Rising Seas Threaten to Cut Off Millions of Americans This Century

Story by Russell McLendon • Yesterday 


The threat of rising seas is often framed in terms of inundation risk, with a focus on what ends up underwater.


Cars Drive Through Flooded Road© Provided by ScienceAlert

But in areas where the coastal landscape isn't entirely flat, rising seas can also pose a much more insidious threat, cutting residents off from essential services.

According to a new study, many living along both coasts of the United States face increasing risk of periodic isolation during high tides or storms, if not permanent disconnection from other communities by the formation of new islands.

It could happen to individual homes, neighborhoods, or larger communities, and according to the new study, it's poised to happen on a large scale this century.

In the US alone, it may affect as many as 9 to 12 million people by 2100, should the sea level rise meet the higher projections, according to the researchers.

The study, conducted by environmental engineers Tom Logan and M.J. Anderson from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, along with Allison Reilly from the University of Maryland, offers a novel look at US populations likely to be isolated by rising sea levels.

While rising seas may fully encircle some areas, isolation could also occur if the ocean merely floods or damages key roadways or bridges. That can happen during big storms like hurricanes, but as sea levels rise, it can also occur more frequently during high tides.

Flooded roads can prevent people from getting food by blocking access to grocery stores, for example. And while coastal residents could adapt by planning grocery trips around high tides, that may only be a temporary solution as ocean levels continue to rise.

Related video: Long-awaited treaty agreed to protect the high seas (Reuters)

Negotiators from more than 100 countries completed a UN treaty

Duration 1:46  View on Watch

"The typical displacement metric for sea-level rise adaptation planning is property inundation," the researchers write. "However, this metric may underestimate risk as it does not fully capture the wider cascading or indirect effects of sea-level rise."

Isolation might not rival the acute problems caused by inundation, but it's still a significant part of trying to plan for and adapt to rising seas in coastal communities, the researchers note.

To investigate how significant this kind of isolation will be, the study's authors used OpenStreetMap to map out streets across the contiguous US, then compared those street maps with existing maps of predicted sea-level rise.

Under three scenarios for sea-level rise (0.5 meters, 1 meter, and 2 meters by 2100), researchers accounted for each neighborhood's access to its closest essential facility, such as a fire station or primary school, and whether that connection would be compromised by ocean water.

This offered a way of approximating local isolation across a large scale, and while it may not paint the complete picture, these facilities "are important destinations that are often co-located with community assets that provide wider opportunities," the researchers write.

Even if tidal floods don't wholly isolate a community, periodically blocking residents' access to a critical facility like a school or a hospital could present a significant challenge.

The number of people at risk of isolation from sea-level rise in the US is 30 percent to 90 percent higher than the number of people at risk from inundation, the study suggests, and the risk of isolation often comes sooner.

That risk is faced by many areas considered low-risk for inundation, and the study suggests millions of people in the US are at risk of isolation but not inundation before 2080.

Even in the lowest scenario for sea-level rise, the study found that around 500,000 people in the US would be affected by isolation. In the 1-meter scenario, isolation caused by rising seas could affect 1 million people or more.

Though the study only focused on a single nation's infrastructure, isolation is set to be a serious issue around the rest of the globe as well, depriving many at-risk populations of essential services.

"We find that risk of isolation may occur decades sooner than risk of inundation," the researchers write. "Both risk metrics provide critical information for evaluating adaptation options and giving priority to support for at-risk communities."

The study was published in Nature Climate Change.

Groups slam Israeli gov't for ‘medieval’ backslide on women’s rights

Story by By MAYA MARGIT/THE MEDIA LINE 

Israel is poised to dramatically backslide on women’s rights if the government fails to pass several key pieces of legislation, rights groups have warned.


Women protest at Habima Square in Tel Aviv against the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the US, June 28, 2022.© (photo credit: Shira Silkoff)

With all eyes on the controversial judicial reforms that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition is hoping to advance in the coming weeks and which are currently under negotiation, a number of other important bills relating to women’s issues have fallen by the wayside.

Among them is a bill that would have enabled the courts to use electronic tags to monitor domestic violence offenders. The legislation was rejected by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation last month, with far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir vowing to bring it back to the table when a new version that addresses false accusations against men is written.

Tamar Schwartz is CEO of Ruach Nashit, or Women's Spirit, an NGO that helps women survivors of violence and that works with Israeli lawmakers from all sides of the political spectrum.

