IT'S CALLED SOCIALISM

Ford Foundation president: ‘We need a new form of capitalism’ to ‘level the playing field’



‘We are far from turning the corner, but we have begun to see some progress’: Darren Walker

Darren Walker, Ford Foundation President, joins Yahoo Finance’s Kristin Myers to discuss how the Ford Foundation has been paving the way for more equality in the United States, being one of the largest, private, charitable organizations in the country, and what has been changed since the murder of George Floyd.



The capitalist system is in the biggest need of reform in America, said Ford Foundation President Darren Walker.

A former banker, Walker said he is “a believer that there is no better mechanism to organize an economy than capitalism. But I also, as an advocate for capitalism, have to acknowledge its shortcomings— and the reality that in the United States, we have actually never given real capitalism a chance. What we need is a new form of stakeholder capitalism that recognizes the importance of all stakeholders, including employees, the communities, and suppliers."

Walker said "the actual boardroom of corporations needs to change. If you look, a year ago, we had a third of the S&P that did not even have a single African-American director. I can assure you that if you do not have representation at the board, you are not likely to see material, sustainable change at the C-suite and within the company more broadly.”

"We've got to change the rules of the game so that people have an opportunity to compete on a level playing field,” he said.

Walker believes that last year was one of “racial reckoning of the kind we have never seen in this country, and certainly in our lifetimes,” as major companies acknowledged that “corporate America has failed Black America.”

“So there has been huge disappointment. And that disappointment was manifest in 2020. But the encouraging thing that came out of 2020 was the strong statements — Black Lives Matter and other statements by CEOs — with concrete, measurable objectives attached that give us time now, one year later, to assess just how much progress has been made.”

But despite the progress, Walker said, “We are far from turning the corner. But I do think we have begun to see some progress and some reasons for hope.”

'Hope is the oxygen of democracy'

In order for the American Dream to continue, the question wealthy and privileged people must ask is how much money and power they are willing to give up, Walker said.

“I am lucky enough to live in a country where a poor kid like myself could be born in the bottom 1% and find myself in the top 1%. And that can only happen in America,” he explained. “But if we want that to continue to happen, we have to not hoard all the privileges and all of the assets.”

In order for the “opportunity ladder” to continue to work, Walker explained, “we've got to have a system that does not compound the advantage of the already-advantaged, and compound the disadvantage of the already disadvantaged — and particularly the historically disadvantaged.”

“So we have to look at what are the systems that produce and reproduce inequality," Walker said. "Those systems are our education system, our access to capital systems, financial systems, and say, what do we need to do to change those systems?”

There’s something “fundamentally wrong,” he said, with a system where during a pandemic, privileged Americans are “better off” than most Americans that suffered financially. “We need to ask some questions to ensure that we still leave hope on the table. At the end of the day, the American dream of hope and aspiration is what fuels our society. Hope is the oxygen of democracy.”

“And if we allow it, hopelessness will be the end of our society,” Walker said. “And I believe in this country. I know there is no other nation like the United States of America, and my loyalty and faith in it is unwavering. But I also am sobered by the reality of what I see in this country, which is far too much inequality.”

Kristin Myers is a reporter and anchor for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter.

COMPASSIONATE CAPITALI$M

ESG investment as important as divestment from fossil fuels: former Bank of England governor

Akiko Fujita
·Anchor/Reporter
Sun, May 30, 2021

Since leaving the top post at the Bank of England last year, former Governor Mark Carney has arguably been the most vocal advocate, urging financial institutions to align themselves with emissions goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.

CARNEY WAS GOVERNOR OF THE BANK OF CANADA PRIOR TO BEING HIRED BY BOE. HE WAS BOC GOVERNOR DURING CRASH OF 2008-2009

But as shareholders increasingly step up pressure, and lawmakers call for stricter regulations around climate disclosures, Carney said fossil fuel divestments shouldn’t be the sole focus of tackling the global crisis. Speaking to Yahoo Finance Live, the United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance, said investing in the green energy transition is as important as moving capital away from the biggest sources of greenhouse gases.

“We're shifting from risk to opportunity and, as I say, aligning value in the market with what we want in society,” said Carney, who is also the vice chair at Brookfield Asset Management.

Carney has pushed to do that, in part, by establishing the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) last month, a UN-backed coalition representing 160 banks, asset managers, investors, and insurers. The combined group, responsible for more than $70 trillion in assets, represents the broadest financial industry effort to date, to decarbonize lending portfolios and other practices. The initiative, in particular, calls for financial institutions, including Morgan Stanley (MS) and Citigroup (C), to accelerate their transition to a net zero economy, while establishing science-based policies to reach that goal by 2050.

Banks will now be required to dramatically reduce lending to fossil fuel-related projects, but Carney stopped short of calling for an outright divestment from oil and gas.

