COVID-19 shelter-in-place order causes change in crimes

Elianna Lev
·4 min read
Mounted police officers ride down University Ave. through hospital row as Toronto first responders parade in front of the hospitals in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in a salute to healthcare workers on April 19, 2020, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. - The worldwide death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to 164,016 on April 19, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT. (Photo by Cole BURSTON / AFP) (Photo by COLE BURSTON/AFP via Getty Images)
Mounted police officers ride down University Ave. through hospital row as Toronto first responders parade in front of the hospitals in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in a salute to healthcare workers on April 19, 2020, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by COLE BURSTON/AFP via Getty Images)

The coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent shelter-in-place orders have changed the way many of us live, as well as the communities we live in. For some communities, this includes crime rates. Across the country, police departments are seeing shifts in statistics when it comes to different offences. Yahoo Canada reached out to several police forces across the country to find out whether there are crime trends that can be connected to lockdown orders.

Vancouver

Sgt. Aaron Roed with Vancouver Police Department says that while calls have been down, they are seeing a few small spikes in certain areas around the city. Although property crime has gone down, commercial break and enters have gone up, almost 100 per cent.

“Initially we saw, with commercial break and enters, people breaking in in the evenings,” he tells Yahoo Canada. “We’re promoting that people board up stores, remove property from windows and if they can increase the locks on doors.”

He also recommends that store owners routinely check their empty businesses and if there are signs of forced entry, contact police immediately.

“We’ve reallocated our resources to target these criminals even before they get into these stores,” he says.

Traffic police are still issuing tickets for speeding and dangerous driving, but they haven’t noticed a spike in racing or stunt driving.

Calgary

At a news conference this week, Superintendent Steve Barlow with Calgary Police says they’ve seen a 15 per cent decrease in calls for service. Every day, the department receives about 30 COVID-19-related calls for service. Meanwhile, online reporting of crime has gone from 190 reports a week to almost 400.

Domestic conflict calls, which encompasses intimate partners and other family members, have increased, but domestic violence has decreased week after week.

“Overall violence has decreased by about 30 per cent, we believe in part due to the closure of bars and nighttime venues,” said Barlow.

When it comes to break ins, home break and enters are down approximately 45 per cent. Barlow urges residents to keep in the habit of locking doors and closing windows as the temperature goes up.

Edmonton

Scott Pattison, communication advisor with Edmonton police wrote in an email that the city hasn’t seen any huge change in patterns. While commercial robberies were down for the week, they were higher overall from 2019 and compared to the three-year average. Domestic violence was down for the week but also up slightly from the three-year average.

The force has seen a spike in mental health calls, but continues to see a drop in violent occurrences. There’s been increases in property crime occurrences, driven mainly by weekly increases in theft of and from automobiles.

Toronto

In an email, Meaghan Gray with Toronto Police Service says that since social distancing and self-isolation have been imposed, the force has noticed a decrease in the total number of calls to the non-emergency line. She says there could be several reasons for this decline, including fewer people in a single place calling about one incident and a decrease in parking complaints.

“However, even with the decrease in call volume, there has been no significant change to our calls for service,” she says. “This means police officers are responding to about the same amount of calls as they were during this time last year.”

Gray stresses that it’s while it is far too early to make any conclusions on possible crime trends during this time, weekly statistics from March 16, 2020, have shown the following:

  • A decline in overall robberies but, when broken down, an increase in hold-ups and retail robberies combined with a decrease in street robberies

  • Break-and-enters fluctuating, which appears to be due to a decrease in residential break-and-enters and an increase in commercial break-and-enters

  • Auto thefts, assaults and sexual assaults are declining

  • Shootings have increased

They’ve also seen a small decrease in intimate partner violence reports.

Montreal

Montreal’s police department will release crime statistics at the end of the month, in order to compare to last year’s numbers.

However, Insp. André Durocher says that without any statistics, he’d say break and enters are down as a result of most people quarantining at home. He also suspects that there’s been a dip in collisions, since less cars are on the roads.

“We’ve been busy but not for the same reasons,” he tells Yahoo Canada. “A lot of our resources have been used for social distancing, patrolling parks, that kind of stuff.”

He urges businesses that are currently closed to make sure there’s an alarm system in place along with an effective lock system.

“If you’re an owner of a restaurant, leave the lights on so people can see inside when they’re passing on the street,” he says.

