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Canada happenings thread#1 - miscellaneous (Great White North community)

#1
C C Offline
Canadian Push for Medical Schools to Teach Euthanasia
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/ca...uthanasia/

INTRO: You knew it would come to this. The push is on in Canada to persuade medical schools to teach students how to euthanize patients — that is, to commit homicide — known euphemistically as medical assistance in dying (MAID). Now, the Canadian Medical Educational Journal lists several suggestions on how to persuade medical schools to include lethal injection training in the curricula. From the study... (MORE)


Joyce Echaquan: Outcry in Canada over treatment of dying indigenous woman
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-54350027

INTRO: A nurse has been fired from a Canadian hospital after a video emerged showing a dying indigenous woman screaming in distress and being insulted by staff. Quebec Premier Francois Legault said the nurse's remarks were "unacceptable" and "racist". He said Joyce Echaquan's death would be thoroughly investigated. It is the latest in a series of incidents that have raised questions about systemic racism faced by Canada's indigenous citizens. In 2015 a report found that racism against indigenous people in Canada's healthcare system contributed to their overall poorer health outcomes, compared to non-indigenous Canadians... (MORE)


https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/J6OhOyujM60


Calgary rocket scientists shoot for the stars with new hybrid technology
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/c...-1.5742642

EXCERPTS: Rocket launches can end up in an impressive liftoff or catastrophic explosion, but a research group at the University of Calgary is looking at developing a type of rocket engine that is safe no matter what the scenario.

[...] Colin Hill, Craig Johansen and the team have been working for the past three years to solve an old problem in terms of hybrid fuel technology and rockets. "Hybrid rockets have actually been around for a long time, but they've kind of always been overlooked compared to the more common liquid and solid propellant rockets that are out there," said Hill. "The reason they've been overlooked is they didn't scale well. So it was hard to get a lot of thrust out of a motor. So the fuel that we're developing is actually going to solve that issue because it's a much higher burning rate than you get with more traditional fuels."

Hill says this technology is potentially safer and cheaper than traditional rocket fuels. Their hybrid engine uses solid, wax-based paraffin fuel and liquid nitrous oxide during combustion to create thrust... (MORE - details)


Trump approves permit for Alaska-Canada cross-border railroad line
https://apnews.com/article/don-young-don...da417b0747

EXCERPTS: President Donald Trump on Tuesday approved a permit for a proposed rail line connecting Alaska and Canada. So-called presidential permits are required for certain cross-border projects. Trump sent a tweet Friday announcing his intention to sign the permit for the A2A cross-border line between Alaska and Canada.

[...] The 1,600-mile (2,575-kilometer) railroad line would connect Alaska to Canada and the continental U.S., said Mead Treadwell, Alaska vice chair of Alaska to Alberta Railway, the company proposing the project. The route would run from Alaska’s Interior region through Canada’s Yukon to Alberta. Trains would carry passengers and commodities including grain, fertilizer, pipe, containers and sulfur, Treadwell said. The line would decrease the time required to move products between Asia and North America, Treadwell said.

[...] U.S. Rep. Don Young Young said in a statement that he has worked with the White House on the project that “will strengthen our country’s already close relationship with Canada and allow us to work hand-in-hand to responsibly develop our resources.” (MORE - details)
- - - - -
Proposed railroad between Alberta and Alaska gets thumbs-up from Trump: . . . The U.S. only has jurisdiction over a small segment of the proposed railroad – about one-eighth of its total length – running southeast from Fairbanks to the Yukon border. Canadian authorities control the fate of the rest of the line, which, if built, would slice across Yukon and the southern border of the Northwest Territories before heading southeast to Fort McMurray... (MORE - details)
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#2
C C Offline
Joyce Echaquan: Trudeau decries 'systemic racism' after indigenous woman death
VIDEO: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-54380645


LILLEY: If we will fly China's flag, what flag won't we fly?
https://edmontonsun.com/opinion/columnis...07a1818e77

INTRO (Brian Lilley): The real question is how we ever got to the point where someone thought it was a good idea to raise the national flag of China at Ontario’s legislature while a member of the Chinese government sang the praises of the communist state. For those that haven’t been paying attention, China still has two Canadians held in arbitrary detention.