“It's as much about investing in companies that are part of the solution, then, then it is about divesting. Obviously if a company doesn't have a plan, if it isn't moving to get its emissions down, it's very risky and they're going to be starved of capital. That's the reality of this transition,” Carney said. “But this is very positive and a very large opportunity. I think that's where most institutions are focused. Where's the world going, not what it's leaving behind.”

Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, makes a keynote address to launch the private finance agenda for the 2020 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) at Guildhall in London, Britain February 27, 2020. Tolga Akmen/Pool via REUTERS

The scope of the effort and willingness of financial institutions to comply with a largely voluntary initiative will likely determine its success. A recent analysis by nonprofit group CDP, which operates the world’s largest environmental disclosure system, found that portfolio emissions of global financial institutions were 700 times larger than their direct emissions. Nearly half of financial institutions surveyed indicated they do not conduct any analysis on how their portfolio affects the climate.

Still, banks have been under pressure to accelerate their low-carbon transmission because shareholders have tied the company’s economic performance and future financial risks to climate risks. Last year more than 600 investors requested detailed disclosures from 12,000 companies, documenting everything from energy procurement and carbon emissions, to water security and soft commodity drive deforestation, according to CDP.

Tighter climate-related restrictions

Regulators, government leaders, and central banks have all joined those calls. Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order instructing U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to work with members of the Financial Stability Oversight Council to develop standards for required disclosures of climate-related financial risks. The Federal Reserve established a Supervision Climate Committee (SCC) to develop a framework for assessing firm risks. while the Bank of England updated its mandate, to prioritize green bonds and phase out the largest polluting firms from its part of its corporate bond portfolio.

But, states in the U.S. that largely rely on coal and natural gas, have pushed back against tighter climate-related restrictions on banks, highlighting the challenges of reigning in bank lending activity. In a letter addressed to U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry, treasurers from 15 states threatened to withdraw assets from banks that reduce loans to fossil fuel companies, saying the Biden administration’s efforts would threaten jobs in their states.

Carney said GFANZ is focused on helping institutions develop a plan to transition away from fossil fuels and reducing portfolio emissions through carbon offsets, ahead of the COP 26 meeting in Glasgow this fall.

“What [financial institutions are] looking to do is work with companies to invest so that those companies can get their emissions down. That can mean renewable power [because] there's a huge boom and a huge requirement in renewable power,” he said. “In the end, if the financial sector is not driving— or helping to enable these emissions reductions, they just won't happen.’

VIDEO INTERVIEW
Mark Carney on new book ‘VALUE(S)’

ESG investment as important as divestment from fossil fuels: former Bank of England governor (yahoo.com)

Akiko Fujita is an anchor and reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @AkikoFujita

You have the right to decline the COVID vaccine -- but here's why you could still lose your job

HONOLULU, Hawaii - Lt. Col. Ronald Cole, Public Health Command-Pacific's Human Health Services director and a public health nurse, receives the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, on Dec. 23, 2020. The inoculation was part of the Department of Defense COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration plan that is a phased, standardized and coordinated strategy for prioritizing, distributing, and administering COVID-19 vaccines to protect DoD personnel, maintain readiness, and support the national COVID-19 response.

Meaghan Ellis May 29, 2021

Even as COVID vaccine distribution stabilizes across the United States, there is still a substantial number of Americans who are refusing to take the vaccine. While everyone has the right to decline vaccination, there are growing debates about whether employers have to accept that decision or not.

Based on a survey conducted by the Arizona State University and the Rockefeller Foundation back in April, "almost 90% of employers who responded plan to encourage or require their employees to get vaccinated and that 60% intend to require proof of vaccination."


But is it legal? Could your employer really fire you for declining to take the COVID vaccine? According to Bloomberg, they very well could and maybe well within their rights.

Vaccine opposers argue that it is illegal to incorporate vaccine requirements, but a publication, explains why that may not be the case. According to one attorney, there is currently no legalese to restrict employers from enforcing vaccine requirements.

Erik Eisenmann, an attorney specializing in employment law, weighed in on the legalities surrounding Emergency Use Authorization language. "I am not aware of any court or agency at the state or federal level that has held that the Emergency Use Authorization language prohibits an employer from enforcing a vaccine mandate," Eisenmann said.

A number of other legal observers and employment law experts have also echoed similar perspectives. Nicholas Bagley, a University of Michigan law professor, admitted that while the argument appears plausible on the surface, it quickly dispels once you dig a bit deeper.

"The argument looks good for about a half-second, and then, as soon as you start digging, it starts to look much, much worse," Bagley said. He also admitted that the political ramifications surrounding the vaccine could also pose legal arguments.

He added, "I would expect that we see some case law fairly quickly. But once political sympathies are engaged, it just becomes a whole lot harder to predict."

