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New Canadian Transportation Agency rules governing the rights of passengers went took effect Monday.

And guess what.

A whole bunch of people--from the airline industry to passenger and consumer advocates--say they are less than estatic.

The Air Passenger Protection Regulations require that airlines meet certain obligations.

Among other things, those obligations include informing passengers about their rights and keeping them up to date about delays and cancellations.

The new rules dictate what passengers are entitled to in terms of compensation when their flight is delayed for reasons within the airline's control. (Luke MacGregor/Reuters)

Passengers bumped from a flight will be compensated up to $2,400, lost baggage will cost an airline $2,100.

As for time spent on the tarmac?

Passengers will now be allowed to leave the plane in certain situations if delays exceed three hours--though that's twice the time a Senate committee that studied the rules recommended.

Disagreement about the legislation appears set to turn into a very bumpy ride.

The International Air Transport Association and several airlines say the the new rules violate international agreements and Ottawa is overstepping its authority.

Consumer advocates, meanwhile, say the rules do not go far enough.

The advocates say that airlines' exemption from compensating customers in situations “outside of the airline's control” uses too broad a definition and amounts to a loophole.

Long-time passenger rights advocate Gabor Lukacs calls the new rules a sham.

Meanwhile, a second set of rules is scheduled for December.

Compensation rules in place for international flights when luggage gets lost will now extend to flights within Canada, too. (The Associated Press)

Those rules impose no obligation on airlines to pay customers for delays or cancellations if they were caused by mechanical problems discovered in a pre-flight check - walking around the aircraft before takeoff looking for defects - rather than during scheduled maintenance - more thorough inspections required after 100 hours cumulatively in the air.

On Monday, Transport Minister Marc Garneau said he was “surprised” and “disappointed” by legal action from Canadian airlines to quash the new rules.

“We feel that we have done our homework very, very carefully in consultation with the airlines and with other stakeholders,” Garneau told reporters.

"We feel that the passenger rights that we've put in place are going to stand up and that they're very fair to both passengers and to the airlines.”

Gabor Lukacs is a long-time advocate for passenger rights. (CBC)

The regulations will apply to all flights to, from and within Canada, including connecting flights, though regulations will vary slightly depending the size of the airline involved.

Lukacs says the whole exercise is bogus, a giant misdirection play.

I spoke with him by phone Tuesday in Hungary, where he is on a family visit.

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Trip to the moon and back, July 1969

It was 50 years ago  (July 16) that a huge rocket carrying three exceptionally brave American astronauts blasted off from the Kennedy Space Centre on one of the most daring human endeavours in history.

Four days later, two of them would step out onto the moon’s surface, and all three would later return across space to land safely back on Earth. Canadians played a pivotal role in this astounding effort.

Maurice Bitran (PhD), is an astrophysicist and CEO at the Ontario Science Centre. He describes the moment, the technology at the time and the Canadian role.

Maurice Bitran (PhD) astrophysicist and CEO of the Ontario Science Museum on the 50th anniversary of landing on the moonEN_Interview_1-20190715-WIE10

It may seem incredible but today’s mobile phones have more capability than the computers at the time that were involved in this amazing feat. Bitran who was a teenager at the time and remembers the landing vividly, says around the world almost everybody knew of the lunar mission attempt.

The two stage lunar module. The idea was conceived by a Canadian engineer working for NASA. The legs of the lander were designed and built in Canada so that Canadian "feet" were first on the moon. That section of the lunar module remained on the moon when the "eagle" capsule blasted off to rejoin the orbiting command capsule. "Eagle" would then be jettisoned to crash later somewhere on the surface. (NASA)

Indeed, it is estimated that fully one fifth of the entire world population watched the event a few days later in a live broadcast from the moon as Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon. In doing so and in the excitement of the moment he also apparently flubbed the prepared statement which was to be ‘one small step for A man. A giant leap for mankind”.  Even though he left out the “a”, everyone knew what he meant and it has become one of the best known statements in history.