“We do believe that when it comes to violence and preventing violence there is no Right or Left because you can find victims of domestic violence among left-wing and right-wing voters. There are hardly any female Knesset members or female ministers in the coalition. All in all, ensuring women’s equality is not important for this government.”Tamar Schwartz

“We do believe that when it comes to violence and preventing violence there is no Right or Left because you can find victims of domestic violence among left-wing and right-wing voters,” Schwartz told The Media Line. “There are hardly any female Knesset members or female ministers in the coalition. All in all, ensuring women’s equality is not important for this government.”


Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is seen holding a press conference, on March 20, 2023. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)© Provided by The Jerusalem PostIsraeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is seen holding a press conference, on March 20, 2023. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
How is Israel in danger of backsliding on women's rights?

For the past eight years, Women’s Spirit has lobbied for legislation – that has yet to pass – which would prevent economic violence against women. Economic violence is defined as any act or behavior that causes economic harm to a person, such as property damage or restricting access to bank funds or other resources.

Speaking in Geneva at a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on Monday, Schwartz noted that the agreements signed between Netanyahu and his coalition partners include a promise not to join the Istanbul Convention, which features economic abuse as a form of gender-based violence. She recommended that the Israeli government pass “a law that acknowledges and prevents economic abuse, and assists its survivors/victims.”

Related video: Israel Judicial Reforms : Government, opposition sit down to negotiate terms (WION)     Duration 3:14  View on Watch

The UPR is a process that involves a review of the human rights records of all member states of the United Nations. The stated goal is to brief permanent delegations on human rights situations in various countries

Schwartz believes that the Israeli government has yet to address issues relating to women’s rights because it is solely focused on trying to pass its sweeping judicial reforms.

“I think that the government is in survival mode and doesn’t care about women,” she said, adding that these three laws – protecting women against economic abuse, signing on to the Istanbul Convention, and permitting courts to electronically monitor domestic violence offenders – need to be passed as soon as possible in order to protect women.

The three pieces of legislation are “very simple” and require little funding, Schwartz added.

The Istanbul Convention, a human rights treaty that aims to combat violence against women, has already been signed by dozens of countries around the world, including Turkey, Germany and the United Kingdom.

“Why won’t the [Israeli government] agree to it? It’s so basic,” Schwartz said. “It obligates a country to fight violence against women. I can’t understand it.”

Other rights groups also criticized the government for failing to properly protect women from violence.

Irit Rosenblum is the founder and executive director of the New Family Organization, which advocates for equal family rights for those who do not meet traditional religious definitions of families.

Rosenblum told The Media Line that the postponement of the electronic tracking law was all a matter of ego for Ben-Gvir.

“This is a war of power,” Rosenblum said. “As long as they’re on the stage they don’t want anyone to interrupt them. It’s irrational not to pass this law.”

Nevertheless, she believes that ultimately Ben-Gvir will pass his own version of the legislation at a later date in order to receive all the credit for it.

What is of greater concern, Rosenblum said, is how the government aims to expand the power of the state-run rabbinical court system. In a preliminary vote held in late February, the parliament voted 58-43 to advance legislation that would grant rabbinic courts the authority to oversee civil cases.

Currently, rabbinical courts can only handle marriage and divorce proceedings for Jewish Israelis, in addition to conversions and, on occasion, issues relating to inheritances.

The current bill on the table, which has yet to be signed into law, is backed by Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ), the two ultra-Orthodox parties in Netanyahu’s coalition. It would enable the rabbinical courts to adjudicate in other civil matters.

“Those courts are Torah courts and the laws are the laws of Moses,” Rosenblum explained. “These are ancient laws that all discriminate against women. These courts have no female judges or even female clerks, so how can they judge [fairly]? I can’t express how broad the discrimination is that we’re facing. We’re going back to medieval or even more ancient times.”

UPDATED: Migrant family that died in illegal river border crossing had been told they were being deported

Story by Adrian Humphreys • 7h ago

Florin and Cristina lordache were ordered by Canada’s immigration officials to be at Toronto’s Pearson international airport last Friday with their two young children, born in Canada, for deportation to Romania.


Florin and Cristina lordache with their two kids.© Provided by National Post

Instead, to avoid returning to persecution they feared as members of the Roma minority, they are believed to have boarded a small boat in Akwesasne, a First Nations reserve, for a risky ride across the St. Lawrence River on a blackmarket smuggling trip into the United Sates.

