U.S. leisure and hospitality pay surges to a record. Now will workers come?

Jonnelle MarteAnn Saphir
June 4, 2021



Restaurant workers are seen inside one of the city's most popular restaurants amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in El Paso, Texas, U.S. November 15, 2020. REUTERS/Ivan Pierre Aguirre

Hotels, restaurants and other businesses are boosting pay as they try to rebuild their staffs and meet increasing demand from Americans ready to venture out as pandemic-related restrictions are lifted and more people are vaccinated.

But it is unclear if the increases will be sufficient to entice enough workers back to close the employment gap remaining in the sector hit hardest by COVID-19 job losses.

Average hourly earnings for workers in leisure and hospitality rose to $18.09 in May, the highest ever and up 5% from January alone, according to Labor Department data released on Friday. Pay rose even faster for workers in non-manager roles, who saw earnings rise by 7.2% from January, far outpacing any other sector.



That higher pay could be a sign that companies are lifting wages as they seek to draw people back to work after more than a year at home. Some businesses are struggling to keep up with higher demand as more consumers, now fully vaccinated, get back to flying, staying in hotels and dining indoors. Job gains in leisure and hospitality this year have so far outpaced gains in other sectors.

But it is too soon to know whether the boost will be enough to help speed up hiring at a time when many workers are still facing other obstacles, including health concerns and having to care for children and other relatives.

"The fact of the matter is, the pandemic is still going on," said Daniel Zhao, a senior economist for Glassdoor. "The economy is running ahead of where we are from a public health situation."



Some 2.5 million people said they were prevented from looking for work in May because of the pandemic, according to the Labor Department. And just about 40% of Americans are now fully vaccinated, meaning that many workers may still be concerned about the health risks they might face on the job, Zhao said.

STILL IN A HOLE

Employment in leisure and hospitality is still in a deep hole when compared with pre-pandemic levels.

The industry added 292,000 jobs in May, with about two-thirds of that hiring happening in restaurants and bars. But overall employment is still down 2.5 million jobs, or 15% from pre-pandemic levels, more than any other industry.



If job gains continued at the pace seen in May, it would take more than eight months to replace the jobs lost. And it's not yet clear that all of the jobs will be recovered, especially if business travel remains depressed or if other habits change after the pandemic.

Some people who previously worked at hotels or restaurants moved on to other types of jobs during the pandemic, such as packaging goods at a warehouse, and it's too soon to know whether they will switch back as more of the economy reopens, said Zhao.

Some Republicans and businesses struggling to find workers say generous unemployment benefits are slowing down the labor market recovery by making it easier for workers to stay home. Others say the benefits may be helping workers cover the bills while they wait for schools to reopen, receive vaccinations and resolve other obstacles that made it difficult for them to work during the pandemic.


"People were making decisions based on those other factors, but they had the wherewithal to make those choices because of the extended unemployment benefits," Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank President Loretta Mester said during an interview with CNBC.

Either way, any frictions caused by unemployment benefits may be resolved over the next several months as those benefits are reduced. About half of states are putting an early end to a $300 federal supplement to weekly unemployment benefits, winding them down as soon as June 12. The supplement expires nationwide on Sept. 6.

The U.S. poses a serious threat of enticing Canada's skilled workers to move south

Martin Pelletier 

It isn’t uncommon for the average Canadian to have a home country bias when it comes to their portfolio holdings, but that could change given the recent rally in the S&P/TSX composite and a rocketing loonie that makes foreign investments look much more attractive.

© Provided by Financial Post Many younger highly-skilled Canadians are simply priced out of their home markets when it comes to owning a home, but that’s not an issue in most U.S. cities.

But perhaps our wandering eye might go even further given the upcoming immigration changes in the United States. There’s a looming and serious threat of our neighbour enticing Canada’s skilled workers to head south to capitalize on superior opportunities to build their family’s wealth and dramatically improve their current financial well-being.


This week, the New York Times obtained a 46-page draft blueprint — D.H.S. Plan to Restore Trust in Our Legal Immigration System — that really grabbed our attention. In it, the Joe Biden administration is making a 180 on the country’s existing immigration policy, aiming to make it both significantly cheaper and easier for people to move to the U.S.

In particular, we see three factors that may be just enough to tip the scales in convincing Canadians to make such a move when these changes come into effect.
More opportunities

Canada appears to be going all-in on non-producing assets such as real estate, with residential investment accounting for a whopping 54 per cent of GDP growth in Canada in Q1 and 10.3 per cent of total GDP. This surpasses the 9.3 per cent garnered from business investment on non-residential structures, machinery and equipment, and intellectual property.

Other important areas such as research and development are also being ignored. Canada is the only country in the G7 where R&D as a percentage of GDP has been on the decline over the past decade, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) data, and that has only gained tremendous downward momentum over the past five years.

Meanwhile, other economies like the U.S. are already seeing the benefits of diversifying their economies into highly competitive and disruptive sectors such as technology, robotics, automation and renewables. Simply look at the number and size of the tech companies within the S&P 500, representing 27.5 per cent of the index, whereas tech accounts for 10.3 per cent of the S&P/TSX composite and is dominated by one company: Shopify Inc.

Unfortunately, instead of encouraging innovation, the Canadian federal government (both past and present) has allowed politics to drive policy by continually supporting poorly run companies simply because of the province they reside in.
Lower taxes

The Biden administration may be increasing tax rates, but it is at a level that wouldn’t apply to most Canadians considering a move south. For example, the highest tax bracket for a Canadian is at an income level topping $214,000 per year, compared to US$518,000 in the U.S. Also, income tax rates are quite similar across provinces, but that is not the case in the U.S., where some states have little to no income tax. Therefore, the tax advantages could be quite significant for high-income earners.

Looking ahead, we think material tax hikes are on the horizon, especially if the Liberals finally get their much-desired majority government, since someone beyond the Bank of Canada has to pay for the record-breaking deficits. Provincial and municipal governments are facing similar challenges, which could result in education and health-care cuts concurrent with those tax hikes. This could make U.S. company private health-care and education plans extremely enticing.
Cheaper homes

I recently read that the city of Hamilton is now more expensive than Los Angeles. Think about that for a second. Many younger highly skilled Canadians are simply priced out of their home markets when it comes to owning a home, but that’s not an issue in most U.S. cities, even those that are booming like Austin, Tex.

For those more established in their careers and with the ability to take that south of the border, the temptation could be to lock in some huge gains on their home and buy an equivalent one in the U.S. for a fraction of the cost, or get a lot more home for the same price. It certainly helps that the Canadian dollar is the top performer in the G7 this year, thereby reducing the foreign exchange hit while offering the chance to get paid long term in the world’s reserve currency.

