Despite recruitment efforts, N.L.'s family doctor shortage is getting worse

Wed, February 22, 2023 

From 2021 through 2022, Newfoundland and Labrador had a net loss of seven doctors. (Carsten Koall/Getty Images - image credit)

Despite a long list of efforts to recruit primary-care physicians, Newfoundland and Labrador has lost more family doctors than it has gained over the last two years.

According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador, the body that licenses physicians in the province, 122 family doctors did not renewed their licence to practise in 2021 and 2022.

Over that same period, says the college, 115 new family medicine licences were issued, a new loss of seven doctors — a small one, but one that comes after the government stepped up recruiting efforts because of a shortage that was identified years ago.

"It is concerning. There is a family medicine crisis and we are definitely seeing a lot of young physicians, in particular, choosing not to enter into community-based, family medicine practice," said Dr. Kris Luscombe, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association.

"There has been a lot of focus on recruitment and that energy is important, but it's fair to say that we've got a ways to go to have adequate recruitment to meet the needs."

The medical association says it's likely some of new licence holders aren't working full time.

"We're hearing lots of young physicians, new graduates who will say, 'I'll do locum work,' 'I'll go out and cover someone else's practice,' or I'll work in a walk-in clinic,'" said Luscombe. "So we are seeing people changing their practice style so they don't have the ongoing responsibility of having patients attached to them."

More orphaned patients

In 2019, public polling done by the medical association found that about 99,000 people in the province didn't have a family doctor. The association's latest polling shows the situation is getting worse as more members of the province's aging physician population retire.

"We have 136,000 people who now self-identify that they don't have a family physician and we recognize that a lot of people who do have a family physician are at risk if their physicians don't continue in those positions," said Luscombe.

Patrick Butler/Radio-Canada

Luscombe says it's difficult for doctors who continue to practise in the province.

"They are always feeling pressure to take on more patients because they are very sensitive to the fact that there is a lot of people in need out there that aren't attached to family medicine … people that are orphaned, and a lot of physicians struggle with a moral distress about those people who aren't connected and it's very overwhelming," he said.

The medical association has been calling for a Newfoundland and Labrador physician human resource plan for years.

"We have to really maintain metrics and get a sense of are those people full time, part time? What are they doing? Are they doing what the system needs? Then are we aligning the supports and the incentives to have people do what is valued?" said Luscombe.

Family physician forecast

In 2019, the medical association commissioned Dr. David Peachey of Nova Scotia's Health Intelligence Inc. to develop a family physician forecast.

Peachey looked at physician numbers, the number of older adults, the burden of illness, the province's recruitment efforts, physician turnover and expected retirements.

His forecast identified the shortage of family doctors in the province at that time and a projected demand for physicians over the next decade.

Peachey's forecast called for an additional 60 full-time family physicians in 2020 to address the immediate shortage.

It also concluded that an average of about 20 more family doctors per year would be needed for a total of 243 additional family doctors by 2030.

But the college's recruitment and retention numbers for 2020 and 2021 show the province is losing ground rather than making progress toward meeting the forecast's targets.

Recruitment and retention efforts

In the past two years the province has done a lot to attract and keep family doctors.

The provincial government has established a health professional recruitment and retention office and created a new position of assistant deputy minister of health professional recruitment.and retention.

It has created two pilot projects to attract more new medical graduates to family practice, financial support for new family doctors who open a new clinic or join an established clinic in the first two years of practice, and up to $150,000 to new family practice doctors who open a new family medicine clinic or join an existing one and stay for five years.

The province has also expanded the number of seats available to Newfoundland and Labrador residents in Memorial University's undergraduate medical education program and additional seats were added to the family medicine residency program for international medical graduates.

In July, the provincial government launched a publicity campaign, called "Extraordinary Every Day," that aims to recruit and retain health-care professionals

In August, In collaboration with the medical association, the provincial government announced a one-year pilot project to help attract retired family physicians back to work. It offers to pay licence fees and bonuses to returning family physicians.

The province also says it is working with the physicians' college to make it easier for internationally trained health professionals to set up in this province.

In October, the provincial government announced new financial incentives to attract physicians from the province who are working elsewhere to come back to Newfoundland and Labrador.

