Citizens' Alliance News -- Sunday, March 3rd, 2024

Hello, all,

"We cannot stop the winter or the summer from coming. We cannot stop the spring or the fall or make them other than they are. They are gifts from the universe that we cannot refuse. But we can choose what we will contribute to life when each arrives."

   ---  Gary Zukhav

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Events:

Today:

PEI Provincial Home Show admission is discounted between 10AM and 12noon this morning.  More Details

Lupinder's Tent continues in Breadalbane, various times.

event details here

City Cinema Sunday $5 Family Movies, 4-6PM, part of Ice City Festival

event details here

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Wednesday, March 20th:

Movie Presentation followed by discussion: In the Dark and Quiet, 7PM, City Cinema, free but seats must be reserved

Ticket information here

(apologies if this link doesn't work)

"Presented by the PEI Invasive Species Council.  Free Admission. A Q&A session on the invasive Hemlock Woolly Adelgid after the screening.  Prod. by Teresa MacInnes, Sea to Sea Productions.  From Sea to Sea Productions comes In the Quiet and the Dark, a cinematic and lyrical exploration of our last remaining North American Eastern Hemlock Forests and the people trying to save them. Vital to our ecosystem and climate, the giant Eastern Hemlock stands are under attack by a tiny insect - the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. Respected Nova Scotia ecologist, Donna Crossland, has been sounding the alarm for years and believes that a small portion of the Hemlock can be saved by an effective chemical treatment of the trees. But not everyone agrees. Some naturalists here, and in New England, believe the decision to do absolutely nothing, is a viable option, choosing to study the decline instead of stopping it. Battling an enemy the size of a pinhead, this is a classic ecological David and Goliath story that follows Donna and her allies, on their journey to convince the government, and the public that action needs to be taken...now."

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Performed Poetry Corner (4 and a half minutes)

A Reason to Smile

What We Carry

by Dan Rather

published on Saturday, March 2nd, 2024, at his Steady site

To say I was impressed with Amanda Gorman’s recitation of her poem “The Hill We Climb” at Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration is an understatement. Three years have not diminished my admiration for this young poet. This week she performed her poem “What We Carry” with world-renowned cellist Jan Vogler on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Even if you are not a fan of poetry, I encourage you to take a listen. Her words, her delivery, the accompaniment all make for a sublime performance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWrCVWfNDf0

Because words and language are the tools of my trade, my favorite line in the poem is “Language is a life craft. Yes, language is a life raft.” I should get that printed on a T-shirt.

The 25-year-old is the National Youth Poet Laureate, the first ever to hold the literary position. Besides being a best-selling poet, Gorman is a filmmaker and activist, and she intends to run for president in 2036. Godspeed.   

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Taking a break from the PEI Forestry Commission's Interim report to appreciate Gary Schneider's annual lichen articles -- 2023 and 2024:

Odd organisms

The Nature of PEI 

by Gary Schneider

published on Sunday, January 1st, 2023, in The Buzz

https://buzzpei.com/odd-organisms/

When I began learning about nature, it was trees and wildflowers that captured my attention. Trees were majestic, providing homes for many species of wildlife. Wildflowers seemed like artwork scattered through the woodlands. Then I realized how interesting shrubs are, and what about those gorgeous ferns? The learning curve seemed endless, as well as fascinating.

Lichens were way down on my list, until I started associating them with wildlife. Then I started paying more attention to these interesting organisms. 

Lichens are certainly oddities, being neither plant nor animal. They are composites, made up of a fungus (which cannot photosynthesize) and one or more organisms that are able to photosynthesize, such as algae or certain types of bacteria. Having no chlorophyll, fungi cannot photosynthesize. Algae and cyanobacteria, photosynthesize quite well.

This partnership—seemingly a truly symbiotic relationship where both partners benefit—results in something completely different, containing properties of each. Some biologists have theorized that the fungi have actually captured the algae or cyanobacteria, in a way forcing it to photosynthesize for them. Around lichens, there seems to be more theories than answers. In any case, the partnership can survive a far wider range of environmental conditions than the individuals alone.

In any identification, it is best to start with some distinct species and then expand your knowledge base. It is also useful to group things together. There are three categories of lichens—foliose, fruticose, and crustose. Foliose lichens are leafy and generally large, with a distinct upper and lower surface. Fruticose lichens are often rounded in cross-section, with no distinct upper or lower surface. Crustose lichens are crusty, and are closely attached to the rock, bark, or whatever they are growing on.

Three lichens captured my attention early and remain my favourites. Old Man’s Beard—a fruticose lichen—is the long, stringy, pale green lichen that you find mainly growing on spruce trees. We always fashioned them into “beards” when schools came out to Macphail Woods. But it was its usage as nesting sites by Northern Parula Warblers that got me hooked. I was looking for the nesting site of a pair of these warblers when I saw the female climb into a hanging clump of Old Man’s Beard and proceed to shape the clump into her nest. 

Another that I come across quite often is the foliose Lung Lichen. There are several varieties native to PEI. It is quite common on Red Maple trees, looking leafy and green. The name Lung Lichen comes from the Greek tradition of associating the medicinal uses of an organism with the part of the body it resembles. I don’t believe that Lung Lichen was actually a cure for any lung-related problems, but the name persists.

The third common lichen that I find very interesting is another one that is easy to find and has a very descriptive name. British Soldier Lichen can be found growing across the province, in a wide variety of habitats—anything from old fenceposts and wooden shingles to dead wood and rocks. It is another fruticose lichen, usually pale grey with red “hats”, hence the reference to British soldiers.

Because lichens tend to be dry and sterile, they can be found in the nests of many birds.  The Ruby-throated Hummingbird makes its nest out of spiderwebs and tube lichens—small, grey lichens that are very common across the province.

Lichens are critical parts of our ecology. Just because we don’t notice them much, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t deserving of our attention.

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More on lichens

The Nature of PEI 

by Gary Schneider

published on Monday, January 29th, 2024, in The Buzz

https://buzzpei.com/more-on-lichens/

About a year ago I wrote a column about lichens—that strange family of interesting organisms that are neither plant nor animal.  

Lichens are certainly oddities, being neither plant nor animal. They are composites made up of a non-photosynthesizing fungus and one or more organisms that are able to photosynthesize, such as algae or certain types of bacteria.

They’re a strange family, and since we generally don’t eat them, or propagate them, or harvest them for fuel, we take them for granted. But as with many things in nature, we can’t really get excited, or even interested, in something if we have no understanding of it. I was recently out with friends on a bird walk, when one of them suggested that we learn more about lichens. While some can be a bit difficult to identify, lichens—unlike birds—do not flit around and generally do not change their appearance during the year. Anyone who has ever tried to identify one of the “confusing fall warblers” will know exactly what I mean.

Learning how to identify flora or fauna can sometimes be intimidating. There are so many clues to look for that you might feel overwhelmed and that you’ll never be able to learn anything.  Which is rubbish. I have no formal training in anything related to natural history, and if I can learn to tell a Black-capped Chickadee from a Boreal Chickadee, or a Balsam Fir from an Eastern Hemlock, then anyone can.  

So let’s look at one simple example of a lichen.

Hammered Shield Lichen sorry -- photo not available at this time -- see link

The photo above is of a Hammered Shield Lichen. First of all, lichens often have interesting and intriguing names. “Hammered Shield” is very descriptive, but so are “Old Man’s Beard” (the long, stringy lichen hanging throughout PEI woodlands) and “British Soldier Lichen” (small lichens with a bright red cap). Want more? How about “Bushy Beard Lichen” or “Pink Earth Lichen”—whoever gets to name these species must have a ball.

But back to the Hammered Shield Lichen. It is one that you will find growing in a wide variety of habitats. I’ll often find it on fence posts, wooden shingles, and occasionally on rocks but it more commonly grows on trees in our forests. It is a small foliose or “leafy” lichen, with a surface that is uneven, giving it an indented or hammered appearance. The colour ranges from silvery grey to light green, sometimes with a hint of blue.  

When I first started finding nests of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, I was a bit surprised that they were made up of spider webs on the inside and Hammered Shield Lichens on the outside. Knowing next to nothing about lichens, I assumed that it was just a convenient building material, growing throughout the forest.

Then, as I learned more—enough to become dangerous, as they say—I thought it might have something to do with the antiseptic properties that many lichens are known to contain. A recent article from The Ohio Cardinal that a friend sent me probably has a more valid reason. The authors of the report studied the nests of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and Blue-grey Gnatcatchers and found that the lichens are most likely used to camouflage the nests. The small nests are perched on branches and the lichens help keep them hidden from the eyes of hungry predators.

As we all learn more about nature, one thing clearly stands out—that we are just scratching the surface of how complicated and interconnected things are. Fortunately, the accumulation of knowledge can be a very enjoyable experience.

End of CANews for 2024-03-03

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Citizens' Alliance News -- Saturday, March 2nd, 2024

Hello, all,

"The environment is not a luxury, but a necessity for life." 

   — Jacques-Yves Cousteau

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Events:

Markets open in Summerside (9AM-1PM) and Charlottetown (9AM-2PM)

"Conversation Series with Afghan Women" Talk, 10:30-11:30AM, Charlottetown Library and Learning Centre, Queen St. Free.

The Atlantic Chapter of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan is hosting a Conversation Series with Afghan women about the human rights crisis happening in their home country of Afghanistan.

On Saturday, March 2nd, from 10:30am–11:30am, Islanders are invited to the Charlottetown Learning Library Centre, 97 Queen Street, to meet Afghan- Islander Freshta Hammati, who will be sharing her re-settlement journey. Freshta is an Afghan journalist and women’s rights activist from Afghanistan. In 2022, Freshta moved to Canada and started a new chapter of her life in P.E.I.

"This event is about raising awareness and creating connections between our community here on PEI, and the women and girls in Afghanistan," says CW4W-Afghan Atlantic Chapter Co-Chair, Stephanie Freire.

Facebook event details

Peace Walk and Rally, 2PM

"Join us for a Peace Walk and Rally in solidarity with Palestine. We'll follow the same route through the street of Charlottetown then gather for speeches at Boulder Park on Grafton St."

Lupinder's Tent by Gale Force Theatre, production for Kids, various times today and tomorrow, Breadalbine Community Hall.  20 minutes long

Darling short production in partnership with the River Clyde Pageant folks and Radiant Rural Hall, free but you must preregister as spaces are limited.

Details here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1850108732101200

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from The Washington Post, so please forgive it for having such tunnel-vision on the States, and vehicles that may not be available here.

The ‘greenest’ car in America might surprise you

A new report says a plug-in hybrid can beat out the greenest of electric vehicles 

by Shannon Osaka

published on Thursday, February 29th, 2024, in The Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2024/02/28/greenest-cars-plug-in-hybrid/

If you try to imagine a “green” car, an electric vehicle is probably the first thing that comes to mind. A silent motor with tons of torque; no fumes, gasoline smells, or air pollution belching from an exhaust pipe. Last year, U.S. consumers had over 50 EV models to choose from, up from about 30 the year before.

But a new report from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy suggests that the “greenest” car in America may not be fully electric. The nonprofit group, which has rated the pollution from vehicles for decades, says the winning car this year is the Toyota Prius Prime SE, a plug-in hybrid that can go 44 miles on electricity before switching to hybrid.