In making this achievement possible, several Canadian engineers and technicians who have been working on Canada’s extremely advanced Avro Arrow jet interceptor, moved to NASA when the Arrow programme was brutally cancelled. Their knowledge and ingenuity in aerospace designs and materials, gained during the development of the Arrow, were instrumental in the success.

Image from a period report in French from Radio-Canada speaking with the President of Heroux inside the workshop about he design of the Canadian designed lunar landing legs. A tiny model lander is in the background by some metal shavings almost on it, with a full scale leg in the background and holding a smaller piece milled from a solid aluminium billet to a wall thickness of a mere .040-in. for linear strength but extreme weight reduction. (Radio-Canada)

Indeed, it was a Canadian James Chamberlin who proposed the two-vessel concept of an lunar orbiting command module, and a second module that would land and later blast off from the surface to carry two astronauts back up to the command module. Canadian Owen Maynard became chief of systems engineering for the Apollo programme, and it was he who laid out the design for the lunar lander and its two sections. Yet another Canadian helped design the heat shield for the returning command capsule. Although shields had been developed in the Mercury programme, Apollo 11 would re-entering the Earth atmosphere at far greater speed and steeper angle required far greater protection. The flight surgeon was also a Canadian.

The first day cover of the June 27, release of the Canada Post commemorative stamps honouring both Owen Maynard and James Chamberlin, as well as other Canadian contributions to NASA's Apollo space program. Interestingly the issue is a "two-stage" stamp, one stamp showing command module and the other stamp of the lunar module (Canada Post)<...

Even as rescuers attempt to free three right whales tangled in fishing gear, scientists are continuing research into better understanding the whales and how man’s activities and noise may affect them.

Barry Wright (PhD) a visiting research fellow with the Bedford Insitute of Oceanography at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)

Andrew Wright (PhD) talks about his research project into stress levels from ship noise that may affect endangered N.Atlantic right whalesEN_Interview_1-20190712-WIE10

There are only an estimated 400 North Atlantic right whales left and efforts to protect them and help in the species survival is critical. Knowledge about their habits, needs, and factors affecting them and their survival as a species is critical.

Wright is part of a research team looking at how noise is affecting the whales.  There have been other studies which show the noise of ships and boats on the surface creates problems for whales and other marine creatures which use sound as a method of communication.

A large fin whale viewed from a drone. The drones above can observe behaviour not previously available to researchers viewing from surface vessels. (Team Whale, Fisheries and Oceans Canada)

Wright says the noise from ships and boats, engines, propellers and as the push through the water is something akin to people trying to converse in a crowded and noisy pub.

Part of the health evaluation is flying above them at specific height and then taking accurate measurments of length and width. Generally speaking a fatter whale is a healthier whale. In addition other drones will fly just above the whale so that when It surfaces to breathe and blows, a sample containing minute amounts of mucous will be collected which will then be analysed for a variety of indicators of the whale’s internal health such as hormones to determine stress factors.

Minke whale. A close look shows the "blow" as the whale breathes. A drone will fly low and through the breath to take mucous sample to analyse hormones etc to determine stress levels (Team Whale, Fisheries and Oceans Canada)

However, while others have focused on communication issues, he says his research is looking into how the noise affects their stress levels and thus their overall health.  Noise and stress have often been studied in humans, but not so much in marine creatures and whales.

He says noise related stress in humans may be related to heart disease and fertility. The reproduction rate of the N. Atlantic right whales has been a major concern for years, and so there may possibly be a connection between noise and whale fertility or reproduction.

Wright and the team are about half way through a five year research effort and are taking advantage of technology in the research through use of high tech underwater acoustic devices and drones.

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A new study suggests that postmenopausal women who are of normal weight face a greater risk of heart problems and stroke if they store fat around their middles rather than in their legs. 