It was a disaster.

The bodies of Florin and Cristina, both 28, and Evelin , 2, were found near a marshy riverbank on Thursday; the mournful bundle of one-year-old Elyen’s body was recovered Friday.

Florin was carrying the Canadian passports for their children, according to Akwesasne Mohawk Police.

They are among eight migrants who died, apparently when the smuggling boat they were in capsized. Along with the Iordache family was a family from India: A father, Praveenbhai Chaudhari, 50; a mother, Dakshaben, 45; and two children, daughter Vidhi, 23; and son Meet, 20.

“I cannot imagine that decision, to get into that small boat with nine people, by the sounds of it, not knowing what’s going to happen. Then the fear they must have all been experiencing — you shudder,” said Peter Ivanyi, the Iordache’s Toronto immigration lawyer.

“This is an especially sad case because there are children, and they’re Canadian children.”

In the almost five years they were in Canada, Florin had a history of illegal crossings into the United States and a troubled immigration history.

Florin and Cristina Iordache arrived in Canada on June 9, 2018, and made refugee claims. Cristina was also known as Monalisa Budi. They settled in Toronto.

A month later, however, Florin was found by U.S. immigration authorities on a train crossing from British Columbia into Washington state. He jumped from the train and bolted, before being caught, arrested, and fingerprinted, according to immigration documents obtained by National Post.

While in the United States, he was legally married to Cristina, who had been his common-law spouse for five years, and they returned to Canada seven months later, using different married names, the government alleged at a detention review hearing in 2021, where he was represented by a different lawyer.

In March 2021, Canada considered his refugee claim abandoned after he failed to appear at his refugee hearing, according to immigration documents.

Six months later, Florin, with a seven-months pregnant Cristina and their first baby, were caught by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol in Washington state after again illegally crossing into the U.S., this time in a vehicle that crossed between official border points. U.S. officials said he told them he was there to make a refugee claim.

They were returned to Canada.

In B.C., Florin told immigration officials they were on a road trip from Ontario and their GPS misdirected them across the border. He said the U.S. officers misunderstood his poor English.

Immigration officials held him in custody and released Cristina to care for their child. At two detention reviews before the Immigration and Refugee Board, the government opposed Florin’s release, arguing he was unlikely to appear for removal if released, and he was held in custody.

On Oct. 22, 2021, there was a joint recommendation for his release.

Both children were baptized at All Saints Romanian Orthodox Church in Toronto, said Father Emanuel Èšencaliuc, the priest.



lorache family pictured at Niagara Falls.

Florin bought used cars online, fixed them up and resold them to make money as they waited for their asylum claim to be heard.

Their chances might have seemed good. Most Roma claims are accepted due to documented prejudices and discrimination in Europe. But their troublesome immigration history seemed to spoil things.

“They filed a number of applications, all of them under the heading of fear,” said Ivanyi. The couple were passionate about having their children grow up in Canada, where they could be educated and safe.

“Everything he did in Canada was for his kids.

“He made it crystal clear that this was the most important thing for him, to be able to raise his Canadian children in Canada,” said Ivanyi.

Their refugee claim was denied. They then made a humanitarian appeal to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to stop their removal from Canada, which was denied on March 9. The next day, Ivanyi appealed to the Federal Court on their behalf, seeking a judicial review of the decision.

That case had not yet been heard when the family was given a deportation date of March 31, he said. He asked immigration officials to delay the deportation until their case was decided in court.

Ivanyi was told last week that a delay would not be granted, that the family was expected at the airport on Friday, he said.

“I sent that to them by email and that’s the last I heard from them.

“They didn’t tell me they were doing this. I obviously would have discouraged them from doing something like this, but they were so desperate to not have to take their young children back to the misery that the Roma of Romania live under — in terms of housing, no schooling, no running water, police indifference, cruelty.

“They were so desperate they took it upon themselves to undertake this really risky adventure.

“When he felt that opportunity to raise his children in Canada was taken away from him, and that he was actually facing getting on an airplane and having to take them back to that misery, he obviously decided on that road.”

Florin had two brothers who live in the United States, in Florida. Another brother, and his parents, remain in Craiova, Romania. Ivanyi said the family gave permission for him to speak about the case because they wanted their deaths “to mean something,” and perhaps make a difference.

“They undertook a very risky trip and, from my point of view, it shows how desperate and fearful they must have been at returning to Romania.

