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Wednesday April 22, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday April 22, 2020

Single-use plastic is having a resurgence during the pandemic

For those seeking silver linings in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the notable drop-off in air pollution has been a recurring bright spot. But while theskies might be clearing up (at least temporarily) while millions of people shelter in place, humans are poisoning the planet in other ways. Increased demand for medical supplies, households stocking up on tons of goods, and fears over COVID-19 spreading across different surfaces has single-use plastics on the rise — and as Wired reports, we’re running out of places to put it.

March 12, 2019

As more plastic waste pours in, the already overwhelmed recycling system is at risk of getting completely buried. Prior to coronavirus, many recycling companies were already struggling to deal with the more than 300 million tons of plastic discarded every year — nearly 50 percent of which is single-use. According to the Earth Institute at Columbia University, only about 10 percent of all discarded plastic products in the United States actually get recycled — a fact the plastic industry knew for years while touting recycling programs that would never be viable. Nearly 75 percent ends up in landfills, where it can sit and erode for hundreds of years, releasing carbon dioxide as it degrades and often making its way into waterways and oceans. It’s likely that as the country produces more plastic waste in this time of crisis, even more will be heading to landfills, as the already inundated recycling firms slow their operations. “Many recyclers, because of health and safety concerns, are also stopping the service,” Tom Szaky, CEO of recycling company TerraCycle, told Wired. “Recycling — that’s been in sort of a crash — is now getting even worse.”

April 24, 2018

Those slowdowns are happening in tandem with a resurgence in single-use plastics. This is happening for a number of reasons, both out of necessity and potentially unfounded fears. Plastic bags have made a comeback during thecoronavirus crisis due to concerns that reusable bags may carry the virus. A number of states and cities have reversed plastic bag bans and some have even instituted restrictions on reusable totes. While it is known that coronavirus can survive longer on certain surfaces, there doesn’t appear to be any evidence that the virus is more viable on a cloth tote than a plastic bag, particularly if the bag is washed after use — though the plastic bag is likely to be discarded after one use, limiting additional exposure. With people worried that the virus can be transmitted through a number of surfaces, the demand for packaged goods is on the rise as well. According to FoodNavigator, demand for packaged goods has skyrocketed in Europe by as much as 111 percent for some items as compared to the previous year.

There is also the fact that the price of oil has dropped dramatically, which makes producing plastic goods cheaper than usual — and they aren’t all that expensive to begin with. Plastics are made from oil, and when the price of oil drops far enough, it can result in it actually being cheaper to produce new plastic products than recycle old ones. And when the demand for recycled goods disappears, more plastic ends up in landfills, slowly eroding and polluting the planet.

Plastic waste doesn’t have the same effect as something like air pollution — we don’t immediately see the damage as it occurs. But the change in our consumption habits will be immediately felt at the landfills that are already being overrun. It will be felt by oceans that are already at risk of having more pieces of plastic than fish by 2050. Even the short burst of uptick in plastic waste could cause significant disruption to the waste and recycling ecosystems. According to Waste Dive, dozens of cities and counties across the country have suspended recycling programs entirely. Rachel Meidl, a fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute, told Wired, “materials that would normally find its way to recyclers are being channeled to landfills and incinerators.” So before touting that “we are the virus” meme and spouting off to your friends about how the Earth is healing while we’re all trapped indoors, remember that there are a lot of ways we can hurt the planet without ever leaving our couches. (Mic) 

 

Tuesday November 5, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday November 5, 2019

Is there lead in your tap water? Canada-wide investigation exposes dangerous levels of toxic metal

Hundreds of thousands of Canadians are consuming tap water laced with high levels of lead leaching from aging and deteriorating infrastructure.

A year-long investigation by more than 120 journalists from nine universities and 10 media organizations, including the Toronto Star and the Institute for Investigative Journalism, collected test results that properly measure exposure to lead in 11 cities across Canada. Out of 12,000 tests since 2014, one third — 33 per cent —exceeded the national safety guideline of 5 parts per billion.

Reporters also fanned out to 32 cities and towns across the country — from Victoria, B.C., to Grand Pre, N.S. — to knock on doors in neighborhoods with older homes. With the help of residents who volunteered to take part, the teams conducted 260 water tests using accepted standards and submitted samples to accredited labs. The results showed 39 per cent of samples exceeded the current federal guideline.

Experts call threats from lead exposure a simmering public health crisis. But many Canadians remain unaware of serious long-term health consequences because government oversight is often lax and secretive.

Canada is blessed with the world’s third largest renewable freshwater supply covering about 12 per cent of the country’s surface area. But while Canada may be a global water superpower with a reputation for snow-capped mountains, crystal clear lakes and free flowing rivers, lead exceedances in tap water are chronic and sometimes extreme, the investigation found.