The government says it's also working on ways to make it easier for physicians who are licensed in other Canadian provinces to work in Newfoundland and Labrador, and in January, the provincial government announced a mission to Ireland to recruit doctors and nurses.

CBC News has made numerous requests for comment from Health Minister Tom Osborne but he has not been made available.

Marine commission: Whale deaths not linked to wind prep work

ITS NAVY SONAR TO BLAME
Wed, February 22, 2023



ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — An independent scientific agency that advises the federal government on policies that could impact marine mammals said there is no evidence linking site preparation work for offshore wind farms with a number of whale deaths along the U.S. East Coast.

In a statement released Tuesday, the Marine Mammal Commission became the third federal agency to reject a link between the deaths and the offshore wind energy industry, despite a growing narrative among offshore wind opponents that probing the ocean floor to prepare for wind turbine projects is killing whales.

Last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said there is no evidence linking offshore wind development with whale deaths.

The commission said 16 humpback whales and at least one critically endangered North Atlantic right whale have washed ashore dead on the East Coast this winter.

“Despite several reports in the media, there is no evidence to link these strandings to offshore wind energy development,” the commission said.

The deaths are part of an “unusual mortality event” involving humpback whales declared by the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2016. The agency said 40% of the whales that could be examined at necropsy, or post-mortem, showed evidence of a ship strike or entanglement with fishing gear. Others were floating at sea or otherwise inaccessible.

The commission said the number of whale strandings is not unusual. Ten or more humpback whales have stranded each year since 2016, with a high of 34 in 2017, it added.

It said the number of whales in the northeast is growing, something other agencies have noted as well. As the population grows, more whales are choosing to spend the winter in the northeast, where they are more vulnerable to being struck by ships or entangled in fishing gear, instead of migrating to warmer areas.

On Feb. 12, a dead North Atlantic right whale washed ashore in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It was a 20-year-old, 43-foot male.

A necropsy was conducted by numerous state and city agencies and a private stranding response program, determining that the whale suffered a catastrophic blunt force traumatic injury, impacting its spine. The injuries, which are consistent with those often found in animals that have been struck by ships, included multiple vertebral fractures that would have resulted in death shortly after the injury.

Today, there are fewer than 350 North Atlantic right whales in existence, with fewer than 95 mature females in the population. An unusual mortality event was declared for these animals in 2017.

The commission's report comes as offshore wind opponents are pushing for investigations into whether offshore wind is killing whales, even though the federal government has been investigating whale deaths since 2016.

Earlier this week, two Republican Congressmen from New Jersey announced legislation aimed at investigating, pausing or halting offshore wind projects.

Rep. Chris Smith's bill would require an investigation into the environmental approval process for offshore wind projects. A bill by Rep. Jeff Van Drew would impose a moratorium on all existing offshore wind projects and prohibit all future projects.

About 30 New Jersey mayors have signed a letter calling for a moratorium on offshore wind projects and an investigation into whether the whale deaths are related to such work.

The Marine Mammal Commission is an independent government agency charged by the Marine Mammal Protection Act to further the conservation of marine mammals and their environment. Its website says it provides “science-based oversight of domestic and international policies and actions of federal agencies with mandates to address human impacts on marine mammals and their ecosystems.”

“Our role is unique,” the agency's mission statement said. “We are the only U.S. government agency that provides comprehensive oversight of all science, policy, and management actions affecting marine mammals.”

___

Follow Wayne Parry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC

Wayne Parry, The Associated Press

ALBERTA ROCKY MNTS

Crowsnest Pass to explore rural immigration initiatives

Wed, February 22, 2023 

The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass is exploring rural immigration initiatives as a potential solution to the community’s labour shortage.

Council was asked to consider relevant economic opportunities following an addition to the Feb. 14 agenda by Mayor Blair Painter.

Painter said he’d heard from local merchants who’d recently scaled back their business hours owing to persistent staff shortages.

The Town of Claresholm and 10 other Canadian municipalities were selected to pilot the federal government’s Rural and Northern Immigration Program in 2020.

The program allows immigrants who land local jobs to apply for permanent residency based on the recommendation of participating communities. Brady Schnell, economic development officer for Claresholm, said the town’s economic development committee has recommended PR status for 46 hopeful immigrants in the last three years.

