Hundreds gather in downtown Edmonton to mark National Red Dress Day

Sarah Komadina/ Global News

There was a sea of red in downtown Edmonton on Thursday as about 400 people marked National Red Dress Day.

Many were holding tightly onto signs that had messages of love, calls for justice and pictures of loved ones who are missing or murdered.

National Red Dress day honours missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, but men and boys are not left out.

Ronald Beaver came with his family. He painted wooden signs to honour his sister Audrey Beaver. She was last seen in August 2020 in Edmonton. Ronald hopes she will be found.

Read more:

Families remember their loved ones on MMIW National Awareness Day

"Audrey is my sister, and we obviously pray and think about her everyday," he said.

While coming to the event was emotional, Ronald said it felt like the right place to be.

"It is a beautiful way to honour our Indigenous people," he said.

Related video: Red Dress Day marked with march in Edmonton  

Irene Natress came with signs that had pictures of her son Jeremy Natress. He was found dead in a hotel room in 2016. He was 34 years old.

"My son was very kind. He didn't deserve to be murdered," Irene said. "I am very honoured to walk with the victims of homicide.

"We have to get it out there to all the people that don't know what we are going through."

The group left Churchill Square and walked down Jasper Avenue to Beaver Hills Park. There, grieving families went up to an open mic to share their stories to say their loved ones' names.

Judith Gale of the Bear Clan Patrol helped organize the event. She wants to remember her sister Laurel.

"She was murdered in Montreal, Que., at 16 years old, and that was the 80s," Gale said.

She said no one looked for her sister and she was labelled a Jane Doe for three months in the morgue.

"I do this day for her, because I love and miss her dearly."

Gale said it's important to bring the names to life, so their spirits know that they are missed and not forgotten.

Samantha Ming helped create red ribbon skirts to give to victims' families. She was pleased to see a good turnout.

"We are helping give their names back. In our culture, we believe that spirit sees red, so we are hoping our spirits see us," Ming said.

"Our hope is that they're walking alongside us as well."

APTN National News May 5, 2022 – National Day of Awareness for MMIWG2S     

Red dresses hung throughout Calgary as hundreds gather to remember loved ones | APTN News May 5,2022

Women call on government to act on 213 Calls for Justice for MMIWG

Gerri Pangman and Kim McPherson have been taking part in events and gatherings that honour and remember missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls for many years because they both believe it is important to continue raising the issue, and because they both know what it is like to lose a loved one to violence.

“For me, I think it’s really important to just keep raising the issue and to just never stop being the voice for the victims,” Pangman said on Thursday while taking part in an event outside of Winnipeg City Hall.

The event was one of many held on Thursday in Winnipeg and across Canada, as May 6 is recognized as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada.

Pangman and her sister McPherson said they have both lost women in their lives to murder, and don’t want the memory of their relatives to ever be forgotten.

They also want to make sure that the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls is top of mind not only for Indigenous people, but for all people in this country, as over the last several decades there have been thousands of reported cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada.

“For me, it’s to remember the lives that were taken prematurely, and to hope that our children and our daughters and granddaughters don’t have to go through another tragedy like the one in our family, and ones in other families other communities,” McPherson said.

“We want to reach out to all Canadians, and all Canadians need to learn about this issue, and to be champions with us and to walk with us.”

But while the sisters say they want to raise awareness, they also hope events like the one on Thursday help to push all levels of government to make decisions and enact policies to try to keep Indigenous women and girls safe, and to prevent more from being murdered or going missing.

Pangman said that should start with governments working to enact the 231 Calls for Justice that were put forward in the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada.

“We both testified at the inquiry, and the 231 Calls for Justice need to be implemented immediately,” Pangman said.

“We need to hold governments and institutions and agencies accountable, and we need to have an office to do that, so that they can measure if funding and investments are actually having an impact on the ground for women and children.

“With the 231 Calls for Justice they have the framework right there, and governments need to take it seriously and move quickly.”

A number of other events took place in Winnipeg on Thursday to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous women and girls, including a march that saw hundreds walk from Memorial Park in downtown Winnipeg to The Forks, where a gathering was planned at the Oodena Celebration Circle.

Events were also planned for Thompson, The Pas, Selkirk, Portage la Prairie and several others to acknowledge the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada.

— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

Dave Baxter, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun

ALBERTA

RCMP add mental health nurse to crisis team in Wood Buffalo

Jamie Malbeuf - CBC

For the first time, Fort McMurray has a psychiatric nurse working alongside local RCMP officers.

A nurse attended calls with the RCMP for the first time this week through the Police and Crisis Team (PACT).

The program is the result of a collaboration between Alberta Health Services and the RCMP.

Const. Dayna Gosselin is the RCMP officer who will be responding to calls with the psychiatric nurse.

She said she's seen numerous calls regarding mental health and she thinks having mental health support will "be a great benefit to our team."

Gosselin's background is in mental health, as she used to work in social services, youth custody and support groups for addictions and mental health.

PACT responded to a call on the first day of the program, and Gosselin said she's using the experience as a learning opportunity to better respond to future calls.

Many of the calls to the RCMP regarding mental health include family or friends calling about a loved one they are worried may harm themselves or is having suicidal ideations.

Gosselin said that part of the team's routine will be following up with people they've seen in the community to make sure the referrals are working for them.

