New Brunswick cottagers get court order blocking fish eradication in Miramichi area


MIRAMICHI, N.B. — A controversial plan to use a pesticide to get rid of invasive smallmouth bass in New Brunswick's Miramichi watershed has hit a legal roadblock.



A cease-and-desist order was issued Tuesday by Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Terrence Morrison to the coalition of groups that want to conduct the operation involving a chemical known as rotenone.

The court order names Daniel Houghton, a cottage owner on Miramichi Lake, as one of three plaintiffs, and bars any action on that lake, Lake Brook and a portion of the Southwest Miramichi River until an injunction hearing on Aug. 17.

In an interview Wednesday, Houghton said he and at least eight other cottage owners sought the court injunction on Aug. 2 to block the spraying of the chemical to kill fish in the area.

“Why are we poisoning a 600-acre lake to kill everything in it when there is clearly not that large of a (bass) population — a population that can be easily managed by other methods,” he said.

Houghton said the court order was issued to the Working Group on Smallmouth Bass Eradication in the Miramichi after it emailed cottage owners on Tuesday informing them of their intention to move ahead with the use of the chemical within 24 hours.

The working group wants to destroy smallmouth bass because the fish can alter ecosystems by preying on native species such as Atlantic salmon and brook trout. It put the federally approved operation on hold last September after protesters refused to leave the affected areas.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the group composed of Indigenous and non-governmental organizations such as the North Shore Micmac District Council and the Atlantic Salmon Federation, said it was unaware that an emergency court hearing took place Tuesday and added that it was unable to present any arguments or evidence.

“As a result, the working group was forced to dismiss more than 130 personnel from around the world who were staged in Fredericton, ready to complete our legal conservation project,” the group said. “The working group intends to vigorously oppose the cottage owners' request for the injunction to be extended.”

Houghton said the injunction is about restoring peace of mind to people who enjoy the area and own property there.

“I’m never going to feel confident sending my kids and my dogs out in the water again while in the back of my mind I’m thinking whether there’s something that’s changed here that could create some long-term health effects,” he said.

In their court documents, the cottagers say rotenone would kill all of the fish in the lake and not just smallmouth bass. They contend they wouldn’t be able to swim or fish for at least a year and the rotting of fish killed by the chemical would cause “irreparable harm.” None of the claims have been proven in court.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2022.

— By Keith Doucette in Halifax

The Canadian Press

Scientists from U of L working to bring rice to Alberta

With Alberta, and in particular southern Alberta, being home to a large amount of dedicated and hard-working farmers many crops have already been grown in this province.

However, this is not stopping Michele Konschuh, Irrigated Crop scientist at the University of Lethbridge, as she has partnered with several other businesses of interest to try and bring a new crop to the field. Those very same farmers may find it quite surprising that the new crop being considered is rice. Konschuh was able to provide more detail about this endeavour and what may soon come to southern Alberta.

“I can’t lay claim to the idea,” said Konschuh. “The university was approached by a company called Galaxy Ag Ventures and they were looking for someone to help them with some neat ideas they had. Se Hong Park, who is the principal of the company, came to us and said ‘You know we would really like to grow rice in Alberta.’ They approached me and I said ‘You’ve got to be crazy.’ The thing is that they also brought with them some technologies. I had to learn a little bit more about rice it’s certainly not something I grew up with, or something that has grown here. Now the rice that I picture being grown is what they call lowland rice where you flood fields and people transplant into those flooded fields and you grow rice that way. That’s not entirely necessary for rice. Rice is not actually an aquatic plant, but the water in that setting is used to suppress weed to prevent pests from getting the rice.”

Konschuh spoke about her scepticism of this project before doing more research into rice.

“I didn’t think that was going to be feasible here, but I found out there was also upland rice. Upland rice production is where they don’t flood the fields and where that rice is grown more like a regular crop. Rice is grown in the U.S., and the U.S. is number five in rice production in the world, which really surprised me and in the U.S. it is mechanized. I could see a fit here if we could grow it in upland conditions and if we could mechanize it.”

After this, Konschuh talked about some of the technology that could help facilitate the growth of rice in Alberta.

“One of the technologies they brought forward is called FSC film for seed film cultivation and that’s a Korean product,” said Konschuh. “It’s basically a biodegradable plastic layer that you can attach the rice to and the rice will grow up through flutes in the opening. The plastic is well served for several purposes. One, it will warm up our cold soil in the spring — another is it will trap moisture in the field, and the third it will prevent weed growth between the plants. With the technology, I thought, ‘well, you might be onto something maybe we can try it here.’ To explore the topic, we have approached Farming Smarter, they have wonderful skilled technical people, the wherewithal to make this happen, and they have irrigation. We need to work with someone to make that happen, so we partnered with Galaxy Ag, and Farming Smarter to try this project out. We started with a few approaches of seeding it, and two different styles of irrigation, and this year were really on the learning curve to see what can be done here.”

Konschuh then began to discuss the first steps of the project.

“It’s a great first. We have grown transplants in the greenhouse at the university and we transplanted some of them in the field. They seemed shocked to experience our environment after being in the comfort of the greenhouse. They seemed really horrified. Those plants haven’t really thrived or taken off yet. We also tried direct seeding some of those and they actually caught and we have small rice plants. Then we have some attached to the seed film and that probably has so far worked the best because the weed control is quite good and the rice took off a little sooner. I’d say we actually have plants growing in Alberta. I don’t know if they’re going to reach seed production and maturity this year — small steps first. One of the things I learned about rice is that it prefers a short day length, and of course, as you know in Alberta, at this time of year we have a long day length. We might have to find a variety that is photoperiod insensitive to grow here and also something that’s a little bit shorter season or more adapted to a cold start in the spring, but at least we have plants growing in so it’s been a modest success.”