Portfolio diversification is one thing, but actually moving one’s entire residency is another. Still, we worry that a rocketing Canadian dollar, an out-of-control housing market, massive tax hikes to fund the Liberals’ build-back better agenda and an immigration-friendly U.S. administration might just be the catalyst Canadians need to seek warmer jurisdictions.

Martin Pelletier, CFA, is a portfolio manager at Wellington-Altus Private Counsel Inc. (formerly TriVest Wealth Counsel Ltd.), a private client and institutional investment firm specializing in discretionary risk-managed portfolios, investment audit/oversight and advanced tax and estate planning.

New cross-Canada research highlights an early childhood educator recruitment crisis

Emis Akbari, 

Adjunct Professor, Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development at Ontario Institute for the Study of Education (OISE) and Senior Policy Fellow at the Atkinson Centre, University of Toronto 

As Canada emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, early education is key to the recovery of not just children and families, but of our social economy.

© (Shutterstock) In expanding early learning and care, Canada must addresses a current crisis is retaining and recruiting educators.

Children have endured learning delays and many have seen worsening mental health. The pandemic has also rocked an early childhood sector that was already unstable and uneven. We must do better.

The newly released Early Childhood Education Report 2020 monitors quality and changes in early child education across Canada, and suggests critical issues to consider. The report is produced by the Atkinson Centre, a research centre based at the University of Toronto that uses best available evidence on early child development to inform public policy.

The report evaluates quality based on analyzing data across all 13 Canadian provinces and territories in five equally weighted categories. It examines how early childhood education services are integrated across ministries, funding in ratio to provincial or territorial budgets, access, learning environments and how governments are being held accountable for policy decisions.

The recent historical federal 2021 budget announcement promised over $30 billion dollars towards early learning and child care with a vow to increase access and drastically reduce costs. It also proposes $2.5 billion over five years to build long-term investments in Indigenous-led early learning programming that parallels the government’s commitment to provinces and territories.

However, as heard in all budget announcements, these are funding and aspirational goals. The challenge lies in bilateral negotiations that successfully support each jurisdiction’s unique needs and ongoing initiatives. We must be careful not to take shortcuts.

Program quality must develop along with the growth of spaces and the capacity to offer more affordable parent fees. This will require using public infrastructure including school boards to expand access to early childhood programs, and a robust workforce strategy that addresses a current educator recruitment and retention crisis.
A comparative look at provinces, territories

The Early Childhood Education Report 2020 is the fourth edition capturing the impact of the 2017-20 early learning and child care bilateral agreements.

The 2017 Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework represented the first time in a decade that the federal government brought attention to early education, followed a year later by the Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework.

These frameworks set the groundwork for provincial or territorial governments to strive towards a common goal to expand access, affordability and inclusion.

Uneven access, curriculum

Across the country, there are both similarities and stark differences in how early learning and care is run.

For example, 75 per cent of two- to four-year-olds in P.E.I. have access to regulated early learning programs, compared to only 27 per cent in Saskatchewan.

The inclusion of children with special needs in early learning programs that receive public dollars are only mandatory in three regions; Alberta (within early childhood services programs that serve children aged three and up with exceptionalities, including kindergarten), P.E.I. (within publicly managed early years centres: these must meet higher quality standards and employ all certified staff) and Manitoba.

Read more: Child care after the coronavirus pandemic should be more inclusive of children with disabilities

In 2011, we reported only eight provinces or territories with a curriculum framework in place to guide educator practice. Our report this year demonstrates that now all 13 jurisdictions have a curriculum framework, however, it’s only mandated in P.E.I., Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Québec, Ontario, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories.

© (Pexels) There are both similarities and stark differences in what we see in early learning and care across the country.

Educator qualifications, salaries

The qualifications of educators vary greatly across the country, as does the ratio of qualified to unqualified staff required in programs. No jurisdiction in Canada requires that all staff be qualified. Alberta only requires one in three staff to be qualified for preschool children.

Salaries of early childhood educators vary across the country. Yet they remain stagnant while related professions such as teachers have enjoyed salary increases. Low and stagnant wages contribute to country-wide shortages in early childhood educators with many leaving the sector.

Read more: Canada's COVID-19 child-care plan must start with investing in early childhood educators

In some places, workforce shortages have led governments to reduce qualification requirements. Alberta no longer administers the child care accreditation system, while Ontario has tabled legislative revisions that would allow people to work with children four years and older who are not certified in early education.
Small federal investments matter

The 2017 federal funding prioritized access, quality and inclusion, and aimed to add 40,000 spaces for children zero to five across the country. We were able to report an addition of over 100,000 new spaces current to March 31, 2020, however, how the pandemic affected access is not yet clear. Many programs have collapsed under the financial stress brought on by COVID-19.

Overall funding allocation to early learning has seen an almost two-fold increase since the release of the first edition of our report to over $14 billion in 2020 from from over $7 billion in 2011.

A 25 per cent increase in overall funding was seen just since 2017, with provinces and territories increasing funding spurred by federal interest and investment. This is a noted difference of only nine per cent increase between 2014 and 2017 when federal interest was non-existent.

This demonstrates that even small federal action can produce significant change, stimulating spending and improving access.

Notable improvements

More than half of provinces and territories have shown notable improvements in the quality of their early learning and child care provisions.

Although our 2020 report does not capture recent changes made in the Yukon, the territory is making notable leaps forward in their programming and affordability, and the territory partially credits the report as a guiding document. Child-care operators now receive $700 per month per child from zero to four years of age, reducing average monthly parent fees to $200. Full-day kindergarten for four-year-olds outside of Whitehorse will start in September 2021.

Educator shortages have been addressed by new wage enhancements with up to a $17.11 per hour top-up, taking the median salary of educators in the Yukon to the highest in the country. The region also has moved oversight of early education into the education ministry, integrating and streamlining services.
Transforming

Transforming services to realize a system similar to public education is vital. Public delivery of early learning and child care is associated with better working conditions and increased compensation for educators, streamlined administrative costs and higher program quality.

School boards play a significant role in educating younger children in kindergarten and pre-kindergarten (junior kindergarten). Full-day kindergarten for five-year-old children is offered in all regions except Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Full-time pre-kindergarten programs for four-year-olds are offered in Nova Scotia, Ontario and the Northwest Territories, with Québec committing to province-wide pre-kindergarten by 2023.

Newfoundland and Labrador and P.E.I. have plans to roll out pre-kindergarten for four-year-olds. Federal funding can be leveraged to support these school-based early learning expansions.