“We’re not 100 per cent sure (why) but it does appear that the fat actually works differently depending on where it’s stored in the body,” says Dr. Joshua Tepper, a family doctor in Toronto. “It appears that where the fat is, it’s metabolically different. It functions different in terms of how it works with sugar, glucose... insulin, how it stores certain types of fats, how it lets them into the blood stream. And those differences... set us up to be more or less likely to have heart attacks and strokes.”

The study of 2,683 women followed over about two decades found that the highest risk of cardiovascular disease occurred in women who had the highest percentage of fat around their middle and the lowest percentage of leg fat. They had more than three times the risk compared to women with the least waist fat and the most leg fat. 

The research suggests doctors should check fat distribution when conducting routine physical exams on postmenopausal women. (iStock)

Genetics determine weight distribution

Where fat is located has much to do with genetics. Tepper says patients can’t do much about their genetics. This study suggests that when checking patients of normal weight doctors should determine where their body fat is distributed to help determine their risk for cardiovascualr disease.

Tepper says he would advise postmenopausal women with fat around their middles to takes steps to reduce their risk for heart attack and stroke. That would involve eating a healthy diet, stopping smoking and getting regular exercise.

It is not known if these findings linking fat distributions with cardiovascular disease also apply to men or women before they go through menopause.

The study was published in the European Heart Journal.

Hear Dr. Joshua Tepper explains fat distribution on the body and links to the risk for heart attack and stroke.

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Interpol once again launched a vast and widespread operation involving 109 countries to crack down on poaching, smuggling and wildlife crime.

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s enforcement officers took part in this third edition of a global operation by customs agents, wildlife authorities and police.

Sheldon Jordan is the director-general of wildlife enforcement for the ECCC

Sheldon Jordan speaks on international operation against illegal wildlife smuggling and other acts against wildlifeEN_Interview_1-20190711-WIE10

This is the third such international operation with Interpol and the World Customs Organisation  which has proven highly successful in creating an interruption in the multi-billion dollar illegal trade in wildlife. In fact trade in illegal wildlife has been estimated to be the fourth largest criminal trade activity amounting to about 155 billion dollars annually.

X-ray of a bear carcass with a bear baculum concealed in the pelt. Items were seized by Canadian agents as part of investigation into wildlife crime (Environment and Climate Change Canada)

The original 2017 global operation lasted three weeks and the second involved some 92 countries.  This year “Operation Thunderball”  was the largest by far with many more countries taking part.

During Op Thunderball agents in Mecico intercepted this white tiger cub at a checkpoint inspection (Interpol-Twitter)

According to a press release Canadian officers intercepted items such as, “pangolin carcasses, saiga antelope, sturgeon caviar, diet pills containing hoodia (an endangered African plant species), a wallet made with crocodile skin, and black bear bacula, testes and paws, among other items. In six incidents, compliance orders were issued to protect species at risk in Canada”.

Op Thunderball also intercepted illegal shipments of plants such as these logs of protected rosewood in Zambia (Interpol Twitter)

In terms of the international operation illegal wildlife seized in various locations around the world include

23 live primates;

30 big cats and large quantities of animal parts;

440 elephant ivory pieces and five rhino horns;

More than 4,300 birds;

Just under 1,500 reptiles and nearly 10,000 turtles and tortoises;

Almost 7,700 wildlife parts from all species, including more than 30 kg of game meat;

2,550 cubic metres of timber (equivalent to 74 truckloads);

More than 2,600 plants;

Almost 10,000 marine wildlife items.

A tiny beetle has caused enormous damage to Canada’s forests. The mountain pine beetle has been around for millennia, but the Canadian climate had previously kept their numbers and spread in balance.

As the climate has changed however the small insects have spread eastward from British Columbia into the boreal forests of neighbouring Alberta killing millions of trees in both provinces.

Jonathan Cale (PhD) a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Alberta has been working on a new direction towards creation of a more attractive beetle trap. It would use the odour of fungi.

