Leave Money in Their Pockets

Premier Tim Houston spoke with Jeff Douglas of CBC Mainstreet about removing the bridge tolls and reducing the HST as a means for the NS Government to leave money in people’s pockets.

Student Money for Transit?

Some of the people who cross the bridges with Halifax Transit see no benefit by removal of the toll. Many people who bring their cars across the bridges can afford to pay for the infrastructure that benefits them when crossing the harbour.

The HST reduction leaves more money in the pockets of people who can afford to buy expensive goods and provides a little relief for those who cannot buy expensive items.

As a 40 year retired resident of suburban HRM who travelled to work in Dartmouth and Halifax on the bus, and who, now, often chooses Halifax Transit to avoid street congestion and parking difficulties along the harbour, I can testify to the benefit to students of a bus pass. If the students or their financial supporters are denied help with the cost of transit, money will be removed from the pockets of another group that often has very little disposable income. A petition to restore the bus pass is available to sign for submission to the Premier.

The hardship that the Premier is concerned about is likely to increase for young people and low income residents and be even more unlikely to over-tax the residents who may not notice the 1% HST reduction.

We Want Our Life Back

The cooling system required for the ice pads of the Halifax Curling Club located near the club’s Brussels Street end is nearly 14 feet tall. It rises over the backyard fence and sits 20 feet from the bedroom window of people who have lived here for 38 years and been a good neighbour to the curling club.

Noise from Cooling System

Martin Bauman of the Coast reports that next-door neighbours of the historic club say renovations to the building’s cooling system have made living in their home “intolerable” for the last seven years. 

Ranging anywhere between 70 and 75 decibels, the curling club’s coolant exhaust noise registers somewhere between the hum of a washing machine and the steady rumble of an idling car. It also sits precisely on the cusp of what health and safety authorities deem to be safe for prolonged exposure. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association says that you can listen to sounds at 70dB “for as long as you want” without risk. But according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noises above 70dB “over a prolonged period of time” can cause hearing loss. (Bauman & Williamson, 2023)

A Staff Writer at https://www.reference.com/ has researched acceptable Noise Levels for residential areas.

An acceptable indoor noise level limit for residential areas is 45 decibels. The limit for outdoor areas with human activity is 55 decibels, and the limit of safety before hearing loss is 70 decibels, reports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency….

Residential area noise levels are abnormal and disruptive when they hinder conversation, sleep and other usual activities and have a general negative impact on quality of life, explains the EPA. Research confirms that high noise levels cause problems such as high blood pressure, stress, loss of productivity and hearing loss. Although the EPA does not directly regulate noise issues, its noise level guidelines provide a basis to help local and state governments set standards. (How Do You Determine an Acceptable Noise Level for Residential Areas?, 2022)

By Law N-200 of the Halifax Regional Municipality, “Respecting Noise” provides some boundaries concerning neighbourhood noise.

BY LAW N-200

3. (1) No person shall engage in any activity that unreasonably disturbs or tends to disturb

the peace and tranquillity of a neighbourhood. (By-Law N-200, Respecting Noise | Halifax.ca, n.d.)

Some activities are enumerated in schedules attached to the By Law document.

Part 2

Activities that unreasonably disturb the peace and tranquillity of a residential area, at the

specified times, where the sound resulting therefrom is audible at a point of reception. (By-Law N-200, Respecting Noise | Halifax.ca, n.d.)

The ice making refrigeration unit at the Halifax Curling Club is not attached to a refrigeration trailer but the noise created should be assessed for similarity to prohibitions cited as Activity 6. 

Activity 6.

The operation of any refrigeration unit which is attached to a refrigeration trailer unless the refrigeration trailer is in motion; (By-Law N-200, Respecting Noise | Halifax.ca, n.d.)

Systems of environmental and mechanical noise mitigation can be engineered and installed to bring life back for a long term neighbour and avoid the financial penalties cited in the Offence and Penalty section of By Law N-200 and even more importantly relieve the membership of the Halifax Curling Club from distress over the disruption to peace and property off a neighbour that reduces their enjoyment on the sport they love.