"We're hoping to divert individuals away from the hospital system as well as the criminal justice system and hopefully connect them with resources within the community that keep them happy and healthy," said Gosselin.


© Jamie Malbeuf/CBC

Const. Dayna Gosselin is the officer who will be working with a psychiatric nurse in Fort McMurray.

Rosilita Jn-Pierre, manager of addiction and mental health for Alberta Health Services in Fort McMurray, started working to bring the program to Fort McMurray two years ago.

She said it was a "long and slow process" to get the team together and operating during the pandemic and she's excited to see the start of the work.

"The goal here is meeting them in the community where they are at," said Jn-Pierre.

The nurse can help divert people away from the hospital, instead referring them to resources that may be more helpful, like addictions centres.

Currently, a nurse is working with PACT from 1 pm to 9 pm during the week, and that will be extended over the weekend as staff are trained.

Patrick Sesay, director of addiction and mental health for AHS North zone, said the program is currently funded for one year, but he said depending on its success, the grant could be extended or could be funded through Alberta Health Services operations.

"There are quite a number of outlets that the RCMP may not be aware of currently and these services provide that opportunity for that kind of collaboration," said Sesay.

He said over the course over the pandemic, many people accessed mental health services and there was a significant increase in virtual services. Now, he's seeing a return to pre-pandemic numbers.

He said meeting a client and directing them to proper resources is "way better than picking up a client in handcuffs in the back of a police vehicle."

Wood Buffalo RCMP Supt. Mark Hancock said the nurse will respond to mental health calls with a designated officer and they will attend the scene after the RCMP has made sure it's safe.

"I think it's a great alternative to just police responding to a mental health crisis," said Hancock.

Hancock said the RCMP has seen an increase in mental health calls. In 2019, there were 784 calls for service relating to mental health. In 2020 there were 917 calls. And in 2021, there were 946 calls.

So far in 2022 there have been 202 calls.

"It is something that you can see that the numbers are rising," said Hancock.

Nunavut Inuit experience more serious health complications after surgery than other Canadians, study finds

Nunavut Inuit are 25 per cent more likely to experience a serious complication within one month after surgery than non-Inuit patients, a new study has found.

© Ted Dillon/CBC

Dr. Donna May Kimmaliardjuk is Canada's first Inuk cardiac surgeon. She is one of several researchers who contributed to the first peer-reviewed medical study that looked at the surgical outcomes of Inuit.

The percentage rises to 58 per cent when it comes to elective surgeries, and to 63 per cent for cancer surgeries.

A team of Canadian researchers, including Inuit and other Indigenous researchers, believe it's because Nunavut Inuit experience barriers in accessing timely and culturally appropriate healthcare.

The researchers matched Inuit patients from the Qikiqtaaluk region, which includes Iqaluit, with non-Inuit patients who had similar surgeries, age, and medical conditions over a seven-year period. They looked at their outcomes within 30 days of having surgery at the Ottawa Hospital, which serves the region.

The peer-reviewed study, published in CMAJ Open, is the first one to look at the surgical outcomes of Inuit.

In addition to the higher rates of complications, the researchers also found higher rates of being readmitted to hospital within those 30 days or staying in hospital longer compared to non-Inuit patients, according to Dr. Donna May Kimmaliardjuk, the first Inuk cardiac surgeon in Canada, who is one of the study's authors.

She added that the higher rates resulted in higher costs of hospital care "and a greater chance of being discharged to a long-term care or assisted-living facility rather than being able to go straight back home."
Systemic barriers

Dr. Jason McVicar, a Métis anesthesiologist at Ottawa Hospital and assistant professor at the University of Ottawa who led the study, said that the healthier patients are when they arrive for surgery, the better their outcomes.

He said because Inuit in Nunavut face systemic barriers, including just accessing primary care, they often come to surgery when their diseases are more advanced compared to other Canadians.

"It makes the surgery harder and increases our risk of complications afterwards," added May Kimmaliardjuk.

Policy changes

May Kimmaliardjuk said she's hoping the study will drive policy changes and improve outcomes for Inuit.

She said she'd love to see fully-staffed health centres in Nunavut communities, along with more resources that allow things like blood tests, X-rays or ultrasounds to take place.

She also would like to see continued investment in the Iqaluit Hospital, so more patients could be diagnosed and treated in the North.

She said she'd also like to see investments in telehealth so people could access specialists, like heart surgeons, much sooner and more cost effectively.

She said that while Inuit face more barriers than non-Inuit, including racism, they need to be their own best advocates.

"I know it is very difficult when you encounter a health-care provider who is racist or who is not taking your complaint seriously. And we know this exists," she said.

But she encourages Inuit to keep pushing health care providers until they get the health care they know they need.

"Don't settle for less," she said.

"Just because of where you live should not mean that you have less equitable access to care in Canada, a first world country. [It's] what everybody in Canada deserves, regardless of where you live or your ethnicity."

Anishinaabe elder looks to build momentum for community's return to traditional homeland in Ontario

Jon Thompson -CBC

An Anishinaabe elder is gathering support and building momentum for his community to return to their traditional territory in northwestern Ontario.

Temius Nate held the first meeting of the Miminiska Group in Thunder Bay in late March with about 30 members. They are the descendants of families who lived on Miminiska Lake near Eabametoong First Nation, about 350 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay.