“It’s the shape of the body, the technology within it, and the overall weight,” said Peter Huether, senior research associate for transportation at ACEEE. “And all different types of Priuses are very efficient.”

It’s not the first time that a plug-in vehicle has topped the GreenerCars list; the Prius Prime also won out in 2020 and 2022. But with more and more electric vehicles on the market, the staying power of the plug-in hybrid is surprising.

The analysis shows that simply running on electricity is not enough to guarantee that a car is “green” — its weight, battery size and overall efficiency matter, too. While a gigantic electric truck weighing thousands of pounds might be better than a gas truck of the same size, both will be outmatched by a smaller, efficient gas vehicle. And the more huge vehicles there are on the road, the harder it will be for the United States to meet its goal of zeroing out emissions by 2050.

The GreenerCars report analyzes 1,200 cars available in 2024, assessing both the carbon dioxide emissions of the vehicle while it’s on the road and the emissions of manufacturing the car and battery. It also assesses the impact of pollutants beyond carbon dioxide, including nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and particulate matter — all of which can harm human health.

Combining these factors, the authors gave each car a “green score” ranging from 0 to 100. The Toyota Prius Prime received a score of 71, followed by several all-electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf and Mini Cooper SE with scores in the high 60s. The Toyota RAV4 Prime, a plug-in hybrid SUV with 42 miles in range, got a score of 64. One gas hybrid, the Hyundai Elantra Blue, made the list as well — thanks to an efficient design and good mileage.

At the bottom of the list were large gas-guzzling trucks such as the Ford F-150 Raptor R, with scores in the 20s. So was one electric car: the Hummer EV, which weighs 9,000 pounds and scored a 29.

Plug-in hybrids haven’t gotten too much attention in the race to electrify the nation’s cars. The vehicles, which can travel on electric power alone for 20 to 50 miles, have a few downsides. Drivers are forced to maintain both an electric motor and a gas-powered engine; plug-in hybrids also generally can’t be charged at super-fast charging stations. EV purists scorn them as a meager halfway step toward all-electric cars.

But for some drivers, plug-in hybrids can be a happy medium between converting to all-electric or sticking with gas. Many plug-in hybrids allow drivers to do most of their regular driving on electricity (the average American drives only about 27 miles a day) and switch over to gas for longer road trips. That allows plug-in hybrid owners to avoid wrestling with America’s complicated and faulty charging infrastructure.

The Prius Prime outranked its competitors, Huether said, because of its small battery — which lowers the emissions and pollution associated with manufacturing — and its high efficiency. The vehicle’s battery is less than one-tenth the size of the battery on the monstrous Hummer EV. That means fewer emissions in making the battery, and fewer rare minerals to mine and extract.

Jessika Trancik, a professor at MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society who was not involved in the report, said that the GreenerCars study used a standard methodology to analyze the environmental harm of cars, but that it is hard to predict how much drivers actually run their plug-in hybrids on electricity. “In the U.S., it often comes down to whether they have an easy way to plug in while they’re at home,” she said.

The GreenerCars report assumed that Prius Prime drivers were using electricity for a little over 50 percent of their driving, based on data from SAE International. For drivers with charging available at home, that might be an underestimate.

But Gil Tal, director of the Electric Vehicle Research Center at the University of California at Davis, said some studies show that drivers use their plug-in hybrids as regular hybrids, almost never charging them. That could undercut the findings from the GreenerCars report. “I don’t think the Prius Prime is the greenest,” Tal said. “If you can buy a full-electric, it’s always the best, regardless of the few points of difference here.”

As more wind and solar power are plugged into the grid, Tal added, electric cars will get cleaner and cleaner over time. “And your gas car will be worse over the years,” he said.

Huether says the most important thing is that drivers can find the most environmentally friendly option that suits them — whether that’s a plug-in hybrid, conventional hybrid or all-electric car. “Some folks are still concerned about the charging infrastructure,” he said. “But we still want them to have a very green option.”  

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Greener cars, yes, and less driving -- push for more car-free alternatives Island-wide, such as Barbara Dylla of New Charlottetown Project is focusing on in Charlottetown:

https://newcharlottetownproject.ca/better-transit-now/

and Bike Friendly Communities (formerly Bike-Friendly Charlottetown) ia working on:

https://www.facebook.com/bfcpei

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Opera Corner

Saturday Afternoon at the Opera, 2PM, CBC Music, 104.7FM.  "Listeners' Choice: Great Met Broadcasts"

Verdi's Ernani

Performance from December 1, 1962

Thomas Schippers, conductor; Carlo Bergonzi (Ernani), Leontyne Price (Elvira), Cornell MacNeil (Don Carlo), Giorgio Tozzi (Don Ruy Gomez de Silva)  

Sharing a great recorded broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera Company, while the company is on its winter break.  A Live production next Saturday.

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Chipping away at the

PEI Forestry Commission Interim Report

dated January 31st, 2024

page 9-10

Issue #6 (of 13) Sustainability of Biomass Supply

Biomass supply is a significant contributor to the forest industry in economic terms, and it provides a market for harvested wood that is otherwise non-merchantable. The provincial government and industry partners have invested significantly in equipment for biomass harvesting and transportation, and in biomass heating technology and equipment. Wood biomass is used to heat public buildings across the province and as part of the fuel mix at the Energy From Waste Plant in Charlottetown.

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DTI), Health PEI, the Public School Board, and the Commission scolaire de langue française contract four private companies to provide heat from biomass to forty-seven provincially owned buildings. Eighteen separate contracts define these arrangements. Together, these buildings consumed approximately 17,190 green metric tonnes (GMT) of biomass in 2022.

Although it is not a signatory to any of the contracts with biomass heat suppliers, five of the eighteen contracts require DEECA to complete a post-harvest audit in accordance with the Ecosystem-Based Forest Management Standards Manual and report its findings to DTI. Taken together, these five contracts represent only 38% of annual total consumption for provincially owned buildings. As currently written, the other thirteen contracts require no post-harvest audits.

The Commission has identified significant discrepancies between the contract requirements and current practice, including many instances of non-compliance. Furthermore, DEECA is unable to meet its audit obligations because there is no definition of “sustainability” or “sustainable harvest” in either the contracts or in provincial legislation.

The other significant user of biomass is the Energy From Waste plant on Riverside Drive, owned by Enwave Energy Corp., which consumes 36,000 GMT per year. The new facility it plans to build will reduce consumption to 23,000 GMT per year. In early 2023, SustainAgro Ltd. proposed to build a new facility in the Kensington Business Park to transform wood biomass into biodiesel and other products. The Commission understands that it has since withdrawn its plan to do so after submitting a request to government as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (IEA) Review process required under the Environmental Protection Act. Operating at full capacity, the plant would have consumed 40,000 GMT annually, effectively doubling provincial biomass consumption.

The Commission determined that recent developments in the biomass sector required immediate analysis. A report was released in June 2023 containing five recommendations. The Minister has responded favourably to the recommendations, but little progress has been made to date on implementing them. 

Questions for Issue #6  Sustainability of Biomass Supply

1. What should be the role of the Forests, Fish and Wildlife Division in monitoring the harvest of biomass used for heating and other purposes?

2. What system of measurement should be used to define sustainability of biomass harvesting on individual woodlots and on a province-wide basis?

3. What system of measurement should be used by the provincial government to assess applications for wood biomass projects under the Environmental Protection Act’s Environmental Impact Assessment process?

4. Should limits be placed on biomass harvesting and, if so, by what means?

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End of CANews 2024-03-02

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Citizens' Alliance News -- Friday, March 1st, 2024

Hello, all, and it's a lion of a start to March!

“We’ve been given a warning by science and a wake-up call by nature; it is up to us now to heed them.” 

     — Bill McKibben

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News of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's passing:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/brian-mulroney-passes-away-1.7130287

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Condolences to Speaker of the PEI Legislature Darlene Compton on the death ofher daughter, Katie Ann, after a battle with cancer.

obituary

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The PEI Legislature dismissed early yesterday after some comments to the tabled Budget were made, but today sit:

Friday -- 10AM-2PM

Watch online:

Legislative Assembly website:

https://www.assembly.pe.ca/index.php/

Legislative Assembly Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/peileg

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Cornell (Bird) Lab News

Friday, February 23rd, 2024 

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Great Backyard Bird Count Results

https://www.birdcount.org/bird-and-people-photos-gbbc-2024/

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Synopsis of the Provincial Budget, tabled yesterday, can be found on CBC and The Guardian, and but here is the other side of things, spending outside the Budget:

A disregard for the process

More than $325 million in late spending should have gone through legislative assembly

by Logan MacLean

published on Friday, March 1st, 2024, in The Guardian

Premier Dennis King and his cabinet have been spending millions of public money without public oversight, and the amount of extra spending has skyrocketed in recent years.  That “concerning trend” was one of the findings from the 2024 auditor general’s report, prepared by Darren Noonan and released to the public on Feb. 29.

Over the period the AG’S team examined, the province issued a series of late “special warrants” that authorized $326.7 million in spending that did not go through the budget process.

These warrants – orders from the executive council – allow government to handle unforeseen expenses when the house is not sitting. But Noonan’s report argues the province has been overusing the tool.

“We’re pretty harsh in the report,” he said in a Feb. 29 Saltwire interview. “It seems like there’s a disregard for the process, and we’ve tried to highlight it hard in this report because it has to change. There has to be a change in how finances are managed. There’s a democratic process, and that democratic process should be followed.”

In the treasury board’s policy, special warrants are considered a last resort, he said.

“It would be a situation where, late in a fiscal year, something happened that required spending that wasn’t included in the original appropriation (budget), and the house for the spring has ended or has not started yet. So, it’s really for an unbudgeted item that kind of pops up that you’re not aware of.”

Post-tropical storm Fiona or spiking inflation are examples of what the special warrants are intended for, he said.

TRENDING UP

The $326 million in late special warrants was the largest amount the office has audited, Noonan said.

Between 2014 and 2021, total special warrants ranged from $37.7 million to $67.4 million. But that leapt up to $183.9 million in 2022 before reaching $326.7 million in 2023.

The AG report includes several recommendations for problems it highlights. One way to prevent extra spending is to have more “appropriation acts” – essentially mini budgets – throughout the year.

Each year, the province votes on two budgets: one for current expenses, such as salaries and operating costs and a capital budget, for long-term projects and infrastructure.

The report suggests, when necessary, voting on a second or even third current budget as the fiscal year progresses and demands arise.

APPROVAL FIRST

Aside from the numbers, another issue Noonan pointed to was the process for issuing special warrants. The province is supposed to authorize the extra money before spending it. This has not always been happening, Noonan said.

“In the prior year, we reported that there were eight late special warrants authorized after the expenditure was incurred,” the report said. “The 26 late special warrants in the current year represent a 225 per cent increase, which is significant and reflects poor fiscal management practices.”

The report recommends correcting this, noting it has been an issue for years.

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Chipping away at the

PEI Forestry Commission Interim Report

dated January 31st, 2024

page 7-8

Issue #5 (of 13) -- Seedling Production

The provincial government began growing and planting seedlings when the Forestry Division was established in the early 1950s. In the late 1970s, seedling production moved from Beach Grove to the J. Frank Gaudet Nursery on Upton Rd. Production increased steadily during the 1980s and early 1990s, consisting almost exclusively of softwood species, the most common being white spruce, black spruce, red pine, and eastern larch. Nursery production peaked in 1993, then declined when the federal government’s financial contribution ended the same year.