© (Shutterstock) Some school boards offer pre-kindergarten for children.

What children deserve

A skilled workforce, leadership and ongoing professional learning are foundational to high-quality early learning and child care.

As the federal government negotiates funding with provinces and territories, this must be top of mind. Based on Canada’s population and the number of available spaces in regulated child care, we are currently at only 39 per cent access for children between zero and five, meaning we are looking to more than double access.

With shortages of a qualified workforce, we cannot allow expansion to be accommodated by reductions in qualifications or ratios of qualified staff. This will greatly reduce the quality of the early learning environment and rob children of the benefits they deserve.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Emis Akbari does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

With reports of a labour shortage, can the pandemic recovery help raise wages?

... a strong Canadian economy requires that all workers earn something in excess of $20 an hour, wages that allow a Canadian-style standard of living.

Don Pittis  CBC 

JUNE 3,2021

© Mike Segar/Reuters Fast-food workers in Las Vegas demand a $15 minimum wage in 2019. Last month, McDonald's announced it was raising hourly wages at company-owned restaurants from $11 to $17, a move cited as a sign of a tight labour market.

As Canadians wait for Friday's latest jobs numbers, there are growing reports that a shortage of labour will lead to rising wages as the COVID-19 pandemic winds down.

While a renewed lockdown has contributed to a recent slowdown in jobs growth, many observers suggest that just as the Toronto Stock Exchange hit 20,000 in anticipation of an economic rebound, working stiffs will eventually also see the benefits of an economy returning to health.

After last month's sharp decline in jobs in Canada — a loss of more that 200,000 in April that reversed a recovering trend — economists are predicting a better result this week. According to a consensus of economists assembled by the financial news service Bloomberg, Canadian employment is seen to have shrunk again in May, but only by about 20,000 jobs.

The United States also reports its employment numbers on Friday, and after a disappointing April, according to Reuters, economists are predicting job creation in May will more than double from the previous month to 664,000 jobs. But that consensus is based on wildly different predictions from 400,000 to one million.

What killed wage growth?

The predictions for Canadian job creation are all over the map as well, making forecasts unclear, but most suggest the U.S. is leading the way to rising wages. Widely cited is a move by McDonald's to raise wages at company-owned restaurants from $11 to $17 an hour.

In his humorously titled blog, Worthwhile Canadian Initiative, economist Stephen Gordon, an economics professor at Quebec City's Université Laval, has written about what killed real wage growth in the mid-1970s.

© Mark Blinch/Reuters As the TSX hit new highs this week in anticipation of economic recovery, some suggest a new economic boom could reverse a long-term trend toward lower wages.

In general, wages, like prices, rise with inflation. In economics, "real" wages refers to the change in people's incomes after inflation is taken out. In other words, a five per cent increase in your salary doesn't help much if everything else, from mortgage payments to food rises by five per cent or more.

As Gordon and many others have pointed out, a steady rise in real wages ended around 1975. He notes that the change happened just as governments imposed wage and price controls to fight a burst of inflation. Others have blamed the weakening power of the union movement, combined with a long-term transfer of jobs to lower-wage countries.

"Despite some ups and downs over the past several decades, today's real average wage (that is, the wage after accounting for inflation) has about the same purchasing power it did 40 years ago," said a report on U.S. wage trends from the Pew Research Centre that predates the current pandemic. "And what wage gains there have been have mostly flowed to the highest-paid tier of workers."

And according to Jacqueline Best, a political economist at the University of Ottawa who studies inflation, that trend toward wage stagnation has continued to the present. She is concerned that a premature attempt to raise interest rates in order to slow inflation could block a much-needed move toward higher real wages.

Wage hikes without inflation

"You've had CEO [earnings] and stock markets going crazy right now," Best said. "You have a lot of wealth at that end, and you haven't had as much at the working-class, middle-class end, so there is room for wages to go up without prices going up."

She points to U.S. President Joe Biden's recent comment that as governments inject money into the economy for infrastructure and green growth, rising wages are a feature, not a bug.

"People have been talking more and more about labour shortages," Gordon said this week. "That's usually something that would put pressure on wages."

© Mike McArthur/CBC Dr. Bonnie Henry, British Columbia's provincial health officer, announced the province's reopening strategy last month as the NDP government raised its minimum wage to the highest of any province. But is $15.20 enough to live on in places like Vancouver?

Before the pandemic, U.S. central banker Jerome Powell celebrated the fact that wages at the low end had started to creep up as unemployment hit new lows. Last year he worried the pandemic meant that trend had reversed direction.

Statistics Canada data has shown that while average wages have been trending upward, rising employment could have the perverse effect of bringing average wages down.

As University of Waterloo economist Mikal Skuterud explains, the effect makes him suspicious of some of the more optimistic outlooks for wage growth.

False signal

"At the beginning of this pandemic, [wages] skyrocketed," Skuterud said. "Average wages increased like we haven't seen in decades."

As the Bank of Canada and others have pointed out, low-wage earners suffered the most, losing their jobs while better-paid workers continued to work from home.

"It's not too hard to see what's happening," he said. "It isn't that individual workers' wages are going up, it's that the composition of the group of people we are averaging over has completely changed."

While businesses complain about a shortage of employees in certain sectors and wage levels, Skuterud's analysis implies that the return of lower-paid workers in sectors such as retail and hospitality will bring average wages down again.

One economist who remains skeptical that the pandemic recovery alone will reverse the long-term trend and set wages on a rising path is Jim Stanford, director of the Centre for Future Work in Vancouver.

Stanford points out that even before the pandemic when unemployment rates were at 50-year lows, wage rises remained muted — reflecting laws that continue to give too much bargaining power to employers and not enough to workers.

"That suggests that the erosion of institutional supports for wages and for a more equitable distribution of income are the main explanation for weak wages," he said in an email conversation.

Stanford, a longtime labour union economist, insists a strong Canadian economy requires that all workers earn something in excess of $20 an hour, wages that allow a Canadian-style standard of living.

"And to get that, we have to give workers the institutional power to win them," he said. "We can't trust that supply-and-demand forces will do the job."

Follow Don Pittis on Twitter @don_pittis

JBS Canada beef processing facility in Alberta resumes production after cyberattack

CALGARY — The JBS Canada beef processing facility in Alberta has resumed production after a cyberattack that impacted the company’s operations in North America and Australia.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The JBS Canada facility in Brooks, Alta., employs more than 2,800 people.

Some plant shifts in Canada were cancelled Monday and Tuesday, according to JBS Facebook posts.

The world's largest meat processing company was the target of an organized cybersecurity attack, affecting some of the servers for its North American and Australian IT systems.

