Ancestors Connection to the Mi'kmaq of Pictook

The original people living in the area now known as Pictou were the Mi'kmaq and had been living in the area for hundreds and possibly thousands of years. The early name that the Mi'kmaq had for the area was Pictook, meaning exploding gas, probably related to the coal fields in the area. They assisted the early European settlers with hunting, fishing and the ways of the land. If it weren't for them, many of our European forefathers would never have survived through those long cold winters.

Pictook, Fisher's Grant, Pictou Landing

 

Uncle Roger MacPherson writes in ”Some Descendants of JAMES MACPHERSON of Fisher's Grant, Pictou County, Nova Scotia“ that in 1776, the 8th Duke of Hamilton was appointed to form a regiment to reinforce British forces in North America. Recruiting took place mainly in the Lanarkshire district but also in the Highlands and in the Hebrides. Its ranks included Highlanders and Lowlanders. Six companies were raised and sailed for Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1778 to reinforce the Garrison there. The regiment fought the American Revolutionaries in the Northeast. In October, 1783 the 82nd regiment sailed from New York for Halifax. Those who elected to remain in Nova Scotia as settlers were released there and given grants of land, and the remainder returned to Scotland, where they were disbanded on 31 May 1784. A tract of land containing 26,030 acres in Pictou County, (the former Fisher's Grant) was set aside for those soldiers of the 82nd who wished to settle and it became known as the 82nd grant. The land was surveyed and divided into lots for the soldiers to draw their number. Some sold their lots without seeing them; others visited the lots and promptly returned to Halifax to re-enlist. About fifty actually moved to Pictou County. These included James McPherson ( my great- great- great -great -great grandfather) and his brother John, who were each granted 100 acres

 (n.d.). History of Pictou | Town of Pictou | Birthplace of New Scotland. Retrieved September 30, 2021, from https://www.townofpictou.ca/home/history-of-pictou/

Wildfires and Climate Change after the Election

The wildfires in the North and West of North America this summer during a period of extreme heat served to focus the attention of Canadians on the human and financial cost of these extreme events related to the warming planet.

Warming Planet!

Kathryn Blaze Baum, Globe and Mail Environment Reporter, and Matthew McLearn report that extreme, deadly heat in Canada is going to come back. In 2021, Canadians sweated through oppressive temperatures that killed hundreds in the West. The heat also showed us where we must adapt to survive, from emergency responses to urban design and climate policy 

“It was a war,” a still-shaken Chief Bertuzzi told The Globe and Mail, describing the chaos in Vancouver at the peak of the heat wave. “We did what we had to do. It was surreal.” The June heat wave was the most deadly weather event in Canadian history, according to statistical analysis from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. It’s also estimated to be a once-in-a-thousand-years event, made 150 times more likely due to human-caused climate change. Preliminary data from the B.C. Coroners Service has found at least 569 people died in B.C. due to the extreme heat that settled over the Pacific Northwest for about a week. Hundreds more died in Oregon and Washington... July of 2021 was the world’s hottest month ever recorded, according to global data recently released by U.S. federal scientists. And unless we take steps now, heat will claim more lives as the Earth continues to warm.1

During the June heat wave, humans were pushed past their limits. The body functions best at a core temperature of around 37C. If that temperature reaches 40C and continues to warm, critical systems start shutting down. The brain stops processing normally. The body loses its ability to thermoregulate through sweating. The blood thickens, forcing the heart to beat harder and faster. Breathing becomes rapid and shallow. Organ systems eventually fail.

Cities have long dedicated resources to protecting residents from floods or wildfires. Heat should be no different, according to Ladd Keith, a University of Arizona assistant professor of planning. “We should treat heat as a hazard,” Dr. Keith said. Heat governance, as he calls it, is necessary for tackling acute heat events as well as day-to-day chronic heat, which can be even more deadly than heat waves… For Dr. Keith, the time to start adapting was yesterday. Maybe this summer’s record-breaking temperatures will finally convince us to take heat seriously. “This was a landmark summer,” he said. “We’re already so far behind in planning for heat, compared to other hazards. We’re at risk of repeating mistakes next summer if we don’t catch up quickly.”1

Randi Jandt, a fire ecologist, wildlife biologist and occasional firefighter at the International Arctic Research Center and the Alaska Fire Science Consortium at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, comments in the Scientific American, that wildfire Is transforming Alaska and amplifying climate change. Conflagrations in lower latitudes get more attention, but wildfires across the high north are affecting the planet even more.

