Video: Alberta commits funding to research residential school burial sites (cbc.ca)
Thursday, June 03, 2021
Braid: Kenney wades into tainted political turf and comes away stained
Don Braid, Calgary Herald
There’s no space in Alberta more emblematic of arrogant privilege than the notorious Sky Palace.
\
Don Braid, Calgary Herald
There’s no space in Alberta more emblematic of arrogant privilege than the notorious Sky Palace.
\© Provided by Calgary Herald Kenney and some cabinet ministers are pictured on a patio in the Federal Building in Edmonton taken on June 1, 2021. From the top right is Jason Nixon, Minister of Environment & Parks, Government House Leader, Health Minister Tyler Shandro and with his back to the camera is Premier Jason Kenney.
After then-premier Alison Redford resigned in 2014, dogged by other scandals, it was finally confirmed that the government was building a private residence for her and her daughter atop Edmonton’s Federal building.
Since January, Premier Jason Kenney has sometimes worked out of the space because of renovations in the nearby legislature.
The area now contains offices, not a luxury suite. But why would he go anywhere near that political graveyard?
NDP Leader Rachel Notley avoided the place like poison when she was premier. The symbolism is just too toxic.
On Wednesday, Sky Palace karma caught up with Kenney.
He’s photographed on the 11th floor deck with ministers in casual postures. House leader Jason Nixon and Health Minister Tyler Shandro are sitting beside Kenney.
There are wine bottles and glasses and a bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey. It feels like the moment just before they bring out the cigars.
The photos, provided anonymously, are a mystery in themselves. They were likely taken either from a drone or by a person across 107th Street in another building.
By looking back up the angle the photos were shot from, the premier’s people might get a good idea where the camera was. Unless it was a drone.
In any case, you can bet they’re trying.
The uproar was instantaneous, and damaging.
The premier’s office says no COVID-19 restrictions are being violated.
This is debatable. The rule for restaurant patios is that only four people can be at a table and they have to be from the same household.
They aren’t observing that one unless Shandro, Nixon and Kenney are secretly brothers.
Of course, the patio isn’t a restaurant. Nor is it exactly a private space where 10 people are allowed to congregate outdoors (as long as there’s no movement from outdoors to indoors, which does appear to happen in one of the photos.)
Whether the premier’s crew is breaking rules or not, they clearly aren’t being very cautious. Nixon and Shandro are close together. There isn’t much distance between them and Kenney. Nobody wears a mask.
You might say this is nitpicking on a grand scale. We’re all sick of restrictions.
But these very people have been urging, cajoling and ordering Albertans to obey the restrictions for more than a year.
It was Kenney himself who said he would kick out of caucus any UCP member who breaks the rules .
And this wasn’t even the worst thing that happened to Kenney on Wednesday.
Okimaw Vernon Watchmaker, Grand Chief of the Treaty 6 Confederacy, blasted Kenney for his denunciation of “cancel culture.”
“The premier’s diatribe was particularly insensitive, especially on the heels of the mass grave discovery in Kamloops B.C., and one day after a vigil was held at the Alberta legislature to show honour, respect and unity to the loss of innocent lives of First Nation children,” the chief said.
He also noted that Treaty 6 has ended a co-operation agreement with the government .
After then-premier Alison Redford resigned in 2014, dogged by other scandals, it was finally confirmed that the government was building a private residence for her and her daughter atop Edmonton’s Federal building.
Since January, Premier Jason Kenney has sometimes worked out of the space because of renovations in the nearby legislature.
The area now contains offices, not a luxury suite. But why would he go anywhere near that political graveyard?
NDP Leader Rachel Notley avoided the place like poison when she was premier. The symbolism is just too toxic.
On Wednesday, Sky Palace karma caught up with Kenney.
He’s photographed on the 11th floor deck with ministers in casual postures. House leader Jason Nixon and Health Minister Tyler Shandro are sitting beside Kenney.
There are wine bottles and glasses and a bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey. It feels like the moment just before they bring out the cigars.
The photos, provided anonymously, are a mystery in themselves. They were likely taken either from a drone or by a person across 107th Street in another building.
By looking back up the angle the photos were shot from, the premier’s people might get a good idea where the camera was. Unless it was a drone.
In any case, you can bet they’re trying.
The uproar was instantaneous, and damaging.
The premier’s office says no COVID-19 restrictions are being violated.
This is debatable. The rule for restaurant patios is that only four people can be at a table and they have to be from the same household.
They aren’t observing that one unless Shandro, Nixon and Kenney are secretly brothers.
Of course, the patio isn’t a restaurant. Nor is it exactly a private space where 10 people are allowed to congregate outdoors (as long as there’s no movement from outdoors to indoors, which does appear to happen in one of the photos.)
Whether the premier’s crew is breaking rules or not, they clearly aren’t being very cautious. Nixon and Shandro are close together. There isn’t much distance between them and Kenney. Nobody wears a mask.
You might say this is nitpicking on a grand scale. We’re all sick of restrictions.
But these very people have been urging, cajoling and ordering Albertans to obey the restrictions for more than a year.
It was Kenney himself who said he would kick out of caucus any UCP member who breaks the rules .
And this wasn’t even the worst thing that happened to Kenney on Wednesday.
Okimaw Vernon Watchmaker, Grand Chief of the Treaty 6 Confederacy, blasted Kenney for his denunciation of “cancel culture.”
“The premier’s diatribe was particularly insensitive, especially on the heels of the mass grave discovery in Kamloops B.C., and one day after a vigil was held at the Alberta legislature to show honour, respect and unity to the loss of innocent lives of First Nation children,” the chief said.
He also noted that Treaty 6 has ended a co-operation agreement with the government .
© Larry Wong/Postmedia Hundreds of children’s shoes remain in place at a memorial outside the Alberta Legislature building in Edmonton on Monday May 31, 2021. A vigil was held Sunday May 30, 2021 in memory of the 215 indigenous children whose remains were discovered on the grounds of a former Roman Catholic church residential school in Kamloops, B.C.
In the legislature, Kenney had powerfully condemned the residential school tragedy. But separately, he opposed removing historical figures from public view, especially Sir John A. Macdonald.
It’s all about judgment. Which brings us back to the Sky Palace.
Most of the details emerged in the months after Redford had already quit. She was forced out by many scandals, including her peculiar notions about her travel rights, which included a $45,000 tab to fly back from South Africa.
To this day it’s the Sky Palace, with that dead perfect nickname, that remains the indelible Alberta symbol of unbounded political hubris.
Bad vibes, that place. Jason Kenney just found out the hard way.
Don Braid’s column appears regularly in the Herald
In the legislature, Kenney had powerfully condemned the residential school tragedy. But separately, he opposed removing historical figures from public view, especially Sir John A. Macdonald.
It’s all about judgment. Which brings us back to the Sky Palace.
Most of the details emerged in the months after Redford had already quit. She was forced out by many scandals, including her peculiar notions about her travel rights, which included a $45,000 tab to fly back from South Africa.
To this day it’s the Sky Palace, with that dead perfect nickname, that remains the indelible Alberta symbol of unbounded political hubris.
Bad vibes, that place. Jason Kenney just found out the hard way.
Don Braid’s column appears regularly in the Herald
Confederacy of Treaty Six Nations dissolves historic protocol agreement with Alberta
(ANNews) - The Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations are so disillusioned and upset with the Alberta government that they have dissolved their historic protocol agreement with the province.
Late last year, the Confederacy and the Alberta Government partnered in a protocol agreement meant to facilitate meetings between the two parties.
