Native bee in Canada under attack from newfound invasive species

Nathan Howes
Mon, February 6, 2023 


Canada's wild bees are under pressure from a variety of threats, which now include two newfound invasive species that popped up on scientists' radar after turning up in Ontario.

For the first time in Canada, two foreign mason bee species have been found, posing a risk to native mason bees. The non-native mason bees, Osmia cornifrons and Osmia taurus, originate from northern Asia and were introduced to North America more than 50 years ago as crop pollinators. The Osmia taurus is of particular concern to researchers.

SEE ALSO: Bees can't get COVID, but other virus infections may mean fewer babies

Their discovery in Ontario was made by University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) researchers in 2017, then popping up again in the following two years. After that, scientists found even more individuals through iNaturalist.

Scott MacIvor, an assistant professor in biological sciences at the UTSC and lead author of the study published in the journal, PeerJ Life and Environment, told The Weather Network that it is "very likely" we will see other types of non-native species move into Canada from the U.S.

"It was a matter of time before the land bridges that connect our countries would be a natural pathway for these [invasive species] into our province," said MacIvor.

Mason Bee (Osmia taurus) (12376108403)/Wikipedia

Osmia taurus. (Benjamin Smith/Wikipedia. CC BY 2.0)

"These land bridges are kind of our natural corridors that these bees and other animals may use to fit within their habitat range they prefer."
More work needed to survey mason bee numbers

Mason bees are active in the early spring, overwintering as adults instead of larvae like most bees do, the assistant professor said. Many people examining these species are focusing mostly on the summer when they have already retreated into their nests for the year, so it's hard to gauge the populations of the two invasive species in Ontario at the moment.

"More work is needed to survey these [species] early in the spring, so we can kind of get a better sense of the population sizes of these. But certainly we see them. And we didn't see them before," said MacIvor.

What's "unique" about mason bees is the prevalence of an online trade for their cocoons to support pollination, whether in agricultural systems or for sale to gardeners who want to augment these in their backyards, MacIvor said.

Osmia cornifrons (non-native mason bee)

Osmia cornifrons. (Beatriz Moisset/Wikipedia. CC BY 3.0)

"Mason bee cocoons are one of the main groups of bees that are very easy to [sell]. They overwinter in a little cocoon as an adult. Well, we can collect those cocoons and put them in the mail. And it is illegal to do that between the United States and Canada," he said.

These types of "human-driven movements" of wildlife are activities we need to be aware of, MacIvor said. However, there is no evidence to suggest Osmia cornifrons and Osmia taurus arrived in Ontario from a mail-order source.

"Toronto is a large, growing city, and there is a lot of interest in pollinator gardening [to] save the bees. It is possible these kinds of online services may lead to the movement of certain kinds of bees or pathogens," said MacIvor.

Threats to native mason bees

One of the problems with non-native mason bees is they compete with wild species over food and nesting opportunities, the UTSC assistant professor stated.

Blue orchard bee/JimRivers OSU College of Forestry/Wikipedia

Orchard mason bee. (Jim Rivers/OSU College of Forestry/Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 2.0)

"They use the same kinds of flowers in early spring where people aren't putting enough attention into the diversity or breadth of the flower availability for these bees. So, there may be more competition," said MacIvor.

“These two non-native bees have also been associated with a non-native mite species. Mites can get into the nests of bees and cause havoc, impact larval health or death.”

Mason bees are important pollinators for native spring ephemerals in woodlands and for orchard crops, as well, MacIvor said. This includes everything from plums and peaches to cherries and apples.

"Supporting our native wild bee populations in general supports these critical pollination services that we depend on," said MacIvor. And in the case of wild bees, we get it for free."

Orchard mason bee/Red58bill

Orchard mason bee. (Red58bill/Wikipedia. CC BY 3.0)

With at least one out of every three bites of food requiring pollination, we have to think about protecting bees to ensure nutritional security, MacIvor said. Just in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) alone, there are upwards of 300 species of bees or more.

“They're really effective pollinators of many of the crops that we really like, especially the really colourful, nutritious ones that can sometimes be expensive," said MacIvor. "There are broad, sweeping actions like gardening for pollinators in all the seasons that can really have an important impact to ensure they stick around with us."

WATCH: What do bees and thunderclouds have in common? More than you'd think
Click here to view the video

Thumbnail courtesy of Don Campbell/University of Toronto Scarborough.

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Supreme Court rules Blood Tribe can argue at highest court its reserve size ‘Big Claim’

Mon, February 6, 2023 

The Supreme Court of Canada has opened the door to the Blood Tribe to argue its case that Canada breached its treaty obligations in land commitment to the southern Alberta First Nation.

“We believed that this was a case that the Supreme Court of Canada would want to hear as it raises important aspects of s.35 of the Constitution Act and the enforcement of treaty rights never before addressed by the Supreme Court. We were correct,” said Blood Tribe Chief Roy Fox and council in a statement to Windspeaker.com Feb. 3.

On Feb 2, the highest court in the country granted leave to appeal on Canada v Jim Shot Both Sides and Roy Fox et al. The action is more commonly known as the "Big Claim."

