RCI | English : Interviews

Canada has instituted a carbon tax in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, a new study show there may well be unintended and less desirable consequences.

Carlos Murillo prepared a study of these concerns. He is the senior research associate, energy and environment at the Conference Board of Canada, a non-partisan think tank.

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Murillo’s report is called, "Tipping the Scales: Assessing Carbon Competitiveness and Leakage Potential for Canada’s  EITEI’s"

Carlos Murillo,senior research associate, energy and environment at the Conference Board of Canada, (supplied)

In the report  he looks at the effect of the tax on emissions-intensive and trade-exposed industries (EITEIs). These industries, chemical, petroleum, forestry, pulp and paper mining, and other manufacturing industries.

Canada’s EITEIs also account for more than one-tenth of the economy and about one-half of total energy use and GHG emissions. For these industries,  carbon compliance costs increase input costs by  two percent  but in tight economic conditions, that could be enough to push them to move all or some production to jurisdictions without these added costs. This is “carbon leakage” i.e, not reducing GHG, but simply moving it elsewhere. It’s also estimated this could cost the Canadian economy about $10 Billion and up to 50,000 jobs.

Petro Canada refinery Edmonton 2009. Murillo says nationwide, "leakage" may not have a huge effect on the economy or jobs, but in energy intensive regions like in Alberta's oilpatch,, the effects could be much greater. (Dan Reidhuber-Reuters)

While this is not insignificant, Murillo says it really represents a relatively small portion of the Canadian economy and job market as a whole

He says if other jurisdictions around the world also join in carbon pricing “leakage” would lessen, but that if Canada increases its taxes, without such world action, the consequences domestically will be increased.

As we approach Remembrance Day on November 11, a new book on Canadians in war has had a timely release. The book’s title is “Seven Days in Hell, Canada’s battle for Normandy and the rise of the Black Watch Snipers".

It tells of how a disparate group of volunteers and a few army “regulars’ came together in a already legendary Montreal regiment and fought their way across Normandy and into a brutal and devastating battle at Verrieres Ridge in an effort to break German resistance,

Historian and author David O’Keefe is also a teacher at a Montreal collegiate.

Historian, author, teacher David O'Keefe on his latest book of the Black Watch as they fought through Normandy to the terrible battle of Verrieres Ridge in WWIIEN_Interview_1-20191105-WIE10

After Canadians has fought across Normandy, the still relatively green members of the Royal Highland Regimen of Canada (Black Watch) now faced some of the most hardened and experienced German troops as they moved toward Verrieres Ridge.

David O'Keefe's new book is published by Harper Collins

Intelligence reports had suggested light if any resistance, which proved tragically false. As delay mounted upon delay, the battle plans set forth in Operation Spring fell apart.

The members of the regiment, were left exposed and the need to uphold honour and tradition drove them on, in many cases to their deaths.

Canadian infantry moving forward for Operation Spring. The Black Watch would suffer huge losses, when the planned timetables were not met. (LAC)

The Black Watch suffered enormous losses in the taking of the heavily defended ridge where German forces had decided to take a stand.

O’Keefe lays out not only the historical aspects, but also goes into detail of the individual and personal situations for the soldiers. This was accomplished through direct interviews with survivors, war diaries, and individual battle action reports.

"Sexton" Self-propelled guns with mounted QF 25pdr artillery support Canadian action near Ifs, France, July 1944.(Donald Grant, Library and Archives Canada—PA162412)

It was written deliberately in a narrative style to draw the reader in and avoid a dry and pedantic story of a most harrowing and deadly struggle where life and death could be a second apart and perhaps also a matter of inches.

O Keefe says it’s important to write these stories to remind Canadians that in spite of historical domination by foreign countries, Canada has a courageous, exciting, and vivid history of their own.

Additional information

RCI: Nov 2016: Documentary Black Watch Snipers

RCI: Nov 2015: David O’Keefe; One day in August- Tragedy at Dieppe

RCI: Oct 31 1944 Battle of Walcheren Causeway.

Care to know a whole lot more about polar bears?

I know just the place.

