Author: Robert Richardson

Travellers coming from Croatia and Austria to the UK will now have to self-isolate for two weeks – while those coming from Portugal no longer face restrictions.Anyone returning to the UK from Trinidad and Tobago will also have to quarantine for 14 days after cases on the Caribbean island more than doubled in a week.

Source: Coronavirus: Croatia, Austria and Trinidad and Tobago placed on UK’s quarantine list – Portugal cleared for travel | UK News | Sky News

B.C. residents on provincial income or disability assistance who don’t get federal COVID-19 help will continue to receive an extra $300 per month until December, Social Development Minister Shane Simpson says. The B.C. “crisis supplement” began in April, for people who don’t qualify for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit that requires a loss of income related to the coronavirus pandemic. Simpson announced Aug. 17 that the additional B.C. payments will continue for assistance payments to be issued Sept. 23, Oct. 21. Nov. 18 and Dec. 16. B.C.’s assistance recipients do not have to apply for the additional payments. The $300 per month is also being distributed to B.C. residents receiving the B.C. Seniors Supplement and Comforts Allowance. People receiving B.C. income or disability assistance and federal Employment Insurance or CERB are not eligible for the crisis supplement, but any EI or CERB payments they do receive will temporarily not reduce their income or disability assistance. For those receiving federal disability benefits, Ottawa recently announced a one-time $600 payment that is also exempt for people receiving provincial assistance.

Source: B.C.’s COVID-19 low-income payments extended to December – Oak Bay News

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In This Story DESTINATION GUIDEUnited States FIRST LADY ELEANOR ROOSEVELT WANTED to plant vegetables on the White House lawn. It was early 1942 and American troops were departing daily for the battlefields of Europe. Her garden would be a small act of patriotism, a symbol of shared commitment and sacrifice recognizable to anyone who had lived through the Great War 25 years earlier—to anyone, that is, except Claude Wickard. President Franklin Roosevelt’s new Secretary of Agriculture believed the war gardens of 1917 and 1918 had been a waste.“I hope there will be no move to plow up the parks and the lawns to grow vegetables as in the First World War,” he told those who gathered for the National Defense Gardening Conference, which was quickly organized in the weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. “I do not think the Nation will benefit at present from a widespread, all out campaign intended to put a vegetable garden in every city backyard or vacant lot.”When the Department of Agriculture’s Victory Gardens program debuted soon after, it was not the national call to action and triumph of government messaging that we remember it as today. It was, in fact, its opposite. The word went out via public service announcements and agricultural-extension agents: The country, newly at war, needed its farmers. But it did not need its city gardeners.

Source: When World War II Started, the U.S. Government Fought Against Victory Gardens – Gastro Obscura

Cowichan Lake was perfectly cooperative on Thursday, July 23 as aircraft buffs tested a legendary amphibious plane with a series of touch-and-gos and landings west of Youbou.Members of the Victoria-based Catalina Preservation society used the lake for crew training and exercising their Consolidated PBY Catalina for a few hours that afternoon, and the situation couldn’t have been better.“It was a stellar day,” said Oliver Evans, who was behind the controls of the Catalina. “The weather worked out perfectly. We got there early, and the water conditions were just pristine.“Everyone there was extremely cognizant of the aircraft. They stuck close to the shore, which made my life easier.”RELATED: Dozens of planes went down on Vancouver Island training for warRELATED: Iconic aircraft at 19 Wing Comox entrance undergoes faceliftThe Catalina — as it is known in most of the world, although it is also called a Canso in Canada — is a flying boat, designed to take off and land on water, with more than 80 years of history, serving in both military and civilian purposes.During the Second World War, the Catalina served in both the Pacific and Atlantic theatres, sinking about 40 submarines, and it was a Royal Air Force Catalina that spotted the infamous German battleship Bismarck, leading to its sinking. Post-war, a Catalina was involved in the first hijacking of a commercial aircraft, in 1948. Just recently, a couple of Catalinas were loaded onto an aircraft carrier in San Diego and will be shipped to Hawai’i for VE Day 75th-anniversary celebrations later this year.“The Americans really love this airplane,” said Evans, a director of the Catalina Preservation Society and a Boeing 787 pilot for Air Canada.The society typically takes the plane, also known as Shady Lady, on the airshow circuit each year, including a highly anticipated stop at Seattle Seafair. Unfortunately, most airshows have been cancelled this year because of COVID-19, and Shady Lady has been grounded more than usual.This particular Catalina, formerly RCAF 11024 and now registered as C-FUAW, has its own colourful history. Built in Montreal in 1943, it was based in Victoria for the last two years of the Second World War, where it hunted for enemy submarines. After the war, it was used for search and rescue missions out of Jericho Beach, then spent a few decades as a civilian freighter and water bomber.“It’s quite a remarkable aircraft,” Evans noted.Bob Dyck bought the Catalina from Buffalo Airways in 2011, and since then a group of volunteers have banded together to support the restoration project. Dyck gave it the name “Shady Lady,” borrowed from a different Catalina that flew out of Tofino during the Second World War. Society member Russell Redman, who actually flew RCAF 11024 during the war, died earlier this year at the age of 96.