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    CALGARY — Imperial Oil Ltd. is cutting one billion barrels from its inventory of oilsands bitumen following a year marked by low oil prices and budget cutting amid the COVID-19 pandemic and a global price war between major oil producers. In a regulatory filing on Wednesday, the Calgary-based company says its proved plus probable bitumen reserves fell to 4.46 billion barrels as of Dec. 31, 2020, from 5.45 billion barrels on the last day of 2019, with most of the change due to "technical revisions." Its reserves of upgraded synthetic crude from the oilsands fell to 583 million barrels from 623 million after it produced about 25 million barrels in 2020. It says in the report pricing, exchange rate and inflation assumptions used to evaluate reserves are based on the average of values provided by two third-party reserves evaluators, adding those numbers will fluctuate and "are not relevant to the company's investment decisions." The reserves report was filed the same day that Imperial's 69.6 per cent owner, U.S. giant Exxon Mobil Corp., reported its worldwide proved developed and undeveloped oil and gas reserves fell from 22.4 billion oil equivalent barrels at the end of 2019 to 15.2 billion as of the end of 2020. The majority of the revision was attributed to its bitumen inventory, where reserves were all but eliminated, dropping from 3.86 billion barrels to just 81 million barrels. Exxon explained in its filing that the reserve cuts resulted from very low prices during 2020 and reductions to capital spending, adding that it removed 3.1 billion barrels of proved Alberta bitumen reserves related to its 29 per cent stake in the Kearl oilsands mine and another 600 million barrels from its Cold Lake, Alta., assets. "Among the factors that could result in portions of these amounts being recognized again as proved reserves at some point in the future are a recovery in the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) price basis, cost reductions, operating efficiencies and increases in planned capital spending," it said. Benchmark U.S. oil prices have gained about 30 per cent since ending 2020 at US$48.52 per barrel. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 25, 2021. Companies in this story: (TSX:IMO) The Canadian Press

  • New Travel Measures Nightmare for International Students

    Canada’s new border control measures for air travellers are turning into a nightmare for international students, said Languages Canada, a national non-profit representative for 203 accredited English and French language education programs. “The latest requirements imposed by government is taking away the ability to work for the 19,000 Canadians employed in our sector by unnecessarily choking the flow of international students,” said Gonzalo Peralta, Executive Director of Languages Canada. “The confusion, the lack of functionality, and the cost of new requirements associated with studying in Canada will result in [international] students postponing studies or choosing a competing destination,” he said. The new measures that went into effect this week, mandates that all non-essential air travellers take a COVID-19 test upon arrival and reserve a room at a hotel for three nights while awaiting their results. The measure would still be in effect regardless if the traveller’s mandated 72-hour pre-arrival test has turned out negative. The hotel stay will be at the expense of the traveller and expected to cost about $2,000. If the result turns out positive, the traveller would isolate at designated government facilities. Otherwise, they would complete the rest of their mandated two-week quarantine at home. Languages Canada said it has received a litany of complaints and questions from Canadian language education institutions and students. They include: Peralta said educational institutions have already spent millions of dollars to comply with COVID-19 readiness plan requirements as mandated by the government last fall. Strict policies have already been adopted for international students, including mandatory testing, tracking, and a 14-day quarantine. Systems costing millions of dollars have been set up to handle the logistics required to comply with these policies. “These systems have been working successfully from the beginning. In fact, Languages Canada’s Study Safe Corridor–Travel Safe program has not had a single COVID case among its students since it launched in October 2020, and it is designed to safely handle infections should any occur.” “It doesn’t have to be this complicated. We already have a proven, safe, cost-effective, and Canadian solution in place,” added Peralta. Canada’s language education sector is a vital segment of the nation’s $22 billion-a-year international education sector and attracts over 150,000 international students to learn English or French. Over one-third of language students go on to pursue post-secondary programs in Canada and many remain in the country as skilled immigrants. The University of BC said its working with Universities Canada and the Bureau for International Education to minimize the impact of travel restrictions on international students, according to the Ubyssey, the campus student paper. “Travel to Canada for UBC’s international students is considered essential. These are not tourists. Our hope in conversation with the government is to eliminate for students to be impacted by these changes,” said Michelle Suderman, director of international student development. Fabian Dawson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, New Canadian Media

  • Parents charged for allegedly trying to smuggle $1.6M in drugs while with their children