Nate estimates 80 to 100 members of the Eabametoong First Nation are eligible to join the Miminiska Group, including 10 members who left more than 50 years ago. They now live in Eabametoong, Thunder Bay and other communities in northern Ontario.

"It's where I was the happiest in my life and I'm still the happiest when I go back there," Nate says. "It's my home and I'll do what it takes to keep it."


© Jon Thompson/CBC

A map of the area around Miminiska Lake in northwestern Ontario near Eabametoong First Nation, the focus of the Miminiska Group's efforts to return to their traditional homeland.

Eabametoong Chief Solomon Atlookan said the parties are "working on the finer issues and details," but is not yet commenting on the Miminiska Group's intentions to return.

Eabametoong's chief and council officially recognized Miminiska Group through a band council resolution in 2009, but the resolution says the group must formally apply to the federal government to be recognized as a new band.

Indigenous Services Canada also encouraged the group to apply to be recognized as a band in 2019, but the group has yet to do that.

"This group has expressed their desire to reclaim and relocate to their traditional area around Miminiska Lake in northwestern Ontario in the past," a spokesperson wrote in an email to CBC News. "To date, Indigenous Services Canada has not received a formal request for band separation from this group."

Nate said he has no intention of following that process.

"We want to be a band but we don't want to have a reserve," he said. "As a reserve, the government owns the land and you're boxed in there like an animal on a farm. That doesn't do any good for people wanting to do business with us. We don't need Indian Affairs to tell us we're a band."

It's unclear how the group could achieve band status without following the process set out by the federal government.

 
Memories of living together

Nate recalls the Indian agent first landing at Miminiska in 1959, informing the large eight or 10 families who lived there that they had to move to Eabametoong so their children could get an education. He said none budged.

The agent returned over five years, Nate said, bringing pallets of canned meat, then vouchers for goods at the store in Eabametoong. Families made the 40-kilometre trek to the reserve and came back. Finally in 1964, a member of his family was elected to Eabametoong council and almost everyone moved.

The children and grandchildren of many who lived on Miminiska Lake still return, mostly in the summer.

A 15-kilometre trap line set back from the shore remains. The cabin and church Nate's father, Edward, built are still standing near where he's buried. Edward died in 1991, having never left.

Mary Lou Baxter and her younger sister Flora Baxter attended the Miminiska Group's first organizing meeting.

Now in their 50s, they were members of the first generation of Miminiska families to grow up in Eabametoong. But when school let out in the spring, they looked forward to going back to live at the lake with their grandparents.

Flora remembers her mother telling her throughout her youth that Eabametoong wasn't really her home and she's ambitious to help the families to get back.

"She said: 'My home is actually Miminiska. We were actually brought here. We were moved here,'" Flora recalls. "And I never totally understood that until just in the past few years here .. so I would like to be part of it in any way."

Mary Lou said she'd consider moving to Miminiska Lake if a community developed there.
Economic potential in region

When members can raise the money they need to move home, Nate believes the grandchildren of the people who left Miminiska Lake will finally inherit the economy he was promised in his youth.

When he was a child, an engineer told him harnessing the energy of nearby waterfalls could generate enough hydro to power all of Toronto and Montreal. He can remember prospectors blasting and drilling nearby. Now, with prospective roads and power lines angling toward the Ring of Fire mining deposit northeast of Eabametoong, Nate sees those promises renewed.

The Miminiska Lodge built in 1944 remains a popular fly-in fishing destination for walleye and pike. Thunder Bay-based Wilderness North bought the lodge and seven cabins in 2007. Its president, Alan Cheeseman, said the lodge has employed local guides for generations and would welcome any members who want to return.

"I don't see a big conflict at all. We're selling wilderness and we're selling remoteness. We're selling the fact that wilderness is healthy and I think everybody needs to get back on the land to some degree."

The lodge has also been hosting prospectors digging through the same deposits Nate saw their predecessors exploring a lifetime ago.


© CBC

Miminiska Lake is near Eabmetoon First Nation, about 350 kilometres from Thunder Bay, Ont.

On April 6, Canadian mining company Lithoquest announced it had completed geological surveys and begun drilling within a 5,500-hectare area northeast of Miminiska Lake. The company's president, Bruce Counts, called the site an "exceptional opportunity" with "high-grade gold mineralization," according to surveys of the site.

Lithoquest has ceased drilling in order to consult with Eabametoong and expects work will resume in the summer.

Counts said the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed consultation, and while he wouldn't comment on whether or not the company intends to consult with Miminiska Group, he said his team "has not yet had an opportunity to meaningfully engage and meet with all community stakeholders involved in our project."

Nate wants to be party to Lithoquest to be consulted. He's also pushing for Ontario to engage Miminiska Group over the licence to operate the airstrip, which has been in the hands of the lodge operators for decades, but was established with local First Nations directors when it was first built.

Filipino inquiry finds big polluters ‘morally and legally liable’ for climate damage



Isabella Kaminski - The Guardian

The world’s most polluting companies have a moral and legal obligation to address the harms of climate change because of their role in spreading misinformation, according to a major inquiry sparked by Filipino typhoon survivors.

Experts say the long-awaited report published on Friday, which concludes that coal, oil, mining and cement firms engaged in “wilful obfuscation” of climate science and obstructed efforts towards a global transition to clean energy, could add fuel to climate lawsuits around the world.