References

Bauman, M., & Williamson, P. (2023, April 11). Halifax Curling Club draws lawsuit over noise complaints. The Coast Halifax. Retrieved September 12, 2023, from https://www.thecoast.ca/news-opinion/halifax-curling-club-draws-lawsuit-over-noise-complaints-30593206 

By-Law N-200, Respecting Noise | Halifax.ca. (n.d.). Halifax Regional Municipality. Retrieved September 12, 2023, from https://www.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/city-hall/legislation-by-laws/By-LawN-200.pdf 

How Do You Determine an Acceptable Noise Level for Residential Areas? (2022, August 30). www.reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023, from https://www.reference.com/world-view/determine-acceptable-noise-level-residential-areas-3d7fbe8280554eaf? 

Wind Fire and Flood

Less than a year after Hurricane Fiona brought damaging winds and sea level surge to Nova Scotia, the province has endured large suburban and rural wildfires and catastrophic floods.

Environment Canada Canadian Hurricane Centre Sept 23 2022

In June 2023, Nia Williams reporting for Reuters asked Ellen Whitman, a research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service, about the role of climate change in providing conditions for wildfires.

there is also speculation that trees felled during Hurricane Fiona, which hit Atlantic Canada in September 2022, or killed by an infestation of forest pests may be providing more fuel than usual for wildfires, but that theory requires further investigation.

Whitman said it is difficult to determine the impact of climate change on a single fire season, but Atlantic Canada has been much hotter than usual and scientists expect temperatures in the region to continue to rise in coming years.

For coastal regions climate change is expected to bring more rain, which should reduce the risk of wildfires, but a warmer atmosphere is more efficient at pulling moisture out of soils, a factor that increases fire risk.

Widespread spring fires across the whole of Canada are also unusual, and research shows fire seasons across North America are getting longer.

 (Williams, 2023)

Mark Hodgins, reporting for City News, writes that according to Environment Canada Meteorologist Bob Robichaud torrential rain in parts of Nova Scotia has shattered records. He said 200mm of rain fell in many areas and some saw up to 250mm, most of which came down over several hours on Friday. There were unconfirmed reports of up to 300mm falling in some areas.

“It certainly was a tremendous storm,” Robichaud said. “It was a record-shattering storm with the amount of rain we got in a short period of time.”

A rainfall warning had been issued on Friday calling for up to 80mm of rain, and said a tropical stream of moisture was responsible for the forecast.

“When you have these tropical moisture feeds, there’s just so much of that moisture to be wrung out it creates very intense rainfall rates,” Robichaud explained. “We’ve seen set-ups like this before, but none in recent memory have stayed over the same area for an extended period of time which is what we saw on Friday.”

The storm brought rain to Nova Scotia in amounts not seen in more than 50 years. In 1971, Hurricane Beth dumped more than 270mm on some areas and led to significant flooding.

“The one-in-100 year rainfall is 172mm, so certainly with areas that have seen more than that it’s more than a one-in-100 year event, so a very rare event for sure.”

In a briefing on Saturday, Halifax Mayor Mike Savage said recent events in Nova Scotia, including Hurricane Fiona, recent wildfires and now flooding makes it clear climate change is having an impact in Nova Scotia.

Meteorologist Bob Robichaud agrees.

“One of the stronger signals from climate change is that these events will be on the rise from climate change,” he explained. “The warmer the atmosphere, the more it can hold water. So in a warmer atmosphere, we’re going to get more of these types of events happen more frequently. That’s certainly what the data is showing.”

Environment Canada is forecasting a dry spell for the next few days in terms of precipitation, although it’s still expected to be humid into this week. (Hodgins, 2023)

Residents of Nova Scotia have experienced a sequence of disastrous events that are aggravated and intensified by increasing global temperature to energize hurricanes, dry forest fuel, and increase water capacity in rain storms as long predicted by climate scientists.

Brook with surging water

Now politicians must immediately prepare mitigation and adaptation strategies to address the increasing frequency of these wind, fire, and flood events also predicted by climate science.

References

Hodgins, M. (2023, July 23). Rain storm shatters records in N.S., called a "one-in-100 year event". CityNews Halifax. Retrieved July 24, 2023, from https://halifax.citynews.ca/2023/07/23/rain-storm-shatters-records-in-n-s-called-a-one-in-100-year-event/ 

Williams, N. (2023, June 2). Where are the Canada wildfires and are they under control? Reuters. Retrieved July 24, 2023, from https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/why-are-wildfires-raging-canadas-eastern-nova-scotia-province-2023-06-02/ 

Fire Flood Fiona

As we reflect on the consequences of fires, floods and Fiona type wind storms for Nova Scotians we become aware of the huge financial impact of these events on Government and individuals.