The Big Claim refers to land that was shorted to the Blood Tribe reserve when the Blackfoot Confederacy and the Crown executed Treaty 7 on Sept. 22, 1877. Under the treaty, the size of the reserve was to be established through a formula promising “one square mile for each family of five persons, or in that proportion for larger and smaller families.” The Blood Tribe has long claimed that the actual size of its reserve did not equal what was promised by the treaty.

Last year the Federal Court of Appeal ruled that a claim for more land for the reserve was time-barred by Alberta’s Statute of Limitations.

Legal action began in the federal court in 1980, but the action was in abeyance for decades.

Finally in 2016 the first phase of the court trial went ahead with oral history received from Blood members. The second phase proceeded in 2018 to hear facts and expert witnesses and to make a determination on liability.

In a 2019 ruling, the trial judge in the federal court closed one door to the Blood Tribe but opened another.

The judge found that the Blood Tribe’s claims could have been pursued as early as 1971, but action had only begun in 1980 and therefore a land entitlement breach was time-barred through Alberta’s Statute of Limitations.

However, the trial judge ruled that an action for breach of a treaty commitment could not have been pursued in a Canadian court prior to the advent of s. 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 and therefore that action fell within the limitations statute.

The trial judge concluded that Canada was in breach of its treaty obligation to provide a reserve equal to the treaty land entitlement provisions and that the size of the reserve should be 162.5 square miles more. Presently the reserve is 547.5 square miles, which still makes it the largest in Canada.

The Crown appealed the decision.

The Federal Court of Appeal allowed the appeal and ruled against the Blood Tribe.

The Court of Appeal ruled that treaty rights are not the same as Aboriginal rights and took issue with the trial judge’s finding that treaties were not enforceable prior to 1982. The Court of Appeal went a step further, ruling unanimously that all claims of the Blood Tribe were time-barred.

“The Blood Tribe Council is pleased that the Supreme Court of Canada has granted Leave to Appeal and we continue to look to Canada to live up to its promises of reconciliation and to not rely on limitation defenses when they clearly breach Treaty promises,” said chief and council in their statement.

In a blog, Kyle McMillan, associate with McCarthy Tetrault law firm, said the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision “clarifies the application of limitation periods to historical treaty claims.”

Further, McMillan wrote, “This decision has implications for historic claims by Indigenous groups and the remedies that may be available where there are potential limitation period issues.”

McMillan pointed out that the Blood Tribe could pursue damages through the Specific Claims process, which was noted in the decision rendered by the Federal Court of Appeal.

The federal government’s Specific Claims Tribunal was established to address grievances from the failure to fulfill historic treaty obligations or other legal obligations relating to First Nations lands and other assets.

“However, if this ruling is not set aside or settled outside of litigation, there will be statutory limitations on the remedies that the Blood Tribe can obtain for the 162.5 square miles that ought to have been included in their reserve since 1883, including a $150 million statutory cap on damages,” McMillan wrote.

“The Blood Tribe continues to fight to hold Canada to its treaty obligations, both through litigation as well as negotiation,” said chief and council in their statement.

Windspeaker.com

By Shari Narine, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com, Windspeaker.com

‘I thought the world was coming down’: Sen. Patrick Brazeau draws on personal struggle to fight for alcohol warning labels

Mon, February 6, 2023 

Warning: This story contains distressing details of self-harm

Patrick Brazeau, a non-affiliated senator, is candid about his struggle with alcohol; it informs his reasons for now wanting to be involved in its regulation.

He tells a story of smudging on the bank of the St. Lawrence River in Montreal on March 27, 2020. It was in the early days of pandemic, marked by isolation, distance and fears of the unknown, and Brazeau had helped organize an international Indigenous day of smudging. During his smudge, Brazeau prayed to his late mother, who passed away in 2004 of colon cancer, for help to quit drinking.

“I had come to a point where I was tired, just tired,” he said. During his prayer, he asked: “‘Please give me a sign, any sign, mainly in my prayer, any sign, like a rainbow, like just anything.”

The next day, Brazeau had a few drinks. The day after that, he smudged again and didn't reach for the bottle; the day after that, the same thing. Since that day, Brazeau has replaced his daily drinks with daily prayers.

“Now that I look at it, why I think I did get my sign, I just didn’t see it, (is) because my sign happened two days after,” Brazeau said, the sentence catching halfway in his throat.

In his role in the Senate, Brazeau is drawing from his own experiences with alcohol to push for warning labels on alcoholic beverages as part of Bill S-254, An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act. His next step is to get the bill into committee so experts can testify, then it will head to the House for debate.

Bill S-254 would mandate warning labels on alcoholic beverages that point to the increased cancer risk correlated with alcohol consumption. The idea is not new: warning labels are mandated on both tobacco and cannabis products in Canada.

The bill comes on the heels of a Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction report that stated no amount of alcohol is good for you and that only two drinks per week is low risk. Anything beyond that increases one’s risk for cancer, heart disease and other mental and social harms.