Konschuh also spoke about selecting the right type of rice plant for this area as well as their next steps for the project.

“We also did some work with some germplasm (a term to describe certain parts of the plant that are used within crop breeding and research such as the seeds) evaluation in the greenhouse at the university and just getting our feet wet with how rice grows, what does it need to be successful,” said Konschuh. “I think there’s an opportunity to select varieties that can thrive in this area, but we need to work with a breeding program. Probably the next step and at this time it is just a one-year project with the company. I think our next steps will involve germplasm selection where we are looking for germplasm from different sources around the world to see what has a better fit in our environment, and this year we hope to figure out our best planting strategy, and best irrigation strategy. Then we can go forward with the best practices that we learn from this year and try some germplasm selection of those.”

Following the discussion of the initial progress with growing rice in Alberta, Konschuh spoke on how they are planning to go forward with this project, and if southern Alberta in particular will be a good location for growing rice.

“A couple of things, certainly irriga- tion is going to be key. In that sense, southern Alberta will be a great place. We have a little bit — I call it kind of a banana belt — but we have a little longer growing season here, we have access to irrigation, and we have some of the most skilled and progressive farmers in this area. In that sense, I think southern Alberta might be a good fit. There are other parts of the province that may have the moisture needed for rice maybe they’re lacking something else there. I think we’ll try to hear first. We do know that it’s been grown successfully in B.C. and in Ontario. I don’t think it’s going to be something that happens very quickly — I think we will need a few years to try and find good varieties and get a few people interested in growing very small plots.”

Konschuh also described the ultimate goal of bringing rice as a growable crop into Alberta.

“The ultimate goal for this company though is not to grow rice as a staple or a food product, it’s to grow rice as value-added ingredients because there are so many gluten-free products on the market that require rice starch, or rice protein, or rice oils that they would like to fractionate the rice crop into the high valley components. I think that they may be able to get to that goal sooner by importing rice and getting to that goal, and bringing along the production of rice alongside that.”

Finally, Konschuh touched on what farmers should do if they’re interested in participating in this upcoming project.

“Well, rice it’s a cereal crop, so very similar in some ways to wheat or barley, so as long as they have a direct seeder — some type of planting equipment, a drill or an air seeder, or something like that — then they could potentially get into rice production,” said Konschuh. “They could contact me at the university, they can find me on the website, or they can contact me at m.konschuh@uleth.ca. If they would like to reach out, they can either reach out to me or through Galaxy Ag, and if they’re interested in being a host site we might be able to go to the next step and go to slightly larger plots in the future.”

Ian Croft, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Taber Times

'You only heard about the Pope. The focus should be on survivors'

Gerri Sharpe, president of the Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada. 

Photo: Submitted by Pauktuutit

Gerri Sharpe's encounter with the Pope went viral. Roy Fabian compared this papal tour to the first one he witnessed, in 1987. They shared their experience of Pope Francis' trip to Canada.

While visiting Edmonton, Quebec City and Iqaluit, the Pope delivered an apology many had been waiting for and eventually acknowledged the Church's role in the genocide of Indigenous peoples in Canada, asking in a talk the following week for "forgiveness in the name of the Church."

That new phrasing was important for many survivors, even if it was not delivered in Canada, as his initial address stopped short of a broad apology on behalf of the Catholic Church as a whole.

Hundreds of residential school survivors and Elders travelled vast distances to see the Pope in person and hear him speak. For many, showing up at those events was not just about listening, but a personal and radical act of resilience and power.

When Gerri Sharpe, president of Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, met with the Pope, her message and the image she posted to Facebook were shared by thousands of people.

She recounted to Cabin Radio the story behind the photo.

Gerri Sharpe: The meeting was held at a school — on purpose. You need to remember that right across both territories, the centres of every single community are the schools. From your point of view, maybe a school is where children go to learn. From the community's perspective, it is where everything happens.

When he first arrived at the school gym, there was a parade of people that came before him. I will tell you that to watch that entourage of ministers, priests and bishops with their black robes come in was traumatizing. When they passed, that was when the audience saw the Pope being wheeled into the gym.

There were Elders that immediately started crying. It wasn't quiet. And they were speaking in Inuktitut. I don't know if what they said was being communicated to the Pope, but it ranged from 'How could you do this to us?' to 'You love us' to 'Why is it only now that this is happening?'

That initial moment — many felt it — was like a splash of cold water to the face. And as four survivors told their stories, you could almost see and feel the heaviness in the room. A few times I did look towards the Pope. I was sitting very close to him. When I looked at the interpreter, he had tears in his eyes as he spoke.

I knew, when I spoke to him, that I wanted to show him my tattoos. I knew it was something that I could talk about calmly, that would ground me, that I would not be upset about. I had already resolved that I wasn't going to feel that anger when I spoke to him, I wasn't going to be angry. Because I already had an idea of what I wanted to say, and if I had gone anywhere near the topic of my mother, in that moment, I would have burst into tears.

In my generation, the abuses that I suffered, I suffered from other students. It wasn't from teachers or supervisors. I was the victim of victims. In my mother's generation, she was the one who would protect the other children. She was the oldest in her family. I was told stories of how she would offer herself up to protect those that were younger, the rotten food she was given, the cold rooms she was left in, the amount of beatings she would take, the names she was called, the amount of brainwashing that she went through. She relived it for the rest of her life, not even able to numb it with alcohol. Having to relive all that continuously is not what I experienced. That is what my mother and her generation experienced.

She attended many schools from the age of 4-19, including in Aklavik, Inuvik and Yellowknife.

She died in 2005, from cancers that she refused to see doctors about because of her trauma. It was a month before the announcement that the TRC would be formed. Her experience in residential schools is why she did not have any parenting skills. That's what I had to gain back for my children. And that's what was important for me to show: that I still have my culture, that I am a strong Inuk woman.

