Rumours, allegations and public shaming on social media have been rampant during the COVID-19 lockdown, according to Kitimat Mayor Phil Germuth. The focus of the fury has been on local industries — including the LNG Canada terminal, Coastal GasLink pipeline and Rio Tinto aluminium smelter — that have been deemed essential services and continue operating.
In a series of recent posts circulating on Facebook, locals from the Kitimat and Terrace areas shared images of industry workers out in public and at grocery stores, allegedly breaking physical distancing, to express concern about the potential for non-locals to transmit coronavirus to the broader community.
But some of the posts don’t paint a full picture of how industry is operating and may be spreading false information, Germuth told The Narwhal.
“Starting or spreading rumours may provoke panic and raise stress levels amongst people in our community and region during a time that emotions are already very elevated,” the mayor wrote in an email.
“Additionally, we have released communications encouraging people in Kitimat to gently, politely and respectfully remind each other about the need to practise effective physical distancing techniques rather than trying to shame people on social media.” Germuth said people should only trust information from official and credible sources to avoid spreading rumours. Yet social media posts continue to creep up, leaving some residents questioning the validity of both sides in a sea of angst.
Amid confirmed work site COVID-19 case, tensions grow
Roiling anxiety and a desire to take action is understandable given the circumstances, Terrace-based community counsellor Cheryl Gray told The Narwhal.
Gray said people in smaller communities, such as those in the North, feel they have a responsibility to keep their circles informed as they’re closely connected to one another and face similar challenges.
In the midst of the provincial lockdown, Gray said people are relying on details from their neighbours to formulate a better understanding of the situation.
“I think with the fear of the unknown, we grasp onto anything because things are changing so quickly and there’s so much that we don’t know and people just want to replace that with something that seems true,” Gray said. However, some of those fears have sprouted from reality. On March 28, LNG Canada notified workers that an employee at its Kitimat facility had tested positive for coronavirus after experiencing mild symptoms. The individual had immediately returned to their home to self-isolate, the company said in a letter, adding that no one staying at its lodges has tested positive.
The day prior, the company had announced it was reducing its workforce by 65 per cent, limiting the use of fly-in fly-out workers and cutting the number of workers staying in work camps from approximately 1,800 to 590. When The Narwhal requested an interview, LNG Canada responded with a link to its FAQ page.
The site of the LNG Canada project in Kitimat B.C. in 2017. Photo: Garth Lenz / The Narwhal
A video published on Facebook by the Unist’ot’en Camp,with filming marked on March 20 and April 1, showcases Coastal GasLink workers not practicing physical distancing or fully understanding procedures.
Coastal GasLink did not respond to The Narwhal’s request for an interview but provided details via email that its workforce numbers have declined to approximately 300 people, primarily locals at various locations across the 670-kilometre route, who are said to be now following COVID-19 company protocols.
The company said it has no comment “about social media posts or opposition videos and cannot confirm their authenticity.”
In a recent Coastal GasLink construction update, the company said only 43 workers had stayed at their workforce accommodation site, Little Rock Lake Lodge, along Section 5 during the month of March.
Overall, 72 per cent of the route has been cleared between Dawson Creek area and Kitimat, with an approximate total of 130 workers to occupy accommodation sites during the stall.
Emily Laidlaw, University of Calgary associate professor of law, recently told the CBC that naming and shaming can be a powerful source of public good, such as when members of the public call out a company for bad behaviour.
“It’s a strangely complicated area right because we actually rely on shame sanctions all the time,” Laidlaw said. But, she added, it’s crucial to have all the facts on hand. “Do we actually know what’s happening on the ground to know if they really are complying or not? Or is it just the perception of [wrongdoing]?”
“We just need to calm down with the disproportionate ‘take him out’ mentality that we’re seeing right now online that’s not helping anybody,” Laidlaw said.
As of April 16, there were 32 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Northern Health region.
Small towns with big industries that rely on out-of-town workers and contractors can exacerbate an innate fear of “outsiders” that can rise up in times of crises, said Gray, the Terrace community counsellor. Tensions can be particularly pronounced for those who may, for political or values-based reasons, oppose the work of those industries.
“I can see that here, especially with those who may have opposed industry [in the first place],” she said. “Then there’s already that baseline of people not being happy with them being here.” Rio Tinto BC Works spokesperson Kevin Dobbin said he’s noticed workers from Quebec have been targeted and suggests it might relate to broader political issues.
“There’s some labour relations [issues],” he said. “Some of the locals don’t like the contractors.”
