Polar bear cub adorably plays with ball at the zoo

Hertha the polar bear cub is absolutely infatuated with the toy ball in her enclosure at the Berlin Tierpark. Even mom can't stop her from playing with it!

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  • Who have provinces pegged to receive COVID-19 vaccines in the coming weeks?

    As COVID-19 vaccine supplies ramp up across the country, most provinces and territories have released details of who can expect to receive a shot in the coming weeks. Here's a list of their plans to date: Newfoundland and Labrador The province says it is in Phase 1 of its vaccine rollout. Health-care workers on the front lines of the pandemic, staff at long-term care homes, people of "advanced age" and adults in remote or isolated Indigenous communities have priority. Chief medical health officer Dr. Janice Fitzgerald has said Phase 2 will begin in April if vaccine supply remains steady. The second phase prioritizes adults over 60 years old, beginning with those over 80, as well as Indigenous adults, first responders, rotational workers and adults in marginalized populations, such as those experiencing homelessness. Adults between 16 and 59 years old will be vaccinated in the third phase of the rollout, and Fitzgerald has said she expects that to begin this summer. --- Nova Scotia Health officials began expanding access to COVID-19 vaccines on Feb. 22, opening community clinics for people aged 80 years and older. Dr. Robert Strang, chief medical officer of health, has said the province's plan is to open another 10 clinics in March for 48,000 people who will be mailed a letter informing them how to book an appointment. Strang said the vaccination program will then expand to the next age group in descending order until everyone in the province is offered the chance to be immunized. The age groups will proceed in five-year blocks. Future community clinics are to be held March 8 in Halifax, New Minas, Sydney and Truro; March 15 in Antigonish, Halifax and Yarmouth; and March 22 in Amherst, Bridgewater and Dartmouth. The province began its vaccination campaign with residents of long-term care homes, those who work directly with patients, those who are 80 and older, and those who are at risk for other reasons including First Nations and African Nova Scotian communities. Nova Scotia plans to have vaccine available to at least 75 per cent of the population by the end of September 2021. --- Prince Edward Island The province says the first phase of its vaccination drive, currently slated to last until the end of March, targets residents and staff of long-term and community care, as well as health-care workers with direct patient contact at higher risk of COVID-19 exposure. Those 80 and older, adults in Indigenous communities, and truck drivers and other rotational workers are also included. The next phase, which is scheduled to begin in April, will target those above 70 and essential workers. The province intends to make the vaccine available to everyone in late summer and fall. --- New Brunswick The province is also focusing on vaccinating those living in long-term care homes, health-care workers with direct patient contact, adults in First Nations communities and older New Brunswickers in the first phase, which lasts until at least March. The next phase is scheduled to begin in the spring and includes residents and staff of communal settings, other health-care workers including pharmacists, first responders and critical infrastructure employees. The government website says once the vaccine supply is continuous and in large enough quantities, the entire population will be offered the shots. --- Quebec Quebec started vaccinating older seniors on Monday, after a first phase that focused largely on health-care workers, remote communities and long-term care. In Montreal, mass vaccine sites including the Olympic Stadium opened their doors to the public as the province began inoculating seniors who live in the hard-hit city. The government announced last week it would begin booking appointments for those aged 85 and up across the province, but that age limit has since dropped to 70 in some regions, including Montreal. The province says the vaccination of children and pregnant women will be determined based on future studies of vaccine safety and efficacy in those populations. --- Ontario The province began vaccinating people with the highest priority, including those in long-term care, high-risk retirement home residents, certain classes of health-care workers and people who live in congregate care settings. Several regions in Ontario moved ahead Monday with their plans to vaccinate the general public, while others used their own systems to allow residents aged 80 and older to schedule appointments. Toronto also began vaccinating members of its police force Monday after the province identified front-line officers as a priority group. Constables and sergeants who respond to emergency calls where medical assistance may be required are now included in the ongoing first phase of Ontario's vaccine rollout, a spokeswoman for the force said. A day earlier, Toronto said the province expanded the first phase of its vaccination drive to include residents experiencing homelessness. The provincial government has said it aims to begin vaccinating Ontarians aged 80 and older starting the week of March 15, the same day it plans to launch its vaccine booking system, which will offer a service desk and online portal. It has said the vaccine rollout will look different in each of its 34 public health units. When asked about the lack of provincewide cohesion, Health Minister Christine Elliott said that public health units know their regions best and that's why they have been given responsibility to set the pace locally. --- Manitoba Manitoba is starting to vaccinate people in the general population. Appointments are now available for most people aged 94 and up, or 74 and up for First Nations people. Until now, vaccines have been directed to certain groups such as health-care workers and people in personal care homes. Health officials plan to reduce the age minimum, bit by bit, over the coming months. Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead of the province's vaccine task force, has said inoculations could be open to all adults in the province by August if supplies are steady. --- Saskatchewan The province is still in the first phase of its vaccination rollout, which reserves doses for long-term care residents and staff, health-care workers at elevated risk of COVID-19 exposure, seniors over the age of 70 and anyone 50 or older living in a remote area. In all, nearly 400,000 doses are required to finish this stage. The next phase will be focused on vaccinating the general population by age. It hopes to begin its mass vaccination campaign by April, but there if there isn’t enough supply that could be pushed back to June. Saskatchewan will begin immunizing the general population in 10-year increments, starting with those 60 to 69. Also included in this age group will be people living in emergency shelters, individuals with intellectual disabilities in care homes and people who are medically vulnerable. Police, corrections staff and teachers are among the front-line workers not prioritized for early access to shots. The government says supply is scarce. --- Alberta Alberta is now offering vaccines to anyone born in 1946 or earlier, a group representing some 230,000 people. Appointments are being offered through an online portal and the 811 Health Link phone line. Shots are also being offered to this cohort at more than 100 pharmacies in Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton starting in early March and the government has said there are also plans to include doctors’ offices. Health Minister Tyler Shandro has said all eligible seniors should have their first shots by the end of March. But he said Monday that the province will not give Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to anyone over the age of 65 after the National Advisory Committee on Immunization expressed concerned there is limited data on how well it will work in older populations. The first phase of the vaccine rollout also included anyone over 65 who lives in a First Nations or Metis community, various front-line health care workers, paramedics and emergency medical responders. Phase 2 of the rollout, to begin in April, is to start with those 65 and up, Indigenous people older than 50 and staff and residents of licensed supportive living seniors’ facilities not previously included. --- British Columbia British Columbia will extend the time between the first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines to four months so all adults could get their initial shot by the end of July. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says evidence from the province and around the world shows protection of at least 90 per cent from the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. The province launched the second phase of its immunization campaign Monday and health authorities will begin contacting residents and staff of independent living centres, those living in seniors' supportive housing as well as homecare support clients and staff. Seniors aged 90 and up can call to make their appointment starting next Monday, followed a week later by those aged 85 and over, and a week after that by those 80 and up. Henry also says first responders and essential workers may be eligible to get vaccinated starting in April as the province also decides on a strategy for the newly authorized AstraZeneca vaccine. --- Nunavut The territory says it expects enough vaccines for 75 per cent of its population over the age of 18. After a COVID-19 vaccine is administered, patients will be tracked to ensure they are properly notified to receive their second dose. Nunavut's priority populations are being vaccinated first. They include residents of shelters, people ages 60 years and up, staff and inmates and correctional facilities, first responders and front-line health-care staff. --- Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories its priority groups — such as people over 60, front-line health workers and those living in remote communities — are being vaccinated The territory says it expects to vaccine the rest of its adult population starting this month. --- Yukon Yukon says it will receive enough vaccine to immunize 75 per cent of its adult population by the end of March. Priority for vaccinations has been given to residents and staff in long-term care homes, group homes and shelters, as well as health-care workers and personal support workers. People over the age of 80 who are not living in long-term care, and those living in rural and remote communities, including Indigenous Peoples, are also on the priority list for shots. --- This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 2, 2021. The Canadian Press