    (Canada Border Services Agency - image credit) Two parents are facing several charges after being caught at Pearson airport allegedly trying to smuggle $1.6 million worth of drugs into the country while travelling with their kids. According to a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) news release issued Thursday, the adults were with a 10-year-old and a 12-year-old at the time. The CBSA says the incident happened on Feb. 7, when the family arrived at Pearson from Jamaica. The agency says officers examined their luggage and found 7.7 kilograms of cocaine, 93 kilograms of pot, and 218 grams of hash. "A suitcase concealing cannabis was checked in under the ticket of a 12-year-old child," the news release reads. The CBSA estimates that the drugs are worth over $1.6 million. Both parents, who are from Brampton, have been charged with three counts of importation of a controlled substance and three counts of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. They were released on bail and are scheduled to appear in court in April. The CBSA says arrangements were made to release both children to other family members.

  • Coronavirus: New data suggests variants will make up 40% of new cases by mid-March in Ontario

    During a briefing on Thursday, Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, co-chair of Ontario’s science advisory group, presented the latest COVID-19 modeling data which predicted that with the rate of spread, coronavirus variants are likely to make up 40% of COVID-19 cases by mid-March in the province.

  • Newfoundland and Labrador reports 10 new COVID cases, 22 schools affected by outbreak

    ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Newfoundland and Labrador health officials are reporting 10 new cases of COVID-19 today.Authorities say the new cases are in the eastern region of the province, where officials have been battling an outbreak in the metro area of St. John’s.Officials say 10 people are in hospital with the disease, and five of them are in intensive care.With 335 active reported infections, Newfoundland and Labrador now has an active infection rate of 64 per 100,000 people.On Wednesday, health officials in the eastern region released a list of schools where students and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 during the recent outbreak.The health authority says there were 185 cases at 22 schools, including 145 infections among staff and students of one high school in Mount Pearl that was an early epicentre of the outbreak.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 25, 2021. The Canadian Press

  • New US envoy starts challenge to restore US on world stage

    CAMEROON, Cameroon — Linda Thomas-Greenfield presented her credentials as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday, officially taking on one of the most challenging jobs for the Biden administration of helping to restore the United States as a top multilateral player on the global stage after former President Donald Trump’s unilateral “America First” policy. The longtime American career diplomat thanked Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris, who swore her in on Wednesday, for choosing her for the “distinguished position.” “That was made all the more wonderful because I knew you were here,” she told Guterres who served as the U.N.’s refugee chief before his election to the U.N. post. “I worked with you in the past on refugee issues so I’m looking forward very anxiously to getting to work and working on many of the key issues that we know are before the United Nations and we know that people around the globe are looking to us for.” Guterres warmly welcomed Thomas-Greenfield, calling her a “distinguished global citizen" with great compassion for refugees. Thomas-Greenfield and Guterres then moved to his private office on the 38th floor of U.N. headquarters overlooking New York’s East River for private talks. She will be jumping right into her new job, tackling global peace and security issues with Russia, China and a dozen other countries because the United States takes over the rotating presidency of the powerful U.N. Security Council on Monday. And she might even decide to attend a council meeting on Friday. Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador Dmitry Polyansky told a group of reporters Wednesday that “the red carpet” will be rolled out for Thomas-Greenfield and Moscow is ready to work with President Joe Biden’s administration -- but “it takes two to tango.” “We are looking forward to interactions with her,” he told a group of reporters Wednesday. “You can count on our most favourable attitudes and positive emotions towards her as a member of our Security Council family.” Noting Thomas-Greenfield's decades as a U.S. diplomat, he said “it's always easier to interact with professionals." But he said America’s view that Russia is “an enemy” and a “threat” hasn’t changed under Biden, so “it’s very difficult to imagine how the interaction with us might change with such starting points of the positions of the new administration.” Nonetheless, Polyansky said, “there are a lot of things Russia and the United States can do together” and “we will judge the new administration by what it does.” “We’re in favour of co-operation,” he said. But “it takes two to tango, and really we’re ready to dance, but we need a good and reliable partner who knows all the moves and who respects us” as a country with certain positions, “doesn’t view us as a threat” and sees “our obvious national interests in many issues.” Thomas-Greenfield, a retired 35-year veteran of the U.S. foreign service who rose to be assistant secretary of state for Africa, resigned during the Trump administration. She will be the third African-American, and the second African-American woman, to hold the U.N. post. Her confirmation on Tuesday was hailed by Democrats and advocates of the United Nations who had lamented former President Donald Trump’s “America First” unilateral approach to international affairs and rejoiced at President Joe Biden’s return to multilateralism. At the Senate hearing on her nomination, Thomas-Greenfield called China “a strategic adversary” that threatens the world, and called a speech she gave in 2019 that praised China’s initiatives in Africa but made no mention of its human rights abuses a mistake. The Senate voted 78-20 to confirm her with Republican opponents saying she was soft on China and would not stand up for U.S. principles at the U.N. Thomas-Greenfield said at the hearing that Washington will be working not only with allies “but to see where we can find common ground with the Russians and the Chinese to put more pressure on the Iranians to push them back into strict compliance” with the 2015 agreement to rein in their nuclear program. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the agreement in 2018 and Biden has indicated the U.S. will rejoin it, though how that might happen remains a major question. Polyansky said Russia welcomes the “positive developments” on the Iran nuclear deal and the U.S. agreement to extend the START nuclear agreement, adding that Moscow is ready for serious and meaningful discussions “first and foremost in the area of strategic stability.” Thomas-Greenfield stressed at the hearing that the U.S. will be reengaging internationally and promoting American values -- “support for democracy, respect for universal human rights, and the promotion of peace and security.” Louis Charbonneau, United Nations director for Human Rights Watch, told The Associated Press that Thomas-Greenfield should promote human rights as “a top priority.” “She should abandon the Trump administration’s selective approach to human rights – enthusiastically condemning its enemies’ abuses while ignoring rights violations of allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia,” he said. “But there’s room for continuity on China and Syria," Charbonneau said. “She should make expanding the coalition of nations willing to speak out against Beijing’s human rights abuses one of her chief goals at the U.N., above trying to bring African, Asian, and Latin American states into the fold. And she should continue to push for expanded humanitarian access to all parts of Syria.” Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press