However, these types of legal arguments could become more prevalent in the coming months. In fact, Mat Heck, a prosecuting attorney in Montgomery County, Ohio has made it clear that he plans to make it a requirement for his employees and he is confident that he is well within his rights.

"I've heard the whole spectrum," Heck said. "I've heard you just can't do it. I've heard the emergency use argument. I've heard you can't make your employees get a shot for any reason. But it's just not true."

Health workers sue Texas hospital over compulsory vaccinations - Washington Post

May 30 (Reuters) - A group of 117 healthcare workers at a Texas hospital filed a lawsuit in state court against their employer's mandate requiring all staff to get COVID-19 vaccinations, Washington Post reported https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/05/29/texas-hospital-vaccine-lawsuit/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter on Saturday.

Employees of Houston Methodist Hospital said in the lawsuit that their employer's compulsory immunization requirement violated the Nuremberg Code, a set of standards designed after World War Two to prevent experimentation on human subjects without their consent, the Post reported.

They also said the hospital presented them with the choice of either getting a vaccine or losing their job, which violated state law, and asked the court to bar Houston Medical from firing unvaccinated staffers, the report said.

The report comes a day after the country's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said companies could mandate that employees in a workplace must be vaccinated against COVID-19, amid a shortfall in demand for inoculations due to factors including ambivalence or skepticism about the vaccines.

Public health officials have been forced to try new strategies to persuade people to get the shots, with efforts that range from creative gimmicks to grassroots outreach resembling get-out-the-vote drives.

However, the vast majority of employers have been reluctant to require workers to be vaccinated. A survey by management-side law firm Fisher Phillips earlier this year found that only 9% of the more than 700 employers surveyed said they were considering mandating vaccines. (Reporting by Derek Francis in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim Coghill)

U.S. security agency spied on Merkel, other top European officials through Danish cables - broadcaster DR

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Copenhagen

Sun, May 30, 2021, 2:54 PM·

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) has used a partnership with Denmark's foreign intelligence unit to spy on senior officials of neighbouring countries, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to Danish state broadcaster DR.

The findings are the result of an internal investigation in the Danish Defence Intelligence Service from 2015 into NSA's role in the partnership, DR said, citing nine unnamed sources with access to the investigation.

According to the investigation which covered 2012 and 2014, the NSA used Danish information cables to spy on senior officials in Sweden, Norway, France and Germany, including former German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and former German opposition leader Peer Steinbrück.

Asked for comment on the DR report, a spokesperson for the German chancellery said it only became aware of the allegations when asked about them by journalists, and declined to comment further.

Denmark, a close ally of the United States, hosts several key landing stations for subsea internet cables to and from Sweden, Norway, Germany, Holland and the UK.

The internal investigation in the Danish Defence Intelligence Service was launched in 2014 following concerns about Edward Snowden's leaks the previous year revealing how the NSA works, according to DR.

In Washington, the NSA did not immediately reply to a request for comment and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) declined to comment. A spokesperson for the Danish Defence Intelligence Service declined to comment.

"It is grotesque that friendly intelligence services are indeed intercepting and spying on top representatives of other countries," Steinbrueck told German broadcaster ARD. "Politically I consider it a scandal."

Sweden's Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist told Swedish SVT broadcaster that he "demanded full information on these things." Norway's Defence Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen told broadcaster NRK that "take the allegations seriously."

A decision in August last year to suspend the head of the Danish Defence Intelligence Service and three other officials from their posts following criticism and accusations of serious wrongdoings from an independent board overseeing the unit, centered around the 2015 investigation, according to DR.

The Danish government said last year it would initiate an investigation into the case based on information from a whistleblower report. That investigation is expected to be concluded later this year.

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Additional reporting by Christopher Bing in Washington, Simon Johnson in Stockholm, Kirsti Knolle in Berlin; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

Bulldogs and pugs struggling to reach old age, suggests research


Joe Pinkstone
Sat, May 29, 2021

Pug "Edda", now renamed "Wilma", is pictured in Wuelfrath, western Germany on March 4, 2019. - A decision by German local authorities to impound a pug from an indebted family and hawk it on eBay to pay off their debts is spiralling into a possible case for the courts. The pug named Edda, now renamed "Wilma", was seized by Ahlen local officials from a family which had been unable to pay their debts to the city authorities. A city employee put it on eBay using a private account and sold it for 690 euros, with the proceeds going to city coffers. In the advert, the pug was described as healthy, vaccinated and dewormed, but the buyer said the animal suffers from multiple problems including an eye injury that would require an operation.

 (Photo by Guido Kirchner / dpa / AFP) / Germany O ation UT 

Bulldogs and pugs, beloved for their flat faces but notorious for their health issues, are the most likely dog breeds to struggle to reach old age, new research suggests.