The agreement outlined a formal process for ministers and Chiefs and Councils to meet periodically throughout the year in order to discuss topics such as land, resources, health care, education, and so on. The agreement also committed to an annual meeting between the Premier of Alberta and the Chiefs of the Confederacy and was considered to be a “promise between governments about communication and collaboration with a focus on shared prosperity, now and for years to come.”
However, on June 2, the Confederacy announced that they have dissolved the agreement.
In a press release the Confederacy says that they have ended the relationship because the Government "has been making unilateral decisions without consulting First Nations."
Grand Chief Vernon Watchmaker said, “The decision to dissolve the Agreement was made by the member First Nations at the Assembly meeting (in May). When we gave our notice, we left the door open to discussions when the Government was ready to work in a more effective and collaborative manner.”
Things appear to have escalated recently as the Grand Chief was “appalled” by the Premier’s comments in defense of the glorification of residential school architects whose names are currently attached to schools and other public places.
Last week the remains of 215 First Nation children were found in a mass grave at a former residential school in Kamloops, BC. With the discovery came a resurgence of calls to remove the names of residential school architects from schools, train stations, and more.
For example, an LRT station in Edmonton is named after Bishop Vital-Justin Grandin, an early supporter of residential schools who lobbied for their funding. There are also schools named for Bishop Grandin in both Edmonton and Calgary.
Premier Kenney, in response to the name-change calls, said “I think Canada is worth celebrating. I think Canada is a great historical achievement. It is a country that people all around the world seek to join as new Canadians.”
He said Canada "is an imperfect country, but it is still a great country.”
"Just as John A. Macdonald was an imperfect man but was still a great leader.
"If we want to get into cancelling every figure in our history who took positions on issues at the time that we now judge harshly, and rightly in historical retrospective, but if that's the new standard, then I think almost the entire founding leadership of our country gets cancelled,” said the Premier.
In response to the Premier’s comments, the Confederacy said,
“Just when we think we are experiencing acts of reconciliation, the Premier contradicts all the efforts toward an understanding and confirms that the Treaty Six Chiefs made the right decision to dissolve the Protocol Agreement that was made.”
Grand Chief Watchmaker continued the sentiment by saying the Premier was insensitive to Indigenous people.
“Statements such as those grounded in the Doctrine of Discovery bring dishonour to the Crown and reveal an insensitivity that it is difficult to deal with,” said Grand Chief Watchmaker.
“The real Canadian story is that we entered into a Peace and Friendship Treaty with the Crown. Sir John A McDonald acted inhumanely toward First Nations, he aggressively implemented policies and legislation in order to assimilate our people at all costs and we continue to deal with the aftermath to this day.”
Richard Feehan, NDP Critic for Indigenous Relations, made the following statement in response to the dissolution of the Protocol Agreement between Treaty Six and Alberta:
“I am profoundly saddened and frustrated to see Premier Jason Kenney inflict so much damage on the relationship between First Nations and the Province of Alberta.”
“It’s clear from Grand Chief Watchmaker’s statement that the Kenney government has failed to work collaboratively with Treaty Six First Nations for some time,” continued Feehan.
“While Albertans are confronting the horror of a mass grave filled with the remains of hundreds of Indigenous children, the premier felt that was the moment for him to defend one of the central figures in the residential school system.”
“This follows a determined effort by the Kenney government to delay teaching the history of residential schools in their draft curriculum, in clear contravention of the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.”
“Through their words and actions, Jason Kenney and the UCP are unravelling years of work towards reconciliation,” concluded Feehan.
Jacob Cardinal, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News
(ANNews) - The Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations are so disillusioned and upset with the Alberta government that they have dissolved their historic protocol agreement with the province.
Late last year, the Confederacy and the Alberta Government partnered in a protocol agreement meant to facilitate meetings between the two parties.
The agreement outlined a formal process for ministers and Chiefs and Councils to meet periodically throughout the year in order to discuss topics such as land, resources, health care, education, and so on. The agreement also committed to an annual meeting between the Premier of Alberta and the Chiefs of the Confederacy and was considered to be a “promise between governments about communication and collaboration with a focus on shared prosperity, now and for years to come.”
However, on June 2, the Confederacy announced that they have dissolved the agreement.
In a press release the Confederacy says that they have ended the relationship because the Government "has been making unilateral decisions without consulting First Nations."
Grand Chief Vernon Watchmaker said, “The decision to dissolve the Agreement was made by the member First Nations at the Assembly meeting (in May). When we gave our notice, we left the door open to discussions when the Government was ready to work in a more effective and collaborative manner.”
Things appear to have escalated recently as the Grand Chief was “appalled” by the Premier’s comments in defense of the glorification of residential school architects whose names are currently attached to schools and other public places.
Last week the remains of 215 First Nation children were found in a mass grave at a former residential school in Kamloops, BC. With the discovery came a resurgence of calls to remove the names of residential school architects from schools, train stations, and more.
For example, an LRT station in Edmonton is named after Bishop Vital-Justin Grandin, an early supporter of residential schools who lobbied for their funding. There are also schools named for Bishop Grandin in both Edmonton and Calgary.
Premier Kenney, in response to the name-change calls, said “I think Canada is worth celebrating. I think Canada is a great historical achievement. It is a country that people all around the world seek to join as new Canadians.”
He said Canada "is an imperfect country, but it is still a great country.”
"Just as John A. Macdonald was an imperfect man but was still a great leader.
"If we want to get into cancelling every figure in our history who took positions on issues at the time that we now judge harshly, and rightly in historical retrospective, but if that's the new standard, then I think almost the entire founding leadership of our country gets cancelled,” said the Premier.
In response to the Premier’s comments, the Confederacy said,
“Just when we think we are experiencing acts of reconciliation, the Premier contradicts all the efforts toward an understanding and confirms that the Treaty Six Chiefs made the right decision to dissolve the Protocol Agreement that was made.”
Grand Chief Watchmaker continued the sentiment by saying the Premier was insensitive to Indigenous people.
“Statements such as those grounded in the Doctrine of Discovery bring dishonour to the Crown and reveal an insensitivity that it is difficult to deal with,” said Grand Chief Watchmaker.
“The real Canadian story is that we entered into a Peace and Friendship Treaty with the Crown. Sir John A McDonald acted inhumanely toward First Nations, he aggressively implemented policies and legislation in order to assimilate our people at all costs and we continue to deal with the aftermath to this day.”
Richard Feehan, NDP Critic for Indigenous Relations, made the following statement in response to the dissolution of the Protocol Agreement between Treaty Six and Alberta:
“I am profoundly saddened and frustrated to see Premier Jason Kenney inflict so much damage on the relationship between First Nations and the Province of Alberta.”
“It’s clear from Grand Chief Watchmaker’s statement that the Kenney government has failed to work collaboratively with Treaty Six First Nations for some time,” continued Feehan.
“While Albertans are confronting the horror of a mass grave filled with the remains of hundreds of Indigenous children, the premier felt that was the moment for him to defend one of the central figures in the residential school system.”
“This follows a determined effort by the Kenney government to delay teaching the history of residential schools in their draft curriculum, in clear contravention of the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.”
“Through their words and actions, Jason Kenney and the UCP are unravelling years of work towards reconciliation,” concluded Feehan.
Jacob Cardinal, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News
Kenney criticized for cancel culture remarks amid renewed residential school debaate
Video: ‘If we go full force into cancel culture, then we’re cancelling… our history’: Alberta Premier Jason Kenney (Global News)
EDMONTON — A western Canadian Indigenous leader is condemning cancel culture remarks made by Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, and says it reinforces a recent decision to scrap a formal working agreement with the province.