Insurance Concerns?

Lydia DePillis reports in The New York Times that wildfires are hurting many industries and could strain households across Canada, one of many countries reckoning with the impact of extreme weather.

Mike Savage, the mayor of Halifax, doesn’t have to be convinced that the spending is necessary. His city was the largest to sustain fire losses this spring, with 151 homes burned. That calamity came on the heels of Hurricane Fiona last year, which submerged much of the coastline. Mr. Savage worries about the fate of the isthmus that connects Nova Scotia to New Brunswick, and the power systems that now peak in the hot summer instead of the frigid winter.

“I certainly believe that when you invest in mitigation there’s a dramatic positive impact from those investments,” Mr. Savage said. “It’s going to be a challenging time. To think we got through this fire and say, ‘OK, that’s good, we’re done,’ that would be a little bit naïve.” (DePillis, 2023)

DePillis comments that what long seemed a faraway concern has snapped into sharp relief in recent years, as billowing smoke has suffused vast areas of North America, floods have washed away neighborhoods and heat waves have strained power grids. That incurs billions of dollars in costs, and has longer-reverberating consequences, such as insurers withdrawing from markets prone to hurricanes and fires.

But there is still a long, hot summer ahead. And the insurance industry is on alert, having watched the increasing damage in recent years with alarm. Before 2009, insured losses in Canada averaged around 450 million Canadian dollars a year, and now they routinely exceed $2 billion. Large reinsurers pulled back from the Canadian market after several crippling payouts, increasing prices for homeowners and businesses. That is not even counting the life insurance costs likely to be incurred by excessive heat and smoke-related respiratory ailments. (DePillis, 2023)

References

DePillis, L. (2023, July 3). Canada Offers Lesson in the Economic Toll of Climate Change. The New York Times. Retrieved July 4, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/03/business/economy/canada-wildfires-economy.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare 

Health Homes and Climate

The relationships between health services, housing needs, and the climate crisis are many. The tension between market based action and government control in these areas compels us to carefully analyze trends and progress.

Health and Housing in Climate Crisis

The Ottawa Citizen reports on privatization of orthopedic surgery that may be impacting staffing for hospital health care. Elizabeth Payne reports:

“We are not able to provide the service we want for oncology patients because nurses are working in a higher paid environment,” said the unnamed source. “My view is that this is confirming the concerns that we are limited in terms of the service we can provide in the public system because nurses are obviously being poached by this private clinic.” (Payne, 2023)

Nicole Munro, at Saltwire, contributes an article on West End Mall redevelopment in Halifax.

By the time the master plan is finished, Coun. Shawn Cleary (Halifax West Armdale) said, the inclusionary zoning bylaw should be in place at about the same time, giving HRM the power to ensure there is a percentage of affordable units included.

While Cleary suspects most of the units will be market-based rents, he said the inclusionary zoning bylaw would allow some affordable units.

“We’ll have the power to actually say, ‘No, no, you don’t have a choice. You’re going to have this per cent of those units that have to be affordable.’” (Halifax's West End Mall Redevelopment Will Go on Despite Pushback, Councillor Says, 2023)

Matt McGrath, environment correspondent for BBC News, contributes an article about fossil fuel emissions falling in worldwide electricity generation.

One significant player impacting the overall trend is China. Around 50% of the global addition of wind power came from China and about 40% of the world's new solar came from from the country that's also the world's biggest use of coal power.

"There is a chance that at the rate that China is building wind and solar and all types of clean generation, that they achieve that peak in coal generation earlier than 2025, which would be significant," said Mr Jones.

Energy experts acknowledge that curbing fossil fuels in power generation could well be a "turning point", but much more remains to be done. (McGrath, 2023)

We monitor important trends as we ponder the best economic approach to address these serious concerns that impact the common good.