The province has since developed similar initiatives through its Alberta Advantage Immigration Program.

Crowsnest Pass councillors who spoke to the issue at chambers offered opinions ranging from enthusiastically eager to cautiously optimistic.

Painter noted that it takes time for municipalities to be approved for rural immigration programs of any stripe.

“If we decide to do this two years from now, we’ll be that much further behind,” he cautioned.

Coun. Dave Filipuzzi said the community had clearly registered a need for more workers and that council should look at rural immigration moving forward.

“I think this is a no-brainer,” he said. “Waiting is just going to prolong the problem.”

Coun. Lisa Sygutek urged the need for careful study, underlining the community’s long-standing housing crisis.

“This is the chicken or the egg,” she said. “We can bring in all the people in the world, but what’s the point if they’re gonna have nowhere to live?”

Coun. Dean Ward agreed.

“Sometimes we dive into things before we do our homework. I’d like to see administration come back to us with what it’s all about,” he said.

Coun. Vicki Kubik called for “outside-the-box” housing solutions along the lines of a community home-share program where residents could billet or rent to employed newcomers.

Council then unanimously passed a motion by Ward directing administration to explore the “opportunities and requirements” of the federal and provincial initiatives.

Laurie Tritschler, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Shootin' the Breeze

             The Crowsnest Pass is dark enough the the Milky Way can be seen with the naked eye

Jully Black's change to Canada's anthem is how true reconciliation works

Wed, February 22, 2023

Jully Black performs O Canada at the NBA All-Star game in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Feb. 19. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images - image credit)

This is a column by Shireen Ahmed, who writes opinion for CBC Sports. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.

The first song I learned was the Canadian national anthem and it was the first song I ever sang publicly. (I acknowledge I have a terrible singing voice.) I heard it every day in school — in both French and English — for over a decade.

The national anthem is something of which I was taught to feel proud. Calixa Lavallée wrote the music in 1880 to accompany a poem written by Adolphe-Basile Routhier. It was officially adopted when the National Anthem Act was passed in 1980.

The lyrics were changed to be gender neutral in 2018. Previously there had been a disastrous and unofficial attempt to change the lyrics by former Tenors member Remigio Pereira at the MLB All-Star Game in 2016.

Pereira changed the lyrics to reflect an All Lives Matter sentiment. That spectacular failure led to him being ejected from the group. I did not see the incident live, but read about what had happened. I remember feeling astounded that he reworked the anthem. The audacity!

Gregory Bull/The Associated Press

Throughout my youth, I felt an overwhelming sense of pride when the anthem was played at the Olympics as the Canadian flag was flown. There were moments when I definitely teared up watching athletes sing loudly as they stood on the podium. I knew the lyrics but had I really paid attention to them?

That changed drastically for me as an adult when I learned more about Indigenous history in this country. I am from an immigrant experience and am so cognizant of the privileges I have from having a Canadian passport, having access to universal health care, and all the freedoms we enjoy. In places that I have visited and have close connections with, that is not the case for women like me.

As a result, I am aware of the history I was not taught and the history that Canada has yet to address in a meaningful way.

I think this is a tremendous strength for our country; to recognize our untaught history in order to truly reconcile with the past. Sharing education programs, listening to important stories through books, podcasts, and art about Indigenous culture is precious. Campaigns to recognize ongoing injustices against Indigenous communities are so important and affects us through sports. The Arctic Games and North American Indigenous Games are only two of the many examples of how different sports platforms can weave in information about Indigeneity.

Over the weekend, the NBA All-Star game boasted the best players and most prominent artists across sports and entertainment. Aside from the Canadian talent representing on the court, there was a formidable performance from Canadian singer/songwriter Jully Black.

My family was gathered around the dinner table, and we all paused to listen to her sing the Canadian anthem. My husband, Mark, was recording her excitedly — they have worked together and are friends. Her voice rang out clear and confident, but after the first two lines my heart almost stopped. Black had changed the lyric. It took a moment for that to sink in for me. My husband was cheering already before I even processed what had just happened.

Black changed one word; instead of "our home and native land," she sang "our home ON native land."