The outpouring of public concern has industry and local leaders working to combat both reasonable fears and baseless speculation amid an uproar of inaccuracies.
‘Busload of people’ accusations false: Rio Tinto
One widely shared image on Facebook on April 4 shows a work camp bus parked in front of the Walmart in Terrace — which had some users convinced an entire busload of workers, possibly exposed to coronavirus from Quebec, swarmed into the store.
Dobbin debunked the rumour and told The Narwhal that only three workers were on that bus to practise physical distancing.
“Today, social media is rapid, and people are very nervous and anxious. I can understand, but it’s just too bad people aren’t looking at the facts,” explained Dobbin, noting his company’s office was flooded with calls regarding that event.
“The fact is that people from Kitimat, three of them, went up on a 47 passenger bus to get groceries in Terrace. They don’t have vehicles because they are contractors living in apartments.”
According to Rio Tinto, only a handful of employees were brought in from Quebec while others were brought in from other locations in B.C. Many of the Quebec workers were already in Kitimat when the pandemic hit and have agreed to stay on until the end of May when the company will re-evaluate the situation.
“There were 27 people on turnaround when we made that decision in March so out of that 27, two or three have trickled back in a week … and will stay with us for the next couple of months,” he said.
Currently, Rio Tinto has approximately 1,000 employees and nearly 400 contractors on site working on various projects, Dobbin stated, emphasizing the vast majority of the workforce is local.
In Kitimat, residents continue to post photos of buses dropping off contractors at homes in residential neighbourhoods. One picture posted on April 5 shows a cluster of workers sitting outside an apartment building, drinking and smoking, according to the user.
In reference to the image and concerns raised in the post, Dobbin said Rio Tinto is urging employees to practise physical distancing outside of work.
“We are working really hard with them to self-isolate when they’re not at work,” he said. “We have spoken to those employees and said, ‘You need to respect all physical distancing all the time.’”
Other posts mention workers showing symptoms of COVID-19 are being treated by health-care workers in protective suits.
Those posts are somewhat true, Dobbin said, as Rio Tinto now approaches every potential case with safety precautions. However, he added, this does not mean the employees tested positive for the virus and represent a threat to the community.
Premier John Horgan visiting the Rio Tinto smelter in October of 2017. Photo: Province of B.C. / Flickr
‘I’m so scared and stressed out’
Germuth said employers have been asked to “refrain to the greatest extent possible from bringing workers from outside of the Kitimat-Terrace area into our community,” but Rio Tinto has recently flown in contractors from SL&B in Quebec to complete their pot-relining project at the smelter.
Rio Tinto considers pot-relining as crucial maintenance at the smelter, Dobbin said. If stalled, it can take months to resume.
The decision to fly in the SL&B workers, even after non-essential travel was discouraged by all levels of government, doesn’t appear to be entirely supported by the community. Dobbin said 100 non-locals were hired to work on the project alongside 149 local residents.
Posts spread online that workers from Quebec immediately entered a Rio Tinto work site without quarantining upon arrival in Kitimat.
One user, who appears to work with SL&B for Rio Tinto in Kitimat, wrote that after being told by a supervisor about the non-local workers’ arrival, he was scared for his life “and [for] the people I live with.”
“The company I work for sure don’t care for us employees,” wrote the worker, who did not respond to The Narwhal’s request for an interview. “I’m so scared and stressed out.” The post was then shared by another user to Rio Tinto’s Facebook page.
Employees who returned to work had to complete a health-screening questionnaire before leaving their home base and a screening with a medical contractor on arrival at the Northwest Regional Airport in Terrace, he said. Martin McIlwrath, Unifor Local 2301 president representing Rio Tinto workers, said they didn’t know about the matter until it was flagged by dozens of members.
“That was very, very concerning for us. We weren’t aware that was still happening, especially on the scale that it was … that group of workers they were bringing, were coming in from Quebec, which most people know is a hotspot in Canada for COVID-19 because it has the most cases,” he said, adding that he would like to see more local workers trained to do these jobs instead. Since mid-March, Unifor has been in regular discussions with Rio Tinto to monitor safety regulations and ensure workers feel comfortable at work or are compensated accordingly if a leave is necessary. As a result of these meetings, for example, workers now start shifts in slots to avoid high-density gatherings and have been assigned a core team to help minimize their range of contacts.
McIlwrath said the labour movement has been a part of the community since 1957 and have a record of victories against Rio Tinto, which they will not hesitate to challenge throughout the pandemic.