It said its backup servers were not affected and that it was not aware of any evidence that any customer, supplier or employee data had been compromised.

The company said Tuesday it was making progress in resuming plant operations in the U.S. and Australia. It said several of its pork, poultry and prepared foods plants were operational as well as the Canadian facility.

JBS notified the Australian government the ransom demand came from the ransomware gang REvil, which is believed to operate in Russia, according to a person familiar with the situation who is not authorized to discuss it publicly.

The attack was the second in a month on critical U.S. infrastructure. Earlier in May, hackers shut down operation of the Colonial Pipeline, the largest U.S. fuel pipeline, for nearly a week. The closure sparked long lines and panic buying at gas stations across the Southeast. Colonial Pipeline confirmed it paid nearly US$5 million to the hackers.

JBS is the second-largest producer of beef, pork and chicken in the U.S. If it were to shut down for even one day, the U.S. would lose almost a quarter of its beef-processing capacity, or the equivalent of 20,000 beef cows, according to Trey Malone, an assistant professor of agriculture at Michigan State University.

The JBS plant closures reflect the reality that modern meat processing is heavily automated, for both food- and worker-safety reasons. Computers collect data at multiple stages of the production process; orders, billing, shipping and other functions are all electronic.

It's not the first time a ransomware attack has targeted a food company. Last November, Milan-based Campari Group said it was the victim of a ransomware attack that caused a temporary technology outage and compromised some business and personal data.

In March, Molson Coors announced a cyber attack that affected its production and shipping. Molson Coors said it was able to get some of its breweries running after 24 hours; others took several days.

Following the incident involving Colonial, Canadian pipeline companies TC Energy and Enbridge said they regularly take precautions, including technology and training to protect their operations from cyberattacks.

Cybersecurity experts say a common way for hackers to penetrate security is to trick employees through emails or texts that allow disruptive software into corporate systems.

A Proofpoint survey of 1,400 chief information security officers from 14 countries, found that email fraud was identified as the top cybersecurity problem for the Canadian CISOs.

Other problems cited by the Canadian respondents to the first-quarter survey was the use of unauthorized devices or software, as well as weak passwords.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2021.

— With files from The Associated Press

The Canadian Press

JBS RESTARTS 
By Nandita Bose and Tom Polansek

© Reuters/Bing Guan FILE PHOTO:  JBS USA Worthington pork plant in Minnesota

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) -JBS SA employees were scheduled to return to U.S. meat plants on Wednesday, a day after the company's beef operations stopped following a ransomware attack.

A notorious Russia-linked hacking group is behind the cyberattack against JBS that disrupted meat production in North America and Australia, a source familiar with the matter said.

Brazil's JBS controls about 20% of the slaughtering capacity for U.S. cattle and hogs, so the plants' reopening should prevent a severe supply chain disruption at a time consumers are already facing high meat prices and general food inflation.

JBS, the world's largest meatpacker, said on Tuesday night it had made "significant progress in resolving the cyberattack."

The "vast majority" of the company's beef, pork, poultry and prepared foods plants will be operational on Wednesday, according to a statement.

The cyberattack followed one last month by a group with ties to Russia on Colonial Pipeline, the largest fuel pipeline in the United States, which crippled fuel delivery for several days in the U.S. Southeast.

The cyber gang goes by the name REvil, the source said.

Cybersecurity investigators have previously said they believe some members of the REvil ransomware team are based in Russia. The prolific ransomware group, which is perhaps best known for attacking an Apple Inc supplier named Quanta Computer earlier this year, has previously posted in Russian on cybercrime forums, marketing stolen data.

In the Quanta Computer case, the hackers sent extortion threats and demanded a payment of $50 million for the company to regain access to its systems.

With North American operations headquartered in Greeley, Colorado, JBS sells beef and pork under the Swift brand, with retailers like Costco Wholesale carrying its pork loins and tenderloins.

U.S. beef and pork prices are already rising as China increases imports, animal feed costs rise and slaughterhouses have confronted a labor shortage since COVID-19 outbreaks shut down many U.S. meat plants.

JBS also owns most of chicken processor Pilgrim's Pride Co, which sells organic chicken under the Just Bare brand.

The company's operations in Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom were not affected by the attack, JBS has said.

JBS canceled an early shift on Wednesday at its beef plant in Greeley, but a later shift was scheduled to resume normally, representatives of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 7 said in an email.

A JBS beef plant in Grand Island, Nebraska, told its workers on Facebook it would resume normal schedules in all departments.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures rose on Wednesday after tumbling on Tuesday as the JBS plant shutdowns prevented farmers from delivering their cattle to slaughter plants.

Over the past few years, ransomware has evolved into a pressing national security issue. A number of gangs, many of them Russian speakers, develop the software that encrypts files and then demand payment in cryptocurrency for keys that allow the owners to decipher and use them again.

(Reporting by Tom Polansek and Caroline Stauffer in Chicago and Nandita Bose in Washingon; editing by Steve Orlofsky and Nick Zieminski)

Biden aims to restore species protections weakened by Trump

June 5,2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration says it is canceling or reviewing a host of actions by the Trump administration to roll back protections for endangered or threatened species, with a goal of strengthening a landmark law while addressing climate change.

The reviews by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service are aimed at five Endangered Species Act regulations finalized by the Trump administration, including critical habitat designations and rules defining the scope of federal actions on endangered species. The Fish and Wildlife Service also said Friday it will reinstate the so-called “blanket rule,” which mandates additional protections for species that are newly classified as threatened. Under former President Donald Trump, those protections were removed.

Habitat designations for threatened or endangered species can result in limitations on energy development such as mining or oil drilling that could disturb a vulnerable species, while the scoping rule helps determine how far the government may go to protect imperiled species.

Under Trump, officials rolled back protections for the northern spotted owl, gray wolves and other species, actions that President Joe Biden has vowed to review. His administration already has moved to reverse Trump’s decision to weaken enforcement of the century-old Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which made it harder to prosecute bird deaths caused by the energy industry.

The decision on the bird law was among more than 100 business-friendly actions on the environment that Trump took and Biden wants reconsidered and possibly revised or scrapped. The reviews announced Friday follow through on that executive order.

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to working with diverse federal, tribal, state and industry partners to not only protect and recover America’s imperiled wildlife but to ensure cornerstone laws like the Endangered Species Act are helping us meet 21st century challenges,” said Martha Williams, principal deputy director of the Fish and Wildlife Service.

The agency looks forward to “continuing these conservation collaborations and to ensuring our efforts are fully transparent and inclusive,'' Williams added.

