurologist at the University of Illinois and corresponding author on the paper, said in a news release .

Most previous work on neurological gene expression and brain disorders has been done on brain tissues that have been dead for 12 hours or more.

However Loeb and his team, noticing differences between the global pattern of activity in fresh human brain tissue versus older tissue, decided to run a simulated death experiment to observe the level of activity in the brain immediately after it was declared dead to about a day post-mortem.

They used samples of recently collected brain tissues, which had been kept at room temperature to “replicate the postmortem interval.”

© Dr. Jeffrey Loeb/UIC The glial cell is observed coming back to life and growing in size hours after the human brain died.

About 80 per cent of the genes analyzed in the brain remained relatively stable for 24 hours, researchers reported, which include genes that provide the basic cellular functions of the brain. Another group of genes connected to human brain activity such as memory, thinking and seizure activity, quickly degraded after death.

However, as the neuronal genes slowed, the ‘zombie genes’ ramped up their activity, researchers found. This pattern in post-mortem changes continued for several hours, peaking at about 12 hours.

The discovery, Loeb said, could change the way research studies use postmortem brain tissues to research cures for mental illnesses such as autism, Alzheimer’s, and schizophrenia.

“Most studies assume that everything in the brain stops when the heart stops beating, but this is not so,” Loeb said. “Our findings will be needed to interpret research on human brain tissues. We just haven’t quantified these changes until now.”

“The good news from our findings is that we now know which genes and cell types are stable, which degrade, and which increase over time so that results from postmortem brain studies can be better understood,” he said.

Volcanic ash blamed as Biden envoys' Guatemala trip ditched


FILE PHOTO: Streams of red hot lava shoot into the night sky during an eruption of the Pacaya volcano, as seen from Los Rios

By Sofia Menchu

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - A delegation of senior Biden administration aides has postponed a trip to Guatemala because of heightened activity by the Pacaya volcano, the Central American country's foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

Juan Gonzalez, one of U.S. President Joe Biden's top aides for Latin America, and Ricardo Zuniga, newly appointed U.S. special envoy for Central America's Northern Triangle, were due to meet with Guatemalan ministers on Thursday.

"The mission decided to postpone its arrival in Guatemala because of the conditions with the Pacaya volcano," the foreign ministry said, adding that no new date had yet been set for the postponed meetings.

Shortly after the postponement was announced, Biden named Vice President Kamala Harris to lead U.S. efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador to try and stem the flow of migration, amid a sharp rise in recent weeks.

Ahead of the scheduled visit, the envoys said the Biden strategy would include a focus on improving the rule of law and tackling corruption in the Northern Triangle.

"They can criticize us for trying to involve ourselves in internal matters, but when Guatemala's justice system works the United States benefits," Gonzalez told Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre.

Pacaya spewed ash and small rocks across Guatemala's capital on Tuesday, causing the temporary closure of the international airport. The airport was officially open on Wednesday morning, after soldiers armed with plastic brooms swept the runway clean.

"Foiled by Pacaya," Gonzalez wrote on Twitter. "We will be back."

(Reporting by Sofia Menchu; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Rosalba O'Brien)

Guatemala City airport closed as volcanic ash coats planes

GUATEMALA CITY — A shift in wind blew ash from an eruption at the Pacaya volcano over Guatemala City on Tuesday, and authorities closed the airport as ash coated planes and planes parked at the terminal.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The 8,373-foot (2,552 metre) volcano, just 30 miles (50 kilometres) south of Guatemala's capital, has been active since early February.

Civil Aviation Director Francis Argueta did not say how long the closure would last. Volcanic ash is highly abrasive and can damage airplane engines and other mechanical devices.

Tourists frequently hike up to visit Pacaya's peak, but those trips have been temporarily cancelled.

Pacaya has a clear view of the nearby Volcano of Fire, which erupted in 2018, emitting a fast-moving avalanche of super-heated muck that killed at least 110 people and left about 200 missing. Pacaya had an explosive blast in 2010 that killed a reporter and two local people.