  • Parents question school injury guidelines after daughter left with gaping head wound

    (Monty Kruger/CBC - image credit) The father of a 10-year-old girl injured at school says staff should have done more to treat her after the accident. Mukhtar Chaudhry says family members received a voicemail letting them know their daughter, Memona, had bumped her head in a fall at Samuel W. Shaw School in Shawnessy on Feb. 22. When they arrived to pick her up, they say they were shocked to find her with a deep, gaping head wound on her forehead running up into her hairline, as seen in a photo shared with CBC News. The family believe more first aid should have been administered by staff and even an ambulance called, given it was a head injury. The girl ended up being transported to hospital from her home, where she received treatment, including several stitches. Chaudhry said it was much worse than just a bump on the head and should have been treated as such. "The teacher gave her just a brown paper towel, like you see at any gas station, to put on the wound," he said. "That was it. "When they got home, they saw it was a very deep cut and we didn't want to take any chances, so [we] called a paramedic." The girl was taken to the South Health Campus in an ambulance. Concerns surrounding protocol "They did not follow the protocol after the incident," Chaudhry claimed. "They didn't do anything." In an emailed statement, a Calgary Board of Education spokesperson said staff at the school did everything correctly. "The Calgary Board of Education follows established protocols and processes for all accidents, injury reporting and investigations," the spokesperson said. "All accidents are reported as soon as the injured have been taken care of. The reporting process for student accidents includes contacting the parent/guardian, administering first aid if required, and identifying the level of medical attention required. "Following the incident, supervisors and employees participate in an investigation of the accident or injury report. In all situations, we examine the steps taken to improve our practices and ensure the safety of our students." Chaudhry said he sent an email to the Calgary Board of Education and has been in contact with the principal and education director at the school. In Chaudhry's view, the responses he received were lacking and his concerns weren't taken seriously. "They don't want to look at the case or what they did at their side," he said. "They have a first aid kit at school. If it's possible, she should be given first aid, and if not, they should have called a paramedic." Chaudhry said they should take a look at what happened and what they could have done differently. "What happened to my daughter, I don't want to see happen to other kids," he said.