The inquiry by the Philippines Commission on Human Rights began seven years ago after a petition by survivors of devastating Typhoon Haiyan, and local NGOs.

As well as considering the human rights impacts of climate breakdown in the Philippines, it drew on scientific, legal and personal evidence from around the world to examine the role played by 47 of the world’s most polluting companies in the climate crisis.

During hearings in Manila, London and New York the commission heard from survivors of devastating extreme weather disasters who appealed directly to the companies to respect their human rights.

It concluded that the world’s most polluting companies are morally and legally liable for the impacts of the climate crisis because they engaged in wilful obfuscation of climate science and obstructed efforts towards a global transition to clean energy.

And it said they may also be held to account by their shareholders for continuing to invest in oil exploration for “largely speculative purposes”.

The commission also called on governments around the world to phase out existing fossil fuel projects and keep new coal, oil and gas in the ground, provide incentives for renewable energy, and to ensure businesses are subject to strong corporate responsibility laws.

Yeb Saño, executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, which helped bring the original petition, said the report was a “vindication” for the millions of people whose rights are being breached by the companies behind the climate crisis.

“This report is historic and sets a solid legal basis for asserting that climate-destructive business activities by fossil fuel and cement companies contribute to human rights harms. The message is clear: these corporate behemoths cannot continue to transgress human rights and put profit before people and planet.”

While the commission does not have the power to hold the companies legally responsible or to fine them, experts hope the report will inform the development of new laws and lawsuits in the Philippines, and the vast body of evidence it has collected will be used by policymakers, lawyers and climate campaigners around the world.

Carroll Muffett, president and CEO of the US-based Center for International Environmental Law, described the result as a watershed moment in climate accountability that builds on other recent court lawsuits, such as last year’s ruling by a Dutch court that Shell had to cut its emissions by 45% by 2030.

He added that the commission’s conclusion that states are responsible for protecting their citizens from climate-related human rights abuses by businesses “should send shockwaves through the oil industry”.

Chair Roberto Eugenio Cadiz said the commission provided “every opportunity” to allow the companies under investigation to participate in the inquiry, even travelling to countries where many of the firms had their headquarters, but none took up the offer. However, several did challenge the commission’s jurisdiction over them in writing and argued that climate change was not a violation of human rights.

Publication of the report was repeatedly delayed, to the growing frustration of the petitioners, many of whom were also affected by the more recent Typhoon Rai, but they are glad it has finally come out. Saño said the commission set a “courageous example” for other human rights institutions and governments around the world and called on the incoming Philippine government to adopt its findings.

'Green hypocrisy' reported amongst most global businesses, poll finds



Isabella O'Malley, M.Env.Sc - 4h ago
The Weather Network


From tree-planting to biodegradable packaging to carbon offsets — companies are making bolder actions and louder campaigns to let consumers know that they care about the planet.

However, a survey conducted by The Harris Poll for Google Cloud reveals company executives feel that “real measures of impact are lacking” and there are numerous roadblocks on the path to achieving a business that is truly sustainable.

The survey polled over 1,400 global executives across 16 markets from December 21, 2021 to January 8, 2022. All of the respondents held C-Suite or VP level positions and the surveyed markets included finance, technology, entertainment, media, health care, manufacturing, and supply chain logistics.

Opinion about the state of the climate was largely in agreement across the board — 89 per cent of company leaders agreed with the statement, “I realized I care more about sustainability than before,” in the past 12 months.

“For Canadian companies in particular, 59 per cent had sustainability as the top organizational priority,” Chris Talbott, cloud sustainability lead at Google Cloud, told The Weather Network.

“Almost every single industry faces climate change risks and challenges associated with their business, and they need to adapt their business models in order to become more resilient. We also have seen that consumer preferences, investor preferences, and regulatory pressure are moving organizations to accelerate their sustainability efforts.”Apple partnered with Conservation International, INVEMAR Marine and Coastal Research Institute, and CVS (Corporación Autónoma Regional de los Valles del Sinú y del San George) to protect and restore the 27,000-acre mangrove forests in Córdoba, Colombia, improving coastal community resilience, engaging local groups in restoration, and protecting livelihoods. (Apple)

Despite the challenges that come with transitioning to environmentally-friendly business practices, Talbott says that 64 per cent of executives would be willing to make sustainable change, even if it meant lower revenue in the immediate future.

Although executives are highly interested in investing in sustainability efforts to grow their company and address climate change, they are struggling to authentically achieve these goals.

“Green hypocrisy exists — my organization has overstated their sustainability efforts,” agreed 58 per cent of the respondents. Amongst just the North American respondents, this sentiment jumped to a startling 72 per cent.

Other poll results indicate that the majority of companies are not even tracking or monitoring their progress. Roughly one third of the organizations polled reported have measurement tools to quantify their sustainability efforts, and only 17 per cent are using those measurements to optimize their efforts and operations.


© Provided by The Weather Network'

Companies are paying close attention to climate change impacts and are investing in strategies to minimize their risk. (Westend61/ Getty Images)

“There is a sense of greenwashing or green hypocrisy. It's likely driven by the fact that they're struggling to get really accurate measurements and the impact of some of the decisions that they're making when it comes to sustainability. I also think that organizations and industries are challenged by the fact that the goalposts associated with sustainability are constantly moving,” Talbott explained.