The reviews announced Friday will take months or years to complete. Many rules targeted by Trump originated with former President Barack Obama and took him years to undo, continuing a decades-old, back-and-forth between Democratic and Republican administrations with starkly differing approaches to environmental regulation.

Industry groups and Republicans in Congress have long viewed the Endangered Species Act as an impediment to economic development and under Trump they successfully lobbied to weaken the law’s regulations. Environmental groups and Democratic-controlled states battled the moves in court, but those cases remained unresolved when Trump left office in January.

Noah Greenwald with the Center for Biological Diversity said the environmental group was grateful to see the Trump rules being canceled or changed, particularly a rule that would have denied blanket protections for threatened species.

“We hope they move quickly so more species aren’t harmed,” Greenwald said.

Earthjustice attorney Kristen Boyles, who was involved in legal challenges to the Trump rules, said Friday’s announcement covered major changes under the previous administration that needed to be addressed. But Boyles said questions remain about what will happen while the new proposals go through a lengthy rule-making process.

“These will take time, and in the interim we don’t want the harm to continue,” she said.

Jonathan Wood, a lawyer for the Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative law firm that advocates for property rights, said the Biden proposals could backfire by removing incentives for landowners to cooperate in helping imperiled wildlife.

“There were some things in the Trump rules that were right,” Wood said, citing regulations that he said offered needed flexibility and better incentives to recover endangered species.

“This looks basically like a 180-degree reversal,'' he said. "Once again we’re going to yo-yo back and forth on what the rules are.''

The Biden administration said in January it was reconsidering a Trump rule that removed federal protections for wolves across most of the Lower 48 states, but officials so far have not backed away from the Trump rule and continue to defend it in court. Wildlife advocates have pressed to revive the federal protections for gray wolves across the Northern Rockies and Upper Midwest after Republicans in Idaho, Montana and other states made it much easier to kill the predators.

In the final days of the Trump administration, the Fish and Wildlife Service cut by one-third the amount of protected federal old-growth forest used by the spotted owl, a move that was cheered by the timber industry and slammed by Democrats and environmental groups.

The Biden administration has temporarily delayed putting the Trump-era rules into effect in order to review the decision.

Last week, the Biden administration proposed federal protections for the lesser prairie chicken, saying its habitat across five states is in danger of becoming more fragmented, with a further toll expected from the effects of climate change and drought. The chicken’s habitat spans parts of New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas -- including a portion of the oil-rich Permian Basin.

The administration said this week that an extremely rare wildflower that grows only in Nevada’s high desert should be protected under the Endangered Species Act. The Tiehm’s buckwheat flower grows where an Australian mining company wants to dig for lithium.

___

Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

Matthew Daly And Matthew Brown, The Associated Press

The Lives Of LGBTQ+ Youth In Puerto Rico Are In Danger — More Than Ever
Raquel Reichard 

Refinery29
June 4,2021

A transgender woman, Mila García, was 12 years old when she started conversion therapy in Puerto Rico. Her parents found a love letter she had exchanged with a boy in her class, and they forced her into three years of the pseudoscientific practice that seeks to reverse an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity by psychological or spiritual intervention. Some of the counselors and social workers her parents had her meet with told her that queer romance and sexuality are “sinful” because “she was a boy.” Others instructed her to write essays on why her attraction to boys made her “wrong” and “bad.” Overcome by shame and self-hate, she attempted suicide during her years in treatment. But her torment doesn’t fall solely on the hands of her family, but also that of a government that has yet to outlaw the practice of conversion therapy on the archipelago.

© Provided by Refinery29

Last month, Garcia, now a college student, was one of several queer and trans Puerto Ricans who offered their testimony in public hearings for Senate Bill 184, a measure that would have banned the practice. These individuals spoke about the mental, emotional, and, in some cases, physical violence experienced under conversion counseling, which has been linked to causing “serious potential harm,” such as depression and suicidal ideation, by The American Psychological Association and even classified as “torture” by the United Nations. Though former Gov. Ricardo Rosselló signed an executive order in 2019 that prohibited conversion therapies in the U.S. territory, it risks being annulled by future anti-LGBTQ rights governors while the practice continues to be used by religious-based counselors. SB 184 could have codified the ban into law. Even more, it would have established professional consequences, like fines or license suspensions, for therapists who conduct these forms of therapies. Still, on May 6, 2021, a Puerto Rico Senate committee voted to kill the bill.


This decision puts the lives of many trans and queer youth at risk. “We’ve left minors from the LGBTQ community without any recourse to protect themselves from people who practice these torture therapies, which is really sad and unfortunate,” Mayte Bayolo-Alonso, a legislative attorney for ACLU’s Puerto Rico chapter, tells Refinery29.

Bayolo-Alonso credits the bill’s failure to pass to a powerful disinformation campaign that targets families. For months, religious leaders and the conservative third party Proyecto Dignidad allegedly asserted that conversion therapies don’t take place in Puerto Rico and circulated lies about the bill through social media and church services. These groups alleged Senate Bill 184 was heterophobic, put parents who didn’t support their child’s sexual orientation or gender identity at risk of incarceration, and barred youth who experienced sexual or physical violence from obtaining therapy.

Multiple LGBTQ+ rights groups in Puerto Rico are working to push back on the disinformation. La Sombrilla Cuir, a transfeminist educational platform and collective, uses social media to inform the public about the state of conversion therapy on the island. The group posts bill explainers and hosts online discussions with survivors who share their traumatizing experiences in therapy, churches, or conversion camps disguised as “self-esteem retreats.”

However, these parents, who were told by trusted religious leaders that the measure threatened their right to raise their children according to their ideals, have not been persuaded by educators fighting the disinformation. Many parents participated in protests against the bill outside Puerto Rico’s Capitol building; some held signs that read, “Don’t mess with my children” and “As a mother, I have every right to model to my children, educate them, and affirm them under my principles.”

“While we tried to specify that this bill was solely about creating professional regulations for licensed therapists who conduct these kinds of therapies, the message was destroyed,” Bayolo-Alonso says.

SB 184 lost by an 8-7 vote margin, and three senators abstained from voting. Advocates — like Marielle DeLeon, an organizer with La Sombrilla Cuir — believe the backlash against the bill prompted some senators who had previously supported banning conversion therapy to stay home on voting day. “They feared their voter base. They feared not being re-elected,” DeLeon tells Refinery29. “But this isn’t the first time we’ve tried passing laws like this, and it won’t be the last time. For us, this just means that the struggle continues. The fight isn’t over yet.”