Kenney spoke Tuesday about cancel culture when asked about Calgary Board of Education trustees voting this week to immediately rename the Langevin junior high school in light of outrage following the discovery of the remains believed to be from 215 children at the site of a former Indian residential school in Kamloops.
Hector-Louis Langevin, a former federal Conservative cabinet minister, is considered an architect of the residential school system, which saw thousands of Indigenous children taken from their families over decades, isolated and abused in a program designed to assimilate them into non-Indigenous culture.
Kenney was asked by reporters about the Langevin issue and the ongoing national debate over retaining or removing statues of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, who was the driving force behind the residential school system.
Kenney equated removing statues and renaming institutions with erasing from history these figures and thereby not allowing Canadians to understand, learn and grow from past actions, even those deemed reprehensible.
The premier took issue with the focus on Macdonald, noting other federal leaders throughout Canadian history embraced racist and punitive policies, such as the internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War.
“If we go full force into cancel culture, then we’re cancelling most if not all of our history,” said Kenney. “Instead, I think we should learn from our history.”
Grand Chief Vernon Watchmaker was critical of Kenney's remarks in a statement Wednesday.
“The premier’s diatribe was particularly insensitive, especially on the heels of the mass grave discovery in Kamloops, B.C.,” he said.
The statement added: “Just when we think we are experiencing acts of reconciliation, the premier contradicts all the efforts toward an understanding.
“(It) confirms that the Treaty 6 chiefs made the right decision to dissolve the protocol agreement that was made between the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations and the Government of Alberta.”
The confederacy represents 50 First Nations across the Prairies. It signed a protocol with Alberta last December to work together on a range of shared concerns, including health, lands and resources, and education.
However, the confederacy said it sent a letter to Kenney two weeks ago formally dissolving that agreement citing “the province has been making unilateral decisions without consulting the First Nations.”
The letter did not elaborate and Watchmaker could not be immediately reached for comment.
Adrienne South, spokeswoman for Indigenous Relations Minister Rick Wilson, said in a statement, "We are disappointed the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations decided to dissolve the historic protocol agreement without unanimous Treaty 6 consent, but we will still work with all First Nations regardless whether there is a protocol or not.
"It came as a surprise when the Confederacy informed us weeks ago that they were unilaterally pulling out of the agreement with no prior warning or communication."
Opposition NDP critic Richard Feehan said Kenney’s remarks and actions set back years of hard work.
“It’s clear from Grand Chief Watchmaker’s statement that the Kenney government has failed to work collaboratively with Treaty 6 First Nations for some time,” he said.
“The premier’s recent remarks were profoundly harmful. While Albertans are confronting the horror of a mass grave filled with the remains of hundreds of Indigenous children, the premier felt that was the moment for him to defend one the central figures in the residential school system.”
Kenney reiterated those remarks Wednesday in an exchange with Feehan during question period.
“We can all join together in the condemnation of the great moral evil of the Indian residential school system,” Kenney said.
“At the same time, I don’t think that recognizing that evil requires that we remove from our history many of the central figures of Canadian history.”
Kenney has been an ardent defender of Macdonald’s legacy, but has staunchly condemned the residential school system.
As a federal cabinet minister, Kenney co-sponsored a bill to honour Macdonald. As premier, he said last year he’d be open to the Alberta legislature taking a Macdonald statue that protesters had toppled in Montreal.
This week Alberta, announced it will fund research into the undocumented deaths and burials of Indigenous children.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2021.
Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press
Video: ‘If we go full force into cancel culture, then we’re cancelling… our history’: Alberta Premier Jason Kenney (Global News)
EDMONTON — A western Canadian Indigenous leader is condemning cancel culture remarks made by Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, and says it reinforces a recent decision to scrap a formal working agreement with the province.
© Provided by The Canadian Press
THIS MAN IS A BACHELOR AT 52, AND LIVES IN HIS MOM'S BASEMENT
Kenney spoke Tuesday about cancel culture when asked about Calgary Board of Education trustees voting this week to immediately rename the Langevin junior high school in light of outrage following the discovery of the remains believed to be from 215 children at the site of a former Indian residential school in Kamloops.
Hector-Louis Langevin, a former federal Conservative cabinet minister, is considered an architect of the residential school system, which saw thousands of Indigenous children taken from their families over decades, isolated and abused in a program designed to assimilate them into non-Indigenous culture.
Kenney was asked by reporters about the Langevin issue and the ongoing national debate over retaining or removing statues of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, who was the driving force behind the residential school system.
Kenney equated removing statues and renaming institutions with erasing from history these figures and thereby not allowing Canadians to understand, learn and grow from past actions, even those deemed reprehensible.
The premier took issue with the focus on Macdonald, noting other federal leaders throughout Canadian history embraced racist and punitive policies, such as the internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War.
“If we go full force into cancel culture, then we’re cancelling most if not all of our history,” said Kenney. “Instead, I think we should learn from our history.”
Grand Chief Vernon Watchmaker was critical of Kenney's remarks in a statement Wednesday.
“The premier’s diatribe was particularly insensitive, especially on the heels of the mass grave discovery in Kamloops, B.C.,” he said.
The statement added: “Just when we think we are experiencing acts of reconciliation, the premier contradicts all the efforts toward an understanding.
“(It) confirms that the Treaty 6 chiefs made the right decision to dissolve the protocol agreement that was made between the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations and the Government of Alberta.”
The confederacy represents 50 First Nations across the Prairies. It signed a protocol with Alberta last December to work together on a range of shared concerns, including health, lands and resources, and education.
However, the confederacy said it sent a letter to Kenney two weeks ago formally dissolving that agreement citing “the province has been making unilateral decisions without consulting the First Nations.”
The letter did not elaborate and Watchmaker could not be immediately reached for comment.
Adrienne South, spokeswoman for Indigenous Relations Minister Rick Wilson, said in a statement, "We are disappointed the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations decided to dissolve the historic protocol agreement without unanimous Treaty 6 consent, but we will still work with all First Nations regardless whether there is a protocol or not.
"It came as a surprise when the Confederacy informed us weeks ago that they were unilaterally pulling out of the agreement with no prior warning or communication."
Opposition NDP critic Richard Feehan said Kenney’s remarks and actions set back years of hard work.
“It’s clear from Grand Chief Watchmaker’s statement that the Kenney government has failed to work collaboratively with Treaty 6 First Nations for some time,” he said.
“The premier’s recent remarks were profoundly harmful. While Albertans are confronting the horror of a mass grave filled with the remains of hundreds of Indigenous children, the premier felt that was the moment for him to defend one the central figures in the residential school system.”
Kenney reiterated those remarks Wednesday in an exchange with Feehan during question period.
“We can all join together in the condemnation of the great moral evil of the Indian residential school system,” Kenney said.
“At the same time, I don’t think that recognizing that evil requires that we remove from our history many of the central figures of Canadian history.”
Kenney has been an ardent defender of Macdonald’s legacy, but has staunchly condemned the residential school system.
As a federal cabinet minister, Kenney co-sponsored a bill to honour Macdonald. As premier, he said last year he’d be open to the Alberta legislature taking a Macdonald statue that protesters had toppled in Montreal.
This week Alberta, announced it will fund research into the undocumented deaths and burials of Indigenous children.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2021.
Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press
COVID-19: Questions raised after Kenney, cabinet ministers dine on ‘Sky Palace’ balcony in Edmonton
Video: COVID-19: Questions raised after Kenney, cabinet ministers dine on 'Sky Palace' balcony in Edmonton (Global News)
Alberta's premier and a number of his cabinet ministers were seen dining on the balcony of the so-called "Sky Palace" in Edmonton Tuesday night, a dinner that appears to be a violation of the government's COVID-19 restrictions
Video: COVID-19: Questions raised after Kenney, cabinet ministers dine on 'Sky Palace' balcony in Edmonton (Global News)
Alberta's premier and a number of his cabinet ministers were seen dining on the balcony of the so-called "Sky Palace" in Edmonton Tuesday night, a dinner that appears to be a violation of the government's COVID-19 restrictions
.
© Supplied to Global News Premier Jason Kenney, ministers Tyler Shandro and Jason Nixon, as well as UCP staff members seen in a "working dinner" on the balcony of the "sky palace" in Edmonton on Tuesday, June 1.
Photos of the gathering involving politicians and staffers were sent to Global News on Wednesday. According to the premier's office, they show a "working dinner" held Tuesday night.
Read more: COVID-19: Alberta moves into Stage 1 of reopening — Here’s what you can and can’t do
Nobody in the photos is seen wearing a mask and the majority of people seen in the photos, including Premier Jason Kenney, Health Minister Tyler Shandro and Government House Leader and Environment and Parks Minister Jason Nixon, were not physically distanced.
Plates, glasses and bottles of alcohol can also been seen on the shared table, and a couple of the photos appear to show people coming in and out of the building.
As of Tuesday, the first day of Stage 1 of the province's Open for Summer plan, outdoor gatherings can have up to 10 people, with no indoor components.
However, when it comes to dining on patios, parties should be limited to four per table, all from the same household, or three people if they're single and with their designated close contacts.
Read more: Alberta changes quarantine requirements for close contacts who are vaccinated against COVID-19
In an emailed statement, premier's office spokesperson Jerrica Goodwin said "you'll note the gathering was outdoors."
"The premier, with a few ministers and staff members, held a working dinner last night," Goodwin said.
"I suggest you review the Stage 1 guidelines, which began yesterday: 'Outdoor gatherings -- up to 10 people (indoor social gatherings still not permitted).' Attendance was kept under 10. Costs were not incurred by taxpayers."
Goodwin did not respond to Global News' follow-up questions about the fact that the officials were clearly eating and drinking as part of the "working dinner," were not wearing masks and were not physically distanced.
"It looks really bad," Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt said Wednesday.
"If this was a patio, then you couldn't have that many people from different households at the same patio (table). If it was an outdoor gathering, they're not socially distant. They may be below 10 (people), but they're going in and out of the apartment, which is also a violation.
"So here you have the premier and the health minister and a couple other ministers violating Alberta's COVID(-19) restrictions."
Bratt also took issue with the premier's office classifying the gathering as a "working dinner," and instead called it a "celebratory dinner" held just hours after announcing the rollout plan for second vaccine doses.
Read more: Alberta releases plan for booking 2nd doses of COVID-19 vaccines
"If it's a working dinner, then what's a bottle of Jameson (whisky) doing on the table and all the wine bottles? Right. This a party. And I can understand why they were partying, it's been very difficult times, but it's still premature."
The photos aren't the first scandal to involve the UCP government during the pandemic. Early in the new year, it came to light that several MLAs and high-level staffers travelled outside the country during the Christmas holidays, despite provincial advisories against doing so.
That resulted in six MLAs either resigning or being demoted from their ministerial or cabinet committee roles and the premier's chief of staff was asked to step down.
Read more: Alberta MLAs who travelled during COVID-19 pandemic lose ministry portfolios
Bratt said these photos are similar to that travel scandal, sending a message that there is "one set of rules for Albertans and another set for the premier."
"This, in some respects, is worse because it's the premier and health minister," he said. "I'm just glad (chief medical officer of health) Dr. (Deena) Hinshaw wasn't at that table."
Bratt believes there will be political ramifications in light of the photos, resulting in Albertans once again getting the message that the premier and ministers don't have to follow the same guidelines the public is mandated to.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday afternoon, Opposition Leader Rachel Notley said the photos are another example of "repeated failures in leadership" during the pandemic.
"Obviously Albertans need their leaders to show leadership by following the rules, and they do not need their leaders to break the rules, and do it on the top of a castle. That is not how you lead during a crisis," Notley said.
"I think all Albertans are getting very tired of these repeated failures of leadership, the repeated inability of Jason Kenney to inspire Albertans to follow the rules and and get ourselves through this as quickly as possible. And I think it's very clear that there's a level of entitlement that runs very deep."
Photos of the gathering involving politicians and staffers were sent to Global News on Wednesday. According to the premier's office, they show a "working dinner" held Tuesday night.
Read more: COVID-19: Alberta moves into Stage 1 of reopening — Here’s what you can and can’t do
Nobody in the photos is seen wearing a mask and the majority of people seen in the photos, including Premier Jason Kenney, Health Minister Tyler Shandro and Government House Leader and Environment and Parks Minister Jason Nixon, were not physically distanced.
Plates, glasses and bottles of alcohol can also been seen on the shared table, and a couple of the photos appear to show people coming in and out of the building.
As of Tuesday, the first day of Stage 1 of the province's Open for Summer plan, outdoor gatherings can have up to 10 people, with no indoor components.
However, when it comes to dining on patios, parties should be limited to four per table, all from the same household, or three people if they're single and with their designated close contacts.
Read more: Alberta changes quarantine requirements for close contacts who are vaccinated against COVID-19
In an emailed statement, premier's office spokesperson Jerrica Goodwin said "you'll note the gathering was outdoors."
"The premier, with a few ministers and staff members, held a working dinner last night," Goodwin said.
"I suggest you review the Stage 1 guidelines, which began yesterday: 'Outdoor gatherings -- up to 10 people (indoor social gatherings still not permitted).' Attendance was kept under 10. Costs were not incurred by taxpayers."
Goodwin did not respond to Global News' follow-up questions about the fact that the officials were clearly eating and drinking as part of the "working dinner," were not wearing masks and were not physically distanced.
"It looks really bad," Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt said Wednesday.
"If this was a patio, then you couldn't have that many people from different households at the same patio (table). If it was an outdoor gathering, they're not socially distant. They may be below 10 (people), but they're going in and out of the apartment, which is also a violation.
"So here you have the premier and the health minister and a couple other ministers violating Alberta's COVID(-19) restrictions."
Bratt also took issue with the premier's office classifying the gathering as a "working dinner," and instead called it a "celebratory dinner" held just hours after announcing the rollout plan for second vaccine doses.
Read more: Alberta releases plan for booking 2nd doses of COVID-19 vaccines
"If it's a working dinner, then what's a bottle of Jameson (whisky) doing on the table and all the wine bottles? Right. This a party. And I can understand why they were partying, it's been very difficult times, but it's still premature."
The photos aren't the first scandal to involve the UCP government during the pandemic. Early in the new year, it came to light that several MLAs and high-level staffers travelled outside the country during the Christmas holidays, despite provincial advisories against doing so.
That resulted in six MLAs either resigning or being demoted from their ministerial or cabinet committee roles and the premier's chief of staff was asked to step down.
Read more: Alberta MLAs who travelled during COVID-19 pandemic lose ministry portfolios
Bratt said these photos are similar to that travel scandal, sending a message that there is "one set of rules for Albertans and another set for the premier."