Eco-friendly practices such as packaging with minimal plastic materials and emissions-free transport vehicles were once innovative practices but are now a standard that consumers are expecting, particularly amongst the Millenial and Gen Z demographics. Policies that regulate the environmental impacts of certain industries are continuously updated, which can impact anything from how a house is built to how many electric cars a brand manufactures.

Greenwashing, which occurs when a company makes itself seem more environmentally-friendly than it actually is, also hinders sustainable progress across sectors. High profile cases, such as BP renaming to Beyond Petroleum in 2001 before selling off renewable energy assets and eventually stepping away from the re-brand, indicate how easy it is for businesses to make inflated claims about their environmental commitments.

The poll respondents stated that the top barriers to achieving true sustainability are a lack of investment in the right technology, lack of understanding/education, relentless focus on growth/profit, lack of budget/cost, and lack of regulatory incentives.

Google Cloud says that having accurate data to track is necessary for companies to set sustainable benchmarks and quantitatively monitor how they are moving towards their goals. The company operates the cleanest cloud in the industry, which allows their users to decarbonize their digital services.

“By using better data about the natural environment, powerful analytics tools, and models to better make sense of that data, we can help customers understand their climate risk, and become more climate resilient. And that starts with putting that data in the hands of decision makers to ultimately make a decision that would help their operations become more climate resilient,” Talbott said.

Thumbnail credit: Morsa Images/ DigitalVision/ Getty Images

CANADA
Online content creators are making money from hate, misinformation, MPs told

Elizabeth Thompson - Yesterday  CBC

Creators of hateful content and misinformation are making millions of dollars through social media, the head of an international non-profit group told MPs studying ideologically motivated violent extremism Thursday.

Imran Ahmed is chief executive officer of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which has been tracking online hate for the past six years. He told members of the House of Commons public safety and national security committee that a profitable online economy has emerged around hate and misinformation.

"There are commercial hate and disinformation actors who are making a lot of money from spreading discord and peddling lies," Ahmed said.

"There is a web of commercial actors, from platforms to payment processors to people who provide advertising technology that is embedded on hateful content, giving the authors of that hateful content money for every eyeball they can attract to it, that benefit from hate and misinformation.

"It's got revenues in the millions, the high millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions of dollars. That has made some entrepreneurs in this space extremely wealthy."

Online platforms and search engines "benefit commercially from this system," Ahmed said.

"Fringe actors, from anti-vaxxers to misogynist Incels to racists such as white supremacists and jihadists, are able to easily exploit the digital platforms who promote their content," he said.

Ahmed said that while a small number of highly motivated, talented spreaders of misinformation are able to do a lot of damage, social media companies are doing little to stop them or to enforce their own platform rules.

'Super-spreaders of harm'

"What we have seen is piecemeal enforcement, even when there are identifiable super-spreaders of harm who, of course, are not just super-spreaders of harm, they are super-violators of their own community standards," he said. "And it just goes to show they're more addicted to the profits that come with attention than they are to doing the right thing."

Ahmed said his group did a study of Instagram and documented how its algorithms were driving people deeper into conspiracy theories.


© Jason Burles/CBC

Imran Ahmed, founder of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, says creators of online hate and misinformation are making money from it, as are social media companies.

"It showed that if you follow 'wellness', the algorithm was feeding you anti-vaxx content," he said. "If you follow anti-vaxx content, it was feeding you antisemitic content and QAnon content. It knows that some people are vulnerable to misinformation and conspiracy theories," he said.

Ahmed recommended several changes, such as design changes to online platforms, more transparency on algorithms used by social media companies and measures to hold companies and their executives accountable.

He also defended social media companies that kick those promoting hate or misinformation off their platforms.

'Antisemites, anti-vaxxers and general lunatics'

"De-platforming these people and putting them into their own little hole, a little hole of antisemites, anti-vaxxers and general lunatics, is a good thing because actually you limit their ability to infect other people, but also for trends such and convergence and hybridization of ideologies," he said.

But some other witnesses warned that if extremists are kicked off large social media platforms, they will just move to other platforms where there is less moderation.

Garth Davies, associate director of the Institute on Violence, Terrorism and Security at Simon Fraser University, said de-platforming fuels support for far-right groups.

"If we look at it from the perspective of the extreme right, all of these attempts essentially feed their narrative," Davies said, adding the problem calls for more tolerance.

"We are essentially providing them with the fuel that they need," he said. "Every attempt to try to de-platform or to identify content that needs to be shut down actually allows them to say, 'See, look, they're afraid of us. They don't want these ideas out there."

Government lacks tools, expert says

Davies said far-right supporters consider groups like Black Lives Matter to be extremist and have called for those groups to be de-platformed.

Davies said the government isn't doing enough to monitor extremism in Canada, hasn't devoted enough resources to it and lacks tools like a central database to track extremists.

Appearing before the committee, Tony McAleer, a former extremist and co-founder of the group Life after Hate, called for a nuanced approach and more training for people like school counsellors who can help keep young people from gravitating to extremist groups.


© CBC

Marvin Rotrand, national director of Bnai Brith Canada's League for Human Rights says reports of online hate incidents have exploded during the pandemic.

Marvin Rotrand, national director of Bnai Brith Canada's League for Human Rights, said there has been less in-person harassment during the pandemic but a spike in online hate.