The Associated Press

 

$5K incentive to buy EVs on P.E.I. will be game changer, says energy consultant

Wed., March 24, 2021,

A plan announced last week to have all cars on Island roads be electric by 2030 is not realistic, says industry expert Jeff Turner. (John Robertson/CBC - image credit)

A rebate for buying new or used electric vehicles announced in the P.E.I. provincial budget will make a significant difference for interested buyers, says an energy consultant.

Last week, P.E.I. Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Action Steven Myers said he wants to see all Islanders driving electric vehicles by 2030 — just nine years from now — to meet P.E.I.'s net-zero emissions target.

He kicked off a $500,000 incentive program that will give Islanders $5,000 off any new or used electric vehicle purchased from an Island dealership. It's also offering $2,500 off plug-in hybrids and a free Level 2 charging station.

"That sounds pretty ambitious," said Jeff Turner, a senior research lead with Dunsky Energy Consulting in Montreal, in an interview with Island Morning's Laura Chapin.

He said he thinks P.E.I.'s incentives are going to be a game changer in convincing Islanders to adopt this type of transportation, because it will help with the higher up-front costs of these vehicles.

"Even though we know that EVs can save a lot of money over the long run, they can typically save somewhere in the order of $1,500 a year in fuel savings ... that up-front cost is really important, even if they're going to save in the long run," Turner said.

'Big impact on the potential for sales'

"I think they're really going to have a big impact on the potential for sales in the province."

Turner said it's important for targets to be realistic, and that his company has done a lot of research to help governments try to get a sense of the likely pace of adoption of electric vehicles.

He points out the federal government has a target of 30 per cent of all new vehicle sales be electric vehicles by 2030.

"We think that target is definitely achievable, but something like 100 per cent of the vehicles in circulation by 2030? That's probably out of reach. In fact, I would say certainly that's out of reach," Turner said.

Currently there are about 100 electric vehicles being driven on P.E.I., Turner said, but he expects that to increase with the incentives.

EV plans elsewhere

Quebec and British Columbia have the most ambitious electric vehicle plans in Canada.

The Quebec government offers buyers an $8,000 incentive on electric vehicles, in an attempt to reach its goal of 100 per cent of new vehicles purchased to be electric vehicles by 2035. Turner believes it will likely be into the 2040s before all vehicles on Quebec roads are powered by electricity, both new and used.

Right now about 10 per cent of B.C.'s new vehicle sales are EVs.

The province will spend $500,000 on the new incentive program.(Nicola MacLeod/CBC)

The federal government has also set a target that 30 per cent of all new vehicle sales in the country be EVs by 2030, and is offering $5,000 in rebates.

The new provincial incentive can be combined with the federal government rebate — giving eligible Islanders up to $10,000 off the price of a newly purchased electric vehicle.

Rebate for used EVs 'really helpful'

Turner offered praise for P.E.I.'s plan to also offer the rebate on used electric vehicles, saying this should help increase the supply of vehicles to the Island.

"A lot of people just don't buy new vehicles," he said. "So I think it's really helpful that we have cash on the table for that portion of the market as well."

He points out that Quebec, where there are more than 90,000 electric vehicles on the road, could be a good source for used electric vehicles for P.E.I.

The P.E.I. government plans to double the number of charging stations on the Island, Minister Steven Myers said last week. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)

How much does an electric vehicle cost? It depends mostly on how far the battery will take you. Turner said several plug-in hybrid models between $30,000 and $40,000 will typically take you 40 to 70 kilometres, enough for most daily commutes, and a gas engine that'll turn on automatically for longer trips.

A lot of people just don't buy new vehicles. — Jeff Turner

For non-hybrid electric battery vehicles, there are a couple options offering a range of about 200 kilometres for under $40,000, then a number of longer range options offering about 350 to 425 kilometres for around $45,000, he said.

The P.E.I. Automobile Dealers Association said it is also happy with the new incentive program, especially the fact that it is being offered through Island dealerships.