“It proves their case. It proves, at least subjectively, the fear that they were experiencing, to go to that extreme, and feeling let down by the Canadian immigration system.”

Meanwhile, on Monday night, Akwesasne Mohawk Police said they were set to continue their search for a missing local man, Casey Oakes, 30, who was last seen operating a boat Wednesday night. He was reported missing on Thursday.

It was during a search for Oakes that his boat was found capsized and, nearby, the eight bodies of the migrants were found. Police suspect they were passengers on the boat.

The Akwesasne police are joined in the search by the RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police, Sûreté du Quebec, and the Hogansburg Akwesasne Volunteer Fire Department.

There have marine units, air support, divers, canine tracking dogs and emergency response units involved, searching in and under the water and on land, Akwesasne police said.

Investigators ask anyone with information on where Oakes might be, or what happened, to call Akwesasne Police at 613-575-2340; or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

• Email: ahumphreys@postmedia.com | Twitter: AD_Humphreys

Police search for boat operator who may have fled after eight found dead in St. Lawrence River

Arrests in India for deaths of a migrant family found frozen on Canada's border

Conference highlights the role of immigrants in Canada’s growth

Story by The Canadian Press • Yesterday 

By 2024, immigrants could make up one-third of Canada’s population, Anil Arora, Chief Statistician of Canada told attendees at the Metropolis Conference held in Ottawa in March. And given Canada’s aging population, and dropping birth rate, immigration is Canada’s best bet for the country moving forward, Arora said.

For comparison, twenty-five years ago the ratio of immigrant population in Canada was one in six. Today it is one in four.

The conference, entitled “25 years of conversation on migration: our legacy, our future”, attracted close to 1200 Immigrant service providers, policy makers and researchers who came together to discuss emerging policy needs and to share information on successful practices of integration and inclusion as the number of immigrants grows. In November, the federal government announced that it anticipated bringing in 500,000 immigrants annually by 2025.

Not only has attendance to the conference grown over the years, but the conference continues to cover a wider range of issues, said Jack Jedwab, the president and CEO of the Association for Canadian Studies and Metropolis Institute.

“We think, and a majority of Canadians agree, that immigration is a key dimension of economic growth and has been for some time the single source of population growth,” Jedwab said. “Birthrates are not sufficient to support population renewal.

“During the pandemic we lowered immigration substantially and we saw population decline in some places,” he added. “This reminds us how immigration is important to population growth.

“ It is critical,” Jedwab said.

Related video: Prime minister stresses importance of orderly immigration system 

(The Canadian Press)    Duration 2:01   View on Watch

Jedwab said he was pleased to hear from the Minister of Immigration and their staff that consultations were under way on how to best adjust the system to further streamline the process of admission to Canada of new immigrants.

Lori Wilkinson, Professor of Sociology and Director at the University of Manitoba has been involved with the conference from the beginning when the University of Alberta in Edmonton hosted the first conference 25 years ago. She’d like to see more immigrants and refugees attend future conferences to enable attendees to hear first hand their experiences.

“It would be great to have the ground-up view alongside the eagle eyes view,” Wilkinson said.

The conference brings together Immigrant service providers, policy makers and researchers and is held in various parts of Canada. Besides discussions on how Canada’s identity is evolving, addressing the challenges around admitting refugees to Canada and challenges around Temporary Foreign Workers were also discussed.

John Lefferty, Director of Immigrant Services, from Lethbridge Family Services in Alberta was one of the attendees at the conference in Ottawa this year. It was his first time attending. For him the main takeaway was the fact there were discussions not just on immigration numbers and how to streamline the immigration process but also how to upgrade infrastructure and ensure growth to keep up with demand.

“One particular aspect that caught my attention was that Canada will need an additional three million homes by 2030 to accommodate its growing housing needs,” Lefferty said. “Equally important considerations are being given to the needs in the medical sector and employment sector in order to meet the ambitious plans that we have for the future.”

A poll conducted by Léger leading up to the conference found that 68 per cent of those surveyed had a positive attitude towards immigrants. When asked what made them proud of Canada, 11 per cent listed the country’s inclusiveness, and eight per cent said its multiculturalism and diversity.

