Latest from Vancouver Sun
Vancouver Sun
2 minutes ago
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
The Doug Ford Doctrine: 'We really have to flex our muscles'
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is hosting Canada's premiers in Muskoka starting Monday at a Council of the Federation summer gathering. Premiers of the 13 provinces and territories can look forward to enjoying Alberta-bred and Ontario-fed beef on the grill at the Ford family cottage. They will have a special guest: Prime Minister Mark Carney. 'For the first time ever that I can remember,' Ford says, 'the prime minister is invited. That would have never happened with Trudeau, but it's happening under Mark Carney. And he's going to be welcomed with open arms.' Rather than the premiers getting together 'to bitch and complain about the federal government,' Ford chuckles, 'we get to present it right to him (Carney) as he's sitting around the dinner table and we're talking to him.' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'The access is phenomenal,' Ford says of his own relationship with the PM, 'I'll message him, he gets right back to me. It's all about communication and relationship-building. 'And, he's a very, very great business person,' Ontario's premier enthuses, listing off Carney's credentials (without a mention of potential conflicts of interest). 'He gets it,' Ford says. 'He's going to go in there and he's going to clean house in Ottawa, which is well overdue.' Figuring out how Team Canada will respond to U.S. President Donald Trump's declaration of a blanket 35 per cent tariff on goods imported from Canada as of Aug. 1 — on top of previously implemented tariffs on auto parts, steel, aluminum and copper — will no doubt be the premiers' top priority in cottage country next week. 'Elbows up or elbows down? What's the strategy, now?' I ask Ford in a recent call. 'We have to negotiate through strength,' Ford responds, 'and we really have to flex our muscles and make sure President Trump hears us.' 'Because in closed-door meetings and in our phone calls with governors — and they pull a lot of weight, I heard that from (U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard) Lutnick — Republicans don't want this,' Ford reports 'Democrats obviously don't want this, and Republicans don't want it. But they're terrified to say anything publicly,' he says. Only a few U.S. senators have spoken up, Ford adds, 'and God bless them.' Carney is advancing several strategies — promoting free trade within Canada; negotiating a security and trade pact with America, in good faith; and at the same time, forging strategic partnerships with the EU to beef up security and defence alliances and boost trade and economic security. This week, Carney announced measures to protect the nation's steel industry, including guarding against foreign steel entering Canada to bypass Trump's tariffs. Breaking down trade barriers between provinces is a strategy Ontario has embraced; the province has signed memorandums of understanding with all provinces except Quebec, B.C. and Newfoundland. And Ford sees other cards to be played, other ways to pressure the Trump administration for a fair trade deal. 'I've been very transparent with Secretary Lutnick, we're going to start on-shoring everything,' Ford says. 'We're going to on-shore the steel beams, the I-beams. We have more cranes in the sky in Toronto and the GTA than their top 10 cities combined.' 'We're going to on-shore the aluminum cans, the beer cans … to make sure we don't have to see a tariff of 25 per cent on the aluminum going down (to the U.S.), they convert it, print it, and send it back up (to Canada) with another 25 per cent; that's 50 per cent.' Ford's government is giving incentives to companies — to turn aluminum into cans, produce steel I-beams, and manufacture steel rails used in transit projects. This strategy tracks with Carney's recent commitment to rely more on Canadian steel for Canadian projects. 'Canada buys more off the U.S. than China, than Japan, than Korea, U.K. and France combined,' Ford elaborates. 'We're their largest customer, and yes, they're our largest customer. But Ontario alone employs nine million Americans who wake up every morning to build a widget or provide a service to Ontario alone.' '(Americans) are going to feel the pressure,' Ford says. 'They're going to feel the pressure when Americans start losing their jobs because we're going to start on-shoring everything, and once that happens, I told Lutnick, it's hard to turn that tap off.' And, Ford continues, Canada can leverage its supplies of critical resources. American governors, both Republicans and Democrats, tell Ford the same thing: 'There are two things they're interested in: our nuclear energy and our critical minerals.' Repeating his well-worn adage — 'Canada is not the threat; China is the real threat' — Ford explains how China's lock on 90 per cent of the world's critical minerals makes Ontario's resources in the Ring of Fire all the more essential to Americans. 