Going, going … gone
Re Protection For At-Risk Species Falters Over Ottawa Delays, Scientists Say (Dec. 1): With the long delays, a species could go extinct by the time it gets listed. A case in point is the rusty-patched bumblebee. It was the fourth-most common bumblebee in Ontario in the 1970s; dramatic declines were noticed by the mid 1990s. By 2009, it could only be found in one location.
This species was assessed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) in 2010. But it was not listed by the Species At Risk Act (SARA) until 2012.
Unfortunately, after three years of intensive, targeted searches, we have not been able to find a single rusty-patched bumblebee. We fear they've disappeared from Canada entirely, before we could set up a captive breeding program to save them.
As an organization that focuses on the recovery of species at risk, we rely on the COSEWIC assessments and the SARA registry to identify critically endangered species that could benefit from the direct forms of intervention (captive breeding, translocations, nest protection) in which we specialize. It is critical work.
We strongly urge the federal government and the Environment Ministry to urgently address the backlog and delays in the SARA listing process so we may continue to protect Canada's most vulnerable wildlife.
Elaine Williams, executive director, Wildlife Preservation Canada
.........
Too bad we can't list Stephen Harper and his Environment Minister as at-risk species.
N. J. Cameron, Vancouver
.........
Thalidomide's costs
Victims of thalidomide have been suffering the drug's consequences for 52 years. Liberals were in office for the majority of those 52 years.
The only compensation payout the victims have received was in 1991, by a Conservative government. In 2014, a Conservative government is considering additional compensation, which is appropriate. Yet the commentary in the letters to the editor generally paints Conservative governments as mean-spirited on this issue.
What am I missing?
Bernadine Morris, Toronto
.........
That Health Minister Rona Ambrose hadn't read or even bothered to be briefed on a report on Canada's 95 surviving thalidomide victims tells one everything one needs to know about the government's true position on this matter. That The Globe and Mail's stories managed to turn them around 180 degrees (we hope) is simply amazing.
The existence of a high quality paper of record like The Globe is essential to the functioning of our democracy. Thank you.
Peter Woodward, Kelowna, B.C.
.........
There must be an election coming up. Once again, federal leaders (of whatever stripe) are pandering to the needs of yet another special-needs group. A single lump-sum payment of $250,000 to each surviving member of the Thalidomide Victims Association of Canada, plus annual payments between $75,000 and $150,000 each, is way "over the top."
Why can't these victims get by with the existing provincial and federal disability awards that are in place? And why compare the plight of our victims to those in the U.K. and Germany? The social structures are not the same.
As a reader, I cannot support the group's needs, at least not yet – and definitely not when I compare these figures to what our Canadian Forces vets are awarded after the disabilities they receive in the service of our country.
Wade Alarie, Mountain, Ont.
.........
A win for China
Re China At Forefront Of Clean-Energy Market (Dec. 1): In 10 years or so, could we be saying: We had a chance to get in on the clean-energy boom, to reboot manufacturing jobs in Canada's heartland, to support innovative Canadian conservation and renewable energy start-ups across the country – and we missed the boat because our heads were stuck in Alberta sand?
Sheila Petzold, Ottawa
.........
Re Commodity Collapse (Report on Business, Nov. 29): You've done an excellent job of capturing problems on the supply side of the iron ore industry and its devastating consequences for Labrador communities – but it is also important to note that demand for iron ore in China has not collapsed.
In fact, the seaborne market grew by 16 per cent in the first 10 months of 2014 (779 million metric tons, versus 669 in 2013).
What happened is a classic case of cyclicality: All the majors (and minors) saw the opportunity at the peak of the cycle and made independent decisions to expand massively without exercising the discipline to avoid flooding the market, triggering a market collapse and premature down cycle.
China already buys about 70 per cent of the total global seaborne supply. As China urbanizes and industrializes, its need for iron ore and steel will continue to climb. India will follow suit, though at a much slower pace; this will also apply to all other emerging markets.
In the long run, the iron ore industry will come roaring back. By that time, there will be a shortage, as the markets, influenced by the current glut, won't allocate major funding to build new mines for some time.
Sandy Chim, CEO, Century Iron Mines Corp.
.........
High court reform
Re The Dismantling Of Supreme Court Reform (Nov. 28): Irwin Cotler writes that "Canadians remain in the dark about what, if any, process was used" in naming Suzanne Côté to the Supreme Court of Canada and professes ignorance as to whom we consulted. Ms. Côté was chosen after a thorough consultation process that included the Quebec government, chief justice of Canada, chief justice of Quebec, Barreau du Québec and Canadian Bar Association.
In 2004, the justice committee, of which I was a member, studied the Supreme Court appointment process. Conservative MPs wrote a report calling for greater transparency, but our recommendations were rejected by the committee's Liberal MPs and the justice minister of the day – Irwin Cotler, who said "a high degree of confidentiality is required for the process to function properly."
In 2006, our government brought forward the most inclusive and transparent appointment process ever. The new process was compromised by a breach in confidentiality, and the integrity of the process is critical if we are to attract the best candidates. We are proud of the appointments we have made, ensuring Quebec is fully and ably represented in our highest court.
Peter MacKay, Minister of Justice
.........
Hmm …
It's good to learn that the notoriously finicky – and expensive – eating habits of pandas are not discouraging their Toronto Zoo keepers from believing in their educational value (Pandas Take A Bite Out Of Zoo Budget – Dec. 1).
Management's dedication to their welfare is astonishing: Zoo nutritionist Jaap Wensvoort is tasked with "weighing up to 20 kilograms of panda fecal matter a day to see how much they ate." One presumes that the results of Mr. Wensvoort's hands-on work are part of the zoo's bottom line.
Geoff Rytell, Toronto