She paused before singing "on" and I felt that. We were meant to feel it and have it resonate.

As someone who works with words everyday, I kept replaying that moment in my head. Words can wield so much power. It was only a few minutes before it spread like wildfire across Twitter and Instagram.

I'm not sure if the usual NBA All-Star weekend audiences understood the power of that moment, but that's also an impactful piece of this story. Black was teaching those who might not be aware, and offering an imperative piece of history that was long excluded from mainstream media and education in Canada, similar to Native American history in the U.S.

Black emphasized the reality that Canada was built on stolen and occupied Indigenous land, and we continue to ignore that fact if we do land acknowledgements but don't change the systems that affect Indigenous communities.

When asked about Black's word change, CityNews in Vancouver reported that xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Chief Wayne Sparrow approved.

"It got a smile on my face," Sparrow said. "To be recognized like that goes a long way in reconciliation. I think issues like this go a lot farther than people realize." Sparrow said he would also like to see it made a permanent change.

According to Eva Jewell, research director at the Yellowhead Institute, Indigenous people have been saying that line for decades. What Black sang is not new, but it was reaffirmed to people all across the world. "I sang the facts," she said.

In preparing for this important performance, Black said she studied and dissected the lyrics. She changed the possession of the land and that is important. Land Back is an issue central to Indigenous justice.

Of course, not everyone was thrilled about it. Commentator Jordan Peterson was livid as were many right-wing supporters. But despite the screaming from random Twitter accounts and Indigenous genocide deniers, it generated a conversation about whether a change is imminent.

Black's powerful performance showed us that intentionality and understanding go a long way to teaching and correcting when the words may not be the right ones. I certainly didn't expect this moment of impact and beautiful change to come from centre court in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the NBA All-Star game, but Jully Black took us there.

And I'm quite sure that I don't want to go back.

Conference highlights ways P.E.I. could learn from Danish island’s fight against climate change


Wed, February 22, 2023 

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — A conference and workshop held at the P.E.I. Conference Centre on Feb. 6 highlighted ways the province could learn from the work being done on another small island in the fight against climate change.

The conference was hosted in Charlottetown by the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action and featured several speakers, including Søren Hermansen, manager of the Samsø Energy Academy in Samsø, Denmark.

“My ambition is to clarify to (P.E.I.) what are the next steps, where are we going with this. Is it going to be more expensive?” Hermansen told SaltWire Network in an interview at the event.

“After (post-tropical storm) Fiona, the attention is stronger than ever, because we felt the consequences of nature and all of the trouble it has to bring.”

Hermansen has been working with green energy for over 20 years, with the last several spent travelling the world to hold workshops, showcasing the work being done to reduce emissions on his home island.

Samsø has a population of more than 3,700 people as of 2017 and has been working to convert its grid to run on non-emitting energy sources going back to the 1990s.

Like P.E.I., Samsø is known for growing and exporting potatoes on top of being a popular tourist destination.

“There is a lot of similarities, not just in size only but also in the constructive society,” said Hermansen. “My take is, how do we organize a higher decision capacity and a better feeling of ownership among citizens of local communities like P.E.I. or Samsø that are kind of limited (in) scale and size?”

The goal of the workshops is to have an open discussion with communities to discuss changes needed in order for green technology to become more commonly used.

“The ambition is to make Samsø a showcase green lab development organization that helps the municipality, citizens and businesses to go in a greener direction,” said Hermansen. “You need to be able to produce or create a narrative people can connect to.”

Anna Demeo, chief product officer for Fermata Energy, also spoke at the event and told SaltWire Network the effects of climate change impact many different departments, making it important for the community to work together.

“It’s really a unique period in time, the solutions we find, it’s not a zero-sum game,” said Demeo. “What’s good for utilities can be good for consumers and can be good for the environment as well.”

Some of the work done on Samsø cited by Demeo was its implementation of offshore wind turbines, which account for over 70 per cent of the energy produced on the island.

“Technology is one piece of it, but it’s really about how do we work together in terms of policy and economic models,” she said. “All of these things are at the forefront discussion because of climate change, because of a changing grid and because of increased extreme weather events.”

Having the opportunity to share this message in P.E.I. was important as similar work is already being carried out.

