12 minute read
Abortion rally
Rally reflects concerns about abortion access
Still controlling what people wear
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josh king news writer
“Take my hand, not my life,” the sign read above a picture of a chubby infantile hand reaching out to a delicate feminine hand, in a manner reminiscent of Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam. It was a sign I passed regularly for two years as I made drives between Calgary and Lethbridge, but I think the casual anti-abortion sloganeering supported by an amateur display of art is a surreal experience that most people on the prairies can relate to. As reported by CTV in August, a Saskatchewan resident, Megan Johnston, started a non-profit in response to her frustration with all the anti-abortion highway signs. She recounted how on one drive across the province she had come across 13 highway signs. Johnston ended up raising a total of $21, 424 on GoFundMe to put up pro-choice highway signs across the province.
The issues with abortion in the province are not limited to the messaging many of us see while driving; abortion access is also limited in Saskatchewan, which the Carillion’s Gillian Massie reported on previously in June. In short, surgical abortion is only available in Saskatoon and Regina, for up to 12 and 18 weeks, respectively. Pregnant people also commonly face crisis pregnancy centres, which are anti-abortion groups masquerading as health centres. According to a list compiled this October by the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, there are two anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers just in Regina.
The deception perpetrated by these centers is viewed as charity by the government, who give the two in Regina tax-exempt status. In my previous conversation with the executive director of Planned Parenthood Regina, we also discussed the difficulties they faced in finding a new location. Planned Parenthood Regina is an organization that does not offer abortions themselves, but works to make sexual healthcare accessible to all. United Nations human rights bodies have decided in the past that access to abortion falls under the human rights to health, privacy, and in some cases freedom from cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment.
Saskatchewan residents took to the snowy legislature on November 9 to let their representatives know they’re fed up with the state of abortion access in the province. Stephanie, a rally attendee, told the Carillon that their concerns about abortion in Saskatchewan were that “Rules vary from city to city, even doctor to doctor. There needs to be a Reproductive Health Centre within PA [Prince Albert] or a mobile unit that travels around the North. We need doctors that know what care is and isn’t available.”
The rally was led by Megan Johnston, who was interviewed by Bodie Robinson with the Carillon in September about her ‘abortion is healthcare’ road signs. Johnston made headlines again on November 9, this time national. During the rally, she peacefully entered the building wearing a shirt that said “abortion is healthcare,” when she was told by security that she couldn’t wear the slogan into the building. Johnston ended up turning the shirt inside out so that she could watch the legislature. Outside on the steps, rally-goers showed support with signs showing her slogan, ‘abortion is healthcare.’
According to a press release by the NDP, Johnston’s Abortion is Healthcare organization was also joined by Planned Parenthood Regina, Saskatoon Sexual Health, Regina Abortion Support Network, other abortion providers, and NDP MLAs. Rally attendee Stephanie confirmed the organizations in attendance and estimated about 100 people were in attendance.
While the protest was occurring outside, NDP MLA Jennifer Bowes told the legislature that “Platitudes and words of support simply won’t do when Saskatchewan people are consistently denied adequate access to this important service. We need action today.”
In response to the protest, Paul Merriman, the provincial health minister, told the Regina Leader-Post that the government is considering expanding surgical abortion access to Prince Albert and looking into the discrepancy between abortion access in Saskatoon and Regina. However, Premier Scott Moe has previously stated that he is pro-life.
Stephanie noted that “No one from the Sask. Party was willing to speak to us.”
We’re not gonna take it.
Image: Mohamed_hassan via Pixabay and Eric Brochu via Flickr, manipulated by Lee Lim
New Accommodation Test Centre opens at the U of R
In memory of Hornung
gillian massie news editor
Brad Hornung was one of the first students at the University of Regina to receive extensive accommodations in the early 90s. Now, a new Accommodation Test Centre is being named after him. On November 4, the ribbon was cut to officially open the new Brad Hornung Accommodation Test Centre at the University of Regina. The event was attended by Hornung’s family. Hornung passed away in February this year after a battle with cancer at 52.