  • Les camionneurs forestiers en attente des augmentations négociées

    En décembre 2018, les industriels forestiers se sont engagés à augmenter les tarifs de transport de 16 % sur deux ans. Après une augmentation de près de 9 % en 2019, les camionneurs forestiers ont accepté un gel des tarifs pendant la pandémie, en raison de l’incertitude, mais ils attendent toujours la balance de l’augmentation des tarifs négociée. « C’est le minimum qu’on demande pour atteindre un seuil de rentabilité acceptable », lance d’emblée Carol Girard, le représentant forêt pour l’Association nationale des camionneurs artisans inc. (ANCAI), en faisant référence à l’entente conclue en décembre 2018. À l’époque, les camionneurs avaient menacé les industriels de faire une grève d’une journée. Devant cette menace, les industriels du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean avaient accepté de négocier directement avec les camionneurs, qui doivent habituellement passer par les expéditeurs et les entrepreneurs généraux en foresterie pour négocier les tarifs. Après une rencontre de trois jours, les transformateurs de bois avaient accepté une augmentation de tarifs de 15 à 16 % sur deux ans. En 2019, les tarifs ont bel et bien augmenté de 8 à 9 %, mais la pandémie est venue chambouler le reste du rattrapage. Devant l’incertitude, la plupart des industriels ont gelé les tarifs, alors que certains ont consenti à offrir une petite augmentation allant jusqu’à 1,5 %. Pour être conciliants, les camionneurs ont accepté la situation, mais l’ANCAI s’attend maintenant à recevoir la balance de l’augmentation négociée en 2018, d’autant plus que le prix du bois d’œuvre sur les marchés atteint des sommets. Selon les recherches comptables effectuées par l’ANCAI, le rattrapage de 16 % sur deux ans permettrait aux entreprises de transport de dégager un bénéfice de 8 %, explique Mario Beaulieu, lui aussi représentant forêt pour l’ANCAI. Un tel bénéfice permettrait d’amortir les dépenses surprises, comme le bris d’un moteur, qui peut coûter 40 000$. La durée des voyages dans la balance Selon les représentants de l’ANCAI, c’est au Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean que la situation est la plus problématique de la province, car les temps de cycle sont calculés différemment ailleurs. Le temps de cycle, c’est la durée d’un voyage d’un camionneur quand il part vide de l’usine, pour remplir un chargement en forêt et revenir à l’usine. Pour calculer le temps de cycle, il faut tenir compte des limites de vitesse et les ajuster en fonction de la vitesse réelle des camions. Selon l’ANCAI, les vitesses établies au Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean sont plus élevées que dans toutes les autres régions. Par exemple, dans les Laurentides ou en Abitibi, le temps de cycle est calculé en tenant compte qu’un camion pourra se déplacer, en moyenne, à 80 % de la vitesse permise, en tenant compte des arrêts et du trafic routier. Dans la région, les calculs sont plus serrés, alors que certains industriels calculent des vitesses de déplacement allant à 100 % de la vitesse permise, parfois 110 %, notent les représentants de l’ANCAI. « Ici, les temps de cycle ne sont jamais corrects, note Carol Girard. Si je dois faire un voyage en cinq heures et que ça me prend cinq heures et demie, j’ai une demi-heure qui ne sera pas payée et ça vient jouer sur mon taux horaire. » Plus les temps de cycle sont serrés et plus la pression est grande pour que les camionneurs roulent plus vite, ce qui pose un danger pour tous les utilisateurs de la route. « On voudrait que l’environnement d’affaires soit pareil pour tous », soutient Mario Beaulieu, ce qui permettrait d’éviter le marchandage et de stabiliser les équipes au même endroit. Ainsi, l’ANCAI revendique que les temps de cycle soient calculés à 80 % de la vitesse permise partout au Québec. Quelques bémols Selon les informations recueillies auprès d’acteurs forestiers qui préfèrent garder l’anonymat en cette période de négociation, les temps de cycle sont en effet très serrés, mais les tarifs sont ajustés 90 % du temps. Si le temps de cycle excède de 6,25 % le temps calculé, Produits forestiers Résolu (PFR) verse un tarif supplémentaire à l’entrepreneur. Si le temps de cycle est moindre de 6,25 %, le tarif est toutefois ajusté à la baisse. De plus, PFR calcule le temps de cycle à 80 km/h dans une zone ou la vitesse permise est de 90 km/h. Selon Carol Girard, la vitesse devrait être de 72 km/h, ce qui limiterait les empressements des chauffeurs sur les routes… tout en permettant d’être plus rentables, comme c’est le cas à l’heure actuelle en Mauricie et dans plusieurs régions. D’autres industriels n’offrent pas des ajustements de prix et ce sont parfois les expéditeurs et les entrepreneurs généraux qui doivent mettre la main dans leur poche pour compenser les transporteurs. De plus, la plupart des camionneurs chargent beaucoup plus que les 35 tonnes prévues, avec une moyenne qui avoisine davantage les 39 tonnes, voire plus, pour le bois résineux. Peu importe la formule établie, les chauffeurs doivent gagner 115$ de l’heure à la fin de la journée pour être rentables et dégager un profit décent, estime l’ANCAI. Au cours de la dernière année, les fortes pluies et le gel tardif ont grandement dégradé le réseau routier, ce qui a généré des délais supplémentaires. Il serait donc pertinent de s’assurer de bâtir davantage de chemins à l’avance pour transporter le bois dans de meilleures conditions. Après un gel des tarifs pendant la pandémie, les camionneurs forestiers attendent l’augmentation promise en 2018. LE QUOTIDIEN, GUILLAUME ROY Questionné à ce sujet, Louis Bouchard, directeur principal, affaires publiques et relations gouvernementales chez PFR, a préféré ne pas commenter sur les tarifs, qui sont du domaine commercial. « Nos entrepreneurs sont un maillon crucial de nos activités et, en ce sens, nous maintenons avec eux un dialogue soutenu et travaillons à leur offrir des conditions reflétant cet état de fait. » Au bout du compte, les camionneurs souhaitent s’entendre sur un taux horaire juste, qui leur permettra de payer pour la maintenance et de dégager un profit pour en vivre. Ils ne sont toutefois pas les seuls à demander une augmentation des tarifs, car les entrepreneurs forestiers s’attendent aussi à avoir une hausse substantielle de leur rémunération. Guillaume Roy, Initiative de journalisme local, Le Quotidien

  • Une forestière qui veut protéger les caribous

    En Abitibi, la forestière RYAM a piloté un projet de rétablissement du caribou forestier, en travaillant en collaboration avec le ministère de la Forêt, de la Faune et des Parcs du Québec, les autochtones et les écologistes... avant même la mise sur pied du plan de Québec. Au passage, RYAM a concédé l’équivalent de trois semaines d’approvisionnement en bois, ce qui a permis de réduire le taux de perturbation à 39 %. Reportage. Tout a commencé en 2013, lorsque Tembec (entreprise vendue à Matériaux innovants Rayonnier (RYAM) en 2017) a reçu un certificat de non-conformité pour maintenir sa certification de la Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). À l’époque, de nouvelles données scientifiques soulignaient l’importance de réduire la perturbation sur le territoire occupé par la harde de caribou Détour-Kesagami, à la frontière du Québec et de l’Ontario. « Pour nous, c’était essentiel de garder cette certification pour vendre nos produits sur le marché », souligne Marie-Ève Sigouin, directrice de la foresterie pour RYAM, qui était jadis à l’emploi de Tembec. Pour trouver une solution durable, la forestière crée alors un comité technique régional sur le caribou forestier. En 2013, le gouvernement du Québec venait de reprendre le contrôle de la planification forestière avec la mise en place du nouveau régime forestier. En étant gestionnaire du territoire, le gouvernement avait désormais un rôle important à jouer dans le processus de certification. Pikogan, une communauté algonquine qui occupe le territoire où l’on retrouve les caribous, est aussi invitée à siéger au comité. « Dès le départ, un des vice-présidents de Tembec, Michel Lessard, a demandé qu’on implique la SNAP (Société pour la nature et les parcs) dans le processus », remarque Mare-Ève Sigouin. Deux ans plus tard, le comité en arrive à une première réussite, pour trouver des solutions afin de maintenir la certification FSC, en incluant la protection du caribou forestier dans le plan d’aménagement. Retour à la table à dessin En 2018, les exigences de FSC Canada sont toutefois rehaussées, alors que les plus récentes connaissances scientifiques soulignent qu’il faut limiter les taux de perturbation de l’habitat du caribou forestier sous le seuil de 35 %. L’équipe caribou se remet au travail et lors des premières rencontres, les discussions sont parfois corsées. « Quand on commençait à s’éloigner du sujet principal, je rappelais à tout le monde qu’on était là d’abord pour le caribou, pas pour nos intérêts personnels », soutient Benoit Croteau, directeur territoire et environnement, du Conseil de la Première Nation Abitibiwinni. En 2019, le comité de travail a notamment organisé un forum à Pikogan sur l’intégration des connaissances autochtones, réunissant une cinquantaine d’intervenants de huit communautés. Ce forum a permis d’améliorer la relation de confiance en écoutant davantage les préoccupations des communautés, souligne Benoit Croteau. Les liens avec les chercheurs sont de plus en plus importants et les connaissances autochtones sont de plus en plus reconnues. Pikogan et RYAM ont notamment investi 15 000 $ chacun pour financer les travaux d’un étudiant à la maîtrise sur le savoir traditionnel des Premières Nations sur le caribou. Après deux ans de travail, les partenaires en viennent à proposer un plan pour protéger l’habitat du caribou. La possibilité forestière sera réduite de 6 % dans cette unité d’aménagement forestier. Aucune activité de récolte ne sera faite dans les aires de reproduction et de migration des caribous. La construction de chemins forestiers devra être réduite au minimum et de vieux chemins devront être reboisés. Un engagement de la haute direction L’implication de la haute direction est un des facteurs clés du succès du projet de protection du caribou forestier, estime Marie-Ève Sigouin. C’était vrai à l’époque Tembec et ça s’est poursuivi avec RYAM à compter de 2017, alors que l’entreprise a intégré l’importance de la norme FSC dans sa politique environnementale. Un choix environnemental, mais aussi économique, car plusieurs clients exigent la certification FSC, souligne Marie-Ève Sigouin. Guillaume Roy, Initiative de journalisme local, Le Quotidien