  • Lift lockdown outside St. John's, urge business owners across N.L.

    (Colleen Connors/CBC - image credit) Business owners across the province are urging the chief medical officer of health to consider a regional reopening of the province, and lift the Alert Level 5 lockdown for all areas outside of the metro St. John's region. The Gander and Area Chamber of Commerce — which represents 300 businesses — posted its letter to Dr. Janice Fitzgerald publicly Wednesday night, asking for areas outside the Northeast Avalon to be moved into Alert Level 3. The letter comes just ahead of Fitzgerald's Friday deadline for an update on a two-week provincial lockdown first announced on Feb. 13. While most businesses made it through last spring's lockdown, the chamber's chair told CBC News, they never fully recovered and the second wave of restrictions has proved far rougher than the first. The chamber letter is a result of a flood of those concerns. "The problem we're hearing from our members is that, this is bad this time. And they don't know if they're going to make it through," said Sheldon Handcock. Gander itself has taken a hard hit in the last year, as the core industry in the town — aviation — has been pummelled by the pandemic, with its airport losing Air Canada entirely in January. Gander and Area Chamber of Commerce Chair Sheldon Handcock, seen here during a Zoom interview with CBC, says he hopes Dr. Janice Fitzgerald takes a regional approach to reopening businesses. As of Thursday, only eight of the 335 active cases are outside the Eastern Health region, four of them in central Newfoundland. "Our numbers are low. We know that the threat is still there, we know the virus can move rapidly, but we would like to have the island assessed more granularly," Handcock said, pointing to New Brunswick as a prime example where public health officials have shuffled various regions of its province in and out of alert stages in the last few months. Under provincial guidelines, Alert Level 3 allows for retail stores and restaurants to reopen with restrictions. So too can personal care services such as hair salons, barber shops and estheticians, although other segments of society, like fitness centres and movie theatres, remain closed. 'If I do not work, I don't make any money' Tash Noble, the owner of Tash's Studio in Corner Brook, agrees with Handcock's points. "Coronavirus is a very serious virus, but if it's not here in this area, we should start alleviating some of the restrictions," she told CBC News on Thursday. Noble said while some businesses can pivot to online sales or curbside pickup, hair, nail and waxing services obviously cannot. Business owners outside St. John's are hoping they will get the go ahead to flip their signs to 'Open.' "If I do not work, I don't make any money," she said. "We're still recovering from last year ... Bills still keep coming out. They shut down our business, but Newfoundland Power doesn't shut down, the rent doesn't shut down." In an update on Thursday, the provincial government announced the new extended deadline of March 11 for applicants to apply for financial help under the small business assistance program. So far, 3,130 applications have been approved. A safe reopening The current lockdown in Newfoundland and Labrador involves a particularly contagious variant of the coronavirus — with confirmation of the B117 variant spurring public health to move all of the province to Alert Level 5 — and Handcock commended Fitzgerald's actions thus far, calling her "a rock star." But he said he hopes she is looking at a different reopening from last spring, when the entire province moved in lockstep into freer forms of public life, although whatever reopening looks like Handcock said needed to keep public health top of mind. "If there can be safe way that business can open and the economy can resume, that's what we're hoping for," he said, looking toward Friday's announcement, about which no hints thus far have been given, with Fitzgerald only saying any reopening with the variant in play will involve limited personal interactions. Adding to the chamber of commerce's economic argument, Handcock said, is a medical one: all regional health authorities have put off routine hospital appointments, and he worried about the possibility of backlogs like those seen last spring. Those could be avoided, he said, in at least some areas of the province if there was a regional re-opening. "People need bloodwork, people need to have certain surgeries, people need to get these appointments, and it's a tough time," he said. Read more articles from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

  • PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Bestsellers

    HARDCOVER FICTION 1. “A Court of Silver Flames” by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury) 2. “The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s Press) 3. “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig (Viking) 4. “The Sanatorium” by Sarah Pearse (Viking/Dorman) 5. “The Invisible Life of Addie Larue” by V.E. Schwab (Tor) 6. “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett (Riverhead) 7. “Faithless in Death” by J.D. Robb (St. Martin’s Press) 8. “The Russian” by Patterson/Born (Little, Brown) 9. “Missing and Endangered” by J.A. Jance (William Morrow) 10. “Relentless” by Mark Greaney (Berkley) 11. “The Return” by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing) 12. “Anxious People” by Fredrik Backman (Atria) 13. “A Time for Mercy” by John Grisham (Doubleday) 14. “Neighbours” by Danielle Steel (Delacorte) 15. “Ready Player Two” by Ernest Cline (Ballantine) HARDCOVER NONFICTION 1. “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster” by Bill Gates (Knopf) 2. “Just As I Am: A Memoir” by Cicely Tyson (HarperCollins) 3. “Walk in My Combat Boots” by Patterson/Eversmann (Little, Brown) 4. “The Sum of Us” by Heather McGhee (One World) 5. “Keep Sharp” by Sanjay Gupta (Simon & Schuster) 6. “A Promised Land” by Barack Obama (Crown) 7. “Winning the War in Your Mind” by Craig Groeschel (Zondervan) 8. “Unmasked” by Andy Ngo (Center Street) 9. “Caste” by Isabel Wilkerson (Random House) 10. “Greenlights” by Matthew McConaughey (Crown) 11. “Untamed” by Glennon Doyle (Dial) 12. “Between Two Kingdoms” by Suleika Jaouad (Random House) 13. “Four Hundred Souls” by Kendi/Blain (One World) 14. “Think Again” by Adam Grant (Viking) 15. “Magnolia Table, Vol. 2” by Joanna Gaines (William Morrow) MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS 1. “The Numbers Game” by Danielle Steel (Dell) 2. “Reckless Road” by Christine Feehan (Berkley) 3. “Western Stars” by Nora Roberts (St. Martin’s Press) 4. “The Lost and Found Bookshop” by Susan Wiggs (Avon) 5. “Bridgerton: The Duke and I” (TV tie-in) by Julia Quinn (Avon) 6. “Perfect Partners” by Debbie Macomber (Mira) 7. “The Sea Glass Cottage” by RaeAnne Thayne (HQN) 8. “Revenge” by Patterson/Holmes (Grand Central Publishing) 9. “Shadows in Death” by J.D. Robb (St. Martin's Press) 10. “A Minute to Midnight” by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing) 11. “Long Range” by C.J. Box (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) 12. “Hit List” by Stuart Woods (G.P. Putnam's Sons) 13. “Highland Treasure” by Lynsay Sands (Avon) 14. “Wicked Game” by Jackson/Bush (Zebra) 15. “The Inn” by Patterson/Fox (Grand Central Publishing) TRADE PAPERBACKS 1. “Burn After Writing” (pink) by Sharon Jones (TarcherPerigee) 2. “The 20th Victim” by Patterson/Paetro (Grand Central Publishing) 3. “Home Body” by Rupi Kaur (Andrews McMeel) 4. “Fair Warning” by Michael Connelly (Grand Central Publishing) 5. “28 Summers” by Elin Hilderbrand (Back Bay) 6. “Bridgerton: The Duke and I” (TV tie-in) by Julia Quinn (Avon) 7. “The Girl from the Channel Islands” by Jenny Lecoat (Graydon House) 8. “The Order” by Daniel Silva (Harper) 9. “Circe” by Madeline Miller (Back Bay) 10. “The Step-by-Step Instant Pot Cookbook” by Jeffrey Eisner (Voracious) 11. “The Dutch House” by Ann Patchett (Harper Perennial) 12. “Thank You for Rejecting Me” by Kait Warman (Baker) 13. “Eight Perfect Murders” by Peter Swanson (William Morrow) 14. “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey (Simon & Schuster) 15. “Firefly Lane” (TV tie-in) by Kristin Hannah (Griffin) The Associated Press