“Everyone should want to have a part in this conversation because there are shared benefits no matter which one of those angles you’re coming from," said Demeo.

Environment, Energy and Climate Action Minister Steven Myers also attended the event, saying in a statement that having Hermansen in P.E.I. was a unique learning opportunity for the public.

“Hermansen won the Goteborg award – known as the environmental version of the Nobel prize – for his work with sustainable energy and he inspired Samsø Island to collectively build a community energy project,” said Myers.

“Since 2020, we have been building on lessons learned from sustainable energy models in Samsø and other jurisdictions to inform our nation-leading net-zero goals.”

Rafe Wright, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Guardian

This Vancouver Island brewery hopped onto ChatGPT for marketing material. Then it asked for a beer recipe

Wed, February 22, 2023

Whistle Buoy Brewing in Victoria has employed the help of an unexpected expert to create its latest offering. (Rohit Joseph/CBC - image credit)

AI, or artificial intelligence, is everywhere. It's in banking, navigation and travel, and social media to tailor ads on our feeds, among other things.

Now, a Victoria brewery is making beer using an AI-generated recipe.

Whistle Buoy Brewing partner Isaiah Archer says his team had been playing around with the program ChatGPT, hoping it would help with developing product descriptions and writing social media posts, when they were inspired to try something else.

"As we were typing various things into it, we thought, let's see what happens if we ask it to give us a beer recipe," he told CBC's Rohit Joseph. They asked for a fluffy, tropical hazy pale ale.

It spat out a recipe that, for the most part, works.

Submitted by Isaiah Archer

The result is the brewery's new Robo Beer, which launched on Friday.

ChatGPT is an AI tool trained to mimic human responses. It's been used to write speeches, poems and music. CBC Vancouver even tried using it to write a story about textile waste.

The recipe wasn't perfect — Archer said it initially gave measurements for a homebrew batch. When it was adjusted for a larger brewing operation, he said it didn't quite make sense, so they had to make some changes.

"We had to add some human intervention," Archer said.

Rohit Joseph/CBC

The response during the Robo Beer launch was mostly positive, he said, adding some people questioned how 'craft' the beer was if it was developed by AI.

"We're not saying it's good or bad, but the beer that it told us to produce tastes solid," Archer said.

CBC tech columnist and digital media expert Mohit Rajhans says while some people are hesitant about programs like ChatGPT, AI is already here, and it's all around us. Health-care, finance, transportation and energy are just a few of the sectors using the technology in its programs.

"I think from an ethics standpoint, we will have to iron out how we feel about using this technology very soon in order for us to figure out how much we want to actually integrate it into our lives well," he told All Points West host Jason D'Souza.

Rohit Joseph/CBC

Whistle Buoy doesn't plan to use this method for future brews, but Archer said they may use it to ask questions and guide the process.

In fact, they already employ AI for their point-of-sale system and in other areas that require technology.

"Those things aren't necessarily replacing our ability to think for ourselves, but there are tools that assist us to be able to deliver the products and the experiences that we seek to deliver to our customers so I think seeing it as another tool in the box is a useful perspective for us."

ALBERTA

Indigenous centres in discussion for Bow Valley, Cochrane centre opens

Wed, February 22, 2023

Discussions have begun in the Bow Valley region to develop one or more Indigenous centres, following closely in the footsteps of Wazin Îchinabi Ti (House of Oneness) which opened its doors in Cochrane on Jan. 24.

The centre in Cochrane is the result of extensive planning by Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation elders and knowledge keepers working in cooperation with the Rotary Club of Cochrane and like-minded neighbours.

“We chose the name Wazin Îchinabi Ti, House of Oneness, because we wanted to reflect the Stoney worldview that all of creation is interconnected,” said Trent Fox, who, along with his mother Tina, is an advisor to the initiative.

The centre was proposed as a multi-use site to serve as a one-stop-shop for Indigenous peoples – not just the Îyârhe Nakoda – pursuing business opportunities and seeking a spectrum of services. It also aims to create a social, cultural, and economic connection with the non-Indigenous community.

At the centre, all people are one, regardless of race or culture. It is planned to operate as a non-profit organization that will provide the community with educational programming and services that focus on promoting Truth and Reconciliation principles.