Extensive wildfire is accelerating climate change, too. Large fires throw a stunning amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Most of it comes from the duff, not the trees. The thick duff layers across high latitudes store 30 to 40 percent of all the soil carbon on Earth. In 2015 severe wildfires in interior Alaska burned 5.1 million acres, releasing about nine million metric tons of carbon from standing vegetation—and 154 million tons from the duff, according to Christopher Potter of NASA's Earth Sciences Division. (That calculation includes carbon lost to decomposition and erosion for two subsequent years.) The total amount of CO2 is equal to that emitted by all of California's cars and trucks in 2017. As more ground thaws, ice in the lower layers of duff melts and drains away, drying the duff farther down, making it more ready to burn deeply. This feedback loop most likely will expand the acres burned, aggravate health for millions of people and make the climate change faster than ever. Feedbacks may even convert the entire region from one that absorbs more carbon than it emits to one that emits more carbon than it absorbs.2

Chris Hatch considers five ways, in the National Observer, that  the election has changed climate politics. 

Chris Hatch: 5 ways the election has changed climate politics.
1	Oil and gas production is finally on the table.
2	The future (should be) electrifying
3	All-party consensus is at risk
4	The Liberals can be pushed on climate
5	The next test is coming soon

In the dying days of the last Parliament, we got a climate accountability act. It requires the government to bring forward a plan to meet Canada’s 2030 targets by the end of this year (and also interim objectives for 2026, thanks to pressure from the opposition parties). Many of the big-ticket items for such a plan had never been run by the electorate. None of us had ever voted in an election where oil and gas regulations or a $170 carbon price were on the table. So, the next few months will be important in climate politics. We will find out very soon how many of the new campaign promises the Liberals and opposition parties will deliver.3

We are realizing that the cost of not addressing climate change will be greater than the cost of transition in energy production, transportation, and building retrofits. World leaders are beginning to direct funds to enable these changes.

References

1	(2021, September 25). Extreme, deadly heat in Canada is going to ... - The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 27, 2021, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-extreme-deadly-heat-in-canada-is-going-to-come-back-and-worse-will-we/
2	(n.d.). Wildfire Is Transforming Alaska and Amplifying Climate Change. Retrieved September 27, 2021, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/wildfire-is-transforming-alaska-and-amplifying-climate-change/
3	(2021, September 25). 5 ways the election changed climate politics - National Observer. Retrieved September 28, 2021, from https://www.nationalobserver.com/newsletters/zero-carbon/2021/09/24/5-ways-election-changed-climate-politics

Shutting Off Fossil Fuel Subsidies

All the majour parties in the recent Canadian Election put forward plans to address climate change. Analysis shows that the G7 countries need to spend far more to support climate change action.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_8koz2XIAU0x97?format=png&name=900x900 

 

 John Woodside, in the National Observer, reports that World leaders are being urged to turn off the tap on fossil fuel subsidies. Hot on the heels of major climate announcements at the United Nations this week, more than 200 civil society organizations (CSO) from dozens of countries are calling for an end to public financing of fossil fuels. On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country would axe financing for coal-fired power plants abroad, while U.S. President Joe Biden said his nation would double financial aid to other countries to support their transition to a cleaner economy.

“One of the levers that allows production to increase is financing from governments, and so that's why this (letter) calls for the end of international support to all fossil fuels,” said IISD policy adviser Vanessa Corkal.

Annually, G20 countries provide US$77 billion in fossil fuel subsidies, compared to $28 billion for clean energy, the letter says. On average, Export and Development Canada (EDC) pumps more than $13 billion annually into the fossil fuel industry, but money flows from the Business Development Bank of Canada, provincial governments, and other agencies, too. EDC is “the main culprit at the federal level, and interestingly, the incoming Liberal government does include in (its) platform a plan to phase out public financing of the fossil fuel sector –– including from Crown corporations like EDC,” said Corkal.1 

A statement issued by Oil Change International reports that CSOs (civil society organizations) are calling on world leaders to end public finance for fossil fuels in 2021.

