The Lead
Bill S-203, a bill that would ban whale and dolphin captivity in Canada, is set to become law as the House of Commons agreed at third reading Monday to pass the legislation.
Known as the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act, Bill S-203 was passed by the House Committee on Fisheries and Oceans in April after nearly three years of delays in the Senate.
It was originally introduced by Senator Wilfred Moore in December 2015 but “languished for years in the Upper Chamber as a result of what proponents called stall tactics by Conservative senators.”
The legislation includes a grandfather clause for animals already in Canadian facilities, allows capture for legitimate research, and permits the rescue of animals in distress.
In Canada
Manitoba is decreasing its target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from a two-and-a-half-megatonne reduction target to just one megatonne of carbon dioxide equivalent between 2018 and 2022.
Manitoba Minister of Sustainable Development Rochelle Squires made the announcement Monday, explaining that the decrease is because the province is assuming carbon pricing will no longer exist.
“We’ve removed the carbon-pricing element from our plan and are moving forward with getting real emissions reductions,” Squires said, adding that there are “several more initiatives to come that will help us transition to a low-carbon future without imposing a tax on Manitobans.”
Opposition NDP Leader Wab Kinew pointed out that the government, in making this announcement, has inadvertently agreed “that putting a price on pollution is an effective way to reduce emissions,” the Canadian Press reports.
Internationally
Zambia has no plans to seize the assets of Canadian-listed First Quantum Minerals, despite an ongoing dispute as well as the government’s attempts to take control of other rival miners.
The Zambian government stuck First Quantum Minerals with a $5.8-billion bill last year for unpaid duties, prompting a yearlong dispute over the fees and what’s owed.
Amid the negotiations, Zambia appointed a “provisional liquidator to run Vedanta’s Konkola Copper Mines,” a move that inspired unease in First Quantum and other international miners about “rising resource nationalism.”
But, government sources told Reuters that First Quantum, the most profitable miner in Zambia and its biggest taxpayer, has nothing to worry about. “The government will not touch First Quantum,” one source close to the government said, adding that “Vedanta is very different from First Quantum.”
On Tuesday morning, Brent Crude was at US$62.15 and West Texas Intermediate US$53.37.
Noteworthy
- Alton Gas battle continues in two Supreme Court hearings (Chronicle Herald)
- Ban on single-use plastics could be boon for Ontario forestry industry (CBC News)
- In ‘urgent letter,’ six premiers tell Trudeau national unity would be threatened if bills C-48, C-69 become law (Global News)
- This company helps clear WWII-era bombs off the sea floor to make way for wind farms (CBC News)
- Canadian oil pipeline congestion sets up lucrative storage play (Reuters)
- Plant extinction ‘bad news for all species’ (BBC News)
- Oil edges above $62 as OPEC cuts counter growth concerns (Reuters)
- Fines, jail time and education: How other nations deal with plastic waste (Star Vancouver)
In Opinion
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s single-use plastic ban is an “election gimmick,” Lorrie Goldstein writes.
Goldstein argues that the announcement was “slapped together” based on the fact Trudeau had difficulty telling reporters what he and his family do to cut back on plastics. He also insists that because Trudeau couldn’t answer for certain what items would be banned, when the ban would be implemented by, what will replace single-use plastics, and what the costs will be for Canadians, the plan must be an empty promise.
“Best to view Trudeau’s latest election promise of a single-use plastics ban in Canada by as early as 2021, with the same skepticism we should have viewed his 2015 election prediction the Canadian government under his leadership would have a $1 billion surplus this year,” Goldstein concludes in his column for the Toronto Sun.