I really don't even think that it has to do with him, in a way. It has to do with being Inuit, and being able to show where we still are and what we almost lost. And that's what I told him: that we almost lost the meaning of the tattoos, because the Church tried to say it was evil. Even 15 years ago, traditional tattooing was still frowned upon, even by Inuit who are very grounded in their own culture. The Church had played such a role in their lives that religion and culture got mixed up in ways it never should have.

That was the significance of showing my tattoos: not as a way of penance or punishment, not to get an apology, but as vindication. This is what we've done. This is how we're still moving forward.

He had interpreters talking in his ears, one male and one female. They were all listening intently to what I was saying. And I felt that he understood. He smiled at me, he looked at my hands, at my tattoos, and I do think that it impacted him.

Many people had very different expectations as to what this visit would look like. And regardless of what those expectations were, these are fresh steps towards reconciliation. That's what we need to remember.



Related video: Indigenous people share what they want to say to Pope Francis





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But as we reflect, I want to emphasize that the focus from media and from others should not be on the Pope — it should be on survivors. There are so many residential school survivors that are still alive, that have stories that they didn't get to share. You only heard about the Pope. This is where I hope there isn't going to trauma re-opened as a result. This is a moment for worldwide attention to be focused on those survivors, for reconciliation to take a giant leap forward, and for the rest of the world to know why it was important that he came here.

For Roy Fabian, the delegation from the Kátł'odeeche First Nation to Edmonton brought back many old memories.

Almost 35 years earlier, on September 20, 1987, he had been part of the security team in Fort Simpson, holding back crowds that had gathered to see Pope John Paul II. He had mixed feelings about the Papal visit then but was assigned to stand near the podium, where he was able to see and listen closely to what was said.

Roy Fabian: Back then, I still hadn't done any work on myself, so there was still a lot of anger and resentment towards the Church. So I was confused about the whole visit, but I also knew it was an important event, because the Elders were the ones requesting that the Pope come to the people.

And I listened to the Elders as they spoke to the Pope in their own language. Because I was fluent in Dene, I really understood what the Elders were talking about, and I heard them talking about how we could begin to relate to one another in a good way.

That, to me, was quite significant. And the Pope's message at that time kind-of surprised me. He didn't apologize, like this Pope did, but what he did say was: 'No culture should be put down and oppressed. That is not the Christian way.' He encouraged Indigenous people to begin to uphold our culture and our customs. To be strong Indigenous people. For me, that was new.

At that time, I was just starting to think about what was happening with me as an individual, and I was quite early in my healing. But I thought about that message.

In 1988, the Elders nominated me for chief. At that time, being the way that I was, I didn't even think of asking my wife, I just accepted the nomination. I went home for supper that day and told her I had been nominated. She asked me, 'Are you going to run?' and I said yes. We sat there and ate for a while. Then she said, 'Roy... you're not ready to be chief.'

I was a little bit shocked. But I was also determined. So I ran for chief and I did get elected. Back then, the term for chief was two years. By the end of that two years I found out what my wife was talking about. I wasn't ready. And I began to realize that I wasn't a healthy person. I talked to the Elders that had asked me to run and I told them that I needed healing. And I asked them if they would support me to go for treatment. They supported me. I had been a falling-down drunk and all on my own, I managed to quit drinking. Then I went to treatment.

It really was an eye-opener... how sick I really was, you know? My way of thinking was that of a colonized Dene, but at the time I didn't know that's what it was. I was racist, angry and resentful. I thought I was right all the time. Deep down, I had so much shame about being who I was, about being Dene.

It wasn't an easy journey. Being colonized, being a colonized person, you don't know that there's any other way to think. You have to challenge your way of thinking and replace it with Dene concepts. And those concepts are simple: love, kindness, respect and caring for one another.

When you're colonized, your heart might be in the right place, but you don't know how to follow it. You might learn in your head to start thinking differently, but in order to learn in your heart, you need Dene ceremonies. It's there that you learn that the opposite of love is fear. The opposite of kindness is cruelty. The opposite of respect is contempt. And the opposite of caring is neglect.

I worked as executive director of a treatment program, and then at the Dene Cultural Institute as a training coordinator, passing on those lessons, becoming more and more Dene.

That's what I've been doing in the many years since that first visit in 1987. So this time around, being present for the Pope's visit was really special. Because I'm a little bit more Dene than I was then. I'm a little bit more humble, more in harmony with things. I honour people, and I'm humane. And those are Dene ways.

So when I went there, I didn't go with any real purpose. I just wanted to be there and listen to the Pope. And being a former chief, I knew all the chiefs across Canada. They were going to have a grand entry with all the chiefs, and one of them recognized me and invited to me join them.

I hesitated because that wasn't my purpose. But at the same time, it was a honour, and I didn't want to reject that. So I agreed, and walked with all the other chiefs. And it was a really humbling experience for me. But at the same time, I just felt that I belonged there. I showed up with humility, with honour, with humanity. I felt the blessing the Pope offered.

To me, it wasn't important that I shake his hand or anything. Just being there in his presence was enough.

One of the things I learned from my Elders is that Dene people believe that God manifests through creation, and God is in everything. In the air, in the fire, in the water, in the land, in the trees and everything, including you and me. We're all God's spirit.

The Pope is a great man from his own world. Every culture out there, God gave them certain gifts, certain ways of relating. And there's nobody that's right or wrong. Nobody is more or better. And to me, that's where the Pope made his apology. He talked about how supremacy was applied to try to make us succumb. To take away our culture and our language, our way of knowing.