But momentum is growing to end overseas finance to not only coal but also oil and gas. In March 2021, the United Kingdom was the first major economy to adopt a comprehensive approach by announcing an immediate end to trade and development support for coal, oil, and gas. Several development banks, like the European Investment Bank, the Dutch development bank FMO, and the French Development Agency, have also adopted robust restrictions to their oil and gas financing. These governments and institutions are leading the way in aligning finance with the Paris Agreement. They have created examples that should be followed by others.2 

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an award-winning independent think tank working to accelerate solutions for a stable climate, sustainable resource management, and fair economies. Our work inspires better decisions and sparks meaningful action to help people and the planet thrive. We shine a light on what can be achieved when governments, businesses, non-profits, and communities come together. IISD’s staff of more than 120 people, plus over 150 associates and consultants, come from across the globe and from many disciplines.

Tasneem Essop, Executive Director, Climate Action Network International, said: 

"We can’t afford any more fossil fuels. The International Energy Agency has already stated that any new fossil fuel development is incompatible with the Paris agreement’s goals and 1.5 degrees celsius. Governments and public finance institutions have a responsibility to invest in a just energy transition shifting public finance out of coal, oil and gas and into renewable energy and supporting coal, oil and gas workers and communities. Pumping more public money into oil and gas projects in countries that are already bearing the brunt of the climate crisis will risk locking in stranded assets, burdening global South countries with further fiscal debt and will increase the threat of runaway climate change. We call on governments and public finance institutions to demonstrate increased political leadership on energy finance to ensure a sustainable, equitable and safe future for all."3

 

More than 50% of the popular vote in the recent Canadian election was for parties with aggressive climate emergency plans. The time is right to advocate for an end to fossil fuel subsidies in Canada now.

 

References

1	(2021, September 23). World leaders urged to turn off the tap on fossil fuel subsidies. Retrieved September 23, 2021, from https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/09/23/news/world-leaders-urged-turn-tap-fossil-fuel-subsidies
2	(2021, September 23). Statement: CSOs call on world leaders to end public finance for .... Retrieved September 23, 2021, from http://priceofoil.org/2021/09/23/statement-csos-call-on-world-leaders-to-end-public-finance-for-fossil-fuels-in-2021/
3	(2021, September 23). 200+ CSOs Call on World Leaders to End Public Finance for Fossil .... Retrieved September 23, 2021, from https://www.iisd.org/articles/200-csos-call-world-leaders-end-public-finance-fossil-fuels-2021

My body my choice

Some recent serendipity has brought memories of time with my grandchildren this summer and concern over rising individualism in our society to the forefront of my mind.

Kinship experience

A commentary by Deacon William T. Ditewig, Ph.D. on the Limits of Choice, Personal Freedom and the Common Good concludes “The bottom line is that “my body, my choice” is an inadequate and flawed argument no matter who makes it.” 

My personal freedom extends only as far as the personal freedom of others. At some point, the moral choice is to surrender a measure of personal freedom for the common good of all. Consider how we veterans are often greeted: “Thank you for your service!” It is acknowledged that, as a class of people, military personnel put their own personal freedom aside to a degree in order to benefit their comrades and the country. Taking the vaccination, even under a mandate, is less about one’s personal good than it is about the good of others.1

When we look at vaccination through the slice of reality that concentrates on scientific analysis and focuses on what we can measure with our traditional senses most of the Canadian population accepts vaccination as a means to reduce the “viral load” in the population, reduce the chances of the unvaccinated acquiring serious infection, and reduce the pressure on our health care system of over crowded ICU’s and exhausted health care workers.

Thinking about the time with my grandchildren, two of whom are too young for vaccination, I am aware of a reality outside our experience with the slice based on measurement and physical senses. I am connected to my grandchildren in a kinship based on love that extends my good feelings for them to care as if they were my body. I am reminded of the times when calling their names, I address them by their father’s name or conversely, they address me as “Dad”. This familial connection is a step beyond a narrow perception of reality and the individual. Neuroscience may be able to identify how different areas of the brain “light up” in response to connection with loved ones. 

In the past year, I spent some time in treatment, surgery, and recovery. One realization coming from that time is that the prayers and good wishes of people support healing. Another insight is that the person receiving emotional and physical support from others also incurs an obligation to also act to support his own recovery and healing.

