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Relationship between nature, people is damaged and poses danger, UN leaders say

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OTTAWA — Wide-scale destruction of nature is raising the risk of future pandemics and is making climate change worse, the heads of the United Nations biodiversity office cautioned Thursday.

Their warnings come just before a major global conference on biodiversity loss scheduled for next month in Montreal, where governments are trying to sign a new global agreement to end the loss of biodiversity.

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, the executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, said it’s a critical point for the world to elevate biodiversity destruction to the same level of concern we have for climate change.

“The scientists have been very clear: our planet is in crisis,” she said in a briefing with reporters Thursday.

In Paris in 2015, almost every country in the world agreed to accelerate efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming.

Maruma said in Montreal, the hope is to get an agreement from most countries to take actions that will end the decline in both species and habitats by the end of this decade, and recover much of what has already been lost by 2050.

“It is estimated that … at least 90 per cent of the ecosystems worldwide have been altered to date,” she said. “Over a million species are currently threatened with extinction.”

David Cooper, the deputy executive secretary of the convention, said the ramifications of that are far-reaching, including for human health and safety.

Extreme weather events are made worse by the degradation of natural protections such as coastal marshes that help reduce the energy of storm surge during a hurricane.

“The pandemic has also emphasized and raised the profile of the importance of protecting the natural environment,” he said. “People understand that something is not right in our relationship with nature when we have this increasing risk of pandemics. And we know, in fact, that the more we destroy nature, the greater the risk of the emergence of new diseases.”

Studies have shown that as human development encroaches on wildlife habitats, there are more interactions between people and animals, raising the risk that more animal-borne viruses will make the jump to humans.

Cooper said he believes the world’s population is finally ready to do something about the loss of habitats.

“This is the moment, perhaps, that nature, biodiversity, is put on the same footing as climate change in the policy area, probably catching up with public opinion in many respects,” he said.

Canada’s Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, who is in Egypt for the annual UN climate talks about implementing promises from the Paris accord, is in full agreement.

“I think for a long time nature protection didn’t get the attention it needed,” said Guilbeault. “I really think this is changing and I think we will have very concrete proof of that in Montreal in just a couple of weeks.”

There are nearly two dozen targets in the draft biodiversity agreement on the negotiating table for the Montreal conference. They include protecting 30 per cent of the world’s land from development by 2030 and cutting in half the establishment of invasive species.

Others include reducing the use of pesticides, eliminating plastic pollution and eliminating or reforming government subsidies that harm biodiversity.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2022.

 

Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press

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Train derailment and spill near Montreal leads to confinement order

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LONGUEUIL, Que. – People in a part of Longueuil, Que., were being asked to stay indoors with their doors and windows closed on Thursday morning after a train derailed, spilling an unknown quantity of hydrogen peroxide.

Police from the city just east of Montreal said it didn’t appear anyone was hurt, although a CN rail official told a news conference that three employees had been taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.

The derailment happened at around 9 a.m. in the LeMoyne area, near the intersection of St-Louis and St-Georges streets. Mathieu Gaudreault, a spokesman for CN rail, said about eight cars derailed at the Southwark rail facility, including four that toppled over.

“As of this morning, the information we have is it’s hydrogen peroxide that was in the rail car and created the fumes we saw,” he said, adding that there was no risk of fire.

François Boucher, a spokesman for the Longueuil police department, said police were asking people in the area, including students at nearby schools, to stay indoors while experts ensure the air is safe to breathe.

“It is as a preventive measure that we encourage people to really avoid exposing themselves unnecessarily,” he told reporters near the scene.

Police and fire officials were on site, as well as CN railworkers, and a large security perimeter was erected.

Officers were asking people to avoid the sector, and the normally busy Highway 116 was closed in the area. The confinement notice includes everyone within 800 metres of the derailment, officials said, who added that it would be lifted once a team with expertise in dangerous materials has given the green light.

In addition to closing doors and windows, people in the area covered by the notice are asked to close heating, ventilation and air exchange systems, and to stay as far from windows as possible.

Gaudreault said it wasn’t yet clear what caused the derailment. The possibilities include a problem with the track, a problem with a manoeuvre, or a mechanical issue, he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Nova Scotia election: Liberals promise to improve cellphone services and highways

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HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s Liberal party is promising to improve cellphone service and invest in major highways if the party is elected to govern on Nov. 26.

Party leader Zach Churchill says a Liberal government would spend $60 million on building 87 new cellphone towers, which would be in addition to the $66 million the previous Progressive Conservative government committed to similar projects last year.

As well, Churchill confirmed the Liberals want to improve the province’s controlled access highways by adding exits along Highway 104 across the top of the mainland, and building a bypass along Highway 101 near Digby.

Churchill says the Liberals would add $40 million to the province’s $500 million capital budget for highways.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the three major political parties were expected to spend much of today preparing for a televised debate that will be broadcast tonight at 6 p.m. local time.

Churchill will face off against Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston and NDP Leader Claudia Chender during a 90-minute debate that will be carried live on CBC TV and streamed online.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Hospitality workers to rally for higher wages as hotel costs soar during Swift tour

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TORONTO – A group of hotel service workers in Toronto is set to hold a rally today outside the Fairmont Royal York to demand salary increases as hotel costs in the city skyrocket during Taylor Swift’s concerts.

Unite Here Local 75, the union representing 8,000 hospitality workers in the Greater Toronto Area, says Royal York employees have not seen a salary increase since 2021, and have been negotiating a new contract with the hotel since 2022.

The rally comes as the megastar begins her series of six sold-out concerts in Toronto, with the last show scheduled for Nov. 23.

During show weekends, some hotel rooms and short-term rentals in Toronto are priced up to 10 times more than other weekends, with some advertised for as much as $2,000 per night.

The union says hotel workers who will be serving Swifties during her Toronto stops are bargaining for raises to keep up with the rising cost of living.

The union represents hospitality workers including food service employees, room attendants and bell persons.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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