A new centre in Churchill, Manitoba aimed at helping the fight to save the world's polar bears opened on the weekend. (BJ Kirschhnoffer/polarbearsinternational.org)

Treat yourself to a trip to Churchill, Manitoba, the Hudson Bay town that bills itself as the "Polar Bear Capital of the World."

A lot of people were there on the weekend for the grand opening of Polar Bears International House that supporters hope will serve as Ground Zero for all things polar bear and their conservation.

Among the guests were Polar Bears International ambassador and spokesperson Kate Upton and her husband, Major League Baseball pitcher Justin Verlander.

Kerstin Langenberger posted this photo on her Facebook page in 2015 and suggested a link between the polar bear's emaciated state and climate change. The photo has been shared more than 52, 000 times. (Kerstin Langenberger/Facebook)

Also on hand was Dani Reiss, president and CEO of Canada Goose, a member of the Polar Bears International Board.

Reiss's family foundation gifted $1 million to the project, designed by the Montreal-based architecture firm Blouin-Orzes.

The goal of the facility is to educate visitors about polar bears and the Arctic sea ice they depend on, and to send visitors home inspired to join the battle.

Geoff York and a friend. (Mike Lockhart/polarbearsinternational.org)

Geoff York has spent much of his life advocating for the protection of polar bears.

I spoke with York, Polar Bear International's senior director of conservation, on Tuesday about where polar bears in the world stand in their fight for survival, the new facility, and how it might help.

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It's November, the clocks got turned back this weekend--time to accept that summer won't be returning to these parts any time soon.

A perfect time, in other words, to take one last stab at a summer state of mind by talking a little tennis, the game of sun and sweat.

Indeed, Canadians--both fans and players--can look back at a whole year of terrific tennis.

Bianca Andreescu receives a medical treatment on her leg after suffering a knee injury during the WTA Finals Tennis Tournament against Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in Shenzhen, China last Wednesday. Andreescu later withdrew from the tournament, prompting concern from Canadian tennis fans that she might be injury prone, something that could hinder her budding career. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Bianca Andreescu came out of nowhere to win three prestigious tournaments, including the Canadian Open and--more important--the U.S. Open.

She is now No. 5 in the world.

On the men's side, a couple of young hot-shots, Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime, tickled more than a few fancies as they vied to replace Milos Raonic as Canada's top male player.

Milos Raonic struggled through another season of injuries and saw his ATP ranking fall to No. 32. (Julian Finney/Getty Images/File)

Both succeeded.

Shapovalov is now ranked No. 15 on the ATP computer, Auger-Aliassime is No. 21 as Raonic's ranking fell to No. 32.

Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime were scheduled to compete in the aptly-named Next Generation ATP Finals in Milan this week.

Neither is.

Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime suffered an ankle injury in practice in Vienna last month and missed this week's Next Generation ATP Finals in Milan. Auger-Alliassime finished the year ranked No. 21 in the world. (Associated Press)

Auger-Aliassime rolled an ankle in Vienna and Shapovalov begged off after a fierce end to his season that culminated with a loss in the Paris Masters final Sunday to Novak Djokovic.

Shapovalov's success in Paris came as Andreescu was hobbling through (and finally withdrawing from) the WTA Finals Championships in Shenzhen, China.

For some perspective on the injuries, the successes and what they may mean, I spoke with Stephanie Myles, editor-in-chief of Tennis.life, who has a book about Andreescu coming out later this month,

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Are obese people addicted to food? It’s an often proposed idea and something researchers in Montreal investigated

Dr Alain Dagher (MD. FRCP) supervised the research team. He is a professor in the department of neurology at the Montreal Neurological Institute (the Neuro)

Dr Dagher talks about research showing obesity is only slightly linked to addiction to foodEN_Interview_1-20191031-WIE10

Statistics from the World Health Organisation indicate that obesity rates have tripled since 1975.  Obesity brings with it a multitude of health issues, many costly, and debilitating.

Age- and gender-adjusted rates of obesity and overweight, 2005 OECD standard population. Measured height and weight in Australia, England, Korea, Mexico and the United States; self-reported in other countries. No projections were produced in 2010 for Australia, Mexico and Switzerland. Source: OECD analysis of health survey data (OECD)

Why are people becoming obese? Primarily because cheap, calorie heavy foods and snacks are so readily available, says Dr Dagher, but that’s not the whole story.