'And we don't believe in rip and ship,' Ford assures me, 'we're going to make sure that we mine it with Ontario workers, we're going to refine it here in Ontario with Ontario workers, and then we'll have the option of shipping it around the world.' Ford's also pitching a deep sea port to facilitate exports, in a couple of locations — one in Ontario, in Hudson's Bay, and one in Manitoba. 'It will wake up President Trump real quick,' Ford quips, 'if we start shipping it to our other allies around the world and not to him.' Ford is the premier of Ontario — it's his job to look out for that province's interests — but there's no question he's fully steeped in Team Canada spirits. 'We all have something that we're bringing to the table,' he assures me, repeatedly. 'The U.S. needs our high-grade nickel,' Ford asserts, 'to be used in the military, in aerospace, in manufacturing. It's no different from the aluminum, from Quebec, being shipped down there, or the potash or uranium from Saskatchewan, and obviously, the 4.3 million barrels of oil we ship down to the U.S. But we're going to diversify that and not rely on the U.S. Yes, we have one pipeline going west, but we need another one going west, east, north and south.' Ford is also effusive about the need to get rid of the tanker ban on the West Coast and revamp the impact assessment act. 'Those days are done. They're gone,' he says. 'We have to start moving forward and create the conditions for the rest of the world to look at investing in not just Ontario but other jurisdictions across Canada, from coast to coast to coast.' I moved from Ontario to Alberta in the early 1980s — a time when Alberta premier Peter Lougheed was struggling with prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau's National Energy Program — and can still recall the bitter disappointment of Ontario premier Bill Davis's unwillingness to support Alberta's interests. I admit to being impressed by Ford's visit to the recently concluded Calgary Stampede, and not just by his commitment to flip pancakes alongside Smith, whose griddle experience is legendary. Ontario's premier also inked two MOUs with Alberta, to advance freer trade between the provinces and publicly endorse mutually beneficial national-interest projects, including an oil pipeline from Alberta to Ontario (fabricated with Ontario steel). Although Ford's not sure if Carney will be specific about the nation-building projects selected to move forward, in the upcoming discussions around the table in Muskoka, he's optimistic provincial leaders — and their constituents — recognize this unique opportunity to move forward on national infrastructure projects. 'We're moving forward and we're going to see another $200 billion going into our economy, increase our GDP anywhere upwards to six per cent,' Ford says. He expects his fellow premiers will have to hop on this train. 'The residents of each province are going to demand that they get on that train as we're moving forward,' he says, 'because they want to prosper as well.' National Post Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Vancouver Sun
2 minutes ago
- Climate
- Vancouver Sun
The Bookless Club: Are you a good water steward?
When I was a kid, a hose could run in the driveway for hours while we waged water fights with neighbourhood adversaries. The sprinkler could be on until someone remembered to shut it off. You could wash your car daily if you were so inclined. On the 'Wet Coast' we thought water was limitless. In fact, if we thought of water at all, we thought of it the same way we thought of air — infinite and everlasting, as well as incorruptibly benign. Today, we live in a different world. Heat waves and wildfires are increasingly common. More populous cities put new stress loads on our existing water supplies. In response, watering restrictions have evolved to become ever more restrictive and now begin earlier in the year and end later — Oct. 15 in Vancouver. You've got to get up early on the weekend if you don't have a sprinkler system, as manual lawn watering is only allowed between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Civic governments exhort us to be mindful of how we consume water. They offer tips like turning off the tap while you brush your teeth or taking shorter showers. Really? You don't say? Do we really need to be told to do something as obvious as turning off the water while brushing? If we're relying upon these sorts of simplistic behaviour modifications to save the day, we're all in big trouble. There are so many ways to reduce water consumption, and our forebears were great at it. Simple things like putting a bucket in your shower to catch what would have just gone down the drain. Keeping a jug close to the sink to catch the water wasted while getting to the temperature you desire is an easy adaptation. Cooking water can make a great instant liquid compost that can be added directly to the garden when cooled. And say