None of that seemed to matter to the sergeant-at-arms of the Ontario Legislature who had defended the ceremonial flag raising as being “apolitical.” There is nothing apolitical about raising a flag to commemorate the founding of the People’s Republic of China on Oct. 1, 1949 by the Communist Party of China.

Especially not when China’s consul general in Toronto, Han Tao, was slated to speak. Thankfully, the event was cancelled - even if under the flimsiest of pretenses... (MORE)


Justin Trudeau And Other Canadian Leaders Do What Trump Didn't: Condemn White Supremacy
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/justin-tr...4c558b72f6

INTRO: Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and other leaders from the United States’ northern neighbor did not hesitate to condemn white supremacy following Donald Trump’s performance during Tuesday’s debate, where the president danced around disavowing supremacists and even told far right group the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.”

“The Prime Minister has condemned and will continue to condemn right-wing extremism, white supremacy and racism in all its forms,” a statement from Trudeau’s office sent to CTV News on Wednesday read. “In Canada, we’re not immune to extremism that not only divides our communities, but threatens the safety of Canadians.” (MORE)


Canada must step up and implement a universal basic income
https://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/views-e...sic-income

EXCERPT: . . . This reality means universal basic income can no longer be just another dream, despite what many top contrarians may say.  By now, you've likely heard about the concept of basic income. You've likely also heard about the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), the Canada child benefit (CCB) or the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS). Maybe you know someone on social assistance, or, because of the pandemic, maybe it is you.

Maybe you are trying to secure an income to leave a volatile or dangerous self-isolating situation, or maybe you lost your job before the pandemic and don't qualify for any of the newly enlisted supports, making you one of many falling through the cracks.

By now, you may also know our current social safety net is broken, fragment and piecemeal. It leaves many stuck in the cycle of poverty through deep administrative red tape and claw backs. Even Canada's minister of employment, workforce development and disability inclusion stood in the House of Commons and reiterated that COVID has highlighted the massive gaps in our social safety net, and that we have an opportunity to "do better."

Yet the entrenched and archaic employment insurance system mirrors a dystopia, where the government controls your finances and monitors your spending -- making those charged to police these programs watchdogs, instead of the human service professionals they ought to be. The reality is we aren't going to police our way out of pandemics or poverty.

A basic income would provide an economic floor to all based on a chosen monetary threshold, not based on means tests. In its inception, this economic floor could be offered as a negative income-tax model to keep administrative costs low and prioritize human rights over means tests... (MORE - details)
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#3
Syne Offline
Unless anyone can point to specific instances of racism inherent to a system, like written into law or policy, there is only individual racist acts. That's why no one has any solution to the boogeyman of "systemic racism". It's not falsifiable, which makes it equivalent to myth or belief.
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Not really surprised that socialist-leaning Canada likes communist China.
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More media lies, when Trump has repeatedly condemned white supremacy...including three times in the recent, first presidential debate. Repeat a lie long enough and the uninformed (now, including supposed journalists) will believe it.
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And everyone who's tried a UBI has found it completely unsustainable. Too bad leftists don't know how to learn from history. But then, that's a defining feature of leftism.
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#4
Yazata Offline
(Sep 30, 2020 12:18 AM)C C Wrote: Canadian Push for Medical Schools to Teach Euthanasia


I have no objection. I think that assisted suicide for individuals who are terminally ill and facing excruciating hopeless torment is a good thing.

It may indeed be homicide, but I'm not opposed to all homicide. There are justifiable homicides and this in my opinion is one of them.

Obviously it's important that it be what the patient really wants and not somebody else's decision to clear costly patients from the wards.

This looks to me like it's basically a question of morality and there's no objective answers to that.



Quote:Calgary rocket scientists shoot for the stars with new hybrid technology

Hybrid rockets aren't new at all. Burt Rutan's and Paul Allen's Spaceship One, the do-it-yourself spaceship had a hybrid rocket engine.

So does Richard Branson's Spaceship Two. And that's led to problems. It's why Spaceship Two has had trouble breaking the 100 km line. Not enough thrust. As the story says, Hybrid rocket engines don't scale up very well and what worked for little Spacehip One doesn't work so well for bigger Spaceship Two.