Most importantly, it is Indigenous-led, said Cochrane Rotarian Michael Bopp, who sits on the centre’s board of directors along with other members of the Rotary and Indigenous community.

Bopp is also a co-founder of Four Worlds International and is a director for the Four Worlds Centre for Development Learning, which is dedicated to building the capacity of communities and professional organizations for sustainable participatory development. He has 20-plus years of experience working with Indigenous communities and development organizations in Canada and overseas.

“The centre will be sort of an Indigenous embassy, so that when anybody in town wants to know how to manage Indigenous protocols, they can visit the centre to do that,” he said.

“For example, if you’re supposed to be doing an archaeological assessment, first, what does it have to do with Indigenous peoples? Well, they’re the ones that live here, and you need to work through elders to do that. There’s a certain way that should go.”

With around 2,500 Indigenous peoples living in Cochrane, according to the 2021 census, it’s also important to have representation in the community.

“Although it’s an Indigenous centre, similar to what a friendship centre can be, it will also serve as a place where people can get more information, some education on Indigenous issues – not Stoney specific,” said Fox.

“But it’s also a place where Stoney people can educate those who are interested about the Stoney culture, the language, the history, and our relationship with the government.”

In nearby Canmore, a smaller proportion of the population identified as Indigenous in the 2021 census, with around 375 people.

While Fox believes Cochrane acts as more of an urban hub to the Îyârhe Nakoda given the proximity of Mînî Thnî and affordability compared to Canmore, its next closest neighbour, he believes centres in Canmore and Banff can offer further opportunities to share the stories of his First Nation and others with ties to the area.

The Banff Canmore Community Foundation and its Moving Mountains initiative – focused on areas such as improving local, social and Indigenous economy, as well as environmental and cultural learning – is currently discussing the idea of potentially developing an Indigenous centre in Banff. The organization is still in the early days of discussion, however, and was not ready to confirm details with the Outlook.

“Banff has a historic importance to not just the Stoney but to the Blackfoot, to the Cree, to the Kootenay [Ktunaxa], so I think it would be a really positive,” Fox said of the initiative.

Meanwhile, Indigenous Tourism Alberta (ITA) is currently conducting a feasibility study exploring the possibilities of Indigenous-led infrastructure to further support the growth of Indigenous tourism in Alberta, with potential for a future Indigenous centre to be based out of the Canmore Visitor Information Centre off Highway 1.

“Indigenous Tourism Alberta is always looking for opportunities to expand Indigenous tourism, and this is one opportunity in an exploratory phase among many future possibilities,” said Erica Richardson, a representative of ITA, in an email statement.

“The feasibility study is being led by Indigenous Tourism Alberta with financial support from various provincial and federal partners. The future of this feasibility study is dependent on future funding.”

Fox said he believes an Indigenous centre could be a positive addition in Canmore.

“I think that would be beneficial not just to the Indigenous peoples but to the non-Indigenous community as they can start learning about Indigenous issues,” he said. “Really, any large urban centre should have a friendship centre where they can start connecting with Indigenous people, learning from one another.”

Bopp cautioned against the use of Indigenous centres for the purpose of tourism where Banff and Canmore are concerned, however, and said he hopes any spaces that do come to fruition, are Indigenous-led and built on the principles of Truth and Reconciliation.

“We’re at a juncture in this country where we’re trying to heal the relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people,” Bopp said. “This country was founded on a whole lot of bad stuff ... there are people who don’t even want to face it. But you can't have reconciliation without truth.

“It’s about acknowledging and learning about the past, but also moving forward in a positive way to build something good.”

Jessica Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Rocky Mountain Outlook

NOVA SCOTIA
MODG receives funding for solar energy projects

Wed, February 22, 2023 

GUYSBOROUGH – Residents of the Municipality of the District of Guysborough (MODG) have one more reason to welcome sunny days ahead. On Feb. 14, federal, provincial and municipal levels of government announced more than $1,098,477 in joint funding for the installation of solar panels on municipal buildings in the MODG.