"Online hate has exploded," Rotrand told MPs, saying his organization tracked 2,799 online incidents in 2021.

Rotrand called on the Liberal government to fulfil its election promise to hold social media platforms accountable for the content they host and urged the government to update its anti-racism strategy to better define hate.

CANADA

Close loopholes in ban on assault-style firearms, gun-control advocates urge MPs


OTTAWA — Advocates who led the push to ban an array of assault-style firearms are telling federal lawmakers that government regulations prohibiting these guns are being circumvented by Canadian manufacturers.

In a letter sent this week, gun-control group PolySeSouvient urges MPs to support amending the definition of prohibited firearm in the Criminal Code to include all current and future guns that fall into the category.

The Liberal government banned some 1,500 models and variants of firearms, including the AR-15 and Ruger Mini-14, through an order-in-council in May 2020 on the grounds they have no place in hunting or sport shooting.

A planned buyback program would require owners to either sell these firearms to the government or have them rendered inoperable at federal expense.

PolySeSouvient says that without a clear Criminal Code definition of assault-style firearms, Canada will be stuck with the kind of failed approach that led to the proliferation of tens of thousands of such guns in private hands following bans in the 1990s.

The group includes students and graduates of Montreal's Ecole polytechnique, where a gunman killed 14 women in 1989.

The letter is signed by group spokesperson Nathalie Provost, who was shot during the rampage, Suzanne Laplante-Edward, whose daughter was killed, and Heidi Rathjen, a graduate of the school and co-ordinator of PolySeSouvient.

It says that earlier this year the RCMP granted a non-restricted classification to the Lockhart Tactical Raven 9, a semi-automatic carbine manufactured in Canada. Other recently introduced semi-automatics unaffected by the ban include the Sterling Arms R18 Mk.2, the Crusader 9 and the RS-Q2 Osprey.

As non-restricted guns, they are also not registered outside of Quebec, and are subject to less stringent storage requirements, PolySeSouvient notes.

In 2020 the government said the models and variants being banned had semi-automatic action with sustained rapid-fire capability, and were "present in large volumes in the Canadian market."

PolySeSouvient wonders whether the fact newly introduced models aren't present in large numbers, at least initially, explains why they are allowed.

The RCMP had no immediate comment on why the firearms flagged in the letter fall outside the federal ban.

The Liberals have previously floated the idea of legislation that would create an evergreen framework for classification of firearms to ensure federal intentions on banned guns are respected.

"Unfortunately, we have yet to hear of a similar measure being considered by the current government," PolySeSouvient's letter says.

"We are therefore calling on members of Parliament to support amending the definition of 'prohibited firearm' in the Criminal Code to include all current and future assault-style weapons."

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said in March he would soon bring in "very proactive" gun legislation following the expiration of an earlier effort, known as Bill C-21, at last summer's general election call.

A bill is expected this spring, though some key elements have not been finalized.

Asked about apparent circumventions of the assault-style firearms ban, Mendicino said after a cabinet meeting Thursday that consultations were ongoing.

"With regards to how we can further strengthen restrictions around deadly firearms like AR-15s, we continue to engage with communities, we continue to engage with a variety of partners in this space."

In addition to the mandatory buyback of banned guns, the Liberals have promised a crackdown on high-capacity firearm magazines, new efforts to combat gun smuggling, and support to any province or territory that wants to ban handguns.

While PolySeSouvient applauds a Liberal promise to ban modifiable magazines, it says this will not be enough to ensure magazines are limited to five rounds for rifles and shotguns and 10 for handguns.

As a result, the new letter to MPs urges the elimination of all exemptions and loopholes that undercut the these limits. "Ideally, the limit would be five for all firearms. The law should also require a gun licence to purchase magazines, just as it does for ammunition."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2022.

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press

SEE LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for EMOTIONAL PLAGUE 

Canadian farmers battle avian flu as bird death toll hits 1.7 million

CALGARY — Canadian poultry and egg producers have now lost more than 1.7 million farmed birds to a highly contagious strain of avian influenza.

The latest numbers are provided by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which says the tally includes both birds that have died of the virus and birds that have been humanely euthanized to prevent the disease's spread.

Alberta is the hardest hit province, with 900,000 birds dead and 23 farms affected.

Ontario is the second hardest hit, with 23 affected farms and 425,000 birds dead.

The strain of avian influenza currently affecting chicken and turkey farmers throughout North America can be spread easily by both wild and domestic birds.

Farmers are being encouraged to keep birds indoors, restrict visitors and ramp up biosecurity measures to help halt the spread.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2022.

Related video: New B.C. avian flu cases highlight the risk to backyard flocks (Global News)

British Columbians asked to remove bird feeders due to avian flu outbreak

Amy Judd - Yesterday 10:26 a.m.
Global News

New B.C. avian flu cases highlight the risk to backyard flocks

The BC SPCA is asking the public to temporarily remove backyard bird feeders and to empty bird baths due to the avian flu outbreak spreading across the country.

The organization said although waterfowl, such as ducks, geese and gulls, and raptors including eagles, hawks and owls are at the highest risk of avian influenza, or bird flu, it can infect all birds.

It is considered highly contagious and is spread through infected birds through feces and respiratory secretions. The BC SPCA said the virus is also resilient and can survive in the environment for several months.