Quote:Colin Hill, Craig Johansen and the team have been working for the past three years to solve an old problem in terms of hybrid fuel technology and rockets. "Hybrid rockets have actually been around for a long time, but they've kind of always been overlooked compared to the more common liquid and solid propellant rockets that are out there," said Hill. "The reason they've been overlooked is they didn't scale well. So it was hard to get a lot of thrust out of a motor. So the fuel that we're developing is actually going to solve that issue because it's a much higher burning rate than you get with more traditional fuels."

This could be a very good development, depending on what the details are. The CBC story isn't very informative regarding the engineering details.
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#5
Syne Offline
(Oct 2, 2020 06:44 PM)Yazata Wrote:
(Sep 30, 2020 12:18 AM)C C Wrote: Canadian Push for Medical Schools to Teach Euthanasia


I have no objection. I think that assisted suicide for individuals who are terminally ill and facing excruciating hopeless torment is a good thing.

It may indeed be homicide, but I'm not opposed to all homicide. There are justifiable homicides and this in my opinion is one of them.

Obviously it's important that it be what the patient really wants and not somebody else's decision to clear costly patients from the wards.

This looks to me like it's basically a question of morality and there's no objective answers to that.

I just worry about the slippery slope ending up prescribing assisted suicide for otherwise treatable depression.
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#6
C C Offline
Toronto, Vancouver Behind Only San Francisco On Fastest-Falling Rents
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/rent...e564b38d8f

EXCERPTS: With the COVID-19 pandemic shifting where people live and work, the next few years could be tough ones for landlords in Canada’s largest cities. But they could be better for some of the country’s long-struggling secondary cities ― and for renters, who might finally find a good deal on housing after years of soaring prices.

Rental rates in Canada’s largest cities are cratering. With millions more Canadians working from home, post-secondary students taking online classes and immigration to Canada slowing to a trickle, demand for rental housing has dried up. Rates in Toronto and Vancouver have been falling since the early months of the pandemic ...

[...] Vancouver had the second-steepest drop in North American rental rates over the past year, falling 14.1 per cent to $2,750. Only San Francisco ― by most measures the most expensive city on the continent ― saw faster rental rate declines, down 20 per cent in a year, to US$3,800. Toronto came in third, clocking a 12-per-cent decline in two-bedroom rental rates, to $2,630, while Montreal recorded a 2.8-per-cent decline to $1,750.

As those cities experience an out-migration of residents, smaller, more affordable cities ― especially those near large ones ― are booming. In those places, rents are rising rapidly even amid the pandemic, both in Canada and the U.S. [...] This could soon impact Canada’s condo markets...

[...] But the trend may not be permanent. For one, it’s not clear how many of the people working from home today will do so forever. While some companies, like Twitter, have said they will allow employees to work from home indefinitely, other businesses, such as major international banks, are calling employees back into work. Some argue the shift out of the city is an acceleration of trends we were seeing before the pandemic... (MORE - details)
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#7
C C Offline
Canadian Economy Weakens, as the Ivey Indicator Dives
https://www.fxleaders.com/news/2020/10/0...tor-dives/

INTRO: The Canadian economy went through a major contraction during the lockdown months, as most major economies did. The economic recovery after the reopening came later and was slower than in other countries. Now, the economy is weakening again. Core retail sales declined in July, while the CPI (Consumer Price Index) inflation turned negative in August. Yesterday, the Ivey PMI report for September posted a sharp decline for that month. If the data keeps softening, the CAD will turn bearish, sending the USD/CAD pair higher, although crude oil also has a say in the Canadian Dollar. (MORE)


New bill could make Daylight Saving Time permanent in Ontario, ending need for bi-annual time changes
https://o.canada.com/news/canada/a-new-b...me-changes

INTRO: An Ontario MPP is getting support for his private members’ bill, which could eliminate bi-annual time changes and make Daylight Saving Time permanent. Jeremy Roberts, MPP for Ottawa West – Nepean, tabled Bill 214 on Wednesday. The bill — the Time Amendment Act — passed second reading at Queen’s Park with unanimous support from both the government and opposition. No date has been set for the third reading.