Hornung’s sister, Leanne Wright, said they felt the need to do something with the remainder of funds from the Brad Hornung Foundation.
“Considering this money was provided to Brad by the wonderful people of Regina and Saskatchewan – and considering both Brad’s educational journey and love of athletics – we thought a perfect fit would be to establish some things that would continue Brad’s legacy at the University of Regina,” said Wright in a University of Regina press release.
The Accommodation Test Centre is tucked into a hallway near the University of Regina Bookstore in College West.
Hornung was an up-andcoming WHL hockey player for the Regina Pats who had good odds of going pro. But in 1987, he suffered a spinal cord injury in a game against team rivals, the Moose Jaw Warriors. The spinal cord injury left him a quadriplegic.
Hornung’s number 8 jersey is currently retired by the Regina Pats organization. Hornung’s former coach, Doug Sauter, reflected on Brad after his death in February.
“His attitude was always outstanding,” said Sauter to 980 CJME. “His character was top notch and his enthusiasm for life and improving himself was great. […] Unfortunately, [Hornung] passing away last night will I think leave a large hole in the community as far as a role model goes.”
The Accommodation Test Centre’s goal is consistency. The goal for students who need extra accommodations to be able to stay on campus and receive the help they need instead of having to seek help somewhere else. This centre will provide equal access for students to complete their work and help them in their academic pursuits. There are 58 workstations, 11 private exam rooms, and 11 shared exam rooms. These stations and exam rooms are all equipped with dual monitors, and readers and scribes.
Hornung holds two degrees from the University of Regina. In 1996, he graduated from Campion College with a Bachelor of Arts in History. In 2018, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree for his courage and perseverance.
Hornung shared an interest in creating a more accessible space for other students who came after him, according to President of the University of Regina Jeff Keshen.
“Brad was clearly passionate about creating a more accessible campus for the students who came after him,” said Keshen in a press release. “The establishment of the Brad Hornung Accommodations Test Centre is not just a testament to those efforts – it’s our commitment to continue them.”
In addition to the new centre, the Hornung family and the Brad Hornung Legacy Foundation will be supporting accessible fitness equipment and two scholarships for the University of Regina Cougars hockey team. A scholarship at a value of $1,500 will go to one player from the women’s and men’s teams.
Last minute race to keep 1.5 alive
josh king news writer
Implementation and inequality were the big themes on the agenda going into COP27. However, with the closing of COP27 on Sunday, November 20, leaders at COP27 were struggling to get countries to sign onto a progressive final statement.
Thursday night, with only 24 hours before the scheduled close, the United Nations secretary-general and COP27 president jointly addressed the summit to urge all parties to take necessary action. Sameh Shoukry, the COP27 president, summarized the state of the conference as “Some of the discussions were constructive and positive, others did not reflect the expected recognition of the need to move collectively to address the gravity and urgency of the climate crisis.”
Shoukry went on to say “The mitigation work program has yet to reach the desired outcome. Adaption is still held back by procedural matters. Ambitious outcomes on finance have not yet materialized. And on loss and damage parties are shying away from taking the difficult political decisions.”
The loss and damages Shoukry mentioned are the terms countries have been using to refer to the irreversible destruction caused by climate change. Countries at the COP have also recognized that the loss and damages due to climate change disproportionately impact poorer countries, and there has been a push to get developed countries to pay for those damages.
One of the issues being debated in the last days of COP27 is whether the final statement should have the goal of keeping warming to 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels. This debate is
coming to COP27 due to a report released by the UN Environmental Programme shortly before the conference that claimed the only remaining paths to 1.5 C require “urgent system-wide transformation.”
Previous COP meetings have been criticized for taking little actual action on promises made, which is why this year had a focus on implementation. The current warming target at previous COPs was in accord with the Paris Agreement, which committed to keeping warming below 2 C and set 1.5 C as an aspirational target. This year at COP27, countries reaffirmed the Paris Agreement despite the European Union calling for a stronger commitment to keep warming to 1.5 C.