Since 1993, the provincial government has covered all costs associated with seedling production, including seed orchard management, seed collection and processing, and Nursery operations. Federal funding under the national 2 Billion Tree (2BT) Program will enable the Nursery to increase seedling production by 30% from 1,000,000 to 1,300,000 by 2025. Today, 10% of the Island’s forests are in plantations, all softwood.

Figure 3 shows that the percentage of hardwood seedling production from 2000 to 2022 ranged from a low of just over 1% to a high of just over 9%.

(sorry, the graphic didn't copy)

Based on discussions with woodlot owners and FFWD staff during our four field trips, the Commission has determined that the shortage of hardwood seedlings is a major issue. Hardwoods are needed to help establish a more productive and climate-resilient Wabanaki-Acadian Forest. The Commission recognizes that hardwood seedling production is only part of what it will take to build healthier, more resilient forests. Silvicultural techniques that favour late-successional hardwoods in natural stands are just as important.

The Commission recognizes that it is cheaper to produce and establish softwood seedlings in plantations and is not advocating for the establishment of hardwood plantations. However, the objective as stated in the current Forest Policy to shift program emphasis from softwood seedling production and establishment in favour of hardwoods has not been achieved. Far from it. There is no question that woodlot owners still want this shift to take place. But there is no indication from the FFWD that the Provincial Forest Nursery’s seedling production will decline significantly from 90% softwoods in favour of hardwood species in the foreseeable future. 

Issue #5 -- Seedling Production Questions

1. What is the ideal mix of softwood and hardwood seedlings produced by the Provincial Forest Nursery?

2. What softwood and hardwood species should be grown by the Nursery?

3. What percentage of softwood and hardwood seedlings should be set aside and distributed to non-government organizations like watershed groups?

4. Should private nurseries have an opportunity to produce and sell hardwood seedlings to government?

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End 2024-03-01

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Citizens' Alliance News -- Thursday, February 29th, 2024

Hello, all, and Happy Leap Day!

A few years ago, a group of eminent Canadians got together and from their talks, "The Leap Manifesto" was put together, urging us to move forward:

“We could live in a country powered entirely by renewable energy, woven together by accessible public transit, in which the jobs and opportunities of this transition are designed to systematically eliminate racial and gender inequality. Caring for one another and caring for the planet could be the economy’s fastest growing sectors. Many more people could have higher wage jobs with fewer work hours, leaving us ample time to enjoy our loved ones and flourish in our communities.

We know that the time for this great transition is short. Climate scientists have told us that this is the decade to take decisive action to prevent catastrophic global warming. That means small steps will no longer get us where we need to go. We need to leap.”

 -- from the Leap Manifesto website

but it was pretty hard to keep the momentum going and though no one is really pushing it along, its concepts are solid, roadmaps laid out -- all the thinking has been done ;-)  

If you have a few minutes today (it is an extra day in some ways, after all), take a look at the concepts and how we can continue to work together towards its goals.

https://theleap.org/our-work/the-leap-manifesto/

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Events:

Today:

The P.E.I. Legislature starts its third day of this Sitting today from 1-5PM. The Provincial Operating Budget is to be released, after Welcomes, Question Period and the other regular events:

Watch online:

Legislative Assembly website:

https://www.assembly.pe.ca/index.php/

Legislative Assembly Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/peileg

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This week is Invasive Species Awareness Week in Canada.  Many informative postings from the PEI Invasive Species Council.

https://www.facebook.com/PEIinvasives

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Next week -- Tuesday, March 5th:

Nature PEI Meeting and Speaker, 7:30PM meeting, 8PM Presentation, Beaconsfield Carriage House, corner of West and Kent Streets, Charlottetown.  Free and all welcome.

"...Guest speaker, Tara Callaghan, will share a presentation titled ‘Moving Forward to Nature in the Rise of Artificial Intelligence’.

Tara has worked as a landscape architect for 15 years and currently operates her own practice in PEI, Haute Nature, with a primary focus on encouraging connections to nature. She also enjoys gardening and creative writing and has recently launched a blog called Renatured on Substack, dedicated to finding sanity through nature in a seemingly insane world.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines artificial intelligence (AI) as 'the capability of computer systems or algorithms to imitate intelligent human behavior'. Some say we’ve entered the fourth industrial revolution known as the Intelligence Revolution. With much attention being given to the exponential rise in AI, such as recent advancements in the brain-computer interface, Neuralink. Tara believes a healthy counterbalance to the AI hype lies in deepening our awareness of Natural Intelligence.

Tara’s talk will take a brief look at previous technological advancements and their relationship (or lack thereof) to nature, and how a revolution in our abilities to connect to nature is more needed than ever before...."

More info:

Facebook event notice

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Opportunity for young bird-keen person:

Long Point Bird Observatory in Port Rowan, Ontario, is now accepting applications for its 2024 Young Ornithologists’ Workshop.  There are costs but are subsidized somewhat.  Dates:

August 4-11 and August 18-25

"If you are between the ages of 13-17, have a strong passion for birds and science, and are looking for an adventure of a lifetime this summer, please visit our website.

Applications will be accepted until April 30th."

More info on the programs:

https://www.birdscanada.org/discover-birds/training-and-workshops

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Two wonderful PEI Farmers!

Celebrating Organic Leaders at ACORN 2024

ACORN 2024 Honors Organic Farming Trailblazers

by Ray Douglas

published on Monday, February 26st, 2024, at Small Farm Canada

https://www.smallfarmcanada.ca/news/celebrating-organic-leaders-at-acorn-2024/

The ACORN Conference and Trade Show, held in Truro, NS, on February 18-19, 2024, was a significant gathering for the organic community in Atlantic Canada, attracting around 120 participants keen on advancing sustainable agriculture.

This event offered a blend of activities, from engaging group discussions and a communal potluck to informative lectures, showcasing the latest in organic farming research and innovation.

Central to the event's success were the presentations of the Gerrit Loo Memorial Achievement Award to Brian MacKay of Crystal Green Farms, (Bedeque,) PEI, and Wayne Edgar of North of Nuttby Farms, NS. These awards, named in honor of Gerrit Loo, a pioneer in organic farming from PEI, recognize outstanding contributions to the organic community in Atlantic Canada.

Left: Brian and Kathy MacKay; Right: Wayne Edgar (ACORN)

Brian MacKay's work at Crystal Green Farms, alongside his partner Kathy, exemplifies innovation in organic vegetable and grain production, including on-farm milling for organic flour. His leadership has been pivotal in several areas, including water use policy, soil carbon sequestration, and organic market development.

Similarly, Wayne Edgar's successes at North of Nuttby Farm have significantly impacted the organic sector, notably through his role in establishing Organic Nova Scotia, which champions the province's certified organic producers.

These recognitions underscore the vibrant spirit and commitment within the organic farming community in Atlantic Canada. The ACORN Conference not only celebrates individual achievements but also fosters a collaborative environment for sharing knowledge and experiences.

By highlighting the contributions of individuals like MacKay and Edgar, ACORN encourages ongoing innovation and advocacy in organic agriculture, inviting others to join in shaping a sustainable food future.

The ACORN Conference epitomizes the collective endeavor to enhance sustainable farming practices, emphasizing the importance of community, knowledge exchange, and recognition of those who lead the way in organic agriculture.

-30-

Brian and Kathy have vegetable stands at both Charlottetown and Summerside Farmers' Markets, run weekly very seasonal and wide-variety CSA boxes, and are just the most wonderful people one could have growing their food.

------------------

Chipping away at the

PEI Forestry Commission Interim Report

dated January 31st, 2024

Issue #4 (of 13) -- Managing Public Forests

The Forests, Fish and Wildlife Division (FFWD) manages approximately 33,600 hectares (83,000 acres) of public forest land on some 1,400 individual properties, distributed as follows:

• Natural Areas 5,533 hectares 

• Wildlife Management Areas 6,219 hectares 

• Provincial Forests 14,928 hectares 

• Demonstration Woodlots 607 hectares 

• Other forested areas 6,351 hectares 

Areas designated under the Natural Areas Protection Act are managed in accordance with plans that are passive in nature. Wildlife Management Areas are generally treated similarly although a limited degree of active forest management is permitted. Provincial Forests, Demonstration Woodlots, and other forested public lands are managed more actively based on management plans prepared by FFWD staff who consider them “working forest”. 

The Auditor General’s January 2023 report determined that FFWD “…does not manage Public Forest Lands in accordance with legislation and policies”. More specifically, the Auditor found that management plans required under the Forest Management Act are not in place. The Auditor determined that management plans are prepared when interventions such as harvesting are required. However, according to the Auditor, follow-up assessments of work completed were done only 59% of the time. The FFWD has responded to the Auditor’s report by stating that it “…has been moving toward more forward-thinking and strategic landscape-based plans that incorporate ecological rather than human-made boundaries”. The Commission has not been provided with any examples of these new strategic landscape-based plans. 

The Commission toured several public forest properties managed by the FFWD. These tours were led by staff of the Field Services Section who have primary responsibility for managing Provincial Forests, Demonstration Woodlots, and other forested areas, and by staff of the Fish and Wildlife Section who have primary responsibility for managing Natural Areas and Wildlife Management Areas. We concluded that the FFWD lacks the resources required and does not have the financial and human resource capacity to meet its responsibilities under the current Forest Management Act. 

The Commission has considered whether government should lease or transfer individual parcels or blocks of forest land to non-profit groups and First Nations but has not reached a conclusion in this regard. At present, the only active lease of public forest land is between the FFWD and the Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project, and it involves 817 hectares in southern Queens and Kings Counties. The parties have yet to conduct a formal evaluation of the arrangement although it has been in place for several years. 

In other provinces, there is a long history of private companies leasing public forest for the purpose of active management and revenue generation. Such has not been the case here. 

Questions -- Issue #4 -- Managing Public Forests

1. How much emphasis should be placed on revenue generation on Provincial Forests, Demonstration Woodlots, and other forested areas? 

2. Should the Forests, Fish and Wildlife Division be provided with additional resources, financial and human, to manage the 33,600 hectares it is responsible for? 

3. Should more public forest be leased or transferred to non-profit groups and First Nations and, if so, what degree of oversight should government maintain over the use of the land? 

4. Should the province assist with the management costs, including road building and maintenance, and contribute funding to cover liability issues where public forest is leased or transferred to nonprofit groups and First Nations? 

5. Should the provincial government lease public forest to private companies?  

-30-

END OF CANews 2024-02-28

--------------------------

Citizens' Alliance News -- Wednesday, February 28th, 2024

Hello, all,

“Polar bears are amazing animals that have evolved to thrive in some of the harshest conditions on Earth.”

       – Dr. Ian Stirling

------------------

The P.E.I. Legislature starts its second day of this Sitting today from 1-5PM.

Watch online:

Legislative Assembly website:

https://www.assembly.pe.ca/index.php/

Legislative Assembly Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/peileg

--------------------------

Speaker's ruling:

Maintaining the status quo

Liberals keep official Opposition status after Green byelection win earlier this month

by Stu Neatby

published on Wednesday, February 28th, 2024, in The Guardian

https://www.saltwire.com/prince-edward-island/news/pei-liberals-to-remain-official-opposition-after-seat-tie-with-greens-100942579/

P.E.I.’S Liberals will retain their status as the official Opposition at the Coles building.