For Puerto Rico’s feminist and LGBTQ communities, the latest battle in this ongoing fight for human rights and social justice surrounds Senate Bill 130, which would amend the Penal Code to recognize and establish femicides and trans-femicides as crimes that constitute murder in the first degree. In 2020, the U.S. saw its deadliest year for trans people on record, and Puerto Rico has been described as the epicenter of the crisis. Of the 44 trans individuals killed in the U.S. last year, six occurred in Puerto Rico. Of those murders, only one case has produced arrests.

For Joanna Cifredo, executive director of True Self Foundation, a Puerto Rican foundation providing resources and services to the LGBTQ community, the same ideology behind harmful conversion therapies contributes to violence against trans bodies – and the government’s recent inaction around SB 184 further sanctions this brutality.

“When the state starts bullying, it sends a message to young people that trans people and queer people are not worthy of protection and that it’s ok to hate on us, discriminate against us, and dispose of us,” Cifredo says.

Since Bill 184 was defeated, the House has been reviewing two anti-trans measures introduced by the Project Dignity Party, the same party behind the disinformation campaign. House Bill 768 aims to prohibit hormonal therapies for trans youth, while House Bill 764 would force trans athletes to participate in sports teams and leagues according to the gender assigned to them at birth.

“With so much violence against women and trans people in Puerto Rico, it’s never been more important to push back against discriminatory measures and fight for laws that protect and support our communities,” says DeLeon of La Sombrilla Cuir. “We do this through educating others, reaching out to people in government, and organizing manifestations.”

THE BLACK(WATER) PRINCE & COVAXX VACCINE

© Reuters/Dado Ruvic FILE PHOTO:

 The word "COVID-19" is reflected in a drop on a syringe needle in this illustration

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Erik Prince, the founder of controversial private military firm Blackwater and a supporter of former President Donald Trump, jumped into the COVID-19 business late last year with a deal to distribute an experimental vaccine should it be approved, according to three people familiar with the arrangement and business records seen by Reuters.


The COVID-19 vaccine, known as UB-612, is being developed by a privately-held U.S. firm called COVAXX.

The company has said the vaccine shows promise in protecting people against coronavirus, based on a small study of 60 patients in Taiwan. It hasn't provided data on safety and efficacy from large clinical trials, information that is usually required before a vaccine is authorized for public use.

COVAXX is unrelated to the similar-sounding but better-known "COVAX," a global vaccine distribution program backed by the World Health Organization.

Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, the COVAXX vaccine has attracted some big-name backers, including endorsements from entrepreneur Peter Diamandis, who co-founded the company, and motivational speaker Tony Robbins. In March, the company raised $1.35 billion in a private placement, according to U.S. securities filings.

Prince's involvement in vaccine distribution, which has not been previously reported, sheds new light on the race to profit from the uncertainties of the pandemic. Vaccine supply deals have often been forged through direct government ties to drugmakers, global health organizations or diplomatic channels.

Reuters couldn't determine how Prince first became associated with COVAXX, or whether he has brokered any vaccine supply deals.

Prince did not respond to questions for this story. A source close to Prince said that "Erik has been helping a vaccine manufacturer set up distribution," but declined to give details.

Diane Murphy, a public relations consultant for Vaxxinity Inc, which owns COVAXX, declined to answer questions related to Prince. In a statement to Reuters, she said that the company has "accepted introductions from a variety of private, public and non-profit intermediaries, both formally and informally."

'DOLLARS PER DOSE'

Prince has made headlines for years, first as chief executive of Blackwater, whose security guards fatally shot more than a dozen Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in 2007. After he left Blackwater, Prince pushed to privatize the war in Afghanistan by having contractors fight instead of the U.S. military and became embroiled in an investigation into possible collusion between the Trump election campaign and the Russian government.

Prince sought to recruit a close associate, the late Paul Behrends, a former Republican congressional staffer and lobbyist who represented Blackwater for over two years, to help in the COVAXX project.

In a series of text messages to Behrends, Prince described the potential for profit from selling the vaccines.

"There's room for a couple dollars per dose in commissions," Prince said in a Nov. 9 text to Behrends. He shared with Behrends a "Letter of Authorization" on COVAXX letterhead signed by senior vice president Brandon Schurter as proof of his distribution deal. Schurter did not respond to requests for comment.

The October 2020 letter said that an entity called Windward Capital, with an address in Abu Dhabi, was authorized to "assist in the process of creating distribution networks." Reuters could not find a Windward Capital registered in Abu Dhabi. But a company called Windward Holdings that handles "professional, scientific and technical activities" is listed there, with Erik Prince the sole named shareholder.

Prince is also the managing member of a corporate entity called Windward Wyoming LLC, which says it has a "global distribution" deal with COVAXX, according to records of non-public business agreements seen by Reuters. The company was formed in October 2020, public incorporation records in Wyoming show.

Lawyers and other officials affiliated with the various Windward entities did not respond to requests for comment.

Prince and Behrends were negotiating how to carve up prospective sales territories by country, said Barry Angeline, a friend of Behrends. But their possible collaboration was cut short in December, when Behrends died.

Vaxxinity consultant Murphy told Reuters the company has a "focus on the developing market" – including the many countries that have been unable to acquire the shots made by global drugmakers and stockpiled by wealthier nations.

HIGH-PROFILE BACKERS

COVAXX was formed in early 2020 as a subsidiary of United Biomedical Inc (UBI), a maker of diagnostic tests and veterinary vaccines, to address the coronavirus pandemic. In April, the company announced it was being consolidated into a new holding corporation called Vaxxinity.

COVAXX's backers were quick to publicize the vaccine's potential beginning in July, based on early tests in animals, and before the first clinical trials in people began in Taiwan.

Diamandis, who is listed as a co-founder of Vaxxinity, wrote in a July 30 post on his personal blog that the vaccine was safe for patients and likely effective in the elderly. He told Reuters he made it clear in those posts that his assertions were based on previous trial results of other vaccines developed by the company.

A few weeks later, Robbins, the self-help coach, held a webinar promoting COVAXX titled "The most powerful vaccine you've never heard of." Robbins said in the video that he was one of the company owners. "I've invested in the company, so everyone knows. Because I've been blown away by seeing these results," he said.

Robbins "remains an investor," his spokeswoman Jennifer Connelly said in a statement to Reuters. She added, "Mr. Robbins is not involved in the management or daily operations."

In October, COVAXX and shipping giant Maersk announced a partnership to provide global transport of the vaccine as soon as it becomes available. The Maersk official quoted in the release, Rob Townley, said the company recognized the urgent need to safely deliver COVID-19 vaccines worldwide.

Townley was briefly an aide to former U.S. Army general Michael Flynn during Flynn's short tenure as Trump's National Security Adviser. In an interview, Townley said he knows Prince but couldn't discuss Prince's involvement.

