The Sad State of Canada

The Globe and Mail published an article that covers the growing controversy of a Liberal high-ranking apparatchik who allegedly said: "If I hire more Quebeckers, will I also have to hire more Chinese?" This coming from the party that introduced official bilingualism and multiculturalism.

This quote, however, indicates the problem with multiculturalism. Ideally, multiculturalism should promote equality, but it can also be used as a tool of homogenization. The rationale: if I do something for one group, I have to do it for all, which is not possible, therefore best that I do nothing. Such an attitude, of course, helps only the dominant group.

Census Results

The Prince George Free Press published an article entitled Census. Waiting on appeal in the September 21, 2007 edition of the newspaper. Unfortunately, the article is not available online, but I will summarize the results. This article highlights the power of research and the importance of census statistics.

The article writes:

According to the census, Prince George's population dropped by approximately two per cent - 1,425 people - between 2001 and 2006. In 2006, the city's population was listed at 70,981.

"There is a major difference between the 2006 Census numbers and B.C. Stats' projections," Initiatives Prince George economic development director Kathie Scouten said. "We haven't heard back from Stats Canada yet. It's quite a long process, they tell us. It's going to be months."

Initiatives Prince George has been working with the mayor's office since March, when the census data was released, to prepare a challenge of the data.

B.C. Statistics projected flat population growth for Prince George during the period, she said.

If an appeal is granted and the city's population is remeasured, Statistics Canada won't issue a new version of the census, she said.

"They don't change the published data.... they issue an errata."

In previous interviews, Kinsley said the census data is a critical measurement used by the provincial and federal government for issuing per capita grants and funding. In addition, the B.C. electoral Boundaries Commission used the 2006 Census to prepare its proposed boundary changes.

"I don't know what went wrong. In 2001, the vacancy rate was 12-14 per cent, now it's two per cent," Kinsley said.

"Building rates are up, employment is up - it doesn't fit with a population decline. There is no rhyme or reason to the numbers."

In his presentation to the B.C. Electoral Boundaries Commission, Kinsley said the city's sewage treatment plant is handling more organic matter than in 2001.

"That takes more people."

The full 2006 Census can be found online at www.statscan.ca.

The Mayor of Prince George is correct in that a census cannot guarantee perfect answers. A census is best at measuring people living in permanent residences who have been there for longer periods of time. A census is not as good at measuring the number of homeless and transient populations.

It is, however, an interesting solution that the Mayor is proposing: perhaps Statistics Canada should forgo sending out census takers and wasting money on paperwork and the like. It would be so much easier to simply measure the amount of sh*t produced in any given municipality (the "organic matter") and calculate population based on this indicator. (Yes, I am being sarcastic.)

The moral of the story: no measure is perfect, but you do the best to minimize error rates. However, even when the data is sound, you still can't satisfy all the people all the time!

Russian Bombers Fly Along Canadian Coast

The Russian News and Information Agency (RIAN) reports that Russian bombers flew along the Alaskan and Canadian coast. According to RIAN:

Two Russian strategic Tu-95MS Bear-H bombers carried out a flight along the coasts of Alaska and Canada during recent command and post exercises, the Russian Air Force announced Thursday.

"Each Tu-95 plane took about 30 tons of fuel on board, for the first time since the Soviet era. Their average flight duration was about 17 hours, during which the planes covered a distance of over 13,000 km [8,000 miles]," said Alexander Drobyshevsky, an aide to the Air Force commander.

According to the Air Force, the bombers were refueled in the air by Il-78 Midas tankers.

Drobyshevsky also said another pair of Tu-95MS flew around Greenland into the eastern Atlantic, a flight that took about 12 hours.

President Vladimir Putin announced the resumption of strategic patrol flights on August 17, saying that although the country halted long-distance strategic flights to remote regions in 1992, other nations had continued the practice, compromising Russian national security.

The latest flights were in line with an air patrolling plan, and the planes were accompanied by NATO fighters.

Russia is affirming its military presence across the globe. However, it is not clear what Russia hopes to gain in the long run from this provocative action. The last Cold War bankrupted the Soviet Union, and Russia cannot afford another protracted military confrontation with the United States and NATO.

Lake Baikal

One of the jewels of Russia is Lake Baikal: this massive lake in the Russian Far East holds 20% of the world's water. The lake is over 1.5 kilometers in depth and is the deepest lake in the world. The Moscow Times has published a fascinating piece examining the ecology of Baikal. The lake is home to a number of species found nowhere else, and one of the important denizens of this lake is its miniature shrimp that filter the lake's water:

Baikal does pull off a unique miracle of self-purification -- through its miniature shrimp, the Epischura baicalensis. These animals strain pollution from the water like "a tiny vacuum cleaner about the size of a poppy seed." Baikal's zillions of shrimp filter "the lake's entire volume every twenty-three years." Thus "Baikal is in a perfect state!" one scientist announces. "It is huge, it is rich, it is healthy, it is wise, and it is not similar to any phenomena in the world!"