Opponents to warning labels have argued they are unproductive and downplay the potential benefits of alcohol, such as social connection.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said warning labels may improve knowledge, raise awareness and prompt discussion of the harmful health consequences of alcohol, and that “no negative effects have been demonstrated,” citing labels in both France and the United States in a 2017 report.

That was born out by a pilot program for alcohol warning labels in Yukon, said Brazeau, which saw a seven per cent reduction in consumption, he said. The study also found consumers increased their knowledge of the risks of alcohol consumption, according to reporting by CBC. The program was soon pulled after lobbying from the alcohol industry.

Alcohol was classified as a carcinogen in 1988 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a subsidiary of the WHO. It’s something Brazeau learned about on his journey to recovery, adding he has joined the 25 per cent of Canadians who are aware of the risks of alcohol, Brazeau said.

It’s personal for Brazeau. He was suspended from the Senate from 2013 to 2016 while facing sexual assault and drug charges, as well as a Senate scandal. He was acquitted in the sexual assault case and pleaded guilty to simple assault and cocaine possession, according to reporting by CBC. He was also absolved of the fraud charges in the Senate scandal. His life was a mess.

In 2016, in a despairing moment, Brazeau attempted suicide. After he woke up from a medically induced coma, he immediately wanted to change his life for the better. But change didn’t come easily.

Brazeau continued to abuse alcohol “to try and bury the hurt and bury the pain and bury the shame” of a dark period in his life. Whether it was playing golf, attending a hockey game or returning home from work, Brazeau was always scheming for his next drink.

Nonetheless, he began the next chapter of his work, pushing for a suicide prevention study in 2019.

“I was basically digging myself even deeper, but I couldn't see it and I couldn't feel it because I was just so focused on my hurt and pain, and whether I was victimizing myself or not is irrelevant but I thought the world was coming down,” he said.

Now sober, Brazeau says his head is clearer, the excess weight is gone and he’s ready to play the long game. It took a quarter of a century to mandate labels on tobacco products, about the same amount of time Brazeau has left in the Senate, he explained.

As for his home community, Kitigan Zibi Anishnabeg, Brazeau says they know what he went through, particularly the political and partisan aspects of it. But he doesn’t go back often, moving away as part of his healing, to change friends, lifestyle and his scenery, Brazeau explained.

“I think I'd say that most are ready to give me a second chance. But that's not something that I focus on or think about,” he said.

“It's a work in progress, I take it day by day, and it's not always easy every day… but I just feel the need to do this.”

His work in the Senate now is focused on mitigating alcohol abuse and preventing suicide, with a report on the latter due in the spring.

“This is my way of trying to give back in terms of what I know and my experiences and my expertise in this, to send a message out,” he said.

Brazeau speaks specifically to First Nations communities ravaged by residential schools, colonial violence and the lack of services and resources to cope with trauma.

“People are hurting, there are no proper services to turn to (for) help, so they turn to these things.”

If you are struggling with your mental health or know someone who is, there is help. Resources are available online at crisisservicescanada.ca, or you can connect to the national suicide prevention helpline at 1-833-456-4566 or the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868. First Nations people, Métis and Inuit can also reach out to Hope for Wellness at 1-855-242-3310 or the Kamatsiaqtut Help Line at 1-800-265-3333.

Matteo Cimellaro, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada's National Observer

UNLIKE TRUMP HE GOT BUSTED

Crown wants Quebec sex assault case of fashion mogul Peter Nygard to move forward

Mon, February 6, 2023 



MONTREAL — The Quebec lawyer prosecuting the sexual assault case against Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard told the court Monday the complainant wants proceedings to move forward more quickly.

Nygard's case in Quebec has been put off for months. The 81-year-old founder of a defunct international women's clothing company faces one count of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement involving incidents that allegedly took place in Quebec between Nov. 1, 1997, and Nov. 15, 1998.

He also faces sex-related charges in Toronto, where he is currently detained, and in the United States, where authorities say he used his position in the fashion industry to lure women and girls.

Prosecutor Jérôme Laflamme had told reporters it was expected that a trial date would be set on Monday. But Nygard's lawyer was not ready to proceed, and Quebec court Judge André Perreault put off the case once more, until April 14.

"The prosecution will be expecting a final position on this case at the next date so that we can move things along a little bit," Laflamme told Perreault. "It's been a little while since the initial arraignment and the plaintiff, she wants things to move."

Nygard was first arrested in Winnipeg in 2020 under the Extradition Act after being charged with nine sex-related counts in New York. He is also the subject of a class-action lawsuit in the U.S. involving 57 women who allege Nygard abused his position in the fashion industry and sexually assaulted them.

The fallen fashion entrepreneur was charged in Toronto in 2021 with six counts of sexual assault and three counts of forcible confinement involving incidents between the late 1980s and mid-2000s. He will face trial in Toronto in September 2023.

Two additional sex assault charges were laid by Toronto police in June 2022.

The Quebec charges were filed in March 2022, and Nygard waived his right to bail hearing in that province last July.