"This, in some respects, is worse because it's the premier and health minister," he said. "I'm just glad (chief medical officer of health) Dr. (Deena) Hinshaw wasn't at that table."
Bratt believes there will be political ramifications in light of the photos, resulting in Albertans once again getting the message that the premier and ministers don't have to follow the same guidelines the public is mandated to.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday afternoon, Opposition Leader Rachel Notley said the photos are another example of "repeated failures in leadership" during the pandemic.
"Obviously Albertans need their leaders to show leadership by following the rules, and they do not need their leaders to break the rules, and do it on the top of a castle. That is not how you lead during a crisis," Notley said.
"I think all Albertans are getting very tired of these repeated failures of leadership, the repeated inability of Jason Kenney to inspire Albertans to follow the rules and and get ourselves through this as quickly as possible. And I think it's very clear that there's a level of entitlement that runs very deep."
CALIFORNIA DROUGHT
OROVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Each year Lake Oroville helps water a quarter of the nation’s crops, sustain endangered salmon beneath its massive earthen dam and anchor the tourism economy of a Northern California county that must rebuild seemingly every year after unrelenting wildfires
OROVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Each year Lake Oroville helps water a quarter of the nation’s crops, sustain endangered salmon beneath its massive earthen dam and anchor the tourism economy of a Northern California county that must rebuild seemingly every year after unrelenting wildfires
© Provided by The Canadian Press
But now the mighty lake — a linchpin in a system of aqueducts and reservoirs in the arid U.S. West that makes California possible — is shrinking with surprising speed amid a severe drought, with state officials predicting it will reach a record low later this summer.
While droughts are common in California, this year's is much hotter and drier than others, evaporating water more quickly from the reservoirs and the sparse Sierra Nevada snowpack that feeds them. The state's more than 1,500 reservoirs are 50% lower than they should be this time of year, according to Jay Lund, co-director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at the University of California-Davis.
Over Memorial Day weekend, dozens of houseboats sat on cinderblocks at Lake Oroville because there wasn't enough water to hold them. Blackened trees lined the reservoir's steep, parched banks.
In nearby Folsom Lake, normally bustling boat docks rested on dry land, their buoys warning phantom boats to slow down. Campers occupied dusty riverbanks farther north at Shasta Lake.
But the impacts of dwindling reservoirs go beyond luxury yachts and weekend anglers. Salmon need cold water from the bottom of the reservoirs to spawn. The San Francisco Bay needs fresh water from the reservoirs to keep out the salt water that harms freshwater fish. Farmers need the water to irrigate their crops. Businesses need reservoirs full so people will come play in them and spend money.
And everyone needs the water to run hydroelectric power plants that supply much of the state's energy.
If Lake Oroville falls below 640 feet (195 meters) — which it could do by late August — state officials would shut down a major power plant for just the second time ever because of low water levels, straining the electrical grid during the peak demand of the hottest part of the summer.
In Northern California's Butte County, low water prompts another emotion: fear. The county suffered the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century in 2018 when 85 people died. Last year, another 16 people died in a wildfire.
Walking along the Bidwell Canyon trail last week, 63-year-old Lisa Larson was supposed to have a good view of the lake. Instead, she saw withered grass and trees.
“It makes me feel like our planet is literally drying up,” she said. “It makes me feel a little unsettled because the drier it gets, the more fires we are going to have.”
Droughts are a part of life in California, where a Mediterranean-style climate means the summers are always dry and the winters are not always wet. The state's reservoirs act as a savings account, storing water in the wet years to help the state survive during the dry ones.
Last year was the third driest year on record in terms of precipitation. Temperatures hit triple digits in much of California over the Memorial Day weekend, earlier than expected. State officials were surprised earlier this year when about 500,000 acre feet (61,674 hectare meters) of water they were expecting to flow into reservoirs never showed up. One acre-foot is enough water to supply up to two households for one year.
“In the previous drought, it took (the reservoirs) three years to get this low as they are in the second year of this drought,” Lund said.
The lake’s record low is 646 feet (197 meters), but the Department of Water Resources projects it will dip below that sometime in August or September. If that happens, the state will have to close the boat ramps for the first time ever because of low water levels, according to Aaron Wright, public safety chief for the Northern Buttes District of California State Parks. The only boat access to the lake would be an old dirt road that was built during the dam’s construction in the late 1960s.
“We have a reservoir up there that’s going to be not usable. And so now what?” said Eric Smith, an Oroville City Council member and president of its chamber of commerce.
The water level is so low at Lake Mendocino — a reservoir along the Russian River in Northern California — that state officials last week reduced the amount of water heading to 930 farmers, businesses and other junior water-rights holders.
“Unless we immediately reduce diversions, there is a real risk of Lake Mendocino emptying by the end of this year,” said Erik Ekdahl, deputy director for the State Water Board’s Division of Water Rights.
Low water levels across California will severely limit how much power the state can generate from hydroelectric power plants. When Lake Oroville is full, the Edward Hyatt Power Plant and others nearby can generate up to 900 megawatts of power, according to Behzad Soltanzadeh, chief of utility operations for the Department of Water Resources. One megawatt is enough to power between 800 and 1,000 homes.
That has some local officials worrying about power outages, especially after the state ran out of energy last summer during an extreme heat wave that prompted California's first rotating blackouts in 20 years. But energy officials say they are better prepared this summer, having obtained an additional 3,500 megawatts of capacity ahead of the scorching summer months.
The low levels are challenging for tourism officials. Bruce Spangler, president of the board of directors for Explore Butte County, grew up in Oroville and has fond memories of fishing with his grandfather and learning to launch and drive a boat before he could drive a car. But this summer, his organization has to be careful about how it markets the lake while managing visitors’ expectations, he said.
“We have to be sure we don’t promise something that can’t be,” he said.
Low lake levels haven’t stopped tourists from coming yet. With coronavirus restrictions lifting across the state, Wright — the state parks official for Northern California — said attendance at most parks in his area is double what it normally is this time of year.
“People are trying to recreate and use facilities even more so (because) they know they are going to lose them here in a few months,” he said.
___
Associated Press writer Brian Melley in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Adam Beam, The Associated Press
But now the mighty lake — a linchpin in a system of aqueducts and reservoirs in the arid U.S. West that makes California possible — is shrinking with surprising speed amid a severe drought, with state officials predicting it will reach a record low later this summer.
While droughts are common in California, this year's is much hotter and drier than others, evaporating water more quickly from the reservoirs and the sparse Sierra Nevada snowpack that feeds them. The state's more than 1,500 reservoirs are 50% lower than they should be this time of year, according to Jay Lund, co-director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at the University of California-Davis.
Over Memorial Day weekend, dozens of houseboats sat on cinderblocks at Lake Oroville because there wasn't enough water to hold them. Blackened trees lined the reservoir's steep, parched banks.
In nearby Folsom Lake, normally bustling boat docks rested on dry land, their buoys warning phantom boats to slow down. Campers occupied dusty riverbanks farther north at Shasta Lake.
But the impacts of dwindling reservoirs go beyond luxury yachts and weekend anglers. Salmon need cold water from the bottom of the reservoirs to spawn. The San Francisco Bay needs fresh water from the reservoirs to keep out the salt water that harms freshwater fish. Farmers need the water to irrigate their crops. Businesses need reservoirs full so people will come play in them and spend money.
And everyone needs the water to run hydroelectric power plants that supply much of the state's energy.
If Lake Oroville falls below 640 feet (195 meters) — which it could do by late August — state officials would shut down a major power plant for just the second time ever because of low water levels, straining the electrical grid during the peak demand of the hottest part of the summer.
