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UN committee criticizes Canada over handling of Indigenous pipeline opposition

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A United Nations human rights committee focused on combating racism has reiterated its call for Canada to stop construction on two pipelines until it obtains consent from affected Indigenous communities in British Columbia.

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination says it has received information about the policing of Wet’suwet’en and Secwepemc people opposed to the Coastal GasLink pipeline being built in northern B.C. and the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion from Alberta to B.C.’s coast.

A letter from committee chair Verene Shepherd says the information alleges that surveillance and use of force have escalated against those opposed to the pipelines in order to intimidate and push them off their traditional lands.

The April 29 letter addressed to Leslie Norton, Canada’s representative to the UN in Geneva, points to a 2019 decision by the committee calling on Canada to “immediately cease forced evictions” of Wet’suwet’en and Secwepemc protesters by police and halt construction on the two pipelines.

The B.C. and federal governments had yet to respond to requests for comment on the concerns outlined by the UN committee.

The RCMP say they’ve increased their patrols around industry and “other camps” near construction sites for the Coastal GasLink pipeline after what the Mounties called a “violent confrontation” aimed at workers in February.

RCMP had responded to reports of damaged equipment and an attack on security guards. Before getting there, they say officers were stopped on the road by a fire while a group of people allegedly threw flaming sticks at them.

A statement Wednesday from Cpl. Madonna Saunderson with the RCMP’s north district says the Mounties have been concerned for people’s safety in the area and officers are “patrolling on public lands to ensure that no one is setting up structures to impede access.”

Police do not enter buildings or tents during their patrols, she added.

Staff Sgt. Janelle Shoihet says there hasn’t been any RCMP enforcement related to opposition to the Trans Mountain expansion in B.C.’s southern Interior since last September, when RCMP say workers were blocked from a site northeast of Kamloops and four people were arrested, while one fled.

The B.C. Prosecution Service has approved charges including assault and mischief against the five people, the Mounties said in March.

“Patrols continue throughout the entire policing jurisdiction of (Clearwater RCMP) but are certainly not isolated to any particular (Trans Mountain expansion project) site or camp,” Shoihet says in a statement.

Indigenous leaders responded to the UN committee’s letter at an online news conference on Wednesday, saying their nations have never signed treaties and their territories have never been ceded to the Canadian government.

First Nation band councils are responsible for reserve lands, but they don’t have authority to make decisions over broader Wet’suwet’en territory, says Sleydo’, a spokesperson for a Wet’suwet’en group behind blockades that have been set up along a road used by Coastal GasLink pipeline workers.

Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs have opposed the natural gas pipeline for years, while 20 First Nation band councils have signed off on the project.

Police have made numerous arrests while enforcing a court injunction prohibiting blockades that was granted to the pipeline’s owner, TC Energy.

Sleydo’ told the news conference that she is “harassed and surveilled daily” by company-hired private security and the RCMP, particularly members of the Mounties’ Community-Industry Response Group.

Kanahus Manual with the Tiny House Warriors, a group opposed to the Trans Mountain pipeline, told the news conference that the federal government created the system of First Nation reserves and band councils don’t hold the rights to 180,000 square kilometres of unceded Secwepemc territory.

Trans Mountain, a federal Crown corporation, says its 1,150-kilometre pipeline expansion project crosses “numerous traditional territories” and 15 First Nation reserves in B.C., and it only crosses reserve lands with consent.

The UN committee consists of 18 independent human rights experts elected to four-year terms by countries, including Canada, that have signed on to the convention to end racial discrimination they’re tasked with monitoring.

Its decision in December 2019 called on the Canadian government to stop construction on the pipeline projects until it obtains free, prior and informed consent outlined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

A followup letter in 2020 says the committee regretted that Canada was interpreting the principle as “a duty to engage in a meaningful and good faith dialogue with Indigenous peoples and to guarantee a process, but not a particular result,” meaning the pipelines could go ahead after consultation.

The UN declaration, which both the federal and B.C. governments have in recent years pledged to implement, stipulates that governments must not make decisions relating to Indigenous rights or territories without consent.

The UN committee’s most recent letter says Canada was due to report last November on any measures taken to address the concerns outlined in 2019, but it hasn’t yet provided its report. The committee requested that the federal government provide a response to its previous communications by July 15.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2022.

 

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Alouettes receiver Philpot announces he’ll be out for the rest of season

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Montreal Alouettes wide receiver Tyson Philpot has announced he will be out for the rest of the CFL season.