“Ontarian’s (sic) are sick of this outdated practice that comes with serious consequences for our health,” Roberts said in a tweet. “My new bill would end this practice. Let’s work together with our neighbours and stop wasting time.”

Daylight Saving Time is the practice of advancing the clock to benefit from the afternoon light in warmer months. If implemented year-round, winter days in Ontario would start dark for multiple hours in the morning, but stay lighter into the evening. It would also get rid of the need for the bi-annual clock changes, as Ontario would no longer swap back to Standard Time in the winter.

In a letter written on Wednesday, Roberts brought up the substantial body of evidence about adverse effects of time changes. “Academic studies from across the word have suggested that the bi-annual change can cause serious negative effects, such as increased depression rates, heart attacks, strokes, and higher numbers of fatal collisions.”

Although there’s mostly consensus on ending bi-annual time changing, some think that we should operate year round on Standard Time instead of Daylight Saving Time. A researcher from York University even suggested that having light in the early morning is more beneficial to our bodies.

While attempts have been made in the past to end the timesaving practice, Roberts says this time it’s different... (MORE)


Human error to blame for release of water at Cleveland Dam that left two dead
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news...e-of-water

EXCERPTS: Human error was the cause of an uncontrolled release of water into the Capilano River that led to the deaths of two people last week, Metro Vancouver said Thursday.

“While the review continues, we can now confirm that the clearest contributing factor was human error related to programming of the control system for the spillway gate at the Cleveland Dam,” said Metro Vancouver commissioner Jerry Dobrovolny in a statement. “Metro Vancouver takes responsibility for this mistake and our deepest sympathies go out to those affected by the tragic loss of life.”

[...] As a result of the incident, the region will look at adding a public warning system and increasing monitoring downstream of the dam. It will also bring in expert advisers to assess practices and procedures and provide independent advice to strengthen maintenance systems. Metro will also be lowering the spillway gate, which will stay in the lowered position through the winter, with water from the lake flowing over the spillway and into the Capilano River.... (MORE - details)


Single-use plastic ban could impact Alberta's ability to attract investment, industry group warns
https://calgaryherald.com/business/energ...35b985cdc0

EXCERPTS: The head of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC) says Ottawa’s decision to ban six single-use plastic items could impact Alberta’s ability to attract investment — a key part of the province’s economic recovery plan. On Wednesday, the federal government announced plastic straws, stir sticks, carry-out bags, cutlery, Styrofoam dishes and takeout containers and six-pack rings for cans and bottles will be banned by the end of 2021 if new regulatory changes are approved as planned.

The announcement came the day after the Alberta government unveiled its natural gas strategy, which includes seeking investment in petrochemicals — used to make plastic — and making the province “the western North America centre of excellence for plastics recycling by 2030.”

Bob Masterson, president and CEO of the CIAC, said Alberta is doing all the right things to get the global industry to invest in the province but the federal decision doesn’t help build Alberta’s case. “I can tell you we’ve heard from global companies and the premier of Alberta has heard from global companies, that this will make them think carefully about their plans, any plans, they might have to invest Alberta. So it’s a pretty real concern,” Masterson said Wednesday.

The province has said that attracting investment will be key to recovering from the economic crisis born from the COVID-19 pandemic and the oil price crash, which has put it on track for a deficit of $24.2 billion. [...] “The big chemical business in Alberta will survive this, they can transition. But if you’re a small manufacturer, and this is what you’ve done, and all your equipment is based on producing these materials, you’re in for a world of pain,” he said... (MORE - details)
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#8
C C Offline
New study to assess pandemic's impact on Canadian Veterans and their spouse
https://www.lawsonresearch.ca/pandemics-...n-veterans

RELEASE: Lawson Health Research Institute and the Centre of Excellence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are partnering with a population at high risk of mental illness – Canadian Veterans and spouses of Canadian Veterans – to study how they have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through online surveys, the project will hear directly from Veterans and their spouses to assess the pandemic’s effects on their wellbeing over time. The team hopes results can be used by health care workers and policymakers to support Veterans and their families during both the current pandemic and future public health emergencies.

