Alberta
Myrna Pearman and Morris Flewwelling honoured by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society
Myrna Pearman and Morris Flewwelling at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que. for the induction ceremony
Every year the Royal Canadian Geographical Society adds a few more worthy Canadians to it’s prestigious College of Fellows. Honourees are chosen because they represent the core values of the Society, including the determination to build, the courage to explore and a steadfast love of country.
It’s a select group of individuals featuring such notable Canadians as Nobel Prize winner Frederick Banting, former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed, television celebrity and philanthropist Alex Trebek, and astronaut Steve MacLean. The Society of Fellows also includes geographers, scientists, artists, soldiers, business leaders and educators.
In 2019 two beloved Central Albertans have joined the ranks. Among the 133 Fellows added to the Society in 2019 are former Red Deer Mayor Morris Flewwelling and biologist Myrna Pearman of the Ellis Bird Farm.
From Myrna Pearman
I am humbled and honoured to have been recently accepted as a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. The ceremony was held in Ottawa earlier this week. How inspiring it was to be in the company of so many exemplary Canadians who also received fellowships, received medals, and who spoke at the evening gala (Dr. Roberta Bondar, Rt. Hon. Joe Clark, Rt. Hon. David Johnson to name a few). A big thank you to Carol Patterson for the nomination. Carol has been a wonderful personal mentor and Ellis Bird Farm supporter over the years.The experience was extra special because it was shared with a great personal friend and another Ellis Bird Farm champion (and founding board chairman), Morris Flewwelling. What a treat it was to also be in the company of Dr. Dee (who was also received a fellowship) and Brian Keating.
We live in troubled times, but there are so many talented and dedicated people across this great land who are working tirelessly on behalf of our beautiful country (and planet). My thanks to them all!
The Fellows class of 2019 pose for a photo at the Canadian Museum of History during The Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s College of Fellows Annual Dinner and 90th anniversary celebration Nov. 21. (Photo: Ben Powless/Can Geo)
From the Royal Canadian Geographical Society
Inside the RCGS’ star-studded 90th anniversary celebration
Honouring exceptional achievements in exploration, science, and nation-building
Each year, through its awards program, the RCGS recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to Canada, the Society or the field of geography. In 2019, the Society awarded medals to 36 exceptional honourees, among them astronauts, educators, artists, former heads of state, explorers and scientists.
Most of the medals were presented at a special ceremony in the Alex Trebek Theatre at 50 Sussex, headquarters of the RCGS, on the morning of Nov. 21, while others were given at Society events throughout the year. A few honourees were recognized during the Dinner itself, including the Right Hon. Joe Clark, former Prime Minister of Canada; the Right Hon. David Johnston, former Governor General of Canada; astronaut Harrison Schmitt, the most recent person still living to have walked on the moon; astronaut Andrew Feustel, who commanded a recent mission on the International Space Station, and Michael Ulica, president and chief operating officer of the National Geographic Society.
The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, provided remarks of welcome and congratulations, saluting the honourees and the RCGS for their ongoing efforts to better our country and world.
See the full list of 2019 honourees
Welcoming new Fellows
The Society proudly welcomed 133 new Fellows to its ranks, bringing the total number of active Fellows to 1,176. Fellows inducted this year hail from four countries, seven provinces and one territory. Among this year’s diverse Fellows class are country singer Paul Brandt, journalist and Canadian Geographic contributing editor Julian Brave NoiseCat, giraffologist Anne Innis Dagg, nature advocate Simon Jackson, historian Margaret MacMillan, mountaineering duo Lonnie Dupre and Pascale Marceau, TVO anchor Steve Paikin, artist and author Leanne Shapton, and Tlingit artist and carver Keith Wolfe Smarch.
Celebrating legends and milestones in space exploration
Space exploration was an overarching theme of the evening, with 2019 marking the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon mission as well as the 90th anniversary of the RCGS. Dr. Roberta Bondar, Canada’s first female astronaut and an Honourary Vice-President of the Society, introduced fellow astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Andrew Feustel as they accepted their Gold Medals, as well as Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques, who returned the RCGS expedition flag he had taken with him to the International Space Station on Expedition 58/59.
Schmitt delighted the crowd by tossing out foam “moon balls,” while Saint-Jacques amazed with a presentation about his mission and the new perspective it has given him on our planet. “This is our home in the vacuum of space,” he said, “and we have to take care of it.”
