Less than a week into hearings examining the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act in response to the “Freedom Convoy” in Ottawa and jammed border crossings, hundreds of documents have been made public. They shed some light on, among other things, the discussions between various levels of government and warnings about potential security threats. [node:read-more:link]
Mandated by the Emergencies Act itself, an independent panel has begun six weeks of hearings into the Prime Minister’s use of the legislation to disperse protesters in the capital and at border crossing earlier this year. Headed by former Ontario Court of Appeal Justice Paul Rouleau, it will hear testimony not only from the PM but also other ministers, provincial and local politicians, protesters and police. [node:read-more:link]
The Canadian Armed Forces are supposed to be the “last resort” in dealing with domestic crisess but former National Security Advisor Richard Fadden said October 5 they too often become the “first” or even “only” resort for provincial governments. He told a parliamentary committee parliamentary committee that responding to requests for help at home distract the military from its broader mission. “It is becoming too easy for . . . [node:read-more:link]
The acting director of the Parliamentary Protective Service said September 29 that Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson did not return calls at the height of last February’s “Freedom Convoy” that paralyzed the capital’s core. Larry Brookson told a parliamentary committee that neither Watson, who is not seeking re-election next month, nor the city’s manager evidently were available to discuss a negotiated end to the three-week seige. [node:read-more:link]
The Canadian Climate Change Institute said in a report released today that Canadians can expect to have to choose between higher taxes or reduced government services if more isn’t done to adapt to climate change. “We have some ability to change this future,” said Ryan Ness, director of adaptation research for the registered charity, which said that if the public and private sectors begin investing in making the country more resilient to extreme weather, the economic impact could be reduced by 75 per cent. [node:read-more:link]
Post-tropical storm Fiona is expected to be the costliest storm to ever hit Atlantic Canada but analysts at DBRS Morning Star, the fourth-largest credit rating agency in the world, say gaps in insurance coverage leave many property owners without coverage after the weekend’s devastation. [node:read-more:link]
Canadian Armed forces personnel are deployed to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland & Labrador to help with the aftermath of post-tropical storm Fiona which ravaged the region on the weekend. the commander of Joint Task Force Atlantic, Rear Admiral Brian Santarpia, said the help had been requested by the three provincial governments [node:read-more:link]
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has confirmed that the Canadian Armed Forces will be part of the federal government’s support for the Atlantic provinces and eastern Quebec as they deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona which caused extensive damage and left hundreds of thousands of people without power. He also said the government would match personal or corporate donations to the Canadian Red Cross over the next month. [node:read-more:link]
Canada has sent $2.5 million to the UN in response to an appeal months ago for help in salvaging a decaying oil storage and offloading tanker in the Red Sea off Yemen, but the UN is still waiting for other countries to fulfill pledges made months ago. The tanker, which has seen little to no maintenance since 2015, contains some 223,000 cubic metres of crude. Warning that time is running to prevent a major environmental disaster, the UN estimated that a clean-up would cost at least US$20 billion. [node:read-more:link]
A physician doctor originally from Toronto who trained at Memorial University in St. John’s and now practises in Massachusetts volunteered to move to Newfoundland for three months at no cost to help address a doctor shortage in one community. His offer was accepted by the hospital and the province but rejected by the provincial College of Physician and Surgeons. It said that because he had been practising telemedicine for the past three years, it could not license him “at this time” because he needed to have been practising “active” medicine during that period. [node:read-more:link]
The European Union, in an escalating standoff with Russia over natural gas supplies, is being urged by the UN not to potentially undermine climate change mitigation by burning other fossil fuels this winter. “In the face of soaring energy prices which threaten to impact the most vulnerable as winter approaches, some EU member states are turning to investments in fossil fuels infrastructure and supplies,” UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Commissioner Nada al-Nashif of Jordan said September 12. “There is no room for backtracking in the face of the ongoing climate crisis.” [node:read-more:link]
Two female RCMP officers working undercover were key to the arrests of four Alberta men now facing charges of plotting to murder members of the national police force during last winter’s blockade of a border crossing in southern Alberta. Details of the operation have been disclosed in search warrant applications which were unsealed by a provincial court September 7. [node:read-more:link]
After leading an International Atomic Energy team to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine, the UN agency’s director general said today that the situation remains “very worrying” and warned that ongoing conflict in the area is “playing with fire.” Rafael Grossi called for a safety zone around Europe’s largest station. “This is a measure that one way or the other must be put in place.” [node:read-more:link]
Ten defendants involved in last winter’s “Freedom Convoy” protests in Ottawa have asked a court to order to release of $450,000 in donations so they can pay for lawyers to represent them in a public inquiry into the government’s unprecedented invocation of the Emergencies Act to shut down the disruption. The money from crowdfunding was placed in escrow pending a proposed class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of local residents and businesses. [node:read-more:link]
The German manufacturer of a turbine is questioning Russia’s explanation of Gazprom’s decision to shut down one of its main natural gas lines to Europe on the weekend, stocking fears of winter shortages. European governments had expected the Nord Stream 1 to resume flows after what was to be a brief maintenance pause but Gazprom said an oil leak in a Seimens turbine cancelled that plan. Siemens says the leak would not normally affect turbine operation and, besides, other units could keep the pipeline running. [node:read-more:link]
