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Royal Bank defends funding B.C.'s Coastal GasLink pipeline despite environmental concerns – CBC.ca

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3 years ago

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Royal Bank of Canada’s chief executive defended the bank’s funding of the Coastal GasLink pipeline Thursday and called for incentives to help the shift to a net-zero economy, as investors and Indigenous groups denounced its support of fossil fuels.

Chief executive Dave McKay was speaking at the bank’s annual shareholder meeting, which had been changed to a virtual-only format late on Wednesday after confirmation of a positive case of COVID-19 among its staff.

Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs had travelled from British Columbia to Toronto to express their opposition in person to RBC’s financing of the pipeline’s construction on traditional Indigenous land. The pipeline is 65 per cent owned by private equity firm KKR & Co. Inc. and the Alberta Investment Management Corp.

Calling into the meeting, they accused the bank of funding a project that they said has damaged rivers and wetland forests and limited their ability to hunt wildlife. 

McKay said the project has been extensively reviewed and approved by regulators and has the support of all 20 elected First Nations along the route. He added that 16 of them have taken the option to have an economic interest in it.

Despite support from elected leaders, the pipeline still faces fierce opposition from several groups, most notably Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs who say band councils — as political entities created by the federal government — do not have authority over land beyond reserve boundaries. 

That job, they say, belongs to hereditary chiefs under the Wet’suwet’en governance system which predates the formation of Canada and has not been extinguished.

Continued funding of fossil fuel companies

Canada’s major banks, including RBC, the largest, have released plans to lower their financed emissions but continued funding of fossil fuel companies and pipelines has riled some investors and communities. 

Last week, Canada released a $9.1-billion plan to meet its 2030 emissions-reduction targets.

Spending on green technologies is set to be a focal point of the 2020 budget, to be released later on Thursday.

The Canadian government’s plan to reduce carbon emissions will lead to “a massive shift in this decade,” which will require “public and private capital to support both growth and the green transition,” McKay said.

“That’s why investment and tax policies, as well as incentives must be considered.”

McKay also reiterated his concern about a proposed tax on banks’ profits. 

Two shareholder proposals urging RBC to exclude fossil fuel activity and projects opposed by Indigenous groups from eligibility for sustainable financing, and refrain from funding and advising on the privatization of pollution-intensive assets were defeated, in line with the board’s recommendation.

Pipeline a challenge to emission targets

Once completed, the Coastal GasLink pipeline will carry natural gas from near Dawson Creek, in northeast B.C. to the LNG Canada processing plant on the coast in Kitimat.

That project has been described by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives as a “carbon bomb” that is incompatible with the province’s carbon reduction goals.

Speaking to CBC this week, B.C.’s minister for environment, George Heyman, said the emissions associated with Phase 1 of the LNG Canada plant are accounted for in the models laid out by the Clean B.C. plan. The province has said details on the program for reducing emissions from industries will be released in 2023. 

But the Sierra Club B.C., which is suing the province for failing to provide a detailed plan to achieve emissions targets, says the full emissions enabled by the LNG Canada terminal in Kitimat alone would make it nearly impossible to meet the province’s targets.

Hollywood criticism

Actor and activist Mark Ruffalo has spoken out against the Coastal GasLink pipeline in British Columbia. (Craig Ruttle/The Associated Press)

RBC’s support of the pipeline has also drawn criticism from high-profile Hollywood stars including The Avengers stars Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey, Jr. and Scarlett Johannson.

In an interview with CBC, Ruffalo said he banks with RBC subsidary City National Bank and so feels responsible to push the bank to stop funding the pipeline.

“As much as they speak about being champions for climate change and being champions of Indigenous rights and Indigenous people, everything that I’ve seen is absolutely contrary to those two claims,” Ruffalo said.

But Crystal Smith, elected chief councillor of the Haisla Nation in northwest B.C. and one of the supporters of Coastal GasLink, said the actor failed to understand the benefits of the pipeline project in providing jobs and money and supporting cultural revitalization and education initiatives for Indigenous people in the region.

“It’s done more for economic reconciliation than any other project,” she told CBC.

As for the divide between hereditary and elected Wet’suwet’en leaders over whether to support the project, Smith said disagreements are to be expected among any group of people and that it is up to members of the nation to decide how to move forward.