Naser Miftari, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, New Canadian Media

AFL ASKS IS THE LATEST ALBERTA BUDGET GOOD FOR WORKERS

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith threatens CBC with legal action over Coutts blockade stories

WHEN NOT FIGHTING OTTAWA FIGHT THE CBC

Story by John Mazerolle • 1h ago

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is threatening legal action against the CBC if the corporation doesn't retract and apologize for recent reporting about the premier and COVID-19-related criminal cases related to last year's Coutts, Alta., blockade.


Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks at an event for the Canada Strong and Free Network in Ottawa on March 23. Smith has threatened legal action against the CBC if the corporation doesn't retract and apologize for some of its reporting about her by April 28.© Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

In a letter addressed to CBC editor-in-chief Brodie Fenlon and verified by CBC News, lawyer Munaf Mohamed, writing on Smith's behalf, demands the corporation retract its reporting and publish an apology online and in news broadcasts "informing readers that it has no evidence of dishonesty or direct contact between the premier (or anyone in her office) and Alberta Crown prosecutors about any specific COVID-19-related prosecutions."

The letter, dated Sunday, gives a deadline of April 28 before Smith may take legal action under the Defamation Act.

At an unrelated news conference on Monday, Smith read from a written statement, saying: "As you know, there's been a great deal of inaccurate, misleading and likely defamatory reporting about my discussions with justice officials regarding amnesty for COVID prosecutions.

"I have been clear that neither I, nor anyone within my staff, have contacted any Crown prosecutors, as has been alleged."

Asked for comment, CBC's head of public affairs Chuck Thompson said in an email, "As we've said all along, we stand by our journalism on this story and, if necessary, will defend it in court."

Related video: Alberta premier says she will no longer comment on Crown prosecutor controversy (The Canadian Press)   Duration 2:08   View on Watch

The letter says a March 23 article, headlined "Danielle Smith discussed COVID charges 'almost weekly' with justice officials, according to leaked call," and other recent articles and broadcasts "transparently seek to sensationalize allegations already fully addressed by the premier and resuscitate a false and defamatory narrative against the premier, her office, Alberta Crown prosecutors, and the administration of justice in Alberta."

'Irresponsible reporting'

The leaked call reported on in the story is a phone conversation between Smith and Artur Pawlowski, a controversial Calgary street pastor. It happened in early January, just weeks before his trial in Lethbridge, Alta., on Feb. 2.

Pawlowski faces charges of criminal mischief and an offence under Alberta's Critical Infrastructure Defence Act related to last year's blockade in Coutts, Alta., which paralyzed Alberta's main U.S. border crossing for more than two weeks. A judge is set to deliver a verdict in early May.

The letter to CBC also calls attention to a Jan. 19 article headlined "Alberta premier's office contacted Crown prosecution about Coutts cases: sources," and calls it "irresponsible reporting by the CBC, presumably to sensationalize a political narrative."

The letter says that "absent an apology, retraction and correction from the CBC," the premier will not be commenting.

Smith has continuously denied that she or her office engaged in any inappropriate conduct regarding COVID-related prosecutions.

"As I have previously stated, I had my staff work with the Ministry of Justice, to determine if anything could be done to grant amnesty for those charged with non-violent, non-firearms COVID-related charges," Smith said in a tweet on March 29 that referred to reporting by CBC News.

"As also indicated previously in multiple interviews, I received a legal brief from the Ministry of Justice recommending against pursuing amnesty further, as several matters involving this issue were and still are before the courts. I have followed that advice."

The provincial election this year may well hinge on whether Albertans give a damn about Artur Pawlowski. Your report on Alberta politics for April 1, 2023 on the web at theprogressreport.ca

Who is this guy? By now you may have heard that Premier Danielle Smith is in hot water this week for things she said to him back in January.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic Pawlowski was more or less playing chicken with AHS and the Alberta government over things like masks, holding indoor events, and so on. He was convicted of contempt of court in 2021 for some of these antics, but the conviction was later overturned.

Pawlowski eventually escalated to the point of getting mixed up in last February’s Coutts border blockade. That border crossing to the United States was blocked by pro-COVID protesters for nearly two weeks. When the RCMP finally negotiated an end to the blockade, and people were about to disperse, Pawlowski roused the protesters back, calling out that “for freedom to be preserved, people must be willing to sacrifice their lives,” and “if this is our Alamo then so be it!”

It was not their Alamo, of course, because that is insane. The RCMP eventually cleared the blockade without anyone shooting at each other—though they did arrest eleven protesters who the RCMP allege were conspiring to kill cops. And whew, those eleven certainly had a lot of guns with them.