Nygard has denied all the allegations against him, and he is appealing a U.S. extradition order. That appeal is scheduled to be heard in Winnipeg on April 26.

In March 2022, federal Justice Minister David Lametti said Nygard could be extradited to the U.S. once his Canadian cases are settled.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2023.

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press

Indigenous course to continue after lawyers vote to keep Alberta law society rule for mandated education

Mon, February 6, 2023 

The Law Society of Alberta held a meeting Monday in response to a petition to remove the rule that mandates education, in the wake of a new Indigenous course. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press - image credit)

Alberta lawyers have voted to keep the rule allowing the law society to mandate legal education which has, so far, only been used for an Indigenous course.

On Monday, more than 3,400 lawyers logged into the Law Society of Alberta's "special meeting," which resulted in a vote of 864 for and 2,609 against removing the power for the regulator to implement continuing education.

The meeting was held after the law society received a petition, signed by 50 lawyers, which proposed a resolution to get rid of Rule 67.4.

While some of the signatories are open about their opposition to the mandated course itself, others were adamant that the root of the issue is the ability for the law society to mandate education and the automatic suspension as a consequence for failing to complete the course.

The law society released a brief statement saying it's "pleased" that Rule 67.4 was affirmed by the vote.

"Clearly, the issues discussed at the special meeting have captured the attention of many Alberta lawyers and the wider public," said president Ken Warren. "This rule is significant for the law society to continue to carry out our duties of self-regulation in the public interest."

Petition triggers vote

The Path is a free, five-hour online course that teaches Indigenous cultural competency. All lawyers in the province were required to complete the Path by October 2022.

After receiving a petition signed by 50 of the province's 11,100 lawyers, the law society issued notice of a special meeting, which began at 11 a.m. Monday and ended with the vote just before 1 p.m. MT.

In a letter sent to the province's lawyers last week, the Law Society of Alberta's benchers, also known as its board, asked for support in opposing the resolution to be tabled Monday.

The letter was distributed to lawyers in the province last Tuesday and focused on what the benchers described as the "privilege" of self-regulation.

"This motion comes as self-regulating professions face intense scrutiny," wrote the benchers.

The mandatory course was developed in direct response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Call to Action 27. It asks the Federation of Law Societies of Canada to "ensure that lawyers receive appropriate cultural competency training."

Google notifying Canadian employees affected by global layoff of 12,000 workers

Mon, February 6, 2023 


TORONTO — Canadian Google employees affected by recently announced job cuts were being told Monday whether they have been laid off.

Google Canada spokesperson Lauren Skelly confirmed in an email that notifications were being sent to staff impacted by the cuts announced last month.

Skelly wouldn't say how many Canadians are due to be laid off and in what departments or cities they work, but said Canada remains an important and priority market for Google.

However, LinkedIn posts showed software engineers and user experience designers in Kitchener, Ont. were among those that lost their jobs.

Sundar Pichai, the chief executive of Google and parent company Alphabet, told staff in mid-January that his company would be laying off 12,000 workers.

"Over the past two years we’ve seen periods of dramatic growth," he said, in a blog post revealing the cuts.

"To match and fuel that growth, we hired for a different economic reality than the one we face today."

The reality that materialized pushed him to undertake a "rigorous" review across product areas and functions to ensure roles are aligned with the company's top priorities.

"The roles we’re eliminating reflect the outcome of that review," Pichai said. "They cut across Alphabet, product areas, functions, levels and regions."

Within days of his announcement, Google shared that it would close the Edmonton office owned by its artificial intelligence subsidiary DeepMind.

The U.K.-headquartered subsidiary plans to consolidate its remaining operations, but maintain its Montreal and Toronto offices, which are located within Google-managed buildings.

Researchers at the Edmonton office have been offered the chance to relocate to another DeepMind site, Skelly said.

Other companies that have laid off staff or reorganized operations in recent months as investor and economic sentiments shift include Shopify, Netflix, Amazon, Wealthsimple, Clearco and Hootsuite.

Layoffs aggregator Layoffs.fyi counts 94,838 staff across 297 global tech companies who have been laid off already this year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2023.

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press

EV'S IN OIL COUNTRY
Birch Hills County, AB is latest to plug into charging station

Mon, February 6, 2023

Birch Hills County installed three electric vehicle charging stations earlier this month, inclusive of a Level 3 station that is available to the public at all times.

The Hypercharge stations were open to the public on Jan. 20. The Level 3 Charger has connectors for both Tesla and J-1772.

“We were able to access the Electric Vehicle Charging Program under the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre (MCCAC),” says CAO Larry Davidson.

“The grant provided 100 per cent of funding. We actually installed two Level 2 chargers within the Birch Hills County compound for our own future use, as well as a Level 3 charger for public use.”

The Level 3 Charger is the first for Alberta north of Edmonton, a step that is expected to increase electric vehicle traffic that will be visiting the northern part of the province.

“We saw it as an opportunity to attract traffic to our businesses and communities that would otherwise not typically be visited,” says Davidson.

“Council wanted to ensure that EV vehicles could charge within a 30-minute charge cycle as opposed to the typical Level 2 charger which needs several hours.”