  • 'They shouldn't be in the community': Fort Liard resident sounds alarm over bison herds

    (Anna Desmarais/CBC North - image credit) One Fort Liard, N.W.T., resident is asking the territory to control the area's bison population before someone gets hurt, after hearing about a deadly encounter with the animal last year in Yukon. Bison were introduced to Fort Liard in 1980, as part of the territory's strategy to revive the endangered species. Resident John Gonet said the animals have been running wild in the hamlet ever since, taking over public spaces like the schoolyard or the airport landing strip. "They shouldn't be in the community," Gonet told CBC. "A buffalo is a wild animal." Gonet said residents of the hamlet have asked the territory and their MLAs to intervene for decades, but very little has been done to mitigate the problem. Now, after reading about a deadly encounter with bison last year in Yukon, he said it's finally time for the government to step in — before someone gets hurt. "That's probably what it will take, for someone to get hurt or killed," Gonet said. "It's very, very frustrating — so I hope they do something about it." Bison considered 'threatened' species in N.W.T. The bison issue has changed some aspects of Gonet and his family's home life. Gonet used to build a snow slide for his five-year-old grandson every winter, but stopped doing so when he realized herds of buffalo crossed through his backyard. "[My grandson] is too scared to come out here, when there's 2,500 pound animals [nearby]," Gonet said. Bison walking down the street opposite Gonet's home in Fort Liard, N.W.T. Gonet said people are constantly watching to make sure bison are not crossing through their yards before going outside, because it would be difficult to fend off the animal. Since 2016, wood bison have been listed as "threatened" on the territory's list of species at risk, and under federal bodies including the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and the Canadian Species at Risk Act. One of the risks to wood bison, according to the N.W.T.'s website, is conflicts between humans and bison due to a "lack of public acceptance in some areas." No threat to community, N.W.T. says Julien Sabourin, a renewable resource officer with the territory's Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR), said bison in the Liard Valley often wander into Fort Liard because they see it as a sanctuary from their predators, like wolves. Sabourin says they don't pose any threat to the community. "People in Fort Liard, they're pretty good at respecting the bison," he said. "Usually bison are afraid of people as well." Fort Liard has a local ENR officer, who chases out bison after getting complaints from people in town. Sabourin said it depends how often the officer responds to these calls, but it can happen "weekly". Last year, the department teamed up with local hunters who have the appropriate tags to harvest bison closer to the hamlet's limits. What that does, Saboruin continued, is it lets bison know that the hamlet is less of a safe haven for them, driving them further away. Sabourin said the hunt was successful, and there could be plans to do another one in the future. A 2019 management strategy created by the territory to manage the Nahanni herd also suggests the creation of a "diversion habitat" to drive bison out of the hamlet. Sabourin said this project is being looked into, but there is no timeline yet for when it will be put in place. Meanwhile, the department's biologists are just finishing a survey recording the size of the Nahanni herd. Once the department has a population estimate, Sabourin continued, they might consider giving more tags to hunters as a means to regulate the population.

  • Montreal's Olympic Stadium opens to long lines as Canada plays catch-up on jabs

    As COVID-19 vaccinations ramp-up in Canada, one of the country's largest stadiums is taking in a long line of elderly, while provinces enlist dentists, midwives and chiropractors to help meet the expected rush for jabs. A slow rollout of vaccines has recently dented Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's popularity, with the lack of domestic production being blamed for Canada trailing many other developed nations in its vaccination drive. Montreal's cavernous Olympic Stadium, which once hosted young athletes during the 1976 summer games, on Monday saw thousands of octogenarians donning folding chairs and canes as they waited in a snaking line for jabs.

  • CBC's 'Arctic Vets' brings viewers up close with polar bears, seals and muskox

    Filming a polar bear just inches from its nose, close enough to see its breath fog up the lens, was a career highlight for Jeff Thrasher. The CBC producer is part of the team behind "Arctic Vets," a new show that follows the day-to-day operations at Assiniboine Park Conservancy in Winnipeg."It was breathing warm air onto the lens. I was thinking, 'Wow, there's nothing between me and this polar bear,"' Thrasher said, who filmed the shot using a GoPro camera up in Churchill, Man. The show is also the first time cameras have been allowed in the Winnipeg facility, which houses Arctic animals like seals, polar bears and muskox."I've filmed many, many things in my career and that's right up there," Thrasher said. There are 10 half-hour episodes in the new series that features expeditions to Manitoba's subarctic, emergency animal rescues and daily life at the conservancy. The first episode follows veterinarian Chris Enright to Churchill just as polar bears are starting to migrate up the coast of Hudson Bay. When a bear wanders too close to town, Enright works with the local Polar Bear Alert Team to catch it and lift it by helicopter to a safe distance away. In the same episode, back in Winnipeg, the team trims the hooves of resident 800-pound muskox, Chloe.Although being around Arctic animals is part of Enright's daily life, he hopes the show will help bring southern Canadians a little closer to the North."This is our norm. But it's not the norm for a lot of people, so the show is a good opportunity to tell these stories," he said. "We have herds of caribou that rival migrating animals on the Serengeti, but people in the South don't necessarily know about that. And that's really unfortunate, because there's some incredible wildlife in the North."Enright also hopes the show will urge Canadians to think about protecting the country's Arctic ecosystems, which face the critical threat of climate change."There's a lot of concern with the effects of climate change and over the next 50, 100 years what's going to happen. As southerners, there are things we can do to protect and conserve those ecosystems," he said. The COVID-19 pandemic also hit in the middle of filming, which Enright said prevented the team from travelling into Nunavut.Jackie Enberg, an animal care supervisor and Heather Penner, an animal care professional, are also featured in the show for their work with polar bears."It's not just animal care or vet care, or conservation and research. It's all of it. We all have a great passion to educate and share and help inspire other people to make a difference, whether it's to make changes in your lives or just talk about," Penner said.Enberg said the bears featured in the show were rescued when they were a few years old. "They're here because they could not survive in the wild," Enberg said. "We just ultimately hope people will fall in love with polar bears as much as we have," Penner said. "Arctic Vets" premiers Friday, Feb. 26 at 8:30 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem. By Emma Tranter in Iqaluit, NunavutThis report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2021.---This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship The Canadian Press Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version erroneously reported that "Arctic Vets" premiers Friday at 8 p.m. In fact, it airs Friday at 8:30 p.m.

