All posts by Deanne Pittman

Plans to create a water institute never realized by B.C. government

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Plans to create a water institute in B.C. were presented to the Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation in 2014 according to a briefing note obtained through a Freedom of Information Request, but the proposal was later abandoned because the province felt that a new piece of legislation would produce similar results.

According to the briefing note, discussions surrounding the creation of a provincial water institute came forward after a dam breach occurred near Williams Lake, B.C. on Aug. 4, 2014, allowing 4.5 million cubic metres of slurry and other waste products into Polley Lake.

The spill created significant environmental damage to the area and polluted the drinking water used by the Williams Lake and Soda Creek First Nations.  As a result of the Mount Polley dam breach, the briefing note revealed that many First Nations communities in the area had lost faith in the government’s ability to maintain sufficient water quality levels.


According to the briefing note, the proposed water institute would directly involve First Nations groups in research and water monitoring processes, and would allow indigenous groups to have a say in how their water supplies are controlled.


According to Lisa Leslie – the communication director for the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation in B.C., the Ministry was involved in discussions surrounding the proposed water institute. However, the government decided to not follow through with the institute because they were in the process of finalizing the Water Sustainability Act ­– legislation which Leslie said promotes very similar goals.

Initially implemented in 2014 and then revised in 2016, the Water Sustainability Act is an overarching piece of legislation that deals with a variety of water-based issues such as licensing, groundwater protection and sustainability.

For some groups such as the Council of Canadians, the Water Sustainability Act does bring improvements to water management in B.C. such as new legislation which would regulate groundwater, but it fails to fully recognize indigenous title rights according to a report released by the group on Feb. 10, 2016.

Section 5 of the Water Sustainability Act for example, states that the Crown has ownership over B.C. water but makes no reference to bodies of water owned by First Nations groups. According to the report, without proper recognition of indigenous title land claims, the province is unable to fulfill its duties to First Nations communities.

To remedy this, the Council of Canadians wants the B.C. government to have a proper consultation with First Nations representatives in order to include sections in the Water Sustainability Act which specifically include and refer to indigenous water claims.

According to Leslie, the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation has had “extensive consultation” with First Nations groups in order to finalize the Water Sustainability Act. Leslie said the B.C. government made an open call for feedback on water management from a variety of academic and indigenous groups, and has tried to make the process transparent by posting the recommendation letters on their website.

Leslie notes that the government was very responsive to the Mount Polley disaster, and has worked to reduce the environmental implications of the slurry spillage as much as possible.

As mentioned in the briefing note, changes to B.C.’s current water management system can be difficult and time consuming because the jurisdiciton of water falls under a variety of ministries. Although the creation of a water institute could bring forward positive change for First Nations communities, the government would need approval from all ministries involved with water before they could implement this new initiative.

In the concluding section of the briefing note, the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation notes that a water institute is a :potential approach to address First Nations’ and the general population’s concerns” in terms of water quality and management, but believes that other ministries involved in water ” may take the approach that timely implementation and resourcing of the [Water Sustainability Act] will demonstrate the government ongoing commitment  to water management.”

Full Briefing Note:

ATIP Briefing Note

Access to Information Requests:

Federal Government ATIP Request

– Still waiting for Health Canada to respond to my request.

Newfoundland ATIP Request

– Spoke to an ATIPP representative on the phone on two occasions: the first time to clarify what my request was, and the second time to widen the scope of my request in order to access information that was highly relevant to the information I was trying to obtain.

Ottawa ATIP Request

– Still waiting on the City of Ottawa to respond to my request.

Newfoundland Previous ATIP Request

– Received a copy of the previously-released ATIP on March 2, 2016.

ATIP Questions

Montreal a top destination for aviation accidents: Transportation Safety Board data

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From 2006 to 2015, Montreal has been home to 83 aviation accidents – almost double what other cities in Canada have seen according to data released by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada in February.

