'Oh my God, you're my brother': Man in his 70s discovers 6 unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
Canadian fossil fuel producers receive more public financial support than any in the developed world, according to a new analysis.
And compared to subsidies for oil, gas and coal, renewable energy gets less government help in Canada than in any other G20 country, say the latest figures from Oil Change International.
"They're very much going in the wrong direction," said Bronwen Tucker, who helped prepare the report for the group, which has been tracking public finance of fossil fuels since 2012.
The report, which includes 2019 and 2020, adds up loans, loan guarantees, grants, share purchases and insurance coverage provided to fossil fuel producers by governments, government agencies and government-owned multinational development banks.
Around the world, that added up to almost $78 billion last year -- down from the 2015-17 average of $111 billion.
The report acknowledges that not all countries are equally transparent, with information from countries such as China and Saudi Arabia harder to come by.
But it found Canada topped the subsidies list, providing an average of almost $14 billion a year between 2018 and 2020. Japan, Korea and China came in close behind.
No surprise, Tucker said.
"Canada's been consistently in the top four. They've always been up there."
At the same time, the report finds Canadian renewable energy received about $1 billion in public financial support -- far less than in other countries.
On average, the report finds G20 countries provided about 2.5 times more support for fossil fuels than renewables. In Canada, the ratio is 14.5.
"That juxtaposition really stood out to me," said Julia Levin of Environmental Defence, which has received and endorsed the report. "We have just spent so much on the sectors of the past rather than preparing for the future."
Both the federal government and Export Development Canada -- the agency through which most of the financing flows -- have pledged to reduce fossil fuel finance.
During the recent campaign, the Liberals said they would eliminate fossil fuel subsidies by 2023.
That's progress, said Levin.
"This is the first time we've seen the government say, 'Hey, we have to do something about public financing."'
Export Development Canada says by 2023, it will reduce support to the six most carbon-intensive sectors by 40 per cent below 2018 levels and set "sustainable finance targets" by July 2022.
"The organization will also be considering how to broaden targets to cover all sectors it supports," it says on its website.
Levin said those promises are inadequate.
"They fall short of what needs to happen. Any climate policy that allows a public institution to continue giving support to the oil and gas sector isn't enough."
Federal New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh said the report shows the Liberal government isn't moving fast enough.
"It's never been clearer that this government needs to eliminate all fossil fuel subsidies," he said in a release. "To beat this climate crisis, we need bold action to reduce emissions by 50 per cent instead of the Liberals' less ambitious targets."
The Oil Change report comes as world leaders prepare to meet in Glasgow, Scotland, to discuss global progress on climate change and what needs to happen next. Public finance of oil, gas and coal is expected to be on the agenda.
The U.K., Levin said, has already pledged to end such measures.
"They announced they'd be looking into it on December 2020, and by March 2021 they had a policy in place. It doesn't have to take 10 years like it's been taking Canada."
Tucker said a coalition of 15 countries and institutions are expected in Glasgow to commit to ending public finance of fossil fuels.
"It is uncertain whether Canada will join," she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2021.
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist, and the Vancouver Canucks hung on for a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.