Because for the Dene, our way of relating is with the land. Through the land, we gained our beliefs, our values, our knowledge and our skills. And we thrived on the land. So that's who we are. That's what we lost. I don't think many people know how much we lost because what they know is the colonized way. They know oppression. They know concepts that keep us colonized. That's what I've learned from the Elders, since that first visit.

In 1987, I was confused. But this time, I knew why I was there. I had fulfilled the Pope's message, to uphold our culture and our customs.

It still hurts, when you see your people suffering, and the sad thing is that they don't even know that they are suffering. We've got a lot of work to do, still. But for me as an individual, the Pope's visit was a kind of crowning... of what I accomplished over the past 35 years.

The National Indian Residential School Crisis Line is open for 24 hours a day, seven days a week for those needing to talk. Call 1-855-925-4419. The Dene Nation also has a list of supports available.

Caitrin Pilkington, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio

Metis advocate discusses why he did not attend any component of the Papal Visit

(ANNews) – Joshua Morin is part of a new generation of Indigenous Advocates who did not see the value in attending the Pope’s Visit to Canada but instead focused on rebuilding their Indigenous ideology, belief systems, language, and community.

He is also an example of why several advocates chose to give surviving Indigenous elders respect and waited until the Pope left Canada to express their thoughts on why they don’t accept the pope’s apology.

The Pope’s apology came too late for many Indigenous people, including the Morin family.

Many indigenous people such as Morin are left picking up the pieces or living through the pain caused by intergenerational trauma from family members who attended residential schools.

“To me, the apology will come when we see what the Catholic church does after this.” – Joshua Morin.

Morin currently works with three non-profits within the Edmonton region that serve the local community: Bent Arrow, Centre for Race and Culture, and Michif Cultural Connections Society.

He decided to focus on the Metis Nation of Alberta’s most significant event called “Back to Batoche” which took place July 21-24 at the historic Batoche site where the Metis Nation had its last militarized battle against the Canadian Government.

Before that, the Metis Nation of Alberta hosted a grassland ceremony with Maskwacis Cree at Elk Island Park to bring the Metis and Cree ceremony back to the land and the bison.

“I felt these events and the ceremony were my top priority, despite the papal visit. I am also not a follower of Catholicism or Christianity, so it would be tough for me to connect to the Pope’s visit on the religious level,” said Morin

He noted that one of his current roles is Vice President for the St. Albert Sturgeon Metis Local 1904 and Pearson’s Publishing Indigenous advisory circle.

The United Nations declared 2022 – 2032 the decade of Indigenous languages and Morin says that relearning Indigenous languages is paramount for all Indigenous cultures. It is also what makes Nations a distinct culture, and if we lose our language, we lose our culture.

According to the website, “The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed the period between 2022 and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL 2022-2032) to draw global attention to the critical status of many Indigenous languages around the world and to mobilize stakeholders and resources for their preservation.”

Morin explained, “From my knowledge of what my Grandma and Mother have told me, my family is impacted by residential schools, and we deal with forms of intergenerational trauma.”

He said his Great Grandmother Julia Boucher attended residential school and was baptized by Father Lacombe in St. Albert.

“When she entered the school, she was technically under Treaty, but as soon as she went into the school, the Indian agent wrote that my Great Grandmother ceased to be Indian,” said Morin.

His Great Grandmother applied for what they called Metis scrip, so the church could attain her land since scrip was a form of land fraud created by the Canadian Government.

“My Great Grandfather Paul Villeneuve attended residential school and spoke a variety of languages including Michif, Cree, Blackfoot, English, and French. After that, we started as a family mainly speaking English at home when my Grandma was born.”

Related video: Indigenous people share what they want to say to Pope Francis
Duration 8:30    View on Watch

His Grandma did not attend residential school but participated at an early public school in the Calgary area when she had kids.

“Canada’s mission to assimilate children during the 60s scoop directly impacted my family aggressively,” said Morin. “When my Grandmother was in her adult years, the Government scooped her kids, my older Aunts, and Uncles and placed them into residential school and after they went into children services.”

“My Grandma advocated to see her kids again, and eventually she got them back, and thankfully my Mom and her two younger siblings did not attend Residential school,” said Morin.

“We are still working as a family to relearn our Michif language and find the rest of our family who were taken through colonization. One Auntie I didn’t discover until I was in Grade five.”

“I firmly believe that apologizing means you have to change what you are doing.” – Joshua Morin

“Will churches consult with Indigenous Nations that uphold the standards of UNDRIP to begin genuine healing?”

Morin said questions need to be answered about whether the churches across Canada will return artifacts obtained legally from former residential school survivors.

He explained, “Researcher Gloria Bell questions if the artifacts were not gifted but rather taken from kids in residential schools. A way to move forward following the apology would be to create a plan so we can return these relatives home to our communities.”

He said he believes that recognition involves giving land back.

“The Catholic church owns a ton of land within Canada,” said Morin.

“Many Indigenous communities across Canada are starting to look for unmarked graves located near former residential school sites. One of the hurdles they run into is private land owned by the church, which they have trouble accessing for ground scanning.”

“Catholic Churches within Canada should allow us to scan their properties openly where residential school sites were located and they should open full access to their records, collection, and archives so we can cross reference data.” – Joshua Morin

“Speaking for myself, I feel that the Church has done this in an attempt to say they are resolved now and that people can follow Catholicism again, without acknowledging the long history of Residential schools and oppression they have created,” said Morin.

A genuine apology comes with action, he added.

“Also, there have been questions raised by the fact that the Pope got a paved road in Lac St Anne and important roads closed off in Edmonton while Indigenous communities across Canada still struggle with infrastructure, clean drinking water, access to education, and inherent rights and much more.”

“I have to acknowledge that this apology wasn’t for me but for the living Residential school survivors across Canada, such as my Aunts and Uncles who have passed away now.” – Joshua Morin.