Rio Tinto’s Kitimat smelter facility. Photo: Rio Tinto
On April 7, Rio Tinto announced its decision on Facebook to stop travel for all fly-in fly-out workers for its smelter until at least the end of May, with the exception of emergency and critically essential travel that must be approved by the general manager and subject to a risk assessment. This announcement was made within a week of the union formally noting its concern.
“We are confident this additional precaution will enable us to better protect our community during the COVID-19 pandemic, while we progress on our pot-replacement project,” reads the Facebook post, which also encourages locals to apply for positions with SL&B.
Dobbin added there are no regulations from the BC Centre for Disease Control requiring interprovincial travellers to self-isolate — unless they are symptomatic or have been identified as a close contact of a confirmed case. For McIlwrath, the only accurate way to screen outside workers is actually testing them for COVID-19 as the current screenings in place can easily bypass asymptomatic carriers of the coronavirus. He understands the community’s anxiety and wants to see tight measures carried on.
“People are anxious, they’re worried, they’re very concerned,” McIlwrath said. “Some people feel the controls are too much and other people feel like they’re not enough.”
“It’s a balancing act for sure, but I’d rather see people overreact than under… I’m not willing to sacrifice one of our members.”
Kitimat and Terrace mayors remain supportive
Despite social media criticism, community leaders have not expressed concerns about industry continuing.
Germuth commended the local industries “for the proactive measures they have taken to protect our community and their employees.”
Terrace Mayor Carol Leclerc told The Narwhal via email that “for the local people still working on the project, it keeps paycheque dollars circulating through our businesses.”
She notes if people have concerns about industry, they can reach out to their industry contacts to express them.
For Gray, she said shaming people online has become popular over the years and isn’t surprised to see a surge during these times.
“There’s no reason for me to think that it would stop now, especially when it might come down to something like life or death,” she says. “People might be a little more firm about that stuff or be more aggressive [in sharing it].”
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The District of Kitimat is home to Rio Tinto and LNG Canada, which are industrial projects considered essential services during the coronavirus lockdown. Photo: Province of B.C. / Flickr
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill
It was July 2018, and Michael Avenatti was considering a presidential run. Anyone can consider running for president, I suppose. It’s just that when the lawyer for Stormy Daniels and cable news mainstay did it, important people — theoretically important, at least — in the press took it seriously.
CNN’s Jim Scuitto had Avenatti on to talk about it, and make a bit of a campaign pitch for himself, on July 4. The next day, CNN’s editor-at-large Chris Cillizza, one of the more prominent writers for the website back then, published a piece of analysis with the headline “President Michael Avenatti? Never say never!”
And sure, why not. Avenatti was riding high at the time. A couple months earlier, he was being pitched, according to the New York Times, for a “Crossfire”-like show with Anthony Scaramucci, the rapidly-defenestrated former Trump communications director, by mega-agent Jay Sures, who represents top CNN talent like Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper. Maybe that’s why Avenatti became so ubiquitous on the network to begin with — embarrassingly so, in retrospect.
But if we look back to April, almost exactly six years ago, that’s when Avenatti truly burst onto the national scene. On April 9, 2018, the FBI raided the office of Michael Cohen, the long-time “fixer” and business associate of then-President Donald Trump. The next day, Avenatti was on Cooper’s CNN show to break it all down — from Stormy Daniels, his porn actress client, to Karen McDougal, the former Playboy playmate, to Cohen himself. It was Avenatti’s chance to craft the narrative for the media, and the media was happy to oblige.
The whole ordeal was portrayed a couple weeks later in a cringe-inducing “Saturday Night Live” cold open, with Ben Stiller playing Cohen, Jimmy Fallon playing Jared Kushner, and Stormy Daniels playing herself. (She struggled to nail the “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” line at the end.)
It’s worth reflecting this week on this bizarre 2018 moment, as it serves as the prelude to the first (and possibly only) trial of Trump in 2024. The trial that officially began on Monday isn’t about “insurrection” or “espionage” or classified documents or RICO. Oh no. It’s this reality TV, trashy tabloid junk about porn stars and Playmates — stuff that belongs more in the National Enquirer than the National Broadcasting Company.
Which is ironic, of course, because the first witness in the case was David Pecker, the former executive in charge of the National Enquirer. (It’s also ironic that Avenatti is now firmly on Team Trump, saying he’d be happy to testify for the defense, although of course he’s also currently in federal prison for wire fraud and tax fraud, so…)
It’s been more than six years since that initial FBI raid, and the original Avenatti media sin. But buckle up, here we go. We’re getting to hear about the way Trump teamed up with the National Enquirer in an effort to boost his 2016 campaign. A bit like how most of the establishment press today is teaming up with the Biden campaign to stop Trump in this cycle.