While drugs, tobacco, alcohol, even coffee have “addictive” compounds, it’s generally understood that foods don’t, although some say sugar may create act in a pharmacological sense to create an addictive habit.

The researchers studied the idea of food addiction and found there was a connection to addictive personality, but that it was a relatively weak factor in obesity.

This addictive tendency, or rather overlap with addictive personality, was more likely in people who tested low on a consciensciousness test; the ability to be organised, ordered, stick to a plan. The researchers compared data of over 18,600 subjects in the complex NEO Personality Inventory measures 30 facets of how people typically think, feel, and behave.

Genetics can play a role, but rather than an addiction, simple quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive access to high calorie foods is a big factor, (iStocck)

This study was published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour on Oct. 28, 2019. under the title "Obesity has limited behavioural overlap with addiction and psychiatric phenotypes". (abstract here)

The scientists also discovered that obesity also shared behavioural overlap with mood disorders and certain personality disorders.

"The main reason is over-consumption of calories" Dr A Dagher

Dr Dagher points our however there is also a genetic predisposition to obesity, making the treatment even more complex. He says while there may be some benefit is borrowing addiction treatments in order to improve people’s self control, it shouldn’t focus on how addictive personalities handle sensation seeking, as this isn’t much of an issue for obese people.

“Current results suggest that we should take whatever is useful from the limited similarities that obesity and addictions share, and then look elsewhere to fully comprehend the behavioural profile of obesity”.  Dr Dagher does suggest that exercise can help greatly in weight control .

The research was supported by Fonds de Recherche du Québec, The Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and The Estonian Research Council.

By October of 1944 Canadians had fought their way from the Normandy beach to the French interior, then along the Atlantic coast through Belgium, capturing German rocket sites and all of it bitterly defended by hardened German troops. After fighting through Normandy through to Caen, the Verrieres Ridge and being instrumental in closing the Falaise gap, the Canadians were given a new assignment. By the end of the month, they had to attack Walcheren Island.

But there was only one very narrow access point, a killing zone, 1.2km long, straight as an arrow. and just wide enough for a rail line, a road, and a bicycle path.

Peter Boyle (C.D) describes the battle. He is president of Valour Canada, and holds the rank of LCol in the Canadian Forces Reserves.

Peter Boyle, president of Valour Canada, speaks about the battle of Walcheren Causeway, Oct 31,1944EN_Interview_1-20191030-WIE10

Under the command of Canadian General Harry Crerar, the Canadians with British and Polish troops, had fought through Flanders  liberating cities like Furnes, La Panne, Nieuport, Ostend, Knocke-Heist, Bruges, Eecloo, and the northern suburbs of Antwerp, taking the Schipdonk and Leopold canals, Breskens and Beveland in Holland

Aerial view of the long narrow causeway. Almost 2 kilometres long, no cover, and heavily defended with sighted guns. tidal mud flats on either side. The causeway no longer exists as the land on either side has been reclaimed and the former island joined to the mainland to now become an isthmus, (via Calgary Highlanders Museum and Archives)

In costly battles to take the south shore of the estuary, Canada's 3rd division had lost over 2,000 men.

Maj George Hees was an artillery staff officer who volunteered to go to the Walcheren battle and take over A Company, He was wounded in the arm but stayed in command. (RMC club)

Now the Black Watch (RHR Montreal), the Calgary Highlanders, and the Regiment de Maisonneuve (Montreal) were assigned an almost suicidal task.  They had to take the fortified Island.

Major Jacques Ostiguy of Le Regiment de Maisonneuve who was just been decorated with the Distinguished Service Order, October 1944. (Credit: Library and Archives Canada

The island was a strategic point defending the Scheldt Estuary leading to the vital Belgian port of Antwerp. As long as Walcheren with its heavy guns was in German hands, the port could not be used by the Allies to deliver desperately needed supplies.