“If this apology has helped anyone who is a survivor during this time, it is important for me to recognize that and be grateful that it did help that person, or it has helped people across what is now Canada.”

Morin acknowledges that every Indigenous nation and every culture has its different ideologies of gifts given to public figures.

He said, “I would have gifted the Pope a letter from Bishop Grandin in 1880 to the Saskatchewan Herald, where he requested up to 1000 First Nation and Metis kids so they could refill Residential Schools in the prairies and that they would be “civilized.”

Morin ends the interview by concluding, “I hope we (Indigenous people) do see a roadmap of action, so the survivors across Canada can see that there is a roadmap in place for healing, so they know future generations won’t have to endure Residential Schools again.”

Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News

Russia to investigate removal and demolition of Soviet monuments in Europe
Daniel Stewart - Yesterday 

The Russian Investigative Committee has reported that it will look into cases of removal and demolition of Soviet monuments in several European countries, especially in recent months after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.


Statue of Lenin in Grutas Park, in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius - 

HANS VAN RHOON / ZUMA PRESS / CONTACTOPHOTO

In the last week, the removal of a Red Army monument in Mariemburg, Denmark; a Soviet-era tank in Narva, Estonia; or a peace monument in Helsinki donated by the Soviet Union to Finland in the late 1980s has been publicized.

Also, the chairman of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrikin, has urged the body to investigate the causes of the desecration of a Soviet military cemetery in Weneuchen, Germany, allegedly by a neo-Nazi fanatic, according to the Russian news agency TASS.

"These illegal actions are directed against Russia's interests in the field of preserving the historical memory of the Soviet Union's activities during World War II and the decisive role in the victory over fascism," the Investigative Committee has stressed.

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine at the end of February, several Soviet monuments and memorials throughout Europe, especially in the former Soviet republics and in Germany, have been vandalized in protest against the invasion or directly removed or demolished by the authorities

Cancelling Batgirl Isn’t Just Baffling — It’s A Crushing Blow To Women Like Me

Amanda Alcantara - Yesterday 

Refinery29

When I heard the news in 2021 that Afro-Dominican actor Leslie Grace was cast as Batgirl in the Warner Bros. superhero film of the same name, I was ecstatic. Amid ongoing news of Covid-19 variants and Capitol insurrection developments, this story coming from the entertainment world felt like a breath of fresh air — a cause for celebration during a chaotic moment in time. With the conversation of representation in Hollywood taking center stage after the #OscarSoWhite hashtag, it also felt very intentional, like maybe the film production company was finally saying what I’ve always known: Black Latinas are worthy and capable of being leading ladies in hit movies. Then Warner Bros. changed its mind, about the film and, apparently, about women like me.


NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Leslie Grace attends The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/MG21/Getty Images)

On August 2, the New York Post reported that “Batgirl,” which was then in the final stages of post-production, would not be released on any platform. At that point, directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah had finished shooting the project, and its star, Grace, was giving interviews about what landing the superheroine role meant to her. Nearly complete, the film, which was slated to premiere on HBO Max, had cost Warner Bros. Discovery $90 million total. According to The Guardian, it now ranks among “the most expensive canceled cinematic projects ever.”

Understandably, the death of the film confused Hollywood and fans alike, with media outlets asking, “Why would Warner Bros. throw all this away?” Some have suggested tax write-downs, while others have pointed to a change in the company’s vision with new CEO David Zaslav. On Thursday, Zaslav explained that he shelved “Batgirl” simply because he didn’t think it was very good. “We’re not going to release a movie unless we believe in it,” he said, adding that the company is “focusing on quality” and “Batgirl” did not live up to that standard.

Reading this, I feel like there are bigger, more important, questions that need to be asked: Will Hollywood ever find value in Black and Brown women, and should we even keep waiting on them to see our inherent worth and brilliance

While Latines make up 18% of the population, we only accounted for 4.6% of movie roles in 2019. Within that number, it is difficult to calculate how many of those roles even go to Latina women, particularly Afro-Latinas, and even more so dark-skinned Afro-Latinas who face colorism within the community. Our absence has dire consequences. The world of television and entertainment is a mirror of society, defining beauty standards and influencing our perception of self. I know this personally. When I was a kid, the underrepresentation of Black women in TV and film affected my self-esteem. I often felt that I was ugly and wished to have green eyes or straight hair. This was the image that I saw on the screen. This is what I learned was beautiful, what had star potential. I’m not alone. Research has consistently shown that a lack of representation “can lead to negative psychological outcomes for those with identities that are underrepresented or negatively portrayed.”

Filming a movie that pushed back on this narrative and then canceling it feels deliberate — like a slap in the face.

Related video: ‘Batgirl’ Star Leslie Grace Calls Herself “My Own Damn Hero” After Film Is Shelved | THR News  View on Watch

My heart breaks for all the young Black and Brown girls, including the numerous DC Comics fans, who won’t watch the film they’ve been anticipating and gushing about on forums for months. Most of all, my heart aches for Grace, who allegedly found out about the cancellation after the story broke, together with the general public. Still, she released a graceful message on Instagram, saying she’s proud of the work she and the team did together. She wrote: “To every ‘Batgirl’ fan, thank you for the love and belief, allowing me to take on the cape and become, as Babs said best, ‘my own damn hero!’”

I hurt for Grace because she is yet another woman of color who has put in the work to be excellent, but whose near and deserved accolades were stolen by a system that refuses to hold us up. From the chart-topping queen Beyoncé’s 2017 snub at the Grammys to the cancellation of Cristela Alonzo’s primetime show after becoming the first Latina to create and star in one, the entertainment industry seems to snatch opportunities from Black and Brown women left and right. This month, HBO Max also canceled “Gordita Chronicles” after one season, even after a stellar performance by newcomer Olivia Goncalves and rave reviews.