In a statement before the P.E.I. legislative assembly on Feb. 27 on the opening day of the spring sitting, Speaker Darlene Compton told MLAS that a tie of three seats apiece between the Liberals and Greens would not displace the Liberals from their Opposition status.

A byelection win in the riding of Borden-kinkora on Feb. 7 by Green candidate Matt Macfarlane brought the total number of seats held by that party to three, the same number the Liberals won during the April 2023 provincial election.

Green interim Leader Karla Bernard had appealed to Compton that her party should ascend to the official Opposition status due to the higher vote proportion of the vote won by the Greens in the 2023 election. Bernard had also argued the Greens had held Opposition status from 2019 to 2023 and that a change would produce minimal disruption in terms of caucus staff between the two parties.

Liberal interim Leader Hal Perry had argued that his party should retain its status as Opposition, based on past precedence in similar ties that occurred in other Canadian legislatures.

In her ruling on the matter, Compton noted that the rules of the P.E.I. legislative assembly had no provisions to guide her decision.

But Compton noted previous rulings on tied seat counts in New Brunswick in 1994 and in the House of Commons in Ottawa in 1996 had favoured maintaining the incumbent party that won Opposition status in a general election.

Compton stated that while the circumstances in P.E.I. currently may be different from past seat ties in other legislative assemblies, “deviation is not justified in this instance" from past precedence.

As a result, Compton ruled that the Liberals would retain their status as the official Opposition.

The winter sitting of the legislature will continue for the coming weeks.

-30-

She also told the two Opposition Parties that she would keep Question Period the same timing, but if they worked together on another timing compromise, she would be open to it, noting they hadn't come to an agreement and had asked for her ruling.

--------------

And a smidge more politics, from Paul MacNeill

Against the Tide

Where is the Urgency to Solve Major Issues?

by Paul MacNeill

published on Wednesday, February 28th, 2024, in The Graphic publications

https://www.peicanada.com/eastern_graphic/where-is-urgency-to-solve-major-issues/article_4c48414e-d570-11ee-8fac-d3de78373936.html

We expected a home run. What the King government delivered for the dual issues of record population growth and a chronic housing crisis is equivalent to a batter frozen at the plate watching as strike three screams by.

Strategies for both were long promised and longer delayed. So, when Ministers Jen Redmond and Rob Lantz delivered, a day apart, five-year strategies there was hope the inertia slowly creeping throughout the administration would be shaken aside.

Nope.

We expected urgency; we got platitudes. We need bold, but with few exceptions, get existing programs wrapped in typically flowery language. Neither strategy offers a cognizant road map to success.

The population strategy is particularly embarrassing. It is built on three pillars: 1) 25 per cent reduction in the annual number international immigrants PEI nominates for potential citizenship. In 2023, 2,400 internationals were invited, the vast majority working in service and hospitality. Priority will now be shifted to doctors, nurses, construction workers and those whose skills are in high demand. The shift will be particularly hard on PEI restaurants. 2) Utilization of computer modelling to help frame future policy direction across government. 3) A whole of government response, largely built around a committee of deputy ministers. Yawn. (This is a go-to strategy when governments want to appear to be taking a particular issue seriously).

The population strategy could have been written on the back of a napkin and delivered years ago. Why it was delayed this long is baffling, but indicative of a bureaucracy that simply doesn’t get it.

The housing strategy is marginally better but fails both the test of boldness and urgency.

The Housing Corporation was given the almost impossible task last August of researching, prioritizing and planning potential solutions for a massively diverse spectrum of housing needs. It’s no surprise it too is recommending a whole government response (yawn, again).

The challenge with this type of recommendation is it relies on senior management who have repeatedly said ‘no, we can’t do that’ in the search for solutions to a generational challenge.

The housing crisis was already an issue in 2019 when the PCs came to power. Yet the administration’s response thus far has been anemic, save for Matt MacKay’s brief tenure when he, through brute force of will, drove forward a plan for needed temporary shelters in Charlottetown.

The issue is much larger, however, than emergency shelters. The report talks of increasing supply of government owned housing but makes no mention of 300 apartment units sold last year by Killam and CAPREIT that government didn’t buy.

It was an historic opportunity to establish true social housing that would benefit low, middle and middle upper income earners. Social housing, in the Vienna sense, controls rent to between eight and 12 per cent of income, meaning a lot of after-tax dollars are spent elsewhere.

Why do we need to think about true social housing? Because for the first time, a generation of Islanders will not benefit from the generational transfer of wealth home ownership affords. To make it worse, this generation is saddled with ‘affordable’ rents well north of $2,000 per month, which can easily exceed 30 to 40 per cent of income.

It is a system that makes little sense, except for the bottom line of apartment developers who receive subsidies - lasting 10 to 15 years - to include affordable units in new construction. No criticism of any developer, but it is not a solution that will solve any long-term housing issue.

Rather than act, Minister Rob Lantz and his department, with a long history of narrow thinking and lack of vision, dawdle. The opportunity was lost.

Dawdling is dogging the King government in every direction.

Growth is vital but because successive governments have failed to build the necessary supports, our provincial infrastructure is stressed to the max. 2023 was the breaking point. The population increased by 6,700, a record percentage, but housing starts were the lowest since 2018.

In both strategies, government fails to offer any short-term benchmarks to gauge success. As an example, it talks of working toward building the 2,000 homes required per year but sets no goal for when it will be achieved.

It is typical bureaucratic butt-covering.

It’s one thing to say you will be bold. It’s quite another to actually be bold.

Health care, housing and labour force are issues screaming for leadership. But the only thing bold government delivered last week is the expectation that Islanders will believe the smoke and mirrors it is selling.

Paul MacNeill is Publisher of Island Press Limited. He can be contacted at paul@peicanada.com

-30-

----------------------------

A lot of interesting photos, and information about a non-invasive way of researching polar bears, by collecting "environmental DNA" or eDNA from their footprints and all.

From World Wildlife Fund Canada:

https://wwf.ca/stories/field-notes-following-polar-bear-footprints/

------------------

It's not Groundhog's Day, but I am repeating Issue #3 (Encouraging Better Private Woodlot Management) as requires a bit of thought (and I even didn't get through it and make comments yesterday)

Chipping away at the

PEI Forestry Commission Interim Report

dated January 31st, 2024

Issue #3 (of 13) -  Encouraging Better Private Woodlot Management

  The provincial government began offering technical and financial assistance to woodlot owners in the early 1980s. The current version, the Forest Enhancement Program (FEP), provides forestry-related advice and financial assistance to woodlot owners to help them manage their woodlands for recreation, forest products, wildlife habitat, forest restoration and forest health, as well as for other reasons and values. 

Woodlot owners begin by connecting with an FEP forester or forest technician who works in their area and, once their application is approved, they have a forest management plan prepared by a private sector forest consultant. After the plan is approved by the FEP forester or forest technician, the woodlot owner can start work on recommended treatments or employ a qualified forest contractor. In either case, the work must be done to the required minimum standard to qualify for financial incentives under the FEP. Government funds up to 70% of the estimated cost for many, but not all, recommended treatments. The property owner is responsible for the remainder as well as any cost overruns. 

In prescribing and assessing work done on private woodlots, FEP staff follow the Ecosystem-Based Forest Management Standards Manual, a technical document used to guide silviculture prescriptions.

The Commission conducted a review of the Provincial Public Accounts from 2001 to 2022 and used the Bank of Canada’s inflation calculator to adjust total FEP spending for inflation. Figure 1 shows that grants to woodlot owners have declined steadily from a high of $1.45 million in 2004 to $0.72 million for the year ended March 31, 2022, a 50% reduction.   

(Two figures are shown, the first showing a decline graph of funding for the FEP, and the second a pie chart showing majority softwood funding. Please go to page 4 of https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/sites/default/files/publications/towards_a_new_forest_policy_for_prince_edward_island.pdf to see the figures)

These figures highlight two important points: 

1. Grants to woodlot owners under the FEP have declined significantly and continue to decrease; and

2. FEP spending has been heavily weighted toward softwood plantations and treatments.

 According to the FFWD, the decline in grants is explained by several factors, the first being FEP budget cuts over the years. Another important factor is the shortage of contractors for certain treatments, particularly those that do not involve clearcutting.   

  The Commission believes several other factors are responsible for the decline in FEP activity:

 1. Woodlot owners are not contributing financially for treatments other than planting, and this has had a negative impact on the total FEP budget; 

2. The Ecosystem-Based Forest Management Standards Manual is not flexible enough to take into account the diverse nature of our forests; 

3. The FEP does not offer incentives for needed woodlot infrastructure, e.g., boundary lines, roads, bridges, skid trails, and landing sites; 

4. Too much clearcutting is done outside the FEP, either because of the rigid guidelines, the main one being the restriction on clearcuts over 2 ha, or woodlot owners’ lack of awareness of the FEP; 

5. The significant reduction in tree planting has resulted in a corresponding decline in spending on plantation maintenance; 

6. FEP incentives are seen as not being as generous as they once were, and this has affected interest on the part of contractors in doing the work; 

7. Woodlot owners are preferring to work with natural regeneration as opposed to plantations, and this has resulted in a decline in demand for FEP grants; 

8. Although Fiona has increased interest, there seems to be a lack of awareness of the FEP; 

9. Not enough hardwood seedlings were made available by the Provincial Nursery to meet demand; and 

10. There is a shortage of private sector consultants to prepare woodlot management plans. 

The FEP has been the keystone of the forestry program and is seen by woodlot owners, environmental groups, and the forest industry as essential to the future health of our forests. The FFWD has been delivering the program for more than forty years. The technicians and foresters who work directly with woodlot owners and forest contractors have developed strong relationships with both and a wealth of experience. The Commission believes the essential elements are in place to achieve the goals of the 2006 Forest Policy and future versions of the policy, but some things must change for that to happen.  

QUESTIONS for ISSUE#3:

  1. What measures should government take to encourage a better balance between hardwood treatments and softwood treatments (plantations and silviculture) to achieve the goals of the Forest Policy? 

2. Should government increase incentive rates for certain treatments, such as hardwood planting and maintenance? 

3. Should the Forest Enhancement Program be expanded to offer incentives for needed woodlot infrastructure? 

4. Should new silviculture treatments be added and, if so, which ones? 

5. Does the Forest Enhancement Program reflect all the values of private forests and, if not, what values should be encouraged through financial incentives? 

6. Are there other ways to encourage private woodlot management?  

-30-

------------------------------------

Some background links:

PEI Government's Forest Enhancement Program page:

https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/service/forest-enhancement-program-fep-forestry-services-for-private-forest-land-owners

-----------------------

Here is a link to the informative PEI Woodlot Owners Association website, with their recent newsletters, an event next weekend, and a "Who We Are" box:

https://peiwoa.ca/

And while all the articles are interesting, the Spring 2023 issue contains an expansive and readable article on mushrooms.

End of CANews for 2024-02-28

--------------------------------------------

Citizens' Alliance News -- Tuesday, February 27th, 2024

Hello, all,

"We cannot be mere consumers of good governance, we must be participants; we must be co-creators."

