Bizarre alien 'spiders' spotted in 'Inca City' formation on Mars

Scott Sutherland
Sat, April 27, 2024

Bizarre alien 'spiders' spotted in 'Inca City' formation on Mars


Flying over the Martian south pole, two European satellites have spotted hundreds of 'spiders' sprouting up across a mysterious formation known as Inca City.

In the south polar region of Mars lies a complex series of roughly square and rectangular ridges and valleys whose origin still remains a mystery. Officially named Angustus Labyrinthus upon its discovery by NASA's Mariner 9 probe in the 1970s, its vague resemblance to ancient ruins on Earth prompted scientists give it the nickname Inca City.

Mars-Inca-City-Mars-Express-ESA

So-called "Inca City" on Mars is shown in this satellite image from Mars Express, taken on February 27, 2024. (ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO))


Another odd feature of Mars is also visible in the above image: the valleys of Inca City are littered with hundreds of 'fuzzy' dark spots.

These are known as Martian spiders. However, they don't represent proof of life on the Red Planet.

"Rather than being actual spiders, these small, dark features form when spring sunshine falls on layers of carbon dioxide deposited over the dark winter months," says the European Space Agency (ESA).

Spiders on Mars as seen by ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter

A close up look at one region of the Martian south pole from October 4, 2020, reveals 'spider' formations in greater detail. The overlapping images were taken by the CaSSIS (Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System) instrument on the ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. (ESA/TGO/CaSSIS (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO))

Carbon dioxide ice (aka dry ice) is mostly transparent. So, much of the sunlight that shines on this ice passes through to the ground below. The dark ground absorbs the sunlight, grows warmer, and causes the CO2 at the bottom of the ice layer to sublimate from solid into gaseous form.

"The sunlight causes carbon dioxide ice at the bottom of the layer to turn into gas, which subsequently builds up and breaks through slabs of overlying ice. The gas bursts free in Martian springtime, dragging dark material up to the surface as it goes and shattering layers of ice up to a metre thick," the ESA explained.

"The emerging gas, laden with dark dust, shoots up through cracks in the ice in the form of tall fountains or geysers, before falling back down and settling on the surface. This creates dark spots of between 45 m and 1 km across. This same process creates characteristic 'spider-shaped' patterns etched beneath the ice — and so these dark spots are a telltale sign that spiders may be lurking below."

Spiders on Mars closer ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter

A zoomed in section of the previous CaSSIS image shows off the details of these Martian 'spiders'. (ESA/TGO/CaSSIS (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO))

Although these 'spiders' have been seen in imagery from Mars for decades now, scientists didn't discover how they were made until 2006.

"The key to figuring out the spiders and the spots was thinking through a physical model for what was happening," planetary geologist Phil Christensen, a professor at Arizona State University who has worked with NASA mission for years, said at the time of the discovery.

The key was the transparency of the CO2 ice.

As Christensen described it, if you were there, at the Martian south pole, you'd be standing on a thick slab of dry ice with the ground visible about a metre below your feet. The entire slab would actually be levitating ever so slightly above the surface, though, due to the pressure of the gas sublimating beneath it. You'd probably feel it vibrating through your boots.

"All around you, roaring jets of CO2 gas are throwing sand and dust a couple hundred feet into the air," Christensen explained.

It's that sand and dust that go on to produce the dark spot that forms the 'body' of the spider. As for the legs, those appear as the CO2 gas rushing to escape in the geyser carves grooves into the ground under the ice slab.

A Simple Renovation Project Unearthed a Grave Filled With Flabbergasting Treasures

Tim Newcomb
Fri, April 26, 2024 

Excavation Shows Skeleton Bathed in Medieval CoinsChinnachart Martmoh - Getty Images


A Swedish church construction project revealed a grave full of medieval coins.


Archaeologists discovered roughly 170 silver coins scattered within the grave and on the skeletal remains.


Few coins from the 1150 to 1180 AD time period have been found in the region, making the find especially exciting.

The running of wire in an old Swedish church in Brahekyrkan on the island of Visingsö led to a medieval coin discovery that archaeologists were simply flabbergasted to see.