The connection of kinship denies the argument “my body, my choice”. When we imagine the characteristics of a better world, we see that one step involves understanding that all humanity is connected. Our choices are influenced by the needs of others and our actions impact the lives of others. 

An earlier blog post “Discerning Benefits for all in Culture Wars” ( http://tinyurl.com/y223u2hh  ) offers support for the idea that opportunity for more common ground than difference in the Culture Wars may lead to replacement of dualistic confrontation with mutual appreciation and understanding.

1(2021, August 21). The Limits of Choice: Personal Freedom and the Common Good. Retrieved August 22, 2021, from https://billditewig.blog/2021/08/21/the-limits-of-choice-personal-freedom-and-the-common-good/ 

Party platforms and the climate emergency.

Resources from the National Observer and analysis reported by Prof K Harrison on Twitter give an overview of party platforms to address the climate emergency.

Analysis https://simondonner.com/2021/09/18/rounding-the-base-long-term-climate-goals-and-the-federal-election/ 

 

Pricing Subsidies Budget

EV Electricity Nuclear

Emissions Retro-fits Jobs

Transition Accountability Carbon Capture

Nature Natural Gas Fuel

K Harrison Analysis

 

This overview will provide information important for our voting decision.

 

References

1	(2021, August 18). Election 2021: Your last-minute guide to where the parties stand on .... Retrieved September 15, 2021, from https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/08/18/explainer/election-2021-main-federal-parties-plan-fight-climate-crisis
2	Updated comparison of targets and policies as of September 12. Harrison,K.[@ProfKHarrison]. Sept 13,2021. Updated comparison of targets... [Tweet].[twitter].https://twitter.com/ProfKHarrison/status/1437198558730457095

Some September comments on 2021 election platforms

In advance of the September 20, General Election, the party platforms have been analysed by the voting public and many political commentators. Some of that work is presented here. Nik Nanos, the chief data scientist at Nanos Research reported at the end of August on the question of which party the respondents trusted on various issues.[1]

 

 

Andrew Coyne comments that the key to understanding any party platform is to read the part that is written in invisible ink: There is what it says, and then there is what it does not say, which is usually far more significant.[2].

 

Ricardo Tranjan reports that parties don't get it. Renting is not a phase. It's time to shift the housing debate. [3]

 

There are other differences, of course, on climate change, COVID-19 policy, and a host of smaller promises. And there is still a sense in this campaign that the two biggest parties haven’t fully captured the priorities of Canadians. Campbell Clark, reports in the Globe and Mail, that the words have been all over the place, but the numbers make the differences clear.[4]

  

 

Professor Kathryn Harrison is concerned with climate policy target ambition, policy ambition, transparency, cost, progressivity, and feasibility (constitutional and admin).[5]

 

Patrick Brethour reports, in the Globe and Mail, on the assessment of party platforms by the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy.[6]

 

A review of this analysis of party platforms may be valuable in making a voting decision.

 

References

1	(2021, September 3). Poll shows three-quarters of Canadians don't ... - The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 4, 2021, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-poll-shows-three-quarters-of-canadians-dont-see-the-election-as/
2	(2021, September 3). They may differ (slightly) in what they say, but in what they don't say .... Retrieved September 3, 2021, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-they-may-differ-slightly-in-what-they-say-but-in-what-they-dont-say/
3	(2021, September 7). Platform Crunch: Parties don't get it—renting is not a phase. Retrieved September 8, 2021, from https://monitormag.ca/articles/platform-crunch-parties-dont-get-it-renting-is-not-a-phase
4	(2021, September 10). The numbers make the differences between Liberals and .... Retrieved September 10, 2021, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-the-numbers-make-the-differences-between-liberals-and-conservatives/
5	Updated comparison of targets and policies as of September 12. Harrison,K.[@ProfKHarrison]. Sept 13,2021. Updated comparison of targets... [Tweet].[twitter].https://twitter.com/ProfKHarrison/status/1437198558730457095
6	(2021, September 13). Tories, Liberals and NDP eye billions of dollars from cracking down .... Retrieved September 13, 2021, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/personal-finance/taxes/article-tories-liberals-and-ndp-eye-billions-of-dollars-from-cracking-down-on/