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Hiring Is a Process of Elimination

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5 hours ago

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October 24, 2024

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Candidate Story

Job seekers owe it to themselves to understand and accept; fundamentally, hiring is a process of elimination. Regardless of how many applications an employer receives, the ratio revolves around several applicants versus one job opening, necessitating elimination.

Essentially, job gatekeepers—recruiters, HR and hiring managers—are paid to find reasons and faults to reject candidates (read: not move forward) to find the candidate most suitable for the job and the company.

Nowadays, employers are inundated with applications, which forces them to double down on reasons to eliminate. It’s no surprise that many job seekers believe that “isms” contribute to their failure to get interviews, let alone get hired. Employers have a large pool of highly qualified candidates to select from. Job seekers attempt to absolve themselves of the consequences of actions and inactions by blaming employers, the government or the economy rather than trying to increase their chances of getting hired by not giving employers reasons to eliminate them because of:

 

  • Typos, grammatical errors, poor writing skills.

 

“Communication, the human connection, is the key to personal and career success.” ― Paul J. Meyer.

The most vital skill you can offer an employer is above-average communication skills. Your resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letters, and social media posts should be well-written and error-free.

 

  • Failure to communicate the results you achieved for your previous employers.

 

If you can’t quantify (e.g. $2.5 million in sales, $300,000 in savings, lowered average delivery time by 6 hours, answered 45-75 calls daily with an average handle time of 3 and a half minutes), then it’s your opinion. Employers care more about your results than your opinion.

 

  • An incomplete LinkedIn profile.

 

Before scheduling an interview, the employer will review your LinkedIn profile to determine if you’re interview-worthy. I eliminate any candidate who doesn’t have a complete LinkedIn profile, including a profile picture, banner, start and end dates, or just a surname initial; anything that suggests the candidate is hiding something.  

 

  • Having a digital footprint that’s a turnoff.

 

If an employer is considering your candidacy, you’ll be Google. If you’re not getting interviews before you assert the unfounded, overused excuse, “The hiring system is broken!” look at your digital footprint. Employers are reading your comments, viewing your pictures, etc. Ask yourself, is your digital behaviour acceptable to employers, or can it be a distraction from their brand image and reputation? On the other hand, not having a robust digital footprint is also a red flag, particularly among Gen Y and Gen Z hiring managers. Not participating on LinkedIn, social media platforms, or having a blog or website can hurt your job search.

 

  • Not appearing confident when interviewing.

 

Confidence = fewer annoying questions and a can-do attitude.

It’s important for employers to feel that their new hire is confident in their abilities. Managing an employee who lacks initiative, is unwilling to try new things, or needs constant reassurance is frustrating.

Job searching is a competition; you’re always up against someone younger, hungrier and more skilled than you.

Besides being a process of elimination, hiring is also about mitigating risk. Therefore, being seen as “a risk” is the most common reason candidates are eliminated, with the list of “too risky” being lengthy, from age (will be hard to manage, won’t be around long) to lengthy employment gaps (raises concerns about your abilities and ambition) to inappropriate social media postings (lack of judgement).

Envision you’re a hiring manager hiring for an inside sales manager role. In the absence of “all things being equal,” who’s the least risky candidate, the one who:

  • offers empirical evidence of their sales results for previous employers, or the candidate who “talks a good talk”?
  • is energetic, or the candidate who’s subdued?
  • asks pointed questions indicating they’re concerned about what they can offer the employer or the candidate who seems only concerned about what the employer can offer them.
  • posts on social media platforms, political opinions, or the candidate who doesn’t share their political views?
  • on LinkedIn and other platforms in criticizes how employers hire or the candidate who offers constructive suggestions?
  • has lengthy employment gaps, short job tenure, or a steadily employed candidate?
  • lives 10 minutes from the office or 45 minutes away?
  • has a resume/LinkedIn profile that shows a relevant linear career or the candidate with a non-linear career?
  • dressed professionally for the interview, or the candidate who dressed “casually”?

An experienced hiring manager (read: has made hiring mistakes) will lean towards candidates they feel pose the least risk. Hence, presenting yourself as a low-risk candidate is crucial to job search success. Worth noting, the employer determines their level of risk tolerance, not the job seeker, who doesn’t own the business—no skin in the game—and has no insight into the challenges they’ve experienced due to bad hires and are trying to avoid similar mistakes.

“Taking a chance” on a candidate isn’t in an employer’s best interest. What’s in an employer’s best interest is to hire candidates who can hit the ground running, fit in culturally, and are easy to manage. You can reduce the odds (no guarantee) of being eliminated by demonstrating you’re such a candidate.