“With concerns about COVID-19 infection and drastic changes to everyday life, the pandemic is taking a toll on the health of Canadians,” explains Dr. Don Richardson, Lawson Associate Scientist and Director of the MacDonald Franklin Operational Stress Injury (OSI) Research Centre. “And it may be particularly distressing for those vulnerable to mental illness.”

Population studies show that Canadian Veterans are at double the risk of mental illness when compared to the rest of the population. They experience higher rates of depression, anxiety and loneliness. Spouses of Canadian Veterans are also at higher risk of distress, sometimes undertaking significant caregiving responsibilities that lead to less independence.

“It’s currently unknown how the pandemic will impact Veterans and their spouses, but it could result in particularly serious outcomes,” says Dr. Anthony Nazarov, Associate Scientist at Lawson and the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre. “We want to hear from all Canadian Veterans and their spouses, whether they’re doing well or not and whether they’re seeking care or not.”

The study aims to recruit 1,000 Canadian Veterans and 250 spouses of Canadian Veterans. Participants will complete online surveys, available in both English and French, once every three months for a total of 18 months. They will be asked questions about their psychological, social, family-related and physical wellbeing, and any relevant changes to their lifestyle and health care treatment.

“Veterans who regularly access health care services could encounter significant changes, including a move to virtual care appointments. This could lead to increased caregiving responsibilities for spouses,” says Dr. Nazarov. “Given the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, these changes may persist well into the future, mandating a thorough assessment of patient satisfaction and treatment outcomes.”

The team hopes results can be used to support the wellness of Veterans and their families during public health emergencies. This includes providing health care professionals and policymakers with information to guide emergency preparedness policies and health care delivery models. They hope results can also be used to recognize early signs of distress in order to target with early interventions.

“We are seeking to understand the impact of COVID-19 on Veterans and their families to identify if this global pandemic is leading to psychological distress or triggering historical traumas,” says Dr. Patrick Smith, CEO of the Centre of Excellence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. “The Centre’s primary goal is to increase Canadian expertise related to military and Veteran mental health, suicide prevention and substance use disorders. This study can help us understand if the pandemic is having debilitating and life-altering effects, and help us address a potential mental health crisis.”
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#9
C C Offline
Trudeau calls China's Hong Kong diplomacy 'coercive'
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54577971

INTRO: Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he will not tolerate "coercive" diplomacy from China. His remarks on Friday come a day after the Chinese ambassador warned that granting asylum to Hong Kong protesters could put Canadians in danger.

The envoy's comments were seen by many as a not-so veiled threat. Relations between the two nations have been frosty since 2018, when two Canadians were detained in China over spying allegations.

This week, Beijing's envoy to Canada, Cong Peiwu explicitly told Canada not to accept asylum seekers from Hong Kong, calling them "violent criminals" in a video news conference. "If the Canadian side really cares about stability and prosperity in Hong Kong, and really cares about the good health and safety of those 300,000 Canadian passport holders in Hong Kong and the large number of Canadian companies operating in Hong Kong … you should support those efforts to fight violent crimes," Mr Cong said.

When asked if his statement was a threat, Mr Cong said: "That is your interpretation." Some leading Hong Kong protesters have fled for the West in recent months after the mainland authorities in Beijing passed a security law that reduces the city's autonomy and makes it easier to punish pro-democracy protesters... (MORE)
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#10
C C Offline
A Controversial Lost Tectonic Plate May Have Been Discovered by Geologists In Canada
https://www.sciencealert.com/a-lost-tect...geologists

INTRO: Geologists agree that some 60 million years ago, the Farallon and Kula tectonic plates covered a vast area of Earth's surface across the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of North America. However, there's debate about whether a third plate existed, called Resurrection.

Now researchers at the University of Houston think they might have found the remains of Resurrection, hiding under northern Canada – crushed, reshaped, and buried through the processes of subduction, as tectonic plates slide into one another. They've called the plate remnant the 'Yukon slab'... (MORE)

RELATED: Ancient tectonic plate discovered beneath Canada, geologists claim
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