The discovery started with a church remodel project, and morphed into an archaeological excavation when two skeletons were found in the shaft where wires were to be laid for a geothermal heating project. The first day archaeologists arrived to clean the bones and inspect the graves, they were met with a shock.

“All of a sudden, three silver coins appeared,” Anna Ödéen, project manager and archaeologist from the Jönköping County Museum, said in a translated statement. “We soon realized that many more were lying close to the buried person’s left foot.”

And by many more, they meant 170 silver coins strewn in the grave. Known as silver bracteates—which are often thin and circular like coins, but used as jewelry—the metal discovery has been dated to around 1150 to 1180 AD.

“The find is very special,” Ödéen said, “partly because there are few similar finds from the time period, partly because some of the coins are completely unknown from before.”

Eeva Jonsson of the Royal Coin Cabinet was plenty enthused with the 12th century haul. “It is a completely sensational find that will change the early medieval coin history in Götaland and shed light on a period that is largely completely unknown,” Jonsson said in a statement.

The skeletal remains appear to have belonged to a man aged 20 to 25 years old. But what makes the find even more surprising is that the coins were found in a Christian grave, not one customarily taken to being filled with valuables. That is a custom that died out following prehistoric times.

The coins were seen on the first day after Ödéen and colleague Kristina Jansson started cleaning out the bones to gain a better picture of the graves.

The archaeologists will have the coins preserved while they continue to search for clues as to why 170 silver bracteates were buried with the young man. Ödéen said the team is “looking forward to putting together a puzzle around the bracteates from Brahekyrkan.”

Pensioner who worked at Clarks for 68 years given boot with two days' notice

Jill Cornick, 82, is out of work for the first time in her life after being told the Clarks shop she worked in since 1956 in Dorset was closing.

Ellen Manning
Updated Fri, April 26, 2024 

Jill Cornick was given just two days' notice when the Clarks store she has worked in her whole life was announced as closing. (BNPS/Solent)


A pensioner who has worked at the same Clarks shoe shop for 68 years lost her job with just two days' notice when the store suddenly closed.

Jill Cornick, 82, first started working at the store in Blandford, Dorset, in 1956 when she was just 14 and has worked continuously for the British retailer since then.

She even postponed her 1969 honeymoon to attend a training course, and had a playpen in the shop in the 70s for her son Jason so she could carry on working.

Cornick had recently reduced her working week to three days but had no plans to retire until she was suddenly told last Thursday that the shop was closing the following Monday.

The decision means she is out of work for the first time in her life.

She said: "We were all told last Thursday that we were closing on the Monday. It gave us all a bit of a shock.

"I started in 1956 and have been in the same shop since. I felt well in myself and I was hoping I was going to do another few years before I retired. It is a real shame."

Cornick said she is reluctant to "start again" with a new job, so now will turn to charity work, and having a well-earned rest.

Cornick's roles have included manager and master fitter. (Solent/BNPS)

The 82-year-old has been left overwhelmed by the response from longstanding customers, many of whom brought her flowers and chocolates.

"I've helped so many customers over the years and some people were nearly in tears," she added. "In some instances I have helped four generations in the same family to size their shoes.

"I loved the job, it was my life. I lived there above the shop for years and brought my son up there. I will miss it but I don't want to start again now."

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Cornick's first job at Clarks was cleaning hob nail studded boots in 1956 but her roles have included manager and master shoe fitter.

The widow, whose husband David died in 2016, said she has only taken a handful of sick days in her decades of work and was furloughed for three months in 2020 during the Covid national lockdown.

She added: "I lived in a flat above the shop when my son Jason was born and he would be in his playpen next to me while I was fitting shoes. You can count on one hand the number of sick days I've taken in all my years at Clarks.

"In 1969 I got married on a Saturday and I was doing the training course two days later on the Monday. My honeymoon had to wait."

Cornick now plans to take some time for herself and maybe do some charity work. (BNPS/Solent)
Unprecedented service and dedication

A spokesperson for Clarks said: "We'd like to thank our loyal customers who have shopped with us at our Blandford store, and we'll be delighted to continue to serve them with our full range of products online and at our nearby Clarks stores in Wimborne, Poole and Bournemouth.