  • Ukraine throws away unused COVID-19 shots as doctors skip their own vaccinations

    Ukrainian medical facilities have thrown away some unused COVID-19 vaccines after doctors failed to show up for their own appointments to be vaccinated, ruling party lawmakers said on Monday. Ukraine has just begun vaccinating its 41 million people against COVID-19 after receiving a first batch of 500,000 doses of Indian-made AstraZeneca shots last week, but faces a battle against vaccine scepticism that predates the pandemic. "It is important for us to understand how all the processes are set up, why doctors refuse to be vaccinated," Oleksandr Korniyenko, the head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's Servant of the People party, told a televised meeting.

  • Bottom club Crotone fires coach Giovanni Stroppa

    CROTONE, Italy — Crotone fired coach Giovanni Stroppa on Monday, with the Serie A club bottom of the standings and eight points from safety. The 53-year-old Stroppa had been in charge since 2018 and led Crotone to promotion from Serie B last season. Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at home to Cagliari was Crotone’s sixth straight loss and its 18th in 24 matches this campaign. “So ends a beautiful and intense journey, that lasted almost three years, and that wasn’t without difficult moments but that culminated in the extraordinary survival in Serie B and furthermore in the second, historic, promotion to Serie A,” Crotone said in a statement. Stroppa took charge of Crotone in June 2018, with the team in the second division, but was fired in October of that year after collecting just 11 points from nine matches. He was rehired two months later and steered the team to safety before guiding it to a second-place finish in Serie B the following season and promotion to the top flight. It is the sixth coaching change in Serie A this season. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Associated Press

  • Review: A virtual Golden Globes is no party, but they tried

    Tina Fey asked the tough question 10 minutes into the three-hour Golden Globes broadcast Sunday: Could this whole night have been an email? Well, maybe. We wouldn’t have gotten to see the awkwardness of Daniel Kaluuya’s acceptance speech (almost) cut before it began, Don Cheadle giving a tie-dyed sweatshirt clad Jason Sudeikis the wrap-up signal, or Catherine O’Hara’s husband playing her off with his iPhone — a funny bit hampered by bad sound. But we also wouldn’t have gotten to tear up along with Chadwick Boseman’s widow Taylor Simone Ledward or see the sweetness of Mark Ruffalo’s kids standing proudly behind him when he won, or Ethan Hawke’s sitting with him when he didn’t. We also wouldn’t have gotten swept away by Norman Lear’s heartfelt remarks. It helped that Lear’s setup looked professionally produced. Many did not. Celebrities, we’ve all learned over the past year, have bad lighting and shoddy internet connections too, even on an awards show night. The 78th Annual Golden Globes came in limping Sunday, not just because of the strangeness of producing a live, bicoastal show a year into a pandemic, but because in the week leading up to the event, the 87-person organization behind the endeavour, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, was given an unflattering spotlight in a series of exposes in The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times. The most stinging revelation was that there are zero Black members in their ranks. Whether or not they would address it was perhaps the biggest question going into the night. Hosts Fey and Amy Poehler said they needed to change. And three members of the HFPA came out on stage to say they intended to. The remoteness of it all allowed them to control the controversy on their own terms, or at least manage it. For the show, it was a silver lining. For the audience, it felt like a punt. In a normal year, every nominee and guest would have been asked about it on the red carpet. All the celebrities who posted that Time’s Up message on their socials would have had to say something. Sunday, there was no one to ask. The HFPA may have just bought themselves another year to get their act together. Although their nominations are occasionally absurd, the ultimate winners often aren’t. “Nomadland” director Chloé Zhao became the first woman to win best director since Barbra Streisand in 1984. Boseman won too. As did “Minari” and Lee Isaac Chung (who also shared an especially sweet moment with his young daughter), even if it was relegated to the foreign language category. Kate Hudson, who proved to be a trouper despite all the fun made of her nomination and film, did not. Unfortunately, as the night wore on, more and more winners found themselves played off by the show, including most of “The Crown.” Worse, the cut off music was bad. The evening had its inspired comedic moments too, most of which came from hosts Fey and Poehler who in their fourth time leading the show seamlessly played off of one another with almost 3,000 miles between them. Though it was easy to forget that they were on different coasts, they were always ready with a well-timed gag acknowledging that they weren’t. They also mocked the weirdness of it all, about halfway through exhaustedly recapping the meagre GIF and meme moments thus far — Cheadle, Tracy Morgan mispronouncing “Soul” as sal and Sudeikis’ hoodie. “Those are the messy things we love about the Globes,” Poehler said. The show has always been touted as a party, boozy, glamourous and unruly with hosts who are welcome to poke fun and occasionally even cross the line. The booziness perhaps has been overstated of late — most are far too savvy to get drunk on camera before their category. Besides, that’s what the after parties are for. But there was a lot lost here, even as the show tried to manufacture moments between the nominees with awkward semi-public five-way conversations before commercial breaks. “This is so weird,” said Lily Collins, to the heads on the five disconnected screens around her. She could have been speaking for all of us. Cutting away to the nominees after a joke or a related win was rarely successful and often stilted, although the later categories seemed to learn from the mistakes of the earlier ones. But it made it even more frustrating that the show failed to use their in-person talent more creatively. Yes, Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo got a fun “Barb and Star” moment, as did Maya Rudolph and Kenan Thompson. But they also got Tiffany Haddish to show up and all she got was one quip about Eddie Murphy’s mansions. The NBC tie-ins, too, seemed more shameless than usual. The Golden Globes have in years past been a frivolity that's still a pretty watchable, star-studded show. It occasionally even captured the zeitgeist in surprisingly meaningful ways. Audiences expect the worst and sometimes find it. But there are also grace notes in all the silliness— remember the sea of black to support the newly formed Time’s Up a few years ago and that Oprah speech? And maybe it’s that tension that has kept the Globes audience relatively stable. Whether or not this year will hold up when the numbers come in remains to be seen, but it would be a surprise. And does it matter? It’s not as though anyone involved is planning to relive this experience. “We all know that awards shows are stupid,” Fey said early on. Yes, they are. But maybe it’s just the stupidity we all need after a very tough year. ___ Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press