good-bye to the 10-minute shower, for gawdsakes! In the not-too-distant future, we're going to have to get a lot better at how we run the taps, and it has little to do with how long your shower is. It turns out that Artificial Intelligence uses water like a sorority house on a Saturday evening. Data centres demand vast quantities of cold water to cool the computers that keep things like your online photo available to you, your cloud service running, your music playlist at the ready. Meta's new data centre is said to use about 500,000 gallons of water daily to keep operational. And the data centres still in the planning phase are expected to consume even greater quantities of water, because the more powerful the A.I., the thirstier the technology. Most of Canada's data centres are located in Quebec and Ontario where there are large populations and relatively cheap renewable electricity, but it seems everyone wants in. Alberta has been actively campaigning for data centre investment in the north of the province. B.C. has already launched itself into the data centre business with Bell Canada opening a 'supercluster' of six data centres in locations such as Kamloops and Merritt. These centres have all sorts of requirements — space, manpower, ideally a dry climate — but chief amongst them is water. So, if you think your watering restrictions are tight now, just wait. Water is getting more and more precious each passing day. Each and every one of us is going to have to get better at how we use this increasingly valuable resource. And it's well beyond just turning off the water while brushing your teeth. Jane Macdougall is a freelance writer and former National Post columnist who lives in Vancouver. She writes The Bookless Club every Saturday online and in The Vancouver Sun. For more of what Jane's up to, check out her website, Question: Are you a good water steward? Any tips on how to conserve water? Send your answers by email text, not an attachment, in 100 words or less, along with your full name to Jane at thebooklessclub@ . We will print some next week in this space. Question: Do you grow plants from seed? What have been your successes and failures? • I thought it was my lack of gardening skill when my planted seeds did not grow. I could count on my two hands the number of seeds in the packages. Lynn Foster • We moved to a new home this year and along the back wall of the house was a long bed with succulents. I'm not a fan of succulents so I took them out and this spring planted Black Eyed Susan seeds. To my delight I now have a wonderful showing of rows of Black Eyed Susans which brighten up the yard. Caroline Brooks • I love packages of flower seeds. I buy two or three packages of wildflower seeds every year. I seed some of them in the fall in large planters on my deck and add the rest in the very early spring. No fuss, just water the surprises that pop up and enjoy them all. Every year I have lots of interesting blooms to enjoy. Barbara Brown • In the middle of March I had the crazy idea that I wanted to see something grow. At my age — I am 87 years old — most things in my world are shrinking or declining, so I bought a package of Russian Sunflower seeds. I stuck about half a dozen seeds into a dirt-filled tray, moisturized the soil, and several days later they sprouted. Next, I transferred the four-inch-high plants into a flower box that is sheltered from the exterior weather. By the end of April their height exceeded one meter. I now had to support them by tying them to wooden sticks. Their growth didn't slow down. I had to water them twice a day. By the middle of May I dug out the 'little forest' and gave away all except one plant that I transferred to a sunny spot in my front yard. To make a long story short, that plant is now no less than 2.5 meters tall with its flower measuring 12 inches in diameter. Whenever I look at it, it seems to smile at me. Nature is simply miraculous. Peter Zirpke • I grow everything except tomatoes and peppers from seed. And I mean sown directly into the garden. I don't buy them all. I harvest seeds from dill, leaf lettuce, Italian parsley, butternut squash, acorn squash and nasturtiums, year after year, for 30 years. The lettuce and parsley are better than others I have tried. And the seeds keep well. I have planted seeds that are several years old and they germinate the same as the first year. I don't have good luck with yellow wax beans or harvested seeds. I keep all my seeds in the fridge until they're planted. Venny Xaronski • A number of years ago, at my old house, I decided to grow sunflowers from seed. They did indeed germinate, but they took quite some time to actually bloom. Finally, the two pots in front of the garage produced beautiful flowers. My neighbour across the street was the first to notice this timely event. She called me right away to let me know. We were so excited you would have thought I had just given birth. Mary Lem • Many years ago, my neighbour gave me some Scarlet Runner