"We sincerely thank all members of the store team for their contributions and commitment to providing outstanding customer service.

"We would specifically like to thank Jill Cornick, whose unprecedented 68 years of service and dedication to our customers is hugely valued by all at Clarks."

She worked at a neighbourhood bakery into her 80s, and is remembered with love'

OBIT FOR A WORKING CLASS HERO
CBC
Sat, April 27, 2024 

Irene Keating stands outside Georgestown Bakery with two mounted units of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. (Gary Cogswell/ Submitted by Stephen Lewis - image credit)

For more than 20 years, Irene Keating was a familiar face in the St. John's neighbourhood of Georgestown — especially people who lined up faithfully at a popular barkery for a fresh loaf of bread, a croissant or a bagel.

Keating, 84, was a counter worker at Georgestown Bakery, and often the main point of contact the company had with customers.

"She absolutely loved her work," Georgestown Bakery owner Stephen Lewis told CBC News.

Keating died peacefully at St. Clare's Mercy Hospital surrounded by family members.

Keating had lived a difficult life, dedicating herself completely to her three sons.

When she was 41 years old, her husband, an electrician, died on the job. According to the family's obituary, she then moved from Long Harbour to St. John's to build a life for her children — who at the time were all younger than seven years old.

'Hustled a lot of day-old bread'

Keating not fond of retirement when she tried it at 63.

One month in, she started working at Georgestown Bakery.

Keating enjoyed counter work, balancing three jobs at once throughout her career. She worked hard to buy a home and raise her family, and as a mother, she always put her children's needs ahead of her own, according to the obituary.

Irene Keating was a familiar face at the Georgestown Bakery for many years

Keating was a familiar face at the Georgestown Bakery for many years. (Jamie MacKay/Submitted by Stephen Lewis)

She was also known for her sense of humour. According to Lewis, Keating once joked, "I know someone who retired once, and now she's six feet under."

She worked at the bakery's counter selling bread.

"She was good — she hustled a lot of the day-old bread," said Lewis.

However, Keating never ate the iconic Georgestown bread herself, preferring grocery store bread instead.

Keating stopped working a year before her death due to her declining health.

Missed by many

While many customers loved Keating, and knew her on a first-name basis, she also had a few enemies, said Lewis.

"She was tough," he said. "If she didn't like someone then there was trouble."

Owner of Georgestown Bakery, Stephen Lewis, says Keating was 'unflinchingly loyal.'

Georgestown Bakery owner Stephen Lewis says Keating was 'unflinchingly loyal.' (Heather Barrett/CBC)

However, Lewis also remembers her maternal qualities. Keating would often bring in sandwiches and leave meals for him.

"Irene was a complex soul. She was unflinchingly loyal to me," he said, adding he was "deeply honoured" by her.

"I never told her to do anything," he added. "It was a trouble-free 20 years."

Alberta wants more hydrogen vehicles. Experts say fuel infrastructure needs to come with them

CBC
Sat, April 27, 2024

A hydrogen-fuelled truck sits on the exhibition floor at the Canadian Hydrogen Convention this week. (Madeline Smith/CBC - image credit)

Businesses are touting the potential for hydrogen to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from commercial transportation.

But when it comes to getting more vehicles rolling on Alberta streets and highways, industry officials say they haven't closed the distance yet.

Hydrogen-fuelled buses and trucks were on display at the exhibition floor during this week's Canadian Hydrogen Convention, as more than 8,000 people descended on downtown Edmonton.

Edmonton and Strathcona County each have one hydrogen bus running as part of a pilot project. And in January, a hydrogen fuel cell electric truck towing an empty trailer made a round trip between Edmonton and Calgary — a test run that's part of an Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) pilot to see how hydrogen-powered trucks perform on long-haul trips.

Terri Johnson, the AMTA manager of industry advancement, told a convention crowd that the trip took less than two-thirds of the hydrogen tank. The next step is another test, with the weight of a loaded trailer.

But Johnson told CBC News that there's still work ahead to get more big companies using hydrogen for their Alberta fleets.