  • Mild spring with some wintry blasts predicted for most of Canada: Weather Network

    Canadians across the country can look forward to a mild spring peppered with the odd winter flashback throughout the first part of the season, according to predictions from one prominent national forecaster.Chris Scott, chief meteorologist with The Weather Network, said Canadians can count on some sunny days to put a bounce in their step after a long winter."There's going to be some challenges. We're not out of the woods for winter, but we've certainly put the worst behind us and there's some really nice days ahead," said Scott, adding that people should get out and enjoy the sunshine when the daily forecast calls for it.The Weather Network predicts that March will bring extended tastes of early spring to Ontario and Quebec after a particularly wintry February. But Scott said the two provinces should brace for a period of colder weather in mid-spring before more consistent warmth sets in. The Weather Network is forecasting a slower than average start to spring in British Columbia, with lower-than-average temperatures in the offing for the first half of the season.An above-normal snowpack will make for excellent skiing conditions but also a heightened risk for spring flooding when warm weather finally arrives, Scott said.The Weather Network's outlook suggests March will be dramatically warmer through the Prairies, but indicates western parts of the region will struggle to reach consistently mild temperatures. The network said it's concerned that drought conditions south of the border could become more widespread and affect southern parts of the region by the start of the growing season.Scott predicted temperatures exceeding seasonal norms in Atlantic Canada, but said the region is still at risk for high-impact, late-winter storms.In Northern Canada, colder than normal spring temperatures are expected for southern Yukon, while eastern Nunavut will be warmer than usual."There's going to be good days (for outdoor activities) in every part of the country, you're just going to have to pick your battles," Scott said.The meteorologist did have good news for most of Canada's largest river valleys, predicting they would be spared disastrous floods in the months ahead.Scott said the Red River Valley in Manitoba, the Ottawa and St. Lawrence valleys in Ontario and Quebec, as well as the Saint John River valley in New Brunswick likely won't have to contend with dangerously high water levels in March and April."That's because we don't have the tremendous snowpacks that are the antecedent condition that you need to get really severe spring flooding," said Scott. "That's really good news in places, especially in Eastern Canada, that have been hit with floods."This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 1, 2021. John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press

  • S&P 500 surges in strongest one-day rise since June

    The S&P 500 surged on Monday in its strongest one-day gain since June as bond markets calmed after a month-long selloff, while another COVID-19 vaccine getting U.S. approval and fiscal stimulus bolstered expectations of a swift economic recovery. Johnson & Johnson ended up 0.5%, but off earlier highs, after it began shipping its single-dose vaccine after it became the third authorized COVID-19 vaccine in the United States over the weekend. U.S. bond yields eased after a swift rise last month on expectations of accelerated inflation due to bets on an economic rebound.

  • Toronto Hip-Hop artist highlights Black Canadian History through music

    In the span of two decades, Toronto rapper D.O. Gibson has spoken at 2,500 schools. He likes to pick out different people from places across the country to educate youth about Black Canadian history.

  • Le Moulin Michel adopte les tasses consignées réutilisables

    Le Moulin Michel de Gentilly est le tout premier commerce des MRC de Bécancour et de Nicolet-Yamaska à adhérer au réseau La Tasse. Le concept de La Tasse permet aux clients de différents commerces participants d’acheter une tasse consignée et réutilisable au coût de 5$ et de la rapporter par la suite dans une des antennes du réseau. Ces tasses seront sous peu mises à disposition de la clientèle du Moulin Michel qui compte rouvrir son comptoir de commandes pour emporter au cours des prochaines semaines. L’effort n’est pas inutile. Le Réseau affirme que « plus d’un million de gobelets à usage unique sont jetés chaque minute dans le monde » et la tasse réutilisable consignée offre « une alternative sanitaire, simple et abordable. Elle permet de réduire l’impact de notre consommation quotidienne sur l’environnement ». « Le meilleur déchet est celui qu’on ne produit pas », affirme Philippe Dumas, directeur général du Moulin Michel. « C’est quelque chose qu’on voulait mettre en place. Le réseau La Tasse prend de l’expansion. C’est un geste responsable pour la planète. C’est tellement simple d’y adhérer. Tu te présentes au Moulin Michel, tu as oublié ta tasse réutilisable? Le client peut ainsi en emprunter une et la ramener une autre fois pour récupérer son dépôt de 5$.» Le Moulin Michel avait déjà pris un virage plus vert. Tous les gobelets des commandes pour emporter du Moulin Michel sont aussi compostables. M. Dumas est convaincu que la meilleure tasse réutilisable est celle que l’on conserve avec soi. « La Tasse permet de combler - l’oubli de - et chez nous, à Bécancour-Gentilly » de conscientiser la population au gaspillage croissant des gobelets jetables non réutilisables. Philippe Dumas a déjà mis La Tasse consignée à l’épreuve au café La Distributrice de Montréal dont il est aussi copropriétaire. Ce café est depuis près d’un an membre du réseau. « Le seul enjeu, c’est la gestion des consignes et le côté sanitaire. Toutes les tasses qu’on remet en circulation doivent évidemment être lavées correctement », comme toutes les autres d’ailleurs. Le projet La Tasse est né en 2019 dans la métropole et a rapidement fait des petits. Une campagne de sociofinancement de La Tasse lancée en 2019 a récolté près de 60 000$. Le réseau est aujourd’hui présent dans près de 350 commerces des différentes régions du Québec. Boris Chassagne, Initiative de journalisme local, La Voix du Sud

  • Huawei CFO’s lawyer disputes what HSBC knew as U.S. extradition case resumes

    Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou's U.S. extradition hearing resumed in a Canadian court on Monday with defence countering prosecutors' claims that Meng misled HSBC about the Chinese telecom company's relationship with its affiliate while doing business in Iran. As five days of hearings in the British Columbia Supreme Court started, the defence drilled into the alleged sanction violations that led to Meng's arrest. The daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei is accused by the United States of misleading HSBC about her company's business arrangements in Iran, causing the bank to break U.S. sanctions.