Davidson says council is aware it will take time for people to adapt to electric vehicles, but their goal was to attract more visitors to the county.

Birch Hills’ Level 3 charger is located on the southwest corner of the Birch Hills County office parking lot at 4601-50 Street in Wanham.

“Council feels this is an opportunity to utilize grant funding to provide a new service that would otherwise be unavailable for many years,” says Davidson.

“We also see this as an opportunity to take advantage of future grant funding for electric vehicles for our own fleet.”

The Level 3 charger rate is $0.33 per minute, trying to stay similar in cost to Petro Canada and Canadian Tire locations that offer the service in the province. Davidson says a typical charge on an EV at a Level 3 charger will be about $10. The County has recently also added the charger to Plugshare so that public will know that it is accessible.

“It will take time, but based on our energy rates and the rates we charge for charging, we should make a small profit after considering power consumption and maintenance,” Davidson says.

“Council is proud to be a leader in implementing new technologies that will benefit our communities.” A Level 2 charger will be installed at the Falher Town office, a Level 2 and a Level 3 at the M.D. of Smoky River office, and a Level 3 charger in the Town of Slave Lake.

Local municipalities are taking advantage of grants being offered to help improve infrastructure. Two Level 2 chargers were also installed last year at the Northern Sunrise County office near Peace River.

If other municipalities are interested in applying for grant money to apply for EV charging infrastructure, at the time of publication there was still money available through SouthGrow for approximately 46 per cent of the installation and equipment cost.

Emily Plihal Local Journalism Initiative Reporter - South Peace News - southpeacenews.com

Emily Plihal, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, South Peace News

Quebec minister 'surprised' asylum seekers given free bus tickets from New York City

Mon, February 6, 2023 



MONTREAL — Quebec's immigration minister says she was "surprised" to learn the City of New York is helping to provide free bus tickets to migrants heading north to claim asylum in Canada.

Christine Fréchette says the story highlights the need for Ottawa to solve the problem at Roxham Road, which is an unofficial border crossing south of Montreal used by tens of thousands of people last year to claim asylum.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams told Fox 5 this morning that his administration helps in the "re-ticketing process" for people who arrive in the city but want to go elsewhere.

He told the news station that the city does not push or force people to leave but some express a desire to move on to other places, including Canada.

His comments come after the New York Post reported that some migrants in New York City are being given free tickets to Plattsburgh, N.Y., from where they travel about half an hour by shuttle or taxi to cross into Quebec at Roxham Road.

An official with Adams' office said the city doesn't treat requests for bus tickets to Plattsburgh any differently than those for other American cities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2023.

Why some migrants turn around and head back to NYC after free bus ride to near Canadian border

Tue, February 7, 2023 

Freezing rain clings to a 'do not enter' sign at Roxham Road on Jan. 5, 2022. Migrants are being bused near the area from New York City. (Charles Contant/CBC - image credit)

At the Port Authority in New York City, Ilze Thielmann greets would-be refugees as they step off buses.

Many of them were put on buses in southern U.S. states, where officials say they are unable to deal with the deepening migrant crisis.

Thielmann's non-profit organization, Team TLC, and others like it get funding from New York City to help those new arrivals get where they want to go. The process is called "re-ticketing."

Many of them want to go north, to Plattsburgh, N.Y. — the closest town to Roxham Road, an irregular border crossing into Canada used by asylum seekers.

CBC

"They want to cross the Canadian border and take their chances there," Thielmann said. "They think that there are all these jobs up there. They think they're going to be able to get asylum very easily up there and that's just not the case."

Re-ticketing in New York City is not a shocking or surprising process, advocates in Montreal say. But getting a job is often not as easy as the migrants think and overburdened community services are struggling to handle the number of people who are crossing into Canada. As a result, Theilmann said some re-ticketed migrants turn around and come right back.

The New York Post first reported on Sunday that migrants in New York City were receiving free bus tickets — courtesy of charities funded by New York taxpayers — to go to Plattsburgh.

From there, many of them board taxis to Roxham Road, where they enter Canada illegally and claim asylum.

New York Mayor Eric Adams said in an interview with a local television station on Tuesday morning that the city has a partnership with charities to help migrants leave.

"Those who are seeking to go somewhere else, [we're] not we're pushing or forcing — if they're seeking to go somewhere else, we are helping in the re-ticketing process," he told Fox 5 TV's Good Day New York.

"We found that people had other destinations, but they were being compelled only to come to New York City … Some want to go to Canada, some want to go to warmer states, and we are there for them as they continue to move on with their pursuit of this dream."

Not so different from Quebec

Eva Gracia-Turgeon, the co-ordinator of Foyer du Monde, a shelter for asylum claimants in Montreal, said she was not shocked to learn New York City was helping asylum seekers leave the city.

New York is aware "that a lot of people cannot live in that city anymore because of the prices, because of the lack of housing," and so it gives tickets for people to go elsewhere, she said, "somewhere they can actually find a house or maybe meet a family member."