Source: Shady Lady: legendary Catalina touches down on Vancouver Island – Victoria News

The federal government has ordered an environmental assessment of the Vista thermal coal mine expansion in Alberta, reversing a decision from late last year amid mounting pressure from Indigenous peoples, environmental organizations and citizens.In his announcement, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson acknowledged the Vista project “may result in adverse effects of greater magnitude to those previously considered.”Those adverse effects include the risk that the project may fail to mitigate impacts to Indigenous peoples, fish habitat and species at risk, all areas that fall under federal jurisdiction. Wilkinson also flagged the potential impacts on Aboriginal and Treaty rights, which include hunting, fishing and gathering. The federal government had initially stated that the Alberta Energy Regulator would be capable of addressing any concerns via a provincial review. In a letter sent to Wilkinson on May 1 requesting a federal assessment, lawyers for Louis Bull Tribe said a provincial process would not include consultation nor would it assess adverse effects on the Tribe’s rights.Alan Andrews, a lawyer and climate program director at Ecojustice, said Wilkinson’s decision was a positive signal for Ottawa’s willingness to respect Indigenous rights. Andrews also said it sends a clear message on Canada’s climate commitments.“I think it shows a real determination to lead on climate change and lead on the environment and show that the new impact assessment regime is fit for purpose,” Andrews said. Join our newsletterIn-depth reporting straight to your inboxSIGN UPEcojustice, on behalf of Keepers of the Water, Keepers of the Athabasca and the West Athabasca Watershed Bioregional Society, also submitted its own formal request to Wilkinson requesting a federal assessment.“It would have I think made a mockery of the new regime if this had sailed through without a federal impact assessment,” Andrews said. “And it would have smacked of hypocrisy if Canada continued to strut around on the world stage urging other countries to power past coal, while at the same time selling the stuff to them.”Canada has committed to phase out coal-fired electricity by 2030, although the proposed Vista project — which produces coal for electricity — would see the coal burned abroad. The cumulative emissions of the Vista project could total roughly 33 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, according to Ecojustice. Put another way, that’s the same as the greenhouse gas emissions from 7 million passenger vehicles for one year.Wilkinson’s decision noted that Vista’s expansion plan amounted to just shy of the 50 per cent increase in production that would require a federal assessment. At the same time, total coal production would rise to 18,683 tonnes per day, well above the 5,000-tonne-per-day threshold outlined in regulations.Coalspur, the company behind the Vista mine just outside of Hinton, Alta., had also submitted an application this year for a second initiative to construct new underground test mines. Ottawa will now be reviewing the expansion plan in tandem with the underground project.Had Ottawa allowed Vista to be solely assessed on its original expansion plans, Andrews said it would have sent “a signal to project proponents that they can game the system and basically slice up a project into smaller chunks in order to avoid the statutory threshold for an impact assessment.”Coalspur and affiliated company Bighorn Mining did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Overseas emissions and Canada’s climate commitmentsUntil now, any overseas emissions wouldn’t have been taken into consideration by the federal government in its assessment. But Wilkinson’s decision came in tandem with the release of a draft framework for assessing thermal coal projects that points to the need to look at downstream emissions.“One of the major problems with how climate is addressed in Canadian law and policies is there’s an assumption that as soon as fossil fuels are sent overseas, that it’s no longer Canada’s problem,” Andrews said, adding that it’s important to consider whether overseas production is consistent with Canada’s climate obligations.Julia Levin, climate and energy program manager at Environmental Defence, says this is the first time Ottawa has explicitly outlined considerations of downstream impacts in its assessment process.“Research shows exported emissions are greater than our domestic emissions, so in terms of doing our fair share internationally under the Paris agreement, it is really key that we be looking at downstream,” Levin said.“What we’d like to see going forward is all projects having their downstream emissions analyzed, but this is a start.”

