Wildfire, Flood Projects in 112 Indigenous Communities Blocked by Federal Funding Backlog

The federal government still hasn’t provided First Nations with the support they need to respond to emergencies such as wildfires and floods despite warnings almost a decade ago, says a new report from Canada’s auditor general.

Karen Hogan audited Indigenous Services Canada’s handling of emergency management, concluding the department was too reactive, instead of proactively spending on infrastructure to mitigate damages when floods, fires and landslides strike, The Canadian Press reports.

The AG points out that as of April, there were 112 such projects that did not have funding despite meeting the criteria for eligibility. It says 74 of them had been in the department’s backlog for more than five years.

“Until these projects are completed, First Nations communities are likely to continue to experience emergencies that could be averted by investing in the right infrastructure,” the report reads. |Read more https://www.theenergymix.com/2022/11/16/wildfire-flood-projects-in-112-indigenous-communities-blocked-by-federal-funding-backlog/|
#cdnpoli #politics #indigenous #wildfires #floods #funding #EmergencyManagement

What is going on with Alberta’s pensions?

Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan suggested it was tantamount to theft. He pointed out that the ATRF’s returns have been substantially better than those of AIMCo and that it has been independently managing its own retirement savings since 1939.

The federation is worried that its retirement funds will essentially be funnelled to capital-starved Alberta petroleum companies.

Toews said in an editorial in the Edmonton Journal on Nov. 26 that the UCP is looking at leaving the CPP to create an APP, also managed by AIMCo, as his government believes Albertans make a disproportionate contribution to the CPP ($2.9 billion more than they receive in benefits) and that an APP would have smaller contribution rates (5.85 per cent versus the current 9.9 per cent) with increased efficiency.

The former CEO of AIMCo, Leo de Bever, had a different take in an interview with BNN Bloomberg on Nov. 15, noting that a homegrown APP “mathematically… wouldn’t make a great deal of sense from an administrative efficiency point of view.”

Keith Ambachteer, president of KPA Advisory Services and director emeritus at the International Centre for Pension Management, said. |Read more https://www.federalretirees.ca/en/news-views/news-listing/april/what-is-going-on-with-albertas-pensions|
#abpoli #politics #cpp #AIMco #greed #fossilFuel #Investments