A federal news release (Feb.14) stated that the funding, through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure program, “will support the installation of six solar energy systems totaling 266 kilowatts on two libraries, two recreation centres, the main municipal office, and a water treatment plant. The solar energy created will supply 50 percent of the total electricity load for these spaces.”

The project, and others like it, will help the province meet its coal-free energy mix target for 2030 and create savings for the municipality, which can be redirected to other initiatives and programs.

Tory Rushton, provincial minister of natural resources and renewables told The Journal last week, “We’re certainly, in Nova Scotia, very proud that we’re leaders in our climate change plan and we made an ambitious target to get off coal by 2030. There isn’t going to be one solution – there’s going to be multiple pieces to the puzzle, if you will, and solar is going to be a piece of that puzzle. We’re encouraged to hear 50 per cent of the useable electricity is going to be coming from solar on this project.”

Asked about the contribution rural municipalities are making to the green energy transition, Rushton said, “This is a huge step for a rural municipality. As we move into the green technology of generating our electricity, rural municipalities of Nova Scotia have taken a big step and have taken a huge interest in, ‘What can we do in our local municipalities to foster some of the initiatives the government has set aside.’ And it is because of the rural municipalities in Nova Scotia and Guysborough for example, it’s because of these municipalities that we are leaders in our country in combating climate change because of the initiatives that they are taking.”

MODG Warden Vernon Pitts said the municipality has been working to increase the use of renewable energy over the past decade, as evidenced by investments in solar and wind power, as well as the purchase electric and hybrid vehicles for municipal use.

Pitts said the funding was welcome and would reduce operational costs and emissions at the buildings in the project. He added, “Thankfully, we’ve had the province as well as the federal government step up and partner on some of these initiatives, which is great. It’s good for all of us. We’re all on the same rock so let’s do our part to ensure that we have a future…our children can take advantage of for generations to come.”

In the federal press release announcing the funding, Cape Breton-Canso MP Mike Kelloway – whose riding includes the MODG – commented, “Our government recognizes the importance of investing in green and energy efficient infrastructure. Through this solar energy project, the Municipality of the District of Guysborough will make strides in Canada’s transition to clean and innovative energy solutions. We will continue working with our partners to foster greener, more resilient communities, where residents can thrive.”

Lois Ann Dort, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Guysborough Journal

Haiti, Portugal qualify for Women's World Cup for 1st time

Wed, February 22, 2023 


AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Haiti and Portugal qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup finals for the first time after winning playoff matches Wednesday in New Zealand on Wednesday.

Carole Costa scored a 94th-minute clincher in Portugal's 2-1 win over the Cameroon “Lionesses” who have reached the round of 16 at the last two World Cups.

Haiti beat Chile 2-1 earlier Wednesday in an historic match it hopes will bring joy and “a breath of fresh air” to a strife-torn homeland.

Melchie Dumornay scored twice to ensure 55th-ranked Haiti will return to the southern hemisphere in July to play in Group D of the Women's World Cup alongside England, China and Denmark.

Haiti and Portugal have taken two of the last three places at the World Cup which will be decided at the this 10-team inter-continental playoff in New Zealand. Paraguay will play Panama Thursday for the last place in the 32-team tournament which will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand in July and August.

Haiti's Dumornay recently was signed by seven-time Champions League winners Lyon and showed why with two pieces of slick finishing. She won the race to a through ball from Roselord Borgella in first-half stoppage time to give Haiti a 1-0 lead at the break.

Dumornay then seemed to make the game safe in the eighth of 11 minutes added on by the referee after Chile captain Christiane Endler had saved Nerilia Mondesir's attempt from the penalty spot.

But Maria Jose Rojas scored in the 11th minute of stoppage time to keep Chile’s hopes alive and make the final moments nerve-wracking for Haiti’s Les Grenadiers, who held on to claim an historic victory.

Players shed tears of joy when the final whistle blew, reflecting on success attained in the most difficult of circumstances.

Haiti’s Les Grenadiers had to win two matches in New Zealand to qualify for their first World Cup. They beat Senegal 4-0 in their opening match and then beat 38th-ranked Chile for their first ever win over a South American opponent.

Prior to the tournament midfielder Danielle Etienne told ESPN “there’s a lot of unhappiness in the country and football is the joy."