Jonathan Cale (PhD) researcher at the University of AlbertaEN_Interview_1-20190710-WIE10

The beetle larvae burrows under the bark of the pine tree and chews along the vital layer underneath that transports nutrients between roots and leaves or needles thereby cutting the tree’s lifeline. While the beetles have usually attacked only lodgepole pine, they have now evolved to also attack the jack pine. This means the boreal forest right across Canada is now at risk.

About the size of a grain of rice, the mountain pine beetle has destroyed millions of trees across N. America with little sign of slowing down, (Getty Images)

The trees have some defence against the beetle, but it has developed chemical signals to attract other beetles to attack an individual tree thereby overwhelming any defence.

Efforts are being made to develop traps for the beetles. These currently involve pheromones to sexually attract the insects. These can also be used along with chemical attractants mimicking the trees themselves.

Map showing spread of MPB up to 2011, Through B.C forests over the Rocky Mountains and into Alberta and the boreal forest. The spread has continued since 2011 ( Canadian Forest Service)

Cale’s research involves the fungi the beetles carry with them. He notes that as they burrow into the bark, the fungi gets on the tree and in “infecting” the tree helps to weaken its defences against the beetle and larvae. The chemical odours of the fungi may be part of the signal used to attract other beetles.

Growing one of the several fungi carried by the beetle, Analysis of chemical signals is being done towards development of synthetic versions to be used to attract the insects into traps. (University of Alberta)

The research is to being conducted to determine if the chemical signal of the fungi can also be an attractant to the beetles and to be used in combination with the others to create an even more attractive signal within the traps thereby making them more effective in trapping the bugs. Hopefully this would result in stopping the further spread of the destructive pests.

Additional information

RCI: Jan 2014: potential to destroy boreal forest

University of Alberta: B Betkowski: Jul 9/19: fungus chemicals could help fight pine beetle

University of British Columbia: Mountain pine beetle genome research

Natural Resources Canada: Mountain pine beetle

Canadian Forestry Service: 2006 Impacts on Lodgepole pine (pdf)

A lack of clean, running water has been linked to the high rate of suicide among Indigenous youth in Canada. Access to water is an on-going problem on many of the reserves where Indigenous people live. The Canadian government has made some improvements and volunteers have helped. But a major problem in providing clean water and sewage is the remote location of many reserves.

Inaccessibility, geography hamper efforts

“A lot of these communities, frankly, have issues around construction logistics, around getting materials and equipment shipped to these locations,” says David Steeves, an engineer who co-founded a volunteer group helping the Pikangikum First Nation in Ontario.

“A lot of them are only accessible by air year-round. In order to transport a lot of this we have to wait until the winter where you build out ice roads where you can move heavy equipment. The problem with global warming is that those ice roads are only in for shorter and shorter periods.”

Steeves says projects like replacing a failing water treatment plant may take five to 10 years. In some cases, geography presents a challenge. Many reserves are located on the Canadian Shield which is hard rock and particularly difficult for laying water pipes.

Often in Pikangikum it is children who are sent to fetch water from an outside source.

Water issues linked to hygiene, bullying, suicide

On many reserves, water has to be fetched from outdoor communal pipes, often by children carrying jugs, often in winter at sub-zero temperatures. 

A coroner’s report into what was the world’s highest suicide among young people in Pikangikum between 2006 and 2008 frequently listed a lack of access to water as a "daily challenge." After that, Steeves got some volunteers and funding together to try to bring running water to homes there.  

“To mothers water was most important for hygiene, in keeping the children clean. Kids were sick. They were being kept home from school. There was bullying in the schoolyard due to a lack of hygiene. So there was a clear linkage between that and mental illness.”

A lack of access to water and shelter was among many factors listed by the recent inquiry into murdered and missing Indigenous women as a reason for their vulnerability.

Pikangikum young adults were trained by volunteers to build water and sewage systems housings.

Water brought to 25 homes

Steeves and his team have been able to bring running water to 25 homes in Pikangikum and he has another 200 homes he will work on.