The Delta, B.C., native posted the news on his Instagram page Thursday.

“To Be Continued. Shoutout my team, the fans of the CFL and the whole city of Montreal! I can’t wait to be back healthy and write this next chapter in 2025,” the statement read.

Philpot, 24, injured his foot in a 33-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 10 and was placed on the six-game injured list the next week.

The six-foot-one, 195-pound receiver had 58 receptions, 779 yards and five touchdowns in nine games for the league-leading Alouettes in his third season.

Philpot scored the game-winning touchdown in Montreal’s Grey Cup win last season to punctuate a six-reception, 63-yard performance.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

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Tua Tagovailoa sustains concussion after hitting head on turf in Dolphins’ loss to Bills

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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.

Tagovailoa remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room.

The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would get “proper procedural evaluation” and “appropriate care” on Friday.

“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”

Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and said they were encouraged. Tagovailoa spoke with some players and then went home after the game, McDaniel said.

“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”

Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season — a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, and that was the final score.

“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”

Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.

When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess. Tagovailoa said in April 2023 that the concussions he had in the 2022 season left him contemplating his playing future. “I think I considered it for a time,” he said then, when asked if he considered stepping away from the game to protect himself.

McDaniel said it’s not his place to say if Tagovailoa should return to football. “He’ll be evaluated and we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate,” McDaniel said.

Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.

Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.

Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at him as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.

Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.

Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.

“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”

Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.

He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.

The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.

Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.

His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways where he may be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury — including studying jiu-jitsu.

“I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands,” McDaniel said. “I’m just worried about the human being.”

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Too much? Many Americans feel the need to limit their political news, AP-NORC/USAFacts poll finds

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NEW YORK (AP) — When her husband turns on the television to hear news about the upcoming presidential election, that’s often a signal for Lori Johnson Malveaux to leave the room.

It can get to be too much. Often, she’ll go to a TV in another room to watch a movie on the Hallmark Channel or BET. She craves something comforting and entertaining. And in that, she has company.

While about half of Americans say they are following political news “extremely” or “very” closely, about 6 in 10 say they need to limit how much information they consume about the government and politics to avoid feeling overloaded or fatigued, according to a new survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USAFacts.

Make no mistake: Malveaux plans to vote. She always does. “I just get to the point where I don’t want to hear the rhetoric,” she said.

The 54-year-old Democrat said she’s most bothered when she hears people on the news telling her that something she saw with her own eyes — like the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol — didn’t really happen.

“I feel like I’m being gaslit. That’s the way to put it,” she said.

Sometimes it feels like ‘a bombardment’

Caleb Pack, 23, a Republican from Ardmore, Oklahoma, who works in IT, tries to keep informed through the news feeds on his phone, which is stocked with a variety of sources, including CNN, Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press.

Yet sometimes, Pack says, it seems like a bombardment.

“It’s good to know what’s going on, but both sides are pulling a little bit extreme,” he said. “It just feels like it’s a conversation piece everywhere, and it’s hard to escape it.”

Media fatigue isn’t a new phenomenon. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in late 2019 found roughly two in three Americans felt worn out by the amount of news there is, about the same as in a poll taken in early 2018. During the 2016 presidential campaign, about 6 in 10 people felt overloaded by campaign news.

But it can be particularly acute with news related to politics. The AP-NORC/USAFacts poll found that half of Americans feel a need to limit their consumption of information related to crime or overseas conflicts, while only about 4 in 10 are limiting news about the economy and jobs.

It’s easy to understand, with television outlets like CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC full of political talk and a wide array of political news online, sometimes complicated by disinformation.

“There’s a glut of information,” said Richard Coffin, director of research and advocacy for USAFacts, “and people are having a hard time figuring out what is true or not.”

Women are more likely to feel they need to limit media

In the AP-NORC poll, about 6 in 10 men said they follow news about elections and politics at least “very” closely, compared to about half of women. For all types of news, not just politics, women are more likely than men to report the need to limit their media consumption, the survey found.

White adults are also more likely than Black or Hispanic adults to say they need to limit media consumption on politics, the poll found.

Kaleb Aravzo, 19, a Democrat, gets a baseline of news by listening to National Public Radio in the morning at home in Logan, Utah. Too much politics, particularly when he’s on social media sites like TikTok and Instagram, can trigger anxiety and depression.

“If it pops up on my page when I’m on social media,” he said, “I’ll just scroll past it.”

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Sanders reported from Washington. David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder.

The AP poll of 1,019 adults was conducted July 29-August 8, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.

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