Finally, Marie Lemay, Master of the Royal Canadian Mint, took the stage to present all the astronauts and Sylvain Laporte, President of the Canadian Space Agency, with a special coin honouring Marc Garneau, the first Canadian to go to space.
By Dan McTeague
Ford’s calls for national unity – “We need to stand united as Canadians!” – in context feels like an endorsement of fellow Electric Vehicle fanatic Trudeau. And you do wonder if that issue has something to do with it. After all, the two have worked together to pump billions in taxpayer dollars into the EV industry.
There’s no doubt about it: Donald Trump’s threat of a blanket 25% tariff on Canadian goods (to be established if the Canadian government fails to take sufficient action to combat drug trafficking and illegal crossings over our southern border) would be catastrophic for our nation’s economy. More than $3 billion in goods move between the U.S. and Canada on a daily basis. If enacted, the Trump tariff would likely result in a full-blown recession.
It falls upon Canada’s leaders to prevent that from happening. That’s why Justin Trudeau flew to Florida two weeks ago to point out to the president-elect that the trade relationship between our countries is mutually beneficial.
This is true, but Trudeau isn’t the best person to make that case to Trump, since he has been trashing the once and future president, and his supporters, both in public and private, for years. He did so again at an appearance just the other day, in which he implied that American voters were sexist for once again failing to elect the nation’s first female president, and said that Trump’s election amounted to an assault on women’s rights.
Consequently, the meeting with Trump didn’t go well.
But Trudeau isn’t Canada’s only politician, and in recent days we’ve seen some contrasting approaches to this serious matter from our provincial leaders.
First up was Doug Ford, who followed up a phone call with Trudeau earlier this week by saying that Canadians have to prepare for a trade war. “Folks, this is coming, it’s not ‘if,’ it is — it’s coming… and we need to be prepared.”
Ford said that he’s working with Liberal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to put together a retaliatory tariff list. Spokesmen for his government floated the idea of banning the LCBO from buying American alcohol, and restricting the export of critical minerals needed for electric vehicle batteries (I’m sure Trump is terrified about that last one).
But Ford’s most dramatic threat was his announcement that Ontario is prepared to shut down energy exports to the U.S., specifically to Michigan, New York, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, if Trump follows through with his plan. “We’re sending a message to the U.S. You come and attack Ontario, you attack the livelihoods of Ontario and Canadians, we’re going to use every tool in our toolbox to defend Ontarians and Canadians across the border,” Ford said.
Now, unfortunately, all of this chest-thumping rings hollow. Ontario does almost $500 billion per year in trade with the U.S., and the province’s supply chains are highly integrated with America’s. The idea of just cutting off the power, as if you could just flip a switch, is actually impossible. It’s a bluff, and Trump has already called him on it. When told about Ford’s threat by a reporter this week, Trump replied “That’s okay if he does that. That’s fine.”
And Ford’s calls for national unity – “We need to stand united as Canadians!” – in context feels like an endorsement of fellow Electric Vehicle fanatic Trudeau. And you do wonder if that issue has something to do with it. After all, the two have worked together to pump billions in taxpayer dollars into the EV industry. Just over the past year Ford and Trudeau have been seen side by side announcing their $5 billion commitment to Honda, or their $28.2 billion in subsidies for new Stellantis and Volkswagen electric vehicle battery plants.
Their assumption was that the U.S. would be a major market for Canadian EVs. Remember that “vehicles are the second largest Canadian export by value, at $51 billion in 2023 of which 93% was exported to the U.S.,”according to the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association, and “Auto is Ontario’s top export at 28.9% of all exports (2023).”
But Trump ran on abolishing the Biden administration’s de facto EV mandate. Now that he’s back in the White House, the market for those EVs that Trudeau and Ford invested in so heavily is going to be much softer. Perhaps they’d like to be able to blame Trump’s tariffs for the coming downturn rather than their own misjudgment.
In any event, Ford’s tactic stands in stark contrast to the response from Alberta, Canada’s true energy superpower. Premier Danielle Smith made it clear that her province “will not support cutting off our Alberta energy exports to the U.S., nor will we support a tariff war with our largest trading partner and closest ally.”
Smith spoke about this topic at length at an event announcing a new $29-million border patrol team charged with combatting drug trafficking, at which said that Trudeau’s criticisms of the president-elect were, “not helpful.” Her deputy premier Mike Ellis was quoted as saying, “The concerns that president-elect Trump has expressed regarding fentanyl are, quite frankly, the same concerns that I and the premier have had.” Smith and Ellis also criticized Ottawa’s progressively lenient approach to drug crimes.