Pawlowski himself got hit with charges under CIDA, the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act, an Alberta law ironically put together by the UCP to put the boot to environmentalists and labour activists. And you might think that’s just desserts, but a crackdown was exactly what Pawlowski wanted. Now sporting the cred of a real enemy of the state, Pawlowski’s prominence on the far-right and anti-vax circuits soared. Fox News’ Tucker Carlson praised him on air and argued that Pawlowski’s experience was proof of Justin Trudeau’s horrible tyranny. Pawlowski has parlayed his arrest into a gig as a minor celebrity on weirdo right-wing media.

Now according the Premier, she has been in constant contact with prosecutors, urging them to reconsider whether Pawlowski’s charges are in the public interest, and also she has been in “almost weekly” contact with justice department officials looking to see, in her words, “if anything could be done to grant amnesty” to Pawlowski and other COVID scofflaws. But according to the Premier, she also hasn’t been in constant contact with prosecutors, or even spoken to them at all. One story for the far-right  and the Rebel News watchers, and a completely different story for the rest of us.

As the youths say, sus.

Here’s the thing though: if you’re not from around here or the only Alberta news you get is when we have a cameo on Fox, maybe you only know of Pawlowski as this pro-COVID guy constantly getting arrested over violating public health rules. But if you’ve been involved in politics or activism in these parts for long—especially around Calgary—you’re probably more familiar with Pawlowski’s long and filthy history as a venomous anti-Muslim and anti-LGBTQ bigot.

The Canadian Anti-Hate Network has a roundup of some of Pawlowski’s more notorious antics on their blog. It’s some real foul stuff, and that’s only the highlights. And Danielle Smith is far from the first Alberta conservative to make the mistake of getting mixed up with him. Back in 2014, Ric McIver got roasted in the PC leadership race for attending Pawlowski’s “March for Jesus” for years in a row. (Ric is still an MLA—he represents Calgary-Hays.)

That’s back when Danielle Smith was the leader of the Wildrose Party. Back then Danielle Smith was unequivocal about Pawlowski’s message and McIver’s entanglement with him, saying: “it’s beyond the pale. It’s extreme. I think Albertans expect that political leaders will stand up against this intolerance.”

I wonder if she misspoke then too.

Sundries

• The writ for the election hasn’t been drawn up but oppo research season is already here. Our first dropout of the season: Torry Tanner, the UCP candidate for Lethbridge-West, who in a video posted online claimed that teachers are showing pornography to children and talking them into changing their gender. Someone at the UCP party office must have gotten nervous about that because Tanner was out of the race barely a day after the video started getting passed around. The grim thing is that what Tanner was saying is actually the UCP party line—conspiracy theories about teachers ‘making your kids queer’ have been a foundation of the UCP policy book since the conflict over GSAs in 2019.
• 1630 Albertans died from drug poisoning in 2022. While it is the second highest death ever in the history of the drug poisoning crisis the government put out a statement saying it is "cautiously optimistic about the continued downward trend since the peak in late 2021." 
• The UCP continue their habit of stuffing their friends and allies into every nook and crevice of Alberta’s public institutions by appointing them to university boards, crown corporation boards and various other boards. The latest order in council has 72 appointments, at least two of whom are former PC MLAs.
• The Office of the Child and Youth Advovate is legally mandated to review the deaths of children and youth in care and they just released their biggest report ever. Fifteen deaths, nine of them from drug poisoning, 12 of them being Indigenous. Our editor wrote up a Twitter thread that summarized the report, read it here.  
• Video has been released of an Edmonton cop slamming a person in handcuffs head into the ground after they tried to stomp on the officer's foot. Duncan spoke with a former police chief from the lower mainland about whether excessive force was used. 

Jim Storrie
http://www.progressalberta.ca/

COVER UP
Alberta waited a month to declare emergency response to oilsands releases: document
Story by The Canadian Press • 

EDMONTON — The Alberta government waited a month before calling an emergency response to one of the biggest releases of oilsands tailings in the province's history, a leaked document shows.


Alberta waited a month to declare emergency response to oilsands releases: document© Provided by The Canadian Press

The document, obtained by The Canadian Press, shows the province didn't initiate an emergency response until after First Nations chiefs in the area went public about how they were informed of the releases from Imperial Oil's Kearl mine, about 70 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, Alta.

The document also sheds new light on official communications and reaction to the spills, now the subject of three inquiries.