On Wednesday, officials said they have detected avian flu in two more B.C. small poultry flocks.

Read more:
Bird flu confirmed in 2 more B.C. small poultry flocks in Richmond, Kelowna

The B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food said the H5N1 avian influenza virus was most recently confirmed among small poultry flocks in Richmond and Kelowna.

The infected premises have been placed under quarantine by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and the ministry said producers within a 12-kilometre radius have been informed.

The poultry are believed to have contracted the virus through contact with infected migrating wild birds.

Video: 2 separate cases of avian flu found in wild Manitoba birds, province warns

The virus sweeping across North America was first found in B.C. at a commercial poultry producer in the North Okanagan last month. It has since been detected in two other small poultry flocks in Kelowna and the Kootenays.

“Bird feeders can be sites for disease spread because they encourage unnatural congregations of birds and attract other wildlife,” Dr. Andrea Wallace, manager of wild animal welfare for the BC SPCA, said in a release.

“Fallen seed is also an especially dangerous source of disease - when birds feed from the ground, they are also exposed to droppings that accumulate below a feeder.” She says the presence of bird feeders and baths can also increase the risk of transmitting the virus between nearby animals such as backyard chickens or turkeys.

Read more:

‘Devastating’: 16 cases of Avian flu found in Alberta

“On rare occasions, this virus can also cause disease in humans who have been in close contact with infected birds, or heavily contaminated areas,” Wallace added. “We need to do everything we can to stop H5N1 in its tracks.”

Wallace says that, in addition to removing bird feeders and emptying birdbaths, the BC SPCA is asking the public to monitor their outdoor surroundings for any signs of sick birds. “Birds may appear lethargic, unusually “fluffed up,” have nasal discharge, or have excessively watery eyes or swelling of the head and eyelids," she said.

The public is asked to report sightings of sick or dead wild birds to the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC) at 1-800-567-2033. If the report is assessed to require further investigation, a biologist may retrieve the carcass for further testing. “Please do not bring deceased birds to a wildlife rehabilitation centre or veterinary clinic as they will not be able to test for the disease,” Wallace added.

The BC SPCA said it is not necessary to remove hummingbird feeders at this time but it is important to regularly change the nectar and clean them to prevent deadly fungal outbreaks. However, if the public sees sick birds at the feeder they should remove it immediately.

BC

Deadly avian flu wipes out Burton poultry flock

Peggy Ife knew something was wrong the moment she walked into the chicken run on her Burton area farm on April 21.

“We saw a [dead] bird here and a bird there, about five or six,” she said. “We thought something had got into the yard. And we found a hole in the fence. So we thought that was it. We cleaned up the birds and put the others back in the coop.”

But the next day the birds were still exhibiting stress signs – some showed no interest in eating, or were huddled in corners of the coop.

“I knew something was wrong,” she says. “I call them ‘my girls’ – I spend enough time with my kids.”

Then more started dying.

“Friday night I found a couple on the floor that didn’t look right, and I thought, OK, this seems to be going past the ‘stress’ phase,” Ife recalls. “Then they started dropping, literally, dead.”

By the time the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspectors arrived the next Monday morning, she had lost nearly 60 of her 70 birds.

It’s not been an easy time, and having to cull her whole flock is “devastating.”

“I’ve had birds since 2006. One that just passed away was born here in 2012. I have a goose that’s 14. My kids usually die of old age,” she says.

The inspectors arrived (“Really nice people, lots of information,” she says) and sampled her birds. A few days later, she received the news: her birds had H5N1, the virulent strain of avian flu.

Ife’s handful of remaining birds had to be put down, as a measure to stop the spread of the virus to more areas.

“My husband keeps looking at me, to see if I’m okay,” Ife told the Valley Voice the day before she received the news. “I’m hanging in there, but the more I think of what is going to happen – I’m sorry, when the time comes, I cannot be the one to put my babies down.”

Ife put her story on several community Facebook pages, and word spread to hundreds of backyard poultry keepers in the Valley Voice readership area to be on the lookout for avian influenza.

Avian influenza or ‘bird flu,’ is a contagious and lethal virus that can make birds sick or die. There are two strains of the disease, one mild and one virulent. Ife’s flock caught the latter, H5N1, thought to be coming north with the spring migration of wild birds.

Ife says she suspects that’s how her birds caught it.

“My wild bird feeders were all empty for a few weeks, so I decided to be nice, and fill them to feed the wild birds. And I have a lot of feeders,” she says.

Agricultural officials are urging owners of small or backyard flocks to continue to be vigilant and have appropriate preventative measures in place.

“Measures include eliminating or reducing opportunities for poultry to encounter wild birds, reducing human access to the flock, and increased cleaning, disinfection, and sanitization of all things (including clothing and footwear) when entering areas where flocks are housed,” the CFIA recommends.

Ife’s flock is not the only case of avian flu in BC. CFIA officials announced a week earlier a confirmed case in a backyard poultry flock in Kelowna. A dead bald eagle was also found in the Lower Mainland.

That’s where the biggest concern lies – the lower Fraser Valley is home to the province’s chicken industry. The last time avian flu swept through there, in 2004, 17 million birds had to be culled to save the industry.

Avian influenza is rare in humans and generally does not spread easily between people.