"They're really vetting us as much as we're vetting them," she said.

"They want to make sure that we have mechanics, that we have the bays, that we have fuel supply that's available for their specific vehicle — and that when they deploy a truck here in our region, we actually can support the truck."

New hydrogen fuelling network planned for QEII

Regional investment group Edmonton Global is promoting an initiative, launched last year, to get 5,000 hydrogen or dual fuel vehicles operating in western Canada by 2028.

But getting there means working through a big question: Which comes first, the hydrogen vehicles, or the fuelling stations?

The province unveiled Alberta's first commercial hydrogen fuelling station last month, just south of Edmonton, in Leduc County.

And on Tuesday, U.S.-based company Air Products announced plans to build a network of hydrogen fuelling stations between Edmonton and Calgary.

Air Products Canada vice-president Rachel Smith said multiple sites have been identified for new stations along the QEII Highway corridor. The company didn't specify how much the project will cost or when it will be completed, but Smith said the plan is to start moving toward construction as soon as possible.

Smith said each station will be capable of fuelling as many as 200 heavy-duty trucks, or 2,000 cars, every day. The company is currently building a massive hydrogen plant in northeast Edmonton.

Alec Cervenka, manager of zero-emissions sales at truck manufacturer Kenworth, said hydrogen investments have to be worth it for both the companies making the vehicles and building the infrastructure.




Madeline Smith/CBC

"You have to have the right amount of vehicles to make sure the [fuelling] station can actually be useful and stay in operation," he said.

"The catch is in trying to get the vehicles out there. There's a lot of interest. But compared to a diesel vehicle, it's about four times the cost of a similar diesel tractor."

There are federal incentives for medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles, and Cervenka said setting a provincial program in Alberta would help more companies make the numbers work.

A spokesperson for Edmonton Global said they expect to see the number of hydrogen vehicles accelerate in the coming two years, with more progress on building fuelling infrastructure.

The Alberta government also rolled out more funding for hydrogen transportation projects this week, with money to test new fuelling systems, build infrastructure to support hydrogen-fuelled public transit and help the City of Calgary pilot hydrogen vehicles and equipment.

Metro Vancouver tree canopy in decline amid push for new housing

CANOPY IS AN ECOLOGY OF BIRDS AND MAMMALS

CBC
Sat, April 27, 2024 

A new report from Metro Vancouver says the pace of development across the region will most likely shrink its tree canopy cover, despite a goal to increase it to 40 per cent by 2050. (Ben Nelms/CBC - image credit)


A report presented to the Lower Mainland's regional government on Friday says leafy, tree-lined neighbourhoods are under threat from increased growth and intensification as cities face pressure — including requirements from the provincial government — to build vast amounts of new housing.

Tree canopy in cities — the amount of ground covered by leaves and branches as seen from above — is one measurement of the overall livability in municipalities. They can keep an area cool, sequester carbon and suck up storm water, meaning they're a tool to help guard against climate change and keep residents healthy.

A new report from Metro Vancouver, which uses data from 2014 to 2020, says in 2020 Metro Vancouver's tree canopy across its 21 municipalities, one electoral area and one treaty First Nation was 31 per cent, a one per cent decrease from 2014.


In contrast, impervious surfaces in the region, such as roads, increased from 50 per cent in 2014 to 54 per cent in 2020. Impervious surfaces are associated with higher temperatures, increased flood risk and poor water quality.

The report illustrates how municipalities are grappling with ways to stay green and protected from climate change, while at the same time developing land for housing, especially now that the province has introduced legislation to speed it up.

Further losses expected

Some cities have increased their canopies, through tree planting and other programs or policies. But most experienced loss between 2014 and 2020, according to the report.

"Yes this is an issue that is obviously concerning all of us," said Vancouver city Coun. Adriane Carr at Friday's Metro Vancouver board meeting.

Trees along Pacific St. are pictured losing their leaves in the hot weather in Vancouver, British Columbia on Monday, July 5, 2021.

Trees along Pacific St. are pictured losing their leaves in the hot weather in Vancouver, British Columbia on Monday, July 5, 2021. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Metro Vancouver said its members have shared concerns about limited space for trees in cities and young trees dying during droughts.