In Northern California's Butte County, low water prompts another emotion: fear. The county suffered the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century in 2018 when 85 people died. Last year, another 16 people died in a wildfire.
Walking along the Bidwell Canyon trail last week, 63-year-old Lisa Larson was supposed to have a good view of the lake. Instead, she saw withered grass and trees.
“It makes me feel like our planet is literally drying up,” she said. “It makes me feel a little unsettled because the drier it gets, the more fires we are going to have.”
Droughts are a part of life in California, where a Mediterranean-style climate means the summers are always dry and the winters are not always wet. The state's reservoirs act as a savings account, storing water in the wet years to help the state survive during the dry ones.
Last year was the third driest year on record in terms of precipitation. Temperatures hit triple digits in much of California over the Memorial Day weekend, earlier than expected. State officials were surprised earlier this year when about 500,000 acre feet (61,674 hectare meters) of water they were expecting to flow into reservoirs never showed up. One acre-foot is enough water to supply up to two households for one year.
“In the previous drought, it took (the reservoirs) three years to get this low as they are in the second year of this drought,” Lund said.
The lake’s record low is 646 feet (197 meters), but the Department of Water Resources projects it will dip below that sometime in August or September. If that happens, the state will have to close the boat ramps for the first time ever because of low water levels, according to Aaron Wright, public safety chief for the Northern Buttes District of California State Parks. The only boat access to the lake would be an old dirt road that was built during the dam’s construction in the late 1960s.
“We have a reservoir up there that’s going to be not usable. And so now what?” said Eric Smith, an Oroville City Council member and president of its chamber of commerce.
The water level is so low at Lake Mendocino — a reservoir along the Russian River in Northern California — that state officials last week reduced the amount of water heading to 930 farmers, businesses and other junior water-rights holders.
“Unless we immediately reduce diversions, there is a real risk of Lake Mendocino emptying by the end of this year,” said Erik Ekdahl, deputy director for the State Water Board’s Division of Water Rights.
Low water levels across California will severely limit how much power the state can generate from hydroelectric power plants. When Lake Oroville is full, the Edward Hyatt Power Plant and others nearby can generate up to 900 megawatts of power, according to Behzad Soltanzadeh, chief of utility operations for the Department of Water Resources. One megawatt is enough to power between 800 and 1,000 homes.
That has some local officials worrying about power outages, especially after the state ran out of energy last summer during an extreme heat wave that prompted California's first rotating blackouts in 20 years. But energy officials say they are better prepared this summer, having obtained an additional 3,500 megawatts of capacity ahead of the scorching summer months.
The low levels are challenging for tourism officials. Bruce Spangler, president of the board of directors for Explore Butte County, grew up in Oroville and has fond memories of fishing with his grandfather and learning to launch and drive a boat before he could drive a car. But this summer, his organization has to be careful about how it markets the lake while managing visitors’ expectations, he said.
“We have to be sure we don’t promise something that can’t be,” he said.
Low lake levels haven’t stopped tourists from coming yet. With coronavirus restrictions lifting across the state, Wright — the state parks official for Northern California — said attendance at most parks in his area is double what it normally is this time of year.
“People are trying to recreate and use facilities even more so (because) they know they are going to lose them here in a few months,” he said.
___
Associated Press writer Brian Melley in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Adam Beam, The Associated Press
Caribbean refinery blows up on retirement funds
Arclight declined to comment on the performance of the investment. Arclight had been winding down its ownership in the refinery since last year and sold its remaining stake in April, a source familiar with the matter said.
Arclight added the refinery to its Energy Partners Fund VI portfolio after purchasing it out of bankruptcy in 2016 for $190 million, hoping to renovate and restart it, along with other investors. But the refinery, mothballed since 2012, never ran smoothly.
Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered the plant shut for at least 60 days after the refinery sprayed nearby neighborhoods with a petroleum mist.
The ownership company Arclight formed to oversee the refinery, Limetree Bay Ventures LLC, is now being dissolved, according to pension fund executives and documents viewed by Reuters. Contractors hired to help restart the refinery also claim they are still owed millions of dollars for their work, according to liens filed with the U.S. Virgin Islands Recorder of Deeds.
Linda Woods, 69, a retired English teacher in Maine, said she never liked the idea of her retirement dollars funding investments in fossil fuels.
But she said she hopes the problems at Limetree Bay will encourage the state legislature to limit oil and gas investments by the pension plan in the future. “This could be a watershed moment,” Woods said.
Earlier this year, New York City pension funds voted to divest their portfolios of some $4 billion worth of fossil fuel investments while other plans face pressure to take similar steps.
RETIREMENT SAVINGS HIT
Arclight closed a $5.6 billion capital campaign for the Energy Partners Fund VI in 2015, winning commitments from several pensions for investments in the private energy infrastructure sector that were not named at the time.
Top commitments included $200 million from the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio; $150 million from the Maine Public Employee Retirement System and $100 million from the Lancashire County Pension Fund in England.
Smaller investors included a pension fund run for Mayo Clinic employees and the Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle NFL Player Retirement Plan, financial disclosures show.
Ultimately, the fund ended up with investments that included Limetree Bay, as well as a major coal plant in Ohio and gas pipelines.
Heavy losses hit the fund last year when the Limetree refinery encountered operational problems. Other assets were also hit by slumping energy demand from the pandemic.
In the first quarter of 2020, the overall Arclight VI portfolio tumbled by $1.2 billion. That included a $246 million, or 93%, drop in Limetree Bay’s value, according to disclosures by the state of Connecticut retirement system, which invested $85 million in the fund.
The overall fund declined 26% during the 12-month period that ended March 31, according to financial disclosures by the Sacramento County Employees’ Retirement System, which invested $40 million.
The Lancashire fund, meanwhile, said investments in a fossil fuel-focused fund might not pass muster today: "Our investment strategy has evolved since this investment was made, and it would be less likely to meet our current criteria for responsible investment practices.”
Sandy Matheson, executive director of the Maine pension plan, described the developments at Limetree Bay as a “terrible situation.”
The Mayo clinic and the NFL pension plan declined to comment.
Debt holders have also taken a beating. After buying the plant, the Arclight-led ownership recapitalized the facility in 2018 with $1.2 billion in preferred equity and leveraged loan financing.
FS Energy & Power Fund, a business development company managed by EIG Global Energy Partners and FS Investments, disclosed in an investor presentation last month that interest payments on the refinery's debt have not been made in more than 90 days. The fund's refinery-backed debt was valued at $151 million after markdowns of more than 50% from the original principal.
Common and preferred equity stakes in the refinery project, meanwhile, no longer hold any value, according to U.S. regulatory filings by the fund.
EIG declined to comment.
(Editing by David Gregorio)
By Laura Sanicola and Tim McLaughlin
© Reuters/Alvin Baez FILE PHOTO: The installations of the
Hovensa petroleum refinery are seen in St Croix
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. private equity firm Arclight Capital Partners LLC, which invests the retirement savings of Maine teachers, NFL football players and Mayo Clinic doctors, lost hundreds of millions of dollars betting on a troubled Caribbean oil refinery, according to sources and documents reviewed by Reuters.Boston-based Arclight’s Energy Partners Fund VI, which held a majority stake in the Limetree Bay refinery on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, shed more than a quarter of its value in the year ended March 31, according to financial disclosures by a limited partner in the fund.The fund has since removed the refinery from its portfolio, while investors holding hundreds of millions of dollars of common and preferred equity in the facility have been forced to write it off as worthless, according to pension fund officials and financial disclosures.