Thomson is wary. "Baikal is perfect," he thinks. "It's a wonderful, soothing story, which exalts the lake even as it frees humans from their responsibility to care for it."

Unfortunately, the Soviet Union in its haste to industrialize contributed to the growing pollution of Lake Baikal. The Soviet industry continues to pollute the lake. According to the Moscow Times:

Indeed, many others warn Thomson that "waste from factories, farms, and human settlements is testing the limits of Baikal's delicate ecology." Siberian industry helped spearhead the nation's economic and technological achievements of the 1960s and 1970s. Three dams on the Angara River produced electricity for aluminum, petrochemical and airplane factories -- all within 50 kilometers of Baikal. The result is a "contaminated hot zone." The region has been deemed "irreparably damaged" by the Rand Corporation. A Soviet government study found that in 1988 the city of Angarsk produced more harmful air pollution than all of Moscow, and the government recently admitted that Irkutsk and nearby cities have some of the poorest air quality in the nation.

For more information on Lake Baikal: Sacred Sea: A Journey to Lake Baikal by Peter Thomson and published by Oxford University Press in 2007.

Grizzly encounters in Prince George

A grizzly bear was captured in Prince George reports the Prince George Citizen. Black bears are a common sight around the city, but grizzly's are a much rarer sight to see.

Babies and Birth Rates

Canada's birth rate nudged up in 2005 as more women in their thirties had children. According to the Globe and Mail:

Canada's total fertility rate in 2005 was 1.54 children per woman, an increase from 1.53 in the previous year and the highest rate since 1998.

But that's is still well below what is known as replacement-level fertility, which is 2.1 children per woman, and way behind the 3.6 in 1947.

What does this mean? Canada's population will be growing older. This will require longterm adjustments: there will be more retirees and fewer workers.

Greenland sees bright side of warming

The BBC recently published an insightful article on Greenland, global warming and life on this northern island. This article highlights some of the changes that are occurring: more potatoes are being grown in the south of Greenland as the warmer climate makes for a longer growing season. However, the important information is at the end of the article: the authors highlight the challenges facing Greenland. The leadership is seeking greater development to generate funds for Greenland. Below, an excerpt from the article:

The government of Greenland is worried about the human impact of the ice melt.

"There is sea ice for two to three months less every year," says Aleqa Hammond, Minister for Finance and Foreign Affairs. "For the communities in the north who live solely off hunting and fishing, it's like your boss taking away your pay for a couple of months without giving you notice."

Ms Hammond reckons that the number of Greenlanders living only off hunting could have dropped by as much as 6,000 in the past 10 years, from 8,000 to only 2,000 now. That's a significant social change in a country with a population of around 56,000. "I come from a hunting family," she says. "Five of my uncles were hunters. Now only two are."

'Political independence'

While Ms Hammond is very concerned about how quickly northern communities will have to adapt to climate change, she is also optimistic about the positive developments it could bring. She points to the greater volumes of halibut being caught off the west coast due to warmer sea temperatures, and the return of cod to some areas.

In addition to achieving more self-sufficiency in food products, she wants to develop hydroelectric power, oil and gas exploration, and the mining of Greenland's rich mineral deposits. All of this could become technically easier as the ice melts.

Greenland has signed a memorandum of understanding with the US company Alcoa to build a huge aluminium smelter using the country's plentiful water reserves.

"All of this can help us to reduce our economic dependence on Denmark," says Ms Hammond, "and could eventually lead to political independence."

Denmark currently gives about US$600m a year to Greenland, equivalent to about half its budget. Since 1979 Greenland has had home rule, but not full independence.

So will Greenland be a net beneficiary or a loser from climate change? On the one hand, it could lose a proud Inuit heritage of dog sleds and whale hunting, walruses, seals and polar bears. But on the other it may gain economically.

"You are not really comparing like with like," says Professor Rosing. "Loss of cultural identity and economic benefits are two different categories. You can't quantify the loss of our traditions. The real problem is that we are having to adapt so quickly."

Greenland's population is composed mainly of the indigenous Greenlanders (the indigenous Greenlanders refer to themselves as Kalaallit and represent close to 88% of the population of Greenland ). The Kalaallit are closely related to the Canadian Inuit in language and culture. Though it is still part of the Danish state, Greenland benefits from a great deal of autonomy under Home Rule.

For more information on the Kalallit, the International Work Group for Indigenous affairs features Greenland in its country profiles, providing a concise overview on Greenland and its indigenous population.