Researchers from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) analysed data from nearly a million dogs in the UK, and assessed how common it was for a dog to be euthanised.

A total of 18 breeds were included in the study, and all were compared to a Labrador. The study, published in Scientific Reports, revealed Rottweilers are 76 per cent more likely to be put down than a lab.

However, the odds of a bulldog or pug being put to sleep are a third and a half as much as a Labrador, respectively.

“We put some ideas and theories forward as to why but it is difficult to be conclusive,” Dr Camilla Peygrem, companion animal epidemiologist at the RVC, and lead author of the study, told The Telegraph.

But one possible explanation is that the small, snorty lap dogs, known as brachycephalic breeds, form particularly strong connections with their owners, which may make it harder for them to put them to sleep.

This is exacerbated, experts say, by the fact any debilitating health issues are easier to overcome for owners than they would be in a larger dog.

“If you have a big dog it is much harder to manage as an owner than if you have a chihuahua,” Dr Daniella Dos Santos, senior vice-president at the British Veterinary Association, and a small animal and exotics vet, who was not involved with the research, told The Telegraph.

“Rottweilers were top of the table for risk of euthanasia, but it is not because it is a Rotty but because it is a bigger dog and owners find it harder to cope as they age.

A French bulldog dressed in tartan stands in front of a stand at the 10th Thailand international Pet Variety Exhibition in Bangkok on March 26, 2021. 

(Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP) 

“If you imagine a dog with a spinal cord disorder, if it needs help moving it is much harder to move a 30kg dog than a 2kg dog.”

Dr O’Neill, a co-author of the study who is also a senior lecturer in companion animal epidemiology at RVC, and also chair of the Brachycephalic Working Group, said Britain is in the midst of a “flat-faced dog crisis”.

Dr O’Neill adds that ongoing work shows English Bulldogs and pugs have different common causes of death to other breeds, and this may partially explain the statistics.

“The core message here is that English bulldogs and pugs do differ to other breeds in how they typically die, and this is yet another piece of evidence showing how different these extreme flat-faced breeds are to other types of dogs.”

Official figures show that since the year 2000, there has been a 17,198 per cent increase in the number of registered French bulldog puppies, another brachycephalic breed.

Bulldogs and pugs have seen a 488 and 601 per cent increase in popularity in 20 years, respectively.

“The rise in numbers has been influenced by social media and celebrity influence,” Dr Dos Santos said.

“We see flat faces as cute and are normalising bulging eyes and skin creases which need cleaning. We are seeing it as normal to snore and for them to make noises when breathing, but it is not normal at all.

“We should not be normalising obesity and not going for a walk, for example. It is an emotive subject, people have these dogs, they love these dogs and they are cherished family pets.

“But if you love these breeds, you shouldn't get them. As the demand continues there will be unscrupulous breeders exploiting these dogs and it will lead to a health and welfare disaster.

“With the popularity increase, we are seeing these dogs more often, and we as vets are seeing the harsh realities of their health issues.

“We are treating the dogs when they can't breath, when they get heatstroke, and when they lose an eye from a corneal ulcer.

“They are prone to heat stroke and have challenges in breathing, and panting is how dogs release heat. Heat stroke is very serious and can be fatal and is worse in brachycephalic dogs.”

How a beagle used in a test lab opened my heart

Melanie D.G. Kaplan, Special To The Washington Post
Sat, May 29, 2021,

ALEXANDER HAMILTON AND HIS MOM

My partner, James, recently surprised me with an illustration from a local artist titled "Hammy the Superdog." The picture shows my beagle, Hamilton, standing on his hind legs, arms akimbo, sporting little red shorts, what looks like a blue rash guard, matching blue boots and a red cape. At any moment, it seems, he could take off and soar over a cartoon city.

In real life, Alexander Hamilton is an 11-year-old beagle who spent his first four years in a testing laboratory. Not to ruin your day, but you should know that university and private labs still experiment on tens of thousands of dogs. Many of them are beagles, and many of the beagles arrive as puppies. The majority come from breeders who sell directly to the testing facilities, according to the Humane Society of the United States. Imagine taking the softest, most innocent and compliant being and putting him in a caged prison for years.


Hammy and I met in 2013. Years after I lost my beagle, Darwin, I had signed up with a nonprofit organization to foster a former laboratory dog; it was months later when I got the call asking if I was available the following week.

On a hot day in July, I gathered with six other volunteers in a suburban Maryland backyard and waited for seven beagles. They arrived in a van, directly from a laboratory in Virginia. We weren't told the name of the lab or the kinds of testing they underwent. But we were told that this was their first time walking on grass and sniffing in sunshine.

At home, Hammy was petrified, rarely leaving his bed and scared of everything. He had the naivete of a toddler and the frights of a prisoner of war.