"It is important to buy local to support our local economy. The automobile industry is a large generator of retail tax revenue for the province," said Adam Toner, the association's vice-president, in a written release.

More from CBC P.E.I.

Environmental groups' hopes shaken by N.S. premier's about-face on biodiversity bill

Wed., March 24, 2021,


HALIFAX — Nova Scotia environmental groups are saying their hopes in the new Liberal premier have been shaken by his government's about-face on legislation aimed at protecting biodiversity.

Premier Iain Rankin made environmental issues a key part of his leadership campaign, and his government in its recent throne speech declared the environment one of three policy pillars.

However, Raymond Plourde, wilderness coordinator with the Ecology Action Centre, said Wednesday the government's plan to remove enforcement provisions from the proposed law shows the province caving in to what he calls a "misinformation campaign" by the forestry industry that stirred fears among private landowners.

The Biodiversity Act tabled two weeks ago originally allowed for enforcement measures on private lands, which comprise about 70 per cent of the province's land mass, to protect endangered plants and animals, combat invasive species and preserve at-risk ecosystems.

However, in a news release late Tuesday, the government announced it is planning to remove emergency orders, offences and fines from the act and limit its scope to Crown lands, with some voluntary measures possible for private properties.

The Concerned Private Landowner Coalition, a group that includes the forestry industry, has published statements stating, "Halifax activists want to be able to control what rural property owners do on their land."

The group also said on its website in reference to the biodiversity legislation, "Bill 4 will give activists a tool they have wanted for many years to harass landowners and stop all agriculture, recreational activity, forestry, hunting and fishing on private lands."

Plourde says such statements are not true and echo tactics used in the United States to demonize environmental lobbyists.

"The reality is they've gutted half the act, which has some penalties, which has been standard issue in these kinds of legislation such as the (federal) Fisheries Act," he said.

"There's no question this hurts (Rankin's) green credibility, and he'd better deliver something awfully solid and unequivocal for the environment if he wants to regain that credibility. This is a blow."

Gretchen Fitzgerald, a spokeswoman for the Sierra Club Canada Foundation, says the campaign against the legislation means her group will have to fight harder to protect public lands to preserve species such as hemlock trees, mainland moose, peregrine falcons and Blanding's turtles.

"I think it means that perhaps he (Rankin) didn't recognize the courage this biodiversity bill would take," she said in an interview on Wednesday.

"I'm shaken. I was devastated when I saw the news release. I know what courage this takes, and I hope he will gird himself against future miscommunication campaigns."

Chuck Porter, the provincial minister of lands and forestry, defended his government's actions during a telephone news conference Wednesday, saying it is responding to private landowners' concerns.

"We as members of the legislature received a variety of feedback. The premier thought it was worthwhile to make some changes, given that was his intent to begin with," Porter said. "When you look at the emergency order (provisions) in the bill, people thought that we could come on their land, and this idea of fines made people nervous." That was not the intent, he added.

The original bill tabled on March 11 had made it an offence for a person to engage in an activity that resulted in the killing or harvesting of a species beyond what was permitted in regulations. It also prevented the introduction, release or spread of an organism or pathogen prescribed in regulations.

In addition it said no person should engage in an activity that would result in the loss of "at-risk habitat or ecosystem prescribed by regulation." The maximum fines had been set at $500,000 for an individual and $1 million for a company.

It had also allowed for an emergency order to be issued if a conservation officer had grounds to believe provisions of the law would be violated in a way that would have "serious adverse effects to biodiversity."

Porter said he thinks some private landowners will participate in parts of the bill that allow to voluntarily improve biodiversity on their properties.

As for the premier's credibility, Porter said Rankin didn't campaign for the Liberal leadership on details of the Biodiversity Act. "He has an agenda that is important and this is a step in the right direction, and I don't think there's any issue of credibility," the minister said.

Specifics of the redrafted bill have not yet been released.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 24, 2021.

Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press