bean seeds she had obtained from a man whose mother had brought the ancestor seeds from England in 1935. Every year since, I have saved some of the crop and grown them successfully the next year — too successfully, as I always have more seeds than I can find space for. I feel a sense of obligation to continue the line that is now at least 90 years old. Ironically, my neighbour stopped growing them years ago because her husband didn't like them. Maree Monahan • I have planted many flowers from seed in hopes that my garden will look like the many photos you see in magazines. It's taken a while but I think I have succeeded. In the spring, out come my mini green houses and grow lights set up in my living room. Yes, the living room! Starting soil is bought and the process begins with seeds saved from last year's crop. After about six weeks of nurturing they are ready to go out into the flower beds. Zinnias are my go to flower with purchased plants as filler if needed. Gardening is believing in the hopes and dreams of future days. Love it, as do the bees and butterflies! Trudy Halliday • My mom and I were part of the rash of home invasions in 1997. A group of people broke in one spring night while we were sleeping. We were assaulted and held hostage for several hours as they ransacked our home. When they left and the police arrived, we were taken to the hospital to be checked out. We were lucky — the next weekend a woman was murdered during one such invasion. I had a chance to ask them why they were doing this. They didn't have an answer for me. My mom met the aftermath of that night by choosing to put bars on the windows and, later, resisted opening a window, even on a warm summer day. I remember thinking during the invasion I was not going to let this define who I was. I am not saying it was not a traumatic night, but I still believe the best of people and regularly have my doors and windows open to let in the breeze and even have occasionally, I must admit, forgotten to lock up at night. Patricia T.
Vancouver Sun
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Whitecaps 1, San Diego 1: Ian Pilcher's late goal helps San Diego remain atop Western Conference
SAN DIEGO — Ian Pilcher scored his first goal in MLS for San Diego FC in a 1-1 tie with the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night in a matchup of the top-two teams in the Western Conference. San Diego (13-7-4) leads the conference with 43 points and the Whitecaps have 42. Minnesota United is third with 41 points. Pilcher, a 22-year-old rookie defender, made it 1-1 in the 80th minute. Anders Dreyer's corner kick was cleared by Vancouver before Luca Bombino misplayed a shot from the edge of the area that rolled to Pilcher for a first-touch finish from near the penalty spot. Yohei Takaoka had five saves for Vancouver (12-5-6). The Whitecaps took a 1-0 lead on a own goal in the 40th minute. Edier Ocampo, on the counter-attack, had his shot from the edge of the area parried by diving goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega before Manu Duah's clearance attempt went into the net. Sisniega stopped three shots for SDFC. San Diego had 59 per cent possession and outshot the Whitecaps 17-9, 6-3 on target. Expansion San Diego beat the Whitecaps 5-3 on the road in the first-ever meeting between the clubs on June 25.
Vancouver Sun
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Roughriders 33, Lions 27: Saskatchewan offence strikes early and often to thump B.C.
A dominant performance from quarterback Trevor Harris powered the Saskatchewan Roughriders to 33-27 victory over the B.C. Lions on Saturday. Harris connected on 23 of his 30 passing attempts for 395 yards with three touchdowns and one interception in the West Division matchup. Kicker Brett Lauther added four field goals for the Riders (5-1), including a 45-yard strike in the first quarter. There was bad news for Saskatchewan, too, as running back Ka'Deem Carey left the game midway through the third quarter with an apparent leg injury and did not return. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Nathan Rourke chalked up 337 passing yards with three TDs for the Lions (3-4). The Canadian QB made good on 27 of his 41 attempts, had one interception and was sacked once. The Riders had 506 yards of net offence across the game, compared to 373 yards for the Lions. Saskatchewan struck early on Saturday, with Harris lobbing a rainbow to Dohnte Meyers deep inside Lions' territory less than five minutes into the game. The American receiver nabbed the ball and darted into the end zone for Saskatchewan's first major of the night. B.C.'s troubles deepened on the next play when Seven McGee fumbled the kickoff return and Riders linebacker Jayden Dalke recovered it at the home side's 38-yard line. Lauther capitalized on the turnover with a 45-yard field goal that boosted Saskatchewan's lead to 10-0 midway through the opening frame. The offensive onslaught continued with Harris sailing a 29-yard pass to