After years in a cage, his legs were so undeveloped that I had to teach him to climb stairs and hop on a couch. He couldn't bark because, I was told by the nonprofit group, his vocal cords had been cut - apparently a common practice in some labs to prevent howling. Even his sense of smell (a beagle's superpower) was weak, so I hid treats, encouraging him to exercise his sniffer muscles. On one of our first car outings, he ducked when we drove beneath an underpass and again when I turned on the windshield wipers.

The six beagles released from the lab with Hammy (all named after Founding Fathers) were similarly scarred and scared. Some wouldn't walk through doorways for years; others tried escaping.

Through the years, Hammy has largely gotten used to life in the free world - proving wrong those in the testing industry who say dogs used in experiments can't later thrive as pets (the vast majority of laboratory animals are euthanized, according to the Humane Society). He stops at the neighborhood firehouse for treats and delights me with flashes of playfulness. His vocal cords grew back, and he now howls, joyfully, before every meal. He can smell an open jar of peanut butter through a brick wall.

Before the pandemic, Hammy had a stint as a therapy dog. We started at a hospital, where he sat on patients' beds, trembling, making eye contact only with half-eaten trays of food. Next we volunteered at a women's shelter and a juvenile detention center, facilities that were quieter but yielded their own startling sounds. Then we visited classrooms, where I talked about animal testing as my gentle companion went desk to desk, inhaling a carrot slice from each student. Inquisitive and earnest, the students vowed to write their representatives. They lifted Hammy's left ear to see the crude, blue tattooed number that identified him at the laboratory - before he had a name. They tried to pet away his shakes.

Hammy remains fearful and sensitive - as flappable as they come. He lifts off the ground like a rocket when a leaf drops in his path, cowers walking under scaffolding and flinches when pigeons take flight. He'd rather leap off a tall building than listen to a bicycle bell. When he is out of earshot, I call him Anxiety Dog. And every day, I praise him for enduring even the most ordinary of events.

Once, a couple of his toes became stuck like he was crossing them for good luck. He sat on the couch and raised his paw, showing me his predicament. "Fix this?" he seemed to be saying. I uncrossed his toes and whispered in his ear, "You are so brave." I chuckled, thinking about how long he would survive in the wild.

And yet, he's a survivor. At times, I see his blank stare and wish I knew more about his life as a young dog. At best, a technician may have embraced him. I try not to think about the worst.

One day a couple of years ago, Hammy scurried from the room at the chime of an incoming text. What traumatic memory did that trigger? This new reaction to the sound came on quickly.

At first, I tried to console him with edible love, but the little oyster cracker-sized treats fell from his quivering lips. So I began shielding him from digital chimes; around friends, I'd ask them, like a librarian, to please silence their phones.

After months of trying to comfort him with treats, a notable victory: He began coming to me for a reward when he heard the offending sound. But the episodes remained upsetting and stressful - for both of us. To this day, hearing a text sound triggers something in me.

Then Hammy became sensitive to other jangles, clinks, tings and pings - the padlocked chain being pulled off my neighbor's gate, two steel necklaces faintly tapping each other on my neck, a typewriter bell on a podcast. Last year, James and I streamed shows that surprised us all with elevator dings and front desk bell rings; Hammy clearly viewed them as horror movies.

The shaking set off by these sounds can be intense.

When it happens, I smother Hammy with kisses and wrap my body around his, trying to simulate the hug machine, a contraption invented by autism and animal behavior expert Temple Grandin to relieve stress. Imagine a yogi in child's pose over a furry jackhammer.

Curling up with my brave little guy on his bed, I picture him donning that artist-drawn superdog outfit. Yet I wonder whether Hammy sees me as the one in the cape, swooping in when evil sounds strike.

I think, "How lucky I am to be his therapy human." Deeply loving a being who faces this world with fear and hesitation has unleashed superpowers in me. I've discovered nearly unlimited reserves of patience and tenderness for this 28-pound, tricolored creature with a tail tipped in white and ears like velvet. Some days, I can sit for long stretches and watch him sleep, which calms me.

I'm more aware of the needs of others - including humans - and my heart is more open. My edges have softened.

After I soothe his tremors, Hammy rolls onto his back and looks at me intently. His big brown eyes speak, and I translate: "Rub my belly?" His legs stick up in the air and flail awkwardly with the final round of trembles. I caress his pink stomach and stare into his eyes, speaking back. For the moment, all is right in the world.

In the cartoon sky, we soar without fear, our magnificent capes flapping gloriously in the wind. Silently, of course.

Nunavut dog reunites with family after epic journey across ice and tundra

Paul Tukker CBC

© Submitted by Donna Adams Donna Adams reunites with her dog, Pepper, in Whale Cove, Nunavut. Days earlier, Pepper had gone missing back home in Rankin Inlet, about 70 kilometres away.

Donna Adams wouldn't have guessed that her dog Pepper had it in her.