References

Halifax's West End Mall redevelopment will go on despite pushback, councillor says. (2023, April 12). SaltWire. Retrieved April 14, 2023, from https://www.saltwire.com/nova-scotia/business/halifaxs-west-end-mall-redevelopment-will-go-on-despite-pushback-councillor-says-100843479/ 

McGrath, M. (2023, April 11). Climate change: Fossil fuel emissions from electricity set to fall - report. BBC. Retrieved April 14, 2023, from https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65240094 

Payne, E. (2023, March 21). Surgeries at for-profit orthopedic clinic already impacting hospital staffing, some insiders say. Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved April 14, 2023, from https://ottawacitizen.com/news/surgeries-at-for-profit-orthopedic-clinic-already-impacting-hospital-staffing-some-insiders-say 

Struggle with Wording of Fossil Fuel Facts

 

Recent articles on the struggle between the oil and gas industry and organizations attempting to meet the emission reduction goals required to mitigate the effects of the climate emergency point out the need to critically think about the language used to influence opinion.

Electricity or Fossil Fuel?

 

CBC host Laura Lynch of the program “What On Earth” explored research from Harvard about the language of climate change used in public documents of ExxonMobil.

 

New analysis from Harvard measures how ExxonMobil used language to make individuals feel responsible for climate change, similar to the strategy used by tobacco companies in the past. Aired: May 16, 20211

Justin Worland, writing in Time magazine, reports on the study that concludes ExxonMobil wants you to take responsibility for Climate Change.

 In addition to shifting the responsibility individuals, one of the firm’s recent key strategies has been to emphasize what researchers call “climate risk” framing. Instead of using the term “climate change” in public communications, the company often refers to “climate risk,” along with related phrases like “potential risks” and “long-term risk.” The risk phrasing suggests there is uncertainty about if and how climate change will play out, without explicitly questioning the science. Researchers found this framing prevalent externally but not internally.2

The Journal, One Earth, reports the article by Geoffrey Supran and Naomi Oreskes of Harvard that is a rhetoric and frame analysis of ExxonMobil's climate change communications.

 

•ExxonMobil's public climate change messaging mimics tobacco industry propaganda

•Rhetoric of climate “risk” downplays the reality and seriousness of climate change

•Rhetoric of consumer “demand” (versus fossil fuel supply) individualizes responsibility

•Fossil Fuel Savior frame uses “risk” and “demand” to justify fossil fuels, blame customers3

Seth Klein, writing in the National Observer, notes that E&E News has exposed leaked documents that revealed many of North America’s major gas companies have been scheming to block electrification.

 

the consortium notes: “Natural gas (fossil fuel) in for fight of its life.” They are right about that. Hopefully, anyway. But they have no intention of going quietly into the night. Rather, consortium members are exhorted: “Everyone needs to contact legislators in favour of NG (natural gas),” and “Renewable Natural Gas is coming (likely will save NG business).” The slide says partners “have to continue to work together to grow this market.” The messages here cannot be accused of subtlety. They rightly see efforts, particularly at the municipal level, to ban or phase out the use of natural gas in buildings as an existential threat. “The fear of losing market share to non-fossil alternatives terrifies the gas companies,” Greenpeace climate campaigner Keith Stewart wrote in a post about the revelation, “but it should delight the rest of us.” “It’s going to be an ugly fight,” says Kai Nagata, communications director with the non-profit action group Dogwood, which campaigns on climate issues and has run workshops encouraging people to fuel-swap. (Full disclosure: I’m on Dogwood’s board.) “Fortis is a cornered animal. That’s what the consortium documents reveal. But it’s them or us. It’s their shareholders or our kids. Their future requires more houses tying into gas lines and our future requires the opposite.” The simple reality is this — if the number of new buildings tying into gas and the number of existing buildings upgrading their gas systems continues to be larger than those switching to electric heat pumps or other non-carbon fuel sources, then we’re not going to hit our climate targets. With trends like this, we’re fried.4

Benjamin Storrow, E&E News reporter, identifies some of the upcoming battlegrounds where some companies will transform, some will consolidate, and some will go away.