  • With loved ones and pets, Globes winners embrace cozier show

    LOS ANGELES — From Jason Sudeikis’ hoodie to Jodie Foster’s bare feet, the stars embraced a virtual Golden Globes, and still found ways to cut loose. There was no red carpet and logjam of celebrities outside the show’s usual location at the Beverly Hilton. No boozy camaraderie at the jammed-in tables inside the ballroom, either. The coronavirus pandemic made certain of that. Instead, most of Sunday night’s winners accepted from their own homes or hotel rooms in laidback settings unheard of for Hollywood's biggest awards shows. Many were surrounded by spouses, parents, kids, pets or support staff. Several winners welcomed the change. “This is the best Globes ever, to be able to be home, but also it just felt really real,” a giddy Foster said in virtual comments after her win. “It didn’t feel like it was filled with so much artifice. I think people were kind of thrilled by the newness and the sort of live theatre.” Foster cozied up on a sofa, cuddling her white dog while sharing a kiss with her wife. Friends watching on television downstairs raised a delayed shout when she was announced as the winner for supporting actress in a motion picture drama. Foster stuck her bare foot in the air, showing media that she wasn’t wearing any shoes. She was headed downstairs to eat dinner after her win. “It was really fun,” said Aaron Sorkin, winner for motion picture screenplay. “There was an intimacy to it.” Sacha Baron Cohen won two trophies for “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” with wife Isla Fisher smiling next to him. He donned a traditional tuxedo and she wore a gown and red lips. “The virtual experience was different, but a lot more relaxing,” Baron Cohen said. “You didn’t have to do the red carpet, which I’m not sure a lot of people enjoy.” In London, Sudeikis won best actor in a television series, musical or comedy for “Ted Lasso.” He wore a white hoodie promoting his sister's dance and workout studio in New York City. “When people you care about do cool, interesting things you should support them, so this is no different than that,” Sudeikis later told reporters. Clearly surprised by his win, the actor hesitated and rambled during his acceptance remarks. Fellow nominee Don Cheadle was shown whirling his finger in the air, a joking signal that Sudeikis should wrap up. “The guy's got chops,” Sudeikis said. “He's an ex-stage manager.” Nominee Kate Hudson hosted a family get-together. Wearing a strapless gown, she sat with her kids, her partner Danny Fujikawa, her mother Goldie Hawn, as well as Kurt Russell and brother Oliver Hudson. Her 2-year-old daughter, Rani, blurted out, “Hi, everybody!” as the telecast went to a commercial break. Nicole Kidman and musician-husband Keith Urban got glammed up to sit on their couch. Their daughters, Sunday and Faith, both wore white dresses while making a rare appearance. A shocked Andra Day had a crowd that included two co-stars from “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” her manager, her publicist, her parents and some of her cousin's family. Known for her singing career, Day became the second Black woman to win for actress in a motion picture drama in her acting debut. “There's cake outside, so I'm going to eat with that, and with my family and my team,” she said after her win. “We're just going to eat so much food.” Beth Harris, The Associated Press

  • Emerald ash borer makes first appearance in Fredericton

    (Mike Heenan/CBC - image credit) Fredericton foresters have been warning about the infamous emerald ash borer for years. Now it's here. "Unfortunately, we knew it was just a matter of time and here it is," said Mike Glynn, a forester with the City of Fredericton. The invasive species that has destroyed millions of ash trees in North America was recently found in the Forest Hill area of Fredericton. Glynn said it's possible the insect has been in that area for years, and crews are just discovering it now. He assumes the insect has made its way to other areas of the city, possibly a while ago. "We haven't seen it yet but it doesn't mean it's not here." In New Brunswick, the emerald ash borer was first spotted in Edmundston in 2018. It was found in Oromocto the following year. What is it? The emerald ash borer is a bright, metallic green beetle native to East Asia, that probably arrived in packaging in the 1990s, according to Natural Resources Canada. No natural predators on this continent, including woodpeckers, have been able to stop its spread. The beetle lays eggs on the bark of the ash tree, and those eggs weave their way inside the tree, creating tunnels that vary in shape, including, zigzags and an "S" shape. The tunnels erode the ash tree's ability to feed. Despite efforts to limit its spread with quarantines and pesticides, the emerald ash borer has already made its way through Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and into the Atlantic provinces. The invasive beetle was found in Edmundston in 2018 and then in Oromocto the following year. On its own, an emerald ash borer only travels about 400 to 700 metres a year, but with people moving firewood from province to province, the ash borer can travel much farther. Ash trees have limited resistance to stave off the insects, which can kill trees within one to four years of infestation. How to get rid of it To prepare, the city has been inoculating ash trees, mostly in Odell and Wilmot parks and along city streets To apply the pesticide, several holes are drilled into the tree. Then a small white canister carrying the insecticide TreeAzin into the holes. The active ingredient in TreeAzin is azadirachtin, which is derived from a tree native to India called the neem tree. Treatments need to be performed every two years. Fredericton has about 10,000 ash trees in Odell Park and about 2,400 along city streets. The numbers don't include ash trees in other city-owned parks or on private property. "There's no guarantee with the treatment but if you don't treat the trees they will not survive," Glynn said. To fight off the invasive species, the city will cut down weaker ash trees and replace them with new ones and intensify detection. Almost 40 traps have been set up to find the tiny insect, but more are expected. Members of the public can also report any sightings to the City of Fredericton, Glynn said. "This is very bad news for the ash tree population of Fredericton."