"Even if there is replanting through redevelopment, the maintaining of those trees, once planted, is not necessarily a requirement — and they often fail and then they're not replanted," said District of North Vancouver Coun. Lisa Muri at the meeting Friday.

Over the past year, the provincial government has pushed legislative changes that take aim at single-family zoning and sets minimum requirements for building heights and densities that municipalities must allow.

Metro Vancouver planners say Vancouver's West End is an example of a healthy tree canopy in a high density neighbourhood.

Metro Vancouver planners say Vancouver's West End is an example of a healthy tree canopy in a high density neighbourhood. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

The report says development, such as that in single-family-home neighbourhoods with a significant amount of trees, is expected to affect long-term canopy goals.

Without accounting for the new provincial legislation, the report said that over the next 20 to 30 years, as housing is built on undeveloped land and single-detached housing stock is redeveloped, the tree canopy cover across Metro Vancouver is projected to decrease from 31 to 29 per cent.

The regional government hopes to reverse this trend by helping communities understand the importance of trees and offering tools to come up with policies and strategies to retain and add them.

"With the implementation of progressive tree retention and urban forest expansion strategies, it is possible to offset these losses," said the Friday update to the board.

The tree canopy in Metro Vancouver is assessed once every six years, meaning the next round of data is expected to be collected in 2026, with reporting in 2028, two years quicker than the most recent report, said staff.

Transit trips up among seniors since Montreal introduced free fare program, city says

The Canadian Press
Sat, April 27, 2024 

MONTREAL — A costly program offering free public transportation fares to Montreal seniors is paying off, the city said in a recent report as it documented a spike in transit use among people age 65 and older.

In the six months since the program launched on July 1, 2023, the city said the number of trips taken by those in the target age group surged between 15 and 20 per cent. The findings were contained in a 2025 budget planning document the city published Tuesday.

Forty-seven per cent of eligible Montreal-area residents had signed up for the program by the end of 2023, the city said.

"The measure has therefore resulted in both savings and increased mobility for seniors," the document reads.

First announced in late 2022, the program allows residents of the Montreal agglomeration — comprised of the city of Montreal and suburbs on Montreal island — who are 65 or older to use the metro, buses, commuter and light-rail trains for free within the jurisdiction. Paratransit, or specialized rides for people with disabilities, is also free for program beneficiaries.

Montreal dedicated $24 million to the initiative in its 2023 budget and earmarked another $34.3 million to continue it in 2024. Over the same period, the city's financially beleaguered public transit agency, the Société de transport de Montréal, has cut nearly $140 million from its own budget.

But several metro riders said Saturday that the program has myriad benefits for older adults.

"I think that for low-income people its a way to break isolation, to get out," Huguette Bergeron, 74, said outside of the Place-d'Armes metro station downtown.

Anne Chenot, 70, said she sees the program as "little compensation" for high local taxes.

Both women said they're taking advantage of the offer even though they would have been able to afford the regular $97 monthly fare. They hope to see similar programs targeting residents who might benefit from the financial relief, such as students.

Robert Martin said the program's broad eligibility criteria are likely boosting participation. A program that limits eligibility by income, he said, might create barriers for prospective participants who would have to prove their financial situation.

Martin plans to register for the free fare when he turns 65 next March. As someone who has never owned a car, he expects the program will increase his mobility.

"Does everyone need it? I'm not sure," he said. "But it's easier for (the city) than just asking for proof that you're, let's say, poor or middle class."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2024.

Thomas MacDonald, The Canadian Press

Ottawa says pharmacare is coming — here's what you need to know

CBC
Fri, April 26, 2024 

Prescription drugs on shelves at a pharmacy in Montreal. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press - image credit)


The federal government's latest budget sets aside $1.5 billion to implement pharmacare — a major financial commitment with the potential for a wide-ranging impact on the country's health-care system.

The program, long demanded by the government's supply-and-confidence partners in the NDP, will start small by covering just two categories of drugs.

For the program to get off the ground, the provinces and territories also will have to be on board.


Ottawa has made a commitment to expand pharmacare — it's standing up a panel of experts to provide advice on how best to implement a universal, single-payer program sometime in the future.