Arclight declined to comment on the performance of the investment. Arclight had been winding down its ownership in the refinery since last year and sold its remaining stake in April, a source familiar with the matter said.
Arclight added the refinery to its Energy Partners Fund VI portfolio after purchasing it out of bankruptcy in 2016 for $190 million, hoping to renovate and restart it, along with other investors. But the refinery, mothballed since 2012, never ran smoothly.
Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered the plant shut for at least 60 days after the refinery sprayed nearby neighborhoods with a petroleum mist.
The ownership company Arclight formed to oversee the refinery, Limetree Bay Ventures LLC, is now being dissolved, according to pension fund executives and documents viewed by Reuters. Contractors hired to help restart the refinery also claim they are still owed millions of dollars for their work, according to liens filed with the U.S. Virgin Islands Recorder of Deeds.
Linda Woods, 69, a retired English teacher in Maine, said she never liked the idea of her retirement dollars funding investments in fossil fuels.
But she said she hopes the problems at Limetree Bay will encourage the state legislature to limit oil and gas investments by the pension plan in the future. “This could be a watershed moment,” Woods said.
Earlier this year, New York City pension funds voted to divest their portfolios of some $4 billion worth of fossil fuel investments while other plans face pressure to take similar steps.
RETIREMENT SAVINGS HIT
Arclight closed a $5.6 billion capital campaign for the Energy Partners Fund VI in 2015, winning commitments from several pensions for investments in the private energy infrastructure sector that were not named at the time.
Top commitments included $200 million from the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio; $150 million from the Maine Public Employee Retirement System and $100 million from the Lancashire County Pension Fund in England.
Smaller investors included a pension fund run for Mayo Clinic employees and the Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle NFL Player Retirement Plan, financial disclosures show.
Ultimately, the fund ended up with investments that included Limetree Bay, as well as a major coal plant in Ohio and gas pipelines.
Heavy losses hit the fund last year when the Limetree refinery encountered operational problems. Other assets were also hit by slumping energy demand from the pandemic.
In the first quarter of 2020, the overall Arclight VI portfolio tumbled by $1.2 billion. That included a $246 million, or 93%, drop in Limetree Bay’s value, according to disclosures by the state of Connecticut retirement system, which invested $85 million in the fund.
The overall fund declined 26% during the 12-month period that ended March 31, according to financial disclosures by the Sacramento County Employees’ Retirement System, which invested $40 million.
The Lancashire fund, meanwhile, said investments in a fossil fuel-focused fund might not pass muster today: "Our investment strategy has evolved since this investment was made, and it would be less likely to meet our current criteria for responsible investment practices.”
Sandy Matheson, executive director of the Maine pension plan, described the developments at Limetree Bay as a “terrible situation.”
The Mayo clinic and the NFL pension plan declined to comment.
Debt holders have also taken a beating. After buying the plant, the Arclight-led ownership recapitalized the facility in 2018 with $1.2 billion in preferred equity and leveraged loan financing.
FS Energy & Power Fund, a business development company managed by EIG Global Energy Partners and FS Investments, disclosed in an investor presentation last month that interest payments on the refinery's debt have not been made in more than 90 days. The fund's refinery-backed debt was valued at $151 million after markdowns of more than 50% from the original principal.
Common and preferred equity stakes in the refinery project, meanwhile, no longer hold any value, according to U.S. regulatory filings by the fund.
EIG declined to comment.
(Editing by David Gregorio)
Fossil secret may shed light on the diversity of Earth's first animals
IMAGE: DRS. MINTER AND BATH ENRIGHT, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH'S SCHOOL OF THE ENVIRONMENT, GEOGRAPHY AND GEOSCIENCES, STUDIED THE BURGESS SHALE AREA OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, BOTH ON LOCATION IN THE... view more
CREDIT: DR. ORLA BATH ENRIGHT
A large group of iconic fossils widely believed to shed light on the origins of many of Earth's animals and the communities they lived in may be hiding a secret.
Scientists, led by two from the University of Portsmouth, UK, are the first to model how exceptionally well preserved fossils that record the largest and most intense burst of evolution ever seen could have been moved by mudflows.
The finding, published in Communications Earth & Environment, offers a cautionary note on how palaeontologists build a picture from the remains of the creatures they study.
Until now, it has been widely accepted the fossils buried in mudflows in the Burgess Shale in Canada that show the result of the Cambrian explosion 505 million years ago had all lived together but that's now in doubt.
The Cambrian explosion was responsible for kick-starting the huge diversity of animal life now seen on the planet.
Now, Dr Nic Minter and Dr Orla Bath Enright have found that some of the animals which became fossils could have remained well preserved even after being carried large distances, throwing doubt on the idea the creatures all lived together.
Dr Minter said: "This finding might surprise scientists or lead to them striking a more cautionary tone in how they interpret early marine ecosystems from half a billion years ago.
"It has been assumed that because the Burgess Shale fossils are so well preserved, they couldn't have been transported over large distances. However, this new research shows that the general type of flow responsible for the deposits in which they were buried does not cause further damage to deceased animals. This means the fossils found in individual layers of sediment, and assumed to represent animal communities, could actually have been living far apart in distance."
Drs Minter and Bath Enright, of the University of Portsmouth's School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences, studied the Burgess Shale area of British Columbia, both on location in the field and with laboratory experiments.
The site is an area rich in fossils entombed in the deposits of mudflows and is one of the world's most important fossil sites, with more than 65,000 specimens already collected and, so far, more than 120 species counted.
The Burgess Shale area has been fundamental to scientists in understanding the origins of animal groups and the communities they lived among and has been closely studied multiple times.
The researchers, together with collaborators from the Universities of Southampton and Saskatchewan in Canada, used fieldwork to identify how the mudflows would have behaved, and then used flume tank laboratory tests to mimic the mudflows and are confident that the bodies of certain creatures could have been moved over tens of kilometres without damage, creating the illusion of animal communities which never existed.
The Burgess Shale was discovered in the early 1900s and led to the idea of the 'Cambrian explosion' of life, with the appearance of animals representing almost all the modern phyla, and inspiring copious research and discoveries.
Dr Bath Enright said: "Many would argue that it is fundamental, even ground zero for scientists in understanding the diversity of life."
It's not known precisely what caused the mudflows which buried and moved the animals which became fossilised, but the area was subject to multiple flows, causing well preserved fossils to be found at many different levels in the shale.
"We don't know over what kind of overall time frame these many flows happened, but we know each one produced an 'event bed' that we see today stacked up on top of one another. These flows could pick up animals from multiple places as they moved across the seafloor and then dropped them all together in one place," said Dr Bath Enright.
"When we see multiple species accumulated together it can give the illusion we are seeing a single community. But we argue that an individual 'event bed' could be the product of several communities of animals being picked up from multiple places by a mudflow and then deposited together to give what looks like a much more complicated single community of animals.
"Palaeontologists need to appreciate the nature of the sediments that fossils are preserved within and what the implications of that are. We could be overestimating the complexity of early marine animal communities and therefore the patterns and drivers of evolution that have led to our present day diversity and complexity."
The researchers hope to do further study to investigate whether differences in the species that are present in other fossil sites are due to evolutionary changes through time or the nature of the flows and the effects of transport and preservation of the fossils.
CAPTION
Drs. Minter and Bath Enright, of the University of Portsmouth's School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences, studied the Burgess Shale area of British Columbia, both on location in the field and with laboratory experiments.