     --- Rohini Nilekani

------------------

Events:

Opening of the PEI Legislature, 1PM, Coles Building or online.

Today the business will include welcoming everyone, including newest MLA (Green Party) Matt MacFarlane, representing District 19:Borden-Kinkora, the Speaker's (Darlene Compton) ruling on Official Opposition status, times for Questions, and possibly office resources, and probably a lot of Bills being introduced.

The Legislative sitting is

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 1-5PM

Friday 10AM-2PM

Watch online:

Legislative Assembly website:

https://www.assembly.pe.ca/index.php/

Legislative Assembly Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/peileg

--------------------------

Here are links to two CBC articles (one print, one 3-minute video) on the Official Opposition ruling to come, and on beginning this Sitting, from CBC PEI's Kerry Campbell.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-opposition-status-speaker-1.7124079

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2312171075917

------------------

If you saw this already, then perhaps pass it on to someone who hasn't.  CBC PEI made this Point of View video with a 75 year old Island man experiencing homelessness and of him simply relating his experiences. (2 1/2 minutes)

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2312132163641

-------------------------------------

New Parks Next Door

15 New Provincial Parks to be Designated, Two Expanded

published on Wednesday, February 14th, 2024, from NS Government communications

adapted from:

https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2024/02/14/15-new-provincial-parks-be-designated-two-expanded

Nova Scotians will soon be able to enjoy 15 new provincial parks and more space at two others.

These designations of Crown land will put the Province more than halfway to its commitment of having 205 provincial parks, part of the parks and protected areas plan.

“Nova Scotia is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and we are taking significant steps to protect this beauty for generations to come,” said Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables. “These parks help protect biodiversity and give Nova Scotians more places to get outside and enjoy nature.”

The new and expanded parks include natural landscapes and cultural heritage. They are home to a wide variety of plants and animals. They also provide outdoor recreation and educational opportunities.

Under the designations, most of the parks will be managed as natural environment parks so their unique environmental and cultural heritage can be protected.

Quick Facts:

• the designations will cover about 1,150 hectares

• designating Crown lands furthers the Province’s goal of protecting 20 per cent of Nova Scotia’s land and water mass by 2030

• some survey work and administrative steps are necessary before the designation is complete; this is common when designating parks and protected areas

• once fully designated, the new parks will be added to the provincial parks website

Additional Resources:

Our Parks and Protected Areas: A Plan for Nova Scotia: https://novascotia.ca/parksandprotectedareas/pdf/Parks-Protected-Plan.pdf

Provincial parks website: https://parks.novascotia.ca/

News Release – Owls Head Provincial Park Designation: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2022/06/14/owls-head-provincial-park-designation

News release – New Provincial Park Designations in Antigonish County: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2022/10/18/new-provincial-park-designations-antigonish-county

News release – Carters Beach to be Designated as Provincial Park: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2023/11/29/carters-beach-be-designated-provincial-park

Collaborative Protected Areas Strategy: https://www.novascotia.ca/nse/protectedareas/docs/collaborative-protected-areas-strategy-en.pdf

Natural Resources and Renewables on X (formerlyTwitter): https://twitter.com/NS_DNRR

New and expanded provincial parks:

• Ainslie Point, Inverness County

• Black Duck Cove, Guysborough County

• Cape George, Antigonish County

• Cookville, Lunenburg County

• False Bay, Richmond County

• Five Islands, Colchester County (expansion)

• Gaspereaux River, Cape Breton County

• Herring Cove, Halifax County

• Jerry Lawrence, Halifax County (expansion)

• MacKenzie Beach, Pictou County

• Merigomish, Pictou County

• New Harbour, Guysborough County

• North Mountain, Annapolis County

• Orangedale, Inverness County

• Pomquet, Antigonish County

• Tor Bay, Guysborough County

• Uisge Ban Falls, Victoria County

-------------------------

A big issue to go through today --- we may take a second day tomorrow to give it some more time for people to think and scribble comments somewhere.

chipping away at the

PEI Forestry Commission Interim Report

dated January 31st, 2024

Issue #3 (of 13) -  Encouraging Better Private Woodlot Management

  The provincial government began offering technical and financial assistance to woodlot owners in the early 1980s. The current version, the Forest Enhancement Program (FEP), provides forestry-related advice and financial assistance to woodlot owners to help them manage their woodlands for recreation, forest products, wildlife habitat, forest restoration and forest health, as well as for other reasons and values. 

Woodlot owners begin by connecting with an FEP forester or forest technician who works in their area and, once their application is approved, they have a forest management plan prepared by a private sector forest consultant. After the plan is approved by the FEP forester or forest technician, the woodlot owner can start work on recommended treatments or employ a qualified forest contractor. In either case, the work must be done to the required minimum standard to qualify for financial incentives under the FEP. Government funds up to 70% of the estimated cost for many, but not all, recommended treatments. The property owner is responsible for the remainder as well as any cost overruns. 

In prescribing and assessing work done on private woodlots, FEP staff follow the Ecosystem-Based Forest Management Standards Manual, a technical document used to guide silviculture prescriptions.

The Commission conducted a review of the Provincial Public Accounts from 2001 to 2022 and used the Bank of Canada’s inflation calculator to adjust total FEP spending for inflation. Figure 1 shows that grants to woodlot owners have declined steadily from a high of $1.45 million in 2004 to $0.72 million for the year ended March 31, 2022, a 50% reduction.   

(Two figures are shown, the first showing a decline graph of funding for the FEP, and the second a pie chart showing majority softwood funding. Please go to page 4 of https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/sites/default/files/publications/towards_a_new_forest_policy_for_prince_edward_island.pdf to see the figures)

These figures highlight two important points: 

1. Grants to woodlot owners under the FEP have declined significantly and continue to decrease; and

2. FEP spending has been heavily weighted toward softwood plantations and treatments.

 According to the FFWD, the decline in grants is explained by several factors, the first being FEP budget cuts over the years. Another important factor is the shortage of contractors for certain treatments, particularly those that do not involve clearcutting.   

  The Commission believes several other factors are responsible for the decline in FEP activity:

 1. Woodlot owners are not contributing financially for treatments other than planting, and this has had a negative impact on the total FEP budget; 

2. The Ecosystem-Based Forest Management Standards Manual is not flexible enough to take into account the diverse nature of our forests; 

3. The FEP does not offer incentives for needed woodlot infrastructure, e.g., boundary lines, roads, bridges, skid trails, and landing sites; 

4. Too much clearcutting is done outside the FEP, either because of the rigid guidelines, the main one being the restriction on clearcuts over 2 ha, or woodlot owners’ lack of awareness of the FEP; 

5. The significant reduction in tree planting has resulted in a corresponding decline in spending on plantation maintenance; 

6. FEP incentives are seen as not being as generous as they once were, and this has affected interest on the part of contractors in doing the work; 

7. Woodlot owners are preferring to work with natural regeneration as opposed to plantations, and this has resulted in a decline in demand for FEP grants; 

8. Although Fiona has increased interest, there seems to be a lack of awareness of the FEP; 

9. Not enough hardwood seedlings were made available by the Provincial Nursery to meet demand; and 

10. There is a shortage of private sector consultants to prepare woodlot management plans. 

The FEP has been the keystone of the forestry program and is seen by woodlot owners, environmental groups, and the forest industry as essential to the future health of our forests. The FFWD has been delivering the program for more than forty years. The technicians and foresters who work directly with woodlot owners and forest contractors have developed strong relationships with both and a wealth of experience. The Commission believes the essential elements are in place to achieve the goals of the 2006 Forest Policy and future versions of the policy, but some things must change for that to happen.  

QUESTIONS for ISSUE#3:

  1. What measures should government take to encourage a better balance between hardwood treatments and softwood treatments (plantations and silviculture) to achieve the goals of the Forest Policy? 

2. Should government increase incentive rates for certain treatments, such as hardwood planting and maintenance? 

3. Should the Forest Enhancement Program be expanded to offer incentives for needed woodlot infrastructure? 

4. Should new silviculture treatments be added and, if so, which ones? 

5. Does the Forest Enhancement Program reflect all the values of private forests and, if not, what values should be encouraged through financial incentives? 

6. Are there other ways to encourage private woodlot management?  

-30-

END of CANews for 2024-02-27

--------------------

Citizens' Alliance News -- Monday, February 26th, 2024

Hello, all,

"An understanding of the natural world and what's in it is a source of not only a great curiosity but great fulfillment."

    -- David Attenborough

------------------

Tuesday, February 27th:

Opening of the PEI Legislature, 1PM, Coles Building, Charlottetown.

This page has a nice summary of some Assembly details, and a link to a pdf of the 2024 Calendar for the Legislative Assembly:

https://www.assembly.pe.ca/index.php/legislative-business/rules-parliamentary-calendar-and-daily-routine

Beaconsfield Historic House Friday night small concerts continue in the month of March, with 15 seats per performance.  More info here:

https://www.eventbrite.ca/cc/beaconsfield-winter-concert-series-2898889

--------------------------

Atlantic Skies for Monday, February 26th to Sunday, March 3rd, 2024

by Glenn K. Roberts

Does the Milky Way Galaxy Exist in a Void?

If you recall, in a couple of articles a few weeks ago, I wrote about the structure of the universe. In those articles, I used the analogy of the universe as an immense room filled with countless, criss-crossing cobwebs, stretching between the walls, floor, and ceiling. I referenced the webs as being wide in some areas, thin in others, and, at times, forming relatively dense clumps where they intersect one another. The "cobwebs" in the article were analogous to the massive streams, threads, walls, and sheets of galactic filaments stretching throughout the universe, giving it its structure and form. I also spoke of "voids" between the filaments, walls, and sheets of galaxies.

When we think of a void, we rightly envision an empty area encased by some form of matter, i.e., the surrounding matter serves as a boundary to the void. However, in reality, a true void (an area devoid of anything and everything) only exists within a laboratory vacuum chamber, in which nothing, not even air molecules, are present. When astronomers and astrophysicists talk about voids in relation to the structure of the universe, they are talking about the huge spaces, which they refer to as "cosmic voids'', between the galactic filaments that comprise the structure of the known universe. These cosmic voids may contain only a few or no galaxies, as most galaxies are gravitationally-bound together into massive cosmic structures that are, as previously noted, identified as galactic filaments. Although these voids contain approximately 15% of the mean matter density of the universe - a ratio of the number of galaxies per unit of galactic volume, versus the total mass of the matter within a unit of volume - they, for all intensive purposes, appear empty to the common observer.

Voids were first studied during the 1960s and 70s, when astronomers began identifying superclusters and voids in their research into the distribution of galaxies throughout the observable universe. Since then, astronomers have identified a huge number of voids in the surrounding cosmic neighbourhood. If you would like to see a detailed list of the larger voids identified to date, go to https://en.wikipdia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_cosmic_structures#List_of_largest_voids.

Cosmic voids are believed to have formed during the early stages of the universe's expansion (i.e., "the Big Bang"), when fluctuations in the density of the universe's visible baryonic matter (i.e., composite subatomic particles), caused by acoustic density waves in the primordial plasma present in the early universe, created baryon acoustic oscillations. When the regions of higher plasma density collapsed faster due to the effect of gravity, the end result was the large-scale, cosmic web-like formations of voids and galactic filaments that astronomers see today.