CBC News has received a number of questions about the program. Here are some answers.

What is pharmacare?

The Pharmacare Act proposes a publicly-funded, nationwide health-care insurance program to subsidize the cost of prescription drugs in Canada.

The stated purpose of the act is to improve the accessibility and affordability of prescription drugs for all Canadians, with a goal of eventually introducing a national, universal pharmacare program.

Canada is the only country in the developed world with a universal health-care program that does not include universal coverage for prescription drugs. Instead, we have a mix of private, public and out-of-pocket insurance plans.

According to the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), total prescription drug spending in Canada in 2021-22 amounted to roughly $36.6 billion. Of that total, 46 per cent was covered by public sources, 40 per cent was covered by private insurance, and 14 per cent was paid for out-of-pocket.

Legislation has been laying the groundwork a pharmacare-type program for decades.

The Medical Care Act, passed into law in 1966 but not fully implemented until 1972, established a cost-sharing arrangement between the federal government and the provinces to ensure universal public health insurance for hospitals and physician services.

The Canada Health Act, passed in 1984, enshrined in law the core principles of the public health-care system — that it be publicly administered, comprehensive, universal, portable and accessible to all.

The missing piece — universal prescription drug coverage — is what pharmacare is meant to provide.

What's in Bill C-64, the Pharmacare Act?

In its current form, the proposed legislation would provide universal access to a wide variety of contraceptives and diabetes medication.

If C-64 passes Parliament, Health Minister Mark Holland will begin negotiating with the provinces and territories on a funding commitment that would cover the cost of providing these medications to people for free.

Federal Health Minister Mark Holland speaks about new national pharmacare legislation during a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024.

Federal Health Minister Mark Holland speaks about new national pharmacare legislation during a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press)

According to Health Canada, nearly 10 per cent of the population lives with diagnosed diabetes. A quarter of those diabetics say their treatment plans are affected by the cost of drugs.

Bill C-64 would subsidize access to diabetes medications that lower blood glucose levels, such as insulin and metformin.

The full list of diabetes medications the government is suggesting will be covered can be found here. They include Glulisine, Detemir, Saxagliptin and metformin, among others.

The bill also would cover access to contraceptives for roughly nine million Canadians of reproductive age. The federal government says the coverage will reduce unplanned pregnancies and lower costs for health-care systems nationwide.

The full list of contraceptives to be covered can be found here. They include a variety of oral birth control pills, copper and hormonal IUDs and emergency contraceptives.

That's it for now. The federal government says it's planning to introduce universal pharmacare incrementally. This first phase will be evaluated before the government looks to expand to a nationwide single-payer model.

When will Canadians get access to pharmacare?

The short answer is ... it depends.

Holland has said he hopes to have the first phase implemented with the provinces by the end of the year. That timeline depends on the federal government reaching agreements with the provinces.

That means residents of some provinces might have access to pharmacare sooner than others.

If the bill passes, the Canadian Drug Agency will then develop a national purchasing plan and a national formulary of prescription drugs.

It's not clear how this process might affect the federal government's timeline.

What are the provinces saying?

So far, both Alberta and Quebec have said they plan to opt out of pharmacare if it's enacted. Both provinces say they want to invest their share of the program's funding in their own health systems.

Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health for Alberta, makes a health care announcement in Calgary on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Todd Korol

Adriana LaGrange, minister of health for Alberta, makes a health care announcement in Calgary on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. (Todd Korol/The Canadian Press)

The Ontario government has yet to commit and has said it wants to see more details before backing the legislation. The government of B.C. has reacted favourably to the legislation.

The other provinces and territories have signalled they are open to taking part in the program but want to see more details before committing.

The pharmacare pitch comes after the federal government last year offered the provinces and territories $196 billion over 10 years for their health systems — $46 billion of which is new spending.

How much is this going to cost?

Federal officials have yet to confirm the exact cost of the first phase of the pharmacare program.

Without finalized agreements with the provinces, it's hard to say exactly how much the program will cost. Estimates released in the federal budget indicate that the first phase will cost $1.5 billion over five years.

