Latest news with #CDPA
Ottawa Citizen
5 days ago
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
Smith: Successful Canadian defence procurement will require bold decision-makers
Article content With Canada poised to establish the Canadian Defence Procurement Agency (CDPA), a centralized, single‑agency structure headquartered under the authority of the newly appointed Secretary of State (Defence Procurement) Stephen Fuhr, we would do well to remember that people matter more than process. Article content The CDPA will fail if it is run by the same risk-averse decision-makers previously charged with defence procurement. Success will require people who are sufficiently bold – unrelenting, uncompromising, unapologetic – to do the hard things that will enable the Canadian Armed Forces to rapidly prepare for 21st century conflict. Article content Article content Article content Canada needs its own John Boyd. Article content U.S. Col. John Boyd wasn't a four-star general or a high-level appointee. He was a fighter pilot and theorist, famously abrasive, often marginalized, but ultimately indispensable. He created the OODA loop (Observe–Orient–Decide–Act), revolutionizing military doctrine worldwide. Article content He pioneered Energy-Maneuverability Theory, quantifying fighter jet design, enabling him and his band of misfits, the so-called 'Fighter Mafia,' to challenge design orthodoxy, ultimately leading to the development of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, one of the most successful and prolific jets in aviation history. Article content Boyd's impact wasn't born of title. It came from being intellectually relentless and morally uncompromising. He didn't lobby for marginal improvements. He demanded paradigm shifts. And in doing so, he exposed inefficiencies, challenged entrenched interests, and catalyzed change from within one of the most rigid bureaucracies in the world: the Pentagon. Article content Canadians can turn to our own history to find something of an analogue. Clarence Decatur Howe, an American by birth, known as the 'Minister of Everything,' is considered Canada's most influential industrialist. Tasked with rapidly mobilizing Canadian industry for war, he ultimately created 28 Crown Corporations, covering everything from shipbuilding to aircraft, rubber, and synthetic fuels. Article content Article content C.D. Howe is a giant of Canadian history, and for good reason. His ability to bypass slow, consensus-based systems in favour of speed, clarity, and operational outcomes is legendary. Article content But unlike Boyd the insider, Howe was an outsider appointed to the role and vested with an incredible amount of authority, which he wielded unapologetically. Howe famously said: 'If it is expedient for the government to do something, then I think it is right.' This earned him admiration, but also the label of authoritarian. Article content Howe and Boyd may have differed in status and power, but they were aligned in their focus, both prioritizing outcomes over popularity. Article content At a time when Canada's defence procurement system is slow and fragmented, dominated by a risk-averse culture that delays capability while threats accelerate, Canada is once again in need of that same decisive energy. Article content Recognizing this crisis of speed and coherence, the Carney government has announced the planned creation of the CDPA. Consolidating powers previously split among multiple departments, the CDPA is intended to streamline decision‑making, reduce duplicative bureaucracy, and accelerate contract execution. Article content The establishment of the CDPA will serve as a litmus test. Is Canada's procurement failure rooted in flawed policy, or in a bureaucratic culture unwilling to embrace risk? A new mandate alone will not transform the system if those executing it remain tethered to the same institutional caution. True reform will require individuals willing to challenge orthodoxy even when it carries political cost, those who will reject legacy processes and bloated vendor ecosystems in favour of speed, survivability and sovereign capability. Article content Article content There are also legitimate concerns about centralizing defence procurement, particularly in a town like Ottawa that has failed time and again to rethink defence and procurement. But maybe this is the Canadian way. Perhaps Canada requires someone like an empowered Secretary of State Fuhr, a former fighter pilot himself, who acting like a Howe, can make room for the Boyds. Article content With sufficient authority, Fuhr can do more than cut through red tape. He can cultivate the conditions for a culture of well-meaning risk taking to take root. Perhaps then the Canadian 'Drone Mafia' can emerge – a paradigm shifting band of misfits and believers who care more about equipping Canadian soldiers with emerging capabilities than they do about their reputations and promotions. Article content Boyd said it best: 'You can be somebody, or you can do something.' Canada needs someone who will do something. Someone willing to be scorned in the committee room to deliver speed in the battlespace. Will we empower individuals willing to speak uncomfortable truths, break the mold, and act with urgency? Or will we fall back on process, defaulting once again to the slow death of incrementalism? Article content
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lakewood named ‘climate action leader' for second straight year