In 1987, astronomers R. Brent Tully (b. 1943) from the University of Hawaii's Institute of Astronomy, and J. Richard Fisher (b. 1943) at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA discovered that, while our Milky Way Galaxy is surrounded by other galaxies and cosmic structures, the local universe surrounding the Milky Way Galaxy is approximately 15 - 50% less dense than other surrounding areas. They found that the Milky Way Galaxy actually sits at the edge of an extensive, nearly empty region of space, an area they named the "Local Void". They also discovered that this Local Void is composed of three separate sections separated by galactic filament bridges. 

As mentioned above, though they may appear "empty" to most observers, voids are not typically totally empty of galaxies, though the actual number present may be low. There are, in fact, five galaxies within the Local Void: the two dwarf galaxies Pisces A and Pisces B, located 18.4 million light years (Mly) and 30 Mly away, respectively, within the constellation of Pisces - the Fish; NGC 7077, a compact dwarf galaxy, located 56 Mly away in the constellation of Aquarius - the Water-bearer; NGC 6503, located 17 Mly away in the constellation of Draco - the Dragon; and NGC 6789, located 12 Mly away, also in Draco.

Our Milky Way Galaxy occupies a spot within a large, flat array of galaxies known as the "Local Sheet" - a region of space wherein the Milky Way Galaxy, the other members of the Local Group, and a number of other galaxies occupy an area approximately 23 Mly in radius x 1.5 Mly in thickness, all sharing a similar velocity. The Local Group is composed of the Milky Way Galaxy, the Andromeda Galaxy, and a number of smaller dwarf galaxies which are gravitationally-bound the the Milky Way Galaxy and the Andromeda Galaxy; the Local Group is itself part of the much larger Laniakea Supercluster. The Local Sheet is part of what is referred to as the "Local Volume" - a collection of more than 500 galaxies located in a section of the observable universe in the Virgo Supercluster; the Local Sheet constitutes one galactic wall (a region of space with a typical mean density of matter abundance) of the Local Void.

As astrophysics has now established, our universe is expanding at an increasing rate.  While the exact velocity rate of the universe's expansion is hotly debated (it is a very complicated computation), the most recent indication is that, for every 3.3 Mly/1 megaparsec (Mpc)/ 3 billion trillion km that a galaxy moves away from us, it appears to be moving at approximately 74 km/sec (266,000 km/hr) faster, give or take 2.5km/sec/Mpc. As the universe expands, the cosmic structures which give form to the universe, and the voids within the cosmic structures also expand, and will continue to do so until the massive galactic filaments that constitute the overall cosmic form are stretched to the point where they break apart into smaller structures. It is now known that the speed of the Milky Way Galaxy, its larger galactic neighbour the Andromeda Galaxy, and the smaller surrounding dwarf galaxies in the Local Group deviate from the overall speed of the universe's expansion by as much as 600 km/sec (2,160,000 km/hr). 

Tully and Fisher theorized that at least half of this deviation is the result of a combination of the gravitational pull of the nearby Virgo Supercluster of galaxies, as well as the innate expansion of the Local Void itself, as it grows larger due to the expanding universe. In 2007, based on his studies of the dwarf galaxy ESO 461-36 situated within the Local Void, Tully discovered that the Local Sheet was moving away from the Local Void at approximately 260 km/sec (936,000 km/hr), indicating that the Local Void was not only huge, but was itself expanding. While the exact dimensions of the Local Void are not known, the current estimate puts it at approximately 45 Mpc or 150 Mly across, and possibly as large as 150 - 300 Mpc or 495 - 990 Mly in size, beginning at the edge of the Local Group. While our Milky Way Galaxy isn't situated in the depths of the Local Void, it certainly occupies a spot in its suburbs; who knows, perhaps in a few billion years, as the universe continues its unrelenting expansion, it may move further downtown.

Jupiter (mag. -2.3, in Aries - the Ram) remains, yet again this coming week, the sole bright planet readily visible in the night sky, becoming visible shortly after 6 p.m., 50 degrees above the southwest horizon as darkness falls, before sinking towards the horizon and setting just before 11:30 p.m. Jupiter is joined by Uranus (mag. +5.8,  just above Jupiter in Aries) by about 7 p.m., before it, too, drops towards the horizon and disappears from view by about 12:15 a.m.  Mercury (mag. -1.1, in Aquarius - the Water-bearer), at superior solar conjunction on Feb. 28, is too close to the Sun to be observed. Venus (mag. -3.9, in Capricorn - the Sea Goat) and Mars (mag. +1.3, in Capricorn) are also not visible, with Venus no higher than 5 degrees above the southeast horizon at dawn, and Mars only 1 degree above the horizon at dawn this coming week. Saturn (mag. +1.0, in Aquarius), recently passed behind the Sun (superior solar conjunction), and is only 2 degrees from the Sun at dawn. Likewise, Neptune (mag. +8.0, in Pisces - the Fish), moving towards solar conjunction, is currently 19 degrees from the Sun, and not visible.

Until next week, clear skies.

Events:

Feb. 28 - Spica, the brightest star in Virgo - the Maiden) 1.5 degrees south of the Moon

Mar.   3 - Last Quarter Moon

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chipping away at the

PEI Forestry Commission Interim Report

dated January 31st, 2024

Issue #2. Maintaining Forest Area

According to the 2020 State of the Forest Report, 43.2% of the province’s total area is forested. Of this, 85% is natural forest, 10% is plantations, and 5% is classified as “regenerating”. Total forest area decreased to 245,919 hectares (ha), a 0.7% decline since the last estimate in the 2010 State of the Forest Report. Forested land has been in a steady decline since 1990 when it covered 280,017 hectares, a reduction of 12.2% in 2020.

The next most prominent feature in the landscape is agricultural land, which represents 37.6% of the province’s land area. Since the previous estimate in 2010, the area of land in agricultural production decreased by 1,100 hectares or 0.2% per cent. The area of abandoned agricultural land decreased slightly over the ten-year period to just under 22,000 ha.

One of the main pressures resulting in the loss of forest land is development, primarily residential. Only 20% of the province is subject to municipal land use planning and it is unlikely that this will change significantly over the next ten years. Even in municipalities that have land use plans, the likelihood that forest land will be protected against development is low.

The province’s Net Zero Framework states that government will work closely with woodlot owners to protect forest land. How exactly this will be accomplished is not clearly stated and there have been no significant policy or program announcements since the Framework was released in February 2022. The FFWD (Forests, Fish and Wildlife Division of the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action)  estimates that, of the 28,387 ha of land that is protected on Prince Edward Island, 67% is forested.

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The Commission believes there are only three ways to protect privately owned forest land against loss to other uses:

1. Strict zoning of forested land to prohibit any change of use;

2. Financial incentives to woodlot owners that include restrictions sufficient to preserve forest land; and

3. Restrictive covenants on forested land that will prevent it from changing to another use.

--------------------------

(this is the part to copy and paste and put in your thoughts today:)

QUESTIONS -- Issue #2  Maintaining Forest Area

1. What should municipal governments do to protect forested land within their boundaries?

2. Until a province-wide land use plan is in place, what can the provincial government do to protect forest land against development?

3. Could watershed groups play a role in forest protection through a program like the Agri-Watershed Partnership*?

* You can read more about the Agri-Watershed Partnership here:

https://peiawp.com/about/

End of CANews -- 2024-02-26

-----------------------

Citizens' Alliance News -- Sunday, February 25th, 2024

Hello, all,

"If we pollute the air, water and soil that keep us alive and well, and destroy the biodiversity that allows natural systems to function, no amount of money will save us."

     — David Suzuki

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Events:

Tuesday, February 27th:

Island Lecture Series and Book Launch: The Bridge Effect with Laurie Brinklow, Andrew Jennings, and Janice Pettit, 7-8:30PM, UPEI, SDU Faculty Lounge.   Presented by the Institute of Island Studies.  

More info:

https://islandstudies.com/2024/01/26/island-lecture-series-and-book-launch-the-bridge-effect-with-laurie-brinklow-andrew-jennings-and-janice-petit%ef%bf%bc/

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Cornell Lab / Bird Academy offers courses online, not cheap, one ot two free, and with a discount on a few of them now. 

Details here:

https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/

gorgeous photos to advertise the courses!

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Some good listening from David Suzuki (at least I think so, I haven't listened to them all), recorded during the pandemic, series of five podcasts, about 50 minutes each, and a short trailer at the beginning:

https://davidsuzuki.org/podcast/#editor-3

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good opinion piece

Car-Crazy Canada

by Adrienne Tanner

published on Saturday, February 24th, 2024, at Canada's National Observer's Newsletter

https://mailchi.mp/nationalobserver/car-crazy-canada-1967086?e=f35f175d62

Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s environment and climate change minister, has his heart in the right place. What he said recently about the federal government moving away from huge new road developments makes total sense from a climate point of view. More roads will simply further snarl traffic in cities and increase planet-heating carbon dioxide emissions from gas-burning cars. Mass public transit and organizing cities so people can walk or cycle to where they need to be is indisputably the best way to move folks around and reduce emissions.

He’s also correct that electric vehicles are not a total solution. They suck up precious minerals dug out of the earth and mining, even when done safely, is an inherently destructive pursuit. And I don’t know about you, but for me, getting stuck in a traffic jam of EVs, even though less polluting, is certainly just as aggravating. 

So, yes, to frequent, safe transit and great sidewalk and bike lane networks. 

And yet, from a pure politics perspective, the environment minister’s comments were extremely ill-timed. Guilbeault has for months been battered by premiers and First Nations leaders of all political stripes over his signature climate policy, Canada’s carbon pricing system. As the popularity of the tax falls, the more efforts by Guilbeault’s opponents to paint him as an out-of-touch climate zealot take hold. His comments on backing off road development gave his enemies a perfect opportunity to pounce. 

Guilbeault came to politics after a stint as an environmental activist with Greenpeace and he makes no apologies for putting climate first. But there are times, and this was one of them, when his remarks sound too prescriptive and fail to account for the vast differences in lifestyles of Canadians, particularly those who don’t live in big cities with attractive transit alternatives.

A couple of years back Canada’s National Observer wrote a series on climate solutions underway by Canadian cities. Winnipeg was trying to expand its rapid bus system and interviews with passengers about freezing in frigid temperatures waiting for a bus that was running late brought back my memories of growing up in Edmonton. I remember the burning pain in my toes and fingers waiting for buses that at best ran every half hour and at off peak, were sometimes an hour apart. It was no fun and as soon as I could scrounge up enough money to buy a car, I did. 

Nor did Guilbeault’s comments about EVs reflect the fact his government is still offering enticements for consumers to purchase EVs, investing billions into battery plants for EVs and courting manufacturers. If we don’t think they are a big part of the solution, you could forgive people for questioning:Why is Canada doing all this in aid of the industry?

What was wrong about Guilbeault’s comments was not so much the words themselves but their timing and the politics of the day. To be fair, he was speaking at a public transit conference so he would have tailored his remarks for a transit-friendly crowd. But the desire to drive, own a private vehicle and access roads to travel on are baked deep into the Canadian psyche. Any real or perceived attack on either is not a winning strategy. 