Looking eastward down the causeway from the island, tidal mud flats at right . 1.6 km with virtually no cover from German bullets and artillery 1946 (DND)

Sent forward across the killing zone of the causeway amid shot, shell, and deadly splintered stone fragments,  Canadians somehow managed to eventually cross and briefly hold the far end but could not advance from this untenable position. The bitter fighting continued in a stalemate but kept the defenders preoccupied until British forces managed an amphibious landing at Westkapelle on the Atlantic side and Vlissingen (Flushing) at the mouth of the estuary attacking from behind and forcing the Germans inland.  With Canadians to the east and south, and British to the west, the defenders surrendered by November 8.

-Pipe Major H. McDonald, Piper D.W. MacDonald and Piper W.J. Hannah at the burial of 55 infantrymen of “A” Company, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment of Canada). October 1944 in the Netherlands. ( Credit: Library and Archives Canada)

The battle is remembered by all three Canadian regiments as a battle honour and example of extreme courage.

Additional information

Valour Canada: Walcheren

Legion Magazine: Oct 17/19: M Zuelke: Opening the estuary

YouTube: Calgary Highlanders Walcheran ghost story

DND- Victory Campaign (C.P Stacey) Battle of the Scheldt-Breskens, South Beveland, Walcheren

Canadian Soldiers (M Dorosh): Walcheren

Veterans Affairs Canada: Canadians in Belgium 1944

Only 16 per cent of Canadian adults are meeting the national guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week, according to a national non-profit. Calling this an “inactivity crisis,” ParticipACTION says inactivity can lead to increased risk of chronic diseases, cognitive decline, falls and social isolation among older adults. It has issued a first-ever report card on physical activity in adults and has given them a grade of D.

“Physical activity has been engineered out of our lives,” says Elio Antunes, president and CEO of ParticipACTION, a national organization founded to promote physical fitness and healthy living. “Everything that we have is to make life easier and with less effort. We have a culture of convenience.”

A large slice of the Canadian population is aging and becoming more sedentary. They will age better with the benefit of regular physical activity, says Antunes. 

ParticipACTION suggests employers have walking meetings rather than book a boardroom. (iStock)

Small changes can have big effect

ParticipACTION suggests simple ways to start increasing activity such as moving more throughout the day, trying something new, upping the intensity , asking others to join in, breaking up extended periods of sitting and adding strength training two to three times a week.

Antunes says three-quarters of adults know they need to be physically active and they want to be. “As individuals, we need to take responsibility. We need to incorporate...even bouts of 10 minutes of physical activity at a time makes a big difference,” he says. “But we also need to ensure that the environment that we’re in supports us wanting to be physically active.”

For example, Antunes says municipalities should build communities that encourage walking or other active transportation, health practitioners could prescribe physical activity to patients, employers could create workplaces that encourage movement and hold walking breaks or meetings.

Antunes says this is an extremely important issue, especially given that inactivity will increase costs to the health care system by billions of dollars as time goes on.

Elio Antunes says physical activity needs to be a vital part of everyday life to all Canadians.EN_Interview_2-20191029-WIE20

The respected and influential medical journal The Lancet, recently published a series of researched articles on the world illicit drug situations. The purpose was to begin to change the perceptions around illicit drug use and develop evidence-based policies in dealing with it.

Dr Julie Bruneau (M.D., MSc.) is a co author of two reports in the six section series. She is a professor in the Department of Family and Emergency Medicine at the Universite de Montreal, and a researcher at the CRCHUM (University of Montreal Hospital Research Center)

Researcher, Dr. Julie Bruneau, co-author talks about the latest Lancet series on illicit drug useEN_Interview_1-20191029-WIE10

The Lancet series on drug use, (vol 394, No. 10208) says global illicit drug production and consumption is increasing while at the same time new substances are being created and added to the issues. This results in equally increasing risks and harms. The series describes various aspects of the worldwide problem and possible actions to take.

This includes:

The global drug problem: change but not progression

Strategies to reduce drug-related harm: responding to the evidence base

Global patterns of opioid use and dependence: harms to populations, interventions, and future action

Public health implications of legalising the production and sale of cannabis for medicinal and recreational use

Responding to global stimulant use: challenges and opportunities

New psychoactive substances: challenges for drug surveillance, control, and public health responses

A protest march in Vancouver in February 2018 sought decriminalisation of illicit drugs. (Tina Lovgreen-CBC)

Dr. Bruneau says most of the world’s policies to combat illicit drugs and their use were drawn up in the 1960’s, adding they clearly haven’t worked as illicit drugs and their use have only increased.