Joe Robustelli to put the visitors back in scoring position late in the quarter. The quarterback followed up with a short dish to A.J. Ouellette, who dashed five yards into the end zone. Lauther made the convert and the Riders went up 17-1. B.C.'s offence finally found its footing with just seconds to go in the first. Rourke escaped the pocket and fired a 40-yard pass to Ayden Eberhardt, who stepped over the goal line for the Lions' first TD of the night. The two sides traded field goals in the second quarter, with Lauther connecting on 27- and 41-yard attempts and B.C. kicker Sean Whyte sending a 47-yard kick through the uprights. Saskatchewan headed into the locker room up 23-11. The Riders picked up right where they left off out of the break. Less than four minutes into the third quarter, Harris found Meyers deep in the red zone for a 30-yard touchdown. Saskatchewan's biggest problem of the game came midway through the third when Carey was taken down by Lions linebacker Micah Awe, in a play that left the running back writhing on the turf in obvious discomfort. He was eventually helped off the field by two trainers, putting no weight on his right leg. B.C. got a spark late in the quarter when Eberhardt reeled in a 39-yard pass from Rourke. The Lions capped the drive with a gutsy play, going for pay dirt on third down where Rourke sent a rocket soaring to Stanley Berryhill III deep in the end zone. The home side then attempted a two-point convert, a move that paid off when the QB spun off a tackle and connected once again with Berryhill on a three-yard toss that cut Saskatchewan's lead to 33-19. Any faint hope of a late Lions comeback was quashed with just under three minutes on the game clock when Rourke's long bomb to Eberhardt ticked off the fingers of a Riders defender and was intercepted by Marcus Sayles. With 19 seconds left in the fourth quarter, B.C. added one last major with Rourke handing off to Eberhardt and the receiver rushing in for his second TD of the night. Running back James Butler muscled his way through traffic for a two-point conversion that sealed the score at 33-27. NOTES Riders receiver Samuel Emilus tallied 78 receiving yards in his return after missing three games with a foot injury. … Lions linebacker Micah Awe made the 500th defensive tackle of his CFL career. … Only Saskatchewan and Calgary Stampeders have yet to lose a road game this season. NEXT UP Lions: Host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday, July 27.
Vancouver Sun
14 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Settlement proposed in class-action lawsuit related to B.C. solitary confinement
A proposed settlement of up to $60 million has been reached in a class-action lawsuit related to the use of solitary confinement in B.C. correctional facilities. The Quebec-based law firm Proactio says the settlement must be approved by the B.C. Supreme Court, but could provide eligible class members up to $91,000. A statement from the firm on Saturday says the lawsuit alleges the B.C. government improperly subjected prisoners to solitary confinement, 'causing emotional, physical, and psychological harm.' It says the class includes people incarcerated after April 18, 2005, and involuntarily held in separate confinement or segregation for at least 15 consecutive days, or when the province knew or ought to have known they suffered from a mental illness. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. B.C.'s Ministry of Attorney General confirmed in an emailed statement that the province has agreed to jointly propose a resolution in the case to the court. The allegations in the statement of claim originally filed in November 2018 had not been tested in court. The ministry says it has 'taken lessons from the litigation successfully brought against other jurisdictions across the country, and proposed a resolution to close this chapter quickly and avoid the kind of long expensive legal fights' seen elsewhere. The distribution of public notices today is the first step in the settlement approval process, the statement adds. 'It's important to note this is not a finalized settlement and it is still subject to court approval, where the court will assess whether the agreement the parties have reached is as fair as we think it is,' it says. A hearing to decide whether to approve the proposed settlement has been set for Oct. 22, the statement from Proactio says. Class members have until Sept. 2 to indicate if they support or object to the proposal, it says. Those put in separate confinement after Dec. 22, 2020, can opt out by Sept. 2, in which case they would not receive compensation but would retain their right to pursue an individual lawsuit. The firm says class members can also submit a claim for compensation at a later date if the court approves the settlement. The court has appointed Koskie Minsky LLP and McEwan Partners LLP as class council, while Proactio has been mandated to act as administrator of the class action, the statement adds.