But the 10-year-old German shepherd — typically found lolling about outside Adams's home in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut — floored everybody by making a 70-kilometre journey along the remote Hudson Bay coast on her own, to track down her family in a distant community she'd never been to.

"We were elated. Like, I just couldn't believe it," Adams said, recalling the dog's surprise arrival in Whale Cove.

"She just likes to laze around. We used to get a lot of charges from the bylaw for having an untied dog, but even I think they gave up too, because she doesn't go anywhere!"

Pepper's big adventure earlier this month began on a sad note — a death in Adams's family, with a funeral to be held in Whale Cove, a smaller community down the Hudson Bay coast. Adams's family planned to fly there from Rankin, but a cancelled flight prompted them to travel by snowmobile instead.

They were getting ready to set out when Pepper started to act up.

"She was really, really trying to follow us. She even hopped on the sled. We told her to get off and go inside, go home," Adams recalled.

"I think she felt the grief or the trauma that we were feeling. She just knew something was up, and she didn't want to leave us."

Eventually, Pepper was coaxed back home. One of Adams's daughters was still there, at least until the next day when she would catch a rescheduled flight to meet her family in Whale Cove.

Adams figures it was some time after her daughter left that that Pepper also skipped town. Her son had stayed behind in Rankin but was at work that day, and Adams's husband came back later that night to find Pepper gone.

"They looked everywhere. And she doesn't move around anymore. She doesn't leave," Adams said.

The family was distraught, and puzzled, but they were also dealing with a family tragedy and so finding Pepper was not their top priority.

"We just let it go. We kind of just accepted that, well, she's gone," Adams said.
'The land freaks her out'

It wasn't like Pepper to just take off, and not just because she's usually a lazy homebody. According to Adams, the dog just doesn't like being out of town.

"The land freaks her out, like it's too quiet," Adams said. "There's nothing around, she's too big and slow to catch siksiks [ground squirrels] ... no people and nothing around — that's what bothers her."

© CBC Whale Cove is a small community on the Hudson Bay coast. Pepper would have travelled about 70 kilometres across the remote landscape from Rankin Inlet to find the community.

Adams and a couple of her kids stayed on in Whale Cove. They had been there for a few days when someone in town showed them a picture of a dog that had seemingly wandered into the remote village.

It was Pepper. Somehow, the dog had swallowed her fears and travelled alone for days across the vast, silent landscape of ice and tundra to find her people.

Whale Cove is pretty small, so it took Adams and her family about 10 minutes to track Pepper down after the dog was first spotted.

"She looked a lot, like 10 years younger — because she lost a lot of weight!" Adams said, laughing.

"I burst into tears the moment I saw her. I don't think I've ever experienced that. Just burst in tears of joy."

Adams said Pepper's incredible journey was soon the talk of the town — in Whale Cove, and back in Rankin Inlet.

"Everybody was so happy to hear of the story. I mean, especially on her own, completely on her own! And she's never been taken to Whale Cove with us before," Adams said.

"We were all so excited, and relieved — and very proud of her."

CANADA
Survey show only 20 per cent of workers want to return to office full-time post-COVID

Canadians are in no rush to head back to the office even as COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to decline across the country, a new survey suggests.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

A recent poll by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies has found that 82 per cent of Canadian respondents who have worked from home during the pandemic have found the experience to be very or somewhat positive, while just 20 per cent want to return to the office every day.

Only 17 per cent described working from home as somewhat or very negative.

Almost 60 per cent of those surveyed said they would prefer to return to the office part-time or occasionally, while 19 per cent said they never want to go back.

The top three reasons for preferring to continue to work from home were convenience, saving money and increased productivity.

Some 35 per cent of those surveyed in Canada agreed with the statement "If my superiors ordered me to go back to the office, I would start to look for another job where I can work from home."

The Leger survey queried 1,647 Canadians and 1,002 Americans between May 21 to 23, and cannot be assigned a margin of error because it was done online.

The data comes as several provinces have started easing pandemic restrictions as new cases and hospitalizations continue to come down from third-wave highs.

Saskatchewan entered the first phase of its reopening plan on Sunday, as it reported the fewest people in hospital with COVID-19 since Nov. 28.

The changes that took effect in the province include easing restrictions on outdoor sports and allowing private gatherings to have up to 10 people, public indoor gatherings to have up to 30 people and public outdoor gatherings, up to 150 people.

Quebec, which reported 315 cases on Sunday, will ease restrictions in eight different regions on Monday.

The regions, which include Quebec City but not Montreal, will move from red to orange on the province's pandemic alert system, allowing gyms and restaurant dining rooms to reopen.

Newfoundland and Labrador, however, went in the other direction as it tightened restrictions in the western region in response to a growing COVID-19 cluster.