But impeccable talent and endless excitement about a project won’t save Black and Brown women. If we’re talking about quality, as Zaslav suggested, there are few actors more equipped for the role of Batgirl than Grace. Gotham is allegedly modeled after New York City, the city where the actor-singer is from — the city where countless Black and Brown girls hold each other down, walking along the streets laughing, arms locked, creating a shield from the evil and harms of a world that has never loved us. Grace’s quote from the character of “Batgirl” rings true: We are our own damn superheroines.

Black and Brown girls have seen our women be superhuman in a world where we have had to fight for our survival for so long. Our mothers often raise us as single parents who make less than non-Latine white women. Our nurses put their lives on the line at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 to protect us. Our educators navigate meager budgets to provide us with educational tools to succeed. Black and Brown women have also been on the front lines of our social justice movements and struggles, including Indigenous women who fought to stop the construction of the Keystone XL Pipelines, Black women leading the Black Lives Matter movement, and Latinas on the frontlines of the immigration justice fight. The moment we were finally going to see our superpower reflected on the screen, it was ripped away from us, another struggle in our fight for proper representation of our own humanity.

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As a multi-billion-dollar production and studio company creating the DC Universe, Warner Bros. is building an entire world that impacts the global imagination. Thus, it has a responsibility to viewers to paint one where they can see themselves, even with evil villains, imperfect heroes, and gloomy cities. A complex character with a difficult backstory like Batgirl, who fights crime all while overcoming personal struggles, can show young girls of color that they are worthy of being celebrated, even while struggling with issues at home. Furthermore, showing an Afro-Latina with superpowers has the exciting potential to enrich the imagination of young girls, empowering them to become the leaders of tomorrow. Perhaps most importantly, it reminds them that they do not need to change anything about themselves in order to do so.

But Hollywood has, once again, proven to be irresponsible and unaccountable. In slashing “Batgirl,” Warner Bros. refuses to recognize the value in our stories. In Zaslav’s own words, our narratives don’t live up to his standards, the same benchmarks set across the white male elite entertainment industry.

Still, we continue to be our own heroes — as we always have been. We have taken to social media to increase representation, creating movements like #BlackGirlMagic to uplift and validate ourselves and our beauty, producing our own series after facing constant erasure, and making space for ourselves everywhere we go. While we don’t need Hollywood, I still do hope for the day that gatekeepers treat our stories with the love and respect that they deserve — not because we need their validation, but because we are more than worthy of it.

Plastics producers ask court to quash planned federal ban on single-use straws, cups


OTTAWA — More than two dozen plastic makers are asking the Federal Court to put an end to Ottawa's plan to ban several single-use plastic items but Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says he’s confident the attempt will fail.



Under regulations Guilbeault finalized in June, the ban is set to be phased in starting this December with an end to the manufacture, sale and import of takeout containers, stir sticks, retail carry-out bags, cutlery and most straws.

The six-pack rings used to package beverage cans and bottles together will be added to the ban for manufacturing and import in June 2023, and their sale banned in June 2024. Exports of all the products have to end in December 2025.

In a court filing July 15, a group of plastic makers calling itself the Responsible Plastic Use Coalition asked the Federal Court for a judicial review of the ban. It hopes to tear up the regulations enacting the ban and prevent the government from further regulating single-use plastics through the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, or CEPA.

It is the second lawsuit brought by the coalition related to the government's plastics ban. The first, filed in 2021, sought to overturn the government's decision to list plastic pollution as "toxic" under CEPA. That lawsuit remains before the courts.

The toxic designation, which came in May 2021 after a scientific assessment of plastic waste, is needed for the government to ban substances believed to be harmful to human, animal or environmental health.

CEPA defines a substance as "toxic" if it can have "immediate or long-term harmful effect on the environment or its biological diversity."

In its legal filing in the latest case, the coalition argues the government doesn't have real evidence plastics are toxic.

"In fact there is no credible evidence that any of the (single-use plastics) are 'toxic,’” the court document reads.

"Accordingly the ban cannot be justified as an exercise of the criminal law power conferred upon Parliament."

The coalition asked the court to put the brakes on implementing any parts of the ban until the decision is made whether or not to kill it completely.

In a written statement, Guilbeault said the plastics coalition can do whatever it wants in court but that he thinks they're going to lose.

"We’re going to stick to the facts, which show very clearly that plastic pollution is harming our environment and we need to act," he said.

"And we’re confident the courts will agree with our position."

The government’s scientific assessment published in 2020 concluded that plastic is "ubiquitous" in the environment, estimating about 29,000 tonnes of plastic waste ended up in the environment in 2016 alone.

"Since plastics degrade very slowly and are persistent in the environment, the frequency of occurrence of plastic pollution in the environment is expected to increase," the assessment concluded.

The assessment said macroplastics, which are pieces bigger than five millimetres, can cause physical harm to natural areas. Animals frequently eat or become entangled in plastic waste, causing injury and death.

Turtles, whales and seabirds are among the most commonly affected. A dead baby turtle in Florida in 2019 was found to have more than 100 pieces of plastic in its stomach. In 2018 a dead sperm whale found in Indonesia had six kilograms of plastic garbage in its belly, including two flip-flops, plastic ropes, four plastic bottles, 25 plastic bags and 115 plastic cups.

However, the assessment said the impact of microplastics, pieces of broken down plastic items that are smaller than five millimetres, was less clear, with scientists divided about whether microplastics can kill people or animals, or cause developmental or reproductive problems.

"The current literature on the human health effects of microplastics is limited, although a concern for human health has not been identified at this time," the assessment said.

It called for further research.

A 2019 Deloitte study found less than one-tenth of the plastic waste Canadians produce is recycled. That meant 3.3 million tonnes of plastic was being thrown out annually, almost half of it plastic packaging.