  • Manitoba government seeks feedback on further relaxation of COVID-19 rules

    WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government is looking at easing many of its COVID-19 restrictions as early as March 5. The proposed changes include raising capacity limits at stores and personal service operations to 50 per cent from the current 25 per cent. Restaurant capacity would also increase to 50 per cent capacity from 25 per cent, but tables would continue to be limited to members of the same household. Indoor religious services would be allowed at 25 per cent, up from 10 per cent and outdoor public gatherings would be capped at 10 people instead of the current five. Chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin says Manitoba's COVID-19 statistics are heading in the right direction. He says the public is encouraged to provide feedback in the coming days before a decision is made. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 25, 2021 The Canadian Press

  • Sask. wild pig expert says pro-pig petition doesn't reflect reality in the province

    (Submitted by SCIC - image credit) A wildlife researcher at the University of Saskatchewan says a popular petition to save wild pigs in Saskatchewan from eradication doesn't factor in how these animals actually impact the province's ecosystem. The petition, which was organized by Canadians for the Ethical Treatment of Farmed Animals (CETFA), argues that the province's current strategies for managing the wild pig population are unethical and should be stopped. "Shooting pregnant wild pigs and females with their offspring in their nests and terrorizing others by chasing them with helicopters, throwing nets on them and killing them constitutes inexcusable cruelty and is completely unacceptable," Olivier Berreville, scientific advisor for CETFA, said in an email. "Our response to these animals should be to learn to co-exist with them rather than seeking to eradicate them." Ryan Brook has studied wild pigs in Saskatchewan for nearly 11 years. He said the petition — which currently has more than 15,000 signatures — is evocative, but misleading. "It was presented as if these pigs are a natural part of the ecosystem — which they absolutely are not — and that they are being abused and mistreated which, again, they are absolutely not," he said. "So it was sort of presented as this evil operation that was run by the province of Saskatchewan, associated with the research that we do at the University of Saskatchewan." Every person named in the petition — including Brook and his graduate student — receives an email every time somebody signs. While Brook does not believe this format is leading to productive discussions, he said he has more in common with many of the signatories than they may think. "Growing up on a farm, and now being a full-time researcher, my job has always been to work with animals safely and effectively," he said. "My father would be the first to give me a stern lecture if there was ever any potential for misuse or mistreatment of animals in my work." He said ge thinks everyone can agree that animals shouldn't suffer. "I think that's probably my most key frustration [with the petition]. It sets it up as though some care and some don't." Province could have more pigs than humans: Brook Brook said wild pigs, which were introduced to local farms in the 1980s before establishing themselves throughout the southern half of the province, have become increasingly destructive over the last 40 years. "They destroy ecosystems, they do crop damage and they're very dangerous," he said. "The largest animal we've handed was 638 pounds. And they eat goslings and ducklings and mice and white-tailed deer fawns." Without intervention, Brook projects we are on track to have more wild pigs than people in Saskatchewan in the coming years. He said simply capturing and containing the thousands upon thousands of wild pigs already in the province would be an impractical solution. "So it's not simply a black-and-white case of 'just let them be and we'll all be fine,'" he said. "Many of the comments on the petition are along the lines of 'we need to learn to live together.' And that sounds nice, but in reality, these issues are far more complex and these pigs are spreading like wildfire." Brook encouraged people to get in touch with him or other scientists directly to discuss the issues, particularly if they have concerns or believe there are better ways of managing the wild pig population in Saskatchewan. Brook makes a particular point of responding to messages and comments on the Canadian Wild Pig Research Project Facebook page. "I can't emphasise enough, if you want to talk about the welfare of animals — absolutely," he said. "Call me any day, any time, and we'll have a conversation about the welfare of animals all day long." He said researchers like him have these conversations all the time. "How do we do this? How do we refine that? And we're constantly being challenged by our animal care committee to make it better," Brook said. "But I would like to see more of a conversation and a shared commitment to moving forward, rather than simply yelling at each other from across the aisle."