Dr. Rosann Seviour, provincial medical officer of health, announced restrictions were being increased in the region because of a number of cases with no identified source of infection.

As a result, Seviour said communities in the Stephenville area and on the Port au Port Peninsula were being moved to Alert Level 4 as of 4 p.m. Sunday, meaning people are advised to stay home as much as possible except to get essentials like groceries and medications.

In a statement, Canada's chief public health officer said that easing restrictions needs to be done gradually, especially given the risk presented by more contagious variants.

"As restrictions start to be lifted based on conditions in your area, it is still important that everyone continue to follow local public health advice and keep up with individual protective practices like physical distancing and wearing a mask regardless of whether you have been vaccinated or not," Dr. Theresa Tam wrote.

Ontario announced Sunday that it would move on Monday to replace Dr. David Williams, its chief medical officer of health.

While the province praised his leadership during the COVID-19 crisis, critics have taken aim at his rambling communication style and his failure to push stiffer restrictions ahead of a surge in COVID-19 cases earlier this year.

Health Minister Christine Elliott issued a statement saying the government would move a motion on Monday to replace Williams with Dr. Kieran Moore, who has drawn praise in his role as medical officer of health for Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox and Addington Public Health.

The proposed change would see Williams retire on June 25, a few months ahead of schedule, with Moore to take over the following day.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2021

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press

‘Lives were ruined’: 40 years after Edmonton’s Pisces bathhouse raid

Fletcher Kent 

If the most important moments of life are burned into our memories, Michael Phair clearly demonstrates the importance of May 30, 1981.

© Supplied to Global News Edmonton police photographed Michael Phair during the May 30, 1981 bathhouse raid.

The LGBTQ activist and former city councillor sits in a downtown park named after him recounting, in great detail, the day he and 55 other gay men were arrested in a bathhouse raid.

"I was there," says Phair, who described the raid as "crazy, scary and frightening all at the same time."

Phair remembers every tiny moment. He describes sitting in a TV room at 'Pisces Spa' with a few other men. He was watching the Spokane news.

"All of a sudden, there was a rush, lights went on. There was a rush of people running down the hallway," he said.

"It took me a minute to realize it was police and they had video cameras and lights. One of them came into the TV room where there were three or four of us watching TV and yelled, 'Don't move. This is a raid. Stay right where you are.'"

Phair says he was shocked and afraid.

"I didn't know if this is a first step to going to prison or whatever."

He remembers being "herded towards the front and photos were taken of each of us with our names."

As this was all happening, Phair remembers wondering why there was so much attention paid to the men at Pisces.

"What was it about us that was so significant?"

The Pisces Spa was a bathhouse used by gay men. On May 30, 1981, 56 men were arrested after nearly 50 officers stormed the spa.

Police had been watching the building for months. Undercover officers infiltrated the club and gathered intelligence for police prior to the raid.

The men were charged with being found in a common bawdy house. The term refers to a place where prostitution or indecent acts occur. There was never any evidence of prostitution taking place in the spa.

All 56 were loaded into vans and taken to the courthouse for 5 a.m. court appearances.

Phair pleaded not guilty. The charge galvanized him. He fought back. He was eventually convicted but an appeal court overturned that conviction.

Read more: Canadian police chiefs issue formal apology for 1968 stance on homosexuality

While Phair says he can still clearly remember every detail of that night, it's critical others do as well.

"I think it's significant to understand what oppression of a particular group can lead to."

Writer Darrin Hagen is also trying to keep these difficult memories alive. He's researching what happened and plans to write a play and a book about it.

"This anniversary is a brilliant opportunity to reflect on what happened 40 years ago and to wonder how we can treat each other better," says Hagen.

Hagen was a 17 year-old gay man in 1981. He was living in Rocky Mountain House and preparing to move to Edmonton.

The Pisces raid rattled him. He's still trying to understand its true impact on Edmonton's LGBTQ community.

"I had no real idea of the impact it had on the community because the community was trying to move past what they had experienced."

Hagen notes Phair was talking about it. Others did not. They could not.

The raid became front-page news and the men who were arrested were demonized during their trials. The Crown prosecutor told court the spa allowed gay men "to rut like animals."

That attention traumatized many of the men who were arrested. In his research, Hagen has no doubt what the attention brought many of them.

"Shame," says Hagen. "The shame of what the city did to them. The shame of what they went through for no reason."

Hagen says the raid was an important moment in Edmonton history that must be remembered.

"Lives were ruined. Reputations were shattered. Jobs were lost. Families were broken up. Edmonton needs to be able to reconcile its past."

"I'm in mourning right now for the lives they could have led, the contributions they could've made to Edmonton society that they never got to make because their dignity was assaulted in such a demeaning and pointless way."

In 2019, Edmonton police chief Dale McFee issued an apology to Edmonton's LGBTQ community for actions that included the 1981 raid.