Data on how well the vaccine works is still pending. In an email to Reuters, Vaxxinity's Murphy said the company had completed the Phase 1 trial of 60 volunteers aged 20 to 55 in Taiwan, and is conducting a new study of 3,800 people there, including teens and elderly participants. The company plans larger trials in Brazil and India later this year.

(Reporting by Aram Roston in Washington and Lisa Barrington in Abu Dhabi; Editing by Michele Gershberg)

OUCH!

'Our leadership should sincerely apologize': Two cabinet ministers criticize Kenney for Sky Palace dinner

One is the deputy leader of the United Conservative Party

Author of the article: Jason Herring
Publishing date: June 05, 2021 • 

Minister for Culture, Multiculturalism and the Status of Women Leela Aheer. 

PHOTO BY DAVID BLOOM /Postmedia

Two United Conservative Party cabinet ministers have called out Premier Jason Kenney after he violated provincial COVID-19 rules during a patio dinner.

In a Facebook post Saturday afternoon, Chestermere-Strathmore MLA Leela Aheer called for an apology from the premier after photos obtained by the media showed Kenney and three other cabinet ministers dining on a patio linked to a government office space in Edmonton known as the Sky Palace. Some attendees were seated closer than the required two metres of distance and none were wearing masks.

“I am confused and, like you, extremely hurt, and I’m so sorry for any pain, anger, or frustration this may have caused you,” wrote Aheer, the minister of culture, multiculturalism and status of women. 

She is also the deputy leader of the governing United Conservative Party.

“All of us make mistakes, but this one is a big one, and I am truly sorry. You’ve had to maneuver, pivot, and adapt to the rules put in place by our government. I can only imagine how disappointed you must be.

“Our leadership should sincerely apologize.”

Aheer said she has “diligently” followed public health orders and encouraged others to do the same.

Minister of Community and Social Services Rajan Sawhney, MLA for Calgary-North East, made similar comments in an interview on RED FM Friday, expressing frustrations with the photo after having taken pains to follow restrictions while meeting with her mother recently.

“I would never have done (what they did) in the picture,” said Sawhney in Punjabi, as translated by RED FM news director Rishi Nagar.

In the photos, Kenney is shown seated with senior cabinet ministers Jason Nixon, Tyler Shandro and Travis Toews. At the legislature Thursday. the premier defended the dinner as an outdoor gathering, saying because there were fewer than 10 people in attendance, it did not violate public health rules.

Under Stage 1 of the province’s reopening plan, which began the day the photos were taken, physical distancing is mandatory among members of different households in outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people.

Aheer’s statement comes the day after UCP backbencher Angela Pitt, MLA for Airdrie-East, criticized Kenney and the three cabinet ministers for the dinner, saying “it seems clear” several health restrictions were violated.

Pitt’s statement called on the premier to loosen public health rules, saying restrictions are inconsistent and unfair to businesses, a message Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul MLA Dave Hanson expressed support for.

The criticism from Aheer is notable not only because she is a cabinet minister, but also because her frustrations come from a perspective unique from previous dissenters, said Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt.

“She is a very important figure in the party. … It’s not just that she’s a minister. She’s coming from the centre part of the party,” Bratt said.

“She’s saying, ‘The COVID restrictions are appropriate, but you have violated them, premier.’ ”

In her statement, Aheer also took aim at Kenney for comments made earlier this week denouncing “cancel culture,” after a reporter asked his opinion on the Calgary Board of Education’s decision to rename Langevin School.

In response, Kenney said John A. Macdonald was “an imperfect man, but he was still a great leader.” Both Macdonald and Hector-Louis Langevin were architects of Canada’s residential school system. The comments came days after the bodies of 215 children were found buried at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C.

“These deplorable acts are not to be debated. Sir John A. Macdonald and Hector-Louis Langevin, among others, were architects of the residential schools where children died because of disease, neglect, and beatings,” Aheer said.

“Changing the names of schools and educating people about these atrocities is not “cancel culture.” Cancel culture is what has happened to our First Nations by not acknowledging these atrocities and those responsible.”

Bratt said Kenney has prolonged the political fallout of the patio dinner by not initially apologizing for it, leaving him with limited options to deal with the situation now.

“Had he apologized on Wednesday or Thursday, we’re not talking about this today. But he didn’t just say he did nothing wrong, he got quite defiant about it,” Bratt said. “For him to apologize now, it wouldn’t be sincere.”

Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley weighed in on the issue on Twitter, saying, “If (Kenney) won’t listen to Albertans, will he listen to some of his closest allies when they demand he do the right thing?”

The premier’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

— With files from Lisa Johnson and Ashley Joannou

jherring@postmedia.com

Twitter: @jasonfherring

IN BETTER TIMES

First, a few background facts about Leela.

• Her father immigrated from India to Canada in 1963 in order to study chemical engineering at the University of Alberta.

• Leela was born in Edmonton in 1970 and her family moved down to the Chestermere area in 1971.

• Straight out of highschool, Leela went solo travelling through India. The experience informed not just her politics, but her worldview in general.

• Leela studied political science at the University of Calgary, but decided to pursue her love of music and travelled to Winnipeg to study full time.

• Leela has been married for 21 years, has two kids and runs a variety of successful businesses in Chestermere.

• Leela is in a band called Minerva. Check it out here!

Leela Aheer And Alberta's Future | Poletical.com

Leela Aheer was appointed as Alberta’s Minister of Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women on April 30, 2019. She is also Minister responsible for the Francophone Secretariat. Previously serving as the Opposition Critic for Children’s Services and Status of Women, Aheer brings her experience as a legislator to her new portfolio. A key priority of the new government is to provide more protections for women, through initiatives like Clare’s Law.

  Aheer will continue to work hard to build an Alberta that regardless of who you are, who you love, where you come from, to whom you pray – is for generations to come, strong and free. SHE IS IN THE WRONG PARTY

Minister Leela Aheer - The Immigrant Education Society - TIES (immigrant-education.ca)

Saturday's letters: Where is the UCP's belt tightening?

Edmonton Journal
Publishing date: Jun 05, 2021 • 

Kenney and some cabinet ministers on a patio in the Federal Building in Edmonton taken on June 1, 2021 between hours of 7:00pm and 10:00pm. From the top right is Jason Nixon, Minister of Environment & Parks, Government House Leader, Health Minister Tyler Shandro and with his back to the camera is Premier Jason Kenney. PHOTO BY SUPPLIED


While the odour of the Christmas vacation scandal is now in the rearview mirror, the UCP seems intent on keeping controversy alive. Enter the “working dinner” on the balcony of late, great Sky Palace. While there was a distinct lack of compliance with the COVID restrictions, what really made me take notice was the whiskey and wine on display. Where is the belt tightening?