For some, this statistic may not seem too surprising. Montreal is home to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport – a flying hub which is currently the fourth busiest airport in Canada.

Out of the 83 recorded accidents in the Montreal area however, only 12 of them actually occurred at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International. The remaining accidents occurred at eight smaller airports in the area which are typically used for flight training and recreational use.

According to Mark Clipsome, an aviation investigator for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, the high number of accidents in the Montreal area is typical, given the logistical challenges present at smaller airport facilities.

“Smaller places are not equipped with the same infrastructure that a bigger airport would have,” Clipsome said.

“For example, at smaller airports, there’s not always air traffic control towers or paved runways – they may have grass or gravel runways instead.”

When air traffic control facilities are not available at an airport, pilots must be diligent in communicating their intentions on the radio, and must be extra vigilant when flying close to the airport to ensure that they have proper clearance. Without a second set of eyes to watch out for potential collisions, there is a higher risk of human error causing a potential accident.

Located 20 kilometres outside of Montreal, Mascouche airport is one facility which deals with a lot of air traffic, but does not have a control tower to oversee operations.

The Transportation Safety Board has recorded 30 accidents at Mascouche airport over the past ten years, including a recent accident on Dec. 28, 2015 where a Mooney M20K plane crashed onto the side of Highway 640 East. As a result of the accident, the pilot later died in hospital and his nine-year-old son was treated for serious injuries.

The Transportation Safety Board has not yet determined the cause of that accident, but Clipsome notes that recreational flying poses a higher risk of danger in comparison to commercial flying.

“Smaller airplanes tend to have smaller instrument systems, so they may only have one altimeter or one air speed indicator which are very basic instruments,” said Clipsome.

On the other hand, commercial pilots typically have multiple instrument sets to use while flying and usually have a co-pilot which can assist with tasks in the cockpit.

Clipsome says that pilot inexperience is also a contributing factor to the higher number of accidents at smaller airports.

A portion of a research study annotated in DocumentCloud:

(Click inside the annotation to see the entire document and other annotations)



Source: Human Factors Journal, Vol. 55 Issue 2: Hangar Talk Survey – Using Stories as a Naturalistic Method of Informing Threat and Error Management Training

“We don’t see as many accidents at large airports because commercial pilots have a lot of training on decision making and crew resource management,” said Clipsome.
“Commercial pilots also are flying all the time whereas many recreational pilots only fly maybe two or three times a year.”

Mascouche airport is also home to Cargair – a local flight school where new pilots are able to practice their skills before obtaining their private pilot’s license. Just like with novice drivers, student pilots are more prone to accidents as they develop their skills, and are more likely to cause accidents that result from human error.

A portion of a research study annotated in DocumentCloud:

(Click inside the annotation to see the entire document and other annotations)



Source: Human Factors Journal, Vol. 55 Issue 2: Hangar Talk Survey – Using Stories as a Naturalistic Method of Informing Threat and Error Management Training

While the city of Montreal has the highest number of aviation accidents in comparison to other cities, the total number of aviation accidents in Canada has remained stable over the past couple of years, according to the Transportation Safety Board.

In an emailed statement, the Transportation Safety Board notes that safety issues are constantly being reviewed and evaluated to make sure that Canadian airspace is as safe as possible.

“We review the data every time we investigate an accident and design our recommendations around our previous findings,” said Clipsome.

“Our database is something that’s constantly evolving.”

Forgotten recommendations: 25 years after the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples

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It has been 25 years since the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples was introduced in Canada, but despite years of consultations and research, the federal government has yet to accomplish most of the recommendations outlined in the report.

Established in 1991, the Royal Commission was created to help repair broken relationships between indigenous and non-indigenous communities.

To create the report, the federal government completed hundreds of studies and gathered testimony from over 2000 individuals to see how indigenous communities were hindered by Canada’s social, political and economic climates. The Commission’s results were revealed in 1996 through a report which made over 440 recommendations to be implemented over a 20-year period.