You know that story about Ted Cruz’s father potentially being involved in the murder of JFK? Totally made up, to help Trump in the primary! None of this is surprising, to any discerning news consumer. But it does allow the media to get on their proverbial high horse over “checkbook journalism” — as if the crusty old legacy press hasn’t been doing a version of it for decades, when ABC or NBC wants to secure a big “get” on their morning show. But the journalistic ethics of the National Enquirer are a red herring — a distraction from the substance of the trial.
After Pecker, we’ll get Cohen, and Daniels, and McDougal as witnesses. Avenatti, at least it seems for now, will stay in prison, and not get to return to the limelight.
This trial is a circus. But the media made their choice way back in 2018. And now they too are on trial.
To get meta for a minute, when I decide to devote my weekly column to a topic, I’m not only deciding the topic to cover, but making a decision about what not to cover as well. On a far larger and more consequential scale, every single news organization makes choices every day about what to focus on, how to cover it and what gets left on the cutting room floor.
Back during the Trump years, the media spent an inordinate amount of time dissecting every last detail of this tabloid journalism fodder we’re now seeing play out in a New York City courtroom — which is meaningless to the lives of nearly every American. The trial is the culmination of the inconsequential work that ate up so many hours of cable news, and occupied so much space in the most powerful media outlets in America. So much time and energy and resources that could have been devoted to literally any other story, including many that directly relate to Donald Trump. And yet now, here we are.
This trial has to matter for the American press. If it doesn’t, it invalidates their entire existence during 2018. But if the public tunes out — and, can you even imagine if a jury in New York City actually finds Trump not guilty at the end of this thing — well, it’s as much an indictment of the Trump-obsessed Acela media as it is of the system that brought these bizarre charges and salacious case in the first place.
Steve Krakauer, a NewsNation contributor, is the author of “Uncovered: How the Media Got Cozy with Power, Abandoned Its Principles, and Lost the People” and editor and host of the Fourth Watch newsletter and podcast.
The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register sent the photo to one of their experts ‘who said that it was “compelling evidence” ‘ of the creature
Author of the article:
The Canadian Press
Published Apr 24, 2024 • Last updated 3 hours ago • 3 minute read
Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman have gotten attention from British media for their photo of what has been called “compelling evidence” the famed Loch Ness monster in Scotland.Photo by Handout/The Canadian Press
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LONDON — Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman weren’t expecting a “pivotal moment” in their sons’ lives when they visited Scotland’s Loch Ness earlier this month, but that’s exactly what happened.
“Our youngest is turning three next week,” said Wiseman from the family’s home in London, England. “And he tells everyone there have been two pivotal moments in his life: Seeing the world’s largest dinosaur, which he did at the Natural History Museum in January, and seeing Nessie.
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“He tells everyone he encounters. He tells the postman, he tells the guys in the shops and the cafes.”
Malm and Wiseman have been thrust into the limelight after a photo they took during their family vacation showed a shadowy figure poking above the waterline, something that the couple’s children _ and others — firmly believe is the latest sighting of the famed Loch Ness monster.
Malm and Wiseman, who are from Coquitlam B.C., and Calgary respectively, moved to England in 2006.
The couple said the original plan for the spring vacation was to take a boat ride in Loch Ness because their children were “completely captivated by the concept of Nessie.”
“We’d even packed shortbread cookies, which we were told from these books was Nessie’s favourite treat,” Wiseman quipped. “Turned out shortbread cookies were not necessary.”
That’s because the family spotted something sticking out of the water while visiting a lookout at nearby Urquhart Castle.
“We just started watching it more and more, and we could see its head craning above water,” Malm said. “And then it was swimming against the current towards the castle, slowly but surely, like very fastidiously going over the waves (and) coming closer and closer. And then it submerged and disappeared.”
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Malm said the family took a photo of what they saw and decided “for a bit of a laugh” to send the picture to the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register, which he stumbled upon while surfing the internet.
“They got in touch within 24 hours,” Malm recalled. “They were super excited. They sent it to one of their Loch Ness experts who said that it was ‘compelling evidence,’ I believe was the exact phrase.
“And just one thing led to another. I mean, it’s been incredible.”
Since the photo submission, Malm and Wiseman have been featured in British tabloids such as The Sun and the Daily Mirror and digital publication LADbible.
On the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register, the encounter has been recorded as the first Nessie sighting of 2024.