He notes that when the current Liberal Party was elected to form the Canadian government in 2015 there were 105 boil water advisories on Indigenous reserves. Work on repairing and replacing water treatment and distribution system has lowered that number to 62. Steeves is optimistic that government and volunteer efforts will bring that number to zero as work continues.

Indigenous people may not be as optimistic. For decades, the people of Grassy Narrows First Nation in Ontario have asked for help after their water was contaminated by mercury from an old pulp and paper plant. And the band council of Attawapiskat in Ontario has declared a state of emergency after tap water was found to have potentially high levels of chemicals used for disinfection of water containing high levels of organic materials.

Hear David Steeves talk about the difficulties of bringing clean water into Indigenous homes and what he and other volunteers did to help.

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A legal advocacy group, the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) is crying foul. It has publicly released documents showing heavy censorship of Canada’s spy agency reports on the activities of peaceful protesters against a proposed pipeline project.

They say the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) action in collecting and keeping such information is beyond its mandate, and illegal. They are in court first to seek access to the blacked out information in the reports.

Paul Champ(LLb), of the firm Champ and Associates,  is a the lead lawyer for the BCCCLA in this case.

Lawyer Paul Champ on the legal challenge regarding CSIS information on peaceful protestersEN_Interview_1-20190709-WIE10

The case stems from protests against a proposed project called the Northern Gateway Pipeline.  That project was later abandoned, but the spy agency collected information and filed hundreds of reports on individuals and groups who were against the project.

Enbridge's now defunct proposed Northern Gateway pipeline route for crude oil through northern B.C. and oil tanker routes through coastal waters (Canadian Press)

Quoted in the Canadian Press, Champ said, “"[It] raises concerns that this isn't about national security, but it's about protecting the economic interests of Canada's energy sector and, in our view, that's completely beyond CSIS' mandate".

The first complaint about “spying” was filed in 2014 with the spy agency’s oversight group, but that was rejected when the Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC|)said the agency collected the information only indirectly as a by-product of investigations into legitimate threats. After hearing from many witnesses on both sides of the case, it’s 2017 decision was that CSIS had acted within its mandate.

The court action is to reveal the information that has been blacked out to determine exactly to what extent CSIS may or may not have exceeded its mandate.

Although CSIS testified it is not in the business of investigating people because th they are  advocating for an environmental cause, Champ says the mere idea that someone advocating in a legal way for a cause could end up with their names and a variety of personal information in a security database is having a “chilling” effect on some people. He says at some unknown point in the future their may be unexpected consequences such as being denied on flights as an example.

Champ feels the issue of clarification or relevation of some or all of the redacted text may take another year in the courts, while the larger issue of the legality of CSIS collecting data on peaceful protesters and organisations may take another three years.

Champ says that while this case centres on activities connected with the now defunct Northern Gateway Pipeline and protests, an eventual ruling on CSIS activities would likely have far greater implications on intelligence gathering related to peaceful political dissent in future

Additional information

Canadian Press (via CBC: J Bronskill: Jul 8/19: :”Not about national security”, civil liberty group questions spy agency activity

Canadian Press (via CBC) Jul 7/19: Civil liberties group releases CSIS documents about environmental groups

A large-scale study has found that people who give up drinking alcohol experience improved mental well-being and the effect is stronger in women than in men. The study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal used data from over 10,000 people in Hong Kong and more than 31,000 in the United States. It did not include heavy drinkers but those considered to be moderate drinkers  consuming an average of 14 drinks or fewer a week for men and seven or fewer for women. 

 Kevin Shield is a scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Ontario and says he was not surprised by the results at first. “We know that alcohol causes depression and it can worsen the symptoms for people who have depression if they are drinking. But this was very interesting because it didn’t look at a clinical diagnosis. It just looked at mental well-being in general.

“So, among people with depression and without, they do show a positive impact on their mental well-being if they stop drinking.”