A portion of Volume 5 of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples annotated in DocumentCloud:

(Click inside the annotation to see the entire document and other annotations)






Source: Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada 

The main conclusion of the report was that Canada needed to overhaul its relationship with indigenous people in order to show respect for their history, culture and right to self-determination.

Paul Chartrand compressed
Paul Chartrand
Source: Boudreau Law

“In the final report, it made sense to recommend that the government establish a nation-to-nation relationship,” said Paul Chartrand, one of the commissioners for the Royal Commission.

The “nation-to-nation” relationship would allow indigenous communities to govern under their traditional structures and work alongside the Canadian government to improve access to things like education, infrastructure and healthcare.

The nation-to-nation concept had not been employed by previous governments in power , but in December 2015, Justin Trudeau announced that they would be forming this relationship with indigenous communities.

cropped-KeslerL_1
Linc Kesler
Source: UBC

“The Trudeau government from early on has identified Aboriginal issues as a priority,” said Linc Kesler, an associate professor at the University of British Colombia that specializes in indigenous studies.

“They also have at least begun discussions about the inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women, so I think a lot of people were happy to see that.”

The government’s announcement was promising for some, but Chartrand remains skeptical of the Liberal government in terms of what its specific plans are.

“At the moment, it’s pure rhetoric. We now have a government that says it will have a nation-to-nation relationship. Well you should be looking at Royal Commission for inspiration on what that might mean. But nobody’s mentioning it,” said Chartrand.

“The government can do anything in the first year, and by the third year, no one remembers. Public amnesia is a constant feature of our country.”

Looking back at the actions of previous governments, Kesler agrees that political leaders continue to make the same promises, but fail to provide indigenous communities with tangible results.

“What people have shared with me is that they have not seen movement on the recommendations in the Royal Commission,” said Kesler.

“If you were to look at the recommendations that the [Truth and Reconciliation Commission] included in the final report, you would see many of the same items identified as in the Royal Commission.”

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is the latest government initiative which attempts to repair damage caused to indigenous communities, but according to Chartrand, it is not entirely comprehensive.

“The merits of the Truth and Reconciliation report stand on its own, but you cannot replace the foundation that was set by the Royal Commission’s broader mandate,” said Chartrand.

If the government’s past actions are an indication of future behaviour, Kesler believes it’s appropriate for indigenous people to be “cautiously optimistic” about Trudeau’s enthusiasm for indigenous issues.

“I think people have not seen the kind of actions on the whole that they had really been hoping would be the result of Royal Commission,” said Kesler.

“That’s not however, to say that there hasn’t been change, but it’s not the kind of change that the Royal Commission called for.”

Volume 5 of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples

The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples is the main document which I reflect on in my story. I found Volume 5 of the commission to be particularly relevant to the ideas discussed in my article because it outlines the main objectives of the report which were supposed to be implemented over a twenty year period. I found a PDF version of the document through Queen’s University online library catalogue and converted the sections of the report using DocumentCloud.

Summary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report

Since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is one of the most recent initiatives completed by the federal government which deals with indigenous relations, I thought it was important to include this document in my research as a tool for comparison. Both of my interview subjects made comparisons between the Royal Commission and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission so I included a hyperlink to this document so that readers could compare the two documents side-by-side if they wished. Looking at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report provided evidence for my argument that the newer report essentially repeats made of the recommendations made previously in the Royal Commission. This helped to illustrate the point that these commissions are heavy on rhetoric, but light on concrete results. I found a PDF version of a summary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission by visiting the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s website.

Food sales boosts Cineplex’s profits in third quarter

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Cineplex’s regular concession stands offer a variety of snacks and fast food items that can be purchased in the main lobby area.
Source: Cineplex

Cineplex Inc. saw record profits in their last quarter thanks to an increase in theatre attendance and a boost in concession sales.