The move, in her opinion, is not so different from migrants in Montreal being encouraged to move to Quebec's regions, and New York City is providing migrants with safe transportation to reach locations they would likely be heading to anyway.

CBC

"I don't see where the problem is exactly," she said. "I think the problem is, for a lot of politicians, the fact [that] Roxham Road exists. And they want to point to [re-ticketing] as another element for closing Roxham Road, where it's not the solution."

"You can put a wall, you can close a road, but it's still not going to change the situation. You still need to take care of the people you receive in your own province, in your own country."

Abdulla Daoud, the executive director of the Refugee Centre in Montreal, says he doesn't think New York paying for bus tickets for migrants is contributing to a new wave of people crossing at Roxham Road.

The bigger problem, he says, is the slow crawl of federal government bureaucracy that delays asylum seekers as they seek work permits in Canada. These delays leave them reliant on public assistance and overburdened community services.

The Quebec government on Monday announced an investment of $3.5 million to 12 organizations in Montreal, Laval, Montérégie and Quebec City to provide support to migrants.

"I appreciate Quebec's announcement of investing more into community groups," Daoud said, "but this should also be a federal thing. And if we regulate the crossings in a way, by cancelling [the Safe Third Country Agreement] completely, it will actually help individuals cross at different points throughout Canada. That way, the brunt isn't just on Quebec."

Suspend Safe 3rd Country Agreement

It's a sentiment echoed by opposition parties in Quebec, who say the flood of migrants using Roxham Road demonstrates the need to suspend the Safe Third Country Agreement.

The agreement, signed in 2002 between Canada and the United States, means that migrants must submit their asylum application in the first of the two countries they enter and cannot try a second time at an official border crossing.

If they try to cross into Canada at an official land border crossing, because of the agreement, they will be turned away.

But the agreement only applies to claims made at official border crossings. If a refugee enters Canada illegally, via Roxham Road, for example, and then claims asylum on Canadian soil, the Safe Third Country Agreement does not apply.

Québec Solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said the agreement should be suspended so migrants stop crossing irregularly at Roxham Road, where the passage can be dangerous, and instead seek asylum at official crossings.

"It has been going on for too long already," Nadeau-Dubois said. "It's easy to play politics on the back of Roxham Road. It's harder to propose pragmatic solutions that will work and protect people."

Marc Tanguay, the interim leader of the Liberal party, urged the federal government to renegotiate the Safe Third Country Agreement so "the U.S. takes more responsibility and doesn't become just a crossing ground, that the U.S. doesn't let states take these poor people and put them on buses that bring them to the border. These are people, not merchandise."

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M
Manchester City F.C. Could Face Expulsion From the Premier League



Jack Lynch
Mon, February 6, 2023 

The current Premier League champions, Manchester City, have been charged with breaking financial regulations for more than 10 years and it could see the club face expulsion from England’s top-flight league.

Since 2008 -- the year the blue side of Manchester was taken over by its current owner of Sheikh Mansour -- City has been one of the most dominant sides in England, while the team has also picked up four Premier League titles over the last five years under its current manager, Pep Guardiola.

The charges, which have been released by the Premier League this morning, have been outlined as "unprecedented" and they accuse the club of repeatedly failing to provide accurate financial information. In addition, the Cityzens have also been accused of not disclosing contractual payments and failing to cooperate with Premier League investigators.

With this in mind, a spokesperson on behalf of Manchester City said: "Manchester City F.C. is surprised by the issuing of these alleged breaches of the Premier League rules, particularly given the extensive engagement and vast amount of detailed materials that the EPL has been provided with.

"The club welcomes the review of this matter by an independent commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in the support of its position. As such, we look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all."

The current accusations date back to 2009, a year after the club's takeover by the brother of the ruler of Abu Dhabi which lead to an incredibly quick turnaround of both financial spending and success. During this period, there have been reoccurring suspicions about City's financial spending on both transfers and wages by the Premier League and also Europe's football governing body, UEFA.

In 2020, UEFA banned Manchester City from the Champions League for two years for financial rules violations, however, the club appealed the decision and had the ban overturned. But, unlike UEFA, the Premier League does not have a statute of limitations in its regulations.

The sheer scale of the wrongdoing Manchester City has been accused of has never been seen before and no previous investigation has lasted as long as this current case against the current Premier League champions.

How Manchester City came to face Premier League charges

Mon, February 6, 2023 



GENEVA (AP) — The English Premier League vs. Manchester City: a legal fixture for the ages.

Soccer’s richest and most watched club competition challenged its defending champion on Monday with more than 100 charges of alleged financial wrongdoing and failures to cooperate with an investigation that took more than four years.

Dozens of charges allege breaches of the league’s financial monitoring rules dating from 2009, or the first full season Man City was owned by the ruling family of Abu Dhabi. Thirty more charges relate to Man City’s lack of cooperation in the past five seasons with a Premier League investigation that opened after leaked, and likely hacked, club internal communications were published in 2018.

