Darron Kloster / Times Colonist

OCTOBER 8, 2021 06:00 AM

Environmental groups have issued a scathing review of some whale watchers and the lack of
enforcement by Transport Canada to protect the endangered southern resident orcas.
The groups say some whale-watching companies and recreational fishers in the Salish Sea are
“routinely” violating a buffer zone of 400 metres, and sometimes are “pursuing” the orcas into U.S. waters.
The David Suzuki Foundation, Georgia Strait Alliance, Natural Resources Defense Council, Raincoast
Conservation Foundation and WWF Canada are calling for increased enforcement, prosecutions and
penalties to deter the “bad actions of a few” in the whale-watching and recreational-fishing industries.
The 73 remaining southern resident killer whales in J-, K- and L-pods are struggling to survive after the
deaths this summer of K-21 and L-47.
Straitwatch, a Victoria-based marine mammal and vessel behaviour program, said during 12 out of 24
days of monitoring the whales in the summer of 2020, Canadian whale-watching operators were observed
84 times within 400 metres of southern resident orcas.
In nearly one third of these instances, operators went within 100 or 200 metres of the orcas. Over the
same season, 51 recreational fishing vessels were observed within 400 metres of southern residents, with
28 of those within 200 metres.
Paul Pudwell, who operates Sooke Whale Watching, said all Pacific Whale Watch Association members
in the Canadian Salish Sea have signed agreements with the federal government to stay away from the
southern residents in exchange for a 200-metre buffer to watch transient orcas.
The penalties for not doing so range up to $1 million, he said.
“We avoid [southern residents] like the plague,” said Pudwell. “On the two occasions I have come across
[southern residents] this summer, I put it out there on the radio and everyone gets out of the area.”
Pudwell said reputable whale watchers “know what’s at stake” with the southern residents. “We love
these whales and we’re not going to risk a $1-million fine,” he said.
“We’ve seen hundreds of transients and thousands of humpback whales … we don’t have to look at
[southern residents], but we do tell our guests about them for educational purposes.”
Erin Gless, executive director of the Pacific Whale Watch Association based in Friday Harbor,
Washington, said it can take some time for members to photograph and identify the whales. “Once they
figure it out, I can assure you they respond by leaving the scene,” she said.
The association has 29 member companies — about half of them based in Canada — who take out more
than 500,000 guests per year.
The distancing rules in U.S. waters for vessels and southern resident orcas is less than in Canada at 300
yards, or 275 metres.
Gless agreed with the call for more enforcement, but said of the 84 incidents in 2020, only five
distancing infractions were in Canada. The other 79 were in U.S. waters, “where it’s legal [for all members]
to view southern residents from 300 yards,” she said.
No whale-watching companies were mentioned by name in the report.
In Canadian Salish Sea waters, whale-watching operators are obliged to forgo watching southern
resident killer whales under the Sustainable Whale Watch Agreement with Transport Canada.
However, the report said over seven days in 2020, Canadian operators were observed more than 30
times watching southern residents in Canadian waters for more than 30 minutes and, in some instances, for
more than 60 minutes.
“This report shows how many broke that trust — and the law — putting these endangered whales in
harm’s way,” said Jeffery Young, senior science and policy analyst with the David Suzuki Foundation. “It’s
time the federal government fully prosecutes the worst offenders.”
The report said Canadian whale-watching operators were crossing into U.S. waters. In total — in Canada
and the U.S. — they were observed watching southern residents 180 times over the 12 days of monitoring
in 2020, viewing the whales for more than 30 minutes.
 Straitwatch said in its report that enforcement of the distancing rules by officials is lacking, especially on
the Canadian side with Transport Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife was present with southern residents in U.S. waters
about 20 per cent of the time. Canadian enforcement vessels have been present on average two per cent of
the time, with no notable increase in presence with southern resident orcas, the report said.
Calls to Transport Canada to respond to the report were not returned. On its website, Transport Canada
said it is hiring more fisheries officers to beef up enforcement around the Species at Risk Act and increase
aircraft patrols.
“Canada doesn’t have enough eyes on the water around southern residents,” says Misty MacDuffee,
wild salmon program director at Raincoast Conservation Foundation. “Fisheries and Oceans Canada needs
to be present when endangered whales are in the Salish Sea.”
Phrases:
Enforcement обеспечение правопорядка
Routinely регулярно, постоянно
Violate нарушать
Prosecutions судебное преследование
to deter предотвратить
put smth out on the radio передать по радио
at stake на кону, под угрозой
infractions правонарушение
to forgo отказаться
to hire нанять