Canadians 'consume quite a lot' of alcohol

Shield says that Canadians consume “quite a lot” of alcohol at 30 per cent more than the global average. Alcohol consumption is linked to 15,000 deaths per year and 70,000 hospitalizations. 

Canadian guidelines suggest two or fewer drinks per day for men and one or fewer for women constitute “low-risk consumption.” But there are researchers who suggest the level should be zero. 

Alcohol is already known to worsen depression. (iStock)

'Abstinence is best' for improving mental well-being, advises scientist

Alcohol consumption has been linked to several diseases, mental health problems and injuries but there is no definitive research on the benefits or risks to overall mental and physical health. 

Shield says more research needs to be done to confirm the results of this particular study and to find out why the positive effect of quitting alcohol is more pronounced among women. But when asked what he would tell family members and friends he says “when we look at alcohol consumption we see that moderate drinking or no drinking at all is best. In terms of mental well-being, if you want to improve your mental well-being, abstinence is best. So, reduce or abstain from alcohol.”

Hear Scientist Kevin Shield explain the study results and Canadian's consumption of alcohol.

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(photo: CAHM)

Animal rights activists, already having a very good year in defence of marine animals, are looking to score another victory--this time for horses.

Canada ships thousands of horses each year to Japan, where many covet horsemeat as a raw delicacy.

Similar shipments to South Korea began last year.

Nearly 4,000 horses were shipped to Japan last year. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)

While the horses are headed to slaughterhouses on arrival, that doesn't stop activists from demanding that they be be treated righté

They are extremely unhappy with the manner in which the horses are shipped, in crowded and cramped conditions without the required headroom required by Canadian law.

In an attempt to do something about it, the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition filed suit last September against the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, saying the agency, which oversees the shipments, is not doing its job to ensure humane and safe shipments.

In a court filing last month, the government agency sought to quash the CHDC lawsuit, saying that revised regulations set to kick in next year make the case "moot."

A group of wild horses stands near a highway in Alberta in 2014. (Bill Graveland/Canadian Press)

New 2020 rules will eliminate the segregation requirement, with a stated goal of giving shippers greater flexibility so that compatible horses can travel together with less anxiety, but Maureen Harper, a retired veterinarian who worked for CFIA for 30 years, said "compatibility" is difficult for an inspector to assess at the airport.

Eliot Bouvry of Alberta-based Bouvry Exports — which produces horse meat for export, among other products — told the CBC's Kathleen Harris that welfare of horses and other livestock is a "top priority" for his company and the CFIA.

He says horses are inspected by CFIA vets at the airport before departure for cuts, bruises, limps or sickness. Animals are transported on single-deck trailers that have been sanitized and layered with fresh shavings according to Canada's livestock transport regulations,

Horse meat is a delicacy in Japan. Canada exports thousands of live horses for slaughter to the country each year. (Chalermsak/Shutterstock)

"Other species/livestock are transported long distances for slaughter and it's not a topic of discussion," he said in a statement to CBC News.

"Although activists keep the industry accountable, we do not consider it truthful that it is an animal welfare issue. For (some) people it is an ethical problem, which is another debate."

Rebeka Breder, animal law lawyer for CHDC, says the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is putting business interests ahead of animal welfare.

In the early 20th Century, horses were used in logging and mining operations. When those operations stopped, many of the horses were turned loose. Over the years, illegally released and escaped horses have joined these herds to make the current feral population. (Wayne Chicoine)

"There's a lot of money at stake, and it's quite clear to the CHDC that what is really at issue here are industry interests, not the interest and the welfare of animals and the way that they're transported," she said. "It is simply the bottom line to make as much profit as possible."

The agency says that's not true.

Last year, 3,871 horses worth $26.5 million were shipped to Japan. Exports were fewer in number than during the previous year, but had a significantly higher value.

Animal lawyer Rebeka Breder, seen in her Vancouver office, is representing the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition in its legal battle against the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. (Maryse Zeidler/CBC)

Canada also ships fresh,