“We’ve both got texts from people who we haven’t heard from in quite some time going, ‘Guess who I just saw on TV?”‘ Malm said.
“I’m just glad that we hit the national media in Canada for spotting the Loch Ness monster and not being on Crime Stoppers.”
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Both Malm and Wiseman said they are happy their experience is bringing some positivity to the daily news cycle, and at least one person they have spoken with thanked them for the picture.
“Our son’s school’s headmaster is Scottish,” Malm said. “And he pulls me aside at pick up one day and he goes, ‘You know what, Perry? You’ve done more for Scottish tourism than anybody else in my lifetime.’
“So, hopefully some people will be inspired to come visit Scotland.”
What isn’t certain, however, is what they actually encountered on that cold April morning on the shore of Loch Ness.
“We don’t know what we saw,” Wiseman said. “Our children believe we saw Nessie, and I believe it for them.
“I believe that we saw something that could be Nessie, and that is a very broad possibility.”
Malm said the wonder that the sighting has inspired in his children, and others resonating with the photo, is more important than the question of what they encountered.
“It’s really charming,” he said of the outpouring of reactions. “Because in a world where the news is about a war here and an atrocity there, it’s just nice that people are interested in something that’s just lighthearted, a little bit silly and a little bit unbelievable.”
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The British Columbia government is putting its proposed online harms legislation on hold after reaching an agreement with some of the largest social media platforms to increase safety online.
Premier David Eby says in a joint statement with representatives of the firms Meta, TikTok, X and Snapchat that they will form an online safety action table, where they’ll discuss “tangible steps” toward protecting people from online harms.
Eby added the proposed legislation remains, and the province will reactivate it into law if necessary.
“The agreement that we’ve struck with these companies is that we’re going to move quickly and effectively, and that we need meaningful results before the end of the term of this government, so that if it’s necessary for us to bring the bill back then we will,” Eby said Tuesday.
The province says the social media companies have agreed to work collaboratively with the province on preventing harm, while Meta will also commit to working with B.C.’s emergency management officials to help amplify official information during natural disasters and other events.
The announcement to put the Bill 12, also known as the Public Health Accountability and Cost Recovery Act, on hold is a sharp turn for the government, after Eby announced in March that social media companies were among the “wrongdoers” that would pay for health-related costs linked to their platforms.
At the time, Eby compared social media harms to those caused by tobacco and opioids, saying the legislation was similar to previous laws that allowed the province to sue companies selling those products.
Premier David Eby is pictured with Ryan Cleland and Nicola Smith, parents of Carson Cleland, during a news conference announcing Bill 12. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Eby said one of the key drivers for legislation targeting online harm was the death of Carson Cleland, the 12-year-old Prince George, B.C., boy who died by suicide last October after falling victim to online sextortion.
“In the real world we would never allow a company to set up a space for kids where grown adults could be invited in to contact them, encourage them to share photographs and then threaten to distribute those photographs to their family and friends,” Eby said when announcing the legislation.
The premier said previously that companies would be shut down and their owners would face jail terms if their products were connected to harms to young people.
In announcing the pause, the province says that bringing social media companies to the table for discussion achieves the same purpose of protecting youth from online harm.
“Our commitment to every parent is that we will do everything we can to keep their families safe online and in our communities,” said Eby.
Ryan Cleland, Carson’s father, said in a statement on Tuesday that he “has faith” in Eby and the decision to suspend the legislation.
“I don’t think he is looking at it from a political standpoint as much as he is looking at it as a dad,” he said of Eby. “I think getting the social media giants together to come up with a solution is a step in the right direction.”
Business groups were opposed
On Monday, the opposition B.C. United called for a pause to Bill 12, citing potential “serious legal and economic consequences for local businesses.”
Opposition Leader Kevin Falcon said in a statement that his party pushed Eby’s government to change course, noting the legislation’s vague language on who the province can sue “would have had severe unintended consequences” for local businesses and the economy.
“The government’s latest retreat is not only a win for the business community but for every British Columbian who values fairness and clarity in the law,” Falcon said.
B.C. United Leader Kevin Falcon says that Bill 12 could have had unintended consequences. (Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press)
The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade said they are pleased to see the legislation put on hold, given the “potential ramifications” of the proposal’s “expansive interpretation.”
“We hope that the government chooses not to pursue Bill 12 in the future,” said board president and CEO Bridgitte Anderson in a statement. “Instead, we would welcome the opportunity to work with the government to develop measures that are well-targeted and effective, ensuring they protect British Columbians without causing unintended consequences.”
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