  • Feds didn't supply enough resources to end water advisories on First Nations: auditor

    OTTAWA — The government did not provide the support needed to ensure First Nations communities have access to safe drinking water, says federal auditor general Karen Hogan in a report released Thursday. Hogan found Indigenous Services Canada failed to meet its commitment to eliminate all long-term drinking water advisories by the end of March. She also noted the government has not created a regulatory regime for managing drinking water in First Nations communities. Many First Nations in Canada have had water that’s unsafe to drink from the tap for years and fixing those problems has been a signature promise of the Liberal government. The report concludes that 100 long-term advisories were lifted between 2015 and 2020 but 60 remained in effect as of Nov. 1, 2020, and almost half of those have been in place for more than a decade. “Indigenous Services Canada must work in partnership with First Nations to develop and implement a lasting solution for safe drinking water in First Nations communities,” said Hogan. She said the government should strengthen its efforts to eliminate all long-term water advisories and prevent new ones. Hogan said the COVID‑19 pandemic has slowed progress on some projects but many were already delayed. Hogan’s report notes access to safe drinking water is vital to the health and well-being of 330,000 people living in more than 600 First Nations communities across the country. It says some First Nations communities continue to experience a lack of access to safe water 15 years after auditors called on the government to address the issue for the first time. The Liberal government committed to eliminating all long-term drinking water advisories on public water systems on First Nations reserves by March 31, 2021. The government began allocating more than $2 billion to improve water and wastewater in First Nations communities in its 2016-17 budget, including funding to operate and maintain public drinking water systems. This government’s funding to resolve the situation ends next month. Indigenous Services Canada estimated that $1.79 billion had been actually spent by the end of November. The government promised an additional $1.5 billion in funding, starting in 2026-27, for water treatment projects in First Nations communities in its fall economic statement. The government said the new funding aims to accelerate the work to end all the long-term drinking water advisories. The announcement included an additional $114 million per year, starting in 2026–27, for the operation and maintenance of water and wastewater systems in First Nations communities. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 25, 2021. ——— This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship. Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press

  • Cape Breton art centre creates new positions to support Indigenous artists

    (Michelle Sylliboy - image credit) The Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design has created two new positions to help support Indigenous artists and crafters with their entrepreneurial skills. Executive director Lori Burke said the centre began looking at the barriers that exist for Indigenous crafters after reading a study by the Cape Breton Partnership on the hurdles Indigenous female entrepreneurs face. "There were barriers to access for Indigenous artists and particularly women who were looking to develop their artistic practice and their creative businesses," said Burke. Burke said the most common business for Indigenous female entrepreneurs is in the field of craft and design. Aside from barriers to access, Burke said many of the people they consulted from Indigenous communities cited a lack of mentorship as one of their biggest challenges as entrepreneurs. "The artists were really looking for community-based training and support," said Burke. "So we listened." Burke is executive director of the Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design. The mandate of the non-profit centre is to promote excellence in the craft and design sector on Cape Breton Island through education, training, exhibitions and special events. The centre has also created a Mi'kmaw advisory committee. "We've worked and developed this project so that it was meaningful, or we hope that it's going to be meaningful, for the community," said Burke. The two new positions — an Indigenous arts co-ordinator and an Indigenous craft business skills co-ordinator — will focus on identifying an Indigenous artist's business skills, their needs, gaps in their skills and how to enhance them. "This is going to be very focused on that community and also finding out who's in the community and who's doing what, because we don't have that data," said Burke. The centre is accepting applications now for both positions. MORE TOP STORIES