That leaked evidence led UEFA investigators to examine likely breaches of financial rules designed to create stability in an often-volatile European soccer industry. UEFA-appointed judges imposed a two-year ban from the Champions League in 2020, which the club overturned on appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Man City seems more at risk from the English case, which does not involve a statute of limitations on evidence that was a problem for UEFA lawyers.

The Premier League rule book — signed off by member clubs like Man City — gives its disciplinary commissions sweeping powers to punish teams if charges are proven. That could range from imposing a fine to taking away a title or even ejecting Man City from England's top division.

Here's a closer look at the case:

WHAT ARE THE FINANCIAL RULES?

Known as Financial Fair Play, the regulations are aimed at preventing clubs from spending more than they earn. FFP was established in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, which deepened worries in European soccer that clubs could go out of business if the cost of player transfers and wages kept rising.

Critics believed they would favor storied clubs with established global appeal, such as Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Manchester United. They said FFP would be used to thwart emerging clubs who had wealthy owners ready to spend heavily and accelerate growth.

At the same time, historically underachieving Manchester City was bought in September 2008 with sovereign wealth from the United Arab Emirates. When UEFA in 2011 began monitoring finances of clubs who qualified for European competition, City had made progress by big spending on players.

The first round of FFP judgments in 2014 saw the heaviest penalties for Man City and Paris Saint-Germain — each lost 20 million euros ($21.4 million) in Champions League prize money.

Both were suspected of booking inflated revenue in their accounts through sponsor deals at above market rates with companies from Abu Dhabi and Qatar.

“If clubs use unrealistic deals as a way to get around Financial Fair Play,” Arsène Wenger had warned in 2012 when coach at Arsenal, "it will make a mockery of the rules.”

The English Premier League later adopted a version of UEFA FFP rules.

WHAT WAS THE LEAKED EVIDENCE?

In November 2018, Man City was the Premier League champion with three titles in the first decade of its Abu Dhabi era, and a lavishly talented squad coached by Pep Guardiola.

Yet skepticism remained about the club's commercial results.

German magazine Der Spiegel then published the “Football Leaks” series of articles based on the club's internal documents and communications.

They suggested Man City had broken FFP rules in financial relationships with "related-party" sponsors from Abu Dhabi, its use of image rights payments to players and the contract of Roberto Mancini, who was manager from 2009-13. He allegedly doubled his base salary for advising a club in Abu Dhabi.

Man City did not deny the documents were authentic but said they were illegally obtained by a Portuguese man, Rui Pinto. He later went on trial in Lisbon. A verdict is scheduled in April.

WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE UEFA CASE?

After the Football Leaks publication, UEFA’s club investigators revisited their case and asked the judging chamber to ban Man City from European competitions.

In February 2020, those judges banned Man City for two seasons for “serious breaches” of rules from 2012-16, including overstating sponsor revenue and failing to cooperate with investigators.

Three CAS judges overturned the ban in July 2020, ruling that some UEFA charged were not proven and other evidence was excluded as time-barred. The court “strongly condemned” Man City for obstructing UEFA’s investigation, though a €10 million ($10.7 million) fine was one-third of the original punishment.

Allowed to play in the next Champions League, Man City reached the final and earned 119 million euros ($128 million) in prize money.

WHAT IS THE PREMIER LEAGUE CASE?

The English case against Man City continued separately from the UEFA process in Switzerland.

The Premier League announced charges Monday. A lawyer who chairs the league’s judicial panel will appoint a disciplinary commission of three judges.

A hearing will be held in secret, with no timetable yet for a verdict. Any subsequent legal challenge should go to the Premier League’s Appeal Board.

Man City said it was surprised by the charges and “we look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all.”

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Graham Dunbar, The Associated Press

Strip Manchester City of their titles?

This is what I would do if they are guilty

Jason Burt

TELEGRAPH
Mon, February 6, 2023 

Sergio Aguero wins Man City the 2012 title - Getty Images/Ed Garvey

If – and it must be remembered that it remains a very big if at present – Manchester City are found guilty of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League then the Sergio Agüero moment will be forever tainted.

So much focus is on what happens next for City if they are guilty of wholesale cooking the books – heavy fines, points deductions even expulsion from the league – but what is also exercising fans is what happens about the past?

City won three league titles during the nine seasons in which they stand accused of breaching financial regulations and three more during the five years of allegedly failing to co-operate. If those charges are proven should all those titles stand? And what of City’s six League Cups and two FA Cups?

Agüero’s late, late goal delivered that first title in May 2012, taking it away from Manchester United only on goal difference. The timing of it – 93.20 minutes – is emblazoned on the side of the Etihad Stadium. There is a statue of Agüero ripping off his shirt in celebration. It was voted the most iconic Premier League moment ever.

And yet if they are found guilty can it ever be viewed the same? At the very least there will be an asterisk beside it in the history books.

Taking away titles is difficult and such retrospective punishment does not actually appear to be within the powers of the independent commission, although there is a catch-all “make such other order as it thinks fit” which could cover that. Like so many things in this case, it would be open to further appeal.

Nevertheless it feels like a step too far. It will be hard for clubs to prove that they lost out on a trophy or, more pertinently for some because of the finances involved, Champions League qualification directly because of City’s behaviour even if they were seeking an unfair advantage.