DENVER (KDVR) — Lakewood has been named a 'climate action leader' for the second straight year, for its work on 'sustainability, climate change, resiliency and environmental transparency,' according to the city. Lakewood is one of 112 cities globally and 29 in the United States to earn a spot on the 2024 CDP A list. To be on the environmental disclosure system's A list, a city must publicly disclose its efforts through the climate reporting platform CDP-ICLEI Track and meet 'rigorous' criteria, the city said. Most of 16th Street reopens in $175M construction project. Here's what locals think 'I am extremely proud that Lakewood is among this prestigious list for the second consecutive year,' Lakewood Mayor Wendi Strom said in a statement. 'It highlights the depth of our commitment to ensuring that sustainability plays a central role in Lakewood's ongoing story.' In order to earn a spot on the A list, the city said it had to have a citywide emissions inventory, a climate risk and vulnerability assessment and a published climate action plan. The city listed recent climate-related projects in Lakewood, including: Assessed 10 climate-related hazards and identified top priorities, including hailstorms, extreme heat, extreme cold, flooding and wildfires. Designing and constructing its first on-site solar installation at the Whitlock Recreation Center. Updated a communitywide inventory and created a municipal GHG emissions inventory, which will 'provide a baseline' for future decarbonization. Maintained the city's sustainable development standards, which have been in place since 2019 and were last updated in 2022. How much of Xcel Energy's power is renewable? Colorado Gov. Jared Polis recognized Lakewood last month while touting the state's own inclusion on the 2024 CDP A list. Colorado was joined by California as the only two U.S. states to make the list. In addition to Lakewood, Aspen, Boulder, Denver and Fort Collins also made this year's cut. More information about Lakewood's sustainability efforts can be found on the city's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Golden mussel found on boat in Folsom Lake State Recreation Area
( — Golden mussels have made their way to Folsom Lake after they were discovered during a boat inspection. • Video above: Officials have no idea how Golden Mussels make their way to the region According to the California Department of Parks and Recreation, the new vessel inspection program at the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area found an infestation of growing golden mussels on a boat on Tuesday at Beals Point. CDPA stated that during the inspection, one of the California State Parks staff found many live golden mussels attached to a vessel. The boat was recently in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta area. At this time, officials said that state parks are working with the owner and other agencies to safely decontaminate and quarantine the boat. Image: California Department of Parks and Recreation 'Thanks to this new program and the diligent work of our inspection team, we prevented this vessel from ever touching the water, which could have had catastrophic consequences,' said Folsom Lake State Recreation Area Superintendent Mike Howard. 'The inspection and quarantine program we have implemented is in place to protect billions of dollars of water and hydroelectric infrastructure in addition to recreation and the fishery. The discovery of live golden mussels yesterday validates the importance of this effort.' State Parks and staff and partner shops have inspected almost 5,000 boats since implementing the new boat inspection and quarantine program on April 14, said CDPA. After the inspection, the boats receive a quarantine seal, which is applied for 30 days, and are not allowed to enter the water during the break. After quarantining is done, the boats are allowed to be back in the water, have the seal removed by authorized staff, and be allowed to launch, stated CDPA. CDPA said that golden mussels were found in the Delta area in October of last year. They pose a significant threat to the ecological health of all waters of the state, its water conveyance systems, infrastructure, and water quality. For more information on the Golden Mussels preventive program, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40 News.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
Binghamton woman sentenced for escaping federal custody, selling meth
ALBANY, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – A Binghamton woman was sentenced to prison on Wednesday after admitting to intending to sell drugs after escaping federal custody. Acting United States Attorney Daniel Hanlon; Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and United States Marshal David McNulty announced that 34-year-old Jade Pittsley was sentenced to eight years in prison for escaping from federal custody and possessing and intending to distribute methamphetamine. As part of her guilty plea, Pittsley admitted that in November 2023, while she was serving a federal term of imprisonment for a drug offense involving meth, she was under the supervision of a halfway house. She admitted that she was directed to return to the halfway house however, she never did. A few days later, police located Pittsley and discovered that she was carrying meth and drug paraphernalia in her purse. Pittsley was also a sentenced to a four-year term of supervised release. Women's History Month flag raising in Binghamton Binghamton woman sentenced for escaping federal custody, selling meth Concerns over CDPA transition What's next for DOGE? Lost Dog host annual Mardi Gras celebration Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