_____________________________________________________________________

 

Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.

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Carry On Canadian Business. Carry On!

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2 days ago

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October 22, 2024

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Human Resources Officers must be very busy these days what with the general turnover of employees in our retail and business sectors. It is hard enough to find skilled people let alone potential employees willing to be trained. Then after the training, a few weeks go by then they come to you and ask for a raise. You refuse as there simply is no excess money in the budget and away they fly to wherever they come from, trained but not willing to put in the time to achieve that wanted raise.

I have had potentials come in and we give them a test to see if they do indeed know how to weld, polish or work with wood. 2-10 we hire, and one of those is gone in a week or two. Ask that they want overtime, and their laughter leaving the building is loud and unsettling. Housing starts are doing well but way behind because those trades needed to finish a project simply don’t come to the site, with delay after delay. Some people’s attitudes are just too funny. A recent graduate from a Ivy League university came in for an interview. The position was mid-management potential, but when we told them a three month period was needed and then they would make the big bucks they disappeared as fast as they arrived.

Government agencies are really no help, sending us people unsuited or unwilling to carry out the jobs we offer. Handing money over to staffing firms whose referrals are weak and ineffectual. Perhaps with the Fall and Winter upon us, these folks will have to find work and stop playing on the golf course or cottaging away. Tried to hire new arrivals in Canada but it is truly difficult to find someone who has a real identity card and is approved to live and work here. Who do we hire? Several years ago my father’s firm was rocking and rolling with all sorts of work. It was a summer day when the immigration officers arrived and 30+ employees hit the bricks almost immediately. The investigation that followed had threats of fines thrown at us by the officials. Good thing we kept excellent records, photos and digital copies. We had to prove the illegal documents given to us were as good as the real McCoy.

Restauranteurs, builders, manufacturers, finishers, trades-based firms, and warehousing are all suspect in hiring illegals, yet that becomes secondary as Toronto increases its minimum wage again bringing our payroll up another $120,000. Survival in Canada’s financial and business sectors is questionable for many. Good luck Chuck!. at least your carbon tax refund check should be arriving soon.

Steven Kaszab
Bradford, Ontario
skaszab@yahoo.ca

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Imperial to cut prices in NWT community after low river prevented resupply by barges

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2 days ago

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October 22, 2024

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NORMAN WELLS, N.W.T. – Imperial Oil says it will temporarily reduce its fuel prices in a Northwest Territories community that has seen costs skyrocket due to low water on the Mackenzie River forcing the cancellation of the summer barge resupply season.

Imperial says in a Facebook post it will cut the air transportation portion that’s included in its wholesale price in Norman Wells for diesel fuel, or heating oil, from $3.38 per litre to $1.69 per litre, starting Tuesday.

The air transportation increase, it further states, will be implemented over a longer period.

It says Imperial is closely monitoring how much fuel needs to be airlifted to the Norman Wells area to prevent runouts until the winter road season begins and supplies can be replenished.

Gasoline and heating fuel prices approached $5 a litre at the start of this month.

Norman Wells’ town council declared a local emergency on humanitarian grounds last week as some of its 700 residents said they were facing monthly fuel bills coming to more than $5,000.

“The wholesale price increase that Imperial has applied is strictly to cover the air transportation costs. There is no Imperial profit margin included on the wholesale price. Imperial does not set prices at the retail level,” Imperial’s statement on Monday said.

The statement further said Imperial is working closely with the Northwest Territories government on ways to help residents in the near term.

“Imperial Oil’s decision to lower the price of home heating fuel offers immediate relief to residents facing financial pressures. This step reflects a swift response by Imperial Oil to discussions with the GNWT and will help ease short-term financial burdens on residents,” Caroline Wawzonek, Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance and Infrastructure, said in a news release Monday.

Wawzonek also noted the Territories government has supported the community with implementation of a fund supporting businesses and communities impacted by barge cancellations. She said there have also been increases to the Senior Home Heating Subsidy in Norman Wells, and continued support for heating costs for eligible Income Assistance recipients.

Additionally, she said the government has donated $150,000 to the Norman Wells food bank.

In its declaration of a state of emergency, the town said the mayor and council recognized the recent hike in fuel prices has strained household budgets, raised transportation costs, and affected local businesses.

It added that for the next three months, water and sewer service fees will be waived for all residents and businesses.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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