-30-

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chipping away at the

PEI Forestry Commission Interim Report

January 31st, 2024

Issue #1. Legislative Framework  

The following Acts and Regulations make up the legislative framework as it relates to forests and forestry (the science or practice of planting, managing, and caring for forests) on Prince Edward Island: Forest Management Act, Forest Fire Protection Act, Public Forest Council Act, Forest Renewal Program Regulations, Forest Fire Protection Regulations, and Provincial Forests Regulations. The Forest Fire Protection Act and the Forest Fire Protection Regulations are outside the scope of the Commission’s terms of reference.

The Forest Management Act became law in 1988 and has not been updated significantly since. In 1997, government introduced amendments to the Act to legislate a Forest Contractors Code of Practice, but the amendments were withdrawn in 1998 in response to woodlot owner and industry opposition.

The Act authorizes the Minister to develop and release a Forest Policy, to establish a Forest Improvement Advisory Council, to release a State of the Forest Report every ten years, to assist woodlot owners to manage private forest land for “the sustained production of forest products”, to manage public forest land in accordance with five-year management plans, to sell forest products from public forests, and to purchase forest land and dispose of it through lease or sale.

The Act defines “best end use” as “the utilization of trees or the management of forest stands to favour the production of trees of sufficient dimensions and quality to produce either peeler logs for veneer or logs for saw timber or otherwise to procure the highest value to the province”. While the Act empowers Executive Council to make Regulations covering several areas, only the Forest Renewal Program Regulations and the Provincial Forests Regulations were ever adopted.

The Public Forest Council Act created a public forest council “for the purpose of stimulating and fostering public discussions on the wealth creation potential of Provincial Woodlands primarily in the areas of nonconsumptive and non-traditional uses of the forest resource”. The Council has been inactive for several years and there is no plan to reactivate it because it was deemed by the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action (DEECA) to be ineffective in achieving the Act’s objectives.

The Forest Management Act, as currently written, does not contain a preamble, a statement defining its general purpose and aspirations in plain language. The Act also fails to consider the rights of First Nations or the impact of climate change. It has a very narrow definition of how forests contribute to societal values, it lacks clarity on the process for developing and producing regular updates of the Forest Policy and the State of the Forest Report, and it contains an outdated model of how the Forests, Fish and Wildlife Division should be structured to deliver on its obligations.

QUESTIONS on Issue #1 – Legislative Framework -- for the public to consider and provide feedback to the Commission (so copy and paste this somewhere, answer what you can or want to, and keep your list to send or present to government):

1. How should the purpose(s) of the Forest Management Act be defined within its preamble section?

2. What powers should the Minister have over the management of forests on private and public lands?

3. How frequently should the Minister update the Forest Policy and the State of the Forest Report and what information should these reports contain?

4. Should the Forest Management Act’s management and conservation objectives be aspirational or operational, or both?

5. Should a ministerial advisory body be created under the Forest Management Act and, if so, what should its role be?

6. What government programs should be included and defined in the Forest Management Act?

7. Should the Forest Management Act be expanded to promote all values provided by our forests (i.e., economic, environmental, social, cultural) and, if so, how? 

-30-

Copying and pasting these questions (and the next issues) and filling in your answers would work as a spreadsheet, too! 

End of CANews  for 2024-02-25

---------------------------

Citizens' Alliance News -- Saturday, February 24th, 2024

Hello, all,

"It is difficult for the common good to prevail against the intense concentration of those who have a special interest, especially if the decisions are made behind locked doors."

   --- Jimmy Carter

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-----------------------------------

breaking into the

PEI Forestry Commission Interim Report

January 31st, 2024

Today -- what they are doing, why, and how they are meeting with people:

very slightly adapted from the introduction of 

"Towards a New Forest Policy for Prince Edward Island" (link above)

Since its formation in February 2023, the Forestry Commission has held seven meetings and taken four field trips. The Commission has obtained input from environmental groups and industry representatives and has had several briefings from staff of the Forests, Fish and Wildlife Division (FFWD).

The Commission released a report on the Sustainability of Biomass Utilization in June 2023 and one on Improving the Success of Hardwood Seedling Production and Establishment in September 2023.

The Commission’s terms of reference call for it to “Assist the Department to develop a new Forest Policy for Prince Edward Island”.

In this regard and from what we have learned to date, the Commission has determined that the best first step in the process is to develop and release this discussion paper outlining a holistic view of what we believe are the key issues facing our forests and the forestry sector currently.

To stimulate public input, this paper briefly outlines each of the issues and poses several questions the Commission will address in its final report.

The Commission intends to hold public meetings in locations across the province and will use other means to obtain public input, including focus groups, social media, and written responses through our website.

The Commission has identified thirteen key issues:

Issue #1. Legislative Framework

Issue #2. Maintaining Forest Area

Issue #3. Encouraging Better Private Woodlot Management

Issue #4. Managing Public Forests

Issue #5. Seedling Production

Issue #6. Sustainability of Biomass Supply

Issue #7. Woodlot Owner Organization

Issue #8. Forest Industry Support

Issue #9. The Role of Forests in Carbon Capture

Issue #10. Forests and Quality of Life

Issue #11. Preserving Natural Forest

Issue #12. Encouraging More Resilient Forests

Issue #13. Increasing Our Readiness for the Next Fiona

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The public meetings will be in March and April, six locations across the Island (so, good, but not as good as Horace Carver's whistle-stops for the Lands Protection Act review), and have a survey but also have an email and other coordinates for public input.  They hope to have their work near completion by the end of 2024.

The Commission chair is Jean-Paul Arsenault, and the other members are: 

Marcel Arsenault, Abram-village

Reg Conohan, Cardigan

Jerry Gavin, Northport

Matt Hughes, Kelly's Cross

John MacQuarrie, Charlottetown

Dr. Kathy Martin, Stanhope

Keila Miller, Souris

Krystal Pyke, Charlottetown

Gary Schneider, Stratford

Zora Wendt, Breadalbane

Sarah Wheatley, Suffolk

Randy Angus, Mi’kmaq Confederacy of PEI 

--------------------

And since there may be time for some extended reading today, a long piece from yesterday's Guardian; extra credit points for Dr. Michael Gardam for still giving a gardam to offer his thoughts on how the province can improve health care, taking into account the decisions it's made:

What’s next for medical school?

Best way forward rests with challenging the assumptions surrounding UPEI'S new faculty

by Dr. Micheal Gardam 

published on Friday, February 23rd, 2024, in The Guardian

https://www.saltwire.com/prince-edward-island/opinion/dr-michael-gardam-pei-medical-school-whats-next-100941098/

This past week, UPEI and Health P.E.I. received the final report from Spindle, the consulting group tasked with examining what impact of the medical school will have on the P.E.I. health-care system. Having co-sponsored this report along with UPEI when I was CEO of Health P.E.I., I have been anxiously awaiting its findings.

For the Islanders who are going to flip through the report or hear about it in the media, there are a few key things to keep in mind. These predictions are for the direct costs of the medical school, not the indirect, secondary costs.

INDIRECT COSTS

For example, for every doctor that the system needs to hire to teach or backfill someone who is teaching, we need to account for their office space, the surrounding team of other health professionals, procedure spaces, operating room time, equipment and more. None of these costs are in the estimates.

This is important because these costs far outweigh the cost of the doctors alone. For example, it gets very expensive to hire surgeons as they need a large team for them to be able to do their job, they often need expensive equipment and, of course, they need operating room time, which would require Health P.E.I. to build more operating room spaces. Capital builds of new operating spaces can easily cost hundreds of millions of dollars. It is perhaps helpful to think of the costs detailed in the report as a best-case scenario, with much steeper costs required by the health system to ensure that the medical school can function as proposed.

FUTURE VACANCIES

Another key point to remember, is that this report does not account for Island population growth, the large number of physician vacancies we already have, and the future vacancies we will have due to retirements and resignations.

For these estimates we have the health intelligence report (a.k.a. the Peachey report) from last year which determined that Health P.E.I. needs to hire hundreds of doctors over the next several years with a huge emphasis on recruiting family medicine specialists to provide the access that Islanders need. It is important to note that even if we are able to recruit all these doctors, we again have to recruit the rest of the team and find spaces for them to practise.

Spindle also gives us a glimpse into where the students will be trained, with a sizable percentage of their training likely being done in other health authorities out of province (although they, too, are suffering significant doctor shortages). As I have said before, the more training done off-island, the more the argument for an Island-based school weakens.

BINARY BIAS

With the release of the report, the messages from UPEI and government have not wavered: that there is no other option but to have a Upei-based school; that no Canadian medical school has ever failed; that Island doctors will like teaching; that new doctors are lining up to come here; that studying the requirements of the healthcare system to support a school without compromising patient care are not required; and that things will all work out without a careful plan in place.

Organizational psychologist Adam Grant discusses this type of “binary bias” in his book, “Think Again.” He describes how we often seek clarity and closure by simplifying complex ideas into one of two choices — the zerosum game that I talked about in my previous opinion piece (Fast-tracked medical school deserves scrutiny, Jan. 18). This has led UPEI to speak only positively about the medical school, when clearly nothing can be only positive (or negative for that matter). This drives those with concerns into an “against” camp when of course, something as complex as a medical school rests on a continuum of good and bad.

Our way forward clearly rests with challenging the assumptions and decisions being made. The university’s absolute statements are the elephants in every room I have been in where these plans have been discussed, and they are not going to go away based on simple reassurances.

The vast majority of Canadian medical schools were founded a century (or two) ago and at a very different time when Canadian healthcare had far fewer challenges. None have been introduced into such a small, struggling system during the worst health human resources crunch the country has ever seen, all in a setting of rapid population growth, and with little to no physician consultation.

Even the often-cited Northern Ontario School of Medicine was created in a far larger province, in partnership with far larger medical institutions and communities and after many years of study and consultation. Their students can be trained in Northern Ontario and don’t need to leave the region.

DOCTOR BURNOUT

Of course, there were other options to address physician shortages besides an Islandbased school, and I have mentioned these in my previous opinion piece. To say there were not is simply being disingenuous.

Of the teaching that will occur on Island, every minute will detract from clinical care. Having taught medical students and residents for decades, I can say with certainty that teaching slows you down. Trainees only start to become to be a help in terms of improving patient flow near the end of their residency training. Less time for Island doctors to see patients means less access for Islanders, there is no other way around it. And the idea that they could somehow add teaching on to their already overwhelming responsibilities given how short-staffed they are, is a non-starter as it will burn out our doctors faster and discourage others from moving to the Island.

Finally, assuming that there are doctors who will want to come to P.E.I. because of the medical school, I feel confident there are many-fold more who are already here who are worried about the potential impact of the school on the care that they can provide.

MOVING FORWARD

With all of this new information in hand, Islanders are far closer to being able to understand what has been committed to and they will need to ultimately decide whether the current plan is in their best interests or whether it needs to be rethought. If the decision is to move forward, then we must move far beyond the current justifications and reassurances and get into the planning of how this can reasonably be done. We need to move from the “what” we are going to do, to “how” are we going to do it.

The inaugural dean, Dr. Preston Smith, was quoted in this paper (A degree from MUN, Feb. 13) as saying “physician engagement is critical. You’ve got to do that first before you make your decision.”

I completely agree, and as an academic who has taught physicians and executives on how to lead complex change initiatives both nationally and internationally, I can say that this step has been missed. To be fair, Dr. Smith has not even officially started his role yet, and I have to assume that physician engagement will be Job 1.