She says attitudes surrounding drug use need to change before policies can be changed, noting that drug addiction should be considered a disease and treated as such, with the realisation that drug users should be treated as human beings with the same rights as others.

Marilou Gagnon, a volunteer with Overdose Prevention Ottawa, stands between the tents set up for Ottawa's first pop-up drug use site. Sep 2017. Although busy with dozens of visits a day, there was widespread opposition by residents nearby (Radio-Canada)

The point of the series she says is to present facts and evidence of better methods and treatments that could be translated into policies that fit today’s contexts around the world.

 Additional information

CBC: T.Lovgreen: Feb 20/18: The answer to Canada's opioid overdose crisis is decriminalization, say Vancouver drug users and advocates 

CBC: Sep 10/17: Anger grows over pop-op drug use site (Ottawa):

CBC: E.von Scheel: Aug 18/18: Despite ‘good Samaritan’ law many drug users too scared of arrest to report overdoses

In Canada, medical errors account for 28,000 deaths yearly, according to the Canadian Patient Safety Institute which campaigns to reduce that number. Errors are said to be the third leading cause of death in Canada after cancer and heart disease, and every minute and 18 seconds someone is injured from unintended harm.

A worldwide problem

“These are alarming statistics,” saws Chris Power, CEO of the Canadian Patient Safety Institute. “If we look at other countries around the world, we’re seeing similar or worse rates of harm. This is an epidemic around the world.”

The most frequent medical errors involve medications. They may include giving a patient either the wrong one or the wrong dose,  or an allergy to the drug was on the record but went unnoticed. People also sometimes acquire infections in hospitals or they may be misdiagnosed. At home, people sometimes fall and are injured.

Campaigns to increase hand washing in hospitals aim to reduce the spread of infection. (iStock)

Ongoing campaign seeks to reduce risk

The Canadian Patient Safety Institute has been working for 19 years on ways to reduce harm to patients. It has collaborated with health authorities in Canada and around the world on such things as hand washing and systems to improve medication and surgical safety. 

Contributing to the problem is that people are reluctant to speak up if they feel that something is wrong for fear of alienating their healthcare care providers. There is said to also be silence between patients and providers, between colleagues in healthcare facilities, and between the public and policy makers. 

The week of October 28 to November 1, 2019 has been declared Canadian Patient Safety Week and the stated goal is to conquer that silence. The institute has developed some tools and resources to help patients and families ask questions in a way that will not alienate health care providers.  It wants patients, providers and leaders to discuss how they are conquering the silence and ensure safety. The online campaign will continue all year and feature a different topic every two months.

Chris Power says medical errors causing death are “alarming” in Canada and around the world.

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Every day it seems we get pictures and stories about another forest fire breaking out and raging somewhere in the world.

And scientists say the number is growing.

Now, a team from Montreal's Concordia University has come up with something they hope will help.

They want to make better use of drones in detecting forest fires.

Researchers in Montreal say better use of drones would go a long way in detecting and fighting forest fires. (CBC)

Led by Youmin Zhang, a professor of mechanical, industrial and aerospace engineering at Concordia's Institute of Aerospace Design & Innovation, the team presented a paper at the 3rd International Symposium on Autonomous Systems, in Shanghai in May.

The paper, co-authored by two of Zhang's students, Anim Hossain and Chi Yuan, suggests that drones--or unmanned aerial vehicles--are not susceptible to the shortcomings found in other methods of detecting potential fires.

"Basically we want to use drones to provide solutions in an environment that may be dangerous to humans or very tedious," says Zhang.

The Concordia team says its system would require a permanently airborne fleet of drones patrolling pre-programmed flight paths around or near areas that are believed to be fire-prone.

Youmin Zhang is a professor of mechanical, industrial and aerospace engineering at Concordia's Institute of Aerospace Design & Innovation. (Courtesy: Concordia University)

The study identified three key tasks that an effective drone-based system must include to be useful: detection, diagnosis and the ability to predict fire behaviour.

Zhang and his team are developing algorithms that would help drones get up to the needed technical speed.

I spoke with Zhang on Monday about his team and where the research is headed.

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