“During an outbreak of avian influenza in poultry, the risk to the general public is very low,” says the CFIA. “Most avian influenza viruses cannot spread easily from birds to people, or from person to person. However, any new influenza virus in the human population is a concern because of its potential to change and adapt for more easy transmission between people.”

In the meantime, Ife is pleading with her fellow poultry keepers in the region to do the right thing: remove sources of interaction between wild and domestic birds, and report any dead wild birds they may spot.

“If you have wild bird feeders, take them down,” she says. “If you want to free-range, there’s always the chance they will catch something. But if you have a run, make sure you have no bird feeders, and if you feed yours outside, make sure they clean it up before the wild birds come in. Bring your birds’ water source inside.”

While being ordered to cull her birds is hard, Ife says she did the right thing by reporting it.

“I understand why people wouldn’t want to report, because of that,” she says. “But if they don’t know where it’s happening, they can’t stop its spread.”

John Boivin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Valley Voice

Bell: Kenney and his Three Amigos go on offence

Everybody knows what’s going on.

© Provided by Calgary Sun

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney (R) is joined by Ministers Jason Nixon, Doug Schweitzer, and Ric McIver as they join other dignitaries in Calgary on Thursday, May 5, 2022.

Rick Bell - 
Calgary Sun

On this one, Premier Jason Kenney seems to be calling the shots.

Where most political party leaders see a passing grade in a vote on their leadership to be quite a bit higher than a bare majority of party members, Kenney sets the bar much lower.

Easier to jump over.

If 50% plus one UCP member votes Yes to his leadership, he stays . If he gets a lukewarm vote, say under 70% or 75% Yes, he stays.

Kenney is in Calgary making an announcement and members of his inner circle are with him.

Three of them talk. They all back the boss with enthusiasm.

Jason Nixon is Kenney’s legislature quarterback.

“There’s not one candidate anywhere in this province who can break 50% in the first ballot of a leadership race,” says Nixon, supporting his main man.

But … er … a political party’s leadership race, with many candidates and many ballots, is not the same as a leadership review.

The May 18 vote is Yes or No to Kenney’s leadership of the UCP and keeping the premier’s job.

Kenney is not running against anybody.

Surely he needs more support than one vote more than half the party faithful to put the UCP Humpty Dumpty back together again.

No way, says Kenney’s sidekick Nixon.

The legislature QB pulls out his playbook.

The NDP and their leader Rachel Notley are bad.

Everybody needs to unite to beat Notley and the NDP who, by the way, happen to be leading in recent nose counts.

“If the majority say to go one direction, that’s the direction we go. It’s time for all politicians to check their egos and get back to what matters.”

You know what’s coming.

“A socialist government in just under a year is the worst thing to happen to my kids and grandkids, so let’s get the hell to work.”

Nixon is just warming up.

“To continue to have junior high fights about these issues is only helping the other side, which will cause mass devastation for this province.”

But what if some UCP politicians on the Kenney benches still complain after the May 18 vote, especially if Kenney squeaks in by a small margin as more than a few bet.

For Nixon, it is time for UCP MLAs to show some self-discipline and join the premier’s parade.

“If there are members of our caucus after this that will not get disciplined and keep their eye on the goal, then I think caucus will take action.”

We all know what that means. Kenney’s way or the highway.

Nixon won’t get specific. No need to make a direct threat when a veiled threat will do.

“What exactly that looks like, we’ll have to stay tuned but the window for continuing to disrupt the party is closing.”

With a bang!

Ric McIver is another in Kenney’s inner circle.

“A win is a win is a win. You either respect democracy or you don’t.”

But … er … does Kenney have the moral authority to continue if he wins with a crappy number not far above half support from his own people?

“Oh please. Oh please. Oh please. The winner is the winner. Whoever wins, wins,” says McIver.

But what if there is still argy-bargy in the ranks?

“It’s noise. You know what you do with noise? You listen to what’s not noise instead.”

Then there is Doug Schweitzer. He sits around the Kenney cabinet table but some savvy political operators figure Schweitzer isn’t a real amigo of the bossman.

Wouldn’t know it Thursday.

Schweitzer says Kenney’s leadership vote is “unique.”

In the past, where leaders thought a win was much higher than 50% plus one, Schweitzer says the votes were “highly curated events” with delegates from local party associations.

May 18 is different for Schweitzer.

“Members are having a direct say in the whole process. When the premier says 50% plus one, with this amount of engagement, that’s the right number.”

In the UCP tent, not everyone agrees.

“The complaining has to stop. Period. There’s too many things going in the right direction for Alberta,” says Schweitzer.

If some UCP MLAs don’t listen to the advice?

“I think they’re going to definitely be listening after May 18 when the premier wins.”

So there!

Brian Jean, former Wildrose leader and now a UCP MLA, could be a pain.

On Thursday, from his back-row seat in the legislature, Jean calls out Kenney and his crew for not pushing a fair deal for Alberta.

Tyler Shandro, another Kenney compadre, gives a smart-aleck non-answer.

Even Notley gets into the game Thursday.

She figures if Kenney doesn’t win big and stays it will “be permission for the drama to continue a few more seasons and unfortunately Albertans will be the ones who lose out.”

By the way, Kenney says he doesn’t feel the hostility and anger sometimes found in my scribblings.

Is it real?

“People are not happy,” says Notley.

“But, you know what, if Jason Kenney thinks everybody is onside, I wish him the best of luck.”

rbell@postmedia.com