Federal data show that in 2019, 15.5 billion plastic grocery bags, 4.5 billion pieces of plastic cutlery, three billion stir sticks, 5.8 billion straws, 183 million six-pack rings and 805 million takeout containers were sold in Canada.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2022.

Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press

BC
‘We are inseparable from our land’: Gitxsan Nation house group declares 170,000 hectares of territory protected

In early August, at a feast hall near the confluence of the Skeena and Bulkley Rivers in northwest B.C., Wilps Gwininitxw, a Gitxsan Nation house group, declared the entirety of its 1,700 square kilometre laxyip (territory) protected.

The Gwininitxw Indigenous Protected Area, which is in the upper Skeena River watershed, is relatively undisturbed by industrial influence and vital habitat for the likes of mountain goats, wolverines, grizzlies and wild salmon.

“As Gitxsan we are inseparable from our land,” Simogyet Gwininitxw Yvonne Lattie, house chief, said in a press release. “This is the source of our strength, and our vision is of a continuing and renewed relationship between our people and our lands, intact and whole.”

While intact now, the newly protected area isn’t without threats.

Wilps Gwininitxw is just upstream from the proposed routes of Enbridge’s Westcoast Connector Gas Transmission pipeline and TC Energy’s Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline. Both projects were first proposed in 2012 and approved in 2014 by former B.C. premier Christy Clark’s Liberal government, on the same timeline as the contentious Coastal GasLink pipeline

Like Coastal GasLink, which is also owned by TC Energy, both projects would move fracked gas from B.C.’s northeast to liquefaction and export facilities on the Pacific coast. Ultimately, the fossil fuels extracted from and transported across B.C. would be shipped to buyers in Asia and burned to produce energy. While both projects received approval through B.C.’s environmental assessment process, neither has started construction.

The pair of pipelines would “directly affect Wilps Gwininitxw by crossing our salmon-bearing rivers and streams,” the press release noted. “In the absence of meaningful provincial or federal government action to protect the Skeena watershed from industrial development, Wilps Gwininitxw is unilaterally declaring their territories protected.”

By establishing Gwininitxw Indigenous Protected Area, the house group is asserting its sovereignty and jurisdiction. In 1997, the Supreme Court of Canada famously ruled the Gitxsan and neighbouring Wet’suwet’en nations had never ceded that authority over the combined 55,000 square kilometres of territories. While it isn’t immediately clear what impact the protected area will have on the proposed projects or other industrial development, Indigenous Protected Areas and related Indigenous guardian programs received $340 million in federal support last year and are cited as an important part of Canada’s commitment to conserve 30 per cent of the country’s lands and waters by 2030.

Decisions about the area will be guided by gwalx yee’insxw, the Gitxsan principle of passing down an intact ecosystem to future generations.

“All activities on Wilps Gwininitxw territories must prioritize food and cultural security, the transference of knowledge based on the land to Indigenous youth and future generations, and must ensure the conservation of land, air, water, animals, fish and ecosystem functioning in the upper Skeena watershed in perpetuity,” Simogyet Gwininitxw said at a feast to celebrate the declaration.

Protecting lands and waters through the declaration of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas is increasing.

Last year, Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs gathered on the banks of T’aam Mats’iiaadin (Meziadin River) to unilaterally declare 54,000 hectares protected as the Wilp Wii Litsxw Meziadin Indigenous Protected Area, after trying for years to work with the province to address threats to declining salmon populations. In late April, sməlqmíx leaders announced protection of the nʔaysnúlaʔxʷ snxaʔcnitkʷ (Ashnola Watershed) and on National Indigenous Peoples Day in June, the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation established a 33.5 square kilometre marine protected area in an attempt to stem the tide of declining marine biodiversity.

The Ministry of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship — B.C.’s newest ministry — told The Narwhal in an emailed statement the province “respects and acknowledges the efforts of First Nations to protect ecosystems within their territories and care for the water, land, wildlife, and other natural resources that their communities have relied on for millennia.”

“Meaningful reconciliation includes respecting and engaging with First Nations on stewardship objectives in their territories, including the declaration of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas,” the statement noted. “IPCAs are sometimes developed collaboratively with other orders of government and stakeholders, and at other times independently by First Nations. However, our preferred approach for creating IPCAs is through the land use planning process, as this ensures that economic, environmental, social, and cultural objectives are met and that robust consultations with Indigenous peoples, stakeholders and the public are included.”

In a previous interview Minister Josie Osborne told The Narwhal she is committed to working with nations across the province on Indigenous-led conservation initiatives.

“The current concept of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas and what that means for First Nations, and for British Columbians, is something I think we’re all coming to understand more and getting a greater awareness of the opportunities there,” she said at the time.

“I think the opportunity that IPCAs bring us is sort of redefining that relationship between what a protected and conserved area is and how we can still allow for human use and human relationships to the landscape and to the resources that that landscape provides.”

Kris Statnyk, a lawyer and member of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation who lives on Gitxsan territory, was at the feast to witness the declaration.

“I think Indigenous people are just getting tired of waiting for [government action] and we really can’t wait much longer when we look at the changes that are happening on all of our territories and the state of the world that our children are inheriting right now,” he told The Narwhal in an interview.

He said non-Indigenous conservation often perpetuates colonialism by placing restrictions and restraints on how Indigenous people use the land and resources such as fish and wildlife and noted how protecting one area under federal or provincial laws can lead to “opening up the remainder of areas for continued extraction.”

He said the new protected area is a good example of what Indigenous sovereignty looks like.

“Indigenous people don’t need the Crown authority to do this. What Gwininitxw did was based on laws that are way older than Canada.”

“It’s a good reckoning in the sense that Indigenous people seem to be awakening and rising and doing it in a way that’s honouring their own laws and their own knowledge about what’s happening.”