RECRUITMENT CHALLENGES

Last week our health minister detailed the challenges facing the recruitment and retention team at the Department of Health and Wellness on Compass. Simply put, we are short of the very people who we need to hire the clinical people we are short of. A sadly ironic blow to recruitment was the hiring of the director of recruitment and retention into a different role by the medical school last fall. I believe this situation is an emergency that cannot be dealt with in the usual, plodding fashion.

I have been running out of sport analogies lately, but we need a full course press, a 5 on 3, a blitz, to bring the hammer, to fundamentally reform how we hire, and we need it now, akin to how this province admirably dealt with COVID-19. We cannot possibly hire the number of people that we need to make both Health P.E.I. and the medical school a success with the way things are currently.

Again, the government historic approach has been to defend and attack rather than acknowledge the problem, so the minister’s recent comments are a welcome first step.

This challenge should not be personal, and no one can lay all the blame at the feet of the current government, given how long these issues have been going on. That said, it is their problem now and it is urgent.

BETTER OR WORSE

My former financial colleagues will rightly say that we need to calculate the full costs of bringing our medical services up to speed for Islanders to understand what we are up against. Investing in the direct costs of the medical school alone without providing the hundreds of millions of dollars to get Health P.E.I. to where it needs to be is pointless: simply transferring the funds detailed in the Spindle report to UPEI will not be helpful on their own.

We must ask ourselves, what recent residency graduate would want to practise on the Island in a system that is in worse shape than it is now? All the money ultimately comes from one place: tax dollars.

When I co-commissioned the Spindle report, my hope was that it would shift the unhealthy debate from good or bad, to a continuum of better or worse. With the Spindle and the health intelligence reports, Islanders now have what they need to thoughtfully debate and decide whether to support moving this complex project forward. Although I no longer have any role involving healthcare in this province, I care deeply about our system and our health-care providers. I understand why Islanders are angry about the state of our health-care system. Please, no more platitudes, justifications, and obfuscation and start having meaningful conversations.

Dr. Michael Gardam of Stratford, P.E.I., is the former CEO of Health P.E.I.

-30-

END CA News 2024-02-24

---------------------------------

Citizens' Alliance News -- Friday, February 23rd, 2024

Hello, all,

"I love the forest. It is the place where you hear yourself better."

   --- Fahadh Faasil

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Phillips Feed Store Wild Bird Food and Feeders Sale goes today and tomorrow, store open today 8AM-5PM, and Saturday 8AM-12noon, 18 Exhibition Drive, Charlottetown.

Discount on wildbird-related items.  They support Island Nature Trust annually.  

Facebook event details

--------------------------

Chriscross cufflinks

My links were all garbled yesterday.  Sorry about that!

The CBC Good Question podcast on the P.E.I. Legislature should be:

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/194-p-e-i-pulse/episode/16043811-question-period-how-does-p.e.i.s-house-work

------------------------------------

If you have time out of the rain and such in the next few days, before the Legislature begins Tuesday, here is the link to the Standing Committee Meetings Video Archives, if you were interested in watching Robert Ghiz on telecommunications, or Dr. Gardam, UPEI Faculty Association on the medical school, etc.

The search goes by committee and year, and when you get choices of meeting dates, if you hover, it reminds you of the topic that day.

I hope it works, and we could share a list of dates worth checking out.  Start here:

https://www.assembly.pe.ca/committee-archive

--------------------------------

Not super news on Monarch butterflies, from Bedeque Bay Environmental Management Association (BBEMA), from their social media posting:

Latest Monarch Butterfly Update! The World Wildlife Fund just released the 2023-2024 population counts. Only 2.2 acres were occupied in Mexico's forests during the winter season – a 59% decrease from last year's 5.5 acres. This marks the second-smallest area recorded since 1993. Scientists link this decline to climatic variations in breeding areas, causing high temperatures and drought. These factors impact milkweed abundance, the butterflies' essential egg-laying plant, especially in the monarch butterfly flower corridor. Land-use changes and herbicide use add to the challenge, leading to a significant loss in milkweed plants.

Monarchs still have hope! BBEMA is dedicated to planting more swamp milkweed, building more monarch waystations, safeguarding breeding areas, and tagging monarchs. Join the cause! Interested in creating a monarch waystation? Email Sara@bbema.ca for more info!

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Too much wood heating P.E.I. government buildings is from unsustainable sources: documents

'We can’t continuously clear land. After a while, you’re going to run out of forest.'

by Laura Chapin

published on Saturday, February 17th, 2024 at CBC PEI

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-biomass-wood-fiona-aftermath-1.7115244

Gary Schneider, a member of P.E.I.'s Forestry Commission, is concerned that provincial buildings are being heated with wood not harvested in a way that sustains the province's current amount of forest. (Brittany Spencer/CBC)

Documents that CBC News P.E.I. received through Freedom of Information show a large amount of the wood being used to heat more than 40 provincial buildings has come from forests that were cleared to become housing or farmland. 

The Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Change provided more than 400 pages of emails, data and reports dated from May 2019 to January 2023. They cover a period when the Dennis King government was choosing to expand the number of buildings being heated with biomass, or organic matter from plants that's used as fuel. 

One report in the documents revealed that 86 per cent of the wood one contractor used between 2015 and 2018 came from land conversion — forests cleared for farmland or for housing.

That concerns Gary Schneider, manager of the MacPhail Woods Ecological Project and a member of the province's Forestry Commission. 

"It can't be sustainable, because we can't continuously clear land," he said. "After a while, you're going to run out of forest." 

During tours he took with the commission last summer, Schneider learned that some watersheds already have very little woodland around them. For example, he said, only about 17 per cent of the land in the Kensington area is still forested. 

A January 2021 email from Kate MacQuarrie, the director of Forests, Fish and Wildlife, echoes Schneider's concerns. 

"In essence, the province's biomass initiative is making conversion of forested land to agriculture more economically viable for the landowner," she wrote.  

MacQuarrie predicted that the 2020 State of the Forest inventory would show a decrease in total forest area on P.E.I., and critics would point to the conversion of wood to biomass for heating as a contributing factor. 

That report, released in late December, did reveal a 1.7 per cent decline in P.E.I.'s forested area from 2010 to 2020, and said cutting down forests to create farmland and land for housing was a contributing factor.

During that time period, 45 per cent of deforestation has been from land clearing. The report recommends limiting land conversion in future to protect P.E.I. forests. 

Sustainable harvest for biomass crucial 

When the Liberal government of Robert Ghiz started using wood to heat provincial buildings in 2008, the aim was to reduce reliance on furnace oil. A promise was made that only wood that had been harvested sustainably would be used in the low-emission wood-burning boilers.

When Dennis King's Progressive Conservative government announced in 2019 that it was expanding the program, a contractor said all the wood was being sourced sustainably. Schneider took exception to that, and asked officials to prove it was true. 

The documents obtained by CBC News show it wasn't.

"At the moment, we have no information on the feedstock for biomass," MacQuarrie wrote in an October 2019 email.

A short time later, officials told government and industry people involved in biomass to stop saying the wood was from sustainable sources. 

A Forestry Commission report highlighted recently that the province doesn't even have a clear definition of what it means when it says wood is harvested sustainably, and called for that to change. 

Only using waste wood, 1 contractor says

Wood4Heating is one of four contractors helping heat provincial buildings using biomass, according to the documents — and it's the only contractor that responded when CBC News asked for an interview.

The Charlottetown company supplies biomass to heat 20 provincial buildings, including the Community Hospital in O'Leary, the P.E.I. Correctional Facility and a number of schools. 

President Detlev Elsner told CBC News they use only waste wood that can't be turned into anything else. 

Elsner hasn't seen the documents, but he did say it is possible Wood4Heating was the contractor that got 86 per cent of its wood from land clearing from 2015 to 2018. He doesn't see that as a problem. 

"The people clear the land already. We don't pay a farmer for that wood," he said. 

Elsner said if companies like his don't use that wood, the landowner will get a fire permit and burn it on site, creating more greenhouse gas emissions than would be emitted by the wood-burning boilers in the provincial buildings. 

"We use that to heat a school, or a manor or whatever building it is."  

Since 2019, provincial biomass contracts have included a 20 per cent limit on wood coming from land cleared for agriculture. Elsner doesn't agree with that limit, saying the wood should be used to provide energy if it's available.

Improvements over time

The documents show there have been some improvements. In a January 2023 email, P.E.I.'s new Forest Auditor estimated that about half of the wood used in 2021 had come from sustainable sources, although at least a third of the wood was still coming from forest cleared to provide land for agriculture or housing. 

Elsner questions that figure, and would like to know how that estimate was reached. In a statement sent for this story, the province said the Forest Auditor is preparing a report on his findings. 

Elsner said it would be helpful for the province to outline which forestry methods are acceptable and then do spot audits to make sure contractors are in compliance, similar to spot checks done on health and safety practices at restaurants. 

"You have to have certain forest practices, you have to out-front declare which one you use, and then afterwards just verify it in whatever way the province deems suitable," he said.

Biomass good for Net Zero goals, says province

A month ago, CBC News asked the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Change for an interview on issues related to the documents released — either a department official or the minister. That request was declined. 

In a statement sent to CBC News in lieu of an interview, department officials said 47 buildings are now heated with biomass, and there has been a freeze on adding more until the traceability and sustainability questions are worked out.

"All new builds and new retrofit projects in buildings like schools will have net zero-ready heating sources, such as geothermal," the statement said.

As well, it said that officials are reviewing existing contracts to see if it's possible to standardize sustainability requirements. 

Despite the challenges, provincial officials said there are positives. The statement said heating with wood can displace 5.6 million litres of fuel oil annually, which translates to a 15,300-tonne reduction in greenhouse gas emissions — something that is a positive contribution to P.E.I.'s goal of being net zero for such emissions by 2040.

-30-

The PEI Forestry Commission's report on Biomass, here:

https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/publication/sustainability-of-biomass-utilisation-issue-analysis-by-the-pei-forestry-commission

And the PEI Forestry Commission interim report has 13 key points, which we'll go through day-by-day, starting tomorrow  :-)

END 2024-02-23

The Citizens' Alliance of P.E.I. has a daily e-news letter of Island environmental and democratic events and articles.  Read the lasted edition of Chris Ortenburger's "CA News" as well as  some back issues here , with some Archived newsletters at this website, or have it delivered straight to you inbox by emailing citizensalliancepeiATgmail.com  (substitute @ for the AT)

Background

The Citizens' Alliance of Prince Edward Island was formed by people who came together in 2012 to "Stop Plan B"  -- a misguided, bloated highway project through a beautiful wooded and pastoral part of south-central P.E.I.  Though the government of the day ignored determined democratic opposition including creative protest and built that road, a group of Islanders forged an alliance to be a public voice for positive change...and we welcome you to join us.

We encourage active and ongoing debate regarding the choices for which we, both as individuals and as a community, must ultimately be responsible.  As a sort of "watchdog", (we were "WatchPEI" while being citizen environmental monitors of the Plan B project), we hope to guard and warn; specifically to guard what makes the quality of life on this island so desirable, and to warn of pressures that may bring about its demise.

The purpose of this site is to build capacity for this work—to make it easier for people to bring about change by sharing resources, skills and information.