 Massachusetts looks like the next battleground. The state recently enacted a climate law to eliminate greenhouse gases by 2050. That will require zeroing out emissions associated with heating and cooling buildings, which accounted for roughly 27% of the state's greenhouse gases in 2017, according to the most recent Massachusetts data. When Massachusetts regulators mapped out a path to zero emissions late last year, they concluded that swapping out oil- and gas-fueled furnaces, boilers and water heaters for electric alternatives constituted the most cost-effective strategy. That represents a potential threat to companies like Eversource, which last year paid $1.1 billion to acquire the Massachusetts-based assets of Columbia Gas, a subsidiary of NiSource Inc. "None of these companies want to write their own obituary," said Deborah Gordon, a former petroleum engineer who now serves as a senior principal at RMI, a think tank that favors electrification. "If you're going to bend this curve, and we bend it quickly, there are going to be casualties. Some will transform, some will consolidate, some will go away."5

Joan Baxter, writing in the Halifax Examiner, reports on the Goldboro Gamble as Germans and Canadians join to oppose a proposed Nova Scotian liquid natural gas plant that “nobody needs."

 

The Examiner asked Hughes Larry Hughes, professor at Dalhousie University and founding fellow of the MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance, whether he viewed the project as positive for Nova Scotia, and if not, what the disadvantages were. He replied: First, the project is for the export of natgas [natural gas], so Nova Scotians will not benefit from the natgas. There will undoubtedly be short-term (~5 year) employment benefits during the construction phase. Once the plant is operating, the numbers will fall sharply. The promise of jobs in a depressed economy is music to any politician’s ear … However, both the construction and operating phases of the project are emissions intensive. This will affect Nova Scotia’s attempt to reduce its emissions by 53% from 2005 levels by 2030. The 2030 target is about 11 megatonnes and once operating, Pieridae will be emitting 3.7 megatonnes. Without some form of carbon offsetting, the province will exceed its 2030 target. Positive in the short-term, negative in the long-term. The province needs to ask itself, what is more important?6

Reuters Staff reports that Pieridae still plans a final investment decision (FID) by June 30 on the Goldboro LNG export plant.

 

Pieridae said engineering firm Bechtel Corp plans to deliver a fixed-price proposal to build the plant by the end of May.There are currently 13 projects in North America, including Goldboro, that have said they plan to make FIDs in 2021. Analysts, however, expect only one or two projects will actually go forward this year. One project many analysts expect to go forward this year is Venture Global LNG’s Plaquemines plant in Louisiana. Goldboro is designed to produce about 10 MTPA. Pieridae plans to source the gas for Goldboro from its production in Alberta and transport it via existing pipelines, including the Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline from New England to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, which passes near the Goldboro site.7

https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/PHOTO-08-Pieridae-corporate-presentation-showing-pipeline-route.png 

The marketing effort to delay action to reduce fossil fuel emissions by promising short term gain for long term pain is a strategy that requires critical study by Nova Scotians who are concerned about the environment that our children and grandchildren will inhabit.

 

References

 

1	(n.d.). What On Earth with Laura Lynch | Live Radio | CBC Listen - CBC.ca. Retrieved May 16, 2021, from https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-429-what-on-earth
2	(2021, May 13). How ExxonMobil Has Shifted Climate Change Messaging | Time. Retrieved May 16, 2021, from https://time.com/6048162/exxonmobil-climate-change/
3	(n.d.). Rhetoric and frame analysis of ExxonMobil's climate change .... Retrieved May 16, 2021, from https://www.cell.com/cms/10.1016/j.oneear.2021.04.014/attachment/0cf34a0c-453f-44fa-b7b8-5774b67eefd6/mmc1.pdf
4	(2021, May 17). Time to stop playing nice with fossil fuel companies | Canada's .... Retrieved May 18, 2021, from https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/05/17/opinion/time-stop-playing-nice-fossil-fuel-companies-blocking-climate-action
5	(2021, May 3). Leaked docs: Gas industry secretly fights electrification ... - E&E News. Retrieved May 18, 2021, from https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063731537
6	(n.d.). The Goldboro Gamble Part 2 - Halifax Examiner. Retrieved May 18, 2021, from https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/province-house/the-goldboro-gamble-2/
7	(2021, April 15). Pieridae still plans FID on Nova Scotia LNG export plant by late June. Retrieved May 18, 2021, from https://www.reuters.com/article/pieridae-energy-goldboro-lng/pieridae-still-plans-fid-on-nova-scotia-lng-export-plant-by-late-june-idUSL1N2M82CF