  • Alaska records 10 cases of California coronavirus variant

    JUNEAU, Alaska — Scientists in Alaska have discovered 10 cases of a new coronavirus strain that researchers have said is more contagious and potentially more effective at evading vaccines. The B.1.429 variant, first discovered in California, was identified in Alaska in early January and has since been detected nine more times, according to a report released on Wednesday by scientists assembled by the state to investigate new strains. At least six groups of B.1.429 cases have been detected statewide this year, the report said. Scientists and public health officials have expressed concerns about multiple new strains of the coronavirus, which they say could prolong the pandemic even as governments scale up their vaccination efforts, KTOO-FM reported. State public health officials also said they have identified two cases of the more contagious B.1.1.7 strain, first discovered in the United Kingdom, along with one case of the P.1 strain, which was first seen in Brazil. The P.1 strain is also more contagious, and vaccines may be less viable against it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designates the P.1 and B.1.1.7 strains as “variants of concern.” The CDC has not yet designated the B.1.429 variant first found in California as a variant of concern. The Associated Press

  • A drop in monarch butterfly population in the south could mean less to watch in Point Pelee

    (Submitted by Chip Taylor - image credit) A new report says monarch butterfly populations in Mexico have decreased, but according to one expert, the number of butterflies Canada will see this year depends on what happens this month as they embark on their migrations north. The presence of the monarch butterfly in the Mexican hibernation forests declined by 26 per cent due to a reduction of its habitat, according to the recent report by WWF-Telmex Telcel Foundation. According to the report, the species occupied 2.1 hectares in December 2020 compared to the 2.83 hectares in December 2019. These numbers are unsurprising to Chip Taylor, the director of Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas. "They were about as I expected," he said. "But that tells us that we are dealing with a population that fluctuates with the weather conditions, but it's also dependent on the amount of habitat available. Had there been a lot more habitat available last year in the form of nectar plants, then it's likely we would have seen a higher population," he said. Taylor said that monarchs need nectar plants and milkweed, which he said Canada provides a lot of. The presence of the monarch butterfly declined by 26% in the Mexican hibernation forests due to a reduction of its habitat, according to a recent report by WWF-Telmex Telcel Foundation. "As we get into Canada ... we get a lot more common milkweed. And one of the things that happens in Canada is that the monarchs who have reached Canada in May and June develop a population of common milkweed and that population tends to move along the lakes and eventually move through Point Pelee in fairly large numbers," he explains. Every fall, Point Pelee plays host to thousands of monarch butterflies on their migrations. The insects make their way across Lake Erie to the mountains of Mexico, roughly 3,000 kilometres south, for the winter. In late spring, their offspring return to Canada, and the cycle continues. According to Parks Canada, monarchs have a life span of about a month but the ones who emerge late in the summer are born to migrate and stay alive for over six months to make the journey. Taylor said it's hard to predict what the population of the monarch butterfly will be like this spring until he sees how conditions are like in Texas. "The Canadian situation is highly dependent on what happens in March in Texas. So if the returning butterflies are abundant and they have good conditions in Texas, there are good conditions as they move north in May and June and they encounter good conditions in Canada, the population does well," he said. "If they get off to a bad start in Texas. It's going to be a bad year in Canada." - Chip Taylor, director of Monarch Watch Taylor said the butterflies have already left the overwintering sites in Mexico and should reach Texas in about two weeks. "The question is, what are they going to find when they get there?" He asks, pointing to the massive winter freeze that took place just weeks ago. "The question I'm asking all my colleagues in Texas is that vegetation going to come back in time, so they're going to be milkweeds above ground and nectar plants for the butterflies to feed on," he said. Chip Taylor, the director of Monarch Watch, says how conditions will look in Canada is highly dependent on how conditions will be like in Texas in two weeks. Taylor said he's watching the weather and monitoring plant development carefully and can better predict how things will look in two weeks. "What we've learned in the past is that what happens in March in Texas has a big influence that that determines everything that happens, including what happens in Canada, on the rest of the year," he said. "So it's very important for the population to get off to a good start. If they don't, if the population doesn't get off to a good start, then it's very likely that it's never going to be able to recover. There just aren't enough generations," he said. What you can do Taylor says people can help preserve the monarch butterfly by creating a lot of habitat for the species. Point Pelee National Park also encourages local residents to plant a butterfly garden with native plants, milkweed for monarch butterflies and caterpillars. "Create a habitat and they will come, they will use it," Taylor said.

  • Europeans get 'right to repair' for some electrical goods

    BERLIN — Companies that sell refrigerators, washers, hairdryers or TVs in the European Union will need to ensure those appliances can be repaired for up to 10 years, to help reduce the vast mountain of electrical waste that piles up each year on the continent. The "right to repair," as it is sometimes called, comes into force across the 27-nation bloc Monday. It is part of a broader effort to cut the environmental footprint of manufactured goods by making them more durable and energy efficient. “This is a really big step in the right direction” said Daniel Affelt of the environmental group BUND-Berlin, which runs several "repair cafes" where people can bring in their broken appliances and get help fixing them up again. Modern appliances are often glued or riveted together, he said. “If you need specialist tools or have to break open the device, then you can’t repair it.” Lack of spare parts is another problem, campaigners say. Sometimes a single broken tooth on a tiny plastic sprocket can throw a proverbial wrench in the works. “People want to repair their appliances,” Affelt said. “When you tell them that there are no spare parts for a device that’s only a couple of years old then they are obviously really frustrated by that.” Under the new EU rules, manufacturers will have to ensure parts are available for up to a decade, though some will only be provided to professional repair companies to ensure they are installed correctly. New devices will also have to come with repair manuals and be made in such a way that they can be dismantled using conventional tools when they really can't be fixed anymore, to improve recycling. Each year, Europeans produce more than 16 kilograms (35 pounds) of electrical waste per person. About half of that junk is due to broken household appliances, and the EU recycles only about 40% of it, leaving behind huge amounts of potentially hazardous material. German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said that in a next step, manufacturers should have to state how long a product is expected to work for and repair it if it breaks down earlier. This would encourage companies to build more durable products, she said. “In the repair cafes we see a lot of devices that broke shortly after the warranty expired,” said Affelt — a phenomenon that has prompted some environmentalists to accuse manufacturers of designing their devices with planned obsolescence. Knowing an appliance will really last for a decade might prompt consumers to choose products that are more durable or can be easily fixed, he said. “For the vast majority of devices, repair is the right choice," said Affelt, adding that the exception might be old, inefficient refrigerators that can contain powerful greenhouse gases which fuel climate change. In a next step, environmentalists and consumer rights groups want the “right to repair” expanded to include smartphones, laptops and other small electrical devices. Responding to growing demand, Apple last year announced it would start providing training and spare parts to certified independent repair stores fixing Mac computers, not just iPhones. Right to repair bills have been introduced in several U.S. state legislatures, attracting bipartisan support, though as yet there is no nationwide measure in force. Sweden has gone further than most of the EU, making repairs and spare parts subject to lower value-added tax. The bloc's ecological design directive — of which the right to repair requirement is a part — will also revise existing energy labels that describe how much electricity washers and other household devices consume. The new seven-step scale from A to G will be complemented by a QR code that provides consumers with further information, such as how loud the devices are. Frank Jordans, The Associated Press