Yet United and Liverpool may take note – especially with the words of Lord Justice Males, the Court of Appeal judge, who said in July 2021 of the length of time the Premier League investigation was taking “during which, it may be noted, the club [City] have twice been crowned as Premier League champions.”

City claim 'body of irrefutable evidence' supports them

City’s defence is fiercely robust. In a terse 79-word statement the club could not be clearer in its belief that there is “a body of irrefutable evidence” to support its case and that needs to be aired. There has been too much secrecy and cloak-and-dagger about all of this.

What the charges also show is that the Premier League clubs are at war. City sources believe that the Premier League has acted under huge pressure from other clubs and point to the fact that nine of them – Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Newcastle United and Burnley – wrote to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on in March 2020 to argue that City should be excluded from Europe while their successful appeal was heard. Wolves later pulled out.

In the early Abramovich years Chelsea also acted in a similar spending manner to City, provoking Arsène Wenger’s famous “financial doping” comment, and then worked to change the rules to stop others following them. That is also true but it is not a good argument. After all if the speed limit is lowered on a road it is no defence for a driver to claim he should not be prosecuted for speeding because his neighbour drove past his house at 30mph and not 20mph the year before.

'City feel their rivals have ganged up on them'

Even so the next meeting of the Premier League clubs promises to be spicy. City will feel that their rivals have ganged up on them. The gloves are off. At the same time this is the ultimate test for the Premier League to show how strong it is, whether it can prove there is no need for an independent football regulator (timely given the Government White Paper was due out this week) as it has decided to take on City and the legal might its owners have threatened to employ.

The sheer scale of the charges suggests that the endgame is not just a fine and a rap over the knuckles while City will fight every point. This will take months, maybe even years. In English football, this is unprecedented and potentially seismic.

There is so much going on here. So much potential ‘whataboutery’ and politicking – and geo-politicking – but it needs to be stripped down to the facts: if City have been caught out, if they have broken the rules, then they should be punished. And punished severely. Other clubs are sailing close to the wind on Financial Fair Play and this will serve as a warning to them.

City should not have their titles taken away from them, though. What purpose would that serve? It may delight rival fans yet would not only feel vindictive but, as already stated, it is hard to prove that the title was directly won because of financial irregularities. Even so those titles will be spoilt as they will forever be associated with wrongdoing.

Certainly though, if guilty, City need to be severely punished in a meaningful way that affects their future. The sheer volume of charges is shocking and warrants sanctions such as a very large points deduction and being restricted in the way they can operate in a number of subsequent transfer windows.

The bigger question is whether they should face immediate expulsion from the Premier League and there will be demands for that and the answer clearly depends on what is proven and the scale of it.

Instinctively it feels a step too far given the grievous damage it would do to the club and the people it employs but it is something that City might have to contemplate. After all, other clubs could then argue that they have been damaged, and had to make cuts, because of City’s behaviour. If the charges stick and the book is thrown at them then City can have no complaint. They will also have spoiled their own history.

Board cancels vote to shut down Vancouver Folk Music Festival Society

Mon, February 6, 2023 

Vancouver-based band Five Alarm Funk headlined the 2022 edition of the Vancouver Folk Festival, performing on Sunday, July 17. (Josh Grant/CBC - image credit)

Leaders at the society behind the struggling Vancouver Folk Festival have paused their plan to vote on whether the society should be dissolved.

A statement from the Vancouver Folk Music Festival Society on Monday said the board voted to withdraw its motion to dissolve the society, which was put forward last month as the festival faced mounting financial difficulties.

The society's president said the board did an about-face after hearing from the public, partners and other festivals.

"The Vancouver Folk Music Festival has long been, and is currently, in a financially dire condition. Our main goal as the board has always been to see a strong, sustainable festival," said board president Mark Zuberbuhler.

"Because of the strong support that has come from the community and our partners we now see the possibility of building that festival."

The statement did not say whether the society has solidified financial plans, but said it was launching a fundraising and volunteer drive as a result of the public's support.

"We were absolutely heartened and touched by the outpouring of love and passion that came from the community," the festival board's vice president Philip Hemming told Gloria Macarenko, the host of CBC's On the Coast.

"We saw that there may well be a way forward. And we took the motion off the table."

In January, organizers said the festival would not return to the city this summer because production costs have risen and the event landscape has changed after years of pandemic shutdowns.

According to Hemming, costs for the 2022 event ballooned by 40 per cent when compared to the last edition, in 2019. Looking ahead to 2023, the society estimated it would have to go $500,000 in debt to make the festival happen.

Hemming says the festival is still low on cash and facing a difficult situation, but organizers are confident the offers of help that have come in since they announced plans to shut it down will translate into financial support.

"We need partnerships. We need sponsorships, and we need donations to save the festival."

The society — a not-for-profit, charitable organization — hosts year-round concerts and events in addition to the flagship, volunteer-run festival.

The three-day event has been a fixture in the city's arts and culture scene for nearly 45 years.

Vancouver Folk Music Festival/Facebook