According to Climate Action Tracker, a consortium of international scientists, Canada has an overall ranking of Highly Insufficient as of September 2021, meaning that we are not on track to meet our Paris Agreement commitments. The Highly Insufficient ranking means that current policies put us on track for warming above 2 C. The domestic targets are ranked at “almost sufficient,” meaning that if planned policies and targets are enacted, we will be on track to be below 2 C but remain above the 1.5 C goal.
During COP27, Canada has made a number of announcements to further its climate commitments. The Canadian government announced initiatives totalling $84.25 million at COP27. All of the money committed under these initiatives is planned to be funded out of Canada’s $5.3 billion climate finance commitment, which was previously announced in 2021. Canada also led a Climate Pricing Challenge at COP27. The pricing challenge will not involve any additional commitments from Canada, and is a call for other countries to implement carbon pricing initiatives, like the one enacted by the Trudeau government. Canada also signed onto a US-led net-zero government initiative which commits to having all government operations at net-zero by 2050. This commitment is already a requirement of the Paris Agreement.
Notably missing from Canada’s commitments at COP27 this year is a commitment to phase down oil and gas production. In doing so, Canada has notably broken from other western nations such as the US, the European Union, and the UK,
whose negotiators were considering signing onto a cover decision that committed to a fossil fuel phase-down. At COP26, last year, a commitment was made to phase down coal production, but ignored other fossil fuels, like oil and gas.
At a fireside chat on Thursday night, Minister of the Environment and Climate Steven Guilbeault blamed withholding agreement to the fact that under the Canadian constitution, natural resources are not under federal control. Although, last year at COP26, Canada signed onto a pledge to phase down coal use, also a natural resource. When asked about this discrepancy, Guilbeault said “we weren’t really challenged on that, but we are on pretty much everything we’re doing on oil and gas.”
The Center for International Environmental Law held a press conference on November 17, one day before the scheduled end of the conference, as a final push to get countries to commit to phase down all fossil fuels and commit to loss and damage financing.
Sebastien Duyck, senior attorney with the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), said in reaction to a first draft of the cover decision, “The conference has been marred by the promotion of false solutions and pledges that have doubled down on fossil fuels.”
Duyck made allegations of corporate influence on the conference and even foul-play, stating: “Many civil society and Indigenous Peoples representatives have been personally targeted by acts of intimidation and harassment by operatives with badges provided by the host of this conference. At the same time hundreds of corporate lobbyists have had plenty of opportunities to promote their corporate interests across the conference.”
The Director of the Climate and Energy Program Center for CIEL Nikki Reisch added that “What we’ve seen here are multiple new gas deals signed on the margin of this climate summit.”
During the press conference, panelists laid out their position of what a successful COP would
look like.
Reisch said, “If this COP does not extend the commitment to phasing out fossil fuels beyond coal to include oil and, critically, gas, about which we’ve heard an awful lot about here, it’s a failure, full stop.”
Another panelist, Joie Chowdhury, program co-ordinator at ESCR-net, a coalition of environmental activists and NGOs, said “for many of us, the measure of success at this COP is the establishment of the loss and damages facility.”
As negotiations headed into overtime on Saturday, both the fossil fuel phase-out and loss and damages financing were still on the negotiating table. On Saturday morning, Jeni Miller, executive director of the Global Climate and Health Alliance, who was commenting on behalf of over 130 health organizations worldwide, said “With people’s lives and humanity’s future at stake, governments at COP27 have a moral duty to stay at the table until they reach a robust agreement on establishment of
loss and damage finance. […] Countries must also sit down and thrash out firm plans for protecting the future health and livelihoods of people worldwide by making a clear commitment to an equitable phase-out of all fossil fuels, essential to limiting warming to 1.5 C.”
At the closing of COP27 there were no commitments to phase-out oil and gas, though an agreement to finance loss and damages was established, and a management team for the fund will be set up next year at COP28.
COPS, COPS, COPS, COPS (in the baseball organ theme).
Image: Lee Lim