CREDIT
Dr. Orla Bath Enright
UN urges intense restoration of nature to address climate and biodiversity crises
Launching the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, UN calls on countries to meet commitments to restore 1 billion hectares of land
IMAGE: LAUNCHING THE UN DECADE ON ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION, A NEW UNEP/FAO REPORT SAYS THE WORLD MUST DELIVER ON EXISTING COMMITMENTS TO RESTORE AT LEAST 1 BILLION DEGRADED HECTARES OF LAND -... view more
CREDIT: UNEP/FAO
Facing the triple threat of climate change, loss of nature and pollution, the world must deliver on its commitment to restore at least one billion degraded hectares of land in the next decade - an area about the size of China. Countries also need to add similar commitments for oceans, according to a new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), launched as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 gets underway.
The report, #GenerationRestoration: Ecosystem restoration for People, Nature and Climate, highlights that humanity is using about 1.6 times the amount of services that nature can provide sustainably.
That means conservation efforts alone are insufficient to prevent large-scale ecosystem collapse and biodiversity loss. Global terrestrial restoration costs - not including costs of restoring marine ecosystems - are estimated to be at least USD 200 billion per year by 2030. The report outlines that every 1 USD invested in restoration creates up to USD 30 in economic benefits.
Ecosystems requiring urgent restoration include farmlands, forests, grasslands and savannahs, mountains, peatlands, urban areas, freshwaters, and oceans.
Communities living across almost two billion of degraded hectares of land include some of the world's poorest and marginalized.
"This report presents the case for why we must all throw our weight behind a global restoration effort. Drawing on the latest scientific evidence, it sets out the crucial role played by ecosystems, from forests and farmland to rivers and oceans, and it charts the losses that result from a poor stewardship of the planet," UNEP Executive Director, Inger Andersen, and FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, wrote in the report's foreword.
"Degradation is already affecting the well-being of an estimated 3.2 billion people - that is 40 percent of the world's population. Every single year we lose ecosystem services worth more than 10 percent of our global economic output," they added, stressing that "massive gains await us" by reversing these trends.
Ecosystem restoration is the process of halting and overturning degradation, resulting in cleaner air and water, extreme weather mitigation, better human health, and recovered biodiversity, including improved pollination of plants. Restoration encompasses a wide continuum of practices, from reforestation to re-wetting peatlands and coral rehabilitation.
It contributes to the realization of multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including health, clean water, and peace and security, and to the objectives of the three 'Rio Conventions' on Climate, Biodiversity, and Desertification.
Actions that prevent, halt and reverse degradation are necessary to meet the Paris Agreement target of keeping global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius.
Restoration, if combined with stopping further conversion of natural ecosystems, may help avoid 60 percent of expected biodiversity extinctions. It can be highly efficient in producing multiple economic, social and ecological benefits concurrently - for example, agroforestry alone has the potential to increase food security for 1.3 billion people, while investments in agriculture, mangrove protection and water management will help adapt to climate change, with benefits around four times the original investment.
Reliable monitoring of restoration efforts is essential, both to track progress and to attract private and public investments. In support of this effort, FAO and UNEP also launch today the Digital Hub for the UN Decade, which includes the Framework for Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring.
The Framework enables countries and communities to measure the progress of restoration projects across key ecosystems, helping to build ownership and trust in restoration efforts. It also incorporates the Drylands Restoration Initiatives Platform, which collects and analyses data, shares lessons and assists in the design of drylands restoration projects, and an interactive geospatial mapping tool to assess the best locations for forest restoration.
Restoration must involve all stakeholders including individuals, businesses, associations, and governments. Crucially, it must respect the needs and rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and incorporate their knowledge, experience and capacities to ensure restoration plans are implemented and sustained.
###
NOTES TO EDITORS
About the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 is a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world, for the benefit of people and nature. It aims to halt the degradation of ecosystems and restore them to achieve global goals. The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed the UN Decade and it is led by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The UN Decade is building a strong, broad-based global movement to ramp up restoration and put the world on track for a sustainable future. That will include building political momentum for restoration as well as thousands of initiatives on the ground.
About the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.
About the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and transform agri-food systems, making them more resilient, sustainable and inclusive. Our goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With over 194 Members, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.
Most Americans support Medicare negotiation despite claims it would hurt innovation
IMAGE: FEW AMERICANS BELIEVE NEGOTIATING DRUG PRICES WILL HURT PHARMACEUTICAL INNOVATION AND COMPETITION; MOST WANT GOVERNMENT TO PLAY MAJOR ROLE IN CONTROLLING COSTS view more
CREDIT: WEST HEALTH-GALLUP
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 3, 2021 -- A new West Health/Gallup survey finds nearly all Democrats (97%) and the majority of Republicans (61%) support empowering the federal government to negotiate lower prices of brand-name prescription drugs covered by Medicare. Overall, 8 in 10 Americans prefer major government action to control prices over concerns about it hurting innovation and competition from the pharmaceutical industry. The results come from a nationally representative poll of more than 3,700 American adults.
While President Joe Biden, Democrats in Congress and former President Donald Trump have called for such negotiation, Republicans on Capitol Hill and the pharmaceutical industry itself have been fiercely opposed to the measure, claiming lower prices would hurt competition and reduce innovation. However, this belief is not widely shared among the American people. According to the survey, less than 20% of all Americans believe Medicare negotiation would hurt innovation or market competition, including a minority of Republicans (39%).
"Americans aren't buying the claim that attempts to reign in drug prices will stifle innovation and devastate the pharmaceutical industry," said Tim Lash, Chief Strategy Officer for West Health, a family of nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations dedicated to lowering healthcare costs to enable successful aging. "These misleading arguments are meant to preserve profits rather than protect patients. The time has come to finally enable Medicare negotiation. Americans are becoming increasing restless for it to happen even if the pharmaceutical companies are not."
If enacted, Medicare negotiation as described in H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, is projected to save the federal government, businesses, and workers hundreds of billions of dollars by 2030. According to a new analysis from West Health and its Council for Informed Drug Spending Analysis (CIDSA), private employers could also save $195 billion and workers would see another $98 billion in savings. These savings are in addition to the estimated savings of $456 billion in federal direct spending forecast by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
When choosing between the need for major reform in drug pricing and maintaining the status quo, 90% of Americans chose to support reforms, including 96% of Democrats, 88% of Independents and 83% of Republicans. Sweeping support also exists for specific actions including setting limits on out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs (87% strongly or somewhat supporting) and general healthcare (84%) in Medicare and limiting hospital charges for those with private insurance (83%), and allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices for all Americans, not just Medicare beneficiaries, is supported by 70% of respondents.
"There is little question that substantial public support exists for more government action when it comes to addressing drug costs," said Dan Witters, Gallup senior researcher. "And while there are differences across the political spectrum, even among Republicans, sentiment for public action is substantial."
###
About Gallup
Gallup delivers analytics and advice to help leaders and organizations solve their most pressing problems. Combining more than 80 years of experience with its global reach, Gallup knows more about the attitudes and behaviors of employees, customers, students and citizens than any other organization in the world.
About West Health
Solely funded by philanthropists Gary and Mary West, West Health is a family of nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations including the Gary and Mary West Foundation and Gary and Mary West Health Institute in San Diego, and the Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center in Washington, D.C. West Health is dedicated to lowering healthcare costs to enable seniors to successfully age in place with access to high-quality, affordable health and support services that preserve and protect their dignity, quality of life and independence. Learn more at westhealth.org and follow @westhealth.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)