The cost of a fully implemented, universal, nationwide, single-payer prescription drug program is estimated at $33.2 billion in fiscal 2024-25, climbing to $38.9 billion in fiscal 2027-28, according to the PBO.

The projected cost to the federal government would range from $11.2 billion in 2024-25 to $13.4 billion in 2027-28.

Despite expected growth in prescription drug use, the PBO predicts that lower drug prices would help contribute to economy-wide savings of about $1.4 billion in 2024-25, incrementally rising to $2.2 billion in 2027-28.

What are pro-pharmacare advocates saying?

According to Statistics Canada data, one in five Canadians "remain uninsured and pay out-of-pocket for prescription medications."

Pharmacare advocates also note that Canadians pay some of the highest individual prescription drug prices among OECD countries.

Nikolas Barry-Shaw of the Council of Canadians, an independent progressive advocacy group, said the cost of the "status quo" is more than the cost of a national universal prescription drug program.

Barry-Shaw said that such a program would help reduce the strain on hospitals — because if more people have access to prescription drugs, fewer of them are likely to be hospitalized.

What are others saying?

Critics of pharmacare claim the program would reduce the variety of drugs available to Canadians and say the funding could be put to better use elsewhere in the health-care system.

Dr. Bettina Hamelin, president of Innovative Medicines Canada — which represents pharmaceutical companies — said that "moving provinces and territories towards a single-payer pharmacare system would ultimately reduce the quality of drug coverage for most Canadians."

Opponents of the legislation point to the wide range of coverage already available to the vast majority of Canadians. Roughly 88 per cent of Canadians already have comprehensive prescription drug coverage.

The Canadian Association of Pharmacists, which represents over 45,000 pharmacists across Canada, is calling for a mixed-payer model that builds on public and private insurance programs.

What does the future look like?

Assuming the bill passes through Parliament, much depends on whether the federal government can get enough support from the provinces. And there's a federal election coming next year.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has not said whether he would scrap pharmacare. He has criticized the idea by suggesting that it would "ban" private insurance plans. (The proposed legislation would not ban private plans.)

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks during a Canada Strong and Free Network event in Ottawa, on Thursday, April 11, 2024.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks during a Canada Strong and Free Network event in Ottawa on Thursday, April 11, 2024. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)

Poilievre also has hammered the Liberals over their deficit spending, casting doubt on the future of new Liberal social programs under a government led by him.

"It is imperative for this to get rolled out as quickly as possible," said Barry-Shaw.

CRYPTOZOOLOGY
Ocean predator missing since 1800s appears in fishers’ net in Chile. Take a look

Irene Wright
Fri, April 26, 2024 

Artisanal fishers on the coast of Chile were on the hunt for bony fishes when they dropped their gillnets into the water.

Pulling the nets through the water, something much bigger — and important — landed in the hands of the fishers.

It was a missing species.

In 1887, a researcher published the description of a Chilean angel shark, a small, ray-like shark that lives in shallow coastal waters, but it was incomplete and lacked accuracy, according to an April 25 study published in the European Journal of Taxonomy.

Angel sharks are bottom-dwelling sharks that ambush their prey as they swim overhead.
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The study author in 1887 supplied only a few body measurements, hardly enough to differentiate the specimen from other closely related species, the researchers said.

Then, the holotype, or collected animal, was lost, and the scientific record of Chilean angel sharks was left empty, according to the study.

A few times through history the sharks appeared in bycatch, or accidentally caught, by fisheries, helping to update some of the basic information about the species, the researchers said, but a complete description of the species was missing.

Then the sharks landed — literally — right in their hands.


The angel sharks have small “hook-like” thorns on the top of their head and bodies, researchers said.

Two full sharks and one head of a third were captured by the fishers and frozen, then brought to the National Museum of Natural History in Santiago, Chile, according to the study.

There, the researchers confirmed they were looking at two Squantina armata, or Angelote in Spanish and Chilean angel shark in English.

The sharks are a little more than 3 feet long and have flat bodies that look more like rays than sharks, according to the study.

The sharks also have “enlarged dorsal thorns,” meaning small, sharp “hook-shaped” growths on the top of their heads and on their backs, the researchers said.