While Jason Kenney rails about the urgent need for spending cuts, apparently that is just for the huddled masses. Oh, and one more thing, a group of older white guys enjoying dinner on a private balcony doesn’t say much about diversity in government.

John Campbell, Edmonton

Do as we say, not as we do

While the saga of UCP selfish entitlement continues, most Alberta citizens are trying to follow the rules. It seems that Jason Kenney and his cohorts can’t count. Perhaps they need to go back to elementary school to learn numeracy. In order for four UCP members to dine together, they have to occupy the same household. Are they living together in Alison Redford’s Sky Palace? They should be quarantined there so they can take lessons on the AHS rules.

What an extremely poor example to show Albertans while preaching the AHS patio dining rules. Is it any wonder that many people have lost trust in this government? Do not imitate my behaviour but obey my instructions should be the UCP’s new motto.

H.C. Kolthammer, Edmonton

Nitpicking of UCP getting tiresome

I am sick and tired of people nitpicking everything the UCP does. To send a drone to take a picture off a working meeting has to be the worst. A dinner meeting outside by six people who have all been vaccinated is not breaking rules.

There was ample distance between the individuals involved. Stop it.

D.J. Charbonneau, Alberta Beach

Thinking behind policies now make sense

I am certain that our premier and his esteemed dining partners supported a local eatery when they ordered using “Skip the Rules.” In that way, a dining group is exempt from the usual gathering proscriptions that the government and health authorities are expecting Albertans to live under. Unfortunately, alcohol was on the menu as well.

It is well known that imbibing can impair one’s judgement and motor function. I now understand the thinking or apparent lack thereof, when our government has implemented various policies over the last two years. I am left wondering, however, when dinner was over, who was the designated driver? Or was it agreed, there is a limit on how much one should stretch the rules and they used Uber to get home?

Gerard Bolduc, Sherwood Park

Alberta reopening too hastily

I believe that Jason Kenney’s reopening plan is too ambitious. Other provinces like B.C., Saskatchewan and Ontario are being cautious and prudent in the reopening plans. They are basing their plan on people having two doses of a vaccine, not one like Alberta. I believe that this is a better plan.

The end of this pandemic is in sight but it is a leisurely stroll to the finish line not a sprint. The virus is still with us and the variants still circulating. Children under 12 are not eligible to be vaccinated at this time. Hopefully, in the near future they will. Until then, people with children under 12 will need to be cautious.

Kenney has touted big events that won’t happen at all like the Folk Festival or the Calgary Stampede which will have no parade this year and masks will be required on the Stampede grounds. Mayor Iveson has correctly pointed out that cities will determine what events go ahead. Heritage Days will go ahead with less tents, free tickets and required masks. With these and other events in mind, the summer will be different from what the premier envisions.

What happens if we get a big outbreak again because we opened up too soon? What will our fearless premier do?

Craig Harris, Edmonton

Kenney a better sidekick than leader

As I listened to Jason Kenney’s comments about cancel culture, I again realized how shallow this man really is, and why Alberta has been in a downward spiral since he was elected.

Kenney did well in Ottawa in Stephen Harper’s passenger seat, but he’s hopelessly unable to actually drive the vehicle in Alberta himself. Kenney damages Alberta each and every day he’s in office. He must go!

Lynne Barnett, Edmonton

Friday's letters: Sky Palace patio photos show entitlement

Edmonton Journal
Publishing date: June 04, 2021 • 

Kenney and some cabinet ministers are pictured on a patio in the Federal Building in Edmonton taken on June 1, 2021. From the top right is Jason Nixon, Minister of Environment & Parks, Government House Leader, Health Minister Tyler Shandro and with his back to the camera is Premier Jason Kenney. PHOTO BY SUPPLIED IMAGE

Here we go again. In contravention of Alberta’s COVID rules, we have observed Premier Kenney and a number of powerful cabinet members eating on the patio of Edmonton’s Sky Palace. It looks like our premier and other leaders did not limit themselves to ordinary fiddles. The white tablecloth and wine lend yet another image of government entitlement.

The citizens of Alberta continue to learn of a disturbing pattern of entitlement and behaviour within the highest ranks of their government. The embarrassment of Alohagate should have provided a powerful warning to Premier Kenney and his governing body.

Kenney insists no rules were broken during Sky Palace patio dinner


Premier Kenney should have learned that it is important for leaders to understand the power and importance of outward appearance. During times of crisis and great challenge, we expect a higher standard of behaviour from our elected leaders. Eating on the patio of the Sky Palace creates a lack of confidence, demoralization, and doubts about leadership.

A former mentor emphasized a cardinal rule of leadership — don’t screw up. Premier Kenney and his inner circle have screwed up.

Glen Giduk, Leduc

Double standard on COVID rules

Yesterday I dropped by my local pub where they had set up an outside patio. As I was looking for a place to sit, the waitress who was wearing a mask said only four people are allowed at each table. In the picture that was published I see five people at the table with none of the staff wearing masks. Such hypocrisy.

Stephen Crocker, Edmonton

Make Indigenous languages official

As a matter of truth and reconciliation, would it not be fair to increase the number of official languages of Canada to include First Nation languages? For instance, Cree could be taught in all Alberta elementary schools, appear on street signs, and be an option for legal documents. I am certain there are enough people who know their Native tongues to accommodate a speedy resolution; language teachers can be found in willing tribal elders.

In all fairness, it should be members of the First Nations who make curriculum decisions, so I should not be more specific.

Trevor Salyzyn, Edmonton

Kenney gets it wrong on cancel culture

Mr. Kenney has not understood yet what oppression means for the oppressed. Removing from public places the names and statues of people who have done terrible things to oppressed minorities is not cancelling culture, it just stops celebrating them. We are not “judging harshly” and that is not “the new standard.”

Taking kids from their families was wrong at that time too, as it was giving them such poor care that they died in terrible numbers. People allowed it because it was not happening to them, but to a minority that was in the way of what they wanted: the First Nations’ land. Those people did great things but their actions facilitated the massacre we are mourning now. For that reason their names belong to history books, where they will not be forgotten and will be recognized for what they did, but the descendants of the oppressed do not need to see their names, reminding them of how they are considered different, every time they go to school.

Miguel Burgos, Edmonton

TORNADO HIGH RIVER ALBERTA

 

 Tornado east of Frank Lake in Alberta at 2:03 p.m. 

                  PHOTO BY KYLE BRITTAIN /Courtesy @weathernetwork