Between the antics of Mayor Rob Ford, the senate scandal and the British government decision to have default porn filters installed by internet providers, 2013 was arguably the year of bad politics. Beyond the political theatrics, the insecurity of national security was probably the biggest issue on peoples’ minds. Edward Snowden disclosed classified NSA documents to news agencies worldwide about American surveillance across the world, and more importantly, in their own backyard. Finally, let’s not forget the tragedies and bizarre weather that pushed the limit of Canadian disaster preparedness. This, is 2013 in review.
Bad Politics
“I do not use crack cocaine nor am I an addict of crack cocaine.” This was the initial response of Toronto mayor Rob Ford when a video of him smoking crack cocaine was first reported by the Toronto Star. His sister rose to the occasion confirming that, “Robbie’s not a drug addict… I know because I’m a former addict. ” However, her dear brother Robbie was eventually caught in his lie; police gained access to the original video and Rob Ford has since had his responsibilities considerably decreased. But bad Canadian politics doesn’t stop there; 2013 saw Stephen Harper’s (now former) Chief of Staff, Nigel Wright, reach out to interfere with the audit of Senator Mike Duffy’s expenses. The senator, along with two of his colleagues, was in trouble for questionable expenses. Nigel Wright increased the furor when he wrote a cheque for more than $90 000 to repay Duffy’s questionable housing expenses. These actions, along with a number of lost emails with regard to the scandal, seriously call in to question the accountability of our government. At least they didn’t feel the need to place filters on our home computers like British Prime Minister David Cameron. Filters to “block hardcore legal pornography” were in place by mid November amid controversy that they would also potentially block access to important sites. There are fears that the filters will prevent access to benign sites, such as those with information on LGBT lifestyles (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and transgendered) and abortion, thus decreasing freedom of information.
Security
In a sensational leak, NSA documents were released to worldwide media raising fears of surveillance in our own neighbourhoods by our own people. The infamous Edward Snowden saga continues to play out, with debates in the US surrounding his amnesty; so far the White House refuses to budge as Snowden remains in asylum in Russia. It would seem that no one is safe from being surveilled. With the continuing interconnectivity of our devices, many of us tied to our devices for everything from personal communication to banking are providing a wealth of data to be mined by interested agencies. Personal freedoms and security will continue to be an issue well into the future.
In the non-digital world, Canada continues to wait for replacement Sea King Helicopters. Named “The worst procurement in the history of Canada” by Defense Minister Peter MacKay, efforts to procure helicopters has been ongoing since 1990. Progress has been delayed endlessly by red tape and conflicting requirements.
Tragedies
April 24, 2013 marks the occurrence of a completely preventable tragedy that took over 1000 lives. The collapse of Rana Plaza in the capitol of Bangladesh tore a hole in the complacency of western consumers…or did it? While work conditions in Bangladesh have not made an immediate leap towards improvement, big retailers, including Loblaws, have signed a pact promising to properly inspect their manufacturing facilities. In October workers were given three months worth of wages in compensation for their loss of work. An estimated 550 people are eligible for long term compensation. It remains to be seen if better regulation by a few big retailers will result in wide spread changes.
On July 6, 2013 an unmanned train derailed in the Quebec town of Lac-Mégantic, decimating the downtown and killing 47 people. The disaster brought attention to a lack of transparency in how cargo is transported in Canada, as well as inconsistencies in railway company book keeping. The train at the center of the tragedy was parked for the night when it lost break power and set off down the slope eventually derailing in the quiet Quebec town. Cargo trains now require more than one engineer for all trips and tank car trains with regulated commodities will no longer be left unattended on a main line. This tragic accident further fuels the debate whether transporting oil in pipe lines or by rail is the safer thing to do.
On August 21, 2013 the civil war in Syria reached new levels of atrocity when chemical weapons were dropped on highly populated cities. It is estimated that more than 1 300 civilians, including children, were killed in an attack on Ghouta, a region of Demascus, one of five areas hit by chemical weapons according to the UN. Several other locations have reported unconfirmed chemical weapons attacks. The chemical Sarin was used. It is a nerve agent with the ability in high doses to paralyse the lungs of victims and is classified as a weapon of mass destruction. Chemical weapons attacks are only the latest terror in a conflict that has so far taken over 100 000 lives.
Wild Weather
Precipitation everywhere! On June 20, 2013, flooding in Calgary reached disastrous proportions. 32 states of emergency were announced and over 100 000 people were evacuated. The Calgary Police Service kept people informed over Twitter, at one point even exceeding the maximum daily limit for tweets which caused them to be blocked. The use of Twitter during the flood has earned the Calgary Police Service an award for social media event management and caused Twitter to re-evaluate their policies for first responders. Despite substantial water-log in the city, the Calgary Stampede went on relatively unabated, hosting more than a million visitors only weeks after the flooding. T-shirts carrying the slogan “Hell or High Water” were sold, successfully raising $2.1 million for the Canadian Red Cross to support flood relief efforts.
Around the same time, on July 8th, Toronto was hit by a flash flood that dumped a record 126 mm of rain on Pearson Airport and stranded commuters. Astonishing photos from the event show Go Train passengers being rescued by boat, and commuters on the Don Valley Parkway escaping their submerged cars through opened windows. Power outages were widespread but power was restored quickly. The same cannot be said for GTA residents and others across Canada in the wake the ice storm that began December 21. Despite nonstop efforts by Hydro Crews, many residents didn’t get back online until early 2014. Costs for the ice storm are around $250 million for the GTA region.
In a sunnier climate, Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the Philippines on November 8. The storm is the strongest storm ever recorded at landfall. The body count is currently at approximately 6 201 dead although bodies are still being recovered. Lines of communication continue to be down and infrastructure in many regions has been completely decimated.
This has been your 2013 in review ladies and gents. Here’s to a better 2014.
Leave a Reply