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 

Backsliding on Climate Action

Even as the world is enduring another season of wildfires, droughts, floods, and intense storms, there is political and economic pressure to return to oil and gas projects that may be applied to compensate for the reduction of Russian exports of these products to Europe while the war in Ukraine continues.

More gas and oil production?

Frances Willick of CBC News reports on renewed signs of interest in Goldboro and Bear Head gas projects in our region.

"The world has changed a lot since then," Pieridae CEO Alfred Sorensen told CBC News Tuesday. "We have to take advantage of all the work we've done already and try and see if we can move the project forward very quickly."

The company is now shifting its attention back to a land-based project because it would be able to produce more gas than a barge-based facility, and the federal government is interested in maximizing output, Sorensen said.

Asked what type of supports Ottawa is offering to Pieridae, Sorensen said, "hopefully more than prayers and hugs."

"I think it is going to be a combination of regulatory and financial support. There's no doubt about that." (Willick, 2022)

Cloe Logan of the National Observer reports on calls by environmental groups to require a proposed LNG facility in Nova Scotia to undergo environmental assessment. Mike Sawyer, executive director of the Citizens’ Oil & Gas Council, said it needs a federal assessment.

“The proposed Pieridae LNG export scheme is part of the Big Lie that natural gas, and therefore LNG, is environmentally friendly and will help combat climate change…” said Mike Sawyer, executive director of the Citizens’ Oil & Gas Council. (Logan & Fawcett, 2022)

Kenny Sharpe of CBC News notes that as Russian military aggression in Ukraine reaches the six-month mark, governments and energy industry lobbyists, including Canada's, are floating the idea that adding LNG capacity could help circumvent Europe's reliance on Russia's oil and gas supply. But there's backlash to the idea, with one demonstrator in Hamburg suggesting that to invest more in LNG would be "climate suicide," exacerbating already high levels of carbon in the atmosphere.

"In general there's the idea that Europe needs LNG to stay warm in the winter and this is really a lie," Toni Lux told CBC News from the site of a protest camp set up this week in northwest Hamburg.

Other Canadian oil and gas suppliers also say they're eager to expand further into Europe, with GNL Quebec saying it could help "Europe to diversify its energy sources."

Alberta-based Pieridae Energy has proposed a multibillion-dollar pipeline to ship natural gas from Western Canada to Nova Scotia, where it could then be sent across the Atlantic. (Sharpe & Burns, 2022)

The price we pay for increasing gas and oil production may include a more dangerous and  less habitable world for our children and grandchildren as the average earth temperature rises.

References

Logan, C., & Fawcett, M. (2022, August 12). Environmental groups call on feds to review proposed LNG facility in Nova Scotia. National Observer. Retrieved August 13, 2022, from https://www.nationalobserver.com/2022/08/12/news/environmental-groups-call-feds-review-proposed-lng-facility-nova-scotia 

Sharpe, K., & Burns, A. F. (2022, August 14). Worried about a warming world, thousands of Germans reject using LNG — including Canada's. CBC. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/germany-lng-energy-crisis-1.6549991 

Willick, F. (2022, May 11). 2 stalled LNG projects in Nova Scotia may be on the brink of revival. CBC. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/2-lng-proposals-could-move-forward-bear-head-goldboro-1.6447671 

Planned to Manipulate Populism

The scope and organization of the “Freedom Convoy” protests in Canada have raised concerns about the possibility that a populist appeal to persons frustrated by the COVID restrictions may be the surface of serious attempts to undermine democracy on both sides of the Canada/US border.

 

Populist Manipulation

 

A report on CBC News by Judy Trinh includes a photo taken by a drone on Monday Feb 7, 2020.

 

It shows an overview of a logistics camp set up by protesters in an Ottawa parking lot on Coventry Road between the RCGT baseball stadium and the Courtyard by Marriott hotel.

Experts say the co-ordination of protesters shows they may have military, police or survivalist training. (Eric Laporte/Ottawa Drones)1

As Omicron recedes, an Ipsos poll shows Americans are unsure on how to live with the COVID pandemic in the long-term.

 American support for restrictions declining

The detailed planning of the Ottawa occupation would have seen an opportunity in this trend to rally support around a lessening of restrictions that the poll indicates the population is moving toward. 

New Axios/Ipsos poll shows two-thirds do not believe it’s possible for the U.S. to eradicate the coronavirus within the next year2

Wesley Wark, a national-security expert and a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, offers the opinion that the Ottawa Occupation shows that democracy under extremist occupation isn’t democracy at all.