The thorny species is critically endangered as their habitat dwindles, researchers said.

Very little is known about the Chilean angel shark, and because of a lack of research and sightings, the species is listed as “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.

Other angel sharks, like the common angel shark, are ambush predators who lie in wait for small fish, crustaceans, mollusks and cephalopods to pass overhead before they attack, according to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration.

They are “nocturnal bottom-dwellers,” NOAA says, and spend most of their life buried in the sand and mud of coastal sediment.

The researchers say understanding and identifying the species is “indispensable” for their conservation, as they are threatened by coastal development, habitat degradation and fishing, according to the study.

“Recent taxonomic studies on angel sharks … with this updated morphological characterization of the Chilean angel shark, questions on geographic range, estimations of abundance, and real incidence in landings can be clarified to ultimately inform better conservation practices of this critically endangered species and other angel sharks on the Pacific coast of America,” the researchers said.

The sharks were caught near Playa Seremeño in northern Chile on the Pacific coast.

New Brunswick to mourn those who never returned from work

APRIL 28 DAY OF MOURNING

CBC
Sat, April 27, 2024 

Moncton's commemoration ceremony for workers will take place on Sunday at noon at the cenotaph in Bore Park. (Melissa Brown - image credit)


Melissa Brown tells the story of a woman who set the breakfast table in anticipation of her husband's return. But it never happened because of a workplace accident.

"She was six months pregnant with her first child and her 27-year-old husband didn't make it home," said Brown, the president of the Moncton & District Labour Council.

Brown said that woman will share her story Sunday afternoon during an event at Moncton's Bore Park to mark a national day of mourning.


Melissa Brown, president of Moncton & District Labour Council, said workplace accidents can impact several lives and those attending Sunday's Moncton gathering will hear the story from a victim's family.


Melissa Brown is the president of Moncton & District Labour Council. (Melissa Brown)

April 28 commemorates workers who have lost their lives, faced injuries or suffered illnesses due to their work, according to a Government of Canada news release.

"I can't imagine what these families go through," Brown said.

Daniel Légère, president of New Brunswick Federation of Labour, said these kinds of accidents are preventable if employers provide proper training and make sure that their workplaces and equipment meet safety standards.

He said 14 New Brunswickers didn't come home from their work shifts in 2023.

Légère said many working as fishermen, hydro workers, construction workers, and in several other industries have been victims of workplace accidents.

He said the federation encourages workers to participate in their workplace health and safety committees to ensure that their workplaces have the most up-to-date first-aid kits and trained first-aid providers.

He said he has witnessed cases where employers have walked away with fines and without being criminally charged while a worker has lost their life due to a workplace safety issue.

(Left to right) Bryan Harris, vice president of the Moncton & District Labour Council, Melissa Brown, president of the Moncton & District Labour Council, and Daniel Légère, president of New Brunswick Federation of Labour, at the national day of mourning ceremony 2023.

Bryan Harris, left, vice-president of the Moncton & District Labour Council, Melissa Brown, centre, the president of the Moncton & District Labour Council, and Daniel Légère, president of New Brunswick Federation of Labour, are shown at the national day of mourning ceremony in 2023. (Melissa Brown)

Légère said criminal charges in some cases "would certainly send a message to all employers that health and safety is a priority and every worker that goes to work … should come back home to his family."


Serge Plourde, president of Bathurst & District Labour council said there should be stricter actions taken against employers not ensuring workplace safety standards.

Serge Plourde is the president of Bathurst & District Labour Council. (Serge Plourde)

Serge Plourde, president of Bathurst & District Labour council, echoed Légère's words.

Plourde said the companies should be criminally charged if they don't provide their workers with proper supervision and training.

He said he would also like to see more detailed, area-specific reports about how many workers get ill, injured or lose their lives across New Brunswick.

"According to the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC), in 2022, there were 993 workplace fatalities recorded in Canada, 33 of which were young workers aged 15-24," according to the Government of Canada release.

Several gatherings to mark the day of mourning will be held across the province on Sunday.

IN CANADA IT'S THE LAW