Summary
Environment continues to receive consideration by papers. I am going to present the article under
the title Environmental groups have issued a scathing review of some whale watchers and the lack of
enforcement by Transport Canada to protect the endangered southern resident orcas. The reporter is
Darron Kloster. It is published in “Time Colonist” on 8 October 2020. The article is concerned with
protection the endangered southern resident orcas.
At the beginning of the article the journalist points out that some whale-watching companies and
recreational fishers in the Salish Sea are “routinely” violating a buffer zone of 400 metres, and
sometimes are “pursuing” the orcas into U.S. waters. That’s why The David Suzuki Foundation, Georgia
Strait Alliance and others are calling for increased enforcement. Moreover, Paul Pudwell, who operates
Sooke Whale Watching, claims that Paul Pudwell, who operates Sooke Whale Watching. However, the
should to pay $1 million for the rule violation. The reporter stresses that the half of the companies broke
that trust — and the law — putting these endangered whales in harm’s way.
The journalist concludes with Misty MacDuffee’s statement that claims Canada doesn’t have
enough eyes on the water around southern residents. It’s time the federal government fully prosecutes
the worst offenders.
Jane Stevenson
Publishing date:Oct 09, 2021
TorontoSun

There’s that old saying that money can’t buy your happiness.

A new Angus Reid poll called Money Mindset Imprints, commissioned by Canadian financial services
institution Co-operators, reveals how such “shock moments,’ such as the COVID-19 pandemic, impacts
Canadians approach to their finances, and ultimately, their happiness.
According to the study, 86% say societal shock moments fundamentally make people more conscious
about money and another 55% say the pandemic has made them realize they need to revisit and
rearrange their future financial plans.

“I’m not surprised,” said Dr. Gillian Mandich, Canada’s first happiness researcher, scientist, and founder
of The International Happiness Institute of Health Science Research.
“It really does shine a light on the pandemic experience and these shock moments and how much they
are really impacting Canadians. It’s really sort of amplified things in a lot of ways, or highlighted things
that were going well, are going better and things that were going worse are going even worse or not
working at all. The finance piece in particular has really become more in the forefront of people’s
awareness than it has been before.”
Among other poll highlights, 78% say they’re still financially under the unconscious influence of their
parents, 69% confess to no proper education on financial security and planning before becoming an
adult and 92% say they failed to make the honor roll when it comes to having acting upon their financial
goals.
“The pandemic has sort of heightened everybody’s financial awareness and people are realizing, ‘Oh,
wait, I don’t know,’” says Mandich, who has a PhD in health science from London’s Western University.

“Or they’re trying to fit into a box where “If you’re this age and this, this is what you should have.’ And
the reality is as unique as everyone of us are, our financial imprint are unique too and that’s why having
this personalized approach is so essential when it comes to our finances.”
Unbelievably, 68% still believe that money can most definitely buy happiness.
“We know that buying things, it doesn’t bring us as much happiness as we think it will or for as long,”
said Mandich.
“The other piece of it is, we do know from research if we are going to spend money, experiences bring
more happiness than material things. And, yet, even at same time, even though we know that, the fact
that 68% of people still think that they can buy happiness really highlights the fact that as humans we’re
not as good at figuring out what makes us happy as we think we are.”
Another 45% say they don’t like talking about finances because they think they should be doing better at
this stage of their lives and 29% also feel guilt they don’t have their money, investments and insurance
policies in order.
“Financial conversations generally aren’t being had right?” said Mandich. “I think that another area of
opportunity we really do have (because of this pandemic) is to start to have conversations about
finances be as normal as conversations about the weather.”
amplified
to fit into a box
rearrange plan
honor roll
heightened everybody’s financial awareness
Summary
The article is headlined “How the pandemic has affected our attitudes towards money”. The reporter is
Jane Stevenson. The article is published in “TorontoSun”. The article is concerned with a new Angus Reid
poll called Money Mindset Imprints, which reveals how such “shock moments,’ such as the COVID-19
pandemic, impacts Canadians approach to their finances, and ultimately, their happiness.
At the beginning of the article the journalist points out that according to the study, 86% say societal
shock moments fundamentally make people more conscious about money and another 55% say the
pandemic has made them realize they need to rearrange their future financial plans.
Further the reporter comments upon the Dr. Gillian Mandich’s words that our financial imprint are
unique too and that’s why having this personalized approach is so essential when it comes to our
finances. Moreover 68% still believe that money can most definitely buy happiness. The reporter
stresses that another 45% say they don’t like talking about finances because they think they should be
doing better at this stage of their lives and 29% also feel guilt they don’t have their money, investments
and insurance policies in order.
The reporter comes to the conclusion that the pandemic has sort of heightened everybody’s financial
awareness.