(For what it’s worth, a recent Léger poll found that “Just 29 per cent of [Canadians] believe Trump’s concerns about illegal immigration and drug trafficking from Canada to the U.S. are unwarranted.” Perhaps that’s why some recent polls have found that Trudeau is currently less popular in Canada than Trump at the moment.)
Smith said that Trudeau’s criticisms of the president-elect were, “not helpful.” And on X/Twitter she said, “Now is the time to… reach out to our friends and allies in the U.S. to remind them just how much Americans and Canadians mutually benefit from our trade relationship – and what we can do to grow that partnership further,” adding, “Tariffs just hurt Americans and Canadians on both sides of the border. Let’s make sure they don’t happen.”
This is exactly the right approach. Smith knows there is a lot at stake in this fight, and is not willing to step into the ring in a fight that Canada simply can’t win, and will cause a great deal of hardship for all involved along the way.
While Trudeau indulges in virtue signaling and Ford in sabre rattling, Danielle Smith is engaging in true statesmanship. That’s something that is in short supply in our country these days.
As I’ve written before, Trump is playing chess while Justin Trudeau and Doug Ford are playing checkers. They should take note of Smith’s strategy. Honey will attract more than vinegar, and if the long history of our two countries tell us anything, it’s that diplomacy is more effective than idle threats.
Dan McTeague is President of Canadians for Affordable Energy.
From the Alberta Motor Association
Know Before the Tow: Towing Rights in Alberta
Predatory towing is a growing concern in major cities across the province. The Alberta Motor
Association (AMA), in partnership with the Calgary Police Service and Calgary Fire Department,
wants to ensure Albertans are not only aware of this emerging issue but also know how to stop
it.
Today, AMA launches Know Before the Tow—a new, provincewide awareness campaign that
empowers Albertans with the knowledge needed to stay confident and in control when faced with
a tow scam. The campaign features a list of five key towing rights that every Alberta driver should
know:
1. You have the right to refuse unsolicited towing services.
2. You have the right to choose who tows your vehicle, and where, unless
otherwise directed by police.
3. You have the right to access your vehicle to retrieve personal items during a
storage facility’s business hours.
4. You have the right to ask if the towing company receives a kickback for taking
your vehicle to a particular storage facility or repair shop.
5. You have the right to a quote prior to service, and an itemized invoice prior to
making payment.
“Being in a collision or broken down at the roadside is stressful enough; the last thing any Albertan
needs is high pressure from an unscrupulous tower,” says Jeff Kasbrick, Vice-President,
Advocacy and Operations, AMA. “These towing rights are clear and remind every Albertan that
they’re in the driver’s seat when it comes to who they choose to tow their vehicle.”
Edmonton and Calgary in particular are seeing increasing reports of predatory towing. Unethical
operators will arrive at a collision or breakdown scene uninvited, create a false sense of urgency
to remove the vehicle, and ultimately leave drivers facing huge fees.
Starting today, Albertans can visit ama.ab.ca/KnowBeforeTheTow to download a digital copy of
their towing rights, helping them feel confident if faced with a tow scam. And soon, all AMA centres
will offer free print versions, which are small enough to tuck in a glovebox.
“Alberta’s towing industry is still highly reputable, with the vast majority of operators committed
to fair and professional service. In fact, AMA and our roadside assistance network is proud to
represent 80% of all private-passenger tows in the province, so our members can be confident
that we’ll always protect them—just as we have for nearly 100 years,” says Kasbrick.
“By knowing your rights and choosing trusted providers like AMA, you can avoid unnecessary
stress, costs, and uncertainty. Because the road to recovery after a collision shouldn’t have to
include fighting for your vehicle.”
Sergeant Brad Norman, Calgary Police Service Traffic Section, says law enforcement continues
to work diligently with first responders and community partners like AMA to put the brakes on
predatory towers, who “are showing up at collision sites and pressuring overwhelmed and
frightened victims into paying high towing rates.”
“Our priority is to ensure the safety of collision victims, the public, and first responders at
collision sites. Part of this effort is educating motorists about their rights so that they Know
Before the Tow that they can say no to unsolicited towing services and choose a reputable
tower of their choice instead,” says Norman. “No one deserves to be taken advantage of after
being involved in a collision.”
To learn more, and to view an expanded version of Alberta towing rights, visit
ama.ab.ca/KnowBeforeTheTow
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