Source: Alberta’s Vista coal mine expansion will now face a federal review. Here’s why Ottawa reversed course | The Narwhal

How long have you been brewmaster at Canoe?I took over the brewery in May of 2019. Previous to that I had been the assistant brewer since 2016.Do you have formal training in brewing science or art? If not, how did you learnthe craft?I have a Diploma in Brewing and Brewery Operations from the inaugural year of the program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Langley, BC. I was a homebrewer before that, but the two-year program really helped me understand the chemistry, microbiology, and operational requirements of a functioning commercial brewery.Where else have you brewed?Between my job as the assistant brewer at Canoe and taking over as head brewer, I worked at Victoria Caledonian Distillery and Brewery, which makes Twa Dogs Beer and Macaloney Whisky. The brewery/distillery was more than twice the size of Canoe and was also 20 years newer. I enjoyed learning about the distillation process but something was always calling me back to Canoe Brewpub.How many barrels of brew does your brewery produce annually?We produce just under 1,000 hl or 850 barrels of beer annually. With the exception of a couple of liquor stores in town, 100 per cent of that beer is sold in house here at Canoe.Can you give a hint if anything might be coming soon (new brew, special brew, etc.)?I have a few ideas for some fruited kettle sours. They are always a hit on our hot patio during the summer months!What’s the weirdest ingredient you have ever put in beer?I made a blueberry beer with butterfly pea flowers last summer which came out with an incredibly bright purple tone to it. That was a lot of fun to experiment with.Does your brewery have some type of tradition on brew day or at another time?No traditions that I can think of. I consider myself a very science-based individual and as such I just try to make sure I record as much data as possible such as pH, fermentation time and temperatures, water composition, etc., and then use that to continually improve on our recipes here at Canoe.Have you travelled outside of Canada to experience another beer culture? If so, what was your impression?I’ve travelled most of the west coast of North America specifically for beer. Obviously Portland, Oregon is a cultural hub for beer, but surprisingly Bellingham, Washington has a large amount of incredible breweries for the size of the city. I have a bucket list of countries in Europe that I will have to visit soon as well.If you had to pick a favourite beer from your brewery, which one would it be and why?My current favourite beer is our IPA. It’s full of Simcoe, Galaxy and Mosaic hops with a crisp malt backbone and only a subtle hop bite, so it doesn’t wear down your palate. My favourite beer I’ve brewed so far was our Juicy Pale Ale from last summer—and it will be making a return as the new West Coast Ale recipe later this year.Any advice for those aspiring (kitchen/homebrew) future pro brewers out there?Get experience in the industry before you jump in the deep end! It’s not all 9 am beers and festivals like some people may believe. Ninety per cent of my job is cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning to produce the cleanest and most consistent beers that I can.Favourite beer and food pairing?Can I cheat and mention that our new chef, Sam Harris, is going to be including a beer float on the menu this summer? It will be showcasing our Baltic Porter, which is a rich, chocolate-forward lager with notes of vanilla and dark fruit. I mean, what else could go better with house-made vanilla ice cream?Hobbies?I’m an avid runner. I have two high-energy dogs at home and I need something to keep off the beer belly.Anything else you’d like to add?It’s a tough industry to crack, but once you have, the interpersonal relationships between breweries are unparalleled in any other industry. I’ve met so many great people in breweries all across North America and as soon as you mention you’re also a brewer, you’re instantly part of their family.

Source: Brewing Success – Victoria News

Lucy Doheny is making bowls, but they might stay empty for a while.“I’m absolutely convinced that it will happen, I just don’t know how,” the local potter and organizer of the annual empty bowls fundraiser said when asked about the future of the event in a year when almost every face-to face event has been cancelled.Empty Bowls is not unique to Lennoxville, having come from a grassroots movement that dates back to the 1990s, but the event has succeeded in raising thousands of dollars for its cause of combatting hunger on the local level over the past few years. The premise of the event is that donations of inexpensive and tasty food and beautiful local pottery are brought together for a simple fundraising meal, the proceeds of which are then given to causes that help feed the hungry in the community. Over its seven editions to date the Lennoxville event has made donations to the Cornerstone Food Bank, the Lennoxville and District Women’s Centre’s food program, the Lennnoxville Elementary School breakfast program, and the Bishop’s and Champlain Pastoral fund.Faced with a world where people are not supposed to share food or gather together indoors, however, Doheny said that the small planning team has some challenges to overcome in figuring out how to make the event possible.“The need for money for food banks is even more important now,” the potter said, noting that food insecurity has been a much bigger issue in 2020 thanks to the pandemic and associated job losses. “I’m trying to think of different ways we can do it, but I don’t think we can do soup again or have it in the church hall.”Despite that uncertainty, the bowls are being made.“As soon as the bowls are ready we can go,” Doheny said, suggesting that at the very least the team could sell finished, empty bowls in a selection of public places throughout the community.“I’m accepting all sorts of suggestions from people,” she added. “Who knows what’s going to happen between now and November.”Doheny recommended that anyone interested in updates about the event can follow the Empty Bowls Lennoxville Bols du Partage Facebook page.

Source: Bowls, yes. Soup? Probably not – Sherbrooke Record