According to the Cineplex’s most recent financial report, the company recorded a 34.7 per cent profit during their latest quarter in 2015 – a record level when compared to previous third quarter results.

While a record level of audience members contributed to a rise in box office revenues, Cineplex notes in the management section of their quarterly report that food sales were also a contributing factor to the higher profit margins.

A portion of Cineplex Inc.’s third quarter financial report annotated in DocumentCloud:

(Click inside the annotation to see the entire document and other annotations)



Source: Cineplex

Sarah Van Lange
Sarah Van Lange
Source: LinkedIn

According to Sarah Van Lange, the communications director for Cineplex, the company’s recent expansion of food options for customers has increased the company’s concession revenues per patron, or CPP for short.

In the third quarter, Cineplex’s CPP jumped from $5.11 per patron to $5.43 per patron – an increase of 6.3 per cent. The increase in the CPP means means that consumers are spending more money on food and beverages than they have in the past.

 

Kin Lo
Dr. Kin Lo
Source: Sauder School of Business

According to Kin Lo, a finance professor at the University of British Columbia, this type of revenue is especially valued by Cineplex because the costs associated with concessions are relatively low.

Lo says focusing on food revenues is a smart strategy for Cineplex to employ in order to sustain their business in the long run.

“Cineplex’s food revenue has gone up quite a bit in the last quarter, and even more so if you look over a longer period of time,” says Lo. “The major strategy that Cineplex seems to be employing is maximizing the amount of money that people are spending on things like food since these items make quite a high margin.”

A portion of Cineplex Inc.’s third quarter financial report annotated in DocumentCloud:

(Click inside the annotation to see the entire document and other annotations)


Source: Cineplex

While traditional concession snacks such as popcorn, pretzels and soft drinks continue to be the largest contributor to food sales, Cineplex’s introduction of the “VIP experience” has also allowed the company to increase the number of opportunities for consumers to spend money while in the theatre.

The VIP experience allows patrons to purchase entire meals and alcoholic beverages in addition to traditional concession foods such as popcorn and soft drinks. Access to VIP auditoriums enhances the movie-going experience for patrons, but more importantly for Cineplex, it encourages their customers to spend much more on food than they typically would if they were sitting in a regular auditorium.

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Cineplex’s VIP lounges allow customers to purchase a variety of food items and alcoholic beverages which can be enjoyed during the movie.
Source: Cineplex

Van Lange notes that VIP auditoriums have had a “significant influence” on their food sales since the program was introduced a couple of years back and says that the VIP option has been very popular with moviegoers looking for an experience they can’t find at home.

“We’re always looking for ways to expand and improve our food offerings for guests,” said Van Lange. “But we still rely on traditional concessions as our primary source of revenue.”

A portion of Cineplex Inc.’s third quarter financial report annotated in DocumentCloud:

(Click inside the annotation to see the entire document and other annotations)


Source: Cineplex

Cineplex currently controls 79 per cent of the box office market in Canada – a significant majority in comparison to their local competitors. But according to Lo, Cineplex may struggle to keep their customer base over time as online streaming options become more popular.

“Increasingly, there are new substitutes for the movie experience such as Netflix or illegal streaming,” says Lo. “It’s a good strategy for Cineplex to keep their movie ticket prices as low as they can to attract customers, and then hopefully they can get them to spend money once they are through the door.”

Looking forward to Cineplex’s fourth quarter, there are many opportunities for the company to maximize food profits. The release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens for example has lead to record box office sales across Canada and likely will have a positive impact on food sales.

“I think Cineplex still has some way to go in order to try and capture more of the customer’s wallet,” says Lo. “Of course, not everyone who walks into the theatre is going to buy food, but I don’t think five dollars per patron is anywhere near what Cineplex could potentially make.”

Cineplex’s stock prices


Cineplex Stock Prices by deannepittman on TradingView.com

Source: Tradingview.com