“Being able to qualify to the World Cup would be major," she said at the time. "We want that for the country as a whole, to have a breath of fresh air and kind of step aside from anything going on.”

While Portugal's win was sealed late it came at the end of a dominant performance. Portugal had 20 shots on goal, most of which were comfortably saved by Cameroon's 16-year-old goalkeeper Cathy Biya who was promoted after Ange Bawou was sent off against Thailand.

Diana Gomes gave Portugal the lead after 22 minutes and the match seemed to be heading to extra time when Ajara Nchout Njoya equalized for Cameroon in the 89th minute.

But an Estelle Johnson hand ball was spotted after a VAR check and Costa scored from the penalty spot.

Australia wins Cup of Nations women's soccer tournament

Wed, February 22, 2023 

NEWCASTLE, Australia (AP) — Australia remained unbeaten to win the Cup of Nations women’s soccer tournament on Wednesday with a 3-0 victory over Jamaica.

Katrina Gorry gave the Matildas a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute before Alex Chidiac (56th) and Caitlan Foord (69th) finished the scoring.

The home side was unbeaten in three matches and scored 10 goals. It was Australia's seventh straight victory overall.

Earlier Wednesday, Esther Gonzalez scored two goals to lead Spain to a 3-0 victory over Czech Republic and force the Matildas to at least draw their late match against Jamaica.

Gonzalez scored in the 29th and 40th minutes in the rain-filled match at Newcastle, north of Sydney, before Athenea del Castillo sealed the win with an 84th-minute penalty.

Spain won two of its three matches, the Czechs one of three and Jamaica lost all three of its games.

The tournament was an early warmup event for the Women’s World Cup scheduled from July 20 to Aug. 20 in Australia and New Zealand.

The Associated Press

DIDN'T DO THAT TO N.KOREA

Google tests blocking news content for some Canadians in response to government bill

Wed, February 22, 2023 


OTTAWA — Google is blocking some Canadian users from viewing news content in what the company says is a test run of a potential response to the Liberal government's online news bill.

Also known as Bill C-18, the Online News Act would require digital giants such as Google and Meta, which owns Facebook, to negotiate deals that would compensate Canadian media companies for republishing their content on their platforms.

The company said Wednesday that it is temporarily limiting access to news content for under four per cent of its Canadian users as it assesses possible responses to the bill. The change applies to its ubiquitous search engine as well as the Discover feature on Android devices, which carries news and sports stories.

All types of news content are being affected by the test, which will run for about five weeks, the company said. That includes content created by Canadian broadcasters and newspapers.

"We're briefly testing potential product responses to Bill C-18 that impact a very small percentage of Canadian users," Google spokesman Shay Purdy said in a written statement on Wednesday in response to questions from The Canadian Press.

The company runs thousands of tests each year to assess any potential changes to its search engine, he added.

"We've been fully transparent about our concern that C-18 is overly broad and, if unchanged, could impact products Canadians use and rely on every day," Purdy said.

A spokeswoman for Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said Canadians will not be intimidated and called it disappointing that Google is borrowing from Meta's playbook.

Last year, that company threatened to block news off its site in response to the bill.

"This didn't work in Australia, and it won't work here because Canadians won’t be intimidated. At the end of the day, all we're asking the tech giants to do is compensate journalists when they use their work," spokeswoman Laura Scaffidi said in a statement Wednesday.

"Canadians need to have access to quality, fact-based news at the local and national levels, and that's why we introduced the Online News Act. Tech giants need to be more transparent and accountable to Canadians."

Rodriguez has argued the bill, which is similar to a law that Australia passed in 2021, will "enhance fairness" in the digital news marketplace by creating a framework and bargaining process for online behemoths to pay media outlets.

But Google expressed concerns in a House of Commons committee that the prospective law does not require publishers to adhere to basic journalistic standards, that it would favour large publishers over smaller outlets and that it could result in the proliferation of "cheap, low quality, clickbait content" over public interest journalism.

The company has said it would rather pay into a fund, similar to the Canada Media Fund, that would pay news publishers indirectly.

The bill passed the House of Commons in December and is set to be studied in the Senate in the coming months.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 22, 2023.

Mickey Djuric, The Canadian Press