"The fact that the province waited over a month before initiating its emergency response is not surprising at all," said Chief Alan Adam of the Athabasca Cree First Nation, which uses the area for harvesting. "We are used to the provincial government letting us down."

Discoloured water, later found to be groundwater contaminated with oilsands tailings, was discovered seeping from a Kearl pond in May. First Nations were not kept informed of that investigation until Feb. 7, when the Alberta Energy Regulator issued an environmental protection order against Imperial after the another release of 5.3 million litres ofindustrial wastewater including some tailings from a containment pond.

That order was made public and reported on. Alberta Environment Minister Sonya Savage has said the protection order was how she first learned of the problem.

The releases drew more attention on March 2, when chiefs of area First Nations said they had not been updated since the original notification, while their people continued to hunt, fish and gather plants in the area. Both Adam and Chief Billy-Jo Tuccaro of the Mikisew Cree First Nation said they'd lost trust in the regulator.

Five days later, on March 7, Alberta Environment began an emergency response to the spill, which contained toxic levels of contaminants including arsenic. It took another three days before provincial emergency response staff made it to the site.

That's what a March 23 document from Alberta Environment and Protected Areas entitled "Kearl Oil Sands — AEPA Response Summary and Drinking Water Evaluation" indicates. The dates are revealed in a timeline of the department's response.

Alberta Environment did not respond to a question about why it took a month to declare an emergency and then only after national media attention.

Alan said it's part of a pattern of indifference.

Related video: Anger grows after Alberta oilsands leak kept from public for months (Global News)

He said his band hasn't heard from either of the United Conservative Party government members who represent the area, even though both hold relevant posts. Tany Yao is parliamentary secretary for rural health and Brian Jean is minister of jobs, economy and northern development.

"You'd think this would be right up their alley," said Alan in a statement. "Maybe there's a bigger crisis happening in our region that I don't know about that they're focused on instead."

Opposition New Democrat environment critic Marlin Schmidt said he wondered what triggered the emergency decision.

"When (the releases) first hit the press in February, all we heard from the minister, the regulator and Imperial Oil was that everything was fine and under control. A month later, we've got an emergency response.

"What triggered the emergency response?"

The document offers data on a long list of potential contaminants measured at the Fort Chipewyan water intake. It concludes that the water at that point is safe to drink, with levels of many of the toxins too low to measure.

Results of water samples taken close to the release sites aren't listed.

Official responses to the releases are being investigated by Alberta's Information Commissioner, the province's energy regulator and the House of Commons environmental and sustainable development committee. That committee has asked the head of the Alberta's regulator and senior Imperial Oil officials to answer questions on April 20 and 24.

The regulator's review is to ask if it's the agency's job to assess an incident report and if the proper communication processes were followed by both the regulator and the company. It will also ask if investigation, compliance and enforcement processes were followed.

That report is expected by the end of July.

Schmidt said the real issue is that the Kearl pond continues to seep into groundwater.

"It's good that they're looking at transparency and information sharing. But there is another issue here — a tailings pond that seems to be leaking."

Imperial has said it's building trenches and installing pumps to capture more seepage.

The regulator said it has asked other oilsands operators to review its tailings pond controls.

"At this time and based on our preliminary review, no issues have been identified," regulator spokeswoman Teresa Broughton said in an email.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2023.

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

Syncrude Canada faces five charges in death of worker at oilsands project in 2021

Story by The Canadian Press • Yesterday 

FORT MCKAY, ALBERTA — Oilsands giant Syncrude Canada Ltd. has been charged in the death of a worker north of Fort McMurray, Alta.


Syncrude Canada faces five charges in death of worker at oilsands project in 2021© Provided by The Canadian Press

The Alberta government says on June 6, 2021, in Fort McKay a worker was operating an excavator to build a berm when the bank slumped into the water.

It says the cab of the excavator was fully submerged and the worker drowned.

Syncrude faces charges under Alberta's Occupational Health and Safety Act, including failure to ensure the health and safety of a worker.

Other charges include failure to ensure the health and safety of their worker by permitting the worker to operate the excavator on a ramp with an over-steepened slope, failure to comply with Energy Safety Canada safety rules, and other offences.

The Syncrude Project is a joint venture that includes Suncor Energy Inc., Imperial Oil Resources Ltd., Sinopec Oil Sands Partnership and CNOOC Oil Sands Canada.

The case is to be heard in Fort McMurray court on May 24.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2023