Read more: ‘Our actions caused pain’: Edmonton police chief apologizes to LGBTQ2 community on behalf of EPS

“To the members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and two-spirit community — both across our public and within our service — on behalf of the Edmonton Police Service, I am sorry and we are sorry,” said McFee in the May 2019 apology.

“Our actions caused pain. They eroded trust. They created fear."

Phair says a lot has changed in the last 40 years. For that, he is grateful. But he vows to keep talking about every detail of those painful moments that are forever etched into his memory.

He feels he has to.

"It reminds one of the authority and power of a police force," says Phair.

"It's important it not disappear. I don't want anyone to have to live though it again. Once for a group is quite enough."

'Shattered lives': A look at Edmonton police raid of Pisces Spa bathhouse four decades later

Dylan Short 

Four decades have passed since dozens of gay men were arrested during a raid at Edmonton’s Pisces Health Spa, charged and outed to the broader community, changing their lives completely

.

© Provided by Edmonton Journal Ron Byers, community leader and storyteller, poses for a photo with a Pride flag at Evolution Wonderlounge at 10220 103 St. in Edmonton on Saturday, May 29, 2021. The nightclub opened on Sept. 13, 2013. Byers and others are marking the 40th anniversary of the Pisces Spa bathhouse raid.

Fifty-six men and six employees were arrested under bawdy house laws when 40 Edmonton police, seven RCMP officers and two attorneys raided the bathhouse on May 30, 1981.

Ron Byers, a member of Edmonton’s LGBTQ community and a queer historian, said he had planned to be at Pisces the night of the raid to celebrate a friend’s birthday. He said the ensuing treatment of those charged by law enforcement, the courts and the media was cruel and has left many still unable to talk about their experiences.

“That raid shattered lives, literally, because it wasn’t just gay people that were there. There were straight people there, there were people who were questioning their sexuality. There were people who, to this day, they still consider themselves straight,” said Byers.

Following the raid, the so-called found-ins were taken to a 5 a.m. court hearing where a judge and prosecutors were waiting for them. The ensuing court cases garnered significant media attention. Many of those charged had their names plastered across TV screens, radio broadcasts and newspapers.

The treatment they received was harsh compared to others found in other types of bawdy houses, said Byers. At that time, the justice system would typically shield the names of men who were found paying for prostitutes.

The men charged for being at Pisces were not given such treatment. Byers believes several attacks on gay men the following fall were a direct result of having their names plastered across the news

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© Ian Kucerak An original Pisces Spa card owned by Ron Byers is shown on Saturday, May 29, 2021. Byers and others are marking the 40th anniversary of the Pisces Spa bathhouse raid. Ian Kucerak/Postmedia

One of the men charged during the raid was Michael Phair, who went on to plead not guilty. He was convicted, but then appealed, had his record scrubbed and eventually went on to hold public office.

He said the way he and the others were treated in the courts and in the media, being called “animals” and berated by lawyers, led to some of the men leaving the city for good while others lost their jobs.

“The kinds of comments that were made, particularly during the court cases, were particularly damaging to most individuals,” said Phair. “Talking about running like animals, I think was, was horrible and I’ll never forget.”

Despite the trauma and pain that it caused, Phair said the incident also shone a spotlight on the treatment of the LGBTQ community. He said many people at the time felt sending dozens of police officers into a bathhouse and tying up the courts with charges was a waste of money, especially since those charges did not include any prostitution, drugs or weapon offences.

He said it led to push-back against mistreatment. The broader community called for LGBTQ Edmontonians to be treated fairly.

The shutdown was the accumulation of an undercover investigation and led to all 56 people being convicted.

Two years ago, Edmonton police Chief Dale McFee issued a formal apology to Edmonton’s LGBTQ community for the way they were treated, including during the famous raid. Several people who were charged in the raid were in attendance to hear McFee speak.

Police still work to repair relations

Forty years later, Byers said he continues to uncover stories from that day. He said it is important to archive what happened and continue strengthening a better relationship between community members and police.

He said the police have done a good job in recent years trying to build trust through McFee’s apology, creating a liaison position and continuing work through panels and boards.

“The Edmonton police have made some really good steps forward in gaining the trust of the community. Not regaining, but gaining it,” said Byers. “It will help cement a better relationship for the queer community here in Edmonton. Moving forward, there’s still a lot of work to do.”

On Sunday, the Edmonton Police Service issued a statement and released a video to commemorate the 40th anniversary, saying the impact of the raid was profound.

“Many 2SLGBTQ+ community members, including those who were not present during the raid, experienced humiliation, shame and stigmatization from this incident,” read the EPS statement. “While the EPS strives to improve equity and inclusion in its approach to policing, we must also acknowledge the role we have played in unfairly targeting the 2SLGBTQ+ community.”

dshort@postmedia.com