Test results from samples taken in cities including Prince Rupert, B.C., Regina, Moose Jaw, Saskatoon and Montreal showed lead levels comparable to — and in some cases beyond — those of U.S. cities that have made international headlines for their tainted water. (Toronto Star) 

 

 

Tuesday July 23, 2019

Tuesday July 23, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday July 23, 2019

Silent protest draws attention to Attawapiskat at Trudeau talk

As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to the Canadian Teachers’ Federation at its annual general meeting in Ottawa on Thursday, a row of teachers silently held up letters spelling “Attawapiskat.”

April 2, 2019

The demonstration comes just days after the local band council declared a state of emergency in the Indigenous community amid issues with water quality.

The group was sitting at the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario table.

The state of emergency was declared on July 9 in the northern Ontario First Nations community after potentially harmful levels of byproducts from a water disinfection process were found in its drinking water. Residents were told to limit their exposure to the water and avoid showering and washing food with tap water.

April 13, 2016

While Trudeau did not directly acknowledge the protesters, he did touch on boil water advisories during the discussion.

“We’ve done a lot,” Trudeau said on the subject of reconciliation. “We’ve eliminated close to 85 different boil-water advisories, [and] are on track to eliminate all of them on time by 2021.”

He acknowledged, however, that there is more to do.

“It’s very tempting in politics to focus on the negative, and certainly I’m more than willing to admit that like any good teacher I’ve made mistakes and I’ve learned a lot through this process, but we’re on a path of making Canada better for everyone,” said Trudeau.

June 3, 2015

His government came under fire when, on July 4 – just days before the state of emergency was declared in Attawapiskat – Environment Minister Catherine McKenna tweeted about Ottawa’s high-quality tap water.

“There’s a lot to love about Ottawa — including our tap water! Did you know it’s rated among the best in the world?” she wrote on Twitter.

The tweet prompted a swift response on social media, including a tweet from Attawapiskat resident Adrian Sutherland.

“Must be nice to have clean drinking water – thousands of indigenous people don’t even have clean water to bathe in never-mind drink. I don’t think is something to be proud of!” he wrote.

The government says it is working to bring the levels of the contaminant down in the community’s water.

“The community is concerned, and when the community is concerned we are concerned too,” said Indigenous Services Minister Seamus O’Regan in an interview with CTV News Channel on Wednesday.

“We’re working with the community right now.”

The state of emergency, in the meantime, is ongoing. (CTV) 

 

Friday June 7, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday June 7, 2019

Study sheds light on human consumption of microplastics

A study from the University of Victoria has for the first time compiled research on microplastics to try to estimate just how much people are consuming.

June 1, 2019

Microplastics are pieces of plastic that are just under five millimetres in diameter — or smaller than the size of a sesame seed — that come from the degradation of larger plastic products or the shedding of particles from water bottles, plastic packaging and synthetic clothes.

Garth Covernton, a PhD candidate at University of Victoria’s department of biology, said his team looked at 26 papers assessing the amount of microplastics found in individual food items.

May 2, 2018

The study found that a person’s average microplastic consumption — based on those food items previously analyzed — would likely be somewhere between 70,000 and 121,000 particles per year. While younger girls were at the lower end of the spectrum, adult men were at the high end.

People who consume a lot of bottled water could see that number jump by up to 100,000 particles per year.

The study analyzed the amount of microplastics found in fish, shellfish, sugars, salts, alcohol, water and air, which account for 15 per cent of Americans’ caloric intake.

But the other 85 per cent of what people consume, like beef, poultry, dairy and grains, has still not been examined.

March 6, 2015

Covernton compared the study to early understandings of cigarettes and tobacco: While the numbers they came up with did seem large, they don’t yet know exactly what level of consumption is dangerous.

“We’re at the point where we know microplastics at some dose could be harmful, but we’re not at the point where we can say whether what the average person is encountering is the equivalent of one cigarette in a lifetime, or that chronic exposure, like a pack a day.”

Covernton said the findings demonstrate more work needs to be done to understand how the tiny particles might affect human health. (CBC) 

 

Tuesday October 24, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 24, 2017

Jagmeet Singh vows to help Horwath topple Wynne

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath can count on some major campaign help from her party’s brightest star.
 

August 3, 2017

Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will do all he can to ensure Horwath replaces Liberal Kathleen Wynne as Ontario premier after the June 7 election.

 
“I’ve committed to supporting the provincial party. I have a personal reason: these are my colleagues, my friends. I also have a vested interest in the benefit of the province and of the country,” Singh said Monday at Queen’s Park where he bade farewell to his former NDP caucus colleagues.
 
“It’s absolutely clear that the province will be better off with Andrea Horwath as premier and the country will be better off with the New Democratic values of putting people first, of standing up for issues that matter to the lives of people,” he said.
 

June 15, 2017

Singh, who resigned as Bramalea-Gore-Malton MPP on Friday, three weeks after winning the federal NDP leadership, said it’s “very special” to be at Queen’s Park.

 
“This is where my political career began and I’m really honoured to be back here as leader of the federal party,” he said.
 
“Andrea’s been my mentor. She appointed me deputy leader.”
 
Horwath expressed delight that Singh will help her party next spring. (Source: Toronto Star) 
 
 

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