Online propaganda, social-media disinformation campaigns, and fundraising websites ranging far beyond our borders have transformed the Ottawa occupation into an international affair, with a motley assortment of U.S. Republican politicians and far-right and white-supremacist figures jumping on the digital anti-vax bandwagon. American flags are in evidence to symbolize the idea that the Ottawa occupation follows in the bloody footsteps of the January 6 Capitol Hill riot.… The occupation will fail, but its denouement has yet to be written and sadly may not be entirely peaceful, owing to enforcement failures in the initial stages. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may ultimately have to summon the ghost of his father — who, when asked what he intended to do in the face of the FLQ crisis in 1970, famously said, “Just watch me,” declaring an apprehended insurrection, then sending the military into the streets of Montreal. Signs claiming the occupiers are on the right side of history will be banished to the wrong side. The sooner this happens, the better. When the smoke clears, we will see the occupation for what it is — an assault on democracy and on our collective rights.3

NPR News reports, from the Associated Press, that Ontario premier, Doug Ford, is calling on COVID restriction protesters to end their 'occupation'.

 

Demonstrators rally against provincial and federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates and in support of Ottawa protestors on Friday outside the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg.4

The insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 demonstrated the danger to democracy of populist movements initiated and supported by individuals and organizations who manipulate public concerns to promote deeper anti-democratic objectives.

 

References

1	(2022, February 9). How organizers with police and military expertise may be helping .... Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/convoy-protesters-police-tactical-knowledge-1.6345854
2	(n.d.). As Omicron recedes, Americans unsure on how to live with ... - Ipsos. Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/news-polls/axios-ipsos-coronavirus-index
3	(2022, February 9). Ottawa shows that democracy under extremist occupation isn't ... - TVO. Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://www.tvo.org/article/ottawa-shows-that-democracy-under-extremist-occupation-isnt-democracy-at-all
4	(2022, February 4). Ontario premier calls on COVID restriction protesters to end their .... Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/2022/02/04/1078415610/covid-canada-gofundme-protests

 

How do you use your vehicle

The last time I sought insurance for my automobile I was asked about the way I use it. I related that I drove back and forth from work and took the car to do errands for groceries and supplies. Since then, I have retired and we have gone through two years of COVID. I am pretty confident that my use of the vehicle is well within the bounds required by my insurance contract. I wonder if the companies that insure the trucks involved in the occupation of Ottawa and the disruption of essential traffic in Canadian cities are including this usage in the coverage offered by their policies.

 Insurance Premium and Terms and Conditions

In my province, when I renew my vehicle permit, I may be required to settle outstanding tickets charged against my vehicle to complete the process. It seems to me that my driving record is something that helps determine my insurance premium. James Menzies writes that many trucking companies have decided to steer clear of Ottawa protests. Derek Koza, of Wellington Motor Freight, pointed out another reason company equipment can’t be seen in such events. 

“Due to insurance concerns we would not allow company branded equipment to participate in the convoy as the usage would be outside of the scope of our policy use. Wellington Group of Companies will not block ​individuals from using their personal vehicles and participating in the convoy should they wish as we support freedom of speech in a respectful and peaceful delivery.”1

Sierra Alley reports about violations that might be hurting  trucking insurance rates. An interview on November 16, on TalkCDL Trucking Podcast featured a REV insurance representative who discussed rates and the tangible steps truckers can take to keep their premiums down.

Accidents on record

Speeding tickets

Open containers or illegal substances on the truck

Safety violations that are logged on DOT reports

Tickets or accidents as a result of using handheld devices

 

There are common coverages recommended.

• General Liability Coverage: This covers the actions of a driver who is operating on someone else’s premises, such as loading docks and truck stops. It provides coverage for bodily injury to others and damage to the property of others due to a vehicle accident.

• Primary Liability Coverage: This does not cover your truck, but rather covers the damage you may do to others while operating your truck.

• Physical Damage Coverage: Provides coverage to repair or replace damage to your equipment in the event of an accident or other risks, such as fire, theft, glass breakage, or vandalism.

• Non-Trucking Liability Coverage: Coverage for damages or injuries to others while the truck is not under dispatch from the company you are currently leased with.

• Cargo Coverage — Protects your cargo against damage or loss while in transit, whether that be stolen goods, wet load, refrigeration breakdown, debris removal, etc.

• Trailer Interchange: Covers a non-owned trailer being used under a trailer interchange agreement.

• Medical Payment: This covers medical bills if you or a passenger is injured while driving or riding in the tractor, this coverage varies from state to state.

• Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists: This coverage protects you if someone hits you and does not have liability coverage to repair whatever you need repaired2

•  

I imagine that enforcement personnel moving from vehicle to vehicle asking for proof of insurance, issuing tickets, and possibly more serious warrants would create a disincentive for truck operators to remain in a situation that threatens their ongoing cost for vehicle insurance.

 

References

1	(2022, January 29). Trucking companies steer clear of Ottawa protests. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.trucknews.com/transportation/trucking-companies-steer-clear-of-ottawa-protests/1003156700/
2	(2020, December 11). These violations might be hurting your trucking insurance rates. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://cdllife.com/2020/these-violations-might-be-hurting-your-trucking-insurance-rates/