“Wilps Gwininitxw protected territories will ensure the current and future health of our land, culture and people,” Simogyet Gwininitxw said at the feast. “The protected territories will foster healthy relationships to the land and will enable emotional and spiritual healing of our people from the enduring trauma from colonial practices such as residential schools, land and resource development and climate change.”

Matt Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Narwhal

Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and other billionaires are backing an exploration for rare minerals buried beneath Greenland's ice

bnguyen@insider.com (Britney Nguyen) - Yesterday 

A drop of water falls off an iceberg melting in the Nuup Kangerlua Fjord in southwestern Greenland, August 1, 2017. David Goldman/AP Photo

Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates are among a group of billionaires backing a mineral exploration startup.

KoBold Metals wants to mine minerals in Greenland that can be used to power electric car batteries.

Greenland's ice is melting due to climate change, and it's providing access to precious minerals.

Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates are among a group of billionaires backing a company they hope will find resources for clean energy under melting ice in the western part of Greenland.

KoBold Metals, a mineral exploration startup powered by AI, is looking for rare and precious metals and minerals beneath Greenland's melting ice that can be used to build electric cars and renewable batteries.

"We are looking for a discovery that will be one of the largest, most significant nickel and cobalt deposits in the world, potentially capable of powering 100 million EVs," a spokesperson for KoBold Metals, told Insider.

A team of 30 people, including geologists, geophysicists, and pilots, is exploring Disko Island and Nuussuaq Peninsula, where the minerals and metals for the batteries and electric vehicles are believed to be in the hills and valleys.

KoBold is working with Bluejay Mining on the exploration. CNN reported it was the first media outlet with video of the team's work in Greenland.

"Fully electrifying the global economy is our generation's greatest challenge," the KoBold spokesperson said. "Partnering with this broad set of world-class investors will accelerate our efforts to find the key materials for the EV revolution."

The team in Greenland is using AI to find areas for drilling that can start next summer, according to CNN. In addition, the team is taking soil samples and using drones and helicopters to scope out the layers below the surface.

"It is a concern to witness the consequences and impacts from the climate changes in Greenland," Bo Møller Stensgaard, CEO of Bluejay Mining, told CNN. "But, generally speaking, climate changes overall have made exploration and mining in Greenland easier and more accessible."

Kobold - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobold

A kobold (occasionally cobold) is a mythical sprite. Having spread into Europe with various spellings including "goblin" and "hobgoblin", and later taking root and stemming from Germanic mythology, the concept survived into modern times in German folklore. Although usually invisible, a kobold can … See more

Origins and etymology

The kobold's origins are obscure. Sources equate the domestic kobold with creatures such as the English boggart, hobgoblin and pixy, the Scottish brownie, and the Scandinavian nisse or tomte; while they align the … See more

House spirits

Domestic kobolds are linked to a specific household. Some legends claim that every house has a resident kobold, regardless of its owners' desires … See more

Water spirits

The Klabautermann (also spelt Klaboterman and Klabotermann) is a creature from the beliefs of fishermen and sailors of Germany's north coast, the Netherlands, and the Baltic Sea, and may represent a third type of kobold or possibly a different spirit that … See more

See also

• Kobold (Dungeons & Dragons)
• Niß Puk, the kobold of Northern Germany See more

Monkeypox vaccine now available in nine Alberta cities for those who meet criteria: AHS

The monkeypox vaccine is now available in nine cities across the province for those who meet the immunization criteria, Alberta Health Services announced Wednesday.

This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions, left, and spherical immature virions, right, obtained from a sample of human skin associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak.

Beginning immediately, Albertans aged 18 and older can book an appointment to receive the monkeypox vaccine in Edmonton, Calgary, Edson, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer and St. Paul.

Those who are eligible for the vaccine in Alberta include transgender, cisgender or two-spirit individuals who self-identify as belonging to the gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) community and meet at least one of the following criteria:

Have received a recent (in the last six months) diagnosis of a sexually transmitted infection.

Are planning to have, or in the past 90 days had, sex outside of a mutually monogamous relationship.

Have attended venues for sexual contact within the past 90 days (e.g., bathhouses, sex clubs) or may be planning to.

Any sexual contacts of the individuals described above

.
Staff and volunteers in a social setting or venue or event where sexual activities between men

 (individuals described above) may take place.

Monkeypox is a pox-like disease that can be spread by contact with body fluids, monkeypox sores, or items that have recently been contaminated with fluids or sores such as clothing or bedding. Sickness may also occur from respiratory droplets after spending a long time close to someone who is infected.

Imvamune, the vaccine for smallpox and monkeypox, has been provided to close contacts of a confirmed monkeypox case after exposure since June 7 in Alberta. Since July 29, vaccine administration was only provided in Edmonton and Calgary for those who are at higher risk of being exposed.

“By expanding availability beyond these two cities, AHS is further enhancing the opportunity for more eligible people in Alberta to receive the vaccine,” the health authority said in a news release.

Anyone who believes they are eligible and interested in receiving the monkeypox vaccine must call Health Link at 1-866-301-2668 to book an appointment.

As of Wednesday afternoon, there had been 2,404 appointments booked to receive the vaccine, AHS said. To date, there are 19 confirmed isolated cases in the province.

Close contacts of individuals suspected or confirmed to have a monkeypox infection may also be eligible for a post-exposure vaccine. Immunization is recommended up to 14 days, and ideally within four days, after exposure to help prevent illness.

“Close contacts are also advised to self-monitor for 21 days after their last exposure. If symptoms 

develop, they should self-isolate, seek care and get tested. Call 811 for further information,” AHS said.